#and then Cain committed the first murder

[hellishvxbes]

Seeing all the Cain and Abel talk, do yall read the Bible 😭

[little-limerick-hater]

[crossbackpoke-check]

the world at its beginning, dustin pearson // mosaic, linda pastan [Link to IHL’s Solar Bears connects NHL Draft prospect to Orlando] // Goin' high: Hughes chooses No. 86 with Devils // twice your size, declan mckenna // jeff bassett // blue is beautiful amy but the story is so the '90s, farrah field // what it means to be alive at the time of the resurrection of the dead, michalle gould // Quinn Hughes impresses youngest brother Luke with All-Star play // mozart songbook, joan larkin // siblings, paul klee // closeness lines, olivia de recat // andrew hancock // brother's keeper, young the giant // jason e. miczek // michigan athletics // "he ain't heavy, he's my brother", the hollies // luke hughes can follow brothers as first-round pick at 2021 nhl draft // genesis (from music for the dead and resurrected), valzhyna mort // jack hughes once had his braces 'ripped off his face' in a moment of sibling rivalry //

After Abel, Dante Émile // sportingnews // Cain, José Saramago (trans. Margaret Jull Costa) // Dave Sandford // Kin, Clan and Community in Proto-Indo-European Society, Birgit Anette Olsen // ESPN // Wikipedia // ESPN // Jeff Vinnick // Genesis, Valzhyna Mort // Puckprose // I Cast It Away, My Body, William Bearhart // Puckprose // Cain slaying Abel, Abraham Bloemaert (1590) // NHL // Clive Baker // Puckprose // NHL // Murder Ballad in the Land of Nod, Traci Brimhall // Freep // The Changes of Cain: Violence and the Lost Brother in Cain and Abel Literature, Ricardo J. Quinones // penticton western news // The Book of a Monastic Life, Rainer Maria Rilke (trans. Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy) // "A Brother Named Gethsemane", Natalie Diaz // NHL // NHL // Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581, Ilya Repin (1883-1885) NHL // Brothers, Dan Pagis (trans. Shirley Kaufman) // Fox News // NHL // NHL // Wikipedia // Fox News // NHL // Cain, José Saramago (trans. Margaret Jull Costa) // Allaboutthejersey // Allaboutthejersey // Jewish Literacy, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

[lilac-rose-writes]

An Analysis and Comparison of Cain's Not Able's Original and Alternative Routes

1) Felix pushes Ted in himself/ Ted has Buggs push Felix in

Felix doesn't show any hint of sadness or hesitance when pushing Ted in. It's quick, it's brutal, and he takes pride in doing it himself. He doesn't care about Ted in the slightest. It's his final victory, the last way he can lord his superiority over Ted. It's a demonstration of his resentment, his distaste, all of the times he's dismissed Ted as lesser or unworthy of the company. As little as Felix wants it to appear to eb, it's personal.

And then there's the alternative route. Rather than using the stick or mop that Kid has given him, Ted stands back and orders Buggs to do his work for him. I believe that a large part of this is due to the upset he feels over Felix trying to kill him ("this was a sad day"). He is hesitant, because Felix is his brother, and until now, Ted "thought [his] brother loved [him]". Perhaps he thinks he wouldn't be able to follow through with actually doing away with Felix himself.

With Buggs doing it, there's an element of detachment. This can go one of two ways. It could be a way for Ted to try absolving himself of guilt, because if he didn't commit the murder with his own hands, he at least doesn't have the memory of them shoving his brother to his death. On the other hand, this could be a way of Ted trying to make the whole ordeal more detached from him. The only involvement he's had is giving instructions. Felix isn't even worth Ted's energy anymore, after that sort of a betrayal. Ted stands back and watches it happen, glaring coldly all the while. He's doing his utmost not to care, and for the most part, he's succeeding.

2) What each of them say just before the other is pushed in

This time, Ted's is the personal one. He's more than just correcting Felix's "Teddy"; this is his way of getting back at Felix for every time he's talked down to Ted. We see throughout the game how Felix considers his brother weak and inferior, incapable and idiotic. The nickname "Teddy" is derisive, intended as an insult. It mocks Ted, making him seem softer. "Felix" is professional. "Teddy" is babying and informal.

More than this, though, this line acts as a turning point for Ted. In that moment, he doesn't consider himself as Felix's brother. He doesn't want to be associated with his former self, the one who nodded and stayed silent and tripped over himself to please his brother. Ted is in control here. He's taking on a new identity, a new way of behaving outside of Felix's influence. This isn't about the company. It's about him.

And then there's Felix's last words to his brother, which are about the company. Because when it comes to Felix, everything is. He's been taught to value Applesoft above all else, so that's exactly what he does. He's first the company's heir, second a person. Applesoft takes priority over everything. And that's precisely why Felix is able to murder his brother without the barest indication of remorse.

The entire day, Felix treats Ted's death as nothing more than a business transaction. He wants to be the sole heir. He's dismissed Ted his entire life, but this isn't just Felix getting tired of him and deciding to dispose of him on a whim. He sees it as for the good of Applesoft. And that makes all the difference in the world.

