Noelle

I wanted to get this done for Oblivion's birthday (March 20th), but better late than never! Happy Birthday Oblivion!

Song: Up the Wolves by The Mountain Goats

YT upload

Some still art under the cut

i left Christianity some 8 years ago now because i felt that being a fundamentalist was the only true way to be a Christian (due to being raised fundamentalist) and obviously fundie doctrines did not align with my queer, leftist, progressive self which i was just growing into at that time. but, as i've said countless times to my irl friends, losing my faith was capital B Bad for my mental health.

now, i'm not saying that it would've been so much better for me down the line if i had kept being this restrictive, conservative Christian. but the way i lost my faith, the manner of it, completely stripping back and going from absolutely believing in God to being atheist, shook my world.

there's something being Christian or belonging to any religion for that matter, does for you. it can give you this sense of connection to a bigger meaning, like the things you do matter, you matter. for me, it was an anchor. i was certainly already mentally ill, perhaps from my early childhood. but being religious gave me the strength to keep things together. i was a soldier for Christ, using prayer as therapeutic self-expression and a means of catharsis. i managed to hold it all together because i felt held. Being Christian made me feel like i was sitting right there in the palm of God's hand, and i truly believed that because of that, ultimately, everything will be okay.

i'm still in the process of finding my way back to Christianity. trying to find the theology that feels less like the trauma of fundamentalism and more like home. the reason i decided to even make this journey is (and this may be considered blasphemy by some), i do believe that religion is the opiate of the masses, at least in a sense. no, i'm not saying we should let religion keep us from class consciousness. what i mean is just as opiates can be part of useful and necessary medical therapy, religion is a great way to feel more connected with the world if you tend to curve in on yourself.

religion, any religion, is optional. i do not believe you need to be Christian to be a good person, i'm going to go out on a limb and say most queer/progressive Christians don't believe this. i only know that personally, i need Christ. i've needed him since the day i was born. and being far from him fucked with my soul, and i don't want to reexperience that.

Anyways: some folks who express their dislike for Z Bardock seems to be confusing "character as a narrative device" with "character as a person" when they talk about why they don't like him when what Z Bardock as a person is the whole point of his character. He's an average Saiyan (or at least how writers at Toei at the time portray the race as a whole) tragically walking to his doom with his only solace being that his son will grow up to face his killer. Those detractors don't get that Z Bardock to his fans is considered a stand out for being an absolute asshole.

order ⬇️here⬇️ :3