#askdisgrace

[loominggaia]

How exactly does someone join the cult of the Crescent?

Good question! I think if you're the type of cruel, ruthless person the cult is looking for, you'll just kinda end up there without trying. The Cult of the Crescent has agents everywhere, hiding in plain sight, but they tend to congregate wherever nasty business is happening.

Wherever there is misery and suffering, the Crescent is never far away. Crime dens, riots, disaster zones, slaving and trafficking operations, battlefields, prisons...places like this attract bloodthirsty individuals and Crescent cultists. When the two meet, recruitments happen.

The cult likes to prey on angry, desperate people who have nothing left to lose. People who have no qualms about hurting others and making the world a worse place, people who have lost all hope in life itself. The cult empowers these people to take their anger out on the world and make everyone around them suffer.

Everyone is welcome to join the cult, no matter their species, age, sex, or any other circumstance. There is no discrimination here! But not all who join will thrive; many are filtered out by their own conscience as the cult pushes them to commit worse and worse atrocities.

However, one who takes that first step in may not simply back out, because initiation requires committing an act of terrorism in the Divine of Hate's name. Now you are an enemy of regular society. No kingdom will accept you, but the cult will...so long as you keep terrorizing society. If you refuse, the cult will terrorize you.

The bottom line is, it's best not to engage with these guys at all. If someone reveals themselves as a Crescent cultist, don't even fight, just get the hell away from them. Even the most elite of these guys are just slaves, forced to serve the Divine of Hate.

Everyone who has ever joined this cult regrets it, but they have no power to leave. They gave that up the moment they betrayed society.

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[loominggaia]

Been working on updated artwork for Disgrace. Ever wonder what he looks like without his cowl? Well here ya go. He has a few different outfits throughout the series so I want to depict more than one here.

I'm also tweaking his mask to make it more ambiguous. It's usually described as "a jackal mask" but it's not necessarily meant to be a jackal, or any known animal really.

Nobody really knows what it's supposed to resemble. Sometimes the protrusions on top are described as "ears", other times they are "horns". Sometimes the front protrusion is called a "snout" or sometimes a "beak". If it does resemble a creature, that creature is not of this world. ;)

[loominggaia]

I'm surprised Yerim-Mor kingdom is homophobic. Don't they have worse problems to worry about?

Most Morites actually aren't homophobic, this issue in this case lies specifically with the Cult of the Crescent. The cult uses Yerim-Mor Kingdom to farm victims they can kidnap/torture/recruit/whatever.

They intentionally sabotaged this kingdom's educational system, economy, and safety to keep its people poor and desperate, which leads to a lot of excess births. More births = more victims.

I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this...The Cult of the Crescent views Morites as livestock and wants them to breed as much as possible. Same-sex couples usually don't result in children, and the cult doesn't like that, so they discourage homosexuality by targeting these people and "making an example" of them.

Of course this will vary depending on region; the cult has a stronger hold on some territories than others. They get away with wilder, crueler behavior in more rural Morite territories, while the urban ones tend to be better protected by the kingdom guard.

Same-sex marriage is perfectly legal in Yerim-Mor Kingdom and most of the citizens take no issue with it (like you said, they have much more important things to concern themselves with) so LGBT people don't have to fear the law or society here. It's that damn cult they have to watch out for.

Then again, that's what everyone else has to watch out for too, so...bottom line: this place totally sucks whether you're LGBT or not.

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[loominggaia]

I’m surprised Yerim Mor is the lowest, below even Evangeline! I’m guessing it’s mostly due to the Skorpius being legally allowed to exist and do whatever they want to the woman?

Yerim-Mor has a long and storied history, its culture flip-flopping through many different phases with time. It has had times of misogyny and times of egalitarianism. Currently this kingdom is suffering from many serious problems, and a side effect of those problems is a swing back into misogynistic ways.

Women are givers of life, so to control women is to control the population at large. The Cult of the Crescent has been using Yerim-Mor Kingdom as a farm to generate sacrifices and terror to feed their leader, Mankind's Disgrace. They have created an environment that strips women of their freedom, and without the freedom of choice, Morite women end up with too many kids and not enough education. Both of these things burden women, and with these burdens they are less equipped to fight back against the cult. They are treated like livestock in a factory farm.

The skorpius have had a hand in these policies as well. It benefits them if women are afraid, uneducated, desperate, and considered disposable by their culture. They are easier to steal this way.

All of this has spiraled into other practices, such as child marriage. Feredil's younger sisters, for example, were sold to much older men when they were children, and this is not uncommon for this region. In their culture, girls are considered more like products than people. These kinds of policies arose from the sheer desperation of the people, and that desperation comes from the rampant poverty inflicted by decades of war and terrorism. Morites have been conditioned to have little regard for life, as it is taken from them so brutally and so frequently.

