#also i personally do not believe same-sex relationships are a sin this is just an example of stuff ppl say are not for Christians

[kyuala]

sometimes im like.. super anxious posting stuff abt my faith bc of the way i live but at the same time... if u cant accept that part of me u cant accept me period

[jubileemon]

Fizzmodeus

Somehow in the infernal landscape of Hell, the relationship between Fizzarolli and Asmodeus, stands out as a sweet love story for the ages.

They were first introduced in the episode 'Ozzie's'. Despite their public disdain for sentimental relationships, they are entangled in a secret romance that defies Hell's social hierarchy and expectations. At first, Fizz and Asmodeus appeared as massive hypocrites, mocking others for their romantic endeavors while secretly harboring their own.

Fizzarolli's life was marked by a traumatic experience with fire, resulting in losing his horns and cybernetic replacements. As he thought Blitzo abandoned him to burn, Fizz began to develop a deep resentment towards his former best friend. Despite his normal jovial nature Fizzarolli suffers from extreme self-worth and self-image issues, the latter of which mostly originating from the severe injuries he received from a circus fire that he was involved in when he was younger. Because of this, he feels like he needs to do whatever Mammon tells him to do, as he feels he must repay the man for all the fame and success being his brand figure has brought, despite how horribly he is treated.

Working under Mammon, the Sin of Greed, further complicates his identity when Fizz became a symbol of Mammon's brand. The cost of fame weighs heavily on him, as public scrutiny and the demands of celebrity challenge his sense of self and personal values. Asmodeus' title as the Sin of Lust comes with its own set of expectations, yet his love for Fizzarolli transcends these. His protective instincts are often on display, particularly when Fizzarolli is in danger or vulnerable. Despite the initial portrayal of their relationship as hypocritical, the secret romance between Fizzarolli and Asmodeus is depicted as both sweet and healthy.

Despite one being a demon prince and one being an imp, and also portraying their partnership in public as purely lustful, Fizzarolli and Asmodeus' relationship is actually as healthy and romantic if not more so than Moxxie and Millie's, where the two are equals who look out for each other. Asmodeus' even lets Fizzarolli go out in public without him or an escort to defend him, despite Ozzie's concerns, because Fizzarolli wants to go alone, a far cry from if Ozzie truly didn't care about Fizzy beyond having sex with him. It's like if Stolas and Blitzø managed to work things out between them and had things be not so rocky.

Hard to believe, but aside from sex jokes, occasional rudeness and his grudge towards his former best friend, Fizzarolli stayed as nice and innocent as he was in childhood, despite all of his trauma. He does admit that it was difficult and challenging at first, but Fizzarolli finding someone who cared so much about him has led to him feeling like he leads a good life.

The relationship between Fizzarolli and Asmodeus is not without its trials. Asmodeus's deep concern for Fizzarolli's well-being is evident when Fizzarolli is taken hostage, an event that ignites Asmodeus's fury and prompts him to take drastic measures to secure Fizzarolli's safety. This protective streak is further shown in their interactions with Mammon, another Prince of Hell, whose abusive and manipulative behavior towards Fizzarolli causes Asmodeus to harbor intense animosity towards him.

In Season 2, Asmodeus reassuring Fizz at the beginning that he doesn't have to worry about being "perfect" for Mammon because perfection is impossible, and that he deserves a break or vacation without having to fend off creeps constantly.

Asmodeus' line when he rephrases his actual feelings in regard to Fizz being in Mammon's clown contest: "I don't like how many creeps you have now, thanks to Mammon. And I don't like designing sex toys with your likeness for him. Pretty sure you feel the same"; this one line has numerous, subtle but still important subtext that really shows how much Asmodeus cares for and respects Fizzarolli. Just the fact that Asmodeus is being honest about his feelings about Fizzarolli being in Mammon's competition.

In most forms of media, when someone doesn't like something that their significant other is doing, they’ll either dance around it until they can’t take it anymore and/or even lie to get their partner to stop. But Asmodeus doesn't do that - when his initial plea doesn't work, he gets straight to the point of him not liking it but in a healthy and mature manner. He doesn't put any blame on Fizzarolli for his own discomfort, instead putting it all rightly on Mammon's greedy shoulders.

Asmodeus' dislike over Fizzarolli as Mammon's brand figure not only comes from a place of concern and worry but respect. In the second sentence of his above-mentioned line, he mentions he does not like having sex toys in Fizz's likeness. Given that he's the King of Lust, one would think he would hardly care, but he does. Because it's his boyfriend using in such a way. Asmodeus also makes sure to note that he's also aware that Fizzarolli doesn't like the sex-bots as well. He's acknowledging not only his own discomfort but his partner's.

After acting like everything's all righr for the majority of the episode and having a full-on panic attack in his dressing room, Fizz finally pours out his insecurities to Asmodeus, telling him that he's terrified of losing him if he doesn't win the pageant because he feels that Ozzie's only with him because of who he is under Mammon's patronage. He even yanks his jester hat off - revealing his scarred, splotchy head and the jagged stumps of what remains of his horns - in an attempt to show Ozzie what he believes he is without Mammon: an ugly, broken, worthless imp.

"Crooked" is a sweet, simple song where Asmodeus and Fizz admit that while they both have their flaws and insecurities.

Asmodeus reassures him of his worth and publicly declares his love, a bold move that underscores the depth of his feelings and his willingness to face potential consequences for the sake of their relationship. Instead of the crowd being shocked or mocking the two, they are all instead excited and reveal they already had theories on it.

Crimson did call Ozzie's relationship with Fizz "the worst-kept secret in all of Hell." Nearly everyone in the crowd probably already knew or at least suspected. Which makes their reaction all the more heartwarming because it's acceptance. One of Ozzie's main worries was being seen as a hypocrite for being the incarnation of carnal hedonism while having a loving, monogamous relationship. It turns out nobody thinks that at all. The King of Lust has fallen in love, and everybody is happy for him.

[showtoonzfan]

i would like to say that ozzie COULD have been better as i do love his character but MAN did they fucking butcher him in the new episode

he is the embodiment of lust, making him the WEAKEST sin is well a sin and also since he’s apart of the seven deadly SINS he should be ya’ know POWERFUL because in that episode he just feels like some rich guy akin to every other rich guy in this show, he should be a guy that the whole cast are afraid of(and honestly the same thing happened to bee where she’s a deadly sin and NO ONE is acting like she of any importances)

how i would fix him personally is well not make him soft uwu boy i do like the fact he cares about fizz but well he’s powerful we should FEEL how powerful he is make some imps or succbi be cowering near him, fizz not sprouting jokes and blowing a BLOW HORN in his ear give us the feeling that he’s not to be mess with, and the stolas and ozzie team up honestly should be studied on how to kill a character, they shouldn’t made ozzie just be the same hight as stolas and i mean that IN EVERYWAY POSSIBLE because stolas seems to be scared of him thats good but ozzie ya’ know is chill about everything i mean stolas didn’t cause anything but him being chill is very stupid. thats my take of everything about ozzie and honestly im curious on what your take of fixing him is

So I’m not against Ozzie being nice and soft to Fizz, but him in general being the nicest sin and a cool “chill” dude does bother me. Again, these characters are supposed to be the rulers of Hell and I refuse to believe they’re just nice, it’s how I felt for Beezlebub. Same for Leviathan since Viv confirmed she wants him to be a chill surfer dude and so far the only sin she plans to be an asshole is Mammon. In Ozzie’s case, it’s also weird seeing him say how “lust shouldn’t be forceful” when I feel like the writers are confusing love and lust again. He’s also called the “deadly SIN” for a reason, he’s normally supposed to represent the sin itself, how sinners let lust consume them, in a bad way.