3) How they both respond to the reveal of the plan

On one hand, you've got Ted. The only person preventing him from running away is Felix. Kid and Nugget are stood to the side, Felix is the one who pushes him in. But it's just been revealed to Ted that despite all of his hope otherwise, Felix doesn't care about or love him. He's shocked, and hurt, and betrayed. And there's something inside of him that still wants to believe this is a lie, that Felix will break into an out-of-character grin and mock him for falling for the trick.

He pleads with Felix rather than leaving, because he's so used to giving Felix all of the power that he doesn't know what else to do. Felix is in control because Ted continues to let him be.

I think it's important to note that Ted doesn't say that Felix wouldn't. Just that he "can't". It's a plea, a denial of what's right in front of him. Ted knows his brother is capable of killing him, but he doesn't want to believe it.

Also, Ted says that Felix can't kill him because he "did everything [Felix] said". In this case, that "can't" means that Felix shouldn't be allowed to do away with him. The only reason Ted can see for why Felix might want to kill him is that Ted has done something wrong. He doesn't blame Felix. Ted sees this as his own fault. He's been taught to agree with his brother, keep his mouth shut and stay in line, but even though he's been doing that the entire day, Felix still wants to kill him. Ted wants to be of use, wants to make Felix happy. But nothing he does will ever be enough, because Felix can't see him as anything more than a hindrance. Felix believes Applesoft should be run by someone strong and independent. And to him, Ted is incapable of being either.

On the other hand, there's Felix's reaction. First, he's incredulous. He processes what's going on much faster than Ted did, but rather than feeling betrayed, he throws something of a tantrum. He's so accustomed to Ted following him and doing exactly as he says that when placed in a situation where he has no power, Felix doesn't know how to handle it.

He tries to take back power with the definitive "I will not", but it doesn't work. He continues to call Ted by that same derisive nickname, but that serves as the last straw. And lastly, he does what he does best. He tries to make a deal.

Felix goes from denial to anger to bargaining in a matter of seconds. He defaults to repeating the actions he's practiced, the actions he's been taught. He tries to talk himself out of the hole he's dug, but it no longer works when he's been exposed as a liar. He's shattered the glorified image Ted had of him, and now he can only deal with the consequences.

Even if he does manage to get away and tell someone, it's highly unlikely anyone would believe him- and even if they did, they wouldn't care. The only company Felix has allowed himself to keep is Ted, and he's constantly emphasised how weak and useless his brother is. Saying that he had to run from Ted attempting to kill him sounds more than ludicrous- it would be embarrassing. It would ruin the air of superiority he's so carefully crafted, and any respect people might have had for him would be gone in an instant. All he can do is try to bargain, and insist that this isn't happening, and glare accusatorily at Ted as though he has any right to do so.

4) Both insult their help

While Nugget doesn't care about being called weird and Buggs seems to be okay with being insulted under his own terms, the fact remains that both Felix and Ted have no qualms about hurting people's feelings. They consider themselves above others thanks to the attitudes they've grown up around thus far. The main difference is that Felix sees himself as superior to everyone, and Ted sees the Huxleys as superior to everyone.

Ted apologises after calling Buggs fat because Buggs claims he "said [Ted] could make fun of [Buggs'] poverty, not [his] weight". But Ted must have either forgotten or disregarded this in the first place for that correction to be made. There's probably something more to be said here about Buggs taking pride in where he came from but not in his appearance, but that's a post for another time. I think it's interesting that Ted's picked up Felix's habit of insulting his assistance, and shows quite how big of an influence being around Felix alone has had. Nobody's taught him any differently, so while Ted doesn't have any aim to upset or hurt those working for him or who he considers beneath him, he's learned that it's expected that he does.

5) Their final words inside of the hole

Ted tries to appeal to Felix's (nonexistent) merciful side. If nothing else, he wants his brother to feel guilty about killing him. He wants his suffering to end, for Felix to get some help, to be able to move away from his biggest fear. Felix has done everything he can to make this as unpleasant as possible for Ted, and Ted still doesn't know what he did wrong.

And then there's Felix, who attacks. He does the only thing he knows how to do around Ted, and that's trying to wear his brother down. He clings to the favouritism that makes him feel worthy, makes empty promises because he doesn't want to believe he's replaceable. He calls Ted a failure because he can't come to terms with the fact that he's lost, and because- once again- nothing Ted does will ever make Felix view him as less of a failure.

There's more I could say and more to look into, so I'll possibly expand on this further at a later date. This was a lot of fun to look into and analyse, and I thank you for reading it all! :D

[literary-shitstorm]

In fanon, Jason Todd is often characterised as this big literature buff, more so than he ever is really in the comics. But can we talk about the number of literary parallels (intentionally or unintentionally) there are in his character...

(humour me, I'm also a big literature buff)

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen Lovers, in spite of their initial contempt, overcome biases and their own prejudices, disregarding of their differing social backgrounds. This is known to be Jason's favourite novel. Needless to say, Jason coming from abject poverty being adopted by billionaire Bruce Wayne definitely plays into this, and Jason's attitude towards defending Crime Alley and the particularly vulnerable in society.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley A Creature is brought back to life and shunned by his creator, has to learn how to survive in a new world that never planned for its existence and thus turns to violence to seek vengeance on its creator by systemically hurting those in his life - sound familiar? It's an almost piece for piece recollection of Jason's return from death and his feelings and actions towards Bruce, whom he deems to be responsible.

Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky A former student begins to believe that crimes such as murder can be committed for the greater good of society, commits said crimes and is forced to live with the psychological and literal consequences. The idea of 'killing for the greater good' is a hallmark of Jason's, and the crux of his entire character's ethics, especially his relationship with Bruce post-resurrection - not to mention the psychological torment he experiences.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka The transformation of a man into an insect, and the way this isolates him from the rest of humanity, how his identity is changed and the psychological impact this has on him. This is most akin to Jason's resurrection and the feelings that come as a result - how he becomes something entirely different to who he was before very suddenly, grappling with his place and who he is in a world that didn't plan on having him back.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens A novel about an orphaned, impoverished child who encounters an Artful Dodger and ultimately joins a criminal outfit who try and recruit him into their agenda, although he ultimately disagrees and flees. Although this isn't beat for beat Jason's story (as he ultimately ends up as the more criminal of the bunch), there are definitely parallels between Jason's experience with being taken into the role of Robin but disagreeing with Bruce's ethos as he evolves.

Cain & Abel (not a novel, I am aware) Two brothers make sacrifices to God to show their gratitude. Cain, the elder, is snubbed where Abel, the younger, is accepted. Cain goes on to kill Abel out of jealousy and become the first murderer. I know this isn't necessarily literary, but the parallels between Jason's attack of Tim when he returns to Gotham as Redhood are significant. Jason feels enraged at Bruce's replacement of him after he, ultimately, gave his life for the cause - his attack on Tim is one of jealousy and rage.

[deadsetobsessions]

Batfam as characters in one of those manhwas if they each got killed and transmigrated (by themselves, there is no shipping in this post):

Alfred

The Head Butler

The hidden veteran

The grandfather with a lot of money

Bruce Wayne

Tired Dad of the Villainess (bc let’s be real he’s got a pretty decent track record of making sure his kids don’t turn into outright war criminals)

Father of the male lead

Maybe the cold northern duke but this man would not be falling in love with anyone tbh

Dick Grayson

Male lead frfr

The villainess

Older brother of the villainess (he’s damn versatile)

Tragic second lead is also a good contender but only

Knight Captain of the empire or whatever but only bc Dick was a cop once

Wise mentor/friend (who’s probably an immortal)

Crown prince in disguise

Barbara Gordon

Master of the magic tower

Merchant guild leader

Spy network owner

King maker

Shadow ruler

A crown Princess, but only bc Barbara Gordon’s letting whoever the king/queen is remain in charge so she doesn’t have to deal with the annoying courtiers

Cassandra Cain

The OG female lead

The OP SAINTESS (the good ones)

THE LOVE INTEREST (bc I have a major crush on her kickassery)

The villainess’ royal ally/friend bc Cassandra deserves to be treated like royalty dammit

Crown Princess that had to take over the kingdom bc her parents sucked at their job

Aura Master who’s underestimated bc she’s small

Magician of the tower, second in command

Information Broker, maybe

Jason Todd

The villainess (good route OR bad route)

The mercenary king

The dragon slayer

The male lead that’s probably a red flag but he’s hot and totally respectful of the love interest so you just kind of poof the homicide away. What murder?

Crown Prince that raises the education levels of the kingdom

Tim Drake

The villainess. Like. THE villainess. War crimes for the good of the people? Yes.

The villainess that takes over the kingdom and overthrows her shitty king-father

Revolutionary co-leader

Prolly opens coffee franchises to make hella bank

Spy network owner?

That one male lead with the super tragic background but is also like committing crimes to help his kingdom or something

The Sleeping Beauty Prince

Stephanie Brown

CROWN PRINCESS

The villainess that was neglected but turns everyone to her side but the end of the manhwa

Revolutionary Queen

Mercenary Queen

Aura Master/Sword Master

Legendary mage or the tower (Steph would be a menace with magic let’s be real)

Salon Owner

Duke Thomas

The main lead who is seen escaping the palace guards in the first two episodes/chapters

Roguish Crown Prince (full of respect women juice obv.)

Rebellion leader who used to be the king’s trusted knight in shiny armor

Mercenary King

Damian Wayne

Sword master, genius prince of the kingdom

Beast tamer

Dragon warrior (let’s be real, Damian would lose it over having an actual dragons)

Serious Crown Prince (with kennels of “hunting dogs” that we all know is there for him to cuddle)

Cold Northern Duke but he’s cold frfr bc his family isn’t with him

Former assassin turned Duke of the east or something

The famous painter

Alternatively, they all say “fuck it, I don’t fuck with monarchies” and start a revolution.

I wrote this pretty late so it might be off lmfao

[wishful-thinking64]

One Hell of an Unpopular Opinion #04

The reason behind the Exterminations should've stayed to prevent Sinners from overpopulating the Pride Ring and I don't like how Hazbin Hotel portrays Adam as being in the wrong for hating Sinners.