Long story short, Yerim-Mor Kingdom is a goddamn mess and its once egalitarian culture has been desecrated by evil entities. Life is rough for everyone here, but for women it is especially terrible. I mean, you know it's bad when the king transforms his last remaining daughter into a son...

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[loominggaia]

You know how a pyriad tries to seduce Disgrace in one story. Sooo has he ever actually fucked a pyriad?

You know, that's actually a damn good question…which leads to another question: does Disgrace fuck anyone? Does he even have a desire to?

We know he doesn't eat food because he's parasitized by a mask, which feeds on agony. If he doesn't eat, presumably he doesn't shit either, so that's 2 physical urges he lacks. So what about love and lust?

Love hurts him due to the nature of his mask. Even if he desires love, he suppresses that desire because the mask punishes him for having affectionate feelings towards others. The mask desires agony and nothing more. Pain makes it strong, joy makes it weak.

But love and lust are two different things. The mask punishes Disgrace if he does anything to create joy or pleasure around him. Pleasing someone (or himself) sexually would anger the mask.

Based on this logic, I'm going to say Disgrace probably does experience lust, but the only way the mask will let him satisfy this urge is through rape, or any other means which creates fear and pain rather than pleasure. The mask might even compel him to use rape as a means to harvest agony for itself.

I think it's pretty common for his minions to try seducing him, like that pyriad for example. They seem to think they're special, that Disgrace will fall for them and make them his queen…but that isn't what happens. He has never had a queen or king or anyone he treats with respect. His mask doesn't desire companionship, only suffering.

At best, he slaps these seducers down and lets them skitter away with their life. He's likely to do this if he's busy and doesn't have time for their nonsense. The pyriad in the story learned her lesson this way.

At worst, I imagine he reciprocates their lust by turning it into an act of brutal violence. This act will end in maiming or death. Either way, it cannot end in pleasure because his mask will not allow it.

TL;DR: Disgrace has likely fucked some pyriads in his day…but most did not survive the encounter, and those that did, wish they didn't.

One does not simply seduce the Divine of Hate!

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[loominggaia]

Why does Disgrace have black feet?? I kinda miss his sandals but I guess the boots make more sense so him having black feet is surprising ig

Don't worry, Disgrace is a fashionable guy with lots of different outfits, so we will see his sandals again! ;)

His look does change quite a bit depending on where he's traveling. You might see him wearing a big badass fur cloak in the mountains, or a skirt of human skin in the desert. You might also catch him wearing a neon mankini when he's chilling at a beach resort (but beware: if you laugh at him, you die!)

He does have a weird black tint to his hands and feet, as well as a gray color to his skin that gives him an almost "undead" look. His cultists get a similar tint to their skin when they put on their cursed masks, which suggests that this coloration is likely a symptom of his mask's corruption.

That mask gives him great power, but it also has nasty effects on his body. His blood has become black and sludgy sort of like a vampire's. This is visible in body parts with thinner skin and more bloodflow, like his hands and feet and prominent veins. If his face was visible, he'd probably have black lips and eyelids too. (Assuming he even has a face under that mask...)

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[loominggaia]

niittinaatti Maybe I should stop simping for Disgrace at this point, maybe, just a thought

Like, sure, he commits vile atrocities and forges monstrous horrors beyond all comprehension to terrorize humanity...but just look at those abs!!! 😍😍😍

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[loominggaia]

wait, im a bit confused. are "wretches" just normal infants of peoples that were used as agony lures, or are they a special type of monster created specifically to be used as them?

Wretches are just normal people, sorry if I didn't convey that clearly! They're often mistaken for undead, but they are very much alive. They fall into the "afflicted" class, as enough time in the cradle will transform them and give them abilities they didn't naturally have before (like feeding through their skin). They still have souls.

Mostly they are victims who were kidnapped by Crescent Cultists during raids. These cultists frequently terrorize villages and cities (usually Morite ones, because Yerim-Mor Kingdom doesn't have the resources to stop them) and one of the ways they terrorize the citizens is by kidnapping family members.

These kidnapped people can be any species, any sex, any age, including infants. They can meet many different fates at the hand of the cult: slavery, blood sacrifice, test subjects for dark spells, food for skorpius, or worst of all: they can be thrown into an agony cradle and transformed into wretches.

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[loominggaia]

Are there divines who regularly kill themselves and donate all their organs to hospitals and such? Also, is divines resurrecting and appearing out of nowhere in the most unlikely places a regular thing on Gaia?

