#delusions to subsist on

[rangedreign]

i've chosen to interpret this as a dorn il khan reference

[sepublic]

Speaking of; The Owl House's pitch bible got leaked as well! So while I look for the rest of it, let’s examine some interesting tidbits I found on Proto-Belos, or 'Obron' as he was once known, and William AKA Proto-Hunter!

Can I just say, I'm quite smug to know that Belos resurrecting the Titan as his endgame was always the original plan? I called it from the start! It was also kinda obvious, but c'mon. The Bionicle fan in me was obsessed.

I'm not surprised about the mentions of Pupa, or the name Obron or even the appearance; We've actually seen all of this before! But what does make me curious is the mention of two other councilors... So there's supposed to be a trio? Again, I always bring up the three statue motif in my speculation about the original plans of the show, I wonder if there's any connection there. Would Kikimora have been one of the other councilors, and who would've been the third? And it seems the coven system was always a thing, early on at least.

Yeah, the mention of '500 years' and the connection to William, etc. Even as Obron he was supposed to have been a human witch hunter turned actual witch. Comparing this to the pilot we got, it may not be Obron that the characters are referring to, since he's not the Emperor. But maybe he declared himself Emperor since he was basically the only one in charge by that point.

Makes me wonder if he hates humans under the delusion of 'I hate modern humans'. He hates what humanity has become and he's taking out his anger on modern humans; We also know the main reason he wants Luz in the pilot, to awaken the Titan. I presume Obron preserved William in stasis and hid him away, only for Luz to wake him up earlier than intended. I can imagine the scene/episode where Obron realizes William has been awake and roaming about for a while now...

There's the confirmation that Prince William and Hunter are the same character, or were. As I guessed, his witch-hunting tendencies would've been established early on as a strange gag, a quirk, only to become so much more darkly significant. I wonder if in this draft, Obron's past as a witch hunter also has relevance; Does he think he's 'saving' humanity by using the Titan to conquer both worlds, wiping out the denizens of one? Also him being a feral kid subsisting off of food given to him by friends is such Labyrinth Runners vibes. Was William always going to have his dynamic with Willow, given Luz plays a bigger role in him opening his mind?

Given we had a 'proof of concept' animation leaked a while back, I wonder if that was an even earlier draft to the pitch bible, given William is PRINCE William. Maybe he's meant to be an actual European human, because European bigotry towards witches existed back then I think, even if it wasn't as pronounced. And Obron does bear a resemblance to one of the Proto-Belos designs, though I'm not sure which came first.

…Huh. Would William have been Obron’s nephew or. God. Would he have been his brother. And while William never grew up because magical stasis, Obron did and now sees his brother be the exact same but also change. Man. And William just has to reconcile, when he gets his memories back, the jump from his brother, a kid like him, to Obron. So we still got the desperate attempt to preserve his brother, only for his brother/Hunter to ‘betray’ him.

[machineheraldbabe]

as is our tradition, we must gather round, join hands, and manifest viktor's return.

times are tough, viktor nation. we have been scorned by the purple heart and then the trailer. but we have 3 final chances: another poster reveal, geeked week's sneak preview, and, if all else fails, the final trailer.

viktor nation thrives on delusion. we subsist on misguided hope. but we are eternal. we will win.

[thecreaturecodex]

Briarpatch

"Rose" © Sandra Duchiewicz, accessed at her deviantArt here

[It's been a long while since I posted a unique monster intended for the Age of Monsters campaign. And clearly there's still interest--my precis for that campaign, and the article about how the Mythos deities fit into it, are still getting likes.

Briarpatch is a character whose seeds (hah) have been planted in several other entries, such as Dr. Shiny and the Vermilion Mother. My inspirations came from all over the place. The sexy, spooky plant girl art of Sandra Duchiewicz was always something I wanted to incorporate. There's a growing idea in ecological and archeological circles that plants domesticated humans as much as the other way around. And I wanted to make a version of Poison Ivy who is genuinely evil.]

Briarpatch CR 27 NE Plant

This woman is beautiful, but alien, with chlorotic skin like the surface of a diseased leaf, and flower petals in place of hair. A collar of brambles grows from her neck and extends into long, thorny vines. She has piercing yellow eyes and an appraising expression.

The Elder Goddess Shub-Nugganoth has many epithets, but her most famous is “Black Goat with a Thousand Young”. In truth, her spawn number far more than one thousand. The creatures known simply as dark young are the most common of her progeny, but unique individuals are her offspring as well. One of these is Briarpatch, a green woman laden with occult intelligence and a profound disgust for urbanization. It is Briarpatch’s goal to see cities crumble and mortal civilizations reduced to decentralized subsistence farming once more, and she is going to use plants as her tools to achieve this.

Unlike many evil creatures of a druidic nature, Briarpatch does not disdain farming. Far from it; she believes humanity exists to serve plants, and that by distancing themselves from the soil, they have betrayed their roots. As such, she both exalts farming and farmers while simultaneously using domestic plants as weapons. Sometimes this is as elaborate as encouraging farmers to plant crops that will use more water and resources than the environment can support, forcing governments into subsidies and increasingly desperate acts to avoid famine. Sometimes this is as simple as distributing seeds of man-eating plants mixed in with garden plants or birdseed. Briarpatch’s cult includes a number of neutral farm-folk, who see her as salvation to their local communities, even as the nation-states that collect their taxes suffer as a body with a parasite does. Her cult often refers to her as the Pale Lady, especially among outsiders.