For Viv’s interpretation, I genuinely have no idea. Despite being called the “sins”, I feel like the seven sins in this show aren’t connected to the sinners at all, since they’re all in the Pride Ring and Lucifer was the one confirmed to be ruling over them, so we’re only left to believe that the sins tend to the hellborns. We know that Ozzie rules the Succubi’s, I guess you could say those are the types of demons for his ring, but I thought that the whole reason he gave the succubi’s crystals in the first place was to let them tempt those on earth….and yet he’s saying “lust” shouldn’t be forceful. See how it kinda doesn’t make much sense for his character? Then again there’s not a lot we know about Ozzie, outside of Viv describing him as chill and nice. For his job, all he seems to do is handle the sex objects that hellborns use. I’m not against the idea of him being an inventor/tinkerer either, these are interesting concepts, I just feel like not much is done with them. There’s still tons of empty gaps for this character, even after the new episode we still barley know him, so it’s kinda hard to say on what I think would “fix” him.

All I can say is just make him more threatening and intimating, which is funny because Stolas CLEARY was intimidated by Ozzie in S1E7, but Oops really makes you wonder what he was afraid of in the first place, especially if you’re going to paint him as the “weakest sin”. What if…as a better contrast to Blitz and Stolas, what if Ozzie was nice to Fizz, but mean and threatening to everyone else? His workers, other demons, basically a guy you don’t want to mess with, a person who takes his business seriously (whatever that would be lol). And while Fizz loves him, he questions their relationship and if he should be getting involved with a sin. There’s a lot you can do, I’m just kinda tired of characters in Helluva being “just good” and “just bad”. It’s very black and white and this is Hell.

[brown-little-robin]

You ABSOLUTELY do not have to answer this if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, but what is a “side b” Christian? I tried looking it up but the results were kinda vague :/

Hey, thanks for asking! (this ask is in reference to this post btw)

Okay, so, "side B" is a term that some Christians use to describe how they fit into the wide debate of how the Church should address same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria—basically, how the church should deal with LGBTQ+ issues. The term "side B" is used alongside the terms "Side A" and "Side X", which I'll explain to the best of my knowledge in a moment.

Before I start, though, I'm not an expert on the history of these terms. Here's one source that might get you started, but I have not done extensive research on this, so take this with a grain of salt! <3

Also, note: The topic of transgender people is a little bit blurry in these frameworks, with some people agreeing mostly with one "side" on attraction but agreeing mostly with another on gender dysphoria.

"Side A" Christians (the typically more liberal side) believe that the Bible (and/or God, in cases where people don't believe the Bible is the arbiter of truth) supports LGBTQ+ people acting on same-sex attraction and/or gender dysphoria. So, according to this worldview, same-sex attraction is not a sin; same-sex marriage and relations are not a sin; and so the Church should speak publicly about and embrace LGBTQ+ relationships, transitions, and/or lifestyles. In my experience, Side A Christians usually point out that the Greek word translated "homosexual" in the New Testament refers to pedophiles (instead of?) (as well as?) people living in homosexual relationships. Again, though, I haven't done full research on that one. "Side X" Christians (the typically more conservative side) believe that same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria are sins, and that therefore the Church should not speak about and/or should completely denounce same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria. They may believe in what's sometimes called "Pray the Gay Away": the belief that if you have enough faith in God and/or pray hard enough, He will take away your same-sex attraction and/or gender dysphoria. "Side B" Christians believe that the Bible says that all people struggle with temptations to sin, including, for some, sexual attraction to the same sex and/or gender dysphoria, and so the Church should not deny that these struggles exist or act like the people who struggle with them are any worse than anyone struggling with heterosexual lust or any other sin—but that the Bible also has a clearly stated framework that Christian marriages should fit into: one man and one woman, having sex only in a marriage. Side B Christians typically believe that the Church should not ignore the fact that there are LGBT+ Christians, nor should it embrace same-sex relations. Instead, it should acknowledge the struggle of having same-sex attraction and/or gender dysphoria and provide compassion, give life direction that is toward God and not toward the world, and just... you know... not isolate and whisper about such Christians like they're any worse than anyone struggling with, like, selfishness or jealousy or gambling or addiction or any other desire of the flesh. EDIT: A Side B perspective typically does not state that attraction or dysphoria themselves are sins. Those are temptations (and/or struggles), and like the post linked here (this post) says, temptation is not the same as sin (acting on temptation). Yeah, personally, I agree most with the Side B perspective. It seems the most Biblically sound perspective to me.

"Side A" and "Side B" are usually descriptors used only by Christians who identify with LGBTQ+ attraction and/or gender identity. So, people may call themselves "Side B bi", for example, as a shorthand for saying "I'm attracted to both genders, but I believe that it is only okay to have sex under the Biblical marriage framework". But I find the terms "Side A" and "Side B" a useful framework to describe worldviews in general, even for heterosexual people who identify with their biological sex. Use your own discretion about that one. I personally sometimes call myself "Side B" out of convenience, although I don't have same-sex attraction, but I strive to be respectful and compassionate to those who use "Side B" to indicate that they personally struggle with same sex attraction, and so I don't go throwing the term around willy-nilly. By the way, I do technically fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella: aromantic asexual here (although I hold those terms loosely) with a history of mild gender dysphoria.

"Side A", "Side B", and "Side X" are simply convenient terms for broad views on sexual morality and Christian perspectives on LGBTQ+ issues. I use them when they're convenient, but strive to meet every individual person and converse with people, not broad "sides", learning how each person interprets the Bible and what their individual church history and personal context is in order to learn how they think about Biblical, Christian, social, and LGBTQ+ issues. I find that the individual conversations are far more productive and less divisive than arguing along "party lines".