I'm sure there are divines who would be willing to do this, but their physiology won't let them. Every time a divine dies, their bodies quickly disintegrate, meaning their organs can't be harvested. I talked more about this in this other post.

Divines tend to resurrect in the place of their birth. But this can get a little tricky sometimes, and it may not always work as expected. Let me explain...

For example, Karenza was born in an ancient city called Alqamah. Her mother gave birth to her on a plot of dirt in their slum shack, and this was where she resurrected the first time she died.

However, the entire city of Alqamah has since been lifted off the ground with magic, and it now hovers in the air. The chunk of land where Karenza was born is now floating high in the sky, so she now resurrects on this floating island wherever it happens to be.

Meanwhile, Disgrace keeps resurrecting in the middle of the Serkel Desert, far away from any civilization. It's theorized that the city he was born was destroyed long ago, or perhaps the sands have shifted so much over the millennia that it has also shifted his place of resurrection.

Regardless, the Crescent Cult has marked this spot with a shrine. If he dies, they make a dangerous pilgrimage here on the day of his resurrection to greet him, offering gifts and sacrifices to strengthen him. The next story in the series actually explores this situation, so we'll learn more soon!

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[loominggaia]

If LG was more popular Mankind's Disgrace would absolutely be a Tumblr Sexyman. He's mysterious, tortures people to feed on their misery, and doesn't wear a shirt, sounds sexymanifialbe to me

Anon, you are absolutely 100% correct and I HATE IT

Honestly I'm really glad the LG fandom is so small and cozy. I never have to deal with a bunch of dumb discourse. It's just shitposting about centaur dicks and mommy-dommy minotaurs around here, and I wouldn't have it any other way. B)

If Disgrace became a Tumblr Sexyman(tm) I think I would canonically have to kill him and then never acknowledge his existence again lmao

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[loominggaia]

Is there a reason Disgrace seems so determined to hunt down Karenza, even before she earned her title as the Divine of Love?

"Lost Scriptures of Love and Light" has a little insight on this, but I'll go into more detail below.

(Possible spoilers ahead?)

There is evidence to suggest that Mankind's Disgrace might actually be Darshaan, the man Karenza fell in love with during her mortal years.

Darshaan loved Karenza dearly. He was a mercenary who constantly threw himself into danger to provide a happy life for her. When she became pregnant with his child, he grew desperate for more gold so that their child would not have to grow up destitute and miserable like he did.

One day, Darshaan heard of a great treasure lying inside a cursed cave, guarded by foul monsters. Karenza begged him no to go, but he was determined to claim this treasure and escape poverty once and for all. He went into that cave and never returned.

Or did he?

Not long after Darshaan disappeared, a crazed man in a golden mask broke into her home, murdering her and her unborn child. He then went on to slaughter most of their village before disappearing into the wilderness. His identity and motives were unknown.

Long story short, Karenza resurrected and returned to the place of her death to find clues. She found only the remains of her unborn child. These bones were one of the ingredients she used to forge Isaac, along with her own hair and blood, as well as a drop of Darshaan's blood, which he gave to her in a locket before he disappeared.

So, what about the masked man? He kept popping up in various places throughout the Serkel Desert region, causing terror and amassing a monstrous army. When he learned Karenza was still alive, he once again tried to kill her. But she had grown stronger by then and managed to defend herself. He has been relentlessly chasing her ever since.

But why? What does he want from her? In truth, no one really knows. There are only theories:

A ) There are many eye-witness accounts of Disgrace seemingly "fighting" with his mask, attacking it and trying to pull it off. Some believe the mask itself is a parasitic creature that has taken control of its host, but on occasion this host finds strength to fight back. If the host really is Darshaan, and the mask really is the source of his wicked behavior, then his relentless pursuit of Karenza might be Darshaan trying to reunite with her, while his violence against her is the result of his cursed mask.

B ) Karenza's Order of Love and Light is a faction that spreads love, beauty, and good deeds across the world. They follow Karenza's scriptures by easing the world's misery and trying to make it a better place. Misery is Disgrace's bread and butter; it's literally how he feeds. So, by destroying Karenza, he can dismantle the Order of Love and Light, make the world merciless, and become more powerful than ever. Karenza has always been the biggest obstacle between him and world domination. Many believe he is trying to destroy Karenza with the Divine Executioner so he can rule the world and basically turn it into Hell.

C ) Perhaps Disgrace's mask is feeding on Darshaan's misery by forcing him to terrorize the person he loves most for all eternity.

