#the only people who care are other religious people???

[meo-eiru]

Day 6 of Character Trivia Night!

For tonight we have Micah

Micah is an only child with a mother and a father

He grew up in a small town and his parents were upper-middle class in town standards

They were very religious and paid a lot of attention to always appearing proper. They wouldn't wear the same outfits two days in a row and made sure their clothes were always perfectly ironed

His dad was quite strict with him, not allowing him to play outside and crease his clothes, and made sure he attended church regularly

Micah was never really interested in playing with the other kids so he didn't particularly care about the rules

Even as a child he was aware he was prettier and smarter than most kids around, he was also very apathetic towards others. He didn't particularly care about them but enjoyed when they praised and looked up to him so kept the good boy act

His one joy was growing flowers, because unlike humans flowers are not annoying. If he takes good care of a flower it'll grow up and bloom like planned, it won't betray his plans. Its life is on his hands, if he decides to cut it it'll die, and if he decides to stop watering it it'll shrivel

His parents weren't very into the idea of him taking care of their garden but after seeing he wasn't giving up and that he actually made it look prettier they gave in

He was later on sent to the capital to further his education, joining the cathedral and quickly becoming a high priest

Even away from his parents he continued to live following their teachings. He would wear clean and well ironed clothes, he usually preferred loose fitting ones that didn't show much skin

He also started growing his hair to the possible displeasure of his father, he enjoyed taking care of it and keeping it clean. He naturally had very thick strands but his hair was still very soft

He also quite enjoying coffee, especially with some light sweets accompanying it. Thanks you that he ended up being quite good at brewing coffee and baking low sugar cakes

He was popular with men and women alike thanks to his angelic appearance and polite personality, receiving letters of affection not only from people inside the cathedral but those who simply came to visit it

Soon enough he was more well known than the actual bishop amongst the common people

He didn't really care about ranking up more and taking on the bishop role, he actually enjoyed the fact that he was better liked even as someone of lower status which made the actual bishop quite furious

He was eventually sent to work at a church in a nearby town by the bishop who did not enjoy seeing him around, not that Micah cared. The town was small but clean and well taken care of, he could just live quietly while being adored by those around

He was greeted with many cheers upon his arrival to the church, his fame traveling ahead of him

He greeted everyone and introduced himself, not caring to pay too much attention to the stuff they told him

Around his third day at the church, as he was passing by the inner garden he heard the sounds of giggling

Two nuns in training, seemingly enjoying a conversation between themselves

Micah could hear what they were talking about but somehow it all felt like blank noise, not registering. The weather was nice, he could feel a warm breeze flowing through his hair. The sunlight was just right, making his skin warm and fuzzy but not to the point of making him sweat. He could hear the chirps of birds mixing with their giggles. Everything was so nice, so nice and so clear, and Micah was just standing there. He was just standing there and looking at the nun he seemingly had never noticed before. Was the sky always so blue and full of life?

It wasn't too hard finding more about you as you were on good terms with most people around. He quickly learned that you were a faithful child of god, that your family was quite poor and that you wanted to become a nun in hopes of earning money to help your family

The day he first approached you was an exciting day for you. He's THE Micah after all, anyone would be excited. He was so nice and so easy to talk to, before you knew it you were crying about your struggles and pains as he gently hugged you

You really liked him, he would always listened to your problems so patiently and offer you solutions. With him you felt so seen

At first it started small, Micah bought you the dress you've been eyeing for so long. Then it started getting bigger, he would sometimes directly give you money, telling you to go buy whatever you need

He was like an angel, truly a good person. You thought he must be a savior sent by god to make your pains go away

And so you trusted him, how could you not? He was such a good person, and everyone knew just how good he was. And you continued trusting him when he called you to his chambers late at nights, you trusted him when he locked the door behind you, you trusted him when he was being just a bit too close for your liking

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Micah didn't care about how many weeds he had to cut off to make one flower bloom the way he wants it to bloom. At the end of the day it's the flower he wanted, and his flower has the prettiest petals when he holds it in his hands

[cheyisagirlkisser]

–FRENZY: SEVIKA.

“𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭? 𝐁𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭—𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭��𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝.”

🗡 .ᐟ 𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐊𝐀 / 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑.

warnings: mild descriptions of gore below (vampires, town slaughters and mentions of bodies, etc). mentions of religion. set in 1880s since it is based off of older vampire/gothic media like dracula, carmilla, frankenstein, nosferatu, etc. if content like this makes you uncomfortable, do not read. this is a work in progress.

a/n: this is a PROLOGUE that doesn't mention sevika or reader, i know i know. it's simply to set the mood before i jump straight into the 'vampire hunter falls in love with vampire' trope.

PROLOGUE / TEASER.

London-born girls playfully roll their eyes at the mention of razor-sharp teeth impaling their necks, and the boys chase them around, laughing as they pretend to be such malevolent creatures. It is all what the populus deems as purely an ‘urban myth.’ Vampires, they say, are most likely not real. Ask anyone–stop them on the street and say, “do you believe in vampires?” The answers of those who wear bustling skirts and rib-binding corsets, the ones who place hats with funny-looking feathers sticking out of them onto their heads each morning, and whose husbands come from old money, extravagant suit and tie, will say that vampires are nothing but fantasy. They are simply illusory, you will hear them state in a posh, low voice.

