Thank you. I understand that some people may actually be uncomfortable and I respect that.
Who knows, maybe you’ll like one of my next projects more.
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I get that. I’m often wary of stories where religion is a big component unless the author is actually part of the religion (or it’s a fictional one). It often ends up being fairly disrespectful in my experience and obvious that the author doesn’t fully understand the culture of the religion.
That said, the Catholic faith is one rich with symbolism, beauty, and history, all of which has the potential to profoundly enhance a story. Dracula and anything by Tim Powers I think are good examples of addressing the supernatural from a religious lens. Powers at least is Catholic, and Bram Stoker would’ve grown up in a pretty religious context (can’t recall what his personal views were though).
All that to say: I’m into the story if the religious component is done well 
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In this regard, I have a question: if the story (in addition to the stories, which will be six), focused on the parent/child relationship, considering that the parent Is a demon(I love complicated platonic parental relationships too much and it’s probably the only slightly original thing here), Would it immediately be blasphemy or does it depend on how it is made?
By the strict adherence any mention of supernatural beeings that opose God inovoke them. It can be seen as a blasphemy.
I’m not Catholic, but I’m Christian too. If you’re using Christianity’s definition of “demon”, then your very premise is already a non-sequitur. Demons can’t have physical form or procreate, they are also pure evil. They are not misunderstood or morally grey. They are just evil. Period. They are as evil as you can get. Imagine the most evil human being you can think of, demons are worse.
Demons are in hell to be punished. They are not in hell to punish humans, and they certainly are not managers of the place. They are there because they are evil and being punished just as much.
This image of misunderstood, morally grey anti-heroes is from popular culture and has nothing to do with Christian doctrine and has no basis in it.
Now it doesn’t mean you can’t write your game. You’ll just have to accept it won’t comply to christian doctrine and that it won’t be for everyone, and that’s okay.
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My vote would be to set it in a fantasy world then you can do what you want. Alternatively the parent could be demon possessed.
Whatever you do, I would recommend looking into the theology more so that your choice is well informed. This is an interesting episode on demon possession from an Eastern Orthodox perspective, which I assume is also similar to the Catholic one Monstrous Compendium - The Lord of Spirits | Ancient Faith Ministries
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I correct you, I have no intention of representing demons as antiheroes, my intention was precisely to make them pure evil.
As for the Christian part, I will still do some research on demonology and and Christianity because I want to be quite precise without any poetic license and I want to try not to offend anyone.
I’m not criticizing you, in fact you were right to point it out to me, I just explained what I would like to do. In fact, he was right to point out the worldbuilding hole that I hadn’t noticed
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Thanks, I’ll look at it. And thanks also for the idea. Just because it’s a fantasy thing (and in fact I’ll take some liberties ), I want to avoid making too many mistakes.
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Well, that would depend on exactly what tradition you follow; children of demons are an established part of Christian legend, with some accounts making King Arthur’s Merlin such a child. Meanwhile, children of humans and angels are a literal part of Biblical canon, which definitely suggests that demons (if they’re fallen angels, or at least equivalent opposites) should be able to do the same.
@Raphael_Dusk, one of the problems is that a lot of what people “know” about demons is not actually from the Bible, coming instead from deuterocanonical works like the Book of Enoch and literal fiction like Dante’s Inferno and Milton’s Paradise Lost, so even if you write something completely Biblically accurate, a lot of people – a lot of Christians – may still see it as incorrect.
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Indeed, it may be worth looking into the Nephilim/Giants (descendants of humans and demons). That podcast I referenced earlier talks about these a ton, they’re actually a very big part of Christian tradition, albeit a lesser known one these days and certainly not accepted in all Christian circles. I believe this is the episode that talks about them most explicitly A Land of Giants - The Lord of Spirits | Ancient Faith Ministries
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Yes, cambion is part of folklore, but they still have no basis in Christian doctrine, so my point stands. The interpretation of nephilins as half human and half demon is far (far!) from being a consensus, and even those who adhere to this interpretation (which I don’t, personally) do not believe they could still exist. They believe the nephilins were a big part of the reason why God brought about the flood, to kill the abominations (And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Gen 6:12) and that God has bound in hell all angels who participated in the abomination (And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling —these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. Jude 1:6).