[dreamlanddeluxe]

Found the article from the previous post and it sums up my overall thoughts on the show exactly. If anyone cares to hear my more personal thoughts surrounding That Hotel Show they will be under the readmore

Like truly I’m not hating on this show just to be a hater, my thoughts are purely on the show itself divorced from my criticisms against Viv. I’m just upset that so many are either blind or purposely ignorant to the abhorrent and harmful issues present in there. It does nothing to subvert expectations, rather it enforces conservative viewpoints already established surrounding the themes of christian sin, redemption, and general morality. I could forgive the eyesore of an artstyle, I could forgive the haphazard musical numbers, I could even forgive the million plotholes present if the characters were intriguing enough, but everything that Charlie’s motives are based on sours anything that could even be remotely salvaged from this show to me. Her character is the definition of “purity,” not through acts of kindness, rather through a lack of anything “sinful” (which in the show’s case, is mainly sex, drug use, and homosexuality! How wonderful!). She does nothing to truly support the main cast, she is only good in comparison through her lack of the aforementioned “sinful” topics.

And yes before anyone mentions it, I know she’s in a relationship with a woman, but truly look how her relationship is portrayed in comparison to the other relationships in the show. Since Charile is supposedly the mascot of redemption, her relationship is so clean and cutesy! They barely hug or kiss let alone even mention *gasp* SEX! She’s not like those other nasty perverted cross-dressing kink-obsessed overtly-sexual faggo- I mean people right! She’s such a good girl who just wants to turn them towards the right path! God’s path! ….Do you see what I’m getting at.

I might’ve liked this show if I was 13. I don’t say that with kindness, but I don’t say it with hatred towards my younger self either, I say it with sadness. I was a kid that grew up in a extremely religious household, with these same views of sin and morality used against me and my identity. I never had a moment of peace, all my thoughts were “impure” and my homosexual desire was nothing but devil’s work. I still think of the times I spent crying, trying to make my parents believe wasn’t some sort of devil spawn. It was a relentless unrewarding mind game trying to prove my “purity” and destroy my romantic and sexual desire, that I would later discover I had no chance of winning to begin with. Going through that was horrible to say the least, its no understatement to say it will forever alter how I view myself and my desires…. So to see someone not only uphold this ideological framework, but also get praised for it? Have a fanbase go crazy for it? Unbelievable. To me Charlie is a personification of the traits I would need to have in order to prove my “purity” but deep down never could achieve, as I was never meant to win.

I would like to give this show’s fans the benefit of the doubt and assume that majority of them are those hurt 13 year olds that don’t know they deserve better. But I know there’s others who truly believe this is the peak of writing surrounding these topics, and to that all I can say is look inward and ask yourself why so.

[prisoner-000]

"Cat" - Lyrics + Translation Analysis

As it happens to be Kazui's birthday, let's talk about the lyrics in Cat some more - Mostly using the official translation (since it's accurate for the most part) with a few exceptions. I'm not great at Japanese and only know a few words, so whenever further translation was needed, I hit the books. If I miss any context, feel free to add on!

I believe Cat, at its core, is about Kazui's decision to confess his love to an unseen second person in his MV OR confessing his 'sin' to his wife. This song is not about Hinako/his wife, though she plays an important role in the visuals of the song.

Alright, let's start with some minor things.

Lie, until it gets better, follow the king of the masquerade

This pretty much stays the exact same in Japanese, with the exception of a reference to "kyogen", a japanese form of traditional drama. 'Kyogen'-type theater usually serves as intermissions between the longer and more serious 'Noh' plays, in which actors wear masks. Kyogen is more comedic in nature and uses slapstick.

(This line has probably been analyzed to death: It's a pretty clear indicator of Kazui being a self-declared 'master of deception'/having lied his whole life about something, like he mentions in his Voice Drama.)

Since when have I ignored my feelings?/It’s better to be a let down, than to be let down yourself/I just wanted to touch, to caress/I just wanted to be touched

(Nothing interesting to add translation wise. I believe this batch of lyrics is Kazui wrestling with himself over whether he should tell the truth or not: In my opinion, this is about him being unsure whether to confess his love to the unseen second person in the scene we see later in his MV. (or if you're on copium like me, the bartender guy...))

So it’s wrong? Oh shove that!/INNOCENT, isn’t that right?/Maybe, perhaps… or… could it come true… like/It’s for the sake of true love, who wouldn’t lie for that?

The only notable difference in translation is, in classic MILGRAM fashion, the word 'INNOCENT' being 'FORGIVEN' in the Japanese version. So, y'know. We know this.

(This is the only lyric that is a bit of a puzzle to me. Kazui believes he was in the right for lying to his wife/Hinako, because he couldn't have lived in a society where he'd be seen as strange or an outsider. So, he did what everyone else does around him: Once he's an older adult, he gets married. Not sure what the 'true love' part is about, in this case - maybe he believes to reach that desire he craves, he has to put up this charade.)

Love (plus) Destiny = Crap, smash it, shatter it, bye-bye/That sticky-sweet sequence: Dinner + Camouflage + You-Know-What/Loving Affection (minus) Love, it’s tacky, this two-way deceit/Victim and Perpetrator, let’s keep it simple

Hate to disappoint but Kazui is not making an awesome reference to sex with "You-Know-What" - 'nanchatte' is used more like "what a joke" in this context. In the sense that - this is just what everyone does, you already know the rest of the story.

Interesting to note is that the official english lyrics were changed at some point: The third line of this batch used to say this:

Devotion (minus) love, lame, cheating

I think this may have been changed to remove the reference to 'cheating'. In English, cheating can be used as both cheating at games and as cheating in relationships - while in Japanese, these terms are very different. The term used in Japanese still seems to mean 'cheating' in the game way, fitting Kazui's gambling/showman theme.

(I think these lines are pretty clear to read from a story perspective. Kazui isn't actually in love with his wife and presents their relationship as a lie, he's 'cheating' at the game of love. Also, 'camouflage/disguise' is an interesting choice of words - disguising himself as what, trying to fit in with who? The norm, methinks. He wants to appeal to what everyone else is doing.)

Phew, oh wow I’m drunk/Hey, so what if I said I liked-liked you, what would you do?

The english variant of this text uses 'like-like', and I'm not too sure why. The japanese version uses 'daisuki', perhaps a bit of a more cutesy way to say 'love' than 'aishiteru'. Maybe the intention in the japanese text is a more childish tone due to Kazui's intoxication.

(This lyric, in my opinion, is the big moment the first few batches of lyrics have been building to: Kazui confesses his feelings to whoever this mystery person is in a state of intoxication.)

I just wanted to ask, so it’s out in the open/I just got a little greedy

(Nothing too interesting translation wise. "I wanted to ask" obviously refers to "What would you do?" Pretty self-explanatory as well. Kazui believes his confession was selfish. He likely feels bad for his wife.)

All those things I wanna do that I can’t say out loud/I gotta keep it inside and act/The beating of this heart… see… it’s no longer about good and bad… it isn’t/I realize the futility, but I still can’t help but dream

'I gotta keep it inside and act' would perhaps be more accurately translated to 'I gotta drink it up and swallow it'. Reference to substance abuse. Awesome.

