#from its enemies to those it ‘helps’ to those it employs

[mars-ipan]

i think i’ve talked about it already but i fucking hate when people misconstrue my hatred for the military as hatred for soldiers/veterans. a huge part of my hatred for the military as an institution is the way they fuck over and exploit their soldiers and then abandon their veterans. like that is 50% if not more of why i hate the military

[attichaos]

P.1 Common Herbs A-Z

This is A-C of some common herbs and their uses

*longer read*

Acorn

Good luck

Protection

Wisdom

Personal power

A dried acorn is an excellent natural amulet for keeping a youthful appearance.

Allspice

Money

Luck

Healing

Obtaining treasure

Provides added determination and energy to any spells and charms. Burn crushed allspice to attract luck and money. Use in herbal baths for healing.

Almond

Wisdom

Money

Fruitfulness

Prosperity

Invokes the healing energy of the deities. Provides magickal help for overcoming dependencies & addiction. Associated with Candlemas and Beltane. Carry, wear, or use as incense to attract abundance.

Aloe

Protection

Luck

Place on the grave of a loved one to promote peaceful energy. Thought to relieve loneliness and assist with success. Hang in the home to attract luck and protection for those who live there. Grow in the home to provide protection from household accidents. Burn on the night of a full moon to bring a new lover by the new moon.

Apple

Love

Garden Magick

Immortality

Friendship

Healing

Place seven apple seeds in a bag with Orris Root to attract sexual love. Use in rituals to give honor to gods and goddesses of fertility. Considered the food of the dead, which is why Samhain is called the 'Feast of Apples'. Symbolizes the soul and is burned at Samhain in honor of those who will be reborn in the spring. When doing a house blessing, cut an apple in half -- eat half and put the other half outside of the home as an offering.

Apricot

Love

Add leaves and flowers to love sachets or carry apricot pits to attract love.

Banana

Fertility

Potency

Prosperity

Basil

Love

Exorcism

Wealth

Sympathy

Protection

Dispels confusion, fears & weakness. Drives off hostile spirits. Associated with Candlemas. Carry to move forward in a positive manner despite perilous danger. Strewn on floors to provide protection from evil. Sprinkle an infusion of basil outside of the building where you hope to be employed for luck in a job interview or in your business to attract money and success. Wear or carry to aid in attracting money and prosperity.

Bay leaf

Protection

Good fortune

Success

Purification

Strength

Healing

Psychic powers

Write wishes on the leaves and then burn the leaves to make the wishes come true. Place under the pillow (or use in dream pillow) to induce prophetic dreams. Place in the corner of each room in the house to protect all that dwell there. Carry bay leaf to protect yourself against black magick.

Black pepper

Banishing negativity

Exorcism

Protection from evil

Blackberry

Healing

Protection

Money

Sacred to Brighid. Leaves and berries said to attract wealth and healing.

Bluebell

Luck

Truth

Friendship

Incorporate into rituals of death & dying to comfort those left behind and ease their sorrow.

Blueberry

Protection

Though not recommended, blueberry is said to cause confusion & strife when tossed in the doorway or path of an enemy.

Burdock

Used for cleansing magick when feeling highly negative about oneself or others. Use in protection incenses and spells. Rinse with a decoction of burdock to remove negative feelings about yourself or others.

Cabbage

Fertility

Profit

Good luck

Lunar magick

Money magick

Cactus

Chastity

Banishing

Protection.

Bury with other banishing symbols for protection. Grow in the home or garden to prevent unwanted intrusions. Place in all directions of the home (north, south, east, and west) for full protection.

Cardamom

Lust

Love

Fidelity

Carrot

Lust

Fidelity

Cashew

Money

Celery

Mental powers

Psychic powers

Lust

Fertility

Male potency

Chamomile

Love

Healing

Reducing stress.

Add to a sachet or spell to increase the chances of its success. Sprinkle an infusion of chamomile around the house to remove hexes, curses and spells. Burn or add to prosperity bags to increase money. Burn as incense for de-stressing, meditation, and restful sleep. Wash hands in an infusion of chamomile for luck before gambling or playing cards. Use in bath magick to attract love. Keep a packet of the herb with lottery tickets for luck.

Cherry

Love

Divination

Gaiety

Happiness

Chestnut

Love

Chilli Pepper

Fidelity

Love

Hex breaking

Scatter powder around the house to break hexes and spells against you. Use in love charms & spells.

Chives

Protection

Weight loss *weight loss spells can be dangerous*

Cinnamon

Spirituality

Success

Healing

Protection

Power

Love

Luck

Strength

Prosperity

Burn as an incense or use in a sachet to raise spiritual and protective vibrations, draw money, and stimulate psychic powers. A popular herb for use in charms to draw money & prosperity. Wear in an amulet to bring passion.

Citronella 

Draws friends to the home, customers to the business. Promotes eloquence, persuasiveness, and prosperity. Protects and cleanses the aura. Encourages self-expression and creativity (great for writers & actors!) and brings clarity to the mind. Repels insects and deodorizes

Clove

Exorcism

Love

Money

Protection

Coconut 

Chastity

Protection

Purification

Coffee

Helps to dispel nightmares and negative thoughts and to overcome internal blockages. Provides peace of mind and grounding.

Coriander

Love

Health

Immortality

Protection.

Tie fresh coriander with a ribbon and hang in the home to bring peace & protection. Add to love charms and spells to bring romance or use in ritual work to ease the pain of a broken love affair. Promotes peace among those who are unable to get along. Throw the seeds in lieu of rice during Handfastings and other rituals of union. Use the seeds in love sachets and spells. Add powdered seeds to wine for an effective lust potion. Wear or carry the seeds to ward off disease and migraines.

Cucumber

Chastity

Fertility

Healing

Cumin

Fidelity

Protection

Exorcism.

The seed is said to prevent the theft of any object which contains it. Burn with frankincense for protection. Scatter on the floor alone or with salt to drive out evil. Use in love spells to promote fidelity. Steep in wine to make love potions.

Curry

Protection

Burn curry powder to keep evil forces away.

And as always, merry meet <3

Atti

(photo - attichaos)

[qsycomplainsalot]

Re: Pervertin or how German Supersoldiers High on Crack travelled through Space and Time Buy my Book

I came across a post on the bird site yesterday calling into attention the use of pervitin, more or less adderall, among German troops during WW2. For context pervitin tablets were indeed issued to a lot of military personnel back in those days, specifically to aircraft pilot and sometimes tank crews on long missions. The drug as some of you may have heard keeps you awake and alert, along with a slew of side effects and a non negligible chance of addiction. In a discussion that brought to view just how willing people are to buy into Nazi propaganda in the year of our f*cking lord 2023, I pointed out a few things, uphill and having to indulge a lot of sidetracking. The use of pervitin has always been a little overstated ever since it came to the internet's attention, and I certainly would never call it a key component of the Blitzkrieg when, in the theaters of war where actual Blitzkrieg was employed, its success was more due to a combination of innovative doctrines, intact fuel supplies and a big fat helping of dumb luck. It was a bold move highly relying on capturing enemy fuel depots with fast, surprise deep strikes supported by a lot of armored and air forces, and it was only sustainable in neighboring, industrialized countries. One can argue if the USSR was industrialized at the time, but it stopped mattering when the Russians removed their entire industry from the West to beyond the Ural mountains. The Blitz stalled there.

"But if it didn't work, then why did the Nazis do it so often ?" Well the answer to that is twofold. The first, longer answer is that Nazis were a bunch of f*cking morons. Maybe not one by one, but as a government in charge of military procurement, they were one bunch of goofy motherf*ckers. Gaggle of functional shit-for-brains really. The Nazis gave every one of their tanks in the middle of the war two coats of anti-magnetic paint, which took almost a full day to cure, despite being the only major nation to use magnetic antitank mines. The Nazis kept using slave labor drawn from their prisoners of war, including in the manufacturing of their overengineered armored vehicles, resulting in poor quality products or, you know, a few rivets in your magnificent Tiger tank being replaced by a cigarette butt. The Nazis spent more than half the cost of a strategic bomber on every V2 rocket, not including design costs, for less than half the payload. It ended up killing more Germans and slave workers than British people in London, for literally no strategic or tactical result with 0.4 person killed per every rocket. The second, shorter answer is that pervitin was not used that much. A lot of the arguments trying to boost its importance come from a single book, "Blitzed" by Norman Ohler, now available in twenty languages apparently, where grand claims are made by a historian who was probably more than a little tired of seeing Buzzfeed rack in the big bucks instead of him.

End note; I was called out by a bird siter after the conversation that inspired this post for even beginning to fact-check this, which they considered, and I quote, "fangirling over nazi stats". I cannot stress this enough, learning the 'bad' parts of history does not make you bad person, it is how you interact with the resulting knowledge. Unlike what they implied, I had to look for those supporting evidence. I had a hunch that such a grabbing headline about super-drugs would be fake, I knew offhand that V2 rockets killed more blues than reds, but when I had to research all that jazz about Nazis and their superweapons it was to dunk on them, not make another History Channel documentary about a time-travelling bell. Stay critical, fascists can eat shit.

[staysaneathome]

Not me imagining one day that a worn and withered mango is brought before Emperor Amethar of the Concordant Empire, the first of his name. She has been caught and is on trial for murder, for killing a seemingly innocuous servant of Vegetanian origin, but her final request is to be brought before the Emperor, to speak in private audience with him.

He recognizes her. Barely, the years cobwebbing his memories, but he remembers the mango who fought by Gustavo’s side. Amangeaux Epicée. The one who vanished mysteriously from before the war tent during the battle of Pangranos.

She laughs, a dry, raspy thing. “My liege, there is far more to the story than that.”

And she tells him.

She tells him of being a widowed queen, certain there were enemies all around her, placing her trust in only her faithful handmaiden, the kindly radish priest of the Bulb who did not abandon her like everyone else, and a young chili pepper she always saw as a daughter, despite the girl’s strength of character and martial prowess.