_________

The whole, "We kill Sinners for our entertainment," reasoning from Adam and Lute as well as, "I approved of the Exterminations to avoid Hell's Sinners from starting an uprising," reasoning from Sera is so stupid. Specifically, Sera's reason. Because logically approving of the Exterminations would only lead to more and more Sinners wanting to start an uprising with each passing Extermination. Adam and Lute's reasoning has to be the way it is so that the show writers can make it seem like Charlie's in the right when the show gives us reason to believe that she's actively wrong. For example, Angel Dust was born in New York City and into a Mafia family likely somewhere around the years 1912 - 1915 as he's stated to have died in his young to mid 30s in the year 1947 due to a drug overdose. Angel Dust was a mobster for most if not all of his life but he hasn't shown or stated that he feels any remorse or guilt for what he did back then. The only thing he feels guilty for is for his past self having signed that contract with Valentino which is totally valid however making a soul contract with Valentino isn't the reason why he's in Hell. Angel Dust is in Hell for being a murderer, a drug trafficker, a drug attic, a smuggler, and for likely having committed several other money related crimes. I swear, people hear or see the word Mafia and automatically think of death when the majority of their crimes are motivated by currency. Like, its still not good but its not just senseless murder either. The point is, we haven't seen anything about Angel Dust truly wanting to change. Yeah, there was that scene in episode #06 where Angel turns down Cherri's offer to do drugs but that doesn't suddenly mean he's no longer a drug attic for turning down ONE offer. Most of the Sinners we see or know of in Hell are fucking horrendous people. Alastor was and still is a serial killing cannibal because he can. Let me repeat. He WAS and STILL IS a SERIAL KILLING CANNIBAL because he CAN! There is an entire place in the Pride Ring known as the Cannibal Colony (in the show it got changed to Cannibal Town but I've been calling it Cannibal Colony for 4 years now and I do not plan on stopping), Martha's in Hell which makes sense considering she and her entire family were actual Devil worshipers, Loopty and Lipton experimented and killed the poor, and Valentino is a rapist. We still don't know enough about most of what the HH's cast did when they were alive which is why I think Sir Pentious ultimately getting into Heaven was a load of BS. We don't even know why he ended up in Hell in the first place but he tries to help his "friends" once and dies in the process and that's enough to get him redeemed???

Seriously, what did he do to deserve damnation? Also, I know Viv probably doesn't have Cain or Able as that would give Adam an understandable, even justifiable, reason for despising Sinners. His first and oldest son, Cain, is LITERALLY the FIRST SINNER. For what? For killing his younger brother, Able, by slicing his throat with a knife or sharp object in the same manner Able did when sacrificing his lambs. Although, I've also heard that Cain killed Able by bludgeoning him to death with a stone by repeatedly bashing it into Able's skull. Either way, if anyone deserves to hate Sinners the MOST then it's Adam & Eve without a doubt.

[nunalastor]

First Man!Alastor

Oooh, the idea of Alastor dying (Again) because of ADAM (....again) and it being an ACCIDENT - I love it! He dies and wakes up in heaven and is personally welcomed by Sera and the other Elders who are SO PROUD of him. They see he's become a new Seraphim and are like 'obviously its because he's so Pure and Untainted by Sin and able to Resist Temptation' and Alastor is like 'that doesn't sound right but I don't know enough about how becoming an angel works to argue about it.'

Also, Adam essentially committed manslaughter here. He's wrecked his family and traumatised his children - and even if he didn't mean to kill Alastor, manslaughter is still a crime.

So what if, in this verse, ADAM is accounted the First Sinner instead of Cain, and goes to hell? Him and Lucifer and Lilith meeting up would be hella awkward, but also imagine the reunion when Alastor follows Charlie and Vaggie down to Hell! But then who would lead the Exterminations? Sera would never let her new precious little brother Alastor be the one, any more then she'd have Emily do it - so, when she's creating the Exorcists, she takes care to make one who's stronger then the others and names that one General. None of the Exorcists have names at first - why would they? They're tools. Weapons.

Until Alastor comes across the new General and is like 'Ah. Lute.' And that leads to the tradition where he gives the Exorcists their names, and also cooks for them, and - Lute is so on board with not letting Alastor know about the Exterminations. She is as fanatically devoted to Sera and Exterminating demons as she was Adam in canon - like, this is literally her creator and the reason for her existence - but she's also fanatically devoted to ALASTOR, who has no idea what caused this and is just defaulting to treating her somewhat like Niffty. ALL the Exorcists are devoted to Alastor, and team up to keep the Exterminations secret from him so it won't bother him (little do they know he totally knows).

And then Charlie and Vaggie show up for their meeting with Heaven - and Adam along with them.