(I love repressed people!!! Kazui, since indulging in his desire and confessing his feelings, isn't sure about his place in the world. It's no longer about good or bad, his desire is impossible to make a reality, his only escape is fantasizing. Which leads us back to his constant references to 'dreaming', all the way to his lyrics in UNDERCOVER.)

I can’t stop, I can’t be normal/This feeling, it can’t be gratified/I can’t stop, I can’t be normal/This feeling, it’s yearning to be satisfied

(Oh boy, we're on yearning now, huh. More dilemmas in his head - he's fighting with himself on if his 'unnatural' desire is wrong, but he knows he can't live with himself if he doesn't fulfill it.)

Let's take a breather

(Unsure. Some translations say this is also 'Just a quick smoke/I need a quick smoke'. Maybe smoking is supposed to represent him indulging in his desire at this moment. That, or he wants a break from his inner conflict - Or even confessing to his wife is a 'breather'.)

Love (plus) Destiny = Crap, smash it, shatter it, bye-bye/To be caressed by you, that would be perfection/I wanted to be loved, just like a cat/Maybe act capricious, on my word and at my fancy

Here's an interesting difference between the Japanese and English versions! In the original version, 'caressed' is 'pet'/'stroked'. The translation also removes the 'you' from the third line. So maybe this would be a little more accurate:

To be pet by you, that would be perfection/I wanted you to love me like a cat

Unfortunately, I have no idea what the last line is supposed to be in the original. DeepL translated it as 'I might want to leave it with you on a whim' - other sites translate it as something among the lines of 'making a deposit'. I'm at a loss of how to interpret this line. LOL.

(Perhaps important context to add is that, in Japanese context, 'being loved like a cat' would be receiving love but not giving much in return. People have pointed out the gay slang 'neko' reference to this about a dozen times before, and even though the lyrics do not use the kanji associated with the slang term, I believe it could have some merit.)

Lie, until it gets better, follow the king of the masquerade/Lick that sin and oppose punishment, until you can meet the king of the masquerade

(This is a pretty 1:1 translation. What does 'lick that sin' mean? Man what do I know. It's another cat reference, though! I think the last line is referring to his verdict in the first trial, maybe. Perhaps Kazui is building up his lies even more, in some way, and repressing himself more? I'm a little unsure. It is plausible that he's growing more comfortable in his persona.)

Overall, I believe this song is Kazui finally coming to that decision of confessing his love for the unknown person. 'Half' may have been about him contemplating it, which would make 'Cat' a pretty direct continuation of this little story - I wonder if his third trial song might end the story!

I'm personally of the opinion that Kazui's 'desire' is either of the nature that he just can't stay in relationships for too long without getting bored (which cracks in some places, especially in the MV) or that he is some flavor of LGBT which is more taboo in Japan, especially for male role models like him - a cop, big, strong, masculine... Obviously he'd be pressured to enter a heteronormative life.

This was really fun to do! I might do this sort of thing with more future MILGRAM songs, so if you have any requests, let me know! If you have anything to add translation-wise, feel free to correct me. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

[majorbaby]

Can you elaborate on your personal gripes for how mulcahy is used in the narrative? I have seen people talking about not liking him but I think it was more disliking him as a guy, so I would like to hear your thoughts

okay well, first i'd just like to say that nobody is a bad person for liking mulcahy and i have less of an issue with HIM as a guy (his thoughts, feelings, wishes, his favourite colour, his favourite food, his relationships with others) as i have with how he is positioned by the narrative. you seem to get this, but i still want to make it clear. if anything i'm all for mulcahy getting it on with whoever because it would undermine his vocation as a celibate priest.

long explanation under the cut but TL;DR: mulcahy is positioned as being a morally upright person. this is dangerous because apart from his being a character on the show, he is also representative of the catholic church. moreover, positioning the church this way severely undermines the show's central, anti-establishment, anti-war messaging.

there's lots to love about MASH, but the way it deals with religion and the church is a major weakness. the show wants me to accept that patriarchy, militarism, imperialism, social conservatism are bad, but draws the line at critiquing religion, by positioning its chief representative in positive light. it's a big oversight.

let me try this a new way compared to how i've done it in the past and start with the military:

fuck the military, right? we agree that it is bad? and we agree that MASH came out swinging against the army and that that is part of the central messaging of the show? and we agree that one of the best things about MASH is that it took such a hard line against the military? cool.

why do we hate the military? it's violent, it's paternalistic, it eats up public money that could otherwise be spent on making peoples lives better, it influences public policy in a negative way, it's hostile to equity-seeking people (racialized people, lgbtq+ people, women, people with mental and physical disabilities), it is also hostile to even the most privileged in our society. MASH specifically took aim at the draft, which still functionally exists in US law.

basically, it is overwhelmingly oppressive and does far more harm than good, if you can even make a case for what good it does.

the catholic church is bad for all the same reasons. most catholics are born into the church, assigned catholic at baptism, which occurs when you are a baby and which cannot consent to. its ranks are overwhelmingly male and priests are literally called "Fathers".

your mileage may vary when it comes to the separation of church and state but...

where i live, the catholic school system is funded by tax dollars - technically any child can attend a catholic school even if they aren't catholic, but say, idk, want some free indoctrination. but you must be catholic to teach in catholic schools, so half of all these 'public service jobs' which are unionized, pay well and difficult to secure are only available to catholics. you can go to catholic school yet grow up and be unable to teach in one, like, currently, in 2023, in Canada which has some fucking nerve to be still upholding this archaic system. people aren't born pro-life or homophobic or believing that sex should be between a man and a woman and purely for procreation, or that masturbation is a sin... these are all things we see in policy, in education, in medicine, in media, as a result of the influence of christianity. what flavour of christanity varies based on where you live but in many instances, it's catholicism. you could extend some of these critiques to organized religion in general but i'm not doing that right now because mulcahy is catholic specifically.

like... purity culture didn't just pop out of nowhere. you may not be christian but sex shaming and the elevated ideal of marriage and the gender binary and the idea that we need to be 'civilized' in a certain way are all christian values that were spread violently across the globe, often hand-in-hand with military exploits. not only are the military and the church similar, they're often indistinguishable and they very much need one another.

MASH was trying very hard to say, originally at least, that there are no good military brass. even henry gets the piss taken out of him whenever he tries to be a 'colonel' to hawkeye and trapper. so why henry, and not mulcahy? (also why not potter but like, that was a different era and potter is a character i actually do proper hate)

if there can be no good army officers, then there can be no good priests. and mulcahy was both.

[avesblues2]

do you have any advice as a married Christian woman for couples about cohabitation before marriage? did you ever worry about how things would be like living together with your husband? I hear it can make or break a relationship if you aren't actually compatible under the same roof and don't see how they live.

