Following the Paris terrorist attacks, we posted this article called “We are in shock” (en français).
We also posted it on Facebook, in both French and English. And we got such touching and incredible replies, we wanted to share several of them with you:

→ Wendy Neeld: What you say is very, very true. Paris is the city of my heart – it’s the place where I first truly “found” myself many years ago. It will always be a place of freedom, culture, and innovation – all the things dangerous fanatics will die to stop. They’ll die to stop them because those things represent the true glory of the human spirit, the things no rules can stifle, and that horrifies them.

But I would also urge you not to feel awkward showcasing your miniatures. In these dark times, we need a way to play out our horrors, to feel empowered in the face of nightmares. We need fantasy to remind us that good does triumph over evil. Psychologists tell us we must allow our children to play out violent stories with their toys as a way of taking control of horrors that make them feel lost and helpless. Certainly, we as adults need the same. Perhaps your “little figures” can be one small spark of light in the struggle to re-take control and banish the feeling of helpless fear. heart emoticon

→ Jose Luis: I understand your sadness, not only for what happened near to you, but also for the fear that maybe your creations can influence and motivate violence. In that regard, I can assure you as a psychologist, that the human being is violent, and sometimes it’s actually fantasy and media that can be an outlet for our “dark side” and let it actually heal. Violent games dont “create” violence, violence is always there, some people play games as an outlet, and actually control the anger with them. So don’t feel bad about it, if people started to embrace their feelings and not repress them, if they played more games such as yours, instead of killing real people, the world would be a safer and better place. Dont give up smile emoticon

It’s because that we need things such the ones that you create, that grown people like us dream again, trying to support Raging Heroes because its worth it. I think grown ups dream the bigger dreams smile emoticon because they need them the most

→ Dustin T Ballard: “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.” -Sam

→ Gavin John: As someone who has seen the horrors of ISIS first hand, I am sad to hear of both the tragedy in Paris and how you feel about your part in this hobby Asharah Raging. In fact, what you do is so valuable to the free world: the free expression and creation of such amazing art form is something that is a symbol of free societies and something we should all be proud of. You create and share beautiful art pieces and have made a community a better place by doing so. While a weapon on a miniature could absolutely represent weapons used for evil, I choose to see them as representations of the weapons used by the brave men and women around the world who stand up to evil.

Miniature gaming has always been a great way for me to relax, spend time with friends, make new friends and tell great stories. What you and you team do is something you should be proud of. As in it’s very nature stands against the very violence that visited your country this week. Keep doing what you do, and hold your head high.

Lots of love from Canada!

→ Ste Chandler: All thoughts are for the people of Paris. Keep doing what you love, and what others love you for, and we can not be defeated.

→ Peter Hodgins: Our thoughts are with you in Paris. The actions of a (small) minority should not be allowed to detract from the freedom or rights of the majority. Now is the time for the world to set aside political, religious and cultural differences and to say that the acts of a misguided cult are not acceptable and we will not bow to their hateful philosophy. Our hobby brings us together irrespective of age, gender, sexual orientation or (dare I say) religous belief. And together we are horrified by what we have seen which cannot be justified from any doctrinal or philosphical view point. Long may our hobby continue to be an example of how society should behave — as an innocent, imaginative world of our own creation in which we are free to express our own creative beliefs. Good luck to all in France and those who have suffered because of the atrocities of these madmen.

→ Roy James: In the wake of this tragedy the French people returned to every day life, that is the true strength not being imprisoned by fear but living life to the full again. My heart goes out to the familes and friends lost, I know it may seem hard to continue on but you have to otherwise they win. I hope that the R@H team are all ok and your love ones, glad to see you back to work and continuing on in what I can only imagine is a diffacult and emotional time. Stay safe stay strong.

→ Stuart Baines: Please know that others around the world are shocked and horrified at what has happened and offer support in what ever way we can. Extremism in all its forms and from all religions needs to be stamped out. Let’s take all religions back to their root values of love and tolerance and stop letting people twist and interpret for their own sinister gain. We love you Paris and we stand in solidarity with all Parisians and in the hope of peace for all humanity.

→ Raymond Raymond: I see those forces of intolerance gathering on every side. Here in Kansas intolerance often comes wrapped in our flag and singing the songs I was taught in church as a child. In Russia they wear yet another disguise, and in Western Europe yet another. Those of us who stand for peace, tolerance, and freedom have to stand together no matter what our culture, our skin color, are the religion we were raised in. I’m with you guys, right to the end.