So, my point still stands. You can’t have a modern-day story of a “nephilin” and still be compliant with Christian doctrine. Nor should you try, in my opinion, because most Christians will find it in extremely poor taste at best. Just use a vague definition of demon and don’t claim it to be the Christian definition of demon.
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I would be interested in your game. I like historical fiction and I also enjoy complicated parent-child dynamics.
As for whether or not writing about demons is blasphemy, there is no single answer that will help you avoid offending anyone. In Christianity, the basic definition of blasphemy is ‘an offense against God,’ but what that means is subject to interpretation. Christian doctrine is not monolithic, and the Biblical text is hotly debated even within major branches like Catholicism.
But you said that you’re writing a piece of historical fiction. What counts as a ‘mistake’ in that context is a question of historical accuracy, not theological truth.
What’s relevant is what the characters of ~1860s Italy would have believed about demons, exorcism, and blasphemy. What kinds of demonology would a Catholic exorcist be studying in post-Napoleon Italy? What kinds of lies might a demon tell them to break their faith?
Plus, historical Catholicism was very syncretic with local culture and traditions. So it’s quite plausible that you could find an isolated town in 1860s Italy with some unusual beliefs about demons that still considered itself practicing Catholic. You don’t need to tell the reader what they should believe about demons in real life; you just need to tell them what the characters do believe in your work of fiction.
I don’t think you’ve specifically asked for any input beyond those points, so feel free to ignore the following.
Advice, relevant but maybe unsolicited
Writing a religiously inoffensive, doctrinally sound, universally acceptable, and narratively compelling theory of demons is no longer a work of fiction, it’s a theological dissertation. That sounds like it’s outside of the scope of the project you initially described.
While it might be prudent for you as a writer to stay aware of the sheer variety of beliefs surrounding demons in the Christian faith, all your story really needs is a warning that covers Catholic exorcism and demon-possession.
You can always ask for help crafting a specific warning, and you can also refine it as you develop your project. Clearly, you care and want to be conscientious and that’s really all I think you need at this point. Once you have something specific written, then you can always ask for feedback on whether people feel your treatment of the subject was appropriately sensitive. You’ll get more concrete responses once you have something specific for people to respond to.
And if you clarify what kind of story people can expect (ie, how much is history, how much is fiction, how much is fantasy) and that the subject matter includes religion and demons, then that lets people make an informed decision about whether or not they feel comfortable engaging on their own. Some people will, some people won’t.
For me, I’d be comfortable and happy reading a story on the topics you describe. I don’t know much about Italian history in the time period you’re talking about, and I’d be excited to play through a story set there. Like I said, you clearly care about being sensitive and personally that’s all I ask of a writer.
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Hey, I am working a sci-fi story involving the main character trying to survive in an alien world. The WIP is named Crashlanded and I want to gauge the interest here.
Blurb: in the distant future, the earth becomes radioactive after an unexpected tsunami wrecks all the nuclear powerplants, rendering the whole world uninhabitable. In response to this, seven refugee ships (named Arks of Noah) are built to take humans to stars. Your ship, the First Ark, is to colonise Proxima Centauri b. However, after you woke up from your cryosleep, what welcomes you is not the promised land, but an unknown, silicon/sulfur/flourine-based planet filled with frequent electric/magnetic storms and hostile environmental conditions. Your goal is to survive (and maybe find out what happened) with the aid of a damaged ship AI and four other core crew mates.
In this game, you can:
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Play as a man, woman, or a non-binary person.
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Choose your own background- are you a former soldier, a statistician, or a business graduate?
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Explore the planet and uncover the secrets within- is this planet truly dead?
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Discover what really leads you to your predicament.
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Forge friendship with your teammate- or trust none of them.
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Decide whether to stay, to leave for your original destination, or return to earth.
The Cast:
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Dr. Parras: a biochemist who has a dangerous tendency of getting into troubles for the sake of scientific curiosity. They are originally in charge of the terra forming project, but given the current hostile environment, they are unsure whether to proceed.