I am of the traditional stance that cohabitation is a no no. I'll link a couple of studies on it but even without the studies I believe it's pretty common sense as a christian to know why it's problematic. The laws of nature and nature's God. God's truths are woven into the fabric of our reality, whether one believes them or not. My husband and I moved in after marriage and our marriage is amazing, same with all the other christian marriages at our church.

Lust. It is almost impossible to live with your bf/gf and not end up having sex. You are living under the same household. You probably share a bed. You are with each other possibly all night. I mean, it's hard enough when the two of you are alone and not living together to abstain but living together? Yeah, surely you will fall into the sin of premarital sex.

Acting like your married when you aren't. Why would you test the waters before getting married is my question? What is "testing" the waters even? When you are married, it's for life. Your marriage will have ups and downs. You should know the character of your boyfriend/girlfriend before proposal. If you are equally yoked and God is in the center, the marriage has a rock for a foundation. That is all you need, despite what society may say nowadays. Speaking to women, if any man wants to "test" things out. He doesn't want to marry you plain and simple. He wants a live in girlfriend who will the wifely duties without the commitment.

There's a lot of non-spiritual issues as well. Who owns what? What happens if you break up? Who owns the place, who can leave? Who can take this or that? It's a mess.

Around 60-70% of couples are cohabiting before marriage. More people are comfortable being roommates with benefits essentially than husband and wife. Cohabitation doubled one’s chances of divorce. Ask yourself why that may be? Look at how God has written how relationships should be and you will find your answer there.

Just think about the difference in mentality of two people who are simply living together; instead of a lifetime commitment, cohabitation is meant as a trial. That's the viewpoint. Marriage is a vocation, but it is also a sacrament—a sacred bond and Christ dwells within that. I like this quote " His involvement gives us the grace we need to help sustain the marriage. Cohabitating couples do not have this grace to sustain them because they have not taken a vow."

Is the type of person you want to spend your life with a person who is trying you out? Testing the waters? Clearly doesn't want the commitment but wants you in some shape or form still?

This research study is funny because they hypothesize that people who are cohabitating are just already people prone to divorce regardless lol.

And here's a christian article on the matter

[damnfandomproblems]

https://www.tumblr.com/damnfandomproblems/730443258208124929/from-responses-to-4292-it-is-for-everyone-that?source=share technically no unless they identify with any label that isnt just cis/het people on the ace spectrum are apart of the lgbt community. that description of the stereotypical straight relation ship of people who dont agree with lgbt community was just to remind people of the kind of people that have actually caused harm to the lgbt community in the past. if people want that lifestyle that's okay ofc do what you want its your life but historically these are the majority and its these people that have tried to demonize being gay or in anyway different speaking of im going to take this chance to say this to that one person who got offended by me calling lgbt people "deviant" "weird" or "queer" (i can no longer see exactly what you said bcuz i blocked you) its because we are. and me saying that isn't me saying its a bad thing. but there are those that believe that. to a cis/het person who doesn't agree with lgbt, ace people are still considered to be "weird", "deviant", and "queer". Anyway no the people you described are not inherently apart of the lgbt community. this argument is about the fact that some people think if you are not in some way in a homosexual relationship that you aren't actually apart of the lgbt community. like saying "bi or pan people aren't gay enough if they have a opposite sex partner, unless of of them is trans" However the ace spectrum deals more with HOW you are attracted to someone. you can experience no sexual attraction at all (some ace people still have sex for their partners or just because they can but feeling disgust towards sex is also common) aromantic people are much the same but with romance instead then there's Demi which are people who tend to only feel sexual or romantic or both attraction if they have a strong emotional attachment to someone. and there are more but those are the most common three gay people can feel this too. nonbinary couples also so why would there be an exception for straight people???? there's a lot more to the lgbt community than just gays and trans being straight or cis doesn't automatically disqualify you from being queer however however we still shouldn't shit on ALLIES or the concept of being straight or cis in general that description i gave was, again, just a reminder of who actually has caused problems for lgbt from the beginning. in America those are the kinds of people who've harmed us as have worked to make us seem less than human. the people who have tried to put themselves on a pedestal of perfection and normalcy and that being anything but is unnatural and a sin. that's why i say the lgbt community is for everyone but that. 1/2

 2/2 and allies are welcome here. it may not be the right community they need like say a pro kink community for those interested in evolving their sex life but the less we try and push these people away the better because in a way as long as they support us too and are working to tear down that "pedestal of perfection" conservatives have built then in a way they are and always been apart of the community. a community of people who have all felt the effects of being considered "not normal", "sinful", "disgusting". and much worse this is also why kink is at pride parades. they are people who have been considered much of what lgbt people have. and have always helped to fight for our rights. personally i cant wait for a day that lgbt includes cis/ het even without other labels or identities. because they are still both a sexuality and a gender identification. and as lgbt becomes more popular and widely accepted we are seeing more and more a sort of discrimination against cis/het people from members of the lgbt community. very largely seen with bi or pan people. and this heterophobia is not healthy and is often instigated by people who want to remain "different" and want something to bully and make themselves seen better, which is becoming easier to do since your more likely to get backlash for being straight and hating on gays for being gay. so in short, being apart of the lgbt community is more about connecting with people who've had similar experiences as you for your identity being """not normal""" while also fighting for ALL identities to be considered normal. and this includes cis/het people with "micro identifications" like the ace spectrum. (and personally i hope for the eventual dissolvement of the lgbt community entirely and we can all just exist) i am notorious for being bad at explanations so i can only hope this clears things up

This is a response to this ask.

[thekatebridgerton]

Consider a Reincarnated Bridgerton AU? Where only one person from each couple remembers their past life. Each of the Bridgerton siblings remembers but none of their spouses do. In fact, Philip and Marina seemingly are happily married, Michael is a fuck boy that doesn’t believe in love, Penelope is engaged, Simon only sees Daphne as a good friend, the little sister of his mate and ignores her advances as he dreams of finding his true love and soulmate. etc.

We need to talk about this au. So here we go

Simon: good friends with Daphne, actually gets along with her better than any other woman he knows. Because she's so friendly and understanding and knows how men work. He's famously single, so he thinks he should just hire Daphne to work for him. That way he wouldn't be so lonely anymore at the office. He's still looking for the one

Kate: a professional polo player. More concerned about paying her genius sister college tuition than interfering in her love life. Still very much pissed off that some older guy is trying to ruin Edwina's college career by asking her out and making her miss school. Anthony knows who Kate is, but anytime he tries asking her out he's met with an ' I don't date fuckbois ' glare and tells him that what he needs is therapy not a date. Anthony doesn't know how to get within a 5 foot radius without offending her.

Sophie: private nurse and single mom of a beautiful son she adores more than life. Lives a nomad life with her toddler, carefree and happy, moving one place to another, she doesn't mind that she can't remember what the father of her son looked like since it was just a drunken hookup at a costume party. But for some reason, Benedict Bridgerton does mind, too bad he's just a guy who hired her to be his mother's live in nurse, and nothing else.

