can you please talk about the cult and more about Richard? I politely request more lore
(also what would it be like when an new member joins??)
I need to think about this because I have not shared more lore on da bastard
For the cult itself, I need to explain that in my Malev AU my King in Yellow is an Outer God instead of a Great Old One, because I followed his original pre-Lovecraft iterations. The TLDR is essentially he's the one that brought "death and tragedy" to Azathoth's Dream. With that being said, the cult's original function that is only privy to the High Priest is to ensure The KiY's consciousness inside reality is entertained or else he destroys Azathoth, ergo destroying reality.
The High Priest's job aside from leading the cult to do this task is to "be sane and insane" at the same time. They are painfully aware that they are feeding a divine being beyond normal comprehension but they also need to indulge in the lies The King feeds the cult. Imagine knowing you're playing a role in a school play, but you need to constantly be in character even when you're not on stage. That's more or less the feeling The High Priests of The Artists of The Yellow Sign needs to feel. (The insanity they experience from this feeds the KiY as well).
For Richard, he always seems like he enjoys his job. Well he does, he absolutely indulges in the fun his position and privilege has to offer, but he's also frustrated that he can't ever complain or even feel dissatisfied or else he might get punished by The KiY.
The next part 👇 I have not made a cohesive lore for the Malevolent Blackstone finale for my AU so I'll just explain based on the events on canon.
Now, tying it to the Malevolent Blackstone canon, when The KiY becomes better after John and Yellow/KiY combined, he finally felt relief for the first time in his life. His worship for the KiY feels more genuine because he now worships an actual wise god and he can build something new alongside the New KIY without having to keep up his facade.
NOWWWWW what happens when a new member joins
Generally, Joy gives them their standard cult attire and also several letters and special documents that only members of the cult can read via the pallid mask they are given. It's basically a schedule of sermons and meetings they are obligated to attend to, missions and responsibilities based on what position they're in, and also their amenities. The amenities Joy provides is a stable job under his company that suits the member's skills, if they want to and also health insurance since you're one of his employees now. Other than the tasks and sermons, the members are free to do whatever they want as long as they don't betray the cult.
If the members are trusted enough, they may be invited to Joy's Inner Circle. They are trusted members of the cult (outside of Joy's family) that are close with the High Priest and even knowing Richard's true identity. Usually, missions of the inner circle are given directly by The King so the downside is just you're much more observed by Hastur. The pros is The Inner Circle is a glorified private group chat because Richard craves human connection outside his family. Lmao.
I cannot tell y'all enough how both serious and unserious this bitch is
2087
baratheonpilled
blakekathryn
izzy806
germansingergirl