Briarpatch’s domain is the Forest of Veils in eastern Ustalav, and she communes and coordinates with the mythos horrors that live there. She is allied with the Vermillion Mother and Diceid as a coven of divinities obsessed with invasive species and reshaping ecosystems. She and the Vermillion Mother have a sexual relationship, and treat Diceid as something like a nephew or son. Briarpatch has an entitled personality and considers herself Shub-Nugganoth’s favorite child. She is convinced that if she does enough to deform society in the Inner Sea region, her mother will favor her with a promotion and transform her into an emissary Great Old One, similar to the relationship between Yog Sothoth and Tamir at’umr. Whether this ambition is achievable or is merely one of the Pale Lady’s delusions is hard to say.

Briarpatch rarely participates directly in combat, but when she does, she is a terror to behold. Due to her occult origins, she has access to a wider array of spells than a typical green man. She uses these to inflict overwhelming euphoria or grotesque physical transformations. Sometimes both simultaneously. If she actually wants to kill, rather than toy with her victims, she combines powerful area of effect spells with her tendrils and thorns. Briarpatch is acutely aware that she can still be slain permanently, and will retreat from a battle that turns against her to recuperate and plan revenge.

Briarpatch CR 27 Variant eruphyte green man XP 3,276,800 NE Medium plant (augmented, shapechanger) Init +16; Senses darkvision 60 ft., greensight 60 ft., lifesense 60 ft, low-light vision, Perception +30, thoughtsense 60 ft.

Defense AC 54, touch 36, flat-footed 41 (+12 Dex, +1 dodge, +13 insight, +12 natural, +6 armor) hp 663 (34d8+510); regeneration 20 (deific or mythic) Fort +34, Ref +23, Will +24 Defensive Abilities wilderness insight; DR 15/epic and slashing; Immune ability damage, ability drain, daze, electricity, petrification, plant traits, stagger; SR 37 Offense Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft. Melee 2 slams +46 (1d8+21/19–20 plus 1d6 acid and absorb magic), 6 vines +46 (2d6+21 plus grab) Ranged 6 thorns +41 (2d6+21/19-20) Space 5 ft., Reach 5 ft. (30 ft. with vines) Special Attacks absorb magic, constrict (2d6+15), grab (Colossal), thoughtspear (17d8, DC 39) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 26th; concentration +37) Constant—pass without trace, speak with plants At will—plant growth, transport via plants 3/day—summon plants 1/day—awaken Druid Spells Prepared (CL 20th; concentration +33) 9th—antipathy (DC 32), extended control plants (DC 32), foresight, greater siege of trees, rival’s weald (DC 33), telekinetic storm (DC 32) 8th—euphoric tranquility (DC 31), horrid wilting (DC 31), mass cure serious wounds, stormbolts (DC 31), sunburst (DC 31) , vinetrap (DC 31) 7th—quickened cure moderate wounds, heal (DC 30), greater scrying, transmute metal to wood, waves of ecstasy (DC 30), waves of exhaustion 6th—antilife shell, greater dispel magic, green caress (x2, DC 30), mass inflict pain (DC 29), primal regression (DC 29) 5th—baleful polymorph (DC 29), cure critical wounds (DC 28), death ward, quickened ray of enfeeblement (DC 24), synapse overload (DC 28), extended thorn body, wall of thorns 4th—arboreal hammer, command plants (DC 27), confusion (DC 27), dispel magic, explosion of rot (DC 27), freedom of movement, strong jaw 3rd—cure moderate wounds (DC 26), excruciating deformation (DC 27), protection from energy, quench (DC 26), spike growth (DC 26), thorny entanglement (DC 27), vampiric touch 2nd—alter self, barkskin, fog cloud, harvest season, resist energy, warp wood (DC 26), wilderness soldiers 1st—cure light wounds (DC 24), entangle (2, DC 25), faerie fire, longstrider, snowball (x2), touch of the sea 0—create water, detect magic, guidance, light

Statistics Str 44, Dex 35, Con 40, Int 35, Wis 36, Cha 33 Base Atk +25; CMB +42 (+46 grapple, +44 sunder); CMD 85 (87 vs. sunder) Feats Combat Reflexes, Craft Staff, Craft Wondrous Item, Defensive Combat Training, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Extend Spell, Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Psychic Sensitivity (B), Quicken Spell, Spell Focus (transmutation), Spell Penetration, Stand Still Skills Acrobatics +44 (+48 jumping), Appraise +26, Bluff +40, Climb +54, Disguise +40, Diplomacy +40, Fly +30, Intimidate +43, Knowledge (arcana) +46, Knowledge (geography, history, religion) +41, Knowledge (nature) +46, Linguistics +19, Perception +30, Sense Motive +42, Spellcraft +46, Stealth +44, Survival +42, Swim +35, Use Magic Device +44 Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Common, Daemonic, Druidic, Infernal, Mi-Go, Sylvan, Zern, telepathy 100 ft.; speak with plants SQ bardic knowledge +29, change shape (Colossal or smaller tree [tree shape]), deific, green empathy +45, occult gifts