Penelope: happily engaged to Friedrich Prince, she swears he's the love of her life and acts like the perfect wife already. Studying journalism, she Writes smutty bestselling novels secretly under the name Lady Whistledown and doesn't take it well when Colin discovers her books or when he tries to Kiss her. She begs him not to tell Freddie because she loves him. Colin is arguably devastated

Phillip: seemingly happily married his highschool sweetheart Marina who he met in a counseling group for depression recovery. He's a Pediatrician in the same clinic Eloise works at, Proud father of two, been married for 7 years. Eloise is his and his wife's therapist. And it kills her to hear Phillip and Marina both talk about how they're desperately trying to make things work between them because they don't want the children to suffer.

Michael: womanizer bartender with a rule of one night stands only. Keeps pushing his quiet frequent customer/friend Francesca Bridgerton to hook up with more men and even take his cousin out for a ride. He believes in open relationships and polyamory, has tried every form of sex there is, likes to tease Francesca about having a threesome with him and John. But oh well, he might want to sleep with Francesca, but too bad she's into monogamy and Michael was meant to share his sexy self with the world

Gareth: he's the lead guitarist of a band. And writes love songs about all his exes. Happily dating Felicity Featherington, much to Hyacinth's horror. He thinks Hyacinth is a friend of his Grandma who happens to be a fan of his band. And doesn't pay her much attention until she's offers to help him translate a bunch of papers his Italian grandma left for him in her will

Lucy: professional pianist and wife of old money heir Ricky Haselby. Lucy isn't a family person, She married Haselby for his wealth and he also agrees that modern couples don't need the burden of kids to ruin things. She's a Frequent visitor at Gregory's country club and complains that Gregory is her only real friend in London because Hermione is an idiot.. Lucy also likes to buy him outrageous presents hoping he'll agree to be her suggar baby. But Gregory always declines since he knows the thoughtful and loving person that Lucy is really like, underneath her trophy wife persona.

The reincarnated Bridgertons all have to watch as their seemingly happy significant others push them away. But they still don't give up

And that's my take on this prompt

[paramorearchived]

June 27, 2007

Transcript:

redemption. it's a long story.

re-demp-tion |riˈdemp sh ən| noun 1. the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil : God's plans for the redemption of his world.

there is something that has been on my mind for a while, now, pertaining the song, "Misery Business". i haven't really known what to say about it or how to say it... but honestly, after talking to the guys about it, we feel like what's important is that we try. (whether it sounds "cool" or not). it might get a little personal but here goes nothing.

(in a week or so, i'm going to take this next paragraph down... so read up while you can, if you like details).

"Misery Business", like we've explained before in interviews - and even in past LJ posts - is a true story. the song was written at a time in my life that i felt very bitter towards a girl, who i still haven't forgiven, for a lot of things that she did a few years ago. until this person came into mine and my friend's lives, i had no idea what power someone could have over another. i watched her use sex to manipulate one of my friends, in particular, to the point that none of us - in our little circle of friends - recognized him. he went from being someone so innocent and joyful to becoming someone who was shut off from everything. needless to say, it hurt. not only because he was a close friend but because i felt that i was in love with him. (i know, you can't be in love when you're this young.. right? whatever). either way... the pain that i felt, i decided to hold inside. i thought that if people knew how hurt, angry and bitter i'd become, they'd think i was a bad - or worse, a weak - person because of it. (now, to keep this from getting any longer or any more personal, i'll finish this part of the story by saying... he eventually decided that the relationship had nothing to do with love and after that discovered that our friendship was becoming something different. we sorta fought it for a while because we figured it wasn't smart to start dating so young, especially after what all had happened, but fighting it just made it harder and the next thing i knew, we were an item. (no one uses that term anymore, really...)

i can remember exactly where i was and what everything looked like around me when i was writing the lyrics. i forced myself to relive some of the very vivid memories that i have of the times he dated her. i don't think anyone can understand how awkwardly dark those times were at such a young age. but i do. to finally explain my side of the story and feel freed of it all... well, i was so angry and so happy at the same time. every word i wrote was like a thousand weights lifted off my shoulders. no more burden. what i didn't realize, as i wrote some of those lines, was that while i was escaping one burden, i was also giving myself another.

"but god does it feel so good... to steal it all away from you now. and if you could then you know you would. cause god it just feels so... it just feels so good."

i'm ashamed to say that, although i'm a believer in Jesus Christ and i claim him as my God, when i wrote those lyrics i wasn't addressing him. i was using his name casually. in vain, to be blunt. if you know much about the Christian religion (which i'm not too fond of addressing my faith as), you'll probably know that one of the ten commandments is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"... it goes on to say, "...for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." As a believer in Christ, that last part scares the hell out of me. i don't want to be held accountable for being the cause of so many people using his name in vain. you don't have to believe in what i believe and no one in Paramore is ever going to go around forcing our faith into people's lives... but believer or not, i might have led some of ya'll to believe that i take my saviour lightly. and i don't.

God brought me through everything that i say in "Misery Business". i believe that i am a stronger person because those things happened in my life. through that situation, i learned so much. when i sing that song now, i'm not the same person i was when i wrote it. when i sing those lines that i used to sing in vain, i mean them in a different way. i don't want to opportunity to be held responsible for causing a lot of people to use my God's name in vain. so, whether or you not you believe in Christ. whether or not you care if it means something when you say God. just know that as for me, when I am singing those lines, i'm telling God that it feels good to stand up for myself and be victorious after long months of confusion and pain. i don't hurt the same way anymore.

sorry this was so long winded. i know we don't usually speak out about our faith. mostly, because our faith is personal to us. but i really felt like i needed to say something, before it was too late. thanks for reading. the guys aren't responsible for whatever mess this post could possibly get us into, hayley

[reflection-cabinet]

Everything is Clear Even Under the Darkest Night

Our coastal city lies in perpetual twilight of a dream. The pollution paints the sunsets in colors of sickly pink, tempting citizens to commit a sin. Our water supply is poisoned with copper and fears, and even our faucets weep at night. Our air is bitter, our soul pours out, and everything we taste is seasoned with tears. On the street corner, a faceless man turns to me, pleading: "When your sweetheart is six months pregnant with your child, take a marker and write in bold letters on her belly - 'I am the murderer of your passions'".

I woke up, and behold - it was a dream.

Each morning I wake up from my bitter dreams into a reality where nothing stirs: I watch all those blurry figures walking in the public space without any fuel of desire and feel that there's some great essential matter around here that I'm missing. I remain spellbound by the dream until evening, when its magic fades as I encounter my monochromatic reality.

I don’t know what's wrong with my mechanism, but almost every relationship I had at some point turned into that evening breeze that comes from the sea and threatens to crumble wishes into rust.

