please explain your weird obsession with religious characters, neo
26/03/2024
this is mostly a reproduction of a tumblr post!
after seeing dune part two twice (three after writing the original post) in the cinema, i was compelled to lay out exactly what it is that attracts me to characters and settings with a strong religious motif, even though i am not religious and these tastes do not in any way represent my personal values.
so here is a list of religion/cult-related tropes that will 100% of the time make me insane over a character or setting. it's not mandatory that all of them apply at once, any linear combination is guaranteed to be neocore.
- there exists an organisation, formal or not, that falls in a spectrum of extreme religion ↔ doomsday cult.
- a character or group of characters, who may be protags, antags or side charas, is a follower or leader of such movement.
- they may become a leader willingly or not, but bonus points if they embrace it. they may be a messianic figure themself, have a god complex, or be a spokesperson serving the center of the religion/cult.
- they may be a zealot who genuinely believes in the cause or they may have been manipulated into it.
- they may be a charismatic leader with many fervent followers who worship them or they may turn innocents into mindless followers.
- they may have a masochistic and self-destructive sense of servitude, or they may sacrifice others in the name of the religion or cult.
- the religion or cult may have a genuine figure of worship or it may be manufactured by its leaders. or the figure may be real, but has been twisted by its leaders.
- the character in question may come to eliminate the figures in power, either to ascend instead or to cleanse the religion of corruption, holding onto their faith as something benign.
- they may be a spiritual leader, a fighter or both (a champion).
- the religion or cult may use psychotropic drugs in their rituals, to make people vulnerable to submission or to create a feeling of connection to the figure of worship.
- the organisation has a strong aesthetic, usually catholic-inspired. it may also have a medieval-esque power dynamic between figure of worship, leaders and followers (pledging of loyalty, kissing of symbols or feet, honorifics etc).
- the character in question may have to challenge their faith to do something heroic, having to question their whole worldview.
- the religion or cult is usually conducting a "holy war" in order to bring about doomsday or purge their enemies. the character in question may be supportive of this war.
with the exception of one number in the above list, all of them fit muaddib, and that's why he is my newest favourite boy. i had begun to write down precisely how he fits each point but in the end it's unnecessary.
i did watch Part Two again, a third time, likely the film i've seen the most in theatres. i do like paul at the beginning, but it's after he decides to go south, drinks the water of life and fully embraces the dark path of becoming the messiah, that he really has become one of my faves.
his arrival is absolute cinema and his speech in the council scene will be permanently etched in my brain, what a performance. when he rallies the army with "long live the fighters!", and when he barges into the place where the emperor and baron are, face fully covered save for his eyes and when, all bloodied up after defeating feyd, he orders the emperor to submit... wow. he is so commanding and intimidating! yes i know, "beware of charismaric leaders". no i don't care. i would give my life for him.
i think if this story didn't have this much of a religious theme it wouldn't have gripped me this tightly. i love the power dynamics that religion brings to a narrative.
also i think it's based of denis to have drawn inspiration from QC's history of oppression by the church to tell this story. considering my connection to QC, i see a neat coincidence in this being my newest obsession.