If you ask the people who commute from villages in raggedy, stained clothes, the ones who haul sacks of wheat like wary farmers, or the ones who live in run-down rookeries will themselves through back-breaking labor in factories that mass produce both textile and the most toxic smog, will instead insist that vampires should be feared. They will grab onto your shoulders like beggars and insist for you to stay far away from the villages, the villages in which are most targeted, where bodies laid to rest with fangs pierced on the sides of their necks.

You need not ask the religious folk. They are the worst of all, claiming that vampires are possessed, dead souls that are only blood-thirsty. They hold meetings in which they utter shouts and distressed cries in the name of all is holy, stressing the cross that will keep all from eternal damnation; of course, the only other eternal damnation other than the rings of hell in which poor souls are banished is at the hands, or better yet, fangs of the demons that will leave you writhing with hunger. Such hunger is unnatural, every sin may be committed by the hands of a vampire. They seduce the men and drain their bodies dry, such an act of lust. They feed on amounts that should not be consumed by any vessel, a gluttonous performance. They take glory in their kills, may even leave poor humans physically unrecognizable: pride. Vampires only lounge in shelter when they’re not busy slaughtering innocent souls, such laziness known as sloth. Vampires’ emotions are such heightened things, anger possessing them to the brink of slaughtering entire towns of farmers and merchants, all purely the wretched sin of wrath. And vampires’ hatred for humans must stem from something that can only be envy, for their souls are bound by Satan himself. And lastly but most ridiculously, the church insists that vampires are greedy creatures that care not for the emotions of life, but instead for castles and dark, pricey dresses.

However, those London-born girls and boys who giggle as they prance around, the joyous chants to be heard down the streets of Britain’s busiest city, have yet to admit the chills that run through their lapis lazuli veins when they speak upon the word “vampire.” For in secret, the deep-seated terror infests itself in their souls and haunts their spirits like a nightmare that could come to life at any second. Oh, may God take pity on their churning stomachs and their frenzied prayers to his name. May their skin remain unpierced and their soul remain pure when they awake.

[blackstarlineage]

Why Black People Don’t Truly Respect and Care About Their Culture, Revolutionaries, Icons, History, and Ancestors: A Garveyite Perspective

From a Garveyite perspective, one of the greatest tragedies in the Black world is that many Black people claim to love their history, revolutionaries, and culture—but in practice, they neglect, betray, and abandon them. Instead of applying the teachings of our ancestors and leaders, many Black people:

Romanticize revolutionaries but ignore their real messages.

Celebrate Black culture superficially while prioritizing white cultural values.

Treat Black history as entertainment rather than a blueprint for liberation.

Seek white validation rather than investing in Black self-reliance.

Marcus Garvey understood this hypocrisy well. He witnessed millions of Black people chant his name, yet when it was time to sacrifice and invest in the Black Star Line and the UNIA, many failed to act. This same pattern repeats itself with every Black movement, revolutionary, and cultural legacy that has emerged.

This analysis will explore:

How slavery and colonialism conditioned Black people to devalue their own culture.

The betrayal of Black revolutionaries and why they are honoured only after death.

Why Black people prioritize white validation over Black self-reliance.

The failure to protect and preserve Black culture from white exploitation.

How Garveyism provides the solution for restoring true respect for Black history and leadership.

1. How Slavery and Colonialism Conditioned Black People to Devalue Their Own Culture

One of the biggest reasons Black people struggle to respect their own culture, revolutionaries, and history is because they were psychologically trained to despise their identity.

A. The Destruction of African Identity in Slavery and Colonialism

Enslaved Africans were stripped of their names, languages, and religions, making it easier for them to accept European cultural superiority.

Colonial education taught Black people that their history was inferior, while European history was glorified.

Black traditions, spiritual practices, and leadership systems were demonized as “pagan” and “uncivilized”, while white systems were forced upon Black nations.

Example: In most African and Caribbean countries today, European languages like English, French, and Portuguese are the official languages, rather than African languages. This is a psychological remnant of colonial rule.

B. Black People Were Taught to Glorify Their Oppressors

Black people were forced to worship European religious figures while rejecting their African gods, heroes, and traditions.

Even after slavery, many Black people were conditioned to see European institutions (schools, businesses, governments) as more legitimate than Black ones.

As a result, Black culture is only celebrated when it is “approved” by white society.

Example: African religions like Ifá, Vodun, and Kemetic spirituality are still labelled as “evil” in many Black communities, while Christianity (a tool of colonial oppression) is embraced without question.

Key Takeaway: Garveyism teaches that Black people must decolonize their minds and fully embrace their own culture, history, and leadership, rather than depending on white validation.

2. The Betrayal of Black Revolutionaries: Honoured Only After Death

Throughout history, Black revolutionaries have been rejected, ignored, or betrayed in their lifetimes—only to be glorified after they are gone.