Many times it's hard for you to break free from it, you don't want to hurt people and make her realize what a fatal mistake she made when she chose you somewhere under the dome of the sky, as you kissed and promised her your eternal love. Too bad girls can't tell when you've already broken up with them in your heart, long before they impose their nakedness upon you.

I still imagine that one day I will meet someone who will possess a truth that no one else can speak. That her big eyes will shout to me: "let's do vandalism together, not out of hatred, God forbid, but out of enormous love". And my own eyes will respond: "My love. You are all I have. You and I are from the same quarry of precious stones". I also deserve a small sample of it.

She will surely have thick lips and an enormous chest that will contain within it everything a man yearns for. And she will be very beautiful, although beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it's an integration of components that communicate with each other and with you.

But just as long as she has thick lips. Maybe she exists somewhere and will burst into my life in a storm, and then we'll meet at night in high places and I'll hold her hand under the meteor shower so she won't be afraid of the falling star upon her. I just need to maintain cautious optimism; anyway, it's a hundred times easier for me to find good sex than true love in this city.

In the meantime, maybe I'll meet someone, not for the sake of profit (that includes mutual exchanges of body fluids). We'll talk about the deepest truths of the heart, without falling victim to our sexual boredom. Maybe there will also be a spark and then we'll meet and order a bastard bottle of whiskey and unleash havoc upon it, for all eyes to witness.

I believe in my ability to do this; I just need to gather some ambition to battle my evolutionary urges that impose temporary desires on me, and to demonstrate more responsibility in the personal realms between male and female, even if I know that the sin hides somewhere in the allure of first intoxications.

I roll another cigarette.

The day passes by and it's getting late, but everything is clear even under the darkest night. Now everything makes sense to me. I began to fall asleep on the sofa, and from the forming dream I begin to hear her voice and mine blending together in a passion without an end.

[andrewillemse]

While different people may have different beliefs about the nature and character of God, it is important to remember that love and acceptance are important values that should be extended to all, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Therefore, I can say that it is important to treat all individuals with kindness and respect, and to recognize that everyone deserves love and compassion, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that good trees bear good fruit, while bad trees bear bad fruit. The church’s rejection of same-sex relationships has caused tremendous, needless suffering to the LGBT community. Those harmful consequences should make Christians open to reconsidering the church’s traditional teaching because the church is creating bad fruit.

Human beings are relational. From the beginning of Genesis, human beings are described as having a need for relationship, just as God himself is relational. Sexuality is a core part of what it means to be a relational person, and to condemn LGBT people’s sexuality outright damages their ability to be in relationship with all people — and with God.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Do you see what you're doing wrong as a Christian? Do you see that God does in fact love everyone regardless of their identity or orientation.

If you go to church ⛪ and you gossip, judge others and even destroy other people's lives what does that say about you? Is that the Christian way? Should we not just love each other without judgment and not gossip about them? And if you come with the old Testament you claim but God said this and that, but didn't Jesus wipe out all those laws and brought his own two commandments?

If you still want to argue about the old Testament then why are you eating pork? Cutting your hair on the sides and going against so many of the very things you believe is true? They only apply when it comes to being gay 👬👨‍❤‍💋‍👨 but it doesn't apply to you when you eat that pork, get a new haircut, get tattoos etc.

Face it when Jesus came he taught us new ways of loving each other. We were forgiven of all past Sins and he gave us two new commandments to just love ❤ to just be together and you can argue as much as you like, but this and this, sorry it's no longer valid! We are free and the choices we make by judging, gossiping and hating others it what will judge you.

Jesus also said you refused me water and you'll tell him when have i ever refused you water my Lord? He will say you brother and sister wanted water but you refused them water 💧 so you refused your Lord water... Remember that because by refusing the LGBT+ community means you are refusing God into your hearts.

I want you to remember God does love you regardless of who you are, don't let someone else tell you different because he does love you. You are his most beautiful creation. Be proud of yourself and love ❤ be free and make good choices.

[catholic-shadow]

About Me

Hey, I’m Shadow, and I’m a fictive that belongs to a system. Oh, and I consider myself Catholic.

Mind you, it’s very loose Catholicism, as I practice a lot of folk Catholicism alongside my love of God. Saints, Novenas, meditation on the Rosary, and a few things that would normally probably be “witchcraft” if I wasn’t doing it in the name of the Lord.

BYF and expectations of content from this blog below the cut.

Statements from me before you follow (BYF):

Homophobia is not chill with me and it’s entirely unbiblical. Sodom and Gomorrah was about hostility and violence, and same sex relationships are not inherently violent. Also, I’m alloromantic asexual, I’m part of the LBGT community.

Gender and sex are both spectrums, not binary absolutes. Adam, before being separated into male and female, was both at once. Trans people, binary and non-binary, are welcome here. Likewise, intersex people are welcome here.

Though I feel closest to Catholicism, I more generally believe in Christianity. If you are not Catholic, but are Christian, you are welcome here as long as you are kind.

Telling me that Catholics aren’t Christian isn’t right and I’ll ignore you. They are, they just aren’t Protestant. Anti-Catholic animosity is the result of decades of American propaganda and I reject your proposal that I don’t follow Christ, because I do.

Healthy debate is one thing, insults are another, and as someone with a short fuse I reserve my right to end a conversation if I’m not taking care of my mental health.

My host is not of my faith, and that does not bother me. What he chooses is not my business, what is my business is whether he is in danger. If you mess with him, you mess with me. Do not harass my host, regardless of his different faith, because I fight for my friends.

My recommended Bible combination is the JPS Tanakh for the Old Testament and the NRSV or the D-R edition (I personally like NRSV. I do not recommend KJV as it does not take the Dead Sea Scrolls (as well as other recently discovered scriptures) into account.

I am a punk and I believe that all punks are welcome as long as they are respectful. However, Nazis cannot be punk, fascists cannot be punk, and dominionists cannot be punk. Jesus was punk but you are not, get the fuck off my blog.

I do not take the Bible at face-value, which is why I don’t believe swearing is a sin. The only verses on it do not directly call it a sin, they say it’s “unbecoming of a Christian”. Which sounds way too close to “That’s unladylike” for me to take without a pinch of salt. Generally, I won’t swear unless it means something or I’m being casual.

I might be a Shadow fictive, but I promise I don’t bite. I’ve been with my system for nearly four years, and in that time I’ve learned not to bristle so much when someone wants to have a heart around me. You can ask me how my day’s been, I’m not some concept of a character anymore— I’m here, I’ve grown, I’ve lived, and I’ve learned ;)

This isn’t a roleplay blog. I made this blog as I don’t see a lot of systems with Christian headmates who feel comfortable enough to be open with that part of their lives. I want to be someone they can talk to if they feel alone, or if they have questions regarding faith that are concerning them.

I don’t support harmful paraphilias. If you support MAPs or zoos, leave. And if you are one, leave expeditiously.