She tells him of receiving a letter, containing her darkest secret. Of meeting a thane of the meatlands and a cheesy sellsword outside the finished food pyramid, alongside her chili pepper spymaster and radish priest. Of descending into the depths to hold audience with the ones calling themselves “The Fellowship of Destiny’s Architects”, and the certainty they would all be called upon again one day.

Of escaping to Comida on the advice of her two closest advisors to throw her lot in with Tomaté. Of the summons sitting there in the carriage they were escaping in. Of being given a task: assassinate a threat to the future on behalf of the FDA.

Of not being told who the target was until the fatal blows had already been struck.

It is a miracle Amethar doesn’t rend her head from her shoulders then and there. He agrees to wait until her tale is done, one hand on the hilt of Payment Day.

Amangeaux explains the horror of learning what the FDA’s true purpose was, that it was headed by none other than the late Archbishop herself. Of running, abandoning all she loved save the one who depended on her the most. Of honing her knowledge and skills, giving herself to Gustavo, a blade to be wielded to help instead of harm. She speaks of the march to Pangranos, of reuniting with a demoted wreck of archdeacon and a cheesy knight of the Bulb. Of standing outside that tent, pretending her heart wasn’t leaping for joy at the sight of her little chili pepper grown into a fine and strong woman, of the thane turned warlord in his quest for power.

Of following the babbling, raving archdeacon when he sighted what they had come across so many years ago: a being of mold and fungus, gentle, expressive, and almost childlike. Who are connected, and communicate through emotions rather than words, who allow for the rot of death to be turned to the soil of life.

Of discovering the FDA’s taint had spread so far as to enslave an entire seventh kingdom of these beings, beneath the earth.

Of watching the Archbishop become an avatar of a monstrous existence beyond the Hungry One and the Bulb, a being of alien metal and spinning teeth that rent anything which entered it, uncaring and unnourished.

Of losing her two closest companions, her kindly radish and her little chili pepper, to its blades.

She speaks of vowing retribution. Of exterminating every last member of the FDA she could find, wherever she could find them. Of employing all the techniques she’d seen her spymaster use, oh so long ago.

Of completing her mission with this one, final death.

Amethar has to sit with this a moment.

“Why now?” He asks. “You have survived unseen all this time. You have told nobody of your crimes or exploits. Why me? Why now?”

Queen, then Lady, then just Amangeaux Epicée de la Pêche gives a tired grin.

“For you are the Concordant Emperor of Calorum,” She states, “And one of those most hurt by our actions. It is only fitting you should be aware of the seventh kingdom under your protection, and the chance to understand what circumstances delivered it to you.”

She is still smiling even when Payment Day’s blade cuts into her.

[strwberri-milk]

May I request kaeya x reader enemies to lovers? Or it can be academic rivals to lovers. I’m such a sucker for those tropes!

since i just did academic rivals i'll tackle the enemies to lovers!! its definitely. such a big favourite trope of mine!!

Kaeya didn't really hate you. It's more that he thought you were a little annoying, and he didn't see the point in employing your help. He felt that he did a fine job being the main source of intelligence, but clearly, that didn't exactly ring true for everyone.

Enter you. Unfortunately for him, Jean said your information network was just as vast, but in opposite directions of him. That means you were able to get knowledge on some things faster than he could, but it also means he could beat you in some regards.

You were sure you could at least have a friendly relationship with Kaeya. He seemed nice after all and a lot of people talk about how he's a very good captain who takes care of his team. Your dreams were shot into the dirt when he blew you off on your first day of work, telling you to go help somebody else because he didn't need it.

You were pretty turned off by him at that point, unsure what you did to gain his ire right off the bat. You were thankful you were given your own office opposite the hall from his. The two of you were close enough that it wouldn't be a pain to talk to him, but far away enough that you wouldn't have to know that he was just right there on the other side of the wall.

The two of you did your best to keep things cordial, never fighting in front of Jean to avoid her forcing the two of you together to make up to each other. Everyone knew you two were fighting, but nobody knew why.

You took it upon yourself to work twice as hard, gaining the respect of everyone around you much to Kaeya's disappointment. He wants to see that smug look on your face go away as you concede that he's the better between the two of you. He's going to make sure of it.

When the two of you were forced to work together on a longer expedition you two both sucked it up. As long as the job was finished everything would be fine, or at least that's what you thought.

Kaeya, for whatever reason found himself warming up to you a little, or at least to your tenacity. Once it was clear to him you weren't leaving any time soon, he decided it would be fun to start messing with you just a bit on the trip.

"This is why I told you I would do the booking," he sighs, running his hand through his hair as the two of you stare at the single bed.

It wasn't even big enough for two people, making you start looking around for an alternative way to sleep. Kaeya just puts his bags down on the ground and starts undressing for bed.

"Wow thanks for giving me the bed I appreciate it so much!" you say under your breath with a whine, meant to mock him. His sharp ears hear it and he frowns, deciding to keep it to himself for now.

You don't know what to think when you find yourself waking up on the mattress. You were so glad to be having a good sleep, cuddled up into the pillows and blankets that you forgot that Kaeya took the bed and left you on the ground.

When you looked down, you saw the sleeping bag you packed for yourself had already been wrapped up and put away with great care. There was even a plate of breakfast waiting for you on the nightstand, Kaeya's elegant writing mocking you as it called you a sleepy head. You put the card down with an amused scoff, deciding to hold it in until the trip ended.

The entire trip was like this though. He spent his time disparaging you, and then did kind things as though he didn't spend the day teasing you. You were getting sick of it, knowing that his niceties were just him trying to placate you because he knew he was wrong for treating you badly.

Or at least what's what you thought.

"Archons, could you stop being so irritating?" Kaeya says for that feels like the nth time, making you roll your eyes.

"At least I'm consistent. Where do you get off on, being so nice to me just to berate me in the day?" you complain, glad that you were beginning to see the wall of Mondstat.

"I just wanted to keep my junior on their toes. Is that so evil?"

The smile in his smirk feels far too smug and you just shake your head, deciding to ignore him for now.

"You're a strange man. I don't know why everyone likes you so much."

"They like me for a reason. You clearly have chosen no reason to hate me."

At this you turn to him sharply, glaring him down.

"That's unfair of you to say! I tried to play nice with you on the first day, and yet you're the one who's been keeping me at a distance for no reason! Do you seriously think that's fair of you! You know what - I don't have time for this right now."

You storm off to the gates, wanting to get home and take a shower right away. Kaeya just watches you, amused as he plans out his next little prank on you.

You looked absolutely adorable mad at him after all.

[outofangband]

Sorry if you’ve done this before, but for Himring worldbuilding do you have any thoughts on the layout of the fortress and its architectural style etc? In fic I’ve variously seen it described as ranging from a single solitary castle all the way to a whole little walled city on the hill so I was wondering what you thought about that! Thank you so much ❤️❤️

World building masterlist (also more in the himring tag)

I think it's somewhere between a single castle and a walled city! It's a walled fortress comprising of a number of primary buildings within the walls and then a number of remote outposts throughout the March.

The Fortress of Himring stands on the hill of the same name. It is a stone fortress constructed primarily from slate, granite and travertine. Its construction took several decades and was worked on primarily by members of the Noldorin host Maedhros had brought there with aid from a group of dwarves from the Ered Luin Maedhros had formed an alliance with. In exchange for their help, they were given access to the geological resources of the March and protection while traveling North towards the Ered Engrin.

A number of stonemasonry techniques were utilized in the construction of Himring including arch masonry, dry stone (used primarily in the construction of remote buildings and lower walls), and post and lintel which makes use of pillars and beams. Most of the arches and arch systems of Himring are vault arches, that is, self supporting arched systems used to construct ceilings and roofs. This means spacious almost cavernous rooms with high ceilings. Almost all rooms have either fireplaces or fire pits with some buildings having a complex system of chimneys.

The fortress is built upon the Hill of Himring and rises up from the top with sections extending around towards the base of the hill and even some under the earth. The foundations rise to a sheer, wide tower with surrounding buildings connected through bridges and ground level passages.

The design is beautiful as is most creations by Noldorin architects but Himring is generally thought of as a grim, utilitarian place. It is a pallet of grays of varying shades, standing starkly against the cold skies. It is made to withstand both harsh weather and enemy attack. Its full plans are known only to Maedhros himself and there are many secret exits, hiding places, storage areas and other features understood on a need to know basis

Indeed, it is probably the most utilitarian of the Fëanorian realms with the lowest number of civilians. People went to Himring because they desired to be on the forefront of the battle with Morgoth. There is a population of non fighters, comprising of both soldiers who are unable to fight (temporarily or otherwise) due to injury and those with other distinct roles. They are employed as cooks, hunters, construction and repair, crafting, producing and mending essentials like clothes, weapons and blankets, overseeing trade and supplies, translation, cartography and strategy and others of the many jobs that are needed to maintain Himring.

There is a small market that operates within the walls of Himring but, due to rations and inventory protocol, is fairly regulated. (Any essentials, and there is a long list for this, are regulated and cannot be sold without formal permission. Luxury goods, puzzles and toys for the few children who live at the March, other crafts, and certain food items are usually sold here depending on what they are made from)

Most artisans come to Himring with the understanding that there wares will be primarily used for the war and supporting those fighting it.

The fortress is lined with parapets near its top. Half of them are partly covered to protect against the worst of winter winds and snow.

Steel is made in a bloomery and forge a few minutes away from the fortress of Himring itself where weapons are also made. The forge combines Noldorin techniques with some Sindar ones and weapons development is more prioritized than in most of the other Fëanorian realms. Animals are kept in lower, wooden outer houses towards the bottom of the hill of Himring, to protect against theft and the cold.

I have a post about gardens here!

I hope this helps! Please feel free to send more!

[mixing0]

Ideas for a potential (and ideal for my tastes) Kirby Party game!!

This'll be long, obviously, so I'm leaving everything under the cut.

