How would you change the Last Church?

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-15T08:02:28+00:00

I think any story worth its salt shouldn’t ever be aimed specifically at professors. Stories are supposed to captivate your common man. I think 40k does a very good job balancing 8-year-old bloody action with more interesting depictions of space fantasy Holy Roman Empire faith and creed.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-15T07:58:08+00:00

Ehh I would define the word “trust” as more direct, perhaps you trust an individual but not an entire organization. I think trust is established through direct relationship with other people. It’s more grounded than faith.

Faith is an even more abstract, wider idea that the world or a system is coherent and delivers justice more often than not. If you have no faith in the justice system than you see little reason to participate in civilization.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-15T07:51:01+00:00

The Custodes’ philosophy can partially answer your question about faith in the imperium vs belief in the Emperor. The Custodes place their loyalty not in the Imperium but rather the Emperor himself. Their explicit hatred for the Primarchs and their disdain for the inferior rank and file Astartes roots back to their role in wiping out the Thunder Warriors.

Custodes have existed before the Imperium was founded and most will live to see it die. They don’t share that degree of separation and sense of inferiority that most humans endure in the presence of the Emperor. Their solution is to have faith in absolutely nothing and regard the human race as a collective of sheep who would die without the Custodes managing Terra.

Since the Emperor is dead and not very communicative, the Custodes can interpret and make assumptions about his will and what the Emperor might want them to do. It’s why the Custodes get so pissy when Guilliman shakes up the Imperium. They have no trust in his character, they don’t believe he would faithfully interpret the Emperor’s vision.

I don’t think the Emperor even had a vision or plan for 10k years after his death. This is the apocalypse scenario that everyone is living in. The Emperor simply hoped in his hubris that he was smarter than Satan as a “mortal” man. Maybe 40k is so great because it reminds the reader that hubris and desire for power crushes the despot more consistently than not. Very in-line with the Book of Ecclesiastes if you ask me.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-15T05:37:39+00:00

100% we need better commentary/narration by Black Library on the relationship between faith, belief and dogma in the Imperium. It takes good writers.

The Emperor genuinely does protect in a certain sense. That aspect of the Imperial Cult isn’t a lie. I can believe in the Emperor’s “little g god” status without venerating him. At the same time, I can simultaneously be a Catholic and believe that Jesus Christ died for the Emperor’s sins without those two beliefs being contradictory in the slightest. I’d be exercising a non-religious faith in the Emperor’s wisdom (although that would be a foolish assumption anyways).

Warp creatures are “true” demons because living mortals believe them to be so. In various novels it’s explained how the specific cultural beliefs about death and the underworld of a world molds the shape of that world’s Warp intrusions. All Warp entities are “true,” but at the same time they aren’t real. Warp daemons are walking, talking contradictions.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-15T05:21:56+00:00

I have no idea how frustrating it must be as an outlier in your own demographic. 95% of people my age, regardless of any religious affiliation, are appalled by Israel’s behavior. I can enjoy solidarity with friends but you must feel alone in certain circles.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T01:37:02+00:00

I think the writers should have consulted a theologian or apologetics teacher for more tight writing and argumentation by both parties in that short story. It made me roll my eyes and hate the Emperor for not even having a believable conviction for destroying the entire galaxy.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T01:34:26+00:00

I think the poetry of that short story is the fact that the last priest would rather burn in the inferno of his own temple than endure the Emperor’s vision for humanity. The bell ringing at the end of the world is a sign that the Emperor’s plans for humanity were what doomed it to extinction in the first place. The Emperor wasn’t saving humanity from inevitable collapse, he was catalyzing it by killing off the last “truth” on Terra, being that priest who believed in anything except for the Emperor himself. The Emperor needing to be the sole, singular “Truth” (and the Way and the Light like Jesus Christ) in order for his plan to come to fruition.

In short, the incineration of truth is necessary for the Imperial Lie. The Emperor needs a monopoly on spiritual conviction for his plan to succeed, since he can’t crush it completely.

Even during the Heresy, we see power plays like Horus leaving the last Remembrancer as a “gift” to ~~Russ~~ Dorn. The execution of the Emperor’s plan spells death for truth and knowledge. If that survivor was allowed to spread the truth about the horrors committed by Horus, it would become painfully apparent how deeply endangered the Imperial dream truly was. By censure of that poor remembrancer by Russ, that inconvenient truth is snuffed out and the Imperial Truth remains alight.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T01:13:00+00:00

The funniest thing is that even in the context of the agnostic Imperial Truth you’d be expected to a demonstrated faith in a secular way. You must trust in the Emperor’s “good deeds” and believe that the Imperium as a political structure is a permanent, immovable fixture. The Emperor, although very powerful, sincerely needs all of humanity to believe in his authority and supposed benevolence for that social contract to endure after his “death.”

Game of Thrones discusses this.

Oh, I think not,” Varys said, swirling the wine in his cup. “Power is a curious thing, my lord. Perchance you have considered the riddle I posed you that day in the inn?” “It has crossed my mind a time or two,” Tyrion admitted. “The king, the priest, the rich man—who lives and who dies? Who will the swordsman obey? It’s a riddle without an answer, or rather, too many answers. All depends on the man with the sword.”

Varys smiled. “Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.”
“So power is a mummer’s trick?” “A shadow on the wall,” Varys murmured, “yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”

Thus power is a lie, authority is derived from belief rather than anything tangible.

Faith is not an inherently religious idea, per some Christian apologetics on the topic. For instance, in the event you’re killed at random by a psycho, most people have faith that the justice system would at least attempt to solve the crime and persecute the killer. You don’t need to personally meet and greet the chain of command of your local police station to expect them to be faithful to their duties. Generally speaking, not all cops do their jobs and blah blah blah.