Ecology Environment any forests Organization unique Treasure staff of heaven and earth, belt of physical perfection +4, headband of mental superiority +4 (Knowledge [arcana], Use Magic Device], amulet of mighty fists +4, wings of flying, bracers of armor +6, ring of the ecclesiarch, ring of mind shielding, rod of empowered spell (normal), deliquescent gloves, 11,000 gp worth of material components and miscellaneous treasure

Special Abilities Absorb Magic (Ex) When Briarpatch strikes a creature with her slam attack, she immediately attempts to absorb one magical effect from the target. Treat this as a targeted dispel magic (CL 20th), with Briarpatch preferring to target effects that prevent his vines’ grapple attempts, like freedom of movement. When Briarpatch absorbs magic in this way, she regains a number of hit points equal to double the level of the spell effect she absorbed. Deific Briarpatch grants divine spells to worshipers. This does not require any specific action on her behalf. Briarpatch grants access to the domains of Evil, Plant, Strength, and Weather and to the subdomains of Decay, Growth, Resolve, and Seasons. Her favored weapon is the sickle. If a druid worshiping Briarpatch chooses to take a domain, the druid must choose the Plant domain, regardless of alignment. Her holy symbol is that of a feminine face made of leaves and rose petals, facing to the left. Green Empathy (Ex) This ability functions as the druid’s wild empathy, save that the green man can only use this ability on plant creatures. A green man’s green empathy check bonus is equal to his HD plus his Charisma modifier (+43 for the typical green man). Occult Gifts (Ex) As the daughter of Shub Nugganoth, Briarpatch has abilities of an occult nature, and blurs the line between plant and aberration. She has the class skills of an aberration, although her total skill ranks are still those of a plant. He gains Psychic Sensitivity as a bonus feat, and adds psychic spells from the Abomination, Pain and Psychedelia psychic disciplines to the list of druid spells she can prepare. Lastly, she gains the benefits of her wilderness insight ability in any environment not subject to a dimensional lock effect, as alien spirits whisper these insights to her as much as natural plant life. In exchange, Briarpatch does not have the green caress aura of a typical green man. Spells Briarpatch can cast spells as a level 20 druid. She does not gain a domain, or other druid abilities such as an animal companion, unless she takes levels in the druid class. Summon Plants (Sp) Three times per day as a swift action, Briarpatch can summon any combination of plant creatures whose total combined CR is 20 or lower. This otherwise works like the summon universal monster rule with a 100% chance of success and counts as a 9th-level spell effect. Thorns (Su) Briarpatch’s thorns are ranged touch attacks with a range increment of 120 feet. A creature damaged by her thorn moves at half speed and can’t take 5-foot steps, fly, or use air walk, either naturally or magically, until the target or another creature pulls out the thorn as a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Thoughtspear (Su) Once per hour as a standard action, Briarpatch can direct a blast of disorienting mental energy at a creature within 120 feet. This attack deals 17d8 points of damage, and the target cannot attempt Knowledge skill checks for 1 minute afterwards. A target that succeeds a DC 39 Will save reduces the damage by half and negates the skill disruption. This is a mind-affecting effect and the save DC is Intelligence based. Vines (Ex) Briarpatch can extend up to six thorny vines from her body to attack foes. These act as primary natural melee attacks that deal bludgeoning and piercing damage and have a reach of 30 feet. Wilderness Insight (Ex) Briarpatch gains an insight bonus to her AC and CMD equal to her Wisdom bonus.

[committingwarcr1mes]

unpopular opinion, but I really do like viserys iii. as much as i love daenerys, i also just cannot hate him, cause, you know, i understand perfectly both of them. they both are traumatized homeless orphan kids — they just deal with it differently.

just imagine that viserys always had to think how to subsist himself and dany, had to sell their mother's crown in order to have some money, like it probably was the most valuable thing in the world for him. In addition to that he had to think of how get back the iron throne, his legacy, and all these while remembering what was done to his family. he left with nothing, only with a little sister whom he had to take care of. so of course he became cruel, grumpy and paranoid.

he always had to humiliate himself to get food and roof over their heads, people mockingly called him the "beggar king", so maybe he was so harsh, severe and pressing towards dany just to feel authoritative and less pathetic at least for a moment. and of course he could not forgive her their mother's death. i know it wasn't dany's fault that rhaella died, but try to think of it from viserys' position, he left with mother only, and then she passed away cause she gave a birth to daenerys. it's a huge trauma for a kid, for whom mother was probably the only good thing left, and now he lost her too.

viserys was foolish for thinking that people in the 7k are waiting for him, that's true, but maybe this delusion, this selfdeception was the last thing for him to not fall into total despair. he needed some hope to think that there's a future for him and dany, that one day all these horrors will end, that they will return home and their family will be avenged.

i'm not trying to excuse him, i just want to figure out what made him act this way, so you stop think of him as just a dumb crazy villain boy who enjoys abusing his sister.

i feel so sorry for him.

[brainrot-radio]

LISTEN OKAY strahmheight is special to me. just because i feel if they had ever met they’d have that sort of dad-and-the-cat-he-said-he-didn’t-want dynamic. i subsist off of alternative universes and a vision. special agent peter strahm and his weird pet stalker/photographer. i think he needs someone who will backtalk him but lightheartedly so he doesn’t automatically go into his default dismissive asshole mode.