At its core, the game is a literal copy-and-paste of classic Mario Party. Everyone moves around the board, gathering more of a select item than their competitors to win, with minigames sprinkled throughout. No differences there. The difference comes from what the objects are, in this case.

On the topic of stars:

Here, stars are replaced with food items, given out by Kawasaki who replaces Toad. Whenever Kawasaki is moved, through any means, he prepares a new, unique food item.

When you get to Kawasaki, you can spend 20 point-stars (the Kirby equivalent of coins) for whatever he offers. Or you could spend 25 point-stars to get a different food selected at random.

Why does this matter? Because you can eat these food items for special bonuses, offering a nice helping of strategy to the established norm. Eating them means you lose a point, however, so it should be used very carefully to be effective.

Outside of those, at least one food is offered that has no stat effects and is just your bog standard.

On the topic of items:

Originally, I had planned for most of the items to come straight from Mario Party 2, but after looking more closely into the item system of Parties 5-7 (mainly 6 because it serves as another big influence on the project), I fell in love with the nuance and strategy that could be employed.

With that in mind, I was thinking about revamping the item system and number of items to better fall in line with this style. However, I'll still share the old item lineup, just for personal reference:

Wheelies act as mushrooms, letting you roll two dice blocks, while Rex Wheelies let you roll three.

Warp Stars act as, well, Warp Blocks, letting you swap places with a random player.

The Dimension Mirror allows you to move backward along a board when used. (And this will be more costly, so as not to be absolutely broken like the Reverse Mushroom was.)

The Vat-luck moves Kawasaki to a different space.

The Noddy Network calls Nightmare upon a player of your choosing.

The Enticing Cheese calls Daroach, while the Stinky Cheese prevents Daroach from stealing from you.

The Dinner Bell warps you straight to Kawasaki.

The Invisibility Stone lets you walk through alternate pathways.

The Nebula Chest steals a random item.

The Dueler's Sword... is self-explanatory.

On the topic of boards:

I conceptualized 12 main boards for the game. At the moment, they are:

Augmented Area (Technology-themed.)

Foody Feilds (Grassland, Food-centric theming.)

Corruption Cavern (Mining cave theme.)

Dusky Drawings (Spooky Mansion + Art theme)

Basalt Boulevard (Fire/Lava theme)

Royalty Ring (Castle theme)

Headstrong Honky-tonk (A casino in Merry Magoland.)

Galvanized Garden

Sanguine Sands (Western theme)

Mauve Mountain

Impeccable Iceberg

Nightmare's Nexus (Space Theme)

I may end up removing some of these, adding more, or changing a few of these ideas around.

On the topic of characters:

The roster includes:

Kirby

King Dedede

Meta Knight

Bandana Dee

Marx

Gooey

Adeleine

Ribbon

Magolor

Taranza

Susie

Elfilin

With the following making an appearance as non-playable characters:

Kawasaki (as the host.)

Nightmare (filling Bowser's role.)

Escargoon (who owns the bank.)

Daroach (filling in for Boo.)

Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright (who operate the day/night cycle.)

and other well-known enemies (who serve the other roles as needed.)

Each playable character will have a unique outfit for every board except for two. No one will have a unique outfit on Basalt Boulevard, and everyone will have a unique outfit on Nightmare's Nexus.

The character that does not have a unique outfit on the given board plays an integral role at the end if they lose, triggering a boss fight that acts as a final minigame (sort of similar to the boss minigames in Mario Party 9).

And that's everything I had! I hope you guys like my ideas!

Oh, and be sure to look out for the art I'll be making for this in the future. I've already made a few things for it, but they're all so old now that I feel like revamping them.

[bloodsworn-marshal]

Sil’dih Survey Records

Happy half patch! I took it into my hands to write down and record all of the lore entries in game for the new Sil’dih variant dungeons. You’ll find all the information below the cut:

Whom the Silkie Serves

What a surprise to learn that the old palace silkie was a creation of Mother’s! The discovery impelled me to pursue the topic with Papashan, who, of anyone besides Father, knew my mother best of all. Naturally, I was circumspect in my inquiries, lest he become aware of my subterranean explorations.

With fond remembrance, Papashan spoke of Mother’s penchant for cleaning – a habit she refused to surrender even after taking up residence in the royal chambers. Her ladies-in-waiting were positively scandalized, and hid away every brush and broom that the Sultana’s hands not be sullied by common grime. Denied the usual tools of sanitation, Mother retaliated by employing a Sharlayan tutor, whereby she acquired the arts necessary to manifest a massive, mouselike familiar. Ingrained with an obsessive dislike of dirt, this arcane entity would even corner the palace guards to scrub spots from their armor – to the great amusement of the household staff. Then one day, without fanfare, the silkie was simply gone.

I suspect the cause of its disappearance lay in the deepening conflict with the Monetarists; with less and less time to slip away from the palace, Mother likely set her familiar to protect and maintain the secret garden in her absence. Yet what a stubborn and willful soul she was! To create a servant for cleaning is one thing, but to imbue it with such unbridled power is quite another!

Pride and Acceptance

With a mind to prepare for future explorations, I began trawling through the palace archives in search of documents with even a tangential mention of Sil’dih. For the most part, however, the shelves held little in the way of new information. The only account to snare my attention was that of an Ul’dahn soldier, who had written of his experiences fighting alongside the Amalj’aa during the zombie purge. His report touched upon the different approach his new allies took to warfare, and how those differences impeded their cooperative efforts.

It was said that the undead which flooded the waterways were beyond counting, and varied wildly in individual strength. The most effective strategy, or so this soldier believed, was to focus their efforts on the weaker zombies, and thus whittle the horde down to a more manageable size. Not so the Amalj’aa. When presented with the choice, the proud warriors would always seek to slay the mightiest enemies first. This display of superiority, they explained to the exasperated Ul’dahn, was the best way to wage war. To do otherwise – to begin an engagement with the lesser foe – would cast doubt upon one’s martial prowess.

‘Twould seem they learned to respect each other’s reasoning, yet ultimately fought their battles as their peoples preferred. The Ul’dahn soldier returned to his former tactic, targeting the weakest undead for his initial assaults. An interesting point of culture, mayhap, but a helpful one? That remains to be seen.

A Spot in the Sunlight

He, a member of the royal family. She, the daughter of a modest merchant house. They met at a palace banquet – an opportunity to mix with the notables of commerce – and it was love at first sight. Ah, I adore that story – ‘tis so very romantic. Mother would go on to tell me of the secluded place her and Father would visit ere they were bound in marriage; of a sun-dappled garden at the end of a secret tunnel, where they could enjoy each other’s company away from prying eyes and judgemental stares. In other words, a perfect description of the sanctuary we discovered on our recent foray.

When they did at last announce the details of their engagement, the location of this magical place where Father proposed to Mother became the subject of much rumor and debate. I am told that the city’s merchants, being the same incorrigible creatures then as they are now, seized upon this furor to turn a tidy profit. They never did come close to the truth of it, but after visiting the spot myself, ‘tis easy to see why it has remained undisturbed. I imagine the two of them in their younger years, whiling away an idle morning amidst the dawn-kissed petals, their haven protected beneath a barrier of Thanalan’s scorching sand, and I cannot help but smile. Never until now have I managed to think of them without a pange of sadness. Have I been captive to grief for so very long…?

A Key Memory

On my fifth nameday, my parents gifted me with a key wrought in silver – but not the knowledge of what it opened. “When you are a woman grown, we will take you to the precious place this key protects,” Mother had explained. Father had nodded, saying it was “where slumbers the memories which neither we, nor Ul’dah, should ever forget.” I, a child of five, understood only that I was being forced to wait for my true present. Oh, how I had sulked and fumed back then! Yet now I cling to that fading recollection with desperate fingers, like a failed merchant to her dwindling coinpurse.

‘Twas too soon after when Mother and Father were called away to Thal’s eternal halls. Their sudden absence left me hollow and dazed; my ascension to the throne followed by torturous days of uncertainty steeped in sorrow. It seemed I stumbled across the desert, the sands burning one moment, freezing the next. All thoughts of keys and secret places were cast aside, forgotten. Why had they entrusted such a portentous gift to a daughter so young? Had they foreseen the “accident” which would befall them? Or had some other factor influenced their actions? Their true intentions are lost to time. There is only one thing I can know for certain: that the key was left in my hands for good reason.

In Father’s Stead

The Amalj’aa constructed Zahar’ak when they came to join Ul’dah in purging the undead infestation from the subterrane. And if Zahar’ak was their main war camp, then the old fortifications we passed through would have served as a forward base. The question, then, is why did my parents gift me the means to visit these rusted defenses? In my late father’s possessions was a diary which made reference to “irrefutable evidence of the alliance” – mayhap there is more to the place we have yet to discover.

In life, Father was a staunch opponent of the edict to banish the so-called “beast tribes.” Arrayed against him were the Monetarists, who sought to preserve their special concessions and privileges by ousting their competitors. ‘Twas with the backing of the Syndicate that they overruled the sultan’s will, and forced their proposal into law.Unwilling to concede defeat, Father intended to take the battle to the course of public consensus. His weapons would not be easily forged documents or records, but physical proof of the Amalj’aa contribution to Ul’dah’s continued prosperity. Then the “accident” happened, ending his plans to appeal for harmony ere they could truly begin.

Which brings us back to this mention of evidence. I know not what form it might take, or indeed, if it yet even exists, but should a thorough search of that forgotten base provide us with clues… We are on the cusp of brokering a lasting peace with the Amalj’aa – if I can but discover this elusive proof, then the aspirations Father had for our nation may finally become a reality.

Ul’dah’s Sin to Bear

When that Amalj’aa champion burst forth from his casket, the blood nigh froze within my veins. He must have suffered injury during the purge, the zombie corruption finding its way into his flesh…

The Traders’ Spurn was concocted by Ul’dahn thaumaturges, and employed by the reigning sultan during our war with Sil’dih. Sasagan III even knowingly propagated the fiction that it was the Sil’dihns who devised this abhorrent alchemy in an effort to turn their own citizens into undying soldiers. An accusation from the House of Thorne saw Sasagan III later punished for his heinous acts, and thus ended the first Ul Dynasty. His lies, however, would live on to become accepted history.

