#why do we believe punishing sinners makes them good people

[knowlesian]

“why do i believe this” and “who benefits from me believing it” are the first steps to decolonization and we should all be doing this more

[6esiree]

Hazbin Hotel x GN! Reader Who Makes a Group Chat

Summary: The title is pretty self-explanatory, but basically the reader, who is Gen Z, makes a group chat for everybody in the hotel. I used that episode where they’re doing trust exercises (but I changed it to bonding to be more fitting). I also accidentally made it a little bit of Husk x Reader…but I guess it’s mostly implied?

Warnings: Uhh, swearing.

—————

Bonding—one of the most difficult obstacles Charlie had yet to overcome. While she got along with everybody just fine, trusting them from the moment they set foot in the Hazbin Hotel, nobody else could seem to do the same, especially as their personalities constantly clashed with each other.

When it came to you, well, you were actually a pleasant person to be around with. If anybody had anything bad to say about you, it would probably be the way you acted, which was rather…different than what they were accustomed to. I mean, you were one of the newest and youngest residents in the hotel, having just died a few months ago at the whopping age of 21. Could they really blame you?

Exhibit A:

“Gay son or thot daughter?” You asked Husk after finishing your second cocktail, innocently swinging your legs back and forth as you anticipated his response.

“Alright, I think you’ve had enough, dollface,” Husk said, withdrawing the paw that held the cocktail he had just whipped up for you, leaving you pouting.

Exhibit B:

“Iron deficiency gang stand up,” You said as you quickly got up from the couch, your knees instantly buckling underneath you. “Oh SHIT!”

“Fucking hell!” Angel Dust screeched, catching you before your face could meet the ground.

Exhibit C:

“Sometimes I fill the room with negative energy because I don’t want to be there,” You said as you stood next to Alastor, trying to get along with the smiling man.

“Alright, I’m off to Cannibal Town! I believe Rosie needed something,” Alastor quickly announced before walking out.

Yeah, you were definitely something else, but that’s exactly why Charlie liked you. Even though she and the rest struggled to understand your humor or some of the things you said in general, it was nice to have you around.

So, when it came to overcoming the lack of bonding among the Hazbin Hotel’s residents, the Princess of Hell turned to you, especially after Angel Dust decided to bring all of you to try out bondage…of all the fucking things.

“Hey, Y/N—Oh, oh my goodness,” Charlie winced as a sinner approached her, trying to entice her by dangling some fuzzy handcuffs in front of her face. “No thank you! Sorry. Anyway, uh, I was wondering if you had any ideas to bring everyone together? Something less…like this?”

You stood in front of Husk, who had sought refuge behind you after Niffty appeared next to him with a whip in her hand, excited to punish some “bad boys.” Not like you could do much to conceal him, especially considering that you were about Vaggie’s height, but the little demon did avoid you after you took pity on a roach and threw it out the hotel, sparing it from her wrath.

“Really? Oh, shit! Okay, um, let me think for a moment,” You said, happy that she had asked you to suggest something, “Errr, you know what always helped me get closer to people? A group chat. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but like, I think it would be a nice way for us to slowly get to know each other!”

“Oh, yes! Okay, sure, we can try that out!” Charlie gasped, clasping her hands together, but then she frowned, “Wait, what about Alastor? He won’t be able to participate since he doesn’t use a phone.”

“Doesn’t seem like a problem to me,” Husk spoke up, obviously content with the idea of the Radio Demon being absent from one thing in his life.

“I mean, he’s not even here right now,” You shrugged, agreeing with Husk, who shot you a thankful smile, “I’m pretty sure he’d say no anyway.”

Charlie sighed, but you were right. Alastor avoided technology like the plague, especially Voxtech. He wouldn’t be able to join a group chat even if he had a flip phone—which he definitely didn’t.

“I guess you have a point,” Charlie said, already starting towards the exit of this place, “Alright, let’s get out of here. Come on!”

“Booooo! You guys are boring,” Angel Dust said, dragging Niffty with him, who was the only one sad about leaving. “Except for Niffty, of course. She gets it.”

Back at the hotel, all of you sat in the parlor, exchanging phone numbers with each other. Creating a group chat was supposed to be a simple task, but for some damn reason, y’all were struggling. Sir Pentious forgot his phone number, so you had to help him out with that, and Niffty kept getting side-tracked every time a roach appeared before she could take out her phone.

Everyone else did just fine, thankfully, Husk even handing you his phone to avoid the hassle—which was on light mode (gross). Anyway, big mistake on his part because you decided to take 0.5 photos of yourself when he wasn’t looking, setting one as his lock screen. You tried not to laugh as you handed the cat-demon his phone back, leaving it unlocked so he wouldn’t notice right away.

“Okay, soooo, there! Done,” You said, successfully adding everybody to a group chat on SMS.

“Who said hello? I cannot tell,” Sir Pentious asked as soon as you sent a message.

“Damnit, Pentious. Hand me your phone again,” You said, getting up and taking a seat next to the serpent so you could show him how to name each of his contacts.

“Look, if you tap here then go to info, you’ll be able to name your contacts,” You demonstrated, Pentious staring at you blankly, “But I guess I’ll do it myself, just to be quicker.”

After that, everything was good. The only one who doubted a group chat would work was Vaggie, but as the days passed by, she realized it was much easier to communicate that way. Charlie was having a blast, reacting to every message that was sent with a heart, Pentious used emojis like the precious little man he was, Angel usually sent links from Sinstagram and Envee that he found funny, Husk responded sometimes, but with the most dry texts known to mankind, and Niffty, well, she forgot there was a group chat. Whenever she was reminded of its existence, however, she just sent pictures of the bugs she killed. You always reacted with a sad face.

“Can you stop saying “Congratulations” and “Happy Birthday”,” Vaggie announced as she descended the stairs alongside Charlie, looking at you specifically.

“Why are you glaring at me? I’m not the one spamming it!” You said, turning around to see Angel snickering on the couch, confetti and balloons popping up every time any one of you opened the group chat.

“Yeah, but you taught him how to do it!” Vaggie grumbled.

“Come on, Vaggie, it’s not their fault,” Charlie said, looking at you apologetically before disappearing to the kitchen to get breakfast.

“See? Charlie said I’m not at fault,” You said, but she didn’t back down.

“Uh-huh.”

“For real, though, I didn’t think he’d abuse it. Would you have, Husk?” You turned to the cat-demon in hopes that he would defend you too.

“I ain’t helping you until you show me how to change my lock screen,” Husk grunted, his phone lighting up every time Angel sent a new message, the 0.5 photo of your face popping up.

“Okay, then! That’s fine,” You shrugged, Husk rolling his eyes in response. “I can take care of myself.”

“If you really wanted to change it, you would have searched it up,” Angel said from the parlor, setting down his phone much to Vaggie’s delight. “Just admit you like looking at their face, kitty.”

Husk growled, the bottle of cheap booze in his hand slightly cracking in his grip. Vaggie couldn’t be bothered to intervene, disappearing to the kitchen as well.

“Call me kitty one more time and I’ll jam this bottle down your throat,” Husk threatened, but Angel only laughed in response.