Also, now I'm imagining what the bible looks like in this verse. Without Cain and Abel, but with Adam accidentally killing Alastor, and Alastor even being mentioned in it - I bet it gets perceived as a metaphor for 'Lilith is independent women and show why women must be submissive, Eve is that women are weak and easily tempted and show why childbirth and periods are painful, Adam is Man as Hunter/Gatherer/Protector and Alastor is man as Inventor/Philosopher/Great Man (TM) and the idea is that men are supposed to be a mix of them, or maybe that being the smart man is better then the strong man, and also how to resist temptation because Alastor never ate the apple or slept with Eve' and also 'the first murder was an accident based on envy, and possessiveness (instead of in our bible where it was deliberate and based on envy and wrath)'

Honestly, I just really want to see what religion is like in this world lol.

👀

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

OOOH!that ghost kid thing with the digital circus performers was amazing!!! I cant resist but ask.but can you make a headcanons of the performers would react if spirit kid Y/n is more absent today and suddenly after a while appear with more blood than usual..static noise around them..and points at the group and is like “I know who killed me now…” and poofs again away?? they found out who but as like a scare they prank the characters by making them think maybe one of them did..

I feel evil so- XD

Hope u have a good day!!

I'm glad you liked the hcs! Spooky season may be over, but I'm definitely not done writing spooky content 👻

.........

Jax

He blinks, and then immediately turns directly to Gangle.

"Oh Gangle, I knew it was you all along. Tsk, tsk." He shakes his head, putting on the cheekiest grin as the ribbon gal cries out that she didn't do anything.

He knows you were just pranking all of them, although he does wonder who really murdered you and how you figured it out.

Given how much you've been disappearing lately, he's sure that it's only a matter of time before your spirit moves on.

Or maybe...you were cursed to forever live inside this game since you had no body to return to.

Then again, he's not sure if any of them do...

All he knows is that during the times he does see you with the group, you seem happier (although the blood and static noises are still prevalent and aren't any less unsettling to see/hear).

Maybe you've already made peace with your existence after solving this huge mystery, content with making dark jokes to cope.

Pomni

At first she's happy..

Then she's utterly terrified once it sinks in that you didn't specify who exactly murdered you.

All you did was point to the group like you were accusing one of them before disappearing for the remainder of the day.

This poor jester can't remember anything for the life of her....so she can't help wondering if she might've been your killer.

You did arrive not long after she did.

After Jax points this out, she's 100% convinced it was her.

Maybe she unknowingly killed you while wearing the headset and this was some sort of eternal punishment.

It's a thought that keeps her up all night (not that she needed sleep to survive, but she was quite exhausted in the morning).

You do end up visiting her to say it was just a little prank. It wasn't anybody in the group and you didn't mean to freak her out this badly.

That brings her a lot of relief.

Although she's not a fan of your morbid humor (not that she'll say anything about it, though).

Gangle

The second you vanish after revealing you knew your killer, everyone looks at each other in confusion

"Th-They didn't say who, though, did they...?" She mutters.

"Right, because they know it was you, Gangs." Jax remarks, causing her to freeze.

She's outright horrified he would even remotely suggest that.

Poor girl's scrambling to justify how she couldn't have possibly killed you when she's been stuck in the game longer than you.

Imagine her awkwardness as Jax openly states that he was in fact kidding around..

He also expresses his doubts she'd even be capable of murder...as he recounts her crying over accidentally stepping on a digital ladybug.

She's not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

Gangle only fully calms down once you go to her personally and reassure her you were just pranking the group.

Although you'll haunt Jax as payback for trying to throw her under the bus.

Zooble

They just turn to the group and sigh.

"Okay, who did it? Because they've officially given me the f***ing creeps popping in and out like that."

She's strangled Jax on a number of occasions, so they are very much capable of committing violence...

But she has her doubts since you still hang around the group.

Alongside Jax, she quickly sees through your little joke and rolls their eyes when you admit that it was indeed a prank.

She can tolerate your dark humor, knowing you can't help it given your "spooky" theme.

They suspect Caine murdered you since he seemed most alarmed by your arrival. Plus you never spoke to him much.

But no, he actually helped you track down your killer--who abstracted the second they set foot inside the game and got thrown into the cellar.

Zooble never thought she'd see the day where they were actually impressed at Caine's actions.

Kinger

Like Pomni and Gangle...he's probably gonna overthink it and grow distrustful of the others, wondering who did it.

You seemed quite confident and serious in your confession---and scary as hell, too.

He proposes they all discussed it at the dinner table and hold a vote on who to cast out (sorta like a certain video game with a name that sadly slips by him).

Ironically, he refuses to say anything and just....stares uncomfortably at Gangle the entire time.

But before any of the talks could end in fighting or her getting sacrificed to the Gloink Queen...you show up again, looking calmer and less bloody than before.

When you reveal it was just a little prank, Kinger sighs in relief.

"Good heavens, you nearly gave me a second heartattack, [y/n]! Why didn't you just say so?"

"...thought it would be funny."

"........"

"........."

"......AH!! GH-GHOST!!!"

"Aaaand there's "heartattack #2, ladies and gentleman," Jax shakes his head, kicking his feet onto the table with an amused smile.

Ragatha

She's genuinely happy to hear that you knew who your killer was...

Although before she can ask you who, you disappear without warning.

Judging from the way you acted, you were accusing one of them...yet you didn't signal out anybody in particular.

