#“i can't believe eden killed all those people�� - my brother

[terukotime]

merry christmas y'all......so project eden's garden amirite

[lulu2992]

Something I'm still struggling to grasp about the Project at Eden's Gate is their initiation and training process. I guess it's because of how isolated the regions are from each other story-wise.

To keep it short, I can't understand how does "cleanse, confess, atone" mesh with "train, hunt, kill, sacrifice", what is mandatory and what isn't, how does "walk the Path" fit into all of it and how in the world can anybody survive the Leap of Faith without a haystack.

It’s hard because the game doesn’t clearly explain everything and even contradicts itself at times. The story went through several changes too, and it seems that, in early versions of the script, all members of the Project, including those who chose to follow the Father, were abused when, in the game, I believe violence and coercion are only used against those who were captured and have to be converted. Also, the final, current story suggests this only started happening when the Reaping began, but there are still characters who talk about the cult abducting and even killing (even though their goal is to save people, but anyway) Hope County residents long before that, so the lore is confusing…

Story-wise, the three regions are indeed supposed to be way more isolated from one another than they are on the in-game map. People who live in the Holland Valley admit they weren’t aware of what was going on in the Whitetail Mountains, for example. I don’t think the Heralds necessarily like or approve of each others’ methods, but NPCs explain John sends whoever he doesn’t keep to his siblings, that Faith deals with those who said “no” to him, or that Jacob “recruits” soldiers in the Henbane River, so while they each have their own territory and personal (trauma-inspired) ideology, they still work together.

My understanding is that anyone who joins Eden’s Gate must meet John first so they can be purified and rid of their sin. In his letter to Nick, he mentions there are many mothers and children in John’s Gate, so I think families composed of “regular” cultists who joined the cult willingly (or were born into it) and can’t fight just go live there when the Reaping begins to wait for the Collapse. I guess these people don’t do much except be part of the Family and among the 3,000 souls the Voice asked Joseph to save.

Then, I’d say those who want or have the potential to become soldiers can (try to) join Jacob’s army or become Chosen. It seems every candidate has to go through the trials and make a sacrifice. If they do all of that and manage not to die, they’ve proven their strength and devotion and are worthy of being part of the Project’s army; Jacob is confident they will be able to survive in extreme conditions and effectively protect the Family. According to a note, he has a youth training program as well, but there’s only one mention of that so we don’t know much about it or if it’s still a thing.

I think Faith makes Angels of people her brothers can’t convert and who resist them, or members of the Project who are too scared or doubtful and need to be… pacified. If you’re exposed to too much Bliss, because it apparently passes the blood-brain barrier and can never be purged out, it just keeps accumulating and, the more Bliss you come into contact with, the closer you get to ending up “zombified” because of it. Now, that’s if it happens accidentally, but it appears Angels are forcibly made too. A deleted note suggests the first ones were volunteers, but I don’t know if that’s still true. In any case, they’re literally brainwashed and very docile (on top of being able to “resuscitate” because Bliss, especially the liquid form, apparently has the power to do that), so the cult makes them fight and carry out arduous tasks. They’re reportedly fed dog food too, but as weird as it sounds, it seems Faith genuinely “loves” them because of how pure she believes they are.

I don’t know if the Pilgrimage is mandatory for people who join the Project willingly, but like Jacob’s trials, it’s definitely used to attempt to convert those who resist. They’re forced to walk it (sometimes on their knees, say civilians) and either accept the Father’s message, become Angels, or die, whether on the path or after jumping off the statue of Joseph at the end of it. As you pointed out, the leap of faith is not always lethal, but how do people survive it? Well, like Bliss, I suppose it’s just “magic” and only those who are considered worthy and pure will live. It’s also possible they don’t actually jump and just believe they do because it all happens in the Bliss; I’m really not sure because, again, that drug is basically magical and can “explain” a lot of things that seemingly don’t make sense in Far Cry 5.

So yeah, that’s just my evidence-based headcanon of how Eden’s Gate works, but I agree that it’s not always clear, logical, or consistent in the game…

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Sunlight (Hozier)

All the tales the same/Told before and told again/A soul that's born in cold and rain/Knows sunlight, sunlight, sunlight/And at last can grant a name/To a buried and a burning flame/As love and its decisive pain/Oh, my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight

But whose heart would not take flight/Betray the moon as acolyte/On first and fierce affirming sight of/Sunlight, sunlight, sunlight/I had been lost to you, sunlight/And flew like a moth to you, sunlight, oh, sunlight/Oh, your love is sunlight

"I come down with the shivers and start hyperventilating when i hear this song and it makes me want to go outside which is the scariest part"