“Sure, whatever,” Angel said, shooting you two a wink as he got up from the couch and stretched, looking down at his phone as it vibrated, “I’d argue with ya more on that, but Val’s calling. Maybe we can continue this conversation after work.”

“Hey! Well, apparently you like looking at me too, because your lock screen has been my face all along,” You said with a mischievous smile.

“Yeah, I would have noticed—” Angel said as he looked down at his phone, turning it off and on, “Wait, what the fuck? How—WHEN DID YOU DO THIS?”

“I have my ways,” You shrugged, Husk chuckling as Angel stormed out of the hotel mumbling in disbelief, fixing to change his lock screen.

There was a moment of silence shared between the two of you when the front doors of the Hazbin Hotel closed behind the spider, the only sound bouncing off the walls being the clanging of plates and utensils in the kitchen. You had already eaten earlier, so you stayed at the bar, enjoying the cat-demon’s presence.

“You’re something else, y’know,” Husk suddenly said, looking at you as he languidly sipped at his drink.

“I know,” You laughed, reaching for his phone, “Here, let me change your lock screen for you.”

A paw landed on your hand, catching you off guard. You looked up at Husk, wondering why he had stopped you.

“If I wanted to change it, I would have,” Husk said, his claws lightly dragging along your skin as he withdrew his phone from your grasp. “I ain’t stupid.”

Oh, man. Your face was suddenly hot.

“I, uh, I didn’t think—” You started, Husk quirking a brow at you. “You know what? Shut up!”

“You alright, dollface?” Husk asked.

His tail swished back and forth behind him, causing small drafts of wind to caress your ankles. Husk was obviously amused by how easily he had flustered you—the slick fuck. No longer wanting to satisfy him, you decided to be your usual self.

“Yes, I’m alright! But are you?” You shot back, Husk blinking in confusion.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Clearly you’re not because your phone is on light mode,” You continued, “That’s absolutely disgusting.”

[lotusmi]

77% 08:08 🍵 thoughts about inner self

felt like writting.

When outside world gets overwhelming I know that what I need is to take care of my self. My reality is just showing me what are my states, the material world only show me who I am. It is more than normal to see people blame their circumstances, they fight their thought and their senses till the point they have no energy anymore. Who are they fighting? Self. Who am I fighting? Self. When I blame world I blame self.

This happens when I let the outside world let me down. When I indentify myself as my body of meat and bones, I indentify myself with the false me. I am not who I look at the mirror, I am the one within myself, the voice I hear in silence, that is me. The outside me can be weak and powerless, but the inner me is great and almighty.

All the punishment I can feel inside my mind is my own punishment, there is no other man to hurt me when I am within myself.

All the unpleasant feelings we feel inside comes from the same thing, sin. What is the sin? The sin is to not fulfill my desire within. When I refuse to fulfill my desire within I am a sinner. My sin is to refuse to accept my desire, which already is mine, which is already done. When I want something I have to give myself this thing within, as I feel my wish fulfilled, I feel safe and relieved. But when i refuse my desire, I feel worried, guilty, sad, depressed, lost all of that.

Most of men are afraid of letting their inner man feels the wish fulfilled within. They don't believe in the world of imagination, they don't believe that what they assume is reflected. They believe life happens to them, not from them. But what do they fear? Theirselves? But who can hurt them when they are within theirselves? None can hurt them.

I had not been indentifying myself as my inner me lately and that is why I had not been feeling that good. The good part is that no one is locked in a state, we can move states as we decide to, as we accept new concepts of life, of us.

Even neville had forgotten about the law and worried about the "how" instead of being at the wish fulfilled feeling once, that's alright.

At the end of the day we do not change assumptions and states to change material world, we change because we want to feel, and so we let ourselves feel. The secret is the feeling. What feeling? The feeling we have what we want and we don't need to suffer. Make your inner world your heaven.

✏📃🍵

[starlightmaker17]

Hazbin Hotel: Lilith and Eve and Roo time!

So there’s been lots of ongoing theories about whether Eve and Lilith are same person (debunked thanks to Lucifer’s confirmation taunting Adam) and if Roo has anything to do with them. Roo wasn’t even technically mentioned in the show specifically but was confirmed by Viv before it aired. So there’s some key point I want to emphasize.

- Certain frames show Lilith face and some don’t. What they all have in common is she does t speak for any reason or response. She has no face during “More Than Anything” and on her card but she has her face shown on many pics and on finale briefly. Some have her not having horns but others do. I do believe like Lucifer and Charlie, she can shapeshift. How far this goes is hard to say considering she’s technically a sinner. If Alastor can have a full demon form, why can’t she? Maybe hers is shapeshifting herself to conceal her emotions.

-Eve is mentioned only a couple times but there is evidence she has more to story, especially considering she was first one to officially sin. She was never even shown to have a distinct face in beginning, so maybe as punishment she actually has no face and has power to steal other people’s faces/identities. Would make sense she would try to steal Lilith’s face for revenge against her and Lucifer.

-Roo is a bigger mystery but not completely off the ballpark. I actually think since she is believed to be the root of all evil, she actually is the official villain in the series. When Eve bit the apple, that’s when evil came to Earth, so why wouldn’t the apple develop a seed that would sprout into roots of evil within her? It explains why evil roots look like they expel from her lips. Thus, Eve must have transitioned into Roo at that point. She lost her identity by becoming Roo and it makes sense why she was never seen again while Adam was. He didn’t even really speak of her- Lucifer did.

-this leads to another theory. Since Lucifer implied he had relations with Eve, it’s possible she had his child and that child is actually Charlie. As such, that is why she would pose as Eve/Lilith to raise Charlie. There is more similarities to Roo than of Lilith in art depictions, but honestly we don’t know too much of Lilith personality to get good understanding. Plus, why would Roo/Eve want to raise Charlie with someone who made her life literally Hell? What would she gain from this? What would Lilith from being separated from Lucifer? Why is she in Heaven while Roo/Eve do her supposed dirty work? Does heaven know about this? Does Lute?

-people think Alastor made a deal with Lilith, but I think it could be her or Roo/Eve. He has made deal with Charlie specifically in his favor, so he had to be in pretty high standards if he thinks she’ll help him out of his trouble. It doesn’t sound it has anything to do with heaven or Lucifer, so the only other option is Lilith or Roo/Eve. My best wager would be with Roo.

Those are my thoughts.

[legallydistinctloolooland]

Vaggie drives me so crazy but in a good way like !! All she knew before she fell was that sinners deserved to get exterminated like fish in a barrel every year, they fucked up, and they fucked up so bad that hell (or at least one little city in hell) is overpopulated.

But then her hand is stayed by a literal child, her heart telling her that it's wrong to kill someone so defenseless (hey sidebar why the fuck is a kid in hell lmao) and is IMMEDIATELY punished for hesitating. Her wings and eye are fucking torn out violently and she's left alone in a dirty alley to bleed out. As far as we know, she is the ONLY angel to do so, to question and fall for it

Now, three years or so later (gotta assume she and Charlie uhauled it) she is responsible for keeping the lights on at the Hazbin Hotel, a place for sinners to get redeemed. And she believes in it because it's Charlie's idea, sure, but how does that make her feel? If she was cast out of heaven for not killing someone, despite them being in hell and, as far as she knew at the time, "deserving it", does she believe that sinners can really change? Is that why she judges people so much? Because she wants them to fit into Heaven's strict moral standards, despite them having kicked her out, because it's better than here? Safer? It's better than seeing people she cares about get killed by the people she used to be a part of?