D ) It's possible that Disgrace is not Darshaan, but some other entity who has beef with Karenza. Some think he is actually the ancient king of Alqamah, who imprisoned Karenza in her mortal life. She later returned to him as a divine and killed him. This king could have been a divine himself, resurrected and corrupted by a thirst for vengeance against her.

Destiny was one of the few World Athenaeum researchers brave enough to study Disgrace and his motives, and, well...we all know what happened to her.

It looks like the world will just have to wait a while longer before the truth is revealed!

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[loominggaia]

Has the Cult of the Crescent ever kidnapped a divine and put them in an agony cradle forever

Thankfully this hasn't happened...yet. It's terrifying to think about though!

I think most divines would be too powerful to be contained in an agony cradle, or get captured by cultists in the first place.

Crescent Cultists are actually pretty chickenshit. They pick on the weak first, and only take on stronger opponents when they have to. Trying to capture a divine would be a lot more trouble than it's worth. Disgrace has been trying to get his hands on Karenza for thousands of years, and despite all the gold and lives and time this quest has cost him, he's still empty-handed.

There is a reason this cult victimizes women and children above all else...because they are rotten, lazy, cowards.

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[loominggaia]

razzek A good and compassionate ruler in LG?! I am shocked! But also this whole family is pretty rad! 

I know, right? Hell has officially frozen over lmao

Roz isn't perfect, but he is by far the most righteous-hearted of all the Great Leaders. Yeah, maybe he's got his head in the clouds and he's stuck in the past. Yeah, maybe he's spinning his wheels and getting nowhere...

But dammit, at least he actually gives a shit about his kingdom. At least he's trying to save it, even if the odds are stacked against him. He could just give up and slob Disgrace's knob like Goryx did, but no. He's taking the long, hard road towards failure just to be a thorn in Disgrace's side on his way out, and I personally think that's pretty badass. B)

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[loominggaia]

Is Disgrace's grey skin a result of the mask, or did he always have it? Maybe I'm way off, but is Mankind's Disgrace an orc?

Definitely an effect of the mask. Researchers have noted that his discolored skin and blood, unusually high strength and muscle density, loss of speech, and remarkably high pain tolerance are likely all effects of the mask's curse.

Destiny believes he's human based on his body structure, but even she can't say that with 100% certainty. Until that mask comes off, no one will know who or what the hell he is.

One of Destiny's concerns is that the mask is actually a parasitic creature, and there's a possibility that it has already consumed/destroyed Disgrace's head. If that's the case, then it's already too late to solve the mystery of his identity.

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[loominggaia]

The wholesome things post makes me wonder if Disgrace is aware of the horrible atrocities he commits. Because if he is, that's horrifying...

I'm pretty sure I touched upon this in a previous ask. Try skimming the Ask-Disgrace tag if you're interested in learning more.

But the short answer is: no one really knows how aware he is or what's really going on in his head under the mask.

Destiny's theory suggest that he's just a normal man who became possessed by a cursed mask, giving him divine powers (she calls him a "false divine" because of this). This mask feeds on pain and suffering, and the more anguish it eats, the more powerful Disgrace becomes.

However, if the mask is starved, its power wanes. It seems to be during these periods of weakness when the man under the mask fights back. Researchers have collected many eyewitness accounts of Disgrace trying to rip off/destroy his own mask, and it always seems to happen after he's exerted a ton of energy--via magic spell or otherwise.

Don't worry, this will all be explored extensively in an upcoming story!

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[loominggaia]

Wow, that is very interesting, as well as horrific. Are there any other mysterious artifacts around looming Gaia that are as alien as that mask and the scythe associated with it?

There are actually, but most of them are sealed away in the World Athenaeum so people like Disgrace can’t get to them. Disgrace just happened to snag a couple of really nasty ones before the Athenaeum even existed, and once he gets his hands on something, good luck getting it away from him. (Karenza and Azizala managed to take the scythe from him once, but he got it back pretty quickly. Like a millenia later, Isaac managed to take it from him too. It’s still currently in Isaac’s possession after several years, which is the longest anyone has ever managed to keep the Divine Executioner away from Disgrace.)

Looming Gaia is a big place, and there are still plenty of powerful, mysterious artifacts hiding away, just waiting to be discovered. No one really knows where they came from. Some were probably forged by powerful sorcerers and forgotten (or intentionally hidden), others may be ancient technologies left over from the Ancient Ones (people who lived upon Gaia before she tore her face apart and destroyed them). Also the pleiadae claim that aliens are, in fact, a thing, so some of these artifacts might also be left over from their visits to Gaia or fallen space debris. World Athenaeum researchers go hog wild over this stuff, they love it. But they also have to protect it and keep it from falling into the wrong hands.