"I'm not gonna go full infodump here but this song is Peak Vash and Nicholas D. Wolfwood from Trigun-- specifically Nick's feelings towards Vash. Vash's (literal) evil twin brother Knives hired (read: threatened to eradicate the orphanage he kidnapped Nick from as a child if he didn't do what he was told) Nick to act as bodyguard for Vash and guide him to where Knives wants him to go so he can manipulate him for his own gain. Like, he chose the name Knives. This bitch is crazy beyond crazy but this ain't about him. Nick starts out 100% willing to guide Vash like a lamb to slaughter because he HAS to for the orphanage, and this is just some random guy he doesn't know or care about. But then he gets to know Vash, how good of a person he is despite the shit the world (and Knives) has put him through. How he'd rather risk his own life and health than kill another person because he believes he doesn't get to make that choice for people. And despite being someone who'd rather shoot first, pray for them after, Nick starts trying to wound rather than kill just because Vash doesn't like it. It puts them both at risk and he fusses and argues about it and still kills sometimes but he tries anyways. Eventually he decides that he'll do what he can to protect Vash from Knives without provoking him to destroy the orphanage. He ends up caring about him deeply against his own will to the point that his idea of Eden would be to live with Vash and their friends in a peaceful world where none of them have to fight and die. In the manga, Nick's dying request is to see Vash smile again- the genuine smile that he's complimented every time he's seen it. Vash can't give him that, because he knows Nick would see that it was a forced smile. Instead, he just sits with him until he dies. Afterwards, Vash kills willingly for the first time in his entire life (over 150 years. He's not human btw) in order to protect Nick's childhood friend Livio. He wouldn't just do that for just any friend or ally, no, that was out of love. Love so strong he could go against his own mother's teachings that all life matters and people don't get to choose when a life ends, the thing that has kept Vash pacifist all these years, to keep someone that mattered to Nick alive. So while Nick never knew that Vash cared for him the same way he did him, the fact matters that he does."

Your Body, My Temple (Will Wood)

So, when the cattle fall dead and the waters run red, I'll be your lamb's blood on the wall/God isn't dead, but that's exactly what I've been dreading after all the meek inherited fuck all/Jesus Christ, I will die for my own damn sins if you help those who help themselves/My superstitions, your visage, my visions furtherin' the fever of your fervor, for believing, I will

I'll be your blessing in disguise, whip the mask off my good side/I'm all stripped down naked for you but still asking you to loosen up my buttons, baby/You've got my whole world in your hands, got that little blue spot/And you really ain't got no idea how much this thing orbits you, now, do you honey?

"the DEDICATION, the DEVOTION to whoever you can imagine is being sung to...the imagery is so so so good 😩 it's so catchy, it gets stuck in my head every time i listen to it, the emotions are just so good...you can imagine an individual so deeply infatuated with their lover to the point of revering them as holy, to the point of death...the way the word choice just flows so smoothly is so good aughhh- its also got surprisingly good loopability, in my opinion. 10/10 i want to beam this song into my brain it makes me froth from the mouth and shiver like a rabid animal and i'll be DAMNED if i don't make an oc inspired by it eventually. all the lyrics are peak. i am getting riled up just thinking about this song, will wood is elite"

"1. I want to sing this to my Muse. (If I had one...) 2. Will Wood songs just slap. 3. I've listened to the CHnT podcast, and get *all* the references! (Pink Elephant Man starts a cult dedicated to the camp nurse) 4. I'm using this song for the antagonist of my story, who gives yandere vibes."

[diabolikdrabbles]

I'm honestly losing interest in dl because now it feels like I can't even enjoy character development without being made to feel like I never read or educated myself on their true sadistic natures. -_- I got a rant today about those minature versions of the vampires and how they are making people think that that's how the boys are. Srsly, wtf.

I set aside my economics textbook to answer this question because I think it’s important to address this properly. This turned out kind of long, but I think this is an issue that many western DL fans need to understand too.

I’m sorry to hear that you are losing interest in such a complex and rich series filled with dark twists and situations. I completely understand where you are coming from and why you are frustrated with the fandom, but do not give up, my friend! Diabolik Lovers was obviously a series meant for teenagers 16+. They even label it under that warning when they release their games in Japan. In a recent event held for the DL: Lost Eden game, Midorikawa Hikaru (Ayato’s voice actor) even remarked that this isn’t the first otome game you should play as a newbie. (He said this when a fan wrote that she started playing the game at the age of 12.) I’m sure many fans understand that this isn’t any ordinary or cute otome game like Mystic Messenger or Harvest Moon because look at all the crap we hear about or read from the translations! This game doesn’t screw around or give us the happy endings that most of us want in real life. Diabolik Lovers is grim, horrifying, insane, and filled with never-ending angst. Nearly all of the Sakamaki brothers personally killed their own mothers! Not exactly for those who dream of “happily ever after” endings. 

The diaboys portrayed by the fandom can be VERY DILUTED compared to what they actually are in the games, and I think the issue is that many of us have never played any of the games to get a feel or taste of what the real!diaboys are truly like. This can be due to the fact that we can’t buy the games overseas, we can’t read/speak Japanese, it’s not released in English so we rely on translations only, etc. I will admit that this fandom doesn’t always have a good grasp at what the boys are like or what’s going on in each game, but I would hope that we wouldn’t warp the diaboys to have them fit into our own ideal images for them. It’s just dumb and unrealistic. (Even I still struggle writing for a few of them on this blog because of what little I know about them!) 