Could she ever see herself getting out? And does she hate herself so much because she is now intimately familiar with the pain she once caused, especially when paired with Charlie Bleedingheart Morningstar?

Overall, I LOVE that they made her being a former Exorcist canon. I think it really shows how much she cares, not only about Charlie and her dreams, but the idea of the hotel and the people within it. When she gave that speech about the hotel crew saving themselves in episode 7....you fucking feel that care, man. She's sardonic and secretive and blunt but she is always there, always watching, and always giving a shit about the people in her life like!!!!!!

[inuhiime]

:: 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ! ──── ⪩⪨ 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 ; 𝐩𝐭. 𝐢𝐢

' who are you? a human, a sinner, or a monster? '

' who are you fighting for? who can vouch for your loyalty? '

' there are no memories, no past, no one you can trust, and no future. '

' aren't you supposed to be powerful? then... how come you didn't save me? '

' you're useless. you can protect no one! '

' that black hole in your heart... is it still there? '

' i'm here to fight, not to reflect on the things i did. '

' we all lost ourselves at some point, some to fear, some to desire, some to desire. '

' you're not seriously thinking of yourself as a savior, are you? '

' meaningless fighting brings nothing but the loss of lives. it's time to end it. '

' how could you forget about us? '

' we'll meet again, as long as you don't get yourself killed. '

' i understand your pain, your fear, and the emptiness in your heart. '

' if anyone can give you the answer you want, it's me. '

' don't forget. you... you're not alone. '

' what have i done wrong? '

' now that you've seen everyone off, who will lay you to rest? '

' they aren't good people at all, so it's okay to kill them, right? '

' don't leave me, don't turn your back on me! '

' it's you who guided us out of the mire over and over again. '

' i won't let you all stay buried here like this. '

' do your cuts bleed red, too? '

' you have the stench of death on you, too. '

' all i'm gonna give you is a nice funeral. '

' please don't get hurt while i'm not around. '

' why are you always staring at me like that? '

' go to fucking hell and make a deal with the devil. '

' i have a duty to fight for the innocence you deserve. '

' you can stop me anytime you want unless i kill you, right? '

' you little coward, hiding behind your power like trash! '

' if you die... i'll really have nothing left. '

' stop faking your death. it doesn't suit you. '

' will you all be able to soothe all the pain and comfort everyone here? '

' you're not killing me? '

' don't be afraid of us. what's there to be afraid of? '

' to survive, you have to try as hard as you can to become a monster yourself. '

' it's always the last person you want to see that you end up running into, huh? '

' have you decided to surrender? '

' we carried a heavy responsibility to clear a bright path for everyone else. '

' i believe that everything you just said is the truth. '

' what good are other people's thanks? isn't having each other enough? '

' make your choice and keep walking. '

' i'll put an end to all the tragedies you're causing here and now. '

' we were always meant to die out here. '

' you're no companion of mine. don't touch me. '

' let them stay with me, don't take them away from me... please. '

' i can't bear the pain of losing people close to me. '

' no, i don't want you to die. i won't allow it. '

' keep quiet, and let me do the talking. '

' you're ahead of others in reaching the end that nobody can escape. '

' it's for your own good... don't you get it? '

' wake up. someone is waiting for your return. '

' you don't need to make sacrifices anymore. '

' i should stop them, but on my own, i can't do anything. '

' i'm not afraid of loneliness, never have been. '

' are you really so desperate to live on? '

' because we're monsters, you're leaving us too? '

' i don't have time to give a lecture about what's right and what's wrong. '

' after all this, you still turn your back on me. '

' i don't know who i am. '

' am i really not worth your trust? '

' whatever choice you make in the future, i will not doubt it. '

' thank you for looking for me. it's all right now... go back. '

' don't get overwhelmed by the darkness from the past. '

' do you need saving, too? '

' you have to get used to the cruelty in reality. '

' do you think i made the wrong choice? '

' i won't punish you too harshly no matter what mistakes you make. '

' you will be betrayed eventually. '

' you can't stop, even if there are sacrifices. '

' the final destination you reach will determine whether the price paid along the way is worth it. '

' aren't you the one talking big, faking your own death just now? '

' we humans are insignificant before the ultimate truth. '

' i hope you're here to stay. this is where you belong. '

' how long have you been trapped in the abyss? '

' am i the one who failed you? '

' what a good dog you are. '

' you're alive. only you're alive. why should it be you? '

' i will not let you die. '

' i'm not going to wait for you if you fall behind. '

' the stronger a sinner, the closer they are to destruction. '

' are you in pain? don't worry, soon you'll be freed from it. '

' why are you willing to stay with a monster like me? '

' are you here to kill me? '

' you must be... very disappointed. '

' the longer one has been as a sinner, the easier it is to perceive the intangible. '

' to do what you should... it's never easy. '

' meeting you was the luckiest thing that happened in my life. '

' you barged into the darkness and brought me a beam of light. '

' you're really sorry? can you make up for your mistakes by saying sorry? '

' i've seen so many betrayals, but never one like yours. '

' if you don't run now, you won't get another chance. '

' hang in there. i'll get you out of here. '

' i've never pleaded for anything with you, but please... '

' i'll give you one last chance. leave. '

' it'll all be over when you wake up. '

' you want to live on, don't you? '

' i want to watch it once more, the sunrise. '

' you can't make it out on your own. '

' i know it's painful, but don't give up. '

[clay-cuttlefish]

Some speculation about the New 52 Question.

aka: his identity was finally revealed and I'm trying to figure out why he's like that.

If you haven't read any of Trinity of Sin, it is bad. Mostly for normal event reasons - it's cluttered, the OCs are boring, the continuity and characterization changes needed to make it work are bizarre, you know the drill.

On top of that, though, there's a very strange problem: the central Trinity is barely a Trinity. Pandora and the Phantom Stranger are both powerful magical beings with obvious reasons for being the world's "greatest sinners." (Not that this is a good angle for PS, but it's a well defined one.) They're set up as foils almost immediately, and they each get their own solo to develop them before the Trinity events properly kick off.

And then there's the Question, who has 1/3 as many appearances, no solo, no clear reason to be part of this trio, and powers that mostly let him be a dick. His true identity is a mystery, and his arc never resolves. In his final appearance he tells the others he hates them and learned nothing from their adventure together, betrays them, and disappears.

So. Who was this guy, why was he here, and why was he the Question?

Well, he's Narcissus... (can't believe it took a decade for that come out) ...sort of. The hints we get of his identity before it's wiped are that he tries to fight the wizards, he claims he'll regain his power, and that the world fears his name, none of which line up with Narcissus. Those hints were dropped by Geoff Johns in the Question's first appearance, and it sounds like he doesn't really know what the ideas editorial ended up pursuing were, so I doubt they were part of that later plan.

