#laterano

[kharla-k]

Organized Religion and Faith in Arknights

After the third act of the Kjerag and Laterano sagas, it seems as though Arknights does not have much (any) positive to say about organized religion. Any and all positives from it are hardly about the belief or faith in the divine; instead being rooted in human spirit and camaraderie. Having faith in others; believing and relying on people. Faith can bring out the best in people, and that is its quality; inciting that which already exists, the good people are already capable of.

Guide Ahead's antagonist Andoain is broken by hearing his state's refusal to support the Iberian faithful in their dire straits; the need for help is irrelevant because of the victim's ethnicities. The crisis of faith is an awakening for him, a moment of realization rather than just despair and creation of a villain. GA-8:

Mostima falls saving Lemuen from Andoain, a pure act of defense and is punished for it. When Andoain fires on the Pope and is fired back upon, neither fall. It wouldn't be hard to interpret that as Law, religion, being judicial, protecting those in power and giving them special treatment rather than helping or understanding a situation like Mostima's. GA-7:

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Hortus De Escapismo features a town struggling to survive, Sankta and Sarkaz working together to resolve low food and supplies. I believe this is more about understanding than necessarily religion, but even it is not subtle. As soon as Laterano becomes involved, the situation quickly deteriorates and very nearly becomes a bloodbath. All of the people here could be assisted, fed and cared for, but dogma states that some simply do not deserve. That even if some disagree, they will still accept that broken stance. HE-5:

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The Masses' Travels opens with a look back in time where it is proven praying has no apparent physical effect. The focus is instead emphasized that it is about wishing others well, having them in your mind. A divinity is more a circumstance to invite this expression of empathy, not the reason for it. MT-ST-1:

MT-10:

However, instead of understanding this lesson it ends with the country and religion utterly failing to empathize, nearly resulting in atrocity. You are not a part of us and do not deserve respect, so we will make you part of us and you will earn respect. MT-7:

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Break the Ice has my most hated character in the game, the Vine Bead Court Elder, poisoning others for their political opinions, ones that would weaken the Court's power. Instead of descalation or mediating the situation between the three major clans, as is their purpose and authority, they tamper and make it spiral further. BI-6:

They regularly detest the Silverash clan for the progress and innovation they bring to Kjerag, but undoubtedly also due to the risk this presents to their stranglehold on the country. God I hate the Great Elder.

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Retracing Our Steps 1101 is all about the Vine Bead Court feeding Kjerag to Victoria in a bid for power, led by a man who explicitly did not believe or have faith. He repeatedly built up a lie, killed and deceived to maintain it, rather than help those around him, rather than have faith that they would remain steadfast. OS-ST-3:

OS-10:

Would-be saintesses are forced into a one way climb, freezing to death one after another chasing for a concept even as they would have been able to help their families. The Goddess herself is even horrified by this. OS-10:

Pramanix's punishment for the clerics led astray was to live and participate in the work of the common man. To assist them while considering how to better apply Kjeragandr's tenants. Not to reaffirm their faith, but to better understand it so that they may better help one another. OS-ST-4:

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The seaborn saga is less focused upon itself religion as a core element, but even the Cult of the Deep and the Seaborn in general demonstrate its problems. Their bishops summon the apocalypse and turn people into fish, but they do this because they know what's best for you; so join, assimilate, abandon your individuality, and survive in this lessened state. Masses' Travels is practically identical in its messaging.

In Exodus Across the Pale Sea Anastasio is crazy and kills people who would readily join the town, destroying resources and lives for their supposed 'sin.' A vague, irrelevant notion, while Silver tries his best to actually help the ailing town. As this excellent post makes clear, despite Anastasio being the more 'devout' and 'righteous,' he completely lacks actual, meaningful faith.

Raisengen's post about the Yurodstvo highlights it as a weaponized personification of all of these vile effects of organized religion.

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To me, these points are hammered home again and again that faith and belief belong to your family, friends and neighbors. Microcosms and examples of these themes are everywhere.

Degenbrecher and Gnosis repeated trust Enciodes, following his plans and barely scraping by each time. With how little explanation he gives it starts practically becoming faith. Gnosis fumbles Monch because he didn't believe in or trust her.

The Londinium saga has a huge element devoted to the civilians rising up and saving themselves rather than waiting for a greater power; represented with the absent dukes all busy vying for their own ambitions. The Exemplars storm and retake Londinium themselves.

The greatest tragedy of the game fits exactly into this archetype! Oracle believes more in the grand plan of Originium, and betrays Theresa! They could have had faith in her, likely won the Kazdel civil war, but chose a far away notion ordained by Priestess. Priestess, of course, being a character referred to as the Creator, Theresa as Prometheus who stole fire from God.