She knows that she couldn't have possibly done it.

So she spends most of the day trying to calm down Pomni and the others (but mostly Pomni) who think they might've somehow accidentally killed you.

It begins to stress her out a little, so she searches for you, and you prank her with something silly.

After making her laugh, you use that opportunity to explain that you were joking with the group earlier, reassuring her that it wasn't any of them and the killer had already abstracted.

Her face falls flat as she realizes you just wanted to see how they would all react.

"[Y/n], that's just...mean." She frowns. "Pomni was freaking out all day, you know."

"Tell her I didn't mean any harm...I guess..nobody here understands my humor."

"I mean I do, but dark humor is more Zooble's and Jax's shticks."

"....true. My bad, Rags."

".....it's okay, dear." She sighs, unable to stay mad at you forever. "I'm just glad you didn't drive yourself insane trying to find them."

[ruddyhotelau]

So if Cain, Abel and Seth appear in the original show, what are you guys going to do with that in your AU? Second, is there an explanation why no one in Heaven knows what gets soul in heaven in your AU?

They would probably still be Adam's children, Cain, Abel,...etc but they will not be Eve's children. And the events that happened like the first murder of man would still take place. Basically, most everything would be the same without Eve being in the picture.

Another new character that was added to our AU that we've mentioned before is Grimm, aka a divine being similar to God (siblings in some way).

They are as equally powerful as God except They rule over a different relm called "The Hall of Judgement". This relm is where a soul would go after they die to receive judgements on whether or not they belong in Heaven or Hell and not even God, Himself could enter this relm. Grimm is neither evil nor good. They are the definition of true neutral but They also tend to be extremely strict about who deserves to enter Their sibling's domain so a person who've committed even the tiniest crime like robbery or murder in self-defense,...etc, would might lose their chances to Heaven.

That explains why Heaven doesn't know who gets in and who doesn't because they aren't the one deciding that.

[shsl-analyzer-guy]

okay, so my partner and I are playing Eden's Garden for the first time (we just finished the prologue so no spoilers) but oh my GOD this game is incredible

all these characters are so eclectic and fun, like other than Mr Beast girl I don't really dislike any of them yet. Damon is such a fucking hilarious protagonist, he's such a fucking asshole and hypocrite and it's so FUCKING comical I love him. And TOZU??? So far, he's that exact blend of like. Goofy and insane and british, but also deeply unsettling. I'm loving the animal mask thing they're doing with him and Mara too, very eager to see where they go with that. My theory rn is that this is some sort of cult indoctrination. Like, every Ultimate they captured is themed around an animal, so I'm wondering if the idea is to break the class down and turn them into animals in a way with the killing game, and by the end, the two survivors will be inducted into Eden's Garden for realises(assuming the game is successful ofc). I'm guessing something similar happened to Kozu and Mara as well.

Also I'm so vibing with Damon and Eva as like, the Adam and Eve of the garden. I'm guessing based on how they've been building her up, Eva is either going to be the second survivor cast out of the garden at the end, or she's going to commit the 'first sin' and be the first killer, but that's just a guess based on the biblical imagery so we'll have to see. More likely, I'm hoping they go with the Bible's "first murder" with Cain and Abel. Wolfgang likely being the victim, as he's very much taking the role of 'shepherd' in the group and has that sheep pin, and I'd guess Wenona would be Cain, since Cain was a farmer that made like profit and stuff. Fun fact, Wenona's name literally means 'firstborn daughter', just saying

anyways that's all I just wanted to ramble about this game a bit cuz I am really really vibing with it rn I hope it stays as good as it seems right now

[marciuscoriolanus]

coriolanus and sejanus have such a cain and abel thing going on i think

"Cain, a farmer, became enraged when the Lord accepted the offering of his brother, a shepherd, in preference to his own. He murdered Abel and was banished by the Lord from the settled country."

"He became resentful because he couldn’t admit to himself he wasn’t doing the right thing and blamed his brother for his troubles. He took on a victim mentality which let envy enter his heart."

coriolanus thinks constantly about how sejanus had "usurped his position" and "stolen the way of life he deserved" by being favored by fate during the war, his father succeeding directly after the snows lost everything (in the bombing of 13).

some interpretations favor the storyline that cain was unaware of what his action would lead to, since the first murder hadn't been committed, and the act was a crime of passion. being a farmer, however, he could've learned how much force was lethal to a sheep or other almost-human-sized animal. "Genesis 4:8--And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." how much damage was intended is unclear in both stories. coriolanus did have a chance to record silence over the jabberjay recording, but didn't, his was obviously premeditated but that doesn't mean he understood that strabo wouldn't save anyone, that a real death would occur.

also, no, i am not likening them to these brothers because coriolanus says "we're brothers" to him in the arena!!! i believe he likes sejanus way more than he's even aware of, let alone ready to admit. a few people make comments about his kindness towards sejanus not being complete bullshit like everyone else engages in (to his face only). arachne, though that could be her grasping for straws to make fun of coriolanus. "don't do that. we all know that you like him." dr gaul, who, on the contrary, has no reason act like a mean girl in the middle of trying to get sejanus out of the arena. "you choose to be friends with this radical." (assuming people are friends right out the gate is odd in the capitol, apparently)

he pins nearly all of his troubles and pain on sejanus, because of his father's luck, his wealth, his indisputable district-ness. he tends to never refer to lucy gray as really district, which i think of as the largest factor that makes him push sejanus away. "i don't like him, arachne, i tolerate him. he's district." what kind of things would we hear about him if coriolanus wasn't so hung up about him not being capitol? lucy gray, a girl he hardly knew, already got him toeing the line of abandoning all dreams of wealth and power.

whatever love or connection felt towards him is easily overshadowed by envy and greed, time and time again. i thought that sounded familiar.