Narcissus also doesn't make a lot of sense as a huge dramatic sinner. He's a jerk who breaks one person's heart and dies for it, not associated with grand ideas of sin or lasting punishment. Really not the mythological figure I'd go to as a match for Pandora and Judas.

I think Johns started with the idea of the Question being on the team first, then assigned him a supernatural role and mythical figure afterwards. On its surface this is an even weirder choice for a character who's mostly a detective, but consider:

Johns is open about Vic and Renee's scenes in 52 being his favourites, and was the one who pitched Renee becoming the Question in the first place.

The Trinity of Sin was an original concept Johns had a lot of control over, not an established team, and they were originally meant to appear in books he was writing.

This Question mostly has nothing to do with Vic, but in an early Johns-written appearance, he's in Hub City saving a kid who might be Jackie.

Vic would be a reasonable fit for a story about sin and seeking redemption, since he's a deeply philosophical ex-douchebag with a lot of identity problems.

Vic's pre-development self, as characterized in the O'Neil run, was a self-centered prick who loved attention and had zero respect for authorities or people who could kick his ass.

My guess is that Johns wanted to write Vic, came up with a way to cram him into an OC project he was working on, and then assigned him a mythical figure with vaguely similar motifs without caring too much whether the details lined up. When the plans for Pandora and the Phantom Stranger changed, the Question was pulled away from being more Vic-inspired, and there wasn't a lot left over.

Not a very satisfying answer, but it's more than I had before.

[archivalofsins]

Hey now that some folks are out of bounds- "LET'S PARTY"!

Gunsli what do you mean? Remember when I said I haven't talked about what verdict I've personally wanted for Kotoko. That's because I couldn't care less, I like both options when it comes to the narrative of Milgram.

I am in no way condoning Kotoko's behavior I'm solely saying this from a narrative perspective.

Let me explain through exploring how I view the options~

So why would some want Kotoko Guilty?

Well the reason for that is simple she jumped some people's favorites and could do it again if voted Innocent.

Haruka and Mu are still sitting at Guilty. Their fans have a vested interest in not indulging Kotoko's mindset further. Secondarily she threatened to kill Mikoto. Thirdly she's shown through her second voice drama and song that she no longer believes in Es' judgment and is vying for the role of guard herself. Anyone who recognizes any of these things and are opposed to them happening will vote her guilty.

Meaning fans of Haruka, Mu, and Es all have a reason to be wary of Kotoko getting a second Innocent verdict.

Though in the words of Utena,

"But was that really such a good idea?"

Kotoko's trials are questioning the degree of separation necessary needed to excessively punish another. Because no one knew her victims when this started it was easier to forgive her behavior. I mean we only have one side of the story and she's so passionate against evil doers. Why would anyone not take her at face value.

So, what will be gained from saying I'm okay with you jumping strangers who I viewed as in the wrong without knowing a thing about them based solely on your word. Yet, I know the people here I know them well and I think some of them are nice. These people didn't deserve the way you treated them.

Though what makes the prisoners better than any of Kotoko's victims? Is it such a good idea to present that people only matter dependent on how well we know them? Is that any different from for example Shidou's mindset.

"Someone’s value cannot be the same as another."/"Should choose between superiority or inferiority."

Is there a sense of equality if one were to instead just,

"Hate evil as the evil that it is."

Or are both ways of thinking to binary and rigid to fully be acceptable. Are the audience hypocrites in finding Kotoko Innocent for killing killers we don't know and then finding her guilty for simply harming some killers that some of us feel like we know.

That's the question of her trials. Do people hate the sin or just the sinner? That's the question of Milgram overall. How much can another person judge someone. Over what ammount of time will one become more lenient or forgiving on someone.

And should one even be more lenient on another person just because of how long they've known them or how well their beliefs allign with their own?

In the same vein people would want Kotoko innocent for the same reasons she stated she dislikes. Not because they believed what she's doing is right or acceptable but just because they like her. She would be innocent for no reason other than being a killer we've gotten to know. Enforcing once again that she is no different from anyone else here. A thing that she has been shown to be upset about and afraid of through her second mv.

She'd just be innocnet because the majority would think they know her well enough. That's she's good deep down, she just made a mistake, was a little too extreme. Even though her actions were bad it doesn't mean she is. To be forgiven under those circumstances. Oh, she'd really hate that I'd imagine.

Simply because she wants to find others that understand her mindset and behavior people that view these things in the same and truly believe she's right. Finding her Innocent while still stating her actions were wrong in this case finding what she did forgivable wouldn't be enough. Now she could assume that everyone found her innocnet because they agreed with her so hard.

However she was innocent by a pretty large percent last time and her mv still shows her anxieties around her own innocence... So, I personally doubt that'd be the case.

So I feel like being innocent again would just strengthen her feelings of being treated like the rest. Especially considering even more people are innocent including Mikoto. It just doesn't seem like it would give her the feeling of drowing in the knowledge that she's right that she's stated to want from the jump.

So, I think in response she'd do exactly what she's doing now and what was implied she'd do from her first cover Anti Beat. Lash out in order to hide her own insecurity and take some control over the situation. The best way for her to do that is to put herself in Es' position to prove how above the others she really is.

Which that outcome would be pretty cool too actually.I would like to see how they'd follow through on the foreshadowing in Yonah if she were Innocent. Even if I do have a good idea on how they would.

Personally I just think she'd lash out even more just to prove to herself that she's better. Because she simply always feels inferior on some level. Like it's not difficult to tell that she doubts her own feelings and philosophy. Especially since she seems to need to be told she's right because she already feels she's wrong but she hates being told she's right. because she knows better than anyone how wrong she is.

So, she'd just keep stepping over the boundaries of others and put them in a position beneath her. The same thing we see her try to do with Es over the course of her second trial just to assert that she's doing what must be done. She's doing what others are too weak to do themselves all to stregthen her own feelings of vindication.

It's a lose/lose situation no matter how I look at it. That's what makes it so lovely. When nothing can be right that in turn means nothing can be wrong. These are just events that are happening att that point. The label of good and bad is completely up to the observer.

That's the best part of Milgram. It goes exactly where the audience is willing to take it.

Oh but Gunsli you wouldn't want Kotoko to run the prison and Es to just defer to her would you? That could be bad. You wouldn't want Mikoto to possibly die? You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to Haruka and Mu the only two guilty? It's not about what the fuck I or anyone else wants.

It's about the characters wills after the last bell tolls everything that happens next is up to the sort of people they naturally are.

Isn't that exhilirating. Isn't the most equisite kindness a story and author can give. The opportunity for the reader to enact their own will on the media and the media enact its will on the audience in kind?Isn't there something so miraculous about that. It's a thing of immeasurable beauty a once and life time experience. At the same time isn't it also the most disgutsting thing one could ever do to others and themselves.

Doesn't everyone want to see it- What lies at the end of Milgram? The culmination of all these choices all these clashing wills. Kotoko's trial is so engaging to me because it sets the stage for trial three perfectly. It's interesting because Innocent or Guilty the cog will still turn.