I would argue even on a meta level nearly every single level you play in the game is operators choosing to trust the Doctor with their positions and tactics. Even if you're bad at the game, you can trust a stronger unit to carry you through, or trust another person's guide.

The characters in this game's grand story are always rewarded for trusting in their relationships and allies, and always punished for ignoring or burning them. Arknights has elements of this idea baked into many of its foundations and it often takes center stage.

[sleepyminty]

‘’I cast thee 9mm’’

[mmica442]

they can't keep dropping fede with the kids on me like this https://twitter.com/ArknightsEN/status/1979744322783482012

[sunder-the-gold]

Lateran Liberi don't feel lesser than Sankta

You are getting the wrong idea from Patia, who was born and raised in Iberia. She does not reflect the feelings of Lateran-born Liberi, which is why Fiammetta does not understand her.

(The latest trailer for Laterano shows a racially-diverse children's school where the students all wear the same uniform, they sit among each other without segregation, and they're all equally cheerful.)

Iberians practice the Lateran religion but most of them never see Sankta or the city of Laterano. Iberians form exaggerated visions of what the city and its angels are like.

Patia immigrated to Laterano as if she thought she was ascending to heaven to become one of God's angels.

She's not even quoting passages from scripture that say such a thing is possible. This is entirely an idea cooked up by Iberians, not Laterans.

When she gets to Laterano, she learns that most Sankta are just really human goofballs. Goofballs who have no idea how to give new immigrants halos or the ability to use Patron Firearms.

And the most serious and knowledgeable Sankta are really uncomfortable about the subject of what makes the Sankta special, because the Sanktae's secret origin as "Sarkaz transformed by a machine" is always threatening to turn the world against them and plunge the angels back into the endless cycle of hatred and violence that plagues the Sarkaz.

"Sorry not sorry, but we don't want to talk about (or even KNOW, for most of us) why we can't make you an angel because we really don't want to become demons again. Please just enjoy the paradise we've built for ourselves from our blood, sweat, and tears."

[ghostoflamplight]

Hear me out and tell me if you see the vision. Basketball themed skin line. Fuck it, Basketball themed event as the new Law creates an offshoot of the [DEBATE] system/simulation to allow people to settle arguments on the court. Oren fields a team and the Doctor has to assemble a team to take them on. Ambriel is drafted. She's got no hustle, always walking around the court. Everyone thinks the Doctor is throwing for having picked her. But the moment she gets the ball she can shoot the cleanest 3's you've ever seen from anywhere on the court. When forced to put in a tiny bit of effort she goes for a jumpshot where he wings appear for a brief moment at the apex of it.

[eidolonlathi]

So the Law just... sacrificed itself to give the Sankta a chance to live and keep their humanity admist the preset fate of all life on Terra getting assimilated into the stasis of originium. And then, against all odds, the Law returned from its "certain" end to be with the Sankta once again.

Interesting. How many days took it for the law to rise? Three?

[lauren-ce]

I wasn't gonna post this here, but the Twitter version got flagged because I used the words that Nazis find Big and Scary

Laterano is an openly racist and exclusionary ethno-state; it makes perfect sense that they'd hate Exusiai for being even the slightest bit different. Hell, Sarkaz get attacked in the streets (if they're even let in), which also informs how Mostima gets treated. After her fall, she's assigned a non-Sankta overseer and is placed under surveillance. It's literally a dehumanization!

It emphasizes that being "Sankta" is not only about having wings and a halo, but more importantly about what you don't have. In the eyes of Laterano and the Law by which it operates, a Sankta is:

1) Connected to the Sankta empathy

2) Not Sarkaz

3) In possession of wings/halo

Lemuel is not fallen despite her failing criteria 1, which explains why so many people alienated her. She's less Sankta in their eyes than they themselves are.

I do wonder if we'll see Laterano attitudes toward Mostima change now that Cecelia was able to ring the bell at the top of the Tower of Revelations. But I doubt it, since the pope is perfectly willing to blame the Law for Laterano's policies without actually acknowledging that the Law doesn't create policy—it merely suggests it by preventing the birth of interracial children and dehumanizing Sankta that fire upon other Sankta regardless of reason.

(Don't forget, Cecelia was forced to flee at the end of Guide Ahead, despite the pope personally giving her citizenship.)

The Law isn't blind to its own attitude either: in Guide Ahead, the Law doesn't make Andoain fall when he fires on the pope. "Yeah we racist, but Sankta first!" says the Law.

"Sankta first" is the modus operandi of Laterano—everyone, up to and including the Law, know it and live it. The Law paves the path for Laterano's racism, but it's the Lateran people that enforce it.

(I haven't read Hortus yet, so this post isn't informed by anything that may or may not have been presented there)

[saltymeat]

some new Arknights fanmerch preorders will open soon!