A. Black Leaders Are Loved in Death, Hated in Life

Marcus Garvey was praised after his death, but during his lifetime, he was sabotaged by other Black leaders and abandoned by those who claimed to support him.

Malcolm X was rejected and isolated by many Black organizations before he was assassinated.

Dr. King was called an “enemy of the state” and murdered for his activism—yet today, white institutions pretend to celebrate him.

Example: Today, Malcolm X is a hero, but during his life, Black organizations distanced themselves from him because he was seen as “too radical.”

B. Why Black People Abandon Their Leaders in Their Time of Need

Many Black people are afraid to truly commit to revolutionary change because it requires sacrifice and risk.

When Black leaders face attack, imprisonment, or assassination, many of their own people refuse to stand with them.

Once a leader is dead and no longer a threat, people feel safe to honour them in words—but not in action.

Example: How many people today praise Assata Shakur and Huey P. Newton, but refuse to organize for the revolution they fought for?

Key Takeaway: If Black people truly respected their leaders, they would support them while they are alive, not just mourn them after they are gone.

3. Why Black People Prioritize White Validation Over Self-Reliance

Garvey warned that Black people will never be free if they continue seeking white approval instead of building their own power structures.

A. The Obsession with White Validation

Many Black people measure success by how much recognition they receive from white society rather than by how much they empower their own people.

Black artists, scholars, and activists are often ignored by their own communities until white institutions validate them.

Black businesses struggle because many Black people would rather spend their money in white-owned establishments than support their own.

Example: Black authors like Chinua Achebe and Toni Morrison were not widely celebrated until white institutions recognized them.

B. The Integration Trap: Seeking Acceptance Instead of Power

Instead of demanding Black control over education, economics, and governance, many Black people are content with assimilation into white institutions.

Integration destroyed Black communities by making them dependent on white-controlled systems rather than building their own.

Example: Before integration, Black communities had their own schools, businesses, and hospitals. After integration, many of these institutions disappeared because Black people preferred white-owned alternatives.

Key Takeaway: Garveyism teaches that true success is not white acceptance—it is Black control over Black destiny.

4. The Failure to Protect Black Culture from White Exploitation

Black culture is stolen, repackaged, and sold back to Black people—and many accept it without protest.

A. Black Culture Is Only Respected When White People Profit from It

Black music, fashion, and art are ignored until white people start embracing them.

Once white corporations profit from Black creativity, they erase the Black pioneers who started it.

Example: Rock & Roll was created by Black artists like Chuck Berry and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, but today, it is viewed as “white music.”

B. Black People Must Control Their Own Culture

Black communities must own their own media, art, and history, rather than allowing white corporations to define them.

Every other ethnic group protects its culture, while Black people often allow theirs to be exploited.

Example: Instead of white-owned Hollywood controlling Black stories, there should be Black-owned film industries producing African-centered narratives.

Key Takeaway: Garveyism demands that Black people own, control, and protect their cultural legacy instead of allowing it to be stolen.

5. The Garveyite Solution: How to Restore True Respect for Black Culture and Leadership

To truly respect our culture, history, and revolutionaries, Black people must:

Commit to Pan-Africanism – Work with global Black communities to build self-sufficient institutions.

Support Black leaders while they are alive – Not just celebrate them after they die.

Create and protect Black-owned industries – Own and control our own music, fashion, and storytelling.

Reject the need for white validation – Define success by Black empowerment, not white recognition.

Teach real Black history – Ensure every Black child knows our revolutionaries, heroes, and ancestors.

Final Takeaway: Respect for Black history is not just words or posts—it is action. If we truly honour our ancestors, we must finish the work they started.

Conclusion: The Time for Empty Praise Is Over

Garvey warned us: "A race without power and respect for its past will forever be enslaved."

If we TRULY care about our leaders, culture, and ancestors, we must build, protect, and honour their legacy through action.

The time for fake love is over. It’s time to finish what our revolutionaries started.

[thefirstknife]

I haven't been able to play the latest update yet so I gotta ask. With all this talk of the winnower, have we found out that its a separate entity to The Witness, or are we just finding out more about how the Witness operated?

It's confirmed now that it is a separate entity! It is identified as a speaker on the seasonal artifact. Like it straight up says "The Winnower" after a quote.

I've always believed them to be separate, my only issue was that we had no solid proof that the Winnower is even a real thing, since the only indications of it were various religious texts and other people's beliefs and unreliable narrators. Even the stuff in Books of Sorrow where something spoke to Oryx, it was really difficult to find genuine proof of what it is. Could've been the Witness adopting a persona to trick Oryx, could've been just various Books of Sorrow lies or unreliable information, could've been Savathun scribbling lies, or something completely different. Books of Sorrow are such an old and biased text in general, with many different narrators.