This deceit was upheld by a desire to preserve not only the Ul Dynasty’s authority, but also the standing of the Order of Nald’thal – an institution deeply entwined with thaumaturgical practices. And it can be said that few Ul’dahns would wish to accept that their home was built upon the corpse of a city so brutally slain by their forebears. Yet without a clear view of the past, we cannot be sure of our course for the future. The sight of that rotting Amalj’aa hero was all too stark a reminder: as a sultana of the House of Ul, I bear responsibility for my ancestor’s atrocities. And though we suffer for the truth, even as Ishgard did for hers, the time ha scome to set the records aright.

To Learn More of Myrrh

I wished to consult with the Amalj’aa over a certain facet of our expedition, yet I could hardly bring up the subject during one of our regular councils. Should it become known that the royal person had been slipping out of the palace to conduct secret investigations, then my trusted escort would be caught up in an unpleasant storm of repercussions. Nay, I must be discrete.

As such, I approached the Amalj’aa war chief at meeting’s end, and engaged him with the usual empty pleasantries – eventually steering the conversation to tribal custom. I explained that the coffin of a zombie-cursed warrior had been discovered within Ul’dahn territory, and wondered at the traditional rites one might perform to send his kin’s unfortunate soul on to the afterlife.

Somewhat taken aback, the war chief advised that it was of paramount importance to avoid disturbing the warrior’s undead slumber. “Leave the coffin untouched,” he warned. “Stand facing the valorous spirit, and perform a single bow. Offer your respects for a life well lived, celebrate the warrior's greatest victory, and then kneel in a moment of reflection.”

Thus did the Amalj’aa mourn comrades fallen on the field of battle, burning myrrh incense at the culmination of the ritual to guide their sanctified souls unto the everlasting flame.

In receiving his answer, I was suddenly struck by a cavalcade of questions I had never thought to ask. I felt ashamed at my ignorance, and am now resolved to learn more of this proud people’s culture.

Ul’dah and Sil’dih

When Belah’dia splintered into Ul’dah and Sil’dih, the division only deepened with time. The history books tell the tale of escalating hostilities; of how the advent of the Traders’ Spurn devastated the Sil’dihns, and brought the conflict to a horrific end. Ul’dah would later migrate to the site of the fallen metropolis, where even now the ruins of the past dot the landscape, or lie hidden from view deep underground. Such remnants proved useful when routing the municipal waterways, and so did they refer to this section of the subterrane as the “Sil’dihn aqueducts.” Given that the war turned savage over the water sources, it seems to me a designation of particularly ghoulish sensibilities.

Distasteful naming aside, it should have come as no surprise that these old tunnels fed into other vestiges of Sil’dih. And yet I was wholly unprepared to set foot in the royal palace itself! Had the structure been exposed above ground, the wind-driven sand coupled with the heat of the Thanalan sun would have led to extensive erosion. But cocooned beneath the earth as it was, its chambers have been perfectly preserved.

How rare it must be to encounter ruins in such an unspoiled state. It will provide our historians with a wealth of material to study… assuming they can navigate the intervening passages. We must clear the way, first and foremost, and secure a safe path through.

Raising the Flags

When we came across the banner of Sil’dih, so alike to our Ul’dahn flag, I was reminded that the first sultans of those warring nations were twin brothers. Yet the reason behind the design’s similarity has naught to do with sibling imitation. In Belah’dia’s time, ‘twas the Flame of Magic and the Fruit of Knowledge which sat the scales of judgement. Ul’dah took the Flame as its own, balancing the scales with the Gem of Affluence, whilst Sil’dih claimed the Fruit, and set it against the Helm of Might. Each thought himself the rightful heir, and thus did both raise flags depicting the bounties of Belah’dia.

Both included a symbol of strength, but the difference lay in its interpretation: Ul’dah believed in the potency of its magicks; Sil’dih, in its military might. The gladiators who train in our Coliseum are mayhap the closest embodiment of Sul’dihn philosophy.

In fact, reflecting on the encounter now, the first gladiator construct lurking in the palace depths could not have been a more apt incarnation of their beliefs: from the exquisite embossment of grapes upon its formidable helm, to the way its gleaming form – the same silvery hue as Sil’dih’s scales – illuminated the subterranean gloom. THrough all these years did it stand patient guard, faithfully serving a master centuries dead, and a nation long since fallen into ruin. ‘Tis enough to turn one’s mood melancholy.

My Mother’s Eyes

How, in the name of the Nald’thal, did that burglar manage to creep into a treasure chamber sealed off from the outside world for generations? Aside from the gate only my key could open, I saw no other means of entering the ruins. Although considering the prevalence of secret doors and passages in its construction, the remnants may very well have other entrances of which I am simply not aware.

Yet in spite of this mystery, I find myself lingering most on the scrawled note our thief left behind. The first item was an obvious reference to “Nashachite,” which must somehow relate to one of the ruins’ many riddles. ‘Tis how it relates to me, however, that truly has my thoughts in a jumble.

Nashachite was the name Ul’dahn jewelers gave to the high-quality malachite excavated from the reopened Copperbell Mines. This was after the Calamity, of course, and thus I took umbrage at these merchants using my late mother’s name as a means to promote their wares.

And then I was presented with a sample. ‘Twas as if the gentle sparkle of Mother’s eyes was captured within the stone. Much to my chagrin, I found myself forced to agree that “Nashachite” was perfect fit for this gem of exquisite green.

The Thorne Legacy

“Sil’dih aqueducts. Thorne. Vault.” I noticed these words scribbled on the back of the burglar’s note we found, but was too preoccupied to give them much thought at the time. Did the intruder believe that a secret cache of Thorne riches was to be found somewhere in the waterways? An odd notion, given that the House of Thorne was well known for its honesty and integrity. After all, ‘twas a sultan of their dynasty who willingly transferred power back to the House of Ul, and there was nary a peep to imply any wrongful withdrawals from the royal treasury.

Assuming they had secreted wealth in some hidden location, it would have been done with the full cooperation of the Ul family – with the particulars passed down to successive sultans.

Father would have known of the arrangement, and he did speak of slumbering memories which should not be forgotten. Was this one of those things my parents wished me to see when I came of age?

I have considered a hundred potential scenarios for what they might have meant, each more fanciful than the last. And although the Sil’dihn palace was indeed an eye-opening discovery, I sense that Father alluded to a matter of even deeper import…

In Parchment We Trust

Deep beneath Ul’dah, beyond the twisting tunnels of the Sil’dihn aqueducts, we have discovered a vault in which slumbers a precious legacy. In its center, a catalog of evidence emblazoned with the words: “For coin, country, and comrades-in-arms, we bequeath this trust to the House of Ul.”

This solemn declaration, signed by the last sultan of THorne, was followed by several pages of florid signatures – a procession of Ul’dahn rulers which ends with the name of my own father. And wedged there, betwixt one page and the next, a faded missive penned in his distinctive hand.

Addressed with the hope that the reader be “our darling Nanamo,” the letter describes the purpose of the vault. ‘Tis a place known only to the royal heirs; a secure archive wherein evidence of Ul’dah’s alliance with the Amalj’aa is preserved. And though tradition dictated this trust be passed on by word of mouth, Father felt that, should worse come to worst, ‘twas safer to have an explanation committed to parchment.

“Dearest Nanamo, we wonder what manner of woman you have become. We know the role of sultana will challenge you in myriad ways, but no matter how your rule unfolds, remember that you shall ever be our greatest achievement. Seize what happiness you may each day, for joy is worth more than all the gil in Ul’dah.”

Mother. Father. Be assured that ‘tis not sorrow which causes these tears to fall, but overwhelming pride. Now, in this moment, I am simply happy to be your daughter.

[bluetomorrows]

I want longer games with beautiful graphics and how dare you suggest that I'm kidding

So that whole "I want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and I'm not kidding" thing is making the rounds on Twitter again and since I don't like to give genuine opinions on that site I'm gonna talk about it here.

In short, I disagree with the sentiment. I DO want game developers to have higher pay, reasonable hours, and deadlines that aren't cruel. I want an end to the crunch that infests AAA development. But a lot of people who post things like that don't understand what it means for a game to be short or have bad graphics. Frankly, this isn't even as much me refuting this statement as it is a chance to rant about those topics.

Game length is a funny thing. When video games first transitioned to the home, the experience was essentially the same as the arcades that were so popular at the time. Atari games were mostly short score-based rounds or head-to-head multiplayer. Even games like H.E.R.O. and Adventure which deviated from that structure to do a version of the more traditional single-player progression we're used to still didn't last very long. It was a mix of both the limitations of the primitive technology and what players had come to expect from the arcades. When the NES came along expectations changed. People didn't want just arcade games, at least not the kind from the 70s. At launch Super Mario Bros. was the clear stand-out game, far surpassing its arcade-like counterparts in critical and commercial success. They wanted bigger and better experiences. So now games have to last, they have to have that progression that's standard now. This evolution was much more smooth and slow outside of North America where there was no video game crash. However, North America's explosion in video game renting also helped push forward this mindset. If you can just beat a game in the rental period before you have to return it to Blockbuster, then you're never gonna purchase it and give the game publishers the returns they really want. So how do you make a game last on still primitive hardware? NES developers came across two main options: bullshit difficulty, and replay value. The former was easier to implement. If the game was insanely hard, then naturally it would take you more time to finish it. The latter required actually talented game developers. A game should be fun to play, and ideally more fun every time. The basic idea is as you get better at the game you'll be able to have a more satisfying experience playing the levels.

