╳┆Possession Link is a magic somewhat similar to Sensory Link. It is a dark magic often used to manipulate and control its target. Unlike Sensory Link, the spell only affects one person at a time—the receiver. It can isolate and strengthen a specific group of emotions of the user's choice. It can also be used pseudo-telepathically, disguising the user's voice and allowing them to be heard only by the receiver.
The link feeds off of its host's magic energy, meaning the user does not need to constantly expend magic to sustain the link.
╳┆Initially, Ultear’s Possession Link amplified Jellal’s preexisting emotions of hatred, anger, and helplessness. This influx of raw emotion allowed him to access his magic energy for the first time. At the same time, he began to hear the “Ghost of Zeref” promising him true freedom in the form of Heaven.
Jellal opened himself up to the Possession Link, which strengthened its initial effects. Hatred manifest coupled with a magic that severely lowered any remaining inhibitions resulted in a radical shift in both personality and morality. From there, Jellal carried out what he believed to be Zeref’s will by sending Erza away, trapping & manipulating the others, and spending the next eight years completing the R-System.
The Possession Link remained mostly dormant after its initial conception, only serving to stoke those same feelings of resentment and obsession that would keep him focused on the tower’s construction. If ever his mind should stray, if ever he should doubt his “divine mission”, the voice of “Zeref” would whisper to him again, coaching him to continue and promising that Heaven awaited himself and his “friends”. The link served as a tool to keep him focused & reinforce indoctrination, but it did not have omnipotent control over his actions.
When Wendy pulled Jellal from his comatose state, the Possession Link was severed. Those emotions that completely engrossed him for so long were still present, but they weren’t anywhere near as intense. They were manageable.
Lark's life in the temple was incredibly regimented. From her earliest awareness, her days were laid out and managed to the minute. She had no privacy.
If she could speak, she could pray. If she could walk and grip, she could wield a weapon. If she could wield a weapon with any finesse, she could sacrifice to her Father.
She earned privileges like leisure time as she grew older, but those were not a guarantee. They could be stripped from her if she disobeyed or otherwise displeased the priesthood (and thus Father) as the mildest of punishments she faced.
All this served to wear down her will until she was no more than an instrument of worship, the same as an altar.
Unlike Lyney and Lynette who relied on each other in the streets as children, Freminet was surrendered to the Hearth by his mother when he was a young boy. With that in mind, it can be inferred that he has spent a longer time living under the previous director’s philosophy before Arlecchino’s subsequent takeover.
Isolation:
Statistics have shown that those living in poverty are among some of the most vulnerable groups of people that are susceptible to exploitation. And Freminet is no exception to that.
Since Freminet is a naturally shy and introverted child, he only had his mother as a source of emotional comfort and stability from the start, which makes isolating him from all others is easily done. No one, apart from his mother, would miss him when he’s gone or even notice his disappearance.
Given the fact that she willingly gave him over to the orphanage to prevent the moneylenders from harming him when she was no longer able to pay debts incurred by his absent father, it is unlikely for her to be able to spoil the narrative fed to her son, who was told by the previous director that she sold him to settle a debt.
To further drill a sense of fear and thus obedience into the boy, he was told that the Hearth is his only home left, the children within are his only family left, and that if he cannot comply with orders, they cannot guarantee his mother’s safety.
Indoctrination:
Under the previous director’s guidance, all of the children are raised in a culture of fear: Those who fail to meet their expectations, regardless of what reasons or difficulties they face, are often painfully and harshly punished. They are taught to be ready to give up their lives for their ‘family’ and to do whatever it takes to extinguish/expunge all that threatens the House of the Hearth. No matter what, there is no excuse.
And though he tells himself to face reality, a tiny part of him still held on to hope. What if his mother comes back? He needs to be around lest she can’t find him. He needs to survive.
Even if that meant dirtying his hands. Even if that meant someone had to die in order for Freminet to get through another day. He can live with that guilt. Freminet is used to working solo: being dispatched often to swiftly, mercilessly, get rid of the Hearth’s enemies.
Although he is often referred to as “naive (possessing a childhood innocence worth protecting)” by Lyney, the sad truth is that Freminet is not as innocent/naive as he appears to be. It is this quality in him that he weaponises when committing atrocities in the name of the Hearth and when getting close to others.
