#i love reading books apart from manga and ive had to put down a few because they felt like this

[hmsmilkbone]

honestly. I don't really have a lot of interest in jjk anymore, which is super frustrating as the story foundation is really interesting. I have my favorite characters, and I'm not really interested in reading beyond this point.

As a whole, I'm not a huge fan of dropping stories just because they don't go the way you want. In general I personally try not to do this, but stories where the author clearly hates the material or the audience so much they're willing to destroy the story to do so are not enjoyable. I really don't think gege even really likes writing jjk anymore.

There may be some change that I hear about months from now where something worked out one way or the other, but in general I feel like this story is not going to resolve in a way that feels like reading it was a worthwhile experience. And like, for good OR bad. Not every story has a happy ending, but this is really not particularly interesting and I don't feel the need to continue a story where the writer isn't even interested in what happens or how it advances anything outside of their personal pettiness. Feels very much like grr Martin. All the meaningless death and abuse without any real redeeming qualities.

I'm trying to remind myself that not every author wants to be a storyteller. Not every story is good. It's ok to read stories that aren't the best simply because you want to see where it goes, but gege isn't superior in some way, and i dont 'trust that he's cooking'. Even if the story turns around in an interesting or strategic way, I really am not particularly impressed. Ordinarily I would stay along for the ride, but I can't bring myself to care about something even the author doesn't care about. :/

#jjk spoilers #idk i really just dont have any expectations anymore #i love reading books apart from manga and ive had to put down a few because they felt like this #and i have almost always found that in the end my perception of the author and their story was accurate #it makes me sad seeing this unfold in this way #but the shibuya arc which is apparently the least ljked arc in the series #is stretching on forever and people arent enjoying it #anecdotally ive seen a lot of people drop the series #and eventually its just gojng to be all the grimdark losers who unironically love shit like this #it just feels very much like a story for men who hate people #it feels like all the weirdos who made the joker their personality and all the dudes who cant breathe without talking about fight club #or like.. say shit about how the liberals are ruining media like thats the kind of person i see talking about jjk most of the time now #using slurs and not even having intelligent conversations about what's happening #the conversation is usually 'sukuna mid no cap' 'are you stupid gojo is mid stop copium' #and that exchange is repeated over and over like. you have nothing else to add at this point? #i mean i know its primarily bc honestly there really isnt any depth to the story beyond that but my god #what an insufferable way to write or receive a story #and honestly!! i really dont feel like jjk fits into a kids story category at this point #so i do actually feel ljke it is reasonable to expect better writing #not that stories aimed toward kids are bad but one piece is a good example of a story geared more towards children or young adults #adults CAN enjoy it but oda intentionally does not make the story so upsetting that kids cant read it and feel reflected in the events #but jjk is very very different and i think the drop in the quality of writing is reflected in the growing toxicity of the fanbase #anyways.. if you read jjk & youre feeling upset its ok to step away and check in once a month when you can mentally / emotionally prepare #i had to enforce a no read/watch accountability pact with my friends because it was making their depression worse again #no story is worth your health. gege does not give a flying fuck about you. you need to take care of yourself. #im just enjoying my sandbox with the characters and when the story is over ill check back in #theres no right way to experience the story but if its not healthy for you #you wont miss anything by unplugging #and you may find that you really dont want to get back into it when you read it again to check on the story every once in a while #jjk 237

[wecannotgoback]

Video Games Might be a Little Satanic

Susan Brinkmann of Philadelphia’s The Bulletin would like you to know that video games are, more and more, skewing towards the satanic and are waging a war against God… or… something. According to Brinkmann, even the “hardcore” crowd is starting to become concerned by the increasing levels of anti-religious sentiment in modern video games.

Even the most hard-core gamers are sounding the alarm about the rise in the number of satanically-themed video games that target God and Christianity, invite players to make pacts with the devil, and elevate Satan to hero status.

“This has been going on for the last 10 years, but especially in the most recent games,” said Lance Christian, 32, of Alton, Illinois who has been an avid gamer for most of his life.

Basically Mr. Christian and, by extension, Mrs. Brinkmann are arguing that the video game industry has become increasingly friendly towards Mr. Beelz.