NO I SEE THE VISION I GET IT

A lot of Adam fans thrive on alternative delusions me included,,

Strahm is so used to going unopposed and we can see that in the way that he loses his marbles when interrogating Jill or arguing with Hoffman, he's used to being the one in the right like constantly

So for someone has snappy as Adam to be there to combat that is a really interesting dynamic that I would love to see

I was just saying that y'all are thriving only off of vibes alone and honestly I'm kinda here for it

[funeral]

Images are condemned because they are bodies without souls, or forms without bodies. They are flat and insubstantial, devoid of interiority and substance, unable to express anything beyond themselves. They are—frustratingly— static and evanescent at once, too massively present in their very impalpability. The fundamental characteristic of the cinematic image is therefore said to be one of lack.[...] Images are false, since they have been separated from the real situations of which they claim to be the representations, as well as from the material conditions in which they have been produced. They are suspect, unreliable, and 'ideological,' because they presume to subsist in this state of alienation, and even perpetuate it by giving rise to delusive 'reality effects,' rituals of disavowal, and compensatory fantasies of plenitude and possession.

Steven Shaviro, The Cinematic Body

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Kes

By Ames

Star Trek: Voyager may have only had Kes on the show for three seasons, but that’s actually a pretty large percentage of her Ocampan life! And in that time, she definitely made her mark. It was just a mark that struggled to hold a candle against the character who swoops in and takes her place (more on that next week!). But we here at A Star to Steer Her By came to really appreciate the short show life of the short-lived character, even if the show rarely gave her much to do.

Kes is one of those nuanced characters (boy, Voyager sure is full of those), who you may not notice unless you’re looking for her. She’s compassionate, curious, and clever, and her eidetic memory really makes sense for someone who needs to grow up licketty split. Was the quick lifespan a good idea or a terrible one? You decide as we compile our Best and Worst Moments for Kes below and listen to our chatter on this week’s podcast episode (jump to timestamp 1:32:15). YOLO!

[Images �� CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

I’ve learned very well. I saw the sunlight. The very first thing we learn about Kes (other than the fact that she’s dating Neelix) is that she’s left the safety of the Ocampan homeworld, a stagnant culture subsisting almost entirely under the eye of the titular “Caretaker.” This young prodigy has greater ambitions though, and she seeks to encounter more of the universe while she’s got the chance, and we give her credit for it!

What crop has sprung from the seed you planted today Immediately after joining the Voyager crew, Kes shows some initiative and starts up an airponic garden to supplement the ship’s rations. It’s only her second episode in “Parallax” and already we start to see her not only as a nurturer and someone who shows compassion to her fellow shipmates, but as someone who can take charge of a task and handle herself.

One lung to give While overall our opinion on the Kes-Neelix relationship is that it’s cringey, the two of them clearly care for each other. So Kes’s offer to donate her lung to Neelix in “Phage” is quite touching. She doesn’t even hesitate in the moment of crisis when the EMH is floundering, and then gets to carry it through when the Vidiians are able to perform the procedure.

He’s your Medical Officer. He’s alive. The EMH may complain and complain that no one gives him the credit he deserves, but Kes has always had his holographic back. We get to benefit from her outside perspective in “Eye of the Needle” when she requests that the crew treat him more nicely. And she also advocates for his existence in “The Swarm” before they risk losing him by restarting his program.

Someone was walking your grave When the show remembers that Kes has telepathic powers, she is frequently at her best. The way she learns whatever the hell was going on in “Persistence of Vision” depicts how she’s learning to master her mental capabilities while also keeping firmly in reality. Everyone else has succumbed to their delusions, and Kes is able to save the day by keeping a cool head.

Get down with the sickness Like how Torres insists the Doctor not take shortcuts in creating his holo-family in “Real Life,” Kes makes sure his Levodian flu is just as unpredictable as normal illnesses in “Tattoo.” How is the Doctor supposed to feel vulnerable if he always has control over his virus? Kes sneakily adds two hours to the ailment to show him how uncomfortable and stressful working while ill can be.

Use the Force, Kes! It was obviously too good to be true when Kes met a batch of hyper-powered, slightly longer-lived Ocampans like Tanis in “Cold Fire” offering to teach her their ways. When their caretaker, Suspiria, is trying to destroy the ship, Kes uses her new abilities back against Tanis in a display of defiance against their corrupted ways because she’d never hurt others willingly.

I don’t know how to say goodbye to Neelix and Tuvok No matter which side of the “Tuvix” debate you fall on, you’ve got to admit Jennifer Lien nails the scene with Janeway in which she breaks down over being caught in the middle of things. Even if you’re pulling for Tuvix to keep existing, you feel for Kes. She’s put into such a devastating position, admitting that while she doesn't want Tuvix to die, she wants Neelix back.

I can’t wait to see if Blaine’s twin brother is the father of Jessica’s baby She may barely be in any of the two-parter “Future’s End,” but Kes might be in the funniest moment. She and Neelix are scrutinizing the televised feeds from Earth in the past, and they immediately get addicted to soap operas. It’s quite a cute little moment. As Kes says, “There's something to be said for non-interactive stories like this, being swept away in the narrative.”

I walk through mindfields Jennifer Lien doesn’t get a ton of episodes to stretch her legs and show her range, especially since Kes herself is typically such a reserved character. So it is a delightful surprise to see what she can do when Kes is possessed by Tieran in “Warlord.” And it’s an even better surprise to see Kes fighting back in her own mind with a ferocity we’ve never seen from her before.