Much akin to the fairy tales he reads, the children in the House of the Hearth have a habit of ‘keeping the magic alive’ by downplaying the actual happenings of things despite their inner acknowledgement of the ugly truth that lies beneath it all.
Coping Mechanism:
To survive in such an oppressive environment and continue existing without the toll of the heinous acts weighing on him, Freminet minimised his own presence in the orphanage, willingly complying with every order in silence to stay out of the director’s wrath/line of sight. He began seeking for an escape, a temporary reprieve in it all, by retreating into the sea that has always been a source of comfort for him (apart from his mother).
There, he finds he could be himself. There, he is free to cry if he needs to, without running the risk of punishment or being scolded. He continues to seek out his underwater paradise even after “Father” took over, as “Father” themselves disliked when children cry, believing it to be a product of weakness.
Freminet first learned to cope with his missions, and everything by extension, by repressing all of his own feelings. Through becoming as unfeeling as a clockwork toy, he places on his helmet to shut out the background noise, and carries out orders mechanically.
Despite things changing after “Father” took control, this coping mechanism is what he defaults to when out on the field or particularly distressed.
Opinion of “Father”:
Unlike the previous director who treated the children as dispensable soldiers, “Father” took to leading them in a different direction. Arlecchino sought to drill into them that every one of them is important, and they have to value their own lives, be their strongest selves, and stand on their own two feet.
“You have two choices before you. You can either wallow in the past until you drown in its miseries… Or you can join hands with your 'family' and open your eyes again.”
That was what Arlecchino imparted on them: this home is a place of refuge for all the family’s children. It requires a collective effort to maintain but they can complete their tasks in the way that best suited them.
Though Freminet was as reclusive and inwardly distrustful as ever in his uncertainty, even he could not help but form a level of respect and attachment towards the Knave. That is because “Father” was the one who cared enough to retrieve his mother’s pendant and tell him the truth of what happened to her: That he wasn’t abandoned. She perished holding it at the very end, having chosen to face the moneylenders alone in order to protect him.
It was “Father” who changed him and his view on ‘family’, and it was “Father” who paired him up with Lyney and Lynette, giving him genuine companions for the first time ever. That is something he can be grateful for. As such, he is likely to defend Father if needed and does not wish to disappoint their expectations, despite it all. While he believes it's his own desire to protect his family and prevent misfortune from falling upon them, there is no doubt that there are traces of Father's influence there.
****(It does not, however, erase the fact that the House of the Hearth is STILL being used to indoctrinate child soldiers for the Fatui.
It does not erase the fact that the children are STILL being used, willingly or not, and weaponised. And if you are beginning to feel like Arlecchino is a good person AT ALL, then her influence is WORKING. That's what makes her a well written villain. She is able to compartmentalise well: treating the kids genuinely in a caring manner whilst still using them)
{Hey, y'all, your local fan that hasn't played a single game in her life is here to once again humbly ask the community for your assistance. And I want to go ahead and put this under a cut for some triggers, so just be sure to read the tw before you proceed.}
TW: Religion, religious trauma, Christianity, abuse mentions, religious beliefs, cult activity, indoctrination, god, worship, etc.
{Okay, so now that that's out of the way, I'm working on making a pokemon verse for my OC Haruto Abe (@falseapostle), and I've gotten his team worked out finally but realized I didn't consider a very important detail about him.}
{A very big part of Haruto's story is that he was raised in a very strict religious environment, and he was taught to serve the will of God over all things. As a result of this indoctrination, he becomes obsessed with curating his interpretation of his religion and strives to become an angel worthy of God. Ofc I am still trying to find a way to really translate the whole TWEWY concept of angels to a pokemon universe setting, but I have an even bigger problem with Haruto because it is literally like his whole identity.}
{So I don't actually know how religion is supposed to work in Pokemon or how I should paint Haruto and his behavior. I don't even know what "deity" he's supposed to be serving. I wondered if I might get everyone's help in figuring out a way to really make this work for his portrayal and translate him to the pokemon universe as smoothly as possible.}
{If it helps at all, Haruto is very closely connected to my Sanae Hanekoma (@strawberry-barista) and therefore I intend to also base him in Unova. Which, since I still haven't finished BW, I don't really know much about the lore. OTL I know the bare basics but that's it. The original dragon was suggested by a friend as being Haruto's deity of choice, but I can't find enough information on it to really craft a real uh, religion for him, I guess.}
{Any kind of information that you can give me will be super helpful, and I want to thank everyone in advance for being so patient and kind with me. ;<; }
you know, i'm looking at my life and wondering how i went from never actually having an "active faith" if you will, to continually finding myself in a panic every few months thinking i've let myself become deceived the moment i decided that yeah, i wasn't religious. it's so ingrained bc indoctrination teaches you that you can't trust yourself, no matter how rational you are. in fact, it teaches you that being logical is bad bc humans are deceitful and innately bad. but again, it doesn't matter how much i *know* that and understand how indoctrination works. i'm just so tired of feeling like this is something that i'm going to live with forever.