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Dr. Chen: a gifted but frail individual with a bachelor in electrical engineering and a phD in artificial intelligence. Sharp-tongued and arrogant, they can be very difficult to work with.
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Major Williams: a former pilot and now the ship’s chief security officer. They are pragmatic and distrustful, always putting the welfare of the humans in the first place.
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Captain Muller-Sinclair: the prodigal son of the CEO of a megacorporation. He is young and charismatic, but almost everyone else in the core team has doubts of his competency.
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Computer: the ship’s AI. There is something wrong with it, you are certain, but you cannot turn it off considering that it has the control of the life support system. Fortunately, it has not exhibited any outward hostility yet.
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…And one more mystery character to be introduced later in the game!
This IF is heavily inspired by the Martian, the Expanse, and Space Odyssey. The demo is about 2k long as of 28/Apr, but it may take a while before going online. What you do guys think?
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The concept is good and has me interested but one thing has my mind going uhhhh. That is the tsunami and the nuclear power plants not all of them our on or even near the coasts so just how big was it what caused it and what sparked the rest to have issues or at least enough of them that much of the world wanted to leave but more importantly us as a MC.
Hope you go forward with it want to see what kind of world it all comes to be.
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Oh, because it is set the distant future, the global warming effect is very severe. The ice caps are mostly gone, causing almost all cities to be below the sea level. To survive, people build walls around their settlement, but the unexpected tsunami wrecks them all- along with the nuclear power plants (there are vastly more nuclear reactors in the future than now to satisfy humanity’s energy demand). The radioactivity is so high that people run the risk of developing new types of cancer everyday, so they decide to leave.
MC left because they are chosen to be the second-in-command of the refugee ship. They are considered lucky, because not everyone get to leave- some have no choice but stay and die.
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Had a new idea! Want to see people’s thoughts on it
A Love So Haunted
(Genres: Romance, Supernatural, Murder Mystery, Slice of Life)
You, a twenty-eight year old average paper pusher, can see dead people. They won’t leave you alone until you resolve their unfinished business with the living.
But Simeon/Simone, the hot ghost haunting your beautiful new house, doesn’t seem to need your help. Which is a relief, because you have just moved from Moorsholm, New York to Edenbrooke, South Carolina, and you plan to start fresh. Not only in your love life—by deepening your relationship with your romantic partner—but also in your professional life as well, by starting a small bed and breakfast in Edenbrooke.
However, when your partner dumps you, all your plans begin to come crashing down. Especially when, later on in the evening, they are found dead. When you end up the prime suspect of their murder, you need to figure out who killed them.
Features
- Full customization over the MC, including name, looks, independent gender and pronoun selection, skills, personality, and more.
- Design your Bed & Breakfast. Choose the food style, design the look of your inn, and determine the style of music that’s played.
- Solve a murder.
- Explore Edenbrooke.
- Try your hand at farming.
- Choose a vice or addiction.
- Find romance, create friendships, or make enemies.
- Shopping trips! Social media! A horrible ex!
Love Interests
Still in the beginning stages but I think at least five ROs, among them a detective RO, an ex, and a ghost. Which others would people like to see? I’m taking suggestions. ^^
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The idea is cute, it reminds me a lot of the BBC series Ghost. I also like the idea of the B&B.
For ROs, first consider how many you would like to put. But perhaps someone who managed an inn or a hotel while alive would be suitable
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I hope you have a very solid explanation for why the MC is the prime suspect, since it’s a long distance relationship, which looks to me they’re not even at the same state when the murder happens!
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what i envisioned was the mc’s moving to their long distance boyfriend/girlfriend’s hometown, if that makes sense. so the partner is already a resident of Edenbrooke while the mc is coming from New York to surprise them.
however, i was talking about this idea to someone, and they told me it makes more sense if they both came from New York, decided to move in a new state, and chose Edenbrooke. then, they took out a loan in mc’s name for the house. mc later gets dumped. leaving her to pay the loan by herself and try to make it on her own in a new state.
i like this idea better, but that means that I need to edit the post to reflect their no longer long distance.
anyway. i hope this resolves your concerns. thank you for your interest!
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thank you, glad you like the idea! and thank you for commenting.
i like your idea for the RO and will make a note of it. it sounds interesting.
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