Brinkmann cites several games to support her argument (and provided by Mr. Christian), including Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Darksiders, Devil Summoner and Tecmo’s Deception: Invitation to Darkness. But the brunt of Brinkmann’s article is aimed squarely at EA’s Dante’s Inferno and it’s apparent outward showing of anti-religious sentiment. Sadly this argument falls apart when you actually look at the game and not just some questionable advertisements. Best Twitch streaming equipment.

Without getting into too much detail, Dante’s Inferno puts you in the shoes of Dante, a soldier from the Third Crusade who has embarked on a journey into the afterlife to rescue his wife from Lucifer before he can use her soul to break free from Hell and try to overthrow God and Heaven. In the process of doing this Dante must fight his way through demons of all shapes and sizes while using a big ass scythe… so in reality, it’s almost 100% faithful to the Divine Comedy if scribe Dante Alighieri had watched “What Dreams May Come”.

And dropped blotter acid.

Let’s look at Dante’s Inferno objectively for a moment. Yes, the game is very brutal and definitely deals heavily in the macabre. But once you look beyond what’s on the surface what you find is a rather righteous tale of redemption as this man travels to the furthest corners of hell in order to save the woman he loves from the devil himself and in the process protecting Heaven and possibly saving God’s ass. I don’t know about you guys, but that’s pretty damn angelic to me, regardless of the methods used.

Cultural Differences The fair majority of games listed in Brinkmann’s article are Japanese in origin. In Japan, religion is not a particularly taboo issue and many forms of Japanese media, from manga to films and games, include some form of religious or spiritual content that is used as a mechanism to further the plot. That’s it and, more often than not, that’s all. No condemnation. No outrage. Best gaming chair models for 2021.

This issue doesn’t spark until news of the ‘evil anti-Christian Satan sim’ reaches the American Bible Belt or, God forbid, the mainstream news.

You see, the United States has something of a hard on for Jesus and whenever something that dares to paint Christianity as anything but a bright white beacon of hope for all humanity, a small but loud sect of the American population cries foul. This is due in large part to two things: 1.) Ignorance of the culture the game was created in and for, and B.) Arrogance. Pure, simple arrogance. Specifically the arrogance that any mention of “God” automatically means that it’s referring to your god.

As a matter of fact, most video games are very careful to avoid mentioning any religions outright. Sometimes, as is the case with games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, elements of existing religions are used to enhance the mythos. In Oblivion, the Knights of the Nine are strikingly similar to the Knights Templar. Anyone who takes the time to read the countless books in Oblivion will find many more nods to real-world religions and beliefs worked in.

Games like Oblivion, which feature religion outright, are a rare breed. The majority of games that use religious symbolism do so in a more subtle or restrained way. Bayonetta (one of the games listed by Mrs. Brinkmann), for instance, is basically about a witch who is out to kill angels. While this works to set the story up, it doesn’t actually come up very often as you play and when it does, it’s not pushed on you very strongly. Of course, Bayonetta isn’t exactly what you would consider a serious game – most gamers were quick to realize that Bayonetta is little more than breastakaboobical, chestakamammical, pendular globular fun. Unless you actively pay attention, you won’t even notice it’s there.

The Dragon Age Effect Dragon Age: Origins is a shining example of how religion and religious belief can be conveyed in games. For those of you who have yet to play it, Dragon Age: Origins includes an religious group known as the Chantry of Andraste, which is heavily based on Christianity. Unlike games like Oblivion, which treat spirituality and religious faith as absolute fact, Dragon Age: Origins keeps the entire discussion rather. At no point during the game are you led by the narrative to believe that the story of Andraste is either right or wrong. To further gray the area of religious belief, there are several points in the game you can overhear NPCs and members of your party debating the merits of religious belief and faith.

The true beauty of how religion is portrayed within Dragon Age: Origins is that at no point during the game are you given the answers. It treats religion as a characteristic of a larger world and the overall narrative is such that depending on how one looks at it one can decide whether they were taking part in a holy war or simply defending their homeland from an invading army. The Gamer Collective’s list of best corner gaming desks.