Let's take the NES Castlevania trilogy as an example of these schools of level design. Castlevania 1 is a brutal game, but that's really only your first time. When you replay it you now have a grasp on your own controls, but also the patterns of the enemy. You know how to use the sub-weapons effectively and when to spend hearts on them. The visceral gameplay flow here will make you feel incredibly badass but only when you've mastered it, the first time around you'll be weak and scared. The controls are very precise and one wrong move can cost you a lot, but you'll learn the best strategies to deal with it. Castlevania 2 employs the BS difficulty on yourfirst run. The solutions to the puzzles are obtuse and NPCs will give you strange and sometimes misleading advice. You need a player's guide to get through it. But there's the ending stinger. Gaming's first alternate ending. Depending on how fast you beat the game you'll get 3 different endings. Only by mastering the game can you achieve the best ending and see Simon survive the game, therefore encouraging you to replay it to achieve the true ending you want. Castlevania 3 combines the great replayability aspects of both games. It keeps the visceral skill-based gameplay of the original while taking the idea of different content in different playthroughs from Simon's Quest. There are now multiple paths to take to Dracula's castle, and the option to recruit three other characters to your group, although only one can travel with you at any time. 2 primary routes plus 3 possible character combinations mean 6 pretty unique experiences of the game, on top of the inherent skill progression the player experiences through gameplay.

The multiple pathways of Castlevania III's map

So how long is Castlevania 3? Like 3 hours? Not really. Because you're not expected to put it down after that first playthrough. It'd be ridiculous considering how much cartridges cost. Is Castlevania 3 a short game? Yes, but really no. It's a thing I see people very often struggle to understand. Classic Sonic games for example were designed specifically around replayability, the speed-based gameplay being inspired by Yuji Naka seeing through 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. tons of times and seeing how fast he was doing it. Doing the same thing faster is a very easy way for the player to feel they're improving. So many people play these games once and dismiss them when they're not really getting the full experience. If you watch a newbie play Sonic and an experienced player play the same stages it's practically a completely different game.

However when Sonic was coming out a new type of game was starting to appear on the market. Games that didn't need to figure out ways to make themselves last longer than they could, but instead could just last.

Due to the technical limitations of the NES and its contemporaries, the first games to really challenge the ideas of length at the time were RPGs. The main gameplay was turned-based combat, something not very intensive for the system so more resources could be given to the world maps and story. The drawbacks to RPGs in this era are that many still padded gameplay with ridiculously tough enemies and high encounter rates, and the ones that really pushed things forward with grand worlds and stories often never left Japan due to the higher-than-usual cost to localize them for other markets. Still, the effects were felt. These games didn't need to be replayed to make you feel like you'd gotten a full experience. They were able to last, while still holding on to some of the replay philosophy these developers learned during the previous generation.

The massive map of Mother/Earthbound Beginnings for the Famicom/NES. The game drew praise for the fact that every NPC had unique dialogue.

This genre would really come into its own in the next generation of systems as developers across the board were given more freedom in game length due to the improved hardware. Games outside of RPGs could still take inspiration from their world design and how simple action gameplay could only be one part of the design and mechanics of a game. With the advent of the PlayStation 1 and SEGA Saturn and the insanely higher amount of space afforded by CDs, developers were no longer limited by technology and could design their games to be as long as they really wanted.

Also the N64 was there.

This laid the groundwork for the "long" games we're seeing now, something far too complex for me to really analyze. The point is game length was now something a developer had to choose, not something chosen for them. Sometimes they even give the player the choice, allowing them to beat the "main game" or do side content for 100% completion. I'd say nowadays it's strange if a game releases without any side content for you to do. Replayability was becoming less and less important to developers. The only real push back against this came with the adcent of games specifically calling back to the NES and SNES era, specifically by indie devs, a movement that has one grown in popularity as we've entered the 20s.

So here's what I'm getting at: what is game length now? What does it mean for a game to be long? How many short games are truly short? How many truly short games are good?

Well to answer that question I made a spreadsheet. I compiled a list of 50 of my favourite games and the information on them on howlongtobeat.com. I've used this site before and generally, it's accurate, the player base isn't too skilled or too bad at games. In the cases where two versions of a game were listed, I chose the one I played, unless both versions only had very minor differences, in which case I chose the one that had a larger data set. For each game I noted how long it took to beat the base game, the base game plus some of the optional content, and how long it took to get 100%, as well as what option of the three I would recommend to others. I also listed the style of replayability of each game. Whether it was based on skill improvement, alternate paths, or had little replay value. Mind you just because a game was listed as having little replay value doesn't mean you can't replay it and have fun, if the game is good then the game is good, but it just means it wasn't really designed for that.

I tried to have a varied set of games to measure, first-person and third-person, and on-rail shooters, rhythm games, RPGs, action games, and puzzle games are all included, but there may be a bias towards platformers as it's what I've played the most of.

The results were rather interesting. Keep in mind that the games chosen are all ones I consider to be quite good, so this is supposed to represent what the average good game does. I found that the average base game lasts about 9 hours, extended to 14 hours with extras, and 25 hours if you go for 100%. I recommended completing the main game + extras about 50% of the time, with the other two paths each taking up about a quarter. Overall the average time I recommended spending with each playthrough was 15 hours. The longest recommended playthrough went to Super Mario Odyssey with 62 hours as I recommended going for 100%. The shortest time was surprisingly another Mario game, that being Super Mario Land at only one hour. But I think that's actually a perfect encapsulation of what this was trying to prove, as Odyssey has little replay value, while Super Mario Land has the skill curve via repeat playthroughs that I talked about earlier. More games weren't really built for replay value than I expected, in fact I expect the number is a bit inflated as I play more retro and arcade games than the average person. But the market has shifted, content outside of the main campaign is now the lasting appeal. But the question I ask is, should it be? Now there are some games on my list like Spyro: Reignited Trilogy and Yakuza Kiwami where I feel as though if you're not going after all the side content you're kind of missing the point of the game design, however there are other games like Doom (2016); a game that has more post-game content than the base game, yet all that content is completely pointless. Sure you unlock some cute figures and a couple extra skills, but searching around for obtuse secrets just feels like the antithesis of the design of that game, which should be fast paced reaction based action. The addition of it here has always confounded me. My best guess is they were trying to replicate aspects of the original Doom, where exploration was a much bigger part of the game, but here it doesn't work. I WOULD like to play more of Doom (2016) so I can get better at the main game, not so I can find all the doodads, and a game like it should find ways to encourage replay.

I make a special note in the file of Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland and how it encourages replayability. Beating the game 100% unlocks "Extra Mode" a version of the game that is nearly identical with the one difference being that Kirby has half the health. I do dislike this approach in other games I love; Super Mario Galaxy and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze both got "Main + Extras" scores instead of "100%" scores because they pull this at the end of the game, but I don't mind it so much here. Kirby is supposed to be a breezy relaxing game, where taking damage shouldn't be that much of an issue, but this flips that on its head and legitimately changes the way the player approaches the game. But Extra Mode isn't the real thing I want to highlight, what really elevates the replayability of Nightmare in Dreamland is what you unlock after beating all of Extra Mode: Meta Knightmare. Meta Knightmare swaps out Kirby for Meta Knight, and even though he doesn't play dramatically differently from Kirby with the sword ability, he nevertheless again encourages the player to approach the same stages differently. This more serious character should cut down enemies like butter and speed through stages without breaking a sweat, and that speed aspect is even more encouraged by Meta Knightmare removing the ability to save and prominently displaying how quickly you completed the game. Things as simple as a change in aesthetic and scoring change how the game is played and give the player more unique experiences out of a game that's "only two hours long". Mind you this doesn't involve creating tons of side content and extras, it's small changes that have a massive psychological change in how the game is played.

If you want to check out the list yourself I've linked it here. Special cases where games extend playtime through other means are noted where necessary, although they aren't common.

I think the vast differences between games on this list really highlight a point I think I already knew: Games should be as long as they need to be. Typically video games are made to be played for fun, and making long games or very replayable games typically suits that goal, but ultimately gaming is an art form. War & Peace would be a worse story if it was very short, just as The Great Gatsby would be worse if it dragged itself out for another 300 pages. The idea that games SHOULD be shorter isn't something that supports game developers or players, it's something that speaks down to the idea of games as an art form.

So yeah, I don't want shorter games. I don't care if it takes me forever or if it's over in an instant. I just want the games to be good. If I want some specific length then that's my problem, not the developer's.

I think I've made my point about game length being fluid, but that's only half the statement, what about graphics?

Since the dawn of time (1992), man has sought the best and most realistic video game graphics. In olden times, neanderthals were amazed by the 3D worlds of Wolfenstein 3D and Virtua Racer, "games will never be more realistic than this" they said. Now we know that they were stupid fucking cavemen who didn't know how butt ugly their games are, they don't even look like real life. Not like Tekken, now THAT'S some real graphics.

This happened to my buddy Eric

Of course, then we realized that Tekken was also dog water graphics when the PS2 came out. And now it's 2023 and all the PS2 games look fake and gay and actually, I think Wolfenstein and Virtua Racing look pretty alright. This is a point I specifically want to address because when I see people parrot this opinion when they say they want "games with bad graphics" the examples they point to for games to aim for are titles like Hades or other more stylistic, non-realistic games, typically by indies.

This is very frustrating because those games have great graphics.

Why the hell should good graphics mean realistic graphics? Just like with pacing game graphics should be whatever the hell they need to be.

Here are some games that have good graphics in them I think

It's not about the horsepower or however gigaflops per tera butt it can render, it's just about good art direction. Good art direction can be realistic, completely stylized, or somewhere in between! To say a game like Hades has bad graphics is... how do I put this?

Basically, fuck you.

When going for realism the most common obstacle is not entering the uncanny valley, and when going for a more stylized approach the the most common obstacle is making sure everything is still clear to the player at all times.

And no, I don't want games to look bad. And that goes for both

Stylized

and realistic

Just let games be games man. If you truly believe that they're a unique art form capable of creating meaningful experiences, then let them do what they want. You can say developers should be treated better and you're right if you do, but that doesn't mean they have to make more boring art.