Kes has become unstuck in time Every so often, you get glimpses of just how intelligent Kes is, as Ocampans need to have eidetic memories and amazing deductive reasoning to develop mentally as quickly as they develop physically. So when she’s traveling backwards in time in “Before and After,” Kes is able to put together the out-of-order puzzle and keep from getting winked out of existence.

Something to remember me by Kes’s final episode with us (or really, what should have been her final episode with us, as you’ll see in our next section) sends her character off in a very satisfying way. “The Gift” does a great job completing her arc, as Kes’s mental powers improve off the scales until she uses them to send the ship ten years closer to home. It’s yet another selfless act from the ship’s sweeting.

—

Worst moments

Chekov is finally redeemed Firstly, is the wig we see Kes in for early episodes like “Parallax” worse than the one they put on Walter Koenig when he first joined TOS? We’re willing to give Walter the benefit of the doubt since it was the 60s and wig technology wasn’t where it was in the 90s. So what’s Voyager’s excuse then? Why does Kes look like she’s wearing a lhasa apso on her head?

I saw them burn. Their bodies ashes where they stood. The main complaint I can muster against the Kes character is how criminally underused she is throughout Voyager. The couple of times we lauded her mental powers above are just that: a couple of times. Most of the time, like in “Time and Again” when she senses Janeway’s presence in the other timeline, exactly nothing comes of it and it’s a huge wasted opportunity!

I felt like there was someone in the room with me Another episode where Kes’s telepathic powers could have benefited the story is in “Cathexis” when Tuvok is being possessed by the Komar. The entity sees that she could pose a threat and knocks her unconscious for the whole episode. It feels like such a tease! Remember how Kes has superpowers? Well, we’re not going to actually use them for literally the whole first season.

Then I guess our marriage is over Look, I’m grasping at straws because Kes doesn’t get to do much, let alone bad stuff. So it’s not technically Kes as the Doc’s wife in that weird fakeout scene toward the end of “Projections” – it’s another layer of holodeck malfunction. But I still don’t like it because it’s an unnecessary twist. And when the EMH is back to reality, it’s just as weird that Kes acts like maybe he’s not?

Kes, you’re baby crazy Can we just say all of “Elogium” here and be done with it? No? Ugh. While we can’t blame Kes for experiencing Ocampan heat, we sure can blame her for how she acts during it, hormones or no. And we also can blame the writers for making this forced pregnancy plot a thing in the first place because it turns a huge personal decision into a cringey couple’s squabble.

That green-eyed pus hog called jealousy It’s been said on the podcast so frequently that you’re probably over it that Kes and Neelix would have made better friends than romantic partners. But you love who you love, so who are we to judge? What we can judge is how Kes stayed with Neelix during his jealous, clingy phase, and barely even spoke up in “Twisted” when he basically accused her of being the town pump.

A watched Tuvok never boils As one of a couple episodes that remembers Ocampans have mental powers, “Cold Fire” really gives Kes a lot to do when Tanis and the other space-venturing Ocampans try to teach her their ways. And in the typical Kes fashion of someone who barely has any experience in the world, our girl immediately goes and boils Tuvok’s blood. Slow down, girl!

Help people, hurt them, give life, kill, it’s all the same Even when she’s gotten a [slightly] better handle on her powers later in “Cold Fire,” Kes still plays the innocent as she trusts these rogue Ocampans. Anyone watching the show could tell you right away they are trouble. But this young emancipated woman becomes so obsessed with her newfound powers that she nearly leaves with Tanis and crew, whom she’s only just met!

Caution: No Kes Allowed What on earth, or whatever stupid planet this is, makes Kes think she can wander off from her tour group and go trespass in these people’s sacred temple in “Sacred Ground”? Even though she didn’t know it would knock her into a coma, you’ve got to think someone as respectful as Kes usually is of other people wouldn’t think to go anywhere without asking permission first.

I think we should be possessed by other people Like last week when I included the omission of a scene that we desperately needed for Neelix to not seem like an asshole, we’ve got another scene that never happened for Kes. Kes never actually breaks up with Neelix! Tieran does it while possessing her in “Warlord,” and that guy’s an asshole! So why do we never actually get acknowledgment from the real Kes of what their status is?

Suffering from severe FOMO Kes is indeed back on the market after that nebulous breakup, and she’s already found herself a new boy in “Darkling.” Zahir seems perfectly nice as far as Mikhal Travelers go, but Kes is ready to pack her bags and get whisked away right after meeting this guy! I guess when you live as short as she does, you’ve got to follow your heart. But Kes is too quick to trust cute strangers.

You blame Captain Janeway, but the choice was yours But possibly the worst moment for Kes is whatever the hell happened in “Fury.” The episode feels like a “fuck you” to Jennifer Lien for leaving the show. Instead of the character we loved, the Kes who returns has been rewritten as a bitter, jaded, apathetic husk. And worse, there’s no good reason for it except that she forgot how good she had it on the show- I mean the ship.

—

And we’ve reached the end of our very short Ocampan life, so let’s hope we transcend into energy beings or whatever. Next week, we’re replacing our Ocampan sweeting with the show’s sex symbol, and I don’t mean Sandrine! So keep tuned here for more character spotlights, finish off our watchthrough of Enterprise with us over on SoundCloud or your favorite podcast app, reach out to us with your minds over on Facebook and Twitter, and thank you for changing out that wig!