I can definitely relate to this and I think most other ex-religious people would as well.
Leaving a religion, no matter how invested you were in it is a big deal. It’s perfectly natural to be anxious during such a transition, especially when you were indoctrinated into it and have those deeply ingrained thought processes as a result.
For me, I had a lot of trouble in the beginning with fear. Fear of “getting it wrong”, fear of hell, fear of the unknown. It was a very difficult process of unlearning not only mentally but emotionally as well. It wasn’t easy, it took time, and I did have days where I debated going back to it.
But it does get better! The more you learn to trust yourself and process through religious trauma (should you have any), the easier it is to let go of that self doubt and fear.
I don’t know if you want advice (or if it’ll be helpful) but I found it very helpful to take time to learn about myself outside of religion.
Ask yourself:
What are you needs? Why do you think what you think? What are your values? What are your fears and why? What environments don’t promote growth for you?
And see if you can answer them outside of any religious influence, meaning you can identity reasons that aren’t hinged on “because that’s what the Bible says” or something similar.
Once you know exactly who you are as a person, it is much easier to be secure in who you are and you’re choices.
[Okay I said I would sleep but I need to write this down before it escapes me *catches thought and pins it down*]
Chaos' religion and why it prevails despite Chaos' mistreatment of basically everyone
[Tw for religious talk, Chris/tianity parallels, no offense meant by the comparison, this is more of a brief study of religion's unhealthy effects and religion as a crowd manipulation tactic. Any religion taken to the extreme has the potential to be harmful. Now enter Chaos' cult, the most messed up thing.]
I can see Chaos (as the Earl) cultivating the belief that offering one's suffering to it is holy/desirable as a way to show devotion to one's god. I'm talking about things like zealous followers refusing pain medication in grave illness because they would much rather devote their suffering to their god to show how loyal they are. How much they are willing to suffer for their deity. A deity that is openly malicious but also cultivates its own image as a benevolent ruler instead. This is seen in the show when the Earl talks about his 'perfect order and harmony'; It's clear he wants to be worshipped as a good deity. He wants people to believe he is good, loving, and that without him things would be so much worse. That all the bad things? The people earned that shit themselves. So he builds his cult on lies and manipulation and the people he did manage to brainwash (the majority of Wonderland) actually believe it, hence the Gaudium Remnant exists and wholeheartedly worships him even past his "death".
Even during the events of After, when Herba took over Gaudium as Chaos' temporary right hand while its avatar was being remade, the beast's primary strategy in taking over Earth was religious indoctrination. Chaos' "holy motif" are blue flowers. The Gardens of Salvation as a promise of delivering mortals into Paradise - Wonderland. A land that promises "salvation", but only if people exist to feed their god. The people exist for their god, as meat, as fuel, not the other way around. Chaos' flowers are a symbol of its beautiful lie.
The Earl, and by extension, Anarchy's manipulation tactics are built around guilting others into believing the torture and destruction they cause is deserved and could have been avoided:
"...I am the God of Joy and if it is freedom you so desperately sought, then freedom you shall receive. Freedom from your minds. My last incarnation was too good for you, you animals. (...) As for why I am doing this? Why, the people welcomed me. My people welcomed me when they slew he who ruled Wonderland. They welcomed me.. Anarchy. I am the God who takes the shape their followers yearn to witness."
- Anarchy in this drabble, deliberately rubbing in their role as divine punishment, as well as Chaos accomodating people's own wishes, reinforcing the belief mortals are foolish, animalistic, forever bringing calamity upon themselves of their own volition.