But of course, Blankmann and Mr. Christian (who provided the list) have taken Dragon Age: Origins and boiled it down to its most base elements — and somehow still managed to get those wrong:

Game revolves around the story of God going mad and cursing the world. A witch attacks believers and players can “have sex” with her in a pagan act called “blood magic” so she can “give birth to a god.” Another scenario allows player to have sex with a demon in exchange for a boy’s soul.

I have to admit that I’ve yet to finish Dragon Age: Origins so I turned to resident Dragon Age expert, friend of Binge Gamer and all around connoisseur of awesomesauce Raychul Moore to see just how accurate the above statement was.

Suffice to say, not very NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD:

HA! That is all wrong. You have sex with a Mage so that the demon will not kill and take the soul of one of the Grey Wardens (they are the only ones that can kill the Archdemon). You never can have sex with someone to save a demon.

[Before that] a boy is possessed, but you can’t sleep with someone to save him, you have to decide whether to kill the boy or have someone go into the “Fade” to fight the demon and save the boy. “God going mad”? Yeah, they never played the game, obviously. There is no reference at all to such a thing.

…I have nothing to add, I simply wanted to clarify that Mrs. Brinkmann’s article was wrong.

The Other Extreme If games like Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne are the extreme of demonic imagery in games, the other extreme is best seen in Left Behind: Eternal Forces, a real-time strategy based on the series of books that have also spawned a series of movies starring Kirk Cameron as Himself*. The basic premise of Eternal Forces is that the world has ended and you’re on a mission to convert as many people to Christianity as possible.

And if they don’t convert, you kill them.

Apart from that Left Behind: Eternal Forces is the single most intentionally racist game I’ve ever played. Those fighting for the “Antichrist” have African and Arabic names whilst the majority of those fighting for the Lord are whiter than Ward Cleaver. Furthermore the game carries a 1950s-esque sense of gender role as many unit classes are “men only” while women must carry around arbitrary titles like “Medic Woman”.

For what its worth many Christian organizations decried the game as being the misogynistic, bigoted tripe that it was. What few of these groups realized was that the game itself also sucked, for which there is no forgiveness.

No More Backpedaling But you know what? For as much as I find Left Behind: Eternal Forces to be a vile disgrace on the video game industry, I would not call for it to be censored. I wouldn’t call for it to be pulled from store shelves, and in fact I would like to see Left Behind: Eternal Forces and other games like it sitting on store shelves right next to Devil May Cry and Shadow Hearts. As gaming grows, the industry needs more games to address these supposedly taboo topics. And when the blowback comes (and it will come), the gaming industry must stand its ground.

No more backpedaling.

Every time a group of people cry foul over the content of a particular title, the games industry goes absolutely insane. Developers and publishers have PR firms draft ultra-professional retorts to these wild-eyed complaints while game bloggers (schmucks like me) circle the wagon and say anything they can to try and discredit the source while rarely, if ever, addressing the core issue.

This needs to stop.

The video game industry, as a whole, needs to stand up and say two simple words:

So what? Until the gaming industry stops trying to apologize every time a title offends someone, that aura of “legitimacy” that so many gamers want in order for this medium to be taken seriously as an art form will continue to elude them. If you want this thirty year-old misconception that video games are strictly a children’s toy to finally be done away with, we’re going to have to own up to and defend all the content in these games instead of apologizing for it.

So as the title says: Yes, some games are satanic. Some games are sexist. Some games are racially or culturally insensitive, though rarely is it out of maliciousness. Some games have content that you or I will not agree with. But if gaming is to truly become accepted in the public consciousness as an art form and a true entertainment medium, people are simply going to have to accept that there is some content that they simply will not like. Just like they do with film and music and television.

Gaming is not just for children anymore, and to break that mindset you may have to drag a few people to that realization kicking and screaming. But before the gaming industry can do that, it has to stop being afraid of stepping on a few toes.

*Correction: Kirk Cameron’s character of Buck Williams may actually be slightly less insane than Kirk Cameron himself.