Unveiling was another contentious text, mostly because of the same things. It was left for us in the Pyramid after we spoke to a clone of ourselves made by the Witness and it was clearly a propaganda text to make us join the Witness, but also it did imply that the text was written by an entity called the "Winnower." However, that could, once again, haven been the Witness. I might still be more in the camp that Unveiling was the Witness' attempt to emulate the higher power it believed in (the Winnower) and using that to sway us to its side, but we don't really know now. The Witness further said (in TFS, largely in the raid) that it believed in the Winnower and considered itself to be its "first knife," but then when we got Nacre, the Winnower (more or less confirmed now) said that it didn't really care for the Witness. Or, at the very least, that the Winnower is not exactly a thing that deliberately sends out others to do its bidding; it kinda relies on people simply choosing to do so by themselves:

This great, beloved cosmos. Always decaying, always finding that same old lovely pattern, despite every candle-flame burning amid the flowers. A billion electrons taking the path of least resistance. In Darkness or in Light, someone is always making my choice. Be seeing you.

An interesting piece of Nacre that caught my eye originally was that the narrator claimed that it "never much cared for the change of the rules," but in Unveiling it very much did. So either Unveiling was written by someone merely interpreting the Winnower who got it wrong, or possibly something else. And one of the lore tabs from the new grimoire (that currently isn't in the game), has this:

The rules changed - a little. The pattern altered - but a micron. I got used to it, as they say. People can get used to anything, and the same holds true for concepts that have existed before and after time itself, though it may take an eon or twenty.

This implies that the Winnower changed its mind which means that Unveiling may still be written by it. Or not! It's intriguing. As I said many times, the unreliability of Unveiling is actually one of my favourite parts of the whole lore book and why it's my fave. I don't think that getting this explained would really "ruin" it or anything, but the unreliability is a part of the charm for sure.

Note also another one of my fave things about the Winnower and that's the bit where it calls itself a "concept that has existed before and after time itself." This, combined with the Heresy artifact, gives us a bit more information to work with while also fully confirming that it exists; even if it exists just as a concept.

But now that the Winnower has been explicitly stated as a speaker in lore without any ambiguity:

"The world is not built on the laws they love… Not with peace, but by victory at any means." —The Winnower

... Now a lot of stuff is much different when discussing it all. I'm actually now more inclined to believe that Oryx spoke to the Winnower then, rather than the Witness, now that we have proof the Winnower can communicate directly and would have an interest in doing so. Obviously the tone of voice of the speaker in Books of Sorrow always matched the Winnower, but it was never outside of the possibility that it was just the Witness mimicking what it essentially viewed as its deity.

At one point, especially after the writers heavily implied that Unveiling was a deliberate propaganda text written and given to us by the Witness, I thought that it was settled and that they decided to consolidate it all with the Witness, including the Books of Sorrow bits, but now that they're expanding it to the Winnower, I do think that Oryx and Unveiling were Winnower; even if the Witness may have been involved somehow, maybe as a delivery mechanism, especially for Unveiling. I like the idea of the Witness having somehow encountered the Winnower at some point, maybe like Oryx, and used that experience to essentially claim to be "the first knife" and write the text for us to make us believe in this philosophy like it was convinced. The Witness definitely believed itself to be important to the Winnower, enacting its will and philosophy across the universe as its "first knife." Even if the Winnower didn't really directly order that or care about it, other than just using it as proof that "someone is always making my choice."

I'm assuming we'll learn more during Heresy. I personally don't want the Winnower to become an enemy we fight one day, as I prefer this idea of an ambiguous observer from outside of the universe who is patiently waiting to see how "the game" unfolds; both "the game" as what it likes to call this version of the universe and also "the game" as in the 4th wall breaking sense. We'll see though! I do think it's settled beyond doubt now that the Winnower is its own thing, we just don't really know what it is. I am very interested to know more about its relationship to the Witness though, if we ever get more on that, because I'd love to hear more about it from the Winnower itself. The Witness was obviously biased and had many claims that I find dubious in nature.

Exciting situation overall! Really loved the proper confirmation for the Winnower being the speaker for the artifact because as much as I was always intrigued by the Winnower, I found it hard to talk about it like it's some confirmed character/entity. Speculation aside, we truly had no solid evidence until now, but now we do and that's really cool.

[taeaura]

The Hewitts are Hypocritical Religious Cowards - Minor Character Study :)

{Literally just these three but y'know - Monty's sleeping as usual with his lazy ass}

I think Luda Mae fears God; Hoyt doesn't..at least not as much. They were both raised the same, by the same people, in the same environment, of the same religion. But Hoyt was - is, a product of sin, in my interpretation. Hoyt was born of sin and will die of sin; Born to commit the sins of his father. Because of his "predestined" behavior, I think Hoyt views what he's doing as either a form of redemption {for himself and his mother} as well as a final 'fuck you' to God. {Inconsistent ahh religious relationship}

its seems almost as if Charlie views himself as someone who's predisposed to hell. "I was born of sin, I'll die of sin - Might as well have some fun." His experiences in the world most likely drove him away from religion and weakened his faith in God overall - Further fueling this mindset.