The worst part is the question what is judgment? What good does it do? What would Innocent serve? To be told you're right or acceptable just because someone assumes they know you and sees the good in you. That they know what you'd do and who you are deep down. It's soul crushing isn't it? It can be painful can't it? Even heartbreaking.

The hero some see are they real was the victim? If a person doesn't push what can they learn? What will one do when the things they don't yet know become things they can't unknow? Will they lash out in anger saying this wasn't what I thought it would be? Will they dig themselves in even deeper? Try to force that thing into being the shape they wanted it to be?

To me the fact is with this case Innocent and Guilry are quite frankly the same thing. If she's guilty she's no better than the others she judged and if she's innocent with the rest of them that still means she's no better than they are. She'll never be drowning in that feeling of being right unless everyone is guilty except her.

I find that mindset of Kotoko's that insecurity which ultimately stops her from accepting any kindness. So, very touching and human. Though it's ultimately going to fuck us all over no matter the outcome. It's tragic she was last in line. So tragic that she was put there-

Jackalope must be laughing about that placement choice just a bit. The same with Muu who wanted everyone innocent. Maybe if they just showed up a bit earlier the things they desired would have been possible.

Too bad, so tragic... I wonder just who put them there again.

Regardless of if one knows the outcome. Despite what one speculates. I wonder... Should ones morals change based on that sort of thing. Personally I think a person should do what they'd regret least. That's usually how I do things.

This isn't a post I spent days on or anything just some thoughts on the verdict outcomes for Kotoko specifically. Plus what I think the logic around it is. I personally think both choices lead to bad things for each prisoner not just Kotoko. So, this isn't the only trial like this but it was funny for it to be the one where this is most apparent to me.

I'm really interested in both options because I'm the sort that would like to have both if possible. It's so incredibly unfair that there's no way to see it all here.

[nyx-thedragon]

my last religion-related creative writing piece (for now).

"Does God?"

I grew up in the Church, being told every week that God loves everyone. That He is merciful and kind. That He loves all his children so much He sent His only son, Jesus, to earth to die for our sins so that we may go to Heaven when we die. I never really bought it. If God is so loving, why would He send His children to Hell simply for not believing in Him? For not praying enough? For wearing mixed fabrics or growing two different crops next to each other? I understand He must punish sinners, but the things that qualify as sins are so great, and broad.

If God is the only god, why is the first commandment "there shall be no other gods before me"? If God knows how things are going to play out, why did He give Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden in the first place? Why did He place the trees in the Garden? If He knew that humans were going to end up suffering, why would He create us?

If God is all-powerful and He loves us so much, why does He let so much suffering happen? Why so much murder? And unnecessary death? Why so many wars? Why the genocides? And slavery? And violence?

Did Cain, before he hit Abel, know that his brother would die? Did he know that humans could die? Was he aware of that fact? Did Adam and Eve know that humans could die from a strike to the head? Did they mourn their son, and curse God, and turn away from Him like He turned away from them? Did they feel lost? Hopeless?

If God loves His children so much and doesn't want us to suffer, then why does He call for the souls of children to join Him in Heaven? Why is His plan for some children to die before they can grow up? Why is His plan to curse their families with grief for the rest of their lives?

Why is His plan for good people to suffer?

If God is really out there, and He loves us and supposedly listens to our prayers, why did He not answer mine? Were my desperate pleas to keep my grandma alive long enough for me to see her one last time not enough? Were my cries to help my dad through his grief, to comfort him in his time of need, not enough? Were any prayers that I sent up to Him even listened to? Or has He abandoned me?

Maybe He's trying to show His presence in my life in little ways. Maybe the feeling I got when my parents went to see my grandma the night she died that I wouldn't see her again was a gift from Him, to prepare me. Maybe that same feeling I had before my great grandma died was the same. Maybe He sends these feelings to me to help me, and prove to me that He's there.

Maybe He is listening.

Maybe He's just too busy to fix everything.

Does God cry? Does He shed a tear when He sees His children suffering? Does He greet the new souls into Heaven with tears running down His face? Does He grieve every life lost? Does He feel emotions in the same way humans do? He did make us in His image, after all.

Does God ever wish He hadn't made the covenant with Noah, to not flood the earth again? Does He wish He could do it again? Wash away the population and start over? To stop all of the awful things happening?

Does God ever regret creating humans?

Does God feel regret?

Does God feel?

this one was a bit more of a train of thoughts than the other ones. It's also a bit more personal. but I need to share it with someone. to strangers on the internet, because that's a lot easier than sharing things like this with my family.

Thank you for reading this. And if you read my other ones, thank you for that as well. I may decide to share more of my creative writing pieces in the future, but I do not know as of right now.

Have a good and safe day or night <3

[king-of-wrath]

I like to think that the Exorcists are Hazbin's antagonists not because Heaven is intolerant of non-cis non-straight non-Abrahamic people or because Vivzie's declaring "religion bad" in cartoon form, but because Heaven sees morality in terms of absolutes: that is, if you do x or y even once, you're evil, you go to Hell and you can NEVER be forgiven

Consider the characters we've actually seen be denied entrance to Heaven (yes, these are Helluva characters and Helluva is a spin-off, but unless Vivzie declares "Helluva's a side project I'm doing just for fun, it's unrelated to Hazbin and its lore doesn't mirror Hazbin lore", we can reference Helluva):

Mayberry was a passionate teacher who's spent years being a positive role model for children, but she was damned because she murdered her husband in a fit of rage. Heaven didn't take into account the good deeds she had done and instead judged her for that one wrongful act. Her kindness to children, her inspiring them to do good and whatever good deeds those children would go on to do didn't matter---she killed someone and is therefore irredeemable

Cleetus, Keenie and Collin were cherubs who committed themselves to saving souls, but were banished from Heaven because one person was killed in an accident. They consoled a suicidal man, convincing him that life was worth living and that he could spend the remainder of his life (and his vast wealth) in service to others. But despite the fact they accomplished their mission (and who knows how many others prior to this), they were banished. It didn't matter that they were fighting literal hellspawn trying to steal his soul, they failed to protect someone and for that, they are forbidden from returning home

As Alastor said in the Hazbin pilot, the very reason sinners are sent to Hell is to be punished. However, the annual purges began because Hell was "too overpopulated" and Heaven saw fit to kill rather than forgive. The Exorcists don't bother to check who they kill or what their victims' sins were---because in their minds, everyone in Hell is terrible and no matter why they were sent to Hell, they deserve total oblivion

If Exorcists ever got to Mayberry, she would be destroyed without a second thought. The two scientists whose experiments killed untold numbers of impoverished people would also be destroyed, but that's IF they were caught

We see Wally Wackford employ the scientists and understandably, he wouldn't want to lose his new inventors. We also see Valentino, Velvet and Vox surviving the annual purge---presumably because of the wealth and power they possess (along with others in the pilot). The scientists would be protected from the purge, having a serious advantage over Mayberry

But the Exorcists' job is to kill everyone they can within a certain time limit. They don't spend their time attacking fortified buildings or pursuing Hell's worst, they just kill whoever isn't in shelter when the purge begins