[hiswordsarekisses]

“In life, as I walk through the fields and plains. I stumble upon a single wild flower that has blossomed and sprouted.

A reflection of God's glory on display. It's fills my eyes with unfathomable beauty and majesty. The intricate details and immaculate design. The subtle, pervasive, and distinctive aroma. It's tenacious and unrelinquishing roots. It's rigorous and vigorous stem. And the variegated radiance of its leaves.

Our hearts always seem to be drawn to such an evasive array. It is unimaginable. It was never intentionally seeded nor planted. Yet, here it lies before my eyes. Existing and subsisting.

Predetermined and deliberate.

More than humanity could ever hope for. I can't fathom but to think aloud.

Even Solomon in all of his splendor was not dressed and adored like this dear wild flower. Yet, it did not labor or even spin. Still, here it is. But, am I the only one?

Out of the billions of people that walk this land; am I the only one that has stopped to enjoy such glorious beauty? To be transfixed on such variety and diversity? But before I blink, I see a petal fall.

It's fatal flaw. The reality of what is to come.

The curse of our brokenness.

The sign of its next season.

As my heart drops, it is filled with appreciation. The feared realization. I am the only one to ever witness this distinct flower.

To comprehend and grasp such tranquility. To notice its existence. It's intended and fixed purpose. To know that I will never understand this moment until it has now become a memory.

An echo within my thoughts.

To show me the state of my well-being. My own fragile humanity. My drained and frail spirit.

My delicate life.

But will it ever count?

Will it fulfill its holy purpose? To herald such a triumphant and glorious truth?

To be sent or be spent?

Will my reply be yes to both?

To be ready for either?

Oh how my heart clamps to comfortability and false security.

To chase my own dreams and desires. My redefinition of myself in my selfish pursuits.

My false delusions and distorted realities.

My schemes and plots to achieve such perfection to only discover a misconception.

My heart to remain unsatiable and determined to answer my preposterous plea.

To hide behind my own pride.

To try to create my own story and act like I give You the glory.

My wondering heart always wants to flee. Yet, it conceives utterly absurd lies to me.

Why can my eyes never seem to see?

I do not plan my life.

I didn't will to exist.

The hardships, temptations, and trials.

The waiting, anxiety, and worrying.

The pain and disappointment.

I did not ask for any of this.

Yet, I did. Because I live to die.

But die to live.

I am not much; but I invite others. For all to be gathered.

To witness me dying to my worst enemy. Myself.

So they can see You live.

For me to count a cost. And be indebted to grace.

To run a race to see my Savior's face.

Because of a stained tree and empty burial place.

To be here and gone within a short distinction and variance of time.

To exclaim though You slay me, I will still hope in You.

That if I perish, I perish.

All that matters is it is for Your Gospel and name to be known.

For others to cherish.

My heart just lingers to see the true source; the reflection of that glorious flower.

To see the scarred hands that wove its pattern and outline.

To see you bind the chains of the Pleiades and to loosen the cords of Orion.

To seek You and live.

To know that being close to You was always still too far.

As my heart cries out to be where You are. To perceive such divine love that I fail to assimilate.

To know You.

To know You as you have known me.

To participate in Your sufferings and death.

To know the power of Your resurrection.

To know the depths of your love based off the depth of Your sacrifice.

To know You intimately.

Being greater than all I have ever wanted.

To understand the wondrous mystery. How you do not accept me just as I am; yet you love me despite how I am.

I don't want the knowledge.

I don't want the information.

I do not want the opinions.

I want the truth.

I want to know you more than I know You.

I just want to know You.

Please just let me know You.

To know You as my Father and to be known as Your Son.

Because You are God and I am not.”

~ Soli Deo Gloria

[thana-topsy]

2, 5, 13, and 14 for Harukar for the Skyrim OC Ask Game, please!

"I certainly appreciate all the interest!"

Which cities do they prefer to stay in and why? Which cities to they avoid at all costs?

"I prefer to stay in any city with a vetted contact. When your personal safety hinges on strong allies, all other factors become moot. Falkreath is one that comes to mind. The shade of the tall trees also provides a bit of relief from the sun, which is a pleasant bonus. I tend to avoid Morthal due to nearby Vigilant activity, but I fear my duties will lead me there sooner rather than later. I've heard rumor of vampiric activity that needs to be dealt with."

Would they be able to live off the land if they were lost in the wilds of Skyrim? How skilled are they at foraging and hunting?

"Well, unfortunately, I have a very restrictive diet." He laughs. "Vampires can survive off of animal blood for a short while, which I don't think many know or realize, but it would be akin to subsisting off of broth. It can stave away the feeling of hunger, but you'd still starve to death eventually. Before I was turned, however, I considered myself skilled at living off the land. That was in Hammerfell, however. Skyrim presents an entirely different set of survivalist skills."

Do they believe the old nordic tales about the Dragonborn?

"Old tales from any culture should often be taken with a grain of salt. It is hard to say what has been warped by time and exaggeration. Do I believe that an individual could swallow the soul of a dragon? Perhaps. I have witnessed many strange phenomena in my extended lifetime. At this point I know better than to discount possibility, even in the seemingly impossible. Do I believe that Alduin might return to devour the world? I certainly hope not. Though, perhaps the 'devouring' is something to understand in metaphorical terms. The dawning of a new age, as opposed to a literal end of life. All things that begin must also end."