In some individuals, religion can develop into a form of psychosis.  I don't think Hoyt has that {on the surface}, but Luda definitely does. I doubt God is going to make you burn for fucking up, Jesus didn't care as long as it was genuine mistake. If he did, everyone would be in hell right now. The only reason Eve was punished is because she prioritized herself and her pleasure over the boundaries of God. That's not the same as messing up, people forget that. But in the case of the Hewitts - They chose the same path as Eve - Just more viciously.

The Hewitts {Hoyt more specifically} prioritized family pride over the lives of other people. They'd rather stay on their land than move away. They'd rather be forgotten by society - Kill and consume outsiders, instead of adapting to another town.

Remember the dinner scene in TCM: The Beginning? Just before Bailey dies, as Chrissie's insulting the family. That right there is the perfect example of the family's philosophy.

C: "I have a question for you, it involves the family tree - the lineage, if you will; So I guess this one's for the table: You guys fuck all your cousins or just the ones you find attractive?"

H: "You blasphemous bitch! This is redemption, lady, that's what this is! Oh, you're all gonna pay for your sins, that's right! And especially you."

Hoyt knows what they're doing is wrong - they all do. Yet they reframe it as "cleansing the world of sin." The mindset "we do what we have to in order to survive."

H: "You starve to death, or survive."

Hoyt views what they're doing as means of survival. They were starving to death - which he explicitly says in the 'first supper' scene

H: "Thanks to the good sheriff here, we ain't gonna go hungry tonight. Matter of fact, we ain't never gonna starve again."

____

Dean deserved to die because he failed his country. His fellow soldiers. Morgan, Kemper, Pepper, Andy, Erin, they all deserved to die for their possession of weed and their disrespect towards the family. Chrissie and Eric deserved it for the same reason. Bailey was with those 'disrespectful draft dodgers.' She was a whore, too - Just as sinful in the eyes of the lord.

stfu Hoyt as if you haven't done worse

Erin and Bailey disrespected Thomas - This would set Luda Mae off so bad. SHE LITERALLY SAID "Get her out of my sight" to Thomas in reference to Erin. She's disgusted by them - Disgusted by anyone who insults her, Thomas, {anyone in the family really}, or God.

L: "I know your kind - Nothing but cruelty and ridicule for my boy, all the time he was growing up. Does anybody care about me and my boy? Huh?"

--

E: "What's wrong with you fucking people?"

H: "Nothing wrong with us..?"

L: "Tommy; Thomas Brown Hewitt, you get in here right now! Get her out of my sight."

--

None of them deserved a second chance. As soon as they stepped onto the property, they solidified their fate. The Hewitts view themselves almost as a necessary evil - Angels of Death, if you will. They kill who they do based on how 'sinful' they are. That includes how they treat the family. {Which I doubt is based on 'respect' being one of God's values - I think it's because of how prideful these people are.}

____

Luda fears God. She fears The Rapture. When Jesus walks the Earth to gather his sheep. The day he waltzes into the Hewitt household taking the form of a 'helpless draft-dodger.' When the molded wallpaper and dusty lace tablecloth aren't enough to hide the rotting carnage, seething beneath the decaying floorboards. As he takes his place at the table, looking down at the family -

"This is redemption, lady, that's what this is! Oh, you're all gonna pay for your sins, that's right! And especially you."

You.

The wailing. The begging. The prayers falsely spoken by your forked tongue.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, honey."

Liar.

A shepherd? No, - Vicious wolves clothed in the skin and cloak of the fallen guardian. Harboring the sheep to their intemperate slaughter - You selfishly feast upon.

Did you feel it?

Do you feel it now?

Whilst the blood spilt from between her legs; Staining your sheets - The same ones Mama's washed over and over for the same selfish reasons.

Rewarding, was it not?

Did the screeches of pain exhort you? - Ravish you. It feels good to take what you deserve.

Except you didn't deserve it; Did you, Charlie.

Not by my teachings - and certainly not by your mother's.

"You poor thing; Sweet mourning lamb. There's nothing you can do - It's already been done."

But she deserved it.

She sinned - Did she not?

And sinners don't deserve patience - Nor do they deserve mercy.

They're vessels possessed by the Devil - You were only doing what's best.

Clearing them out.

And the cowardly - I didn't teach my children to be cowardly, did I? No, I did not. You're not a coward, are you, Charlie? Most certainly not - Not with what you've done to serve your country. No; You're a hero.

Heroes don't rape

Our Hero.

Heroes won't yield

My Hero.

Coward.

And cowards heroes like you deserve a special place in hell Heaven.

____

this is so ass 🙏 #yapville

[problemnyatic]

Conservatism is an inherently insecure mindset, and I'm so over it. How pathetic do you have to be to believe that other people being allowed to exist and live in dignity is enough to annihilate your "culture?" How fucking scared do you have to be to think that not being allowed the right to violence against any person or idea that doesn't specifically empower specifically you and people like you is going to destroy you?