[qqueenofhades]

UBI would just be giving people handouts, though. Like, "congrats your alive you get money" doesn't provide the best incentive to work? We're going to have a lot of freeloaders if we do that.

Uhhhh.

First of all, I think it's pretty obvious from my other posts that you and I are not going to agree about this, so I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish here. Second of all, I... don't.... see.... what's....wrong with a government fundamentally providing basic financial support to its citizens??? There are plenty of people who CAN'T work for one reason or another and who struggle all their lives on extremely meager levels of support that the ableist state has decided they can (very grudgingly) be allowed to have, despite their terrible sin of not being able to join the workforce. Besides, the "UBI will make those lazy freeloaders not work!!!" is a) capitalist propaganda and b) not even true. Finland is one of the countries to have completed a UBI trial and guess what! People who received it were actually more likely to be in work after the trial ended!

Interestingly, the final results of Finland’s program, released this spring, found that a basic income actually had a positive impact on employment. People on the basic income were more likely to be employed than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant, albeit small.

This coincided with a strong uptick in mental health, positive social support, and other quality-of-life indicators. The people in the Finnish trial received €560 a month, which is obviously not enough to replace work-related income, but which DID provide enough extra funding to help fill critical gaps and provide more peace of mind. Besides, humans are naturally industrious and like doing things?? And are usually happy to work and find ways to occupy themselves, and the idea that they only "deserve" to survive or have their basic needs met if they're working long hours at a job that they probably hate is, again, capitalistic propaganda nonsense (not to mention, has strong undercurrents of social Darwinism, eugenics, and other questionable social philosophies).

In a world that is so wildly economically unjust, where a tiny handful of people control an incredibly disproportionate amount of wealth and so many people suffer with so little, you're simply never going to convince me, ever, that making more effort to financially meet their basic needs is a bad thing. For God's sake, giving them five hundred extra bucks a month, if we're replicating the Finland conditions, is hardly going to create a culture of "freeloaders." Why is that worse than forcing them to work multiple jobs for shit wages and still struggling? Why is their "production" the only important thing about them? Why is this the metric you've chosen to complain about in what is, as noted, an entirely theoretical program that is decades away from being politically feasible in America, if ever, and yet has been experimented and implemented in successful democratic-socialist societies that are, gasp, NOT AMERICA?

In short, as it has been put before and is still the best way to say it: I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people. Because, as noted, of all the outrageous economic injustices that currently exist in this world, it's extremely confusing to me that this is the one you would choose to complain about. And in closing: any UBI program in America would be funded, a la Social Security and Medicare, with taxpayer money. So that is YOUR MONEY to start with (and that of everyone who has ever paid a single penny in federal or state tax for any reason, which is almost every single American citizen over the age of 18). It's not "giving handouts" to distribute it back to poor people, rather than continuing to jigger the system so rich people pay nothing into it at all and are allowed to reap insane profits. And the idea that all other working people are your enemy and if they get anything, there will be less for you, is a deliberate technique used to keep you blaming each other, and not seriously questioning the grotesque accumulation of those at the very top. Because yeah. Uh. I think they can absolutely afford to fucking share.

[josefavomjaaga]

Joseph revokes Soult’s orders

The proper military hierarchy in Spain was a pain in the ass for everyone involved. On one hand, you had Joseph, the official king of the country and, as such, nominal head of the army. On the other hand, you had the official general-in-chief of the Armée du Midi, Soult. And above all, you had the emperor in Paris, constantly giving direct orders to some people in different ways: directly to the generals or through Berthier (later: Clarke). After he had received the title of »general-in-chief«, it did not take long for Soult to find out just how difficult his position was.

Soult to Berthier, Sevilla, 20 August 1810

[…] On the left, General Sébastiani with those troops of the 4th corps he managed to assemble, and General Godinot with some detachments I have drawn from the interior of Andalusia, are in operations against the army of Murcia, which seems to have been joined by all the enemies on the side of Valencia, and by a few thousand men that Blake landed in Cartagena. I had ordered general Lorge to make a diversion by directing a column on Vera, and to send immediately the brigade of dragoons of general Digeon, and a battalion of the 64th which for eighteen months has been absent from its corps, to Baylen and Linares, to join general Godinot; but a direct order given by the king opposed it.

I have the honour of sending to Your Highness the letters written to me on this subject by Generals Lorge and Lahoussaye.

So, this is the Armée du Midi trying to help Suchet with the conquest in the Valencia region. The troops Soult mentions did officially belong to the corps under his command but had at some point or other been detached for some task in the region directly under Joseph’s command. And there they should remain, in Joseph’s opinion. Which was another reason why nobody was very keen on sending troops to Madrid: Once they were there, you likely never saw them again.

It is incomprehensible to meet with such opposition, and that, in spite of the Emperor's orders, I cannot dispose of the troops belonging to the army whose command His Majesty has deigned to entrust to me (all those situated in La Mancha and on the Tagus are in this case). I complain of this to His Catholic Majesty [...],

That is Joseph’s official title as King of Spain. Not that I am aware of him being particularly pious.

[…] and I respectfully point out to him that the service is thus compromised; that it exposes us to receiving some affront, or at least to obtaining only incomplete successes; and finally, that it puts the generals who receive orders from two sides in the painful alternative of committing an act of disobedience, no matter whom they obey. I hope that the King will take into account my observations, and that His Majesty will recognise that the fears that he had for Madrid are unfounded.

That’s the ongoing refrain: Joseph worries about the security of Madrid, and everything else be damned. The fear Madrid might be occupied by British troops in 1809 had caused him to give battle at Talavera without waiting for Soult and Ney to move into position in order to take a joint action against Wellington. And as late as 1813 the fear for Madrid will lead him to keep plenty of his troops there, against Napoleon’s orders, instead of employing them in the North or rallying them in a strong force in order to be able to put up some opposition against Wellington.

However, as this resistance will probably be recurring, I have the honour of asking Your Serene Highness to kindly take the Emperor's orders in this matter, […]

Berthier, go tell Napoleon his brother is an idiot and does not let me do my job!

On some level, I do understand why Napoleon simply ignored everything that came from Spain. I would not want to deal with that kindergarten either. But on the other hand – who caused this whole Spanish quagmire, Sire, huh?

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this isn't meant as hate but im interested in how you're justifying henrys killing of innocent people (mostly children) who couldn't be somehow oppressing him or w/e. people like his sister. the other children at the lab. chrissy. max. etc?

I'm not so much "justifying" those murders but more explaining why they occurred, and why, from Henry's POV, they were not entirely evil actions and that I don't believe Henry has ever intended to be outright evil. I actually believe he thinks he's good and what he is doing he is doing for altruistic reasons, even as Vecna. I will die on this hill of there being a lot more to “Vecna” than is being acknowledged currently in the fandom. Which is strange to me because not only do we have blatant text backing it up but we also have people like Jamie backing it up as well. Jamie has pretty much confirmed Vecna’s motives are not entirely evil and that's not what the character is suppose to be, and I trust what Jamie says because he had a big part in helping shape the character. I’m not saying Vecna’s not an antagonist, but I am pretty assured in the idea that he’s actually not the big bad - at least NOT in the way people think he is. 

A lot of the fandom will say Human Evil TM is the overarching theme of Stranger Things and I absolutely agree but I think there is a misconception that Henry is wholly representative of his “human evil” in the sense they think that he is an “evil human” and not in the sense that it was the “human evils” he suffered and witnessed that had a huge hand making him what he is and putting him on his current path. And that's a very concerning misconception I see repeated in the fandom toward all the characters the fandom strangely thinks are meant to be the real “evil humans,” hence responsible for the “human evil” and so are the ones being “condemned as evil irredeemable people” which isn’t really it from what I’ve seen in canon. 

I think a major example of this is the way people think Billy is the villain of Stranger Things. But via canon Billy is literally an abused teenager who was struggling against and falling into “the cycle of abuse.” He was lashing out at his sister because of what his father was doing to him. The human evil / “villain” here was Neil Hargrove. The man who was abusing and controlling his son, physically, mentally and emotionally, and brining these negative perceptions and actions out in Billy, who really was just a fucking child for the most part (16-17 to 18 years old like come on. That was a kid, not a fully formed adult.) 