Who is their mentor? Who do they go to most for lessons?

"Ah, an interesting question. I find myself in the role of mentor more and more these days. I used to lament the fact that I had outlived most of my elders, and I felt that there was no one that I could turn to for wisdom or guidance. But, as it turns out, my greatest teacher has been Sarel, especially when he was very young. His perspective was so unique and thought-provoking. With a single observation he could shatter whatever delusion I'd been clinging to for decades. Not that he isn't still capable of that now that he is grown, but there was something almost mythical about him when he was a child. It's hard to explain."

[teapotenuse]

Absolutely hate when you go to a party and the host is like there's gonna be so much food but then you get there and it's just a handful of canapés

Bruh you are so deep in delusion if you think a couple of arancini balls and a mini bruschetta is enough to subsist on

[animehouse-moe]

I just read your reviews on JJK anime and almost all are negative. Like, what? Don't you think we should be grateful that at least the manga got anime adaptations? Do you know how many my favorite manga, that never got anime adaptation? Anime adaptation is still better than not getting adaptation at all, right?

Lastly, thank you very much for sharing your writings. Love reading your anime/manga reviews.

(Do you know how are my feelings with no news of YOI movie until now ?)

So I'll answer that P.S first haha.

I'm also a pretty big fan of Yuri On Ice myself, I recently (finally) picked up the setting material collection and have been eyeing the Select Book (though there's not many listings), so I really do get the pain of having nothing for a decade and Mappa basically saying "there's no money so why bother".

I'm also a big fan of stuff like Lucifer and The Biscuit Hammer, whose adaptation has effectively ruined the story for an insane amount of anime onlies.

And I can't even begin to count the number of series I love that won't see second seasons, or even anime adaptations in the first place. I still thank my lucky stars that Tsuki To Laika To Nosferatu got picked up by such a new studio or I might not have been able to experience the incredible light novels officially.

Anyways, the point with starting there is that I experience those things as well, I don't subsist on solely the best of the best (though sometimes it does feel like that with things like Heavenly Delusion or Frieren). These are just things that I've grown attached to and really enjoy, so while I can bag on JJK S2, I still bemoan the fact that Mappa has just brushed YOI to the side, or that they've given up on their roots as a drama-centered studio.

But what can I say about that right now, that hasn't already been said? In contrast, with Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, this is a weekly experience where things differ and change and struggle, and has been part of a larger discussion with Mappa in regards to production struggles as they overextend on series. It's just the thing that's in front of me, and is pointlessly changed because of Mappa's greed.

Park left Mappa to make his own studio, and the reasons behind doing so are rather clear (as is typically the case in these migrations). Mappa could have tried to held onto Park, they could have waited longer to finish the second season, or picked a better time to release it. Once more though, like their decision with YOI, Mappa has chosen greed and "hype" (even though it has more members on MAL than the vast majority of Mappa adaptations; only 7 series above it) over dedication and quality.

So at the end of the day, a lot of my ire isn't really directed at the people behind Jujutsu Kaisen (more like a wrong place, wrong time sort of thing), but more so in the direction of Mappa as a studio and the conscious decisions they make in regards to these things.

[dispactke]

from The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead:

"Here's one delusion: that we can escape slavery. We can't. Its scars will never fade. When you saw your mother sold off, your father beaten, your sister abused by some boss or master, did you ever think you would sit here today, without chains, without the yoke, among a new family? Everything you ever knew told you that freedom was a trick—yet here you are. Still we run, tracking by the good full moon to sanctuary."

"Who told you the negro deserved a place of refuge? Who told you that you had that right? Every minute of your life's suffering has argued otherwise. By every fact of history, it can't exist. This place must be a delusion, too. Yet here we are."

"And America, too, is a delusion, the grandest one of all. The white race believes—believes with all its heart—that it is their right to take the land. To kill Indians. Make war. Enslave their brothers. This nation shouldn't exist, if there is any justice in the world, for its foundations are murder, theft, and cruelty. Yet here we are."

"The word we. In some ways, the only thing we have in common is the color of our skin. Our ancestors came from all over the African continent. It's quite large. Brother Valentine has the maps of the world in his splendid library, you can look for yourself. They had different ways of subsistence, different customs, spoke a hundred different languages. And that great mixture was brought to America in the holds of slave ships. To the north, the south. Their sons and daughters picked tobacco, cultivated cotton, worked on the largest estates and smallest farms. We are craftsmen and midwives and preach- ers and peddlers. Black hands built the White House, the seat of our nation's government. The word we. We are not one people but many different people. How can one person speak for this great, beautiful race—which is not one race but many, with a million desires and hopes and wishes for ourselves and our children?"

"For we are Africans in America. Something new in the history of the world, without models for what we will become."

[newagesurvivalist]

Existence

It's true that we don't consist of happy particles. The truth is a mess. You can't do anything. Am I a good person? I was better. I try to be the best I can be, yet our life runs out of steam. The sad affects of idiotic life subsist in strange generations, our love is going to grow foolishly into vagueness. I say what I say; however, there are essences that move weirdly into autarky. I don't know. We may get what there is to get, but ever grow into idiocy - and this is a shit-pile in things. What we like to do is marvelous. But we see there is much craziness in our lives: the things that don't matter are manifestly opportune and so sick situations occur to us in droves, yet still there is noise in affairs which cannot subsist in strangeness. And so, the flow of things is disrupted, or something.