Yeah, reality doesn't care about your feelings. That's why you can't be digging your heels into your worldview, measuring the validity of all information ou take in by how much it confirms your preexisting biases and beliefs. The world, the laws of nature, biology, all of it is so much weirder than you think. If you can't allow yourself to change your views when presented with new information, then you're going to be left behind, because the universe could not give less of a fuck if you think that something is "stupid" or "impossible" or "disgusting," or even "dangerous," the world will keep on fuckin' spinning whether or not you agree with its lifestyle.

I'm just so over it, man. Grow the fuck up and face the fact that the world you live in isn't the one you were told exists. It's scary and it'll mean you have to be wrong, or have been the bad guy, or be embarassed sometimes. It'll mean acknowledging that the world is so much bigger and, yes, definitionally more diverse than you realized, or want it to be, or think it should be, and you're just gonna have to fucking deal with it.

The world isn't about you. Other people's lives aren't your business and it's not your place to dictate how other people should live. You're just one person in a world of billions. It gets so much less upsetting and scary to live in it when you stop telling yourself that everyone who lives in a way you don't like is somehow a threat.

This doesn't mean letting people be assholes without consequences, it means realizing that you do not have special permission to be an asshole to other people because you're "right" and they're "a freak." It means realizing that your religious beliefs and your ideas of morality are not, and should not be, universal. It means going "huh.. guess I learned something new" instead of "that's bullshit, real life doesn't work like that" when you're presented with ideas that conflict with your beliefs. It means shutting the fuck up and just being uncomfortable in silence, sometimes, because sometimes in life you're just gonna be made uncomfortable, and that's not actually an act of violence against you, even and especially if the thing you're uncomfortable with is someone else's body.

It's never too late to change, and it's not shameful to have work left to do on changing. It's not shameful to be wrong, and it's not shameful to still be in progress. That's just what life is. Stop being so scared to show evidence of being only human; flawed, fallible, limited. The other 8 billion of us are in the same boat. You could just appreciate the solidarity and connection of it, if you wanted, you just have to stop trying to make it "your" boat.

[oh-my-damn]

I am sick and tired of being called anti-semitic on this fucking app just because I don't support mass slaughter of innocent people.

Fuck you for even saying and suggesting that, and fuck you even more for doing it after a discussion you were clearly losing because your information is absolutely and completely biased and non-factually based.

I support jewish people, and their right to their faith and exist. I applaud jewish people for their strength.

But I do not support Israel as an extremist-religious state, just like I would not support any extremist-religious state, and I do not support the actions currently being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.

I believe in rights and equality for everyone. No matter their skin color, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

You saying I believe otherwise anonymously on the internet won't change that. But it does make you a bad person for refusing to accept that perhaps you're wrong, and if you don't think you are, you should let other people have their own opinions.

That's exactly what equality is about.

[vaguely-concerned]

the way harrow the ninth manages to convey the longing for connection that can happen not only between people, but also within an individual, when something goes wrong enough inside them. and the horror-hunger desperation and displacement of being severed from yourself that suffuses every other part of your existence, with all the repulsive rotting wrongness of stagnant water you can't get away from because the well is within your own heart and that bitch just keeps pumping away even when you wish it wouldn't bother. anyway. I love that book a normal amount

[randomnameless]

Genuine question, not trying to start a fight, why do you get so upset about gods and churches being presented in a negative light in fictional works?

No pbs!

I guess it's a mix of being too common, too forced and having, in general, the cast use common tropish arguments to fight /defeat them.

I rant a lot about this game, but take TS where we have three sort of factions opposing each other, and each are supposed to suck. Who is the faction who never receives any "positive traits" or "pet the dog" moment?

The game force fed us a scene where an Aesfroti soldier - when Aesfrost is depicted as a highly militarised nation with a cult of personality towards their current ruler, that invaded the protag's home and slaughtered several civilians and NPCs in the process - say goodbye to his wife and kids before going to "war" to defend his land against, well, the protags who are invading it to kill their warmongering leader.

As force-fed as this scene was, it, I believe at least, tried to tell us that even the Aesfrosti who pillaged villages and killed their inhabitants are humans, and care about their loved ones, sure it's corny, but it's all about not deshumanising any party.

When we attack Hyzante? Niet, zilch, nothing. No similar scene where random soldiers, or NPCs, worry about what is going on and if they're going to die when their wall has been breached. They just, don't exist in this context.

I think the cherry on the cake is the Golden Route scene, where, apparently, nationalists Aesfrosti decide to turn back against their ultra charismatic leader because, uh, he "lied" when he declared the war and used a false pretense, so the soldiers and people who were butchering babies and invading a city where people were preparing a marriage apparently now have morals and rebel.

There's no similar scene for Hyzante when the cast reveals that the teachings of their Goddess were made up and salt wasn't exclusively given to them by divine intervention, because rock salt exists everywhere. Sure it would be a bit weird and forced that people thinking they're chosen ones and looking down on everyone else suddenly, hm, don't break down when their entire system of belief is shattered, but hey, if the Aesfrostian Gregor can have morals after washing his hands of all this Glenbrookian blood, why shouldn't religious npc #55 not make the same heel face turn?

And then, we have the slavery/human experimentation plot - in general, when TS tries to give nuance, they more or less explain/justify why something that "sucks" is done, it's basically Silvio's character.