We don't know if there's an actual quota the Exorcists have, but they place importance on quantity---that is, the number of souls purged. The more souls are purged, the more space is freed. If they can get the two scientists, that's great. But if given the choice between a defenseless Mayberry and two well-defended scientists, they'd kill Mayberry. Two worse sinners would survive and one potentially forgivable sinner would be lost forever

So Charlie reveals her plan to handle the overpopulation and end the purges: to rehabilitate sinners in the hopes that they'd be admitted to Heaven, thus reducing Hell's population. Her biggest hurdle, however is actually making a sinner worthy of redemption in the eyes of Heaven

If Heaven thought there was even a possibility that sinners could be reformed, they'd give Hell a stay of execution to test Charlie's theory. If Heaven believed sinners could be reformed, they'd send Charlie help. But so far, Heaven isn't pausing the purges or helping reform sinners---instead, they're ordering the destruction of countless souls every year and do so without much guilt

[problemnyatic]

man i just cant get over how fuckin distracting the idea of morality is in terms of actually like, trying to create a more ethical status quo. People get so caught up in worrying about whether they're a good person, whether people think they're being good enough, who's good and who's bad, and like, man, fuck!!! Who gives a shit what the fuckin' score is!!! There is so much problems in the world and if we waste all our time trying to figure out all the ~hidden signs~ and ~tells~ of who's predisposed to evil, we're never gonna get around to actually doing anything about the actual evil being committed every day on a systemic level.

If someone hasn't actually hurt someone, lay the fuck off the accusations. If you really want to garner a culture that prevents harm rather than simply reacting to it, you need to make causing harm something that can be recovered from. It can't be fucking shameful, because then people hide it. People will avoid pain, so threats of punishment aren't fucking useful. And if you believe doing The Bad Things will get you a world of hurt, then you're gonna get defensive if someone tries to approach you about your own harmful habits!!

I've seen it so many fuckin times, dude, it's insane. Someone will try to be like "hey, you could do this better" or "hey, the way you x hurts me" and instead of like, having a conversation, that person will get up in arms about how they weren't ~being bad.~ Whether it's trying to avoid blame or minimize how bad people think it is, the end result is that nothing actually gets dealt with because people are too busy trying to avoid being seen as a fuckin' sinner.

Who gives a fuck about being a good person? What does "good personhood" actually do? Best I can tell, it's just this label people get to have that says "Don't come after me, your target is someone else." Because if you ask anyone, being a Good Person is about your actions. So... why not just look at those? Ditch the shorthand that flattens everything, and risk the fucking nuance. If you don't have to worry about maintaining your status as a "good person," then suddenly it stops being so scary to scrutinize the ways in which you can actually improve.

And it's not even like you can just, like, get rid of all "bad people" and solve harm forever. If your solution to the ills of humanity can be boiled down to "if we just point a big enough gun at anyone who Breaks The Good Person Rules, no one will want to break them!" then, sorry to break it to you, but you're a fascist, no matter what values you purport to be championing. You still intend to use force to enforce them, and by enshrining those values as The Good Ones, you blind yourself to your own biases and flaws. You loose sight of the fact that you still have to aim that gun. Best not miss, or you'll take out an innocent- that's bad, right? Hope your aim's perfect- and everyone after you, too.

There's always gonna be pain. Always gonna be conflict. There's just too fuckin' many people out there to force the world to homogenize under a set of values that no one deviates from. So you need to be flexible, and you need to let good and bad exist side by side as shades of gray. You need to think of harm reduction not as a destination you reach by restricting the agency People Who Will Do Harm, but as a complex network of social safety nets that ensure that people who wind up in danger have multiple avenues with which to protect themselves or escape that danger, and ensure that the ones who cause that danger have ways to get help.

The world is more complicated than a binary of who's an abuser and who's a victim. People are more complicated than simple predisposition to hurting others. There will never be a set of values so all-encompassing as to ensure no one ever gets hurt if they're strictly adhered to, and there will never be a person on earth so perfect they never fuck up practicing those values. So you gotta fuckin adapt, man.

No more heroes and villains. No more good and bad people. you're more than that, I'm more than that. There's no shortcuts to heaven, no tickets to hell. You just gotta do the best you can with what you have, and course correct as you learn more stuff. What matters is the impact of our actions- they land how they land and we deal with it after. Quit botherin' with what it means and lets just work with what it is, we'll work towards that intent on the way, yeah?

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

sometimes, i really wish i didn't live in the bible belt.

i've been atheist my whole life. or at least, once i got old enough to question things instead of just blindly accept what my parents told me. though i was never good at that either, i was one of those kids that had to know things. i never bought into the tooth fairy or easter bunny, and i thought santa was just a game we all played and pretended to believe it. the idea of god felt the same to me, like some thing we were just pretending to believe in

except the grownups (and even some of the kids) actually believed it. so i went along with it, because my mom made me go to church with her, so it wasn't like i had a choice. but it never felt true to me, though i tried to make it feel real

i was 11 when i realized i never would and never could. i had tried to force myself to believe, but it never worked. i knew, deep inside, that there was no higher power. more so, i knew i couldn't keep spending my life living a lie. i knew i'd never be the believer i pretended to be.

and that scared me. not because the idea of hell or anything, but because i'd sat through more than one sermon and heard about how non-believers would burn in hell with the sinners. and my church 'family' seemed to agree. so that let me know that these people who called themselves my friends would be fine with seeing me burn in hell for all eternity, just because i didn't believe in the same invisible man in the sky as them

i didn't even believe in hell, but just imagine that. knowing that the people you've known your whole life believe you deserve to be punished forever for not believing what they believe. i'd already spent my entire life feeling like an outsider (multiple undiagnosed mental illnesses/disorders) so when i realized i could never be what these people wanted me to be, that i would never be able to convince myself to believe, it terrified me.

so much so that i got 'saved' in front of the congregation the next sunday. i pretended to believe as hard as i could. hell, i even wrote fake entries into my diary just in case anyone found it and read it

i was so afraid to admit i didn't believe. but so angry that i had to pretend. so i questioned things and made people uncomfortable. eventually, i had enough and said i was atheist. i was more angry than scared by then, fueled by teenage angst and hormones and the undiagnosed depression/anxiety disorders

in the end, I stopped going to church when my mother stopped forcing me. but the damage had already been done. i'd spent years trying to shove myself into a box i didn't fit it, for people that frankly didn't deserve that kind of sacrifice on my part

and there are still people who hear that i don't believe and judge me. who try to convert me. who think of me as less than them bc i don't believe what they believe.

i don't know why i'm thinking of this today. maybe bc my country is hurtling into evangelical christian fascism and that scares me. but i think growing up like that gave me some low-key religious trauma

and now I'll have to go back to work soon. where i'll have coworkers who ask me about where i go to church, who try to invite me to there's. to students who sometimes ask me questions about religion, and I have to say i'm "not religious" bc if i say i'm an atheist there's a good chance parents will complain about me teaching their child

i've literally heard a coworker being gossiped about and mistrusted bc he's openly atheist. people blatantly admitting they don't want to work with him. so i stay in my lane and stick to myself and try not to engage with these people beyond a professional level

i have to sit in anger, when we're forced to do something like pray in school, something that isn't supposed to be legal. hell, our superintendent makes us all pray with him when we have our yearly meetings

add to that i'm pretty far left when it comes to politics, i'm queer, and neurodivergant i don't feel like there's a place for me here. i live in a very conservative area. i'm talking majority trump fans conservative. but i'm trapped, too poor to escape. and it eats at me sometimes, being around all these people who if they knew me, would condemn me. even if i believe in letting people believe or disbelieve whatever they want and minding my own damn business about it

sometimes, i really wish i didn't live in the bible belt

[apenitentialprayer]

Lmao, I swear to God social media has emboldened some psychotic "Christians" way too much, making them think it's fine to spew crude words and insults around then pretend they're the good guys here.