Oh, One More Thing…a lifelong gamer with intricate knowledge of several “anti-Christian,” “anti-religious” games who lives in Alton, Illinois (home to one of the oldest Catholic Churches in the United States) who just happens to be named “Lance Christian”? … something smells about that. I think Mrs. Brinkmann has been had.

#gaming #video games #satan #devil #games

[katayamoon-writes]

I've Loved You From Afar (cont.)

3:12pm

Meeting with investors at the karaoke club. Akiaya made sure that the room was booked and had an abundance of alcohol, with plenty of food. Every song that she knew each investor liked was queued for them to enjoy. She looked around to see their spirits were high. Her father who never drinks, accidentally picked up the wrong cup. Akiaya watched him put the cup to his lips. She quickly coughed; loud enough to grab his attention. Geun glanced her way, but attempted to take another drink. Akiaya started to cough uncontrollably, which garnered the investors attention along with Geun Hye. He hastily placed down the cup and ran to his daughter. "Akia you alright? Did you not eat properly?" She only nodded her head daring not to speak in front of the investors.

Once their attentions returned to the merriment she whispered to her buchin, "Papa you idiot! You almost drank sake. You know what mama says about you having alcohol." He only ruffled her hair before grabbing a different cup filled with tea. She breathed out a sigh of relief. Sipping her own cup of tea, she watched the men act like a bunch of high schoolers. As the alcohol continued to flow, the men continued to gush about their latest toys and wives. They seemed to all have forgotten her presence. Akiaya could only bury her head in her hands embarrassed by their conversation. She received a message from her mother. [Akia tell papa that he needs to be home by 6 tonight. We have plans.<3] She looked from her phone to her papa and sent back her reply with a smirk. [Aye ya Mamacita aleumdaun. I'll bop him on the head and tell him to leave. Also papa had unicorn blood today. So.. you know just saying.] She snickered just lightly when she received an angry reaction. A few moments later she heard her father's phone ringing. He looked down to see it was Kenisha <3 wifey. He hurriedly answered the call. "My lo… uh huh… yes dear." He looked over at Akiaya with narrowed eyes. She only smiled back at him. Geun Hye bowed to the investors before making his departure. Akiaya stood up and explained that her father had an urgent matter to attend at home. The men understood they all valued their wives and left as well. She was tidying up the room before the attendants came to finish. She checked her watch to see the time. She still had a few hours before she needed to be ready to meet Chun-Hei.

6:19pm

Akiaya reached her home just after traffic was dying down. She walked the two flights of steps, barefoot before reaching her apartment. Her phone rang to see it was Chun-Hei calling. Fumbling with her keys, she placed her phone between the juncture of her shoulder and ear. "Yeah, did you need me oh horrible cousin of mine?" She unlocked her door when she heard the excited squeals of Chun-Hei on the phone. "Please don't be mad. I promise you'll have lots of fun plus you'll be meeting my nae salang. Now be ready in one hour. I'll pick you up ok?" Before Akiaya could refute the new time the call ended. She sighed in exasperation over her cousin's demanding ways. An hour didn't give her much time to prepare. Quickly, she found her red short Gucci dress with leopard print trimmings that cinched her waist with a belt. Grabbing her black five inch heels with the red strip she rushed to freshen up. Pulling her hair from the confining bun, she had for work, to allow her natural wavy hair to shine. Cleaning her face she prepared it for the nighttime scene. Garnering red eye shadow and lipstick. She finished her makeup with mascara, elongating her lashes. Akiaya was dressed and ready by the time she received the call from Chun-Hei that she was downstairs.