Aesfrost' Gustadolph manages to push his "freedom" mentality because his land is a harsh place where people are desperate to survive, salt smuggling is reprehensible, but it's the only way to give some to the ones who cannot afford it. Of course is everyone is free, no one is because, as Gustadolph puts it, they're basically free to die for his ambitions.

Hyzante? Follows a racist creed where Rozellians have to pay for some great sin, and are slaved away in a lake to recover salt until they die. It's, later, justified by Hyzante wanting to keep its salt monopoly else they don't have anything, and wanting to curb down the Rozelle people because they know about the exitence of rock salt (and I guess getting free workers to harvest salt from the lake + having state enemies make his own population docile/not willing to rebel ?).

And then, we have the human experimentations, that are just done for, uhh, Idore's lol. When Hyzante is known for its "advanced medicine" and we could have had the usual dilemna of, idk, having those humans experimentations used to develop this medicine that is reknown in the world (idk, sacrificing a Rozellian to save someone else's life?) - it's not the angle the devs picked. Rozellians are sacrificed to power up an idol, Idore wants to control the world through his idol and soft power (compared to Gustadolph's hard power) and manipulates his people (just like Gustadolph) to do so.

The two are very similar, but who is the final boss? Complete with a transformation in an eldritch monster? The war-mongering imperialist or the jaded old man who is leading de facto a religion?

Hopefully there's the entire "human experimentations for no other purpose than the lols" to settle them apart.

---

I recently watched Dune, and even if I have some issues with the adaptation, the Bene Gesserit isn't portrayed as "comically" evil-er than the Harkonen Empire, I reckon the comparison isn't adequate, because Dune is multi book series when I'm mostly talking about video games.

Symphonia's church of Martel is a font for the Big Bad (tm) to put in motion his nefarious plans, and yet, through the game, we see how random clergymen use their, uh, religious buildings to help people around. Ultimately Martel herself is reincarnated through plot device and tells the big bad to stop being an ass and the story is less about "church and gods evil" but "big bad distorts Martel/church's teachings and role for his plans because he has a tragic backstory"

(but then Symphonia ends with the biggest whitewashing from every Tales I've played for its big bad so I'll stop talking about it because otherwise I'm going to be salty).

Abyss' church is more or less the same thing - the Church is supposed to help people deal with the fact their verse has "predestination stones" where the future is already written, and in the course of the game, we see how it has several factions and one opposes the group (who has the pope as a NPC!) - but it's not a story about "gods bad church BaD".

I remember playing Suikoden Tierkreis a long time ago, and while the game seemed to go through familiar "church bad gods bad" route and we end with defeating a god-like entity... I pretty much loved the twist that, in a game that relied on alternate dimensions/universe, the god-like entity was actually the protag if he made different choices!

In those games, if you fight a religious body and someone pretending to be a God or what not - it's not because people fight against an eldritch creature who wants world domination and to erase puny insects, or is the reason why everything goes wrong, but because, at the end, the conflict/fight is ultimately caused by someone, generally a human or at least a non "god like" entity, wanting to destroy the world.

I don't remember if FE was my first JRPG series or not, but I always liked the idea that if the world is doomed in those games and the heroes must prevent said doom, it's not because a god-like being wants to destroy the world, but because people, humans/randoms are the most shitty ones out there.

---

As for the "tropes" often used to deride fictional churchs and religious people, well, I will again point to TS - which did a splendid job in the Benedict Route where you smash Hyzante after allying with Aesfrost.

There's one battle where out protags diss Hyzantese because they worship a goddess and have no free will, listening to Her teachings and Her says (the traditional "religious people have no free will and listen to their churches who tell them how to think!") - which is immediately countered by one of those Hyzantese characters asking Serenor if he's not the same, but instead of blindly listening to a Goddess, blindly follows Benedict. And it ends with the final chapter title referencing automatons/puppets : who is that title talking about ? The fake "idol" Idore created, or the fake "king" Benedict created?

Anyways, the usual "religions people have no free will because their church/religion tells them how to think" trope reeks of r/atheism and the double standard - bar in this route of TS, but I guess, in TS itself in the Roland route! - is never called out, blindly following a charismatic leader is okay, as long as charismatic leader isn't religious?

Regardless of my IRL thoughts about religion, usually those tropes are presented as a "gotcha!" when they are... not at all, but the games/books leave it at that and we're supposed to roll with it.

I'd say it's lazy writing or, as we saw in Naruto, a quick way to end a story without having to dwelve in characters and their motivations : "you're a god/alien/other being and you're bad, so let us do what we want!" - end of the story.

Hopefully some fillers and to an extent, Boruto gave her more meat bar being the 11 hour villain we had to defeat quick and who manipulated the previous sad'n'lonely antagonists - but it still felt rich from Naruto, known for his famous "talk no jutsu" and trying to understand people he's fighting against, to drop the ball with Kaguya, calling her pure malice and ending with some "let us live the way we want" to wrap up the plot so he can wrestle with his boyfriend later on.

