#the anthems of two heretical cults???

[rafry]

Euclydia, Cults and Need for Control

Disclaimer: this analysis raises sensitive topics. if you are/were a victim of a cult and the topic triggers you, please refrain from reading further(/seek help). Additionally, I am not a specialist on said topic, nor am I a clinician. But I am a survivor, so part of the narrative may or may not be just me projecting the trauma on a silly yellow triangle. That said, reader discretion is advised! :)

The take: Euclydia is likely to be a cult-like society and the reason Bill, after years of abuse, grows up to be as he is: a power-hungry monster. Let's analyze!

For the starters, The Start. Each state has its own anthem. How lucky that we were kindly provided with the Euclidian hymn (hidden under the code "FORGETTHEPAST")! Lets take a look:

"Two dimensions to and from, You always know which way to go If you're lost, don't be afraid, In Euclydia you've got it made! Run too far too right of frame, You'll appear on left again! Jump too high, don't fry or fret, You'll pop up from the ground, I bet! In this place there is no fear, Roles and rules, always clear, Euclydia, we hold you dear…"

That tells us way more than we could've asked for, really. The most important: Euclydia is a state of Clear Rules™. Everything works perfectly thanks to The Rules and The Roles, and the state is loved by it's citizens. It's might be a caricature 2D utopia, but how it reacts when the rules are questioned?

"Eye doctor of a different kind, who wants to make his patient blind The doctor says: 'three sips a day will make the visions go away' Fussy eater, baby Billy Wouldn't drink unless it's silly..."

If there's anything about cults and the way they make people behave, is that the "wrong" ones in the community are usually ostracized and/or heavily medicated to not cause any troubles. Those people are sometimes called 'heretics', but may as well just be called crazy or insane by their peers. Oh look completely unrelated picture:

"Cipher, Cipher, he's insane Starting fires with his brain"

Honestly, the other time it would be it. Euclydia, if not Is, then sure does Act like a cult in some way. I could've finished here, easily, but there's something missing, isn't?

"The hell do you mean by 'The Need to Control', OP?"

I mean that the BILLVILLE is important.

There's the thing about trauma survivors: some of us, after living a life with no control over ones societal position (ostracization/isolation), body (forcibly medicated) or even mind (feeling of inadequacy), crave for some form of control to be regained.

It can turn toxic very quickly when the only form of control one has ever seen in their life is being The Leader (cult leader/shitty parent/armageddon overlord/you get the idea, it's about becoming an authority figure).

And so, Bill becomes a cult leader! Very possibly covering up the need for control and admiration with what I call "The most inefficient way to build an Interdimentional Portal ever", since, well, he's got to lie to himself every now and then, that's his thing (trauma response).

As for the details:

He uses the dead mans body — the body that wouldn't cause any resistance, thus being perfect for taking under control.

He sees the position of the interviewer as more authoritative than the position of the interviewee — and he swaps the roles. That wasn't enough though, so he demands (politely) to be called "My Lord And Master" for a good measure.

He very possibly recreates some of Euclydia-like order in his own "Town" in terms of expressing individuality. They might've been pretty decent in following scripts, I think.

So, I don't think Euclydia has ever been religious in any way, since that would left some other scars on Bills psyche for sure. But highly authoritative, ignorant, strict in its rules to the point of self-damnation? That checks. That's the place that has formed Bill, after all.

That's the place that he wishes to rebuild.

Maybe not consciously, maybe distorted by his illness and broken memory of a loving-paradise-home that has never actually been that way, but he seeks the comfort of familiarity — most of us do. Familiar stings are better than an uncontrollable too-bright future, isn't?

I hope he does well on therapy.

[viiihouse]

Six Song Soundtrack Game - Tremere PC

Tagged by @medeaft. Thank you🖤 Pictures are from Pinterest.

Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post with links to music and/or lyrics describing the following…

1. Event that defines your character's past: Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

That we don't even care To shake these zipper blues And we don't know just where our bones will rest To dust, I guess Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below

(They lead a distant, somewhat isolated life until they met Samantha and Jenny, who were the first to build a stable friendship with them. They found their life shaping to something a little more fulfilling with those two around, and this is what life then and the memories they made together felt like for them.)

*This is the Samantha and Jenny I'm referring to, by the way.*

2. How your character sees themselves: Halestorm - Vicious

You make me vicious Watch as I make the pain my mistress You can call me Miss Malicious, I'll dress you up in stitches No, I cannot resist this

If it don't hurt, I get suspicious I like to take the knife an' twist it Yeah, my love is sacrilegious, I'm not scared to admit it This violence is delicious

(They see themselves as survivors at their core. They have endured great sorrow and that pain haunts them in their eternity. So they learned to transmute that pain, and they do it often. Pain is just another path to knowledge now, and do believe they really will twist that knife inside themselves in the name of arcane knowledge, and perhaps even look forward to it too. This song also reflects the rush they get in combat, especially using thaumaturgy.)

3. How others view them: Slipknot - The Heretic Anthem

I'm a popstar threat and I'm not dead yet Got a super dread bet with an angel drug head Like a dead beat winner, I wanna be a sinner An idolized bang for the industry killer A hideous man that you don't understand Throw a suicide party and I'm guaranteed to fucking snap It's evil sonic, it's pornoholic Breakdowns, obscenities its all I want to be

(An unfortunate mix of their sire's reputation, how their embrace came to be, and its aftermath would render them viewed as the clan's bastard childe, a product of shame, a bad accident in the eyes of most tremere (excluding Strauss). Others would perceive them as something of a "heretic" because of their unconventional approaches to clan tremere and Camarilla affairs.)