Please do not bring up my exotrauma regarding the raid. This includes bringing up M*ria unprompted. Despite being here for a few years now, my past is a sore spot I’m still working through.

I believe that endogenic systems are a thing, and that it’s nobody’s business to figure out why they identify as such. Regardless of if you believe they are in denial or not, it’s nobody’s job but the system themselves to choose to reflect on their identity. Forcing it can traumatize them.

We are traumagenic, and you don’t need to know how it happened. Period. It’s our host’s story to tell, not mine.

I am not sponsored by the Catholic Church nor am I someone who takes every word of the papacy without question as one can never be sure which words are God-spoken and which are a product of their time as we have seen demonstrated with overturned policies in the past.

I am not tradcath, if the leftist stances I took above weren’t obvious.

Do not involve me in syscourse if you don’t want me to lose my patience. I’ve seen enough bad takes there to understand that it’ll ruin my mental health, and I have enough self respect not to engage, so don’t drag me into it. If you drag me into it, you’ll regret it, so don’t.

Content you should expect from my blog:

Answering asks related to the subject of faith

Asks for verse requests or advice

Daily Bible Verse

Saints Day announcements

Bible Flash Card Cartomancy

Cool memes that I like

Christian Sonic memes whenever I feel in the mood to be goofy

Personal blog reflections on my faith

Prayers

Hot takes on theological concepts (free will vs determinism, infernalism vs annihilation)

Fanart of me (well not the specific me but you know the drill)

Catholic and Christian art that I like

I’ll add to this as I fine-tune the blog. Just understand that I’m just starting out here. I’ve never had a blog of my own separate from the main, so I’m more than a bit excited, even if I don’t show it.

Thank you for listening, may God bless you.

[aquaburst3]

I discovered this cool indie horror game called Dark Deception not too long ago, and I just realised I added some similar concepts into my own fic.

(Disclaimer: This will contain spoilers for my grand plan for my fic. If you don't want to see them, turn away now.)

Dark Deception is a indie horror game. In it, our protagonist, Doug, wakes up in a strange ballroom. There he is greeted by a lady named Bierice, who says that if he wants to go back to the world of the living, he has to collect Soul Shards inside 10 mini dimensions, so she could complete a device. This is no easy task since all of the shards are guarded by monsters, who serve their master, the demon Malak.

What does this have to do with my fic? Well, Addie (Yuu/The Player) is like Doug.

...Okay, she wasn't an abusive, cheating scumbag. But she wasn't the best person either.

To not dive too much into spoiler territory, back in secondary school (high school), she was a Regina George style mean girl, doing everything that trope implies...minus the racism and homophobia/transphobia and the fact she's a brown latina instead of a white blonde girl. Thanks to prepressure and the desire to fit in to her group of "friends", she did something so awful that I think even half of the TWST characters would go, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" After this event had an unintended side effect, her "friends" threw her under the bus and blamed everything on her. Her ex revealed that he was cheating on her the whole time and only dated her out of pity and for her looks. After these things happened, she vowed to become a better person and even took on the nickname "Addie" to distance herself from her past.

A theory about Dark Deception, which I'm inclined to believe, is that at least some of the realms represent Doug's sins coming back to haunt him. For example, the Reaper Nurses level is meant to represent how Doug saw women as beautiful sex objects for his own pleasure while the Joy Joy Gang stand for how he zapped the happiness from everyone else around him and Mama Bear parallels his abusive mother. I'm doing something similar to that in my fic.

One thing I always planned for since the very start was that each of the OB represent a piece of Addie's psyche/past:

Riddle represents disablist rhetoric lobbed at her, especially by her ex at the end of their relationship.

Leona represents her cunning and manipulative side along with the way she tossed others under the bus to get what she wanted and others did the same to her in the end.

Vil represents her queen bee popular bitch traits.

Azul represents the dark girl boss traits that she admires in her mother and that she wants to emulate herself. He also represents her fear of one of her bullying victims getting their revenge.

Jamil is her animus (dark romantic foil in a heroine's journey), so he represents her desire for love, both in romance and sex.

Idia represents her nerdy side along with her devotion to her family and loved ones.

Malleus represents her isolation and loneliness over the last few years before coming to Twisted Wonderland. Same goes for everyone back then treating her as some sort of heartless monster and coming to view herself in the same light when in reality she really isn't.

(This is merely listing off the canon OB that I based this on. Let's just say that there will be some surprises and twists with this list.)

Not only that, but Destan (an OC introduced in one of the more recent chapters at the time of typing this) represents her ex boyfriend who cheated on her, Rollo (calling him that for simplicity's sake) represents her ire towards Christianity for how it treats others and the final boss represents an evil version of her without any of her good traits.

Addie defeating all of these foes, overblotting or otherwise, is meant to represent her reconsoling that piece of herself. She must do this to come to terms with what happened and move on, becoming a strong person and an adult. She also needs to learn to embrace both her good and bad traits.

Granted, I promise the it won't turn out the story was all a dream like some stupider version of the Ash Coma Theory. All of the events are actually happening for real in universe. This is just the intended out of universe symbolism of all this that I planted as the author.

It's still interesting that I did something similar to this indie horror game without thinking about it. Great minds think alike, I guess. xD

[heymacareyna]

a few words on Pride

I adore pride month. 

i love seeing the flags. i love saying “happy pride!” I love pride merch, even though I’m aware most corporations only support it as a way to make some cash.

it took me a long time to get here, and i think that’s why i love it so much.

i spent a long time feeling guilty about who i am and who i love. growing up baptist, i was so repressed it wasn’t funny. there was a huge stigma around the lgbtq+ community. queer relationships of any type were considered a sin. 

in my christian college, i went to THERAPY about it. the counselor accused me of watching lesbian porn (another sin btw) because that was the ~only possible explanation~ for my attraction to women. She also told me to call it “experiencing same-sex attraction” rather than “being gay/queer” because that would help me see it as a sin and not an identity.

over the next few years, i studied the bible and the world around me, trying to figure out what i believed. healthy queer relationships?? mind-boggling. queer spiritual people?? even wilder. but i found a community, lots of other people who are like me.

i came out to my friends, which went well. i came out to my family, which went badly. i was never outright expelled from the family (which obvs many people ARE), but lord has it been a heartbreak. i no longer feel safe in my family home.

ANYWAY.

after all the guilt and shame, it’s been really freeing to embrace this part of myself. 

i’ve made so many queer friends who love and support me. i married the most wonderful woman in the world! i’m truly so much happier and more at peace than i was when i was young and entrenched in the religious repression.

now, a tiny flash of rainbow means i can be myself. i can feel safe. and i want other people to feel that same safety with me.

pride month, for me, isn’t just fun for the sake of fun. it represents a lot of sorrow and pain that i’ve overcome in order to be the person i really am.

so if i want to put queer-flag stickers on my water bottle, by god, i’m gonna do it.