This tactic further leads to Chaos feeding off the confusion and doubt it seeds. It also creates an obsession with "repentance" among Chaos' followers, punishing oneself for one's mortal flaws and striving for some form of unattainable perfection. Their god has free reign to punish them as it pleases, for they are but broken mortals and deserve it. Chaos' tyranny is taken as divine and unquestionable justice instead, breeding ever more mindless self-depreciation of followers who offer up their own suffering as tribute. For example, the ill mindset of "the calamity that befell our town was just because we were sinful. Let us come together to whip ourselves in repentance"
Furthermore, Anarchy's own name is essentially a form of Chaos' joke. The people of Wonderland dared to overthrow their ruler, the Earl? Say hello to Anarchy, who is going to be much worse. See? You did it to yourselves. You welcomed the devil yourselves.
Chaos in the background: *rubbing its shitty hands together like a fly* 👁👄👁
[A concept: Betrayal is not permitted in the House of Hearth but no one said anything about keeping secrets. The only conditional thing then would be that the secret is shared between the person and Father, wouldn't it? That is a bond that ties them close and makes the child feel understood.
And if there are secrets kept /from/ father, it would require someone else who can sift out what they are, if it threatens the orphanage and the plans behind it. Who's to say they don't become part of Freminet's clean up duties?
Even if you leave, and you can, where are you going to go? Father's children are everywhere.
There is a family here. There is a castle. You have everything you'd want but there are rules to follow. Father is both kind but strict. Why would you ever want to disappoint them, even when you know you would be forgiven?
This is your home, your family. You must do what you can to protect (suffer and sacrifice for) your siblings (even if deep down you know there's something wrong). They are the only family you have left.
That's the thing about fairytales. Under all that glamour, you must never forget what the House of Hearth represents. Under all of Father's mercy, you must never forget still that their mercy does not spare you from their expectations.
The house of hearth is family. But you must never forget that they are still a place that recruits and indoctrinates children with no one to rely on to protect them into becoming part of the fatui organisation.]
{I wanted to touch on a bit of hc here as I work on developing Haruto. If it wasn’t already kind of obvious, Haruto as a character is more or less just a very religious concept? And while I won’t focus on any religion in particular I’ll admit that this mostly leans towards Christianity and its denominations. So like, just be aware of all of that as you interact and move forward with him.}
✥ Haruto and his Religion ✥
✥ Haruto has been indoctrinated into a strict religion from birth, and he was brainwashed from an early age to be loyal to this religion above everyone and everything else. He was a religious leader through his school years and when he became an adult he took a job in his place of worship. He continued to contribute and support this place of worship until the day that he died. While his death happened at a later age, Haruto did not make a lot of growth in his lifetime because of his constricting religion, and therefore he was allowed to participate in the Game.
✥ Learning that the Game existed and that Haruto could have a chance to help manage the afterlife was probably the best thing that ever happened to him. It might not have been the afterlife depicted by his religious leaders, but he wanted nothing more than to stand among the creatures of ‘heaven’ and guide souls into their proper places in the afterlife. When he played his game, Haruto failed to make any personal growth, but he did an excellent job of surviving noise attacks, and he did his best to lead his much younger partner into a win. He was happy to let them be reincarnated while he requested to become a reaper and join the ranks of the dead.
✥ As soon as Haruto became Composer and ascended to angelhood he knew he wanted to be deeper in that web of beings. Being Composer wasn’t enough for him. He ran his city under strict regulation, carrying it just the same as he had run his place of worship, and he ensured that he did everything the Higher Plane asked of him with unwavering obedience. Haruto put the Higher Plane above everything else, and to him running Shibuya was just a means to earn the favor of the higher-ups. Being promoted to Producer was his absolute dream come true, and it was the only time in his whole life that he felt truly loved, even though he was just as well aware that the Higher Plane would easily cast him off for not doing everything in his power to please them. As a human ascended to angelhood, Haruto never felt like he deserved true love from the Higher Plane. So this promotion was as close as he was ever going to get.
✥ Haruto is deeply loyal to the Higher Plane now entirely based on the indoctrination he received as a child. Had he grown up in a household that didn’t put religion and the very top of every list and become brainwashed by their ideals, he might not have turned out this way.