[best-nun-tournament]

Round 3, Match 5

Cain and Abel (The Bible) vs Rei Asaka and Fukiko Ichinomiya (Oniisama E)

Propaganda under break

Cain and Abel

First ever murderer and murderee in Christian mythos

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Cain commits the first known murder, and it is of his brother out of jealousy/annoyance

Rei Asaka and Fukiko Ichinomiya

I don’t even know where to begin. the suicide pact? everything fukiko does to rei throughout the series? the obsession and hate they both have towards each other? most normal sisters ever

-------

Some propaganda for rei and fukiko that I think is worth mentioning: what's insane about them is that when you watch the series, you spend 11 episodes thinking they’re either a toxic yuri situationship or exes until you find out it's an incestuous, abusive relationship

[thequiver]

Thinking about how names do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to the dynamic between Charles and Cain and how the narrative wants us to think about them.

"Charles" is an old name, associated with nobility, meaning "free man." It's atypical for a Germanic name as it's only comprised of one part. Most associations with the name are positive.

"Cain" is the first person to commit the sin of murder within the Christian tradition in which he was named. He is the one to look at God and ask why he is responsible for his brother's safety and wellbeing. He is the one to act out in anger and cause destruction.

Charles is framed as the brother. He is framed as Cain's Abel- the innocent shepherd being slaughtered like a lamb in anger. Charles is a victim yes, of Cain Marko's anger and Kurt Marko's cruelty.

But Cain was a brother too. Cain was a son too.

Cain was Kurt Marko's son for longer than Charles was.

And Cain too, is a victim of his brother's casual cruelty and indifference. Cain too is a victim of his father's cruelty.

Cain is a farmer. He grows along with the ideas and hope and brotherhood he creates. He grows when met with love and acceptance and strives to be seen as finally being good enough. He wants to do it right.

And Charles is a shepherd, who raises lambs for the slaughter.

[calledtobethelight]

You Can Do Well (Part 1)

“And the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.’”

Genesis 4.6-7 (AMPC)

You can do well! But maybe, you are not doing well. Maybe, you find yourself consistently angry, sad, and depressed. Maybe, you see others getting blessed by God and it bothers you. Maybe, you firmly believe you are doing all the right things, but something is still off. It’s time for a heart check. It’s time to be honest. Here are 3 indicators that you are not doing well and what it signifies.

1.      You lack love for God.

Before Cain even committed murder, his deeds were recognized as evil. 1 John 3.11-12 states, “For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another; and not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because Cain’s deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

What made Cain so different from Abel? They both offered sacrifices to God. However, Hebrews 11.4 distinguishes that “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.” By faith, Abel gave an offering that God respected and regarded “for without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11.6). Abel’s faith set him apart from Cain, and faith works and expresses itself through love (Galatians 5.6).

1 Corinthians 13.1-3 states, “If I [can] speak with the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody). Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.”

God is love and, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He abundantly pours out His love into your heart through the Holy Spirit (1 John 4.8, Romans 5.5). Without God’s love in you, your faith means nothing. Without God’s love in you, any external, religious acts you perform unto God ultimately mean nothing. Without God’s love in you, you are nothing.

Matthew 22.37-39 states, “And Jesus replied to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’” Loving God is the greatest commandment and the most important thing you can do.

When you love God willingly and with all your heart, you can live a life defined by faith because you know and trust Him. When you truly love God, you love others. When you love God, you obey His commandments. When you love God, you can give Him the right sacrifice with the right motive. Abel sacrificed the firstborn lamb, a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (Genesis 4.4). Jesus willingly laid down His life because He “loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance” (Ephesians 5.2). You are called to offer your life as a “living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship” out of sincere love for God (Romans 12.1).

You can only do well when you love God, and then everything you do will be motivated by love for Him.

 

2.      You are proud.

When you are proud, you are unteachable. You refuse to be accountable for your actions. You refuse to admit that you’ve done wrong.  When God reproved Cain, Cain should have humbled himself, repented, and received the correction. However, Cain’s heart was hard and callous from pride and he refused the Lord’s chastisement. Proverbs 16.18 states, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” When Cain refused to humble himself and submit to the Lord’s correction, his pride allowed sin to master him, which led to his destruction.

James 4.6-7 states, “But He gives more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].’ So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.” By the grace of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you can live in obedience to God and in victory over sin. First, you must humble yourself and submit your life wholly to the Lord – loving, trusting, and obeying Him (1 John 5.1-3). Then, through the Holy Spirit, you will have the power to resist the devil, defy sin, and victoriously overcome the world by your faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 5.4-5).