Is this in reference to people calling that woman a whore and a slut and worse, or me calling those people in general dickhead and that one guy in particular a sanctimonious prick? In the case of the latter, well, I should probably apologize.

The thing about righteous anger... the anger tends to last long after the righteousness has been burned away by that anger. Everyone wants to be Jesus flipping tables in the Temple, but very few people have the purity of heart and moral caliber to do that. It's just another form of judgment, an usurpation of the role that belongs to God, but more insidious because you think you're championing a cause when you have no way of doing anything constructive. So maybe I should be sorry. I hope you'll pray that I will be, in that case.

But as for the general gist of what I wrote last night, I stand by that. If this woman is to be believed, and I don't see why I should be super skeptical, she is someone who sinned three years ago without any suspicion. She could have left it be, buried in the past. And instead, after three years, she made the first move towards repentance. And she was punished for it. And if we're going to punish people who come forward to repent, even of those whose sins are odious (surprise, surprise; what else is repentance for, if not for those things?), then we're creating an environment that encourages people not to confess.

Nancy Eisland wrote, In Christian tradition, the acknowledgment of sin is not a shameful thing; rather, it opens a space for the inflowing of grace and acceptance. And, looking at last night, boy, we really failed at that, haven't we? We're giving out Ls and calling people whores. Because it's much more fun to flip tables over than it is to take pleasure not in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. That's a sin we're all personally guilty of, myself included.

There's a book called The Divine Pity, by a Dominican priest named Gerald Vann. And I'm hearing these condemnations, this unpitying "she got what she deserved" attitude, and I can't help but think of a particular passage in that book;

For pity is indeed the corollary of humility and penance: you can no longer, if you have learnt the sense of sin, speak of your brother with arrogance as a sinner. We are each responsible for all. You will not say, when you see some sort of evil done, "There but for the grace of God go I"; you will say "There go I." You will not say "How these are hurting the heart of Christ," but "How I in these are hurting the heart of Christ." For you will know yourself implicated, responsible; and there will be shame and sorrow in your pity because you have not done more to avert evil, have not perhaps even prayed for those who are the immediate cause of the evil. But you will hardly think in terms of praying for sinners: you will think of praying for others, and especially if praying for your sin in others: these, you will say, have gone astray and perhaps are at war with the Good, but why has not power gone forth from me to help to heal them, as it went forth from Him who has sent me to be a bearer of His power? These are searching for God, and are miserable because they cannot find Him, and have I even prayed that they may find Him?

(p. 129, bolded emphases added)

I am personally guilty of unwittingly shaming and humiliating and hurting an adulterer, an adulterer who I care very deeply about, because I refused to see adulterers as people I could love, people deserving of my pity. And I was a fool, because I couldn't even imagine an adulterer in the abstract and say "There but for the grace of God go I." And even that's not enough. Because I have fallen short of the glory of God, I even now poison the Body of Christ that I am a part of with my own failings, and so I must look at my sister-in-Christ and say There go I. And if that's distasteful to me, and it is, then it's a moral failure on my part, a failure to imitate my Lord who for our sakes made Himself a curse, who became sin.

[navnae]

po·et·ic jus·tice - an outcome in which vice is punished and virtue rewarded usually in a manner peculiarly or ironically appropriate

@amoris-no-smut-allowed

-

For a lot of people they believed that all of their actions no matter if the meaning behind them were negative or positive deserved to be reflected in their lives with a similar effect. Steve definitely was one of those people that thought about things like that because he’s actually lived through it. When he was in his king Steve era every punch he deserved, it leveled with his terrible behavior and attitude. At the time that made so much sense until he changed for the better and he made it his duty to let his actions speak louder than words. It started with showing Nancy and Jonathan that he was genuinely sorry for all the trouble he caused then that led up to him protecting the kids with his entire life. After that he met his best friend Robin which would be his positive karma in his life and to him she was his light in this extremely dark world. They’ve been inseparable ever since the more he did good things, it went back into the universe saying “he’s actually a good person” well those words finally said to him after years of constant chains of punishment that Steve faced.

“Steve Harrington was actually, a good dude.” The words left Eddie’s mouth before he could even process what he was saying. He was so blinded by Steve standing right there in front of him and for once he looked… “scratch that” Eddie panicked in his own thoughts because he knew where his head was going, his heart. This entire journey he thought the universe was playing a big joke on him because after meeting the kids and guiding them through high school things actually started looking good for Eddie despite all the things that happened to him in his childhood. That’s why he said 86’ was his year so confidently because the way things were going it just made sense that everything should turn out good for him right? That changed when Chrissy died right in front of him without any warning or caution, his brain was fucked up in so many ways after that. Deep down he believe that all of this happened because he was a ‘sinner’ that’s what he was called for majority of his life. When he decided to start flagging that’s when his whole world changed, people he didn’t even know spat out the cruelest things to him and they wanted him to know that hell was waiting on him, that was destiny. Eddie wasn’t religious but the idea of going to hell because of who he like felt like freedom if it meant he could be himself, now that hell was making its way into Hawkins as we speak maybe that was his cue… to finally be free.

In the mixture of the group trying to help Eddie he figured the best thing that happened to him were them coming to him with open arms accepting everything about him. That was one of the positive effects, then when you added Steve into the picture that’s where things got a little complicated. That feeling he felt in his chest when he looked at Steve wasn’t new and that scared him. It didn’t go away when he saw how protective Steve was it only made him more attracted to him. Steve couldn’t explain what he felt even though Eddie had a more clear idea of what he was feeling, the only thing that Steve could describe was happiness. No one knew that it’s been so long since Steve had a guy his age in his life and this time he wanted to see where their friendship would go after all of this was over with. Both of them assumed that with their positives outweighing the negatives, it was deep within each other.

Their positives were running out though. Eddie, out of fear pushed Steve towards Nancy thinking that was the right thing to do. Steve following Eddie’s advice sent him back further than the progress that he developed overtime and he was trying to push himself to get back with her knowing that he fell out of love with her. Cut to Eddie’s intense jealousy, which the universe didn’t like. That was an emotion that was very frowned upon but Eddie couldn’t help that he was turning green as he watched Steve move in the direction that he pushed him in and now he was regretting it. Steve trying desperately to gather the broken pieces of the relationship he had with Nancy only made things worse, him spilling out his feelings to her and his dreams that had her in them tainted their relationship which he didn’t realize because in reality he wasn’t talking to her. Eddie knew that it would be impossible to even call Steve his and maybe that was the price he was paying, all the things that people told him growing up sounded true now. If he couldn’t escape the negatives in his life then he damn sure was going to find a way. The moment presented itself when the demobats stopped being distracted and now their focus was on Eddie. He lifted his shield like a fallen knights that was trying to prove something to anyone or anything that was watching, but all fallen knights are falling for a reason and his was being in love with someone he could never have. To get away from this harsh conclusion Eddie accepted his last moments because he thought his sexuality was such a big negative that the universe was telling him that he deserved nothing but punishment.