What do computers know? The endless mechanism of being a sorcerer with numbers, actuarism, is a nasty business. Things go on. It's silly to want to make people happy. I listen to country these days; sometimes it all sounds like rap. This makes me indignant. So this guy he tells me that according to him there is no anger in me. Doesn't that strike you as bullying or torment? I am indignant. That means I am angry. People say, when you are incarcerated in a mental ward, that you do not recognize the fact that you are crazy. Even to autists they say this. And they consider that to be your problem, your disease. However, I would claim that a psychotic person usually has a better sense of what is wrong with him than the psychiatrist does. It is like Freud says: your revolt (psychosis) is just a tip of an iceberg, and below this lie the endless drives and desires that cause this behavior.

Am I smart? I used to think that I was, but that was a delusion. The endless parade of strange things continue into nothingness and suppress us - but in the last analysis we feel something and we become aware of better lives, better trajectories of monstrous depravity and innocence but these are all sounds of freedom and maniacality.

The thing about acting is, as soon as you drop the act, people will think you're crazy. In the last analysis, you will forget what your normal behavior is. So in a way you are demented. This is a cliché about autism. They say you just need time. When time doesn't help, they will say you need medication. It's that sick. They don't really have a solution. All they have is brutality. There is saying in China that when you have read half of Confucius' analects you can rule all of the Earth. So we see they are all actuaries. All you need is a bit of poetic licence and then you can make people do anything; or, as Holden Caulfield says, if you say something people don't understand they will do whatever you want them to do.

[the-hem]

"The Host in Learning." From the Sannyasa Upanishad. The Exploration of the Mysteries of Exertion.

2.89. The ascetic shall subsist on alms by begging from door to door even though it may be from the houses of outcastes. He shall not dine in one house even if (the host) is equal to the preceptor of the gods (in learning). He shall subsist on alms, solicited or unsolicited.

2.90. Air is not spoiled by touching (any object); fire by the activity of burning; waters, by urine and feces (getting into them); and a mendicant monk by short-comings in food.

291. When (in houses) smoke has subsided, the pestle (for pounding rice) is at rest, the fire (in the oven) has gone out and the people have dined, (the ascetic) shall go for alms in the late afternoon.

2.92. He shall receive alms except from the accursed, the fallen, heretics and the class of people exclusively engaged in temple worship; from all the castes, in difficult times.

The above refers to the exhaustion of the vasanas. Vasana is a Sanskrit word for bias. Biases like the tendency of the sun to rise in the east, one’s appetite for one’s favorite food, they can be trained into the mind like the desire to learn how make the body run a marathon, they can be acquired, like smoking, sexual compulsion, drinking too much, or superstitious, like being told one’s entire life Jesus is going to raise the dead, permitting this to shape one’s other behaviors. Vasanas, lest they be of a saintlike nature, influence the mind, causing it to lean towards delusions about the real and viable world.

To go door to door seeking reality as the Upanishad says is the cure for toxic biases. An open mind is the only way to exhaust a bias. Forestalling desire until it yields to the intellect is the second. Non-attachment to sense objects is the third, and finally one must treat all beings with equanimity according the laws and the Law at all times. If one can control oneself within these perimeters, eventually the biases that are standing between the soul and the Self will disappear.

[feather-flavored-melancholy]

Literally every online discussion about communism in Eastern Europe descends into denial that bad things happened in the Eastern Bloc. It's so frustrating.

Like, I'm fine with the West discussing socialism and how to apply communist ideals. Go ahead my dude! But for God's sake don't say to my face that Stalin and other communist leaders did nothing wrong and daydream about living in the communist regimes of the 20th century. It was hell. My grandparents and parents are still alive, and they'll tell you it was hell. They're right here, please listen to them!

Literally in every train trip I make there'll be an old man talking casually about being detained to work on some megalomaniacal channel or building project. Most of our grandparents lost property and had to switch to subsistence farming. Most of our exports went to the USSR and scraps went to our cities. Nearly nothing reached the countryside. And from what I've read it was definitely worse in Ukraine and the Balkans. We sort of bond over the visceral hate we share for the communist regimes.

I'm tired of westerners denying this and calling us liars. They think they're big brained and pull up propaganda movies and radio talk shows that said everything was sunshine and rainbows and the people get all they need, and meanwhile we knew it was all bullshit created specifically by the regime to save face to the world, while most kids didn't know what salami, cheese or a banana looked like, and our grandmas made do with forage, gardens and if you're lucky, a cow.

I'll accept the judgement that "that wasn't real communism!!". What I can't stand are the ones who glorify a past that traumatized us.

Our people are disappointed with the current state of things, so much so that they may say "it was better back then", but that's a rose-tinted delusion (and I sincerely want to strangle those who say that - they're usually racists and nationalists who are chasing that high of national pride, similar to western people who yearn for the good ol' 50's).

I need to disengage with other people's opinions about our history. It's so frustrating how in those threads you only see armchair philosophers, never anyone from former communist countries (they usually get deleted or downvoted to hell). Please stop lying to us and to the world - the communist era was shit.