As for the trendy Pocket!Diaboys that we’ve been seeing around Tumblr, I do think it is the fans’ responsibility to realize that it’s just a cute concept made to entertain Tumblr users and DL fans because for once, these pocket!vampires are not as intimidating or scary as the real diaboys from the games. I personally enjoy seeing them around Tumblr. They’ve been lowered to a pet standard because it’s fun to imagine them as adorable little vampires that we can interact with without fearing for our lives. (I say this because I’m sure that as much as we love our favorite diaboy, we wouldn’t last 24 hours with them. I know I wouldn’t last a good seven hours segment with Ayato, and I love that Sakamaki to death too.) However, the pocket!vampires’ cookie-cut personalities and cute appearances should not fool the fans. The fans need to be able to distinguish the difference between the pocket!vampires and the real!diaboys. Otherwise, I say let stupid be stupid. Can’t help them there with that.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If people truly think that the pocket!vampires are what the real!diaboys are like, I’d laugh in their face because of the ridiculous claim. They obviously haven’t seen, read, or analyze the series well enough to know the truth because the pocket!vampires only have a fragment of what the real!diaboys are like. Not everything was revealed in one small pocket!vampire’s body.

Don’t feel discouraged by the stupidity of some people in this fandom. You’ll find idiots everywhere you go in this world, so don’t let them stop you. If you believe that you have a firm grasp of the real!diaboys’ sadistic natures and personalities, I wouldn’t be worried. Stick to your own guns. You can still enjoy this fandom and ignore what most of the other dumb fans are saying/claiming. Personally, I haven’t had any encounters with dumb fans YET, but I still find myself enjoying each personal character development of each character in the series, and I think you should continue to do so too.

I know my stuff and I’ll stand by my facts. I suggest that you and other people who have these same issues do the same. Stay strong in this fandom and don’t be afraid to bite back either. Feel free to send me another ask. I can answer it privately as well.

-Admin Yuuzuki

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Your Heart is A Muscle the Size Of Your Fist (Ramshackle Glory)

I asked if I could get a ride/He said: “No, you don’t want to follow me/Where it is I’m going”/He backed out of the driveway/That was the last time we saw him/'Cause he drove straight to his parent’s cabin/And put a bullet in his head/Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist/Keep on loving, keep on fighting/And hold on, and hold on/Hold on for your life...

"This song is just a Lot. it feels like a punch to your chest. just one of those folk punk songs that tell a lot of rlly personal stories and connect you to humanity in a rlly painful and visceral and vulnerable way and it rlly compels you to contemplate ur own mortality and just. live your life. and try rlly rlly hard to live and love and learn as much as possible. fuck dude."

Sunlight (Hozier)

All the tales the same/Told before and told again/A soul that's born in cold and rain/Knows sunlight, sunlight, sunlight/And at last can grant a name/To a buried and a burning flame/As love and its decisive pain/Oh, my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight

But whose heart would not take flight/Betray the moon as acolyte/On first and fierce affirming sight of/Sunlight, sunlight, sunlight/I had been lost to you, sunlight/And flew like a moth to you, sunlight, oh, sunlight/Oh, your love is sunlight

"I come down with the shivers and start hyperventilating when i hear this song and it makes me want to go outside which is the scariest part"

"I'm not gonna go full infodump here but this song is Peak Vash and Nicholas D. Wolfwood from Trigun-- specifically Nick's feelings towards Vash. Vash's (literal) evil twin brother Knives hired (read: threatened to eradicate the orphanage he kidnapped Nick from as a child if he didn't do what he was told) Nick to act as bodyguard for Vash and guide him to where Knives wants him to go so he can manipulate him for his own gain. Like, he chose the name Knives. This bitch is crazy beyond crazy but this ain't about him. Nick starts out 100% willing to guide Vash like a lamb to slaughter because he HAS to for the orphanage, and this is just some random guy he doesn't know or care about. But then he gets to know Vash, how good of a person he is despite the shit the world (and Knives) has put him through. How he'd rather risk his own life and health than kill another person because he believes he doesn't get to make that choice for people. And despite being someone who'd rather shoot first, pray for them after, Nick starts trying to wound rather than kill just because Vash doesn't like it. It puts them both at risk and he fusses and argues about it and still kills sometimes but he tries anyways. Eventually he decides that he'll do what he can to protect Vash from Knives without provoking him to destroy the orphanage. He ends up caring about him deeply against his own will to the point that his idea of Eden would be to live with Vash and their friends in a peaceful world where none of them have to fight and die. In the manga, Nick's dying request is to see Vash smile again- the genuine smile that he's complimented every time he's seen it. Vash can't give him that, because he knows Nick would see that it was a forced smile. Instead, he just sits with him until he dies. Afterwards, Vash kills willingly for the first time in his entire life (over 150 years. He's not human btw) in order to protect Nick's childhood friend Livio. He wouldn't just do that for just any friend or ally, no, that was out of love. Love so strong he could go against his own mother's teachings that all life matters and people don't get to choose when a life ends, the thing that has kept Vash pacifist all these years, to keep someone that mattered to Nick alive. So while Nick never knew that Vash cared for him the same way he did him, the fact matters that he does."