Later, we see Billy die heroically to protect his sister and her friends. He wasn’t condemned as a monster, he was shown as a victim and “redeemed.” Billy’s sacrifice had a profound effect on Max that helps set up season 4.  So people like Dr Brenner, his associates (People literally employed by the US government and that represent some of its most shady and terrifying aspects), Neil Hargrove (Homophobic abusive racist), Lonnie Byers (Homophobic abuser) and the behaviors and social constructs that validate and perpetuate their behaviors and views, allowing them to victimize those around them, and the disastrous effects this abuse has on their victims, I think, are the actual “human evils” demonstrated in the show and thus the real “villains.”  This is also disturbingly shown with Kali, who the fandom has been VERY shitty toward since day one and that we’re now having a little resurgence of as people are being confronted with the fact Henry and Kali are related and likely wouldn’t consider each other enemies. Kali has never actually killed or hurt anyone who didn’t explicitly deserve it. She has only hurt people who explicitly abused her and her friends. She is shown as an anti-hero type character who, while being damaged and obviously capable of being volatile, has good intentions and has been a savior to other people. (Such as her friends, many of whom literally think of her as saving them. All of these explicitly being people of colour or people who are mentally ill (Dottie)-- or suggested with Axel to be neurodivergent, people who are the most vulnerable members of society and who were noted to have been victims of oppression and abuse, “societies outcasts” This being directly canon text mind you.)  Strangely, instead of accepting that this very much indicates Vecna/Henry isn’t some sort of deplorable, univocal evil, they’re now demonizing Kali as a horrible monster. I’ve seen people outright say she is the MOST TERRIYING of characters to them and just.... What the fuck? Back to Henry though, to explain further, I currently don't believe Henry controls the mindflayer- or maybe more that the mindflayer hasn't had some type of influence over him rather than the other way around. There is little nuggets all through canon that suggest that it was the mindflayer that shaped Henry as much as he shaped it. Both literally and figuratively. And I dont think the mindflayer being some sort of otherworldly entity with some type of conciseness (primitive or advanced) of its own takes away from the theme of the show being “human evil” because the horror genre has always drawn from metaphors and used monsters and demons to represent faults in human behavior and nature. This goes back to old times when people did literally explain darker aspects of the human condition and even instances of mental illness and behaviors that can manifest from trauma as the fault of some "demonic” influence. The mindflayer being something that represents emotions like sadness and anger and Vecna becoming a creature that represents trauma doesn’t take away from the commentary and condemnation of what evils humans are capable of doing. I've wrote posts about this before but to summarize: We've been shown Henry's entire demeanor changed when he moved into the Creel house. In the first scenes in Victor’s memory Henry seems pretty happy and mesmerized by the house like his sister. But this quickly changes. There is a scene in Victor's memories that shows Henry innocently drawing in the living(?) room of the house, when suddenly the lights in the room start flickering in and out. Henry notices this and looks confused. From canon we know a way to make contact with the real world from the upside down is through lights. If Henry was the one manipulating the lights in this scene why did he seem so confused when the event occurred? Victor said he could see that Henry knew something was wrong with the house. We also have the fact that Henry felt compelled to draw some omnipresent super-creature he was apparently imagining. I don't think Henry made it up entirely on his own, I think he was just illustrating what he imagined the “presence” he was somehow communing with to look, even if this was done subconsciously. (Its also possible the mindflayer suggested to Henry that it looked like this, perhaps praying on Henry’s love of spiders to make itself more  friendly/appealing to him) We also have the way Henry's powers kept multiplying and becoming "stronger" while living in the Creel house. Henry, a little boy in the 50s, starts to get some very complex and advanced views about human civilization and everything wrong with it. Which, while I think some of this absolutely comes from Henry’s own expereinces as a minority and the oppression he was already suffering because of it, he was still a little boy at this point. He also starts to learn how to essentially sucks souls out of people. I don't think a 12 year old boy has the capacity to come up with this kind of stuff entirely on his own. He wasn't in an environment where he could pull that stuff without a little bit of help, particularly at that age. We also have other things about the mindflayer that we know from past seasons. We know its a living darkness, that it can invade bodies and minds, we know it emphasizes feelings of anger and sadness, (the feelings Henry says make his powers stronger) we know Max described that it doesn't seem like Vecna is able to see anything else inside of people but anger and sadness, and we know Dustin described Vecna as the mindflayer’s 5 star general. I think that line in particular is extremely important because its not even just a clue, it seems to have completely revealed the truth.  So I don't think Henry was entirely responsible for what the mindflayer is or how it functions. I think they influence each other, I would be VERY SUPRISED if this was actually the case and that canon has been intending to show that Henry is literally the mindflayer and that it isn’t more complicated than that because it doesn’t match up with a lot of the clues we’ve been given. Furthermore, we have the description of the Elder Brain, the final phase of the mind-flayer life cycle from DnD that I think is insanely interesting and relevant:

 An elder brain was the final stage of the mind flayer life cycle. The elder brain lived in a brine-filled pool in the center of a mind flayer city, where it guided its community by filling them with dark dreams of illithid domination. The elder brain's strong mind-affecting powers stemmed from the brains of long-dead mind flayers making up its viscous mass. Being composed of many brains as energy source for its intellect, it could communicate telepathically with any creature within a distance of 350 feet (110 meters) and sense the presence of any sentient creature within 5 miles

Although its intellect was of godlike proportions, its only physical attack was by using its tendrils to lash out at or grapple an opponent. Therefore, mind flayers protected their elder brain by securing it in a well-protected cave inside the city

That sounds a hell of a lot like the mindflayer and seems to me like its used Henry as a tool as much as Henry has “used” it. We also know from canon that Henry’s “link” with the mindflayer is the reason he became the creature we call Vecna. It is the thing that “transformed” him. He explains it himself as the mindflayer being the “means” to “ascend” his human form. This confirms both that Vecna’s not a human anymore and that the mindflayer is somehow capable of transmogrification, which we also saw with the “flayed” and the spider creature in season 3. That implies whatever the mindflayer is its not just a harmless mass of “”particles”” on its own.  All that aside for Henry’s actual “killings”, I'll start with his sister because in my opinion his sister is the one that is mostly personal. I think Henry was jealous of her and I think more than that its pretty obviously shown in canon that Henry felt deeply, deeply betrayed by his family. We know Henry was a kid who was struggling. The adult figures in his life had decided there was something “wrong” with Henry. He was “different”. He was “broken”. This heavily alludes to Henry being some type of neurodivergent, particularly as a lot of these opinions are coming from doctors and teachers. And surely from his own mother, father and sister. 

It seems that Alice, unlike Henry, didn’t have any of those issues. While its kind of hard to say exactly what Henry and Alice’s relationship looked like I got the impression we were suppose to see the Creels as an inverted parallel to the Byers family. To me this means Henry and Alice probably didn’t have a good relationship. I feel like Alice would have been scornful and rejecting of Henry, due to him being “different”, inverting the relationship between Jonathan and William.  But again we don’t see a lot of Alice or her relationship with Henry so all this is purely headcanon and theory for me. We basically see nothing. And she’s very strange to me because she’s suppose to be older than Henry. She's suppose to be 15 at the time of her death but for some reason the actress that played her was MUCH younger and so she was shown as much younger. She even appeared younger than Henry in the canon and I don’t know if this was lazy casting or what, but we know Alice was meant to be 15 years old in canon and the news paper clipping that talks about “Victors crimes” lists her as 15. 

What we do know as actual canon is that Henry was very deeply angry with and betrayed by his family. Initially, he blamed himself for being different and not fitting in. He felt like people hated him, he felt like people only wanted to get rid of him, he couldn’t understand exactly why that was, but he related to spiders and took comfort in being able to see himself in them as a result of this. Henry didn’t know why he was different, but he knew he was and he knew it caused problems. In contrast he looked at his family as good, perfect and normal. All the things it seemed he couldn’t be and kept falling short of. He was judged apparently pretty harshly for the fact he wasn’t measuring up to the expectations his family and the rest of the world had for him.  Then Henry somehow unlocks the power of reading minds and sees this perfect family that is judging him are not perfect. He is hurt and distraught and labels his family hypocrites. Keeping in mind, Henry never really did anything wrong, he was just wired differently but his family and others made him feel “wrong” and “bad”, they labeled him broken but suddenly he knows that the only thing actually wrong with him is that he couldn’t seem to hide the things that made him “different” as well as his family members could. Something particularly empathized in canon is that Henry’s loving father, the war hero and otherwise someone who would have been very esteemed and someone Henry would have looked up to, was actually someone who had committed a horrible, horrible mistake. He had a terrible dark secret. Henry saw Victor’s actions during the War and the mistake he made in gruesome detail that lead to the deaths of many, many innocent civilians.  This traumatized Henry as well as exasperated Henry’s budding disillusion with the world he lived in, and made him extremely angry with his family. The thing is Henry didn’t just come to see his family as liars and hypocrites, but he came to see them as his enemies. For them to judge him the way they did for being “different” when Henry hadn’t actually done anything extremely bad in comparison, it would have felt to him that these people just hate him. Still Henry tried to show them their faults to level with them:  

As I practiced, I realized I could do more than I possibly imagined. I could reach into others, into their minds, their memories. I became an explorer. I saw my parents as they truly were. To the world, they presented themselves as good, normal people. But like everything else in this world, it was all a lie. A terrible lie. They had done things, Eleven. Such awful things. I showed them who they really were. I held up a mirror.

This is where it gets interesting for me because like... When Henry starts using his powers to force his family to see they’re not what they’re pretending to be and therefore their judgement of him is entirely unfair, Henry only gets blamed and spurned more. For some reason, Henry’s mother begins blaming him for everything going on in the house. And it seems Henry believes maybe he is the one that is “haunting” the home because yeah, Henry’s used to being seen as somehow the bad guy and it makes sense with his other experiences. But as previously mentioned there's evidence that whatever was going on in the Creel house wasn’t actually all Henry. None the less this is what Henry says: 

My naive father believed it was a demon cursing them for their sins. But my mother somehow knew. Knew it was I who was holding up that mirror, and she despised me for it. She called a doctor, an expert. She wanted him to lock me away, to fix me, even though it wasn't I who was broken. It was them. And so she left me with no choice. No choice but to act. To break free.

This suggests that Virginia somehow knew Henry had powers. We could assume that this might actually be one of the reasons that Virginia treated Henry in some kind of way. Yet its odd because VICTOR seems to have no clue Henry has powers and it further seems he’s completely oblivious to Virginias contact with Brenner.  For me the most sensible possibilities here are: A) Virginia knew Henry had powers, maybe because Henry showed her, as his mother and someone he would have trusted in the past only for Virginia to sow that seed of aversion and self loathing in Henry by maybe telling Henry his powers were bad or maybe that he must not ever show anyone his powers and he can’t ever use them. But then we also know Henry’s powers didn’t start becoming really substantial until they moved to Hawkins.  The next theory for me is B) Maybe Virginia contacted Brenner as an “expert on the human mind” and psychologist (Most likely one of the most esteemed in his field, and we know the Creels had money at least on Virginias side of the family so this wouldn’t be beyond her means) and began to explain her situation and the concerns she had about her son (We already know Henry had previous history with not just one doctor but multiples) and it was BRENNER that convinced her Henry might have some sort of powers. We know Brenner was interested in this kind of thing and we know he was predatory and opportunistic. I don’t think it would be out of character for him to prey on a mother like Virginia in order to get access to her son, because whether Henry actually had powers or not, it provided him with a test subject.   Or maybe its a combination of both options, or some other third option that could be revealed in s5. Not sure. But anyway, what canon has shown and explained was that Henry discovered his mother wasn’t the loving housewife she painted herself as. He discovered she not only disliked him and blamed him for the troubles their family had, but she had full intentions to have him taken away by a doctor. (Again, note, it seems Virginia went completely behind Victors back on this, and like. This is the 50s. Women acting without the permission of their husbands would have been a little odd, let alone without their husband even knowing that they were planning to do something that would have a massive impact on the entire family.)  But back to Alice. I think Alice similarly blamed Henry for things he couldn’t control. (She could have potentially blamed him for the fact they had to move to Hawkins in the first place as its suggested the decision to move did have something to do with Henry.) 