→ Jonathan Hart: Never stop creating beautiful things that make people happy. Create, create, create. It’s what you do best, it’s what we love about your amazingly talented team. Show the world that the spirit of free creative talent is alive and well in your company and that it will continue for as long as there is a community that loves it, and we do love it. Let none stand in your way.

→ Steven Farnaby: It’s important to know that what we do is pretend, with pretend guns and pretend wars, but it stays in a pretend world where everyone gets to go home to their loved ones when it’s over. We know there are no Jailbirds or Lust Elves in real life, it’s just a game like Monopoly or Chess.

What happened over the weekend was real and horrible, and people who should have gone home when it was over didn’t. But what is also real is the love we still have for one another, all around the world we stand with you.

→ Dan Sanders: Feel no compunction : all but the very deluded know the difference between fiction and fact, fantasy and reality.

→ Christopher Royles: If we stop doing the things we loved doing before – they win

→ Antonio Ocaña: Pour la liberté et l’imagination. Pour la vie et l’honneur. Force pour vous et tout le peuple française. Nous sommes tous avec vous.

→ James Jones: I collect little men and women to play war with, listen to Heavy Metal, and love horror movies. This does not make me a bad person. Only the people can choose what to do with their lives. If they want to kill, it not because little men or music dictate their actions. Keep making them. I have supported both of your Kickstarters and I will support you even now.

→ Raymond Raymond: I know I’ve already chimed in, but I have to agree about your company. Raging Heroes makes the most beautiful miniatures in the industry. The pieces you guys make are art hands down. The world has always needed art, probably now more than ever. What’s more, it’s art that draws people into a community, what could be better than that? As for the warlike nature of it, I can say for myself, the older I get the more I love this hobby and the more I hate real war. I suspect I’m not alone in that.

→ Alex Alexander: don’t let the actions of a few bad souls keep you from doing what you love and providing pieces that allow others to also enjoy doing what they too love.

→ Scott Templeman: Only by continuing to make beautiful things can defeat the darkness. Your tiny models are one of the beautiful things. They explore conflict in many ways. Exploration itself is good and necessary even when, and maybe even especially when, the topics are hard ones. Keep telling stories, keep exploring, and never feel bad about the things you create because they ae amazing and important in ways that might not be immediately obvious.

→ Chaoswulfen (on our website)
Please do not feel strange about selling your beautiful tabletop miniatures. You and your ladies are part of a hobby, that brings a lot of people together.

I have played against and with people from a lot of different countries and cultures. It never mattered were you or they came from. American, Arabian, Asian, European, never mattered. Even the age or the language was never a big problem. All we wanted was to have some fun playing a (tabletop) game, explore different tactics and enjoying the store the game wrote.

→ Aulne Le Verménarque Abeille: Merci pour les histoires que vous nous permettez de conter avec vos “petites heroïnes”. Ce sont les petites joies qui nous permettront de vaincre la peur.

→ Marie-Joëlle van Gaver : Votre statut est très touchant, et votre image de notre pays est aussi fantastique que les visuels que vous nous offrez avec vos figurines…
Continuez de remplir nos tables de jeux de merveilles, et continuez de vivre, de jouer, d’écouter de la musique, et de boire un coup en racontant vos exploits!

→ Klav Lili: C’est justement parce que vous faites des héroïnes, des femmes libres qui prennent les armes, que vous pouvez être fiers de ce que vous faites smile emoticon
Ok certaines d’entre elles ont un sacré grain, mais on leur pardonne parce qu’elles ont tellement la classe ! wink emoticon
Croyez pas un seul instant que ce que vous faites est mal, vous vendez de la joie de se retrouver entre amis pour une partie, de la matière parfaite pour laisser éclater la créativité des artistes en herbe …
Bref, changez rien grin emoticon
Ha si !
Respirez un bon coup, souriez, soyez fiers … vous le méritez smile emoticon
Lionel

→ Jukz L’égaré: on sait faire la part des choses. La grande majorité des gens savent faire ça… Donc oui on peint avec amour des Iron Empire aux gros flingues, pour autant on prône pas l’apologie de la violence et de l’horreur…
Je crois qu’on commence à apprendre vers 5 ans, un truc du genre, la distanciation, le raisonnement… L’empathie, aussi. bref, des choses qu’il faut absolument continuer de cultiver ^^ keep going with your dream stuff !