7:25pm

Akiaya descended the stairs and rushed to hug Chun-Hei. It had been a few years since she seen her. Their family was still treated as outcasts because her father, the eldest son, decided he wanted to marry her mother, a southern African American woman who was fascinated with the Asian culture. It only improved slightly when her father bought out her traditional grandfather in his inheritance. It was quite the scandal for a few days. The news outlets couldn't believe it. A disinherited son buying out his father and removing him from the board of directors. The media was in a tizzy. She was about ten years old when she finally met her father's family, after the buy out. Her grandfather called for a sit down with them to discuss Geun Hye ruthlessness against his family. Akiaya was so happy to see them that she ran eagerly to him calling him baba. "baba, baba. It's so good to see you." She lunged at his waist nestling her head against his stomach. He took a step back to brace himself against her accelerated body weight. He grunted at the contact looking from her to his son. Eum Bing In-Su, felt his heart melt just a bit at her warm hug. He pulled her from his body and kneeled down. "I am not your baba. Baba is father in Chinese. I am your harabeoji little one. And what is your name?" She had looked up to him with bright clear eyes and a smile. "Mama and papa named me Akiaya. She said it means destined one. I think she watched too much anime and read too many manga. That's what she would read to me at night. Do you read manga?" That's when she had meet Chun-Hei. A precocious little girl that ran up to her as she had to her harabeoji and hugged her. "Cousin, cousin. You look so pretty. Harabeoji, I want hair like kai mai."

Akiaya had smiled at the memory and hugged her tighter. She ruffled her hair and kissed her cheek. "You horrid cousin! How could you get engaged before me and then not tell me? I'm inclined to disown you. What is your compensation?" Chun-Hei kissed her back on the cheek before lightly slapping her arm. "Sachon, I promise to let you eat and drink you're belly full and give you all the details of our relationship. Is that compensation enough kai mai?" Akiaya nodded her head in agreement and made her way inside of the Audi R8. She buckled herself in before turning to the driver side to ask her where they were going to go. Chun-Hei didn't look her way instead she just drove off, taking her in the direction of Club Opum. They booked the entire club, catered with tons of food. There were bottles and bottles of alcohol lined up behind the bar. The club started filling up with friends of Chun-Hei and her fiancé friends. Akiaya didn't recognize anyone.

8:45pm

The doors opened wide, the man of the hour walked in. Chun-Hei looked over to see that her fiancé was there. The sound of her heels clacking against the floor surrounded, the now quiet building. Everyone's attention turned towards the door. Akiaya eyes gleamed when she seen who her cousin wrapped her arms around. It was Victor Johnston. Her mouth dropped open and tears brimmed her eyes. She couldn't believe her eyes as she seen the man she loved in the arms of another woman; and the woman was her cousin. Akiaya looked up and away to stop the tears from falling down. She donned her best smile and walked over to them feigning happiness. She stood over to the side and cleared her throat. "Ahem, Mr. Johnston you didn't tell us you were engaged. My father would have thrown you a party as well." Victor looked at her with keen eyes then gave a smile. "Mrs. Eum I didn't expect you to be here. Do you know Chun-Hei?" Akiaya nodded her head while Chun-Hei chuckled. They both answered at the same time. "She's my sachon." They looked at each other and smiled. "Chu chu you didn't know Victor works for papa's company as the executive director?" She tsked at her cousin. "Well Victor, you must take exceptionally great care of my dear cousin. Or I'll make sure that fortune's favor gives you the worst luck ever. Your life will be a living hell." She gave him her sweetest smile even though her eyes held daggers within them. Victor looked taken aback at her sweet threat. He was dumbfounded.

Akiaya walked away keeping her emotions in check. She reached the bar and sat down. The bartender came near her and she placed her order. "Jell-O shots and keep them coming." The bartender nodded his head and brought her a row of shots. He lined up five different flavors in front of her; lime, Strawberry lemonade, blue Hawaiian, cherry bomb, and lemon drop. She downed them one after another. When she finished with those five, he gave her another set. She kept taking shot after shot until her mind became numb.

Time blurred as she continued taking shots. The bartender eventually stopped supplying her, the mind numbing alcoholic dessert. Akiaya attempted to stand up. Her legs were like jelly as she walked out towards the bathroom. She bumped into someone. Looking up she caught sight of beautiful grey eyes. She gave him a smile but it looked more like a grimace. She attempted to walk past him; only to trip over her own foot. How clumsy of her. Her body lurched forward colliding into him. The sudden movement jolted her stomach. She looked up to see beautiful gray eyes. Once she landed on top of him, Akiaya emptied the contents from her stomach onto his shirt. Soon her eyes closed as she passed out.

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