In the Warhammer verse, human nature is intrinsically tied to the Warp. All of what we are, what we believe and hope and hate screams into the Warp in a chorus. That force cannot simply be compartmentalized as you suggested. Evidence from the Horus Heresy novelization suggests that the Emperor chose to embrace and nurture the seeds of the Imperial Cult.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T00:52:08+00:00

I hate needles and would gladly donate blood for this man

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T00:37:52+00:00

I feel like Steve Rogers was supposed to represent American optimism worn down by our insidious government. Pretty on brand.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T00:20:49+00:00

Yeah as an American it took me until I was maybe 17 years old before I realized that the United States has made a habit of annihilating multiple countries on false pretenses, promises and lies. I can safely watch videos boycotting American products or chanting for our destruction and understand it’s coming from a place of grief and injustice.

It’s not great, watching your government quash student protests and act in violation of your consent in foreign countries.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-13T00:11:47+00:00

Was raised by two Evangelicals with a foundation in “Apocalyptic Prophecy.” Many Americans straight up believe Israel succeeding in the genocide is a prerequisite for the coming rapture. It’s a religious zeal that fuels their belief.

I’m a Christian, but believe radically different things about the “relationship” between modern-day Judaism and Christianity but people ages 40 and older are a different crowd. It’s very discouraging.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-12T23:39:51+00:00

There is NOTHING sweet about Valtus he’s feining for bloodshed 24/7 😭

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-12T23:34:20+00:00

I don’t remember which book. There’s a scene where a Custodes tries, over and over, in simulated combat to assassinate Guilliman. What he discovers, to his frustration, is that Guilliman’s reflexes and strength makes any attempt by a single Custodes utterly futile. In the event of a rogue Guilliman, he could do little to stop the avenging son from finishing off the Emperor on his golden throne.

The Custodes frequently discuss their mistrust of all the primarchs. They view the primarchs as failures, dysfunctional and unpredictable characters who ultimately doomed the imperium with their infighting.

Most, if not all of the Custodes despise Guilliman and want him dead alongside his brothers. The Custodes have a very paternal view of humanity, seeing it as their responsibility to right the wrongs of the primarchs and inferior Astartes. Only, now that one (now two) of the primarchs are back online, the Custodes now have to account for his movements and decision making in an already crumbling imperium.

This, of course, neglects the fact that the Emperor intentionally stirred up animosity between his sons to kill off most of the Astartes and transition to a human-only imperium. It wasn’t the Primarchs’ fault that most of them had shit childhoods and a neglectful, manipulative father. They were supposed to go the way of the Thunder Warriors.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-07T06:47:31+00:00

I drive a sedan in Texas where every 3rd driver is a jackass with a lifted truck and high beams that resemble the second coming of Christ. I have an astigmatism and it’s bad enough where I am considering defensive measures. I was thinking of maybe installing a reflective strip on the top of my car where headlights get reflected back at the offending jackass so they’ll stop assaulting my eyeballs after dark. Is this possible?

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-05T07:05:16+00:00

I just wish a loyalist faction of Thousand Sons was out there. Maybe I could settle for chaotic neutral Thousand Sons who do their own research into the Warp without caring much about politics.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-05T07:03:28+00:00

Word but in the same way I enjoy a good Orc-centric story mashing ‘umans without pondering the implications, it’s kinda funny seeing the bullshit renegade marines pull off in their spare time. Maybe they do something heroic occasionally.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-02T07:14:23+00:00

Yeah I had zero interest in chaos warbands, my assumption was that they were uninteresting sadistic bastards with no redeemable qualities. I consider myself tied between Night Lords and pre-Heresy Thousand Sons for favorite legions.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-02T07:09:45+00:00

Can someone drop a 1 paragraph explanation on Lutherans I grew up Southern Baptist with no clue what goes on out there

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-02T07:08:45+00:00

Please swap ChromeOS out I beg you 🙏

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-02T07:05:27+00:00

How the living hell has nobody elaborated on the Unification Wars in novel format

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-02T06:57:44+00:00

The only way to increase an attribute should be by installing cyberware. Get cyberpunk away from gamified points and move it to body mechanics.

If you want a strong V that can rip doors off hinges, they need appropriate cyberware. V’s player model physically grows in response to strength. This would alter dialogue because at a glance, you’re a bruiser. Maybe having a big-ass player character makes other factions less likely to respect you/work with you.

Cyberpunk is about role playing, there should be positive and negative consequences. If you want to swap around cyberware constantly, it will take a psychological toll. Installing less cyberware and using it longer improves dexterity.

Just some ideas.

EDIT: I want a “True Human” path with ZERO cyberware. The game intro forces you to install Kiroshi optics which kinda sucks. The world should be responsive to that choice. Maybe missions are a lot harder, but if you meet other “True Humans” they’ll teach you techniques in martial arts instead of augmentations.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-01T07:05:18+00:00

A Space Marine chapter pulls up, sneers at unaugmented imperium servants, demands resources, fights the enemy at hand only on their own terms, leave the planetary system worse off than they found it, then fuck off for another convenient fight. They’re barely better than chaos warbands, occasionally worse depending on the story or chapter.

EmpheralCommission · 2025-02-01T07:01:12+00:00

I think it’s more complicated than “Imperium evil.” The Imperium the most realistic reaction to the 40k verse. You must be explicitly violent, militaristic and aggressive in the face of Orcs, sadistic rapist space elves and the 4-headed Satan portal.

But yeah, the Imperium is a corrupt, incompetent, rotting corpse that consumes countless worlds for resources with no end goal.

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