You can only do well when you humble yourself and submit your life to the Lord.

 

3.      You compare yourself with others.

Cain’s negative feelings flared up because he knew his deeds were evil and Abel’s were righteous. His comparison led to envy, envy led to hatred, and hatred led to murder. 1 John 3.15 states, “Everyone who hates (works against) his brother (in Christ) is [at heart] a murderer [by God’s standards]; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” God’s correction was a chance for Cain to self-evaluate and change his ways, yet Cain wanted to lash out in anger and kill his brother. 

You can’t compare yourself with others. It can lead to rivalry, dissension, discontentment, envy, and hatred. It can create opportunities to vent negative emotions towards others that you feel inside of yourself. It will never address the underlying issue in your heart or your circumstances.

Galatians 6.4 states, “But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.” When you humble yourself, self-evaluate your behavior, and align your ways to God’s Word, your correction will bring true satisfaction and joy. It will eliminate the source of your negative feelings. It will eliminate the need to compare yourself with others. It will assure you that you have done well and are in the right standing with God.

You can do well! It is possible! Crooked paths can be made straight, the wayward can gain understanding, your old moral and spiritual condition can pass away and all things about your life can be made new! You can do well - Love the Lord with all your heart, humble and submit yourself wholly to Him, and evaluate your behavior and align it with God’s Word. Then, you will be accepted and succeed.

[inamindfarfaraway]

Stumbled across your post on Carmilla and Cain from one of my favorite artist and just wanted to say that I loved that post incredibly!!

I loved the way you articulated the ability for free will to shatter heavens expectations! It had me thinking about free will in general so thank you for sharing that goodness!

Thank you! This analysis just came to me as a fun little observation, I wasn’t expecting it to gain so much traction. Free will is very thematically important to Hazbin Hotel, isn’t it? Lucifer believed in the good it could do, but accidentally created evil by giving it to humanity and fell for it. Since then he’s seen all the pain free will can cause and become embittered. Charlie, however, believes like he used to and fought for human souls passionately and selflessly enough to bring him back around. The Elder Angels who ordered the Exterminations and the Exorcists who carry them out seem to alternately hate and fear free will’s power, and by their indiscriminate condemnation of sinners as inherently irredeemable, not want to acknowledge it at all.

If the theory that Adam could live on as a sinner in Hell turns out to be true, I’d love to see his character and thoughts on his mortal family and free will explored, because he must have SO much baggage, which could explain (though not excuse) him being The Worst. An interesting detail in the backstory Charlie reads is that he’s never actually stated to eat the forbidden fruit. We see Eve take it, but not him. Maybe the reason that he’s in Heaven, but we never see or hear of Eve or their children in either afterlife, is that in this canon’s version of Genesis, he’s obedient and didn’t commit the original sin, only to be cast out anyway. Regardless of what exactly happens in Eden, he and Eve are forced to fend for themselves in the wilderness. Suddenly they need survival instincts. They can bleed and starve and get sick and loads of animals want to eat them. They have existential dread. Not to mention the marital tension. Why? Because the same angel who stole his first wife messed with his second one! As a result, people can sin. They can hurt each other. This allows Cain to invent murder on his brother. He’s then cursed to wander the Earth, eternally living with his guilt and grief. Oh, and where can dead souls live on now? Where might Abel be trapped forever? Hell, a dimension made of evil, everything bad about the new and degraded human experience taken to the ultimate extreme. You’ll never guess why it exists (Lucifer. It’s Lucifer again). So Adam loses two kids with one stone that was indirectly thrown by one fucking bird guy. Can you imagine how you would feel, having lived that life?

You would have issues. A lot of issues.

No wonder he scorns redemption so much. In his eyes, free will is synonymous with sin - with suffering. But thinking damned souls to be evil incarnate at least lets him take vengeance. It lets him feel the wrathful satisfaction of physically stabbing and hacking his way through representatives of the force that cost him paradise. Broke his family. Killed his child. Maybe he was a genuinely good person when he died. For the most part. Maybe stewing in all that unprocessed trauma while watching the horrors of human history unfold and being venerated and indulged in the perfect afterlife without any of his family changed him for the worse. If you can have a redemption arc in Hell, you can have a corruption arc in Heaven.

After all, Lucifer lost faith in humanity over time. But he has Charlie. Adam’s ‘daughters’ in Heaven are the Exorcists (he calls them “[his] girls” and names them, so he probably creates them), of which I bet Lute was the first. That’s a really twisted dynamic. Like, “From now on, my kids are killing people on MY terms”. Lute having parallels with Charlie makes her being the new main villain even better!

This got out of hand. What I mean to say is, the first human family and how they relate to the theme of free will have huge potential for exploration and development. And if Adam is reborn as a sinner, it would be precisely the Hazbin Hotel blend of heartbreaking and hilarious to have him reunite with Eve, Abel, Seth, etc. in Hell and they’re all like “What. The FUCK?” and his whole horrible personality just collapses in on itself.