In the end, we often end up with "religion bad bcs the big bad manipulates people through it", as if those mangas/animes/vg never have other examples of charismatic people not using religion to manipulate their randoms/people or "gods bad they should let humans do what they want" when we've read/seen/played through various, uh, really fucked-up shit humans did - but on their own! and ultimately, but it's more in fandom spaces, with have Projection 101.

TLDR : church/religion/gods are too often used in those works as the ultimate scapegoat to either wrap up a story in a rushed ending or to pretend to have "nuance" but still have a common enemy where all the "nuanced" characters can grow/be whitewashed and side together against that "common enemy".

Just like in all things I guess, I prefer when something isn't painted as purely negative and all of the positive traits are erased because there is a need for a perfect scapegoat - sure, bring out too much "nuance" and writing/designing a game/manga/anime becomes harder because there's no "clear cut" antagonist, and yet, the one who always gets fucked in this scenario is the religious/church side.

Want a generic stock villain who will destroy the world so the heroes have to fight against them? Just create a "religion" in your setting, and have the big bad either hell bent on resurrecting Chtullu to destroy the world because Chtullu BaD, or have them be the most corrupt piece of shit who manipulate everything in the shadows, so the rest of the world, even the ones who slaughter others bcs they feel like they must start a war, can be whitewashed at the end.

I mean, there's a saying about diverting attention from a fire by starting a bigger one near, or a trope of "aliens made them do it" : who cares if Madara started a continental war and targeted a village full of random civilians he swore to protect because he lost the elections? Did y'know he was manipulated by a woman, I mean, an eldritch thing created by a woman, regarded as a God, who ultimately wanted to get out of her fridge to kill everyone?

Roland must get over his hatred for Aesfrost for barging in his kindgom and killing hundred of his people while they were preparing for a wedding, because hey, Idore is evil and plans on ruling the world through his sham religion!

I'll forever be salty at TS for not giving Kamsell the occasion to rise against Idore, or not even have minor NPCs get the same treatment as Sycras suddenly going all "u lied to me gustadolph so i won't listen to u anymore + sad goodbyes to my wife'n'kids".

Extremism of all kinds can lead to wars/tragedy/fucked up shit - Sure I don't want to get my History lessons in video game medium when I play lol, but what I really don't like is how it feels like depicting "they're extremists because they're religious" feels like the default/easy answer : want a bunch of brainwashed people the heroes must fight against and can't talk no justu their way out of this fight/will fight without looking too BaD? Depict those people as "misguided" members of a corrupt church/believers of a religion, no one will givea fig. If they are instead supporters of a charismatic leader who throws them through the meatgrinder to further their goals? Well, there's no automatic loyalty so either you have to show/depict it on screen, else it can be challenged at key points to demonstrate how those people - who follow the charismatic leader - aren't completely "mindlessly listening to their leader" or how their leader "isn't that bad after all".

[graveyarrdshift]

Sometimes I can't believe that some people think christmas is the best and most joyous time of the year. The way they automatically almost loathe others for not celebrating it is so ridiculous. I don't celebrate any holidays, like at all. I've been struggling with christmas for many years, it makes me feel depressed, overwhelmed and only reminds me of childhood trauma.

[otsukare-katsukare]

i have something very personal and ugly and probably incoherent that i need to get off my chest about israel. to preface im not a zionist, i am jewish and disgusted by israel on a daily basis, and this is me mostly speaking from that. i am sorry and if anyone who follows me doesn't want to read this from me/hates it i ask that you just scroll on by and forget it. and if you do read it and respond im happy to talk but just please take it in good faith. in reponse to this post

[navree]

under the weather and re-reading his dark materials, never gonna understand how tf certain religious people get so mad at the critique of the organizations of religion in certain fictional works

[torgawl]

the arguments homophobic people make against same sex couples raising kids makes literally zero sense considering they raise no problem to single parent families. the problem really isn't that there's an absent gender, because if it was they would chase and/or blame single parents and they don't.

[kawaiijellymonster]

Me my entire life: Men suck, every single one of them is a bastard, fuck them.

Me 3 weeks into my internship: Okay actually men in recovery from drug/alchol abuse are actually the sweetest people ever, and this is John I've adopted him, he's like 60, he cussed out a dude for me bc the dude yelled at me at my coffee shop job, and he brings me interesting articles on the science and advancements of addiction

[homophyte]

im ngl the way some ppl on this site talk abt christianity is really baffling

[blorbonicplague]

Brb gotta go rip out a bunch of organ transplants thank God that one jerk told us about the Potato Head thing

not that transphobes are ever saying anything interesting or insightful but it makes me insane when they see a trans woman who wants a uterus and start frothing out the mouth about how the sinister trans cabal is going to start harvesting organs from the poor and vulnerable... worsties do you have any idea how many trans men and cis women would be THRILLED to rehome their uterus to someone who actually wants it? all I'm doing with mine is complaining about it for a few days every month, I'd happily pawn that shit off to someone who would be happy about it. yes I am on my period why do you ask.