Steve felt guilt in his heart for many reasons and one of them was not confirming anything between him and Eddie. He was so busy trying to get back with Nancy that he didn’t realize that he couldn’t have both, if he was pushing for a relationship with Nancy then he couldn’t have Eddie. If he wanted to be with Eddie there was no way he could ever have Nancy. Now he spent his days helping Dustin cope with his trauma and this was one of the worst negatives in Steve’s life that he’s ever experienced. The universe was balancing everything all at once, Steve had to get use to the heartbreak he felt every time something bad happened, unlike a few years ago he would be alarmed by everything that’s happened to him. Now Steve was just waiting for his day to come…

That’s how poetic justice works.

p.s.

[unknownentitie]

Breaking down pro-Christian propaganda!

I want to firstly make something clear to any of my religious followers or people who identify as Christian or believe in Jesus that this is not aimed at you. This is not even really aimed at your religion. This is aimed at the weird organisation who sent this in my mail.

It starts out pretty innocuous enough. Mr Nice Guy believes he's done enough to get into heaven and its pretty obvious the pamphlet is about how he needs to keep praying to Jesus for his sins. Nothing bad too far.

It's weird because we never see the narrator, but if Mr Nice Guy lies about one thing - why would he lie about stealing as a kid? But again, nothing too bad so far.

...until we get to the third pages, where we start to hit some problems. Notice how the first sin and the first Bible verse used relates to him committing adultery by listing after another woman? So he's gone from being a liar, to a thief, to an adulter in just a few panels!

The pamphlet tells us he's broken four of the ten commandments and is quite a problematic guy. Although we could spend some time arguing that most people lie and feeling lust is really just being attracted to someone else, we're still broadly in the clear.

I'm not going to say too much here, because this next page is the really bad one. But keep a pin in "it's also about doing good things too!"

I know exactly where your eyes went with this picture, because believe me: mine almost popped out of my head.

Lets break each panel down:

So the premise I guess of this whole pamphlet is saying "Sin is bad, imagine if everyone in your life saw every bad thing you did! How embarassing!"

There's a few reasons this is flawed thinking, but the most primary one is: why would everyone in your life care about every single thing you did? And are they without sin themselves? What my friend has done is none of my business, and vice versa.

"God knows the secret of the heart" is an interesting verse to quote here too. Because you could be merely thinking or feeling the urge to sin without acting on it, and that too would hbe considered as bad as committing the sin itself.

So again, all of this so far is fine. If the comic had ended there - I would not even be making this post, let alone taking photos of it.

But then there's THAT panel.

So Mr Nice Guy is clearly a straw man to help the narrator make the point that being a sinner is the worst thing in the eyes of God. He compares himself against Hitler, a Klu Klux Klansman, Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Let me repeat; he compares himself against the most evil men in history to...prove a point sinning is okay?

Putting aside the fact that the year is 2022 and the men in the cartoon have been dead for a number of years now, what message is this sending for people who aren't religious and don't prey or don't know about sin? How do any of them relate to this story?

Never mind the fact that, in the case of the KKK, there are some links to religious groups who used the Bible to justify their terrible actions.

Somehow, we aren't done yet.

This is where things truly go off the rails. The maths part involving the number of sins is just bonkers crazy.

How are we assuming he sins 5 times a day, let alone the same number of sins every day?

It then tries to compare "God's Law" to the actual law, and says he would most likely not be granted leniency for his crimes - even though, aside from being a thief, no sin he has committed is a crime.

The rest of the comic is pretty bog standard Christian messaging, Jesus is the one who takes the punishment to absolve people of their sins in order to escape the violent eternal flames of hell.

Seriously, what a wild ride.

I don't think this would convert anyone, let alone convince me as an atheist that:

Sin is real

God is real

Jesus died and resurrected.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading!

[meili-sheep]

More on a reverse vision au which has more holes the more I think about it so if this comes out awkward it's because I'm dancing around the holes and I'm not a good dancer

- while Albedo never really cared for his vision (he felt like he never really deserved it, being evidence of khaenriah's sins and thus it was almost like a relief when it disappeared) but what he hates the most about this whole thing is the way people treat Klee

- in canon they treat Klee as dangerous but well-intentioned and cute. Here they look at Klee with pity, try to tell her that she's not good enough to pursue her dreams and that she should do something else instead. They mean well really, but Albedo can see the way her smile falters and she slowly closes in on herself from other people. He doesn't care what people say about him but he'll be damned for a second time if he lets anyone talk about his little sister

- Jean rarely ever punishes or calls out Klee for her bombs in this universe because she understands that Klee needs them, even if it means more work for her.

- Jean overworks herself even more here because it's just her canon problem of wanting to prove herself but even worse. People are actively saying that she's not a good acting grandmaster because she hasn't got a vision and while she tries not to let it get to her it still does and the more it happens the worse she gets and the worse she gets the more it happens and its just a vicious cycle

- Diluc and Klee have a bit of a special bond from their shared experiences. Diluc would do literally anything to make sure she doesn't suffer anymore the way he did

- Diluc is still the darknight hero because all these vision users and Mondstadt still isn't being kept safe? You guys know you actually have to use your visions for things right??? Honestly, looks like he, a damned person, is going to have to do it all by himself again...

- The fact that he is the one to protect Mondstadt, to protect the people who had treated him cruelly his whole life yet he still can't bring himself to hate them, he still loves his home despite it all, it just makes him bitterer and more miserable

- If visions are a sign of favour from celestia then having your vision be taken away by celestia is a sign of damnation, a sign of 'this person is a sinner, they are bad and they will never be allowed to ascend here'. If vision holders have a chance of going to celestia then the damned ones will surely go to the abyss.

- The damned people are seen as bad, that they've done something bad to deserve this and now facing the consequences of their own actions, even though that's clearly not the case.

- If we go by that celestia seems to be the villain here, we can say that they take the visions of those who they deem too powerful and who won't be easily won with promises of godhood and divinity

- Perhaps this could be why the travellers were separated and attacked in such a manner: they are a threat, and celestia can't just magic away their vision to take care of it easily

- this got long I'm sorry

- uh

This honestly helps build on the last post a lot. Thank you! It makes things a lot clear. Unfortunately, with an idea like this, you are gonna end up with a lot of holes and such, but that doesn't matter as long as you have fun with the idea!

And I personally love the idea. Especially as it would really create a stronger bond between all the characters I think Particularly Klee and Diluc as you've pointed out. Bonds forged in hell and all that.

But maybe an idea back for you. Like how the Traveler learns to wield the elements without a vision. Those who have had their vision taken can learn to. I believe the Channel for elemental energy is open. They simply need to learn to control it again.