4. Their closest relationship (platonic or romantic): Janet Jackson - Tonight's the Night (Rod Stewart cover)

Tonight's the night It's gonna be alright 'Cause I love you girl Ain't nobody gonna stop us now

(Their secret relationship with their sire and the deep love they shared. Prior to their embrace, they spent private, intimate nights together and these rendezvous were the only moments they could be their naked, raw selves with one another, emotionally and physically.)

5. A major fight scene: Slipknot - Dead Memories

You told me to love you and I did Tied my soul into a knot and got me to submit So, when I got away, I only kept my scars The other me is gone, now I don't know where I belong

We were never alive And we won't be born again But I'll never survive

With dead memories in my heart

(The Sheriff battle. Resolve hits them hard during this battle. Nothing from their old life can come back and whatever fragments they thought to be holding onto had only been a delusion to cope. They refuse to let their story end like their sire's, but they can only see this through by stripping what no longer serves them. Not only the sheriff is killed in this fight, so is the last remaining "living" part of themselves.)

6. End credits song: Blue Oyster Cult - I Love the Night

No mortal was meant to know such wonder One look in the mirror told me so Come darkness, I'll see her again Yes I'm gonna go, 'cause now I know

I love the night The day is okay and the sun can be fun But I live to see those rays slip away

(The night they were embraced, it truly was all over. Since closing that chapter of their past, they have been rebirthed. These long nights, this darkness, and all the blood in between have since become a source of comfort for them. There is no other way, after all. They are eternally indebted to Strauss for giving them closure regarding their sire, a place to belong, purpose, and a confidant in him.)

I tag @thegreenwallrabbit-blog!

[all-rock-and-roll-is-homosexual]

"Rhys you talk so much about the things you hate about modern goth music. Is there anything you actually like?"

WELL.

OK, so preface that I am very much a fan of guitars. I enjoy more of like, guitar based stuff and this list is going to reflect that. I have nothing against like more synth driven artists (Which, I'll be happy to do a list of those too...at some point) - I'm just a big dummy who likes good guitars.

I'll do my best to break down why I like each band/artist I list and include a link to a song, and I have also done my best to link songs that are no more than a few years old from each artist. With a few exceptions depending how good the song is. Or whatever I feel like, really. Also, like, this list is entirely subjective and limited based on my personal thoughts and opinions.

Actors - My GOD, Actors. Actors are just so good. Less riff-y on this list but undeniably post punk while still being very fresh. Great vocals from their singer - IDK who he is. I only pay attention to Shannon and Kendall tbh. But I just have to say like - great music, great image, great art direction (there's a video for almost every single song off the new album!) - the total package tbh. The song chosen here is "Strangers" - which features more prominent guitar than some other songs on the album. But hey, they're ✨versatile.✨ Did I mention my huge crush on Shannon and Kendall?

Wisborg. They do great music and they've got a great sense of image, which in my opinion is just as important as the music sometimes (tradgoths can stop wailing and gnashing their teeth now). What can I say? I'm not immune to pretty men in leather jackets and eyeliner. But seriously, I listened to every album they have available and loved them. The song I've linked is "I Believe In Nothing" which, while it doesn't exactly sound like the Cult - it's got sort of that anthemic and punchy vibe that the best Cult songs have.

All Your Sisters - I was overwhelmed the first time I heard Come Feel, which I've linked. Do they count as goth? are they post punk? are they (insert other label)? I don't know! But they sound amazing!

The Kentucky Vampires - They're a little heavier and sometimes get lumped in under the Deathrock label - but no matter where you place them they should be paid attention to. Their vocalist sings with his own voice and while it's undeniably got a great gothic quality to it it doesn't come across as him copying anybody else. The song I've linked for this one is "Holy Heretic", it's very much sort of a very identifiably goth song and makes no apologies for being that. Goth is not a dirty word in this household. My apologies to Siouxsie, Andrew Eldritch and Robert Smith.

Long Night - I admittedly don't know much about them other than them being Norwegian and that I like their music so 🤷🏻‍♀️ - I think they sound cool and not like they're trying too hard to be a new Sisters/Cure/Christian Death and that's all it takes for me.

Then Comes Silence - GOD, THEY ARE SO GOOD. The song I've chosen is "Warm Like Blood", the drums sound very...Bela Lugosi's Dead, but trust me the rest of the song makes up for that.

Ötzi - Only idiots pass up Ötzi. Nuff said. Song chosen is "Scorpio".

Ritual Howls - Really great sound that doesn't stick too closely to any singular genre but plays with its influences. It doesn't sound like someone who is out to make a parody of goth. Song chosen is "Alone Together".

Twin Tribes - I KNOW, I KNOW, I know I've complained about the overuse of the sort of synth clap sound in a lot of modern post punk stuff - but I still like Twin Tribes. A lot. Much more dreamy and post-punk than the previous bands on the list - great for twirling around in velvet dresses sort of thing. Heavy Cure influence, but still keeping it fresh and not an outright copy. The song I've linked is "Fantasmas" - which, honestly, just try to not dance to it. Bonus points for a cool video.

Christine Plays Viola/Winter Severity Index - I couldn't decide between the two of them, so you get both! These tracks are both stretching it a bit - both being about 8 years old. But they're just so incredibly infectious.

Special Mention goes to O. Children - who are really fucking great- they just haven't really released anything new since 2012. They released a live album earlier this year - but the recordings are from 2014. And also Secret Shame. I like one or two songs by them but I'm not super familiar with them and there's just something that doesn't quite cut it for me.

Hey, has anyone heard of that Crushed Kid band?