Henry obviously thought Alice had to die and I’m not gonna say this wasn’t probably influenced from his own person feelings of jealousy and hurt toward her. There's a suggestion that maybe Henry killed her because he didn’t want her to be an orphan and maybe that factors in somehow too but ultimately for me I think it was more that, yeah, Henry didn’t have a good relationship with her and if she was left alive she would be a witness to Victor’s side of the story that he didn’t kill his wife. To me it seems more like Henry saw her as in the way of his plan to escape his mother’s plans for him and he didn’t have too much empathy for her because they just weren't close like that.  And I think its somehow true that Henry spared Victor alone because Victor was the member of his family that Henry had the better relationship with, even if he ultimately came to feel very betrayed by and angry with him and probably somehow thought Victor didn’t actually care about him, all things considered. But then we could also look at it as Henry having MORE anger toward his father for those exact reasons, because there is a heavy suggestion that Henry’s victims are not actually gone. Those Henry has killed (In his weird soul sucking way) are somehow the real mercy which moves me to the kids in the lab.  I’ve spoke about them before as well but what we know from canon is that the other subjects in the lab were literally created to undermine Henry. Henry was Brenner’s first subject, but Henry failed to be Brenner's obedient little weapon, so he neutralized Henry, made a literal slave out of him. He forced him to stand by and even assist as Brenner made attempts to recrate him in younger, better ‘groomed’ and thus more malleable children that he could actually use for his own means without question.  And this worked. I don’t think Henry hated the other subjects but again, he wasn’t close to them and it seems he wasn’t able to be. It seems Henry was only able to form alliances with two of these eighteen subjects. Eleven (Jane) and POSSIBLY Eight (Kali.) These two are also shown to us as DIFFERENT from the others, like Henry is. Kali was abducted when she was about five, so while she was very young she already had a sense of herself and a knowing that where she was now wasn’t right, something Brenner couldn’t erase from her, so this prevented Brenner from completely controlling her. 

And while Jane was abducted the minute she was born, she is heavily autistic coded and as a result she is shown as an outcast among the other children. They bully her. She is described by Two as “clumsy” and “stupid” which the other children seem to agree with as some of them start giggling when he says these things and others don’t seem all that troubled by them. No one but Henry seems to be on El’s side or have any inclination to want to protect or help her. Canon seems to show that Eleven was thought of as a failure by the other children because she struggled to preform in the group settings. While its also suggested she showed potential in her one-on-one tests. (Again the neurodivergent coding is heavy here). 

I wrote more in depth about Henry and El and the stuff in the lab here but basically Henry took interest in her for these reasons. He literally says he sees himself in her at that age and he even tells her that he struggled “to preform” as well. By his own admission, there seems to be a point when Henry was a test subject that Henry was having trouble with his powers until he figured out that using sadness and anger gives him greater control over them. This is interesting because it suggests that Brenner probably betrayed Henry in a similar way that he betrays El in “Papa”. As in, the moment El gains control over her powers and makes a decision for herself in how she wants to use them (To save her friends, rather than continue working with Brenner.) Brenner tricks her, tranquilizes her, and collars her like an animal to suppress and control her powers for himself. (Along with using the safety of doctor Owens as leverage against her as well) 

We know that the other test subjects (the most powerful) were being weaponized against El. Seemingly for Brenner to really test whether or not she was a worthwhile subject. Henry tried to step in and help El show her powers in a way that wouldn’t require hurting or possibly killing her, but this fails. And I’m not sure why Brenner was so hell bent in hurting Eleven here but it seems possible by his reactions to Henry that he might actually be doing it to hurt Henry as well, as he noticed Henry had formed a type of friendship with her and I wouldn’t put those types of mind games and emotional abuse past Benner as he was very, very interested in dominating and controlling Henry in ways that go beyond what's fair and maybe even what's logical.  Its shown that the other test subjects were very brainwashed by Brenner. It would have taken a lot more than Henry suddenly getting his powers back and showing them they had been lied to their entire lives for them to suddenly become allies to him and Eleven. I actually think if the other test subjects knew Henry had powers and had more potential than them they would become hyper competitive and antagonistic toward him too because it seemed one of Brenner’s ways of keeping complete control over the children was to encourage and foster this weird hierarchy between them, which it seems the children viciously competed to keep. We saw Two was instantly turned against El to the point of being willing and eager to attack and kill her as soon as he was made to feel threatened by her possibly being stronger than him. It seemed the children’s main concern was pleasing Brenner and gaining / keeping his favour which makes perfect sense given Brenner was shown to literally torture them as punishment for doing things that disappointed him.  When Henry got his powers back he knew he couldn’t make allies out of the other test subjects (there was no time for that anyway) and more importantly he knew he couldn’t leave them alive because they would be used as very effective weapons against him and El. They had to go. And by killing them Henry did SAVE El. If any of the other test subjects survived its likely El never would have been able to escape and its also likely Brenner might have terminated the other subjects himself in order to focus more on Eleven who showed potential beyond all others.  But yeah, back to this, Henry does say something very interesting when he tries to explain his actions to El. He tries to comfort her by telling her the other test subjects are not really gone. He might mean this literally, brining me to Chrissy, Fred, Patrick and Max.  Something else the whole fandom seems to have missed about one of Henry’s “new” powers as Vecna is he seems to have wicked accurate precognition. It seems he literally sees and knows the future, something he showed to Nancy. And I really feel like this does not get brought up enough when it comes to discussions about him and potential stuff in s5. Actually I’m the only person I know of who has talked about it. 

But anyway, Vecna himself and his attacks are suppose to be metaphors for things like depression, trauma, PTSD and suicide. I’ve also spoke about this before but basically Vecna’s victims are not random, and the only real reason they're teenagers is because canon needed a way to tie them to the Hawkins gang who are all highschoolers. The victims had to be instantly visible to them for plot purposes, but outside of this Vecna’s victims are heavily suggested to be people who had a future of committing suicide. He chose them specifically because suicided was on the near horizon for them. This is insanely explicit when we get to Max, I don’t know how people miss it. The way she’s completely withdrawn herself from her friends, the way she ended her relationship with Lucas, all her incredibly self isolating behavior, the letters, etc.  Like I said I’ve made a post before talking exclusively about this, about Vecna’s attack rituals and the “symbolization” behind it but nutshell: Vecna is referred to as the “trauma monster” not entirely as a joke but because he in ALL WAYS he represents trauma, as someone who suffered it all his human life and thus as something who's supernatural form manifests and is drawn particularly toward others who have suffered it.  Copy pasting from my private post on this:  

There is definitely something to be said about how Vecna preys on his victims shown in S4. Yes, he targets those with trauma and he “hurts” them but there is this weird, freaky "soothing” quality about it. On more than one occasion he’s shown comforting them. He “tortures” them but he’s telling them he's going to free them, he's going to take their pain away. I’m not sure how to properly explain my thoughts here but its very reminiscent to me of the way Dr. Brenner manipulates the children, he makes them think their suffering is their fault but he has this creepy ass mother gothel esque quality to all of it that serves to manipulate the victim into thinking that he cares about them and what he’s doing has some kind of love / kindness behind it. That he's only hurting them because he has to. Because they’ve forced his hand. Keeping in mind, Brenner was a psychiatrist. He was VERY good at fucking with people’s heads. Vecna’s attack methods seem to mimic this a little in how he tortures them mentally and emotionally. He starts with making the victim question reality, then he emotionally abuses the victim, exaggerates their feelings of guilt and self loathing, breaks them down. He shows them the parts of themselves theyre hiding from or trying to reject. When the victim “gives in” and dies, its over, they’re “free.” They’re no longer trapped waiting to finally bring themselves to end it. That also mirrors Henry’s human experiences. He spent all his time trapped, abused, trying to deny his reality. Suffering. Waiting for it to end. When freedom, or “release” from his suffering did come for him it come for him in the form of “death”. 

Through all this he’s ‘comforting’ them in various ways, he tells them he’s going to take their pain away, he’s ending their suffering. With the idea that these are people who are already leaning toward suicidal tendencies, it seems hes speeding up the inevitable and that this is not a cruelty on his behalf but a kindness. So yeah, I don’t think it would be a stretch of the imagination to think that this pattern comes from Henry’s own abuse. It starts with the gaslighting, making the subject question their reality, then the emotional abuse, judgement, blame, belittlement and finally the physical assault / agony and then freedom. For me, Vecna’s personal attack ritual probably goes like largely in part because this is  a super twisted projection of the pattern Henry internalized from his own life experiences, particularly with Brenner while he was human.

These victims in particularly are ‘visited’ by and ‘taken’ by Vecna as a dark act of mercy on his behalf. (Which is why he’s been shown to sooth and comfort them) On top of that, yes their deaths were necessary components to a greater scheme. (The opening of the gates) But, technically, with that in mind it seems Vecna didn’t seek out anyone to kill personally that wasn’t already “marked” to die.  

Still, Henry/Vecna claims his victims aren't really gone. This pre-dates Henry’s time as Vecna so its not a Vecna-only quality. Again, Henry tells Eleven that all the other test subjects aren't really gone. They’re still with him “in here”, pointing to his head. He never gets to explain what he means by this and maybe we should take it as just he means he wont forget them but I’m not sure that is the case. (Because how would that comfort Eleven, and it seems in that scene he was trying to comfort / reassure her) From the minute I saw this scene I built up a whole theory that he means this more literally. This ties into Vecna/Henry’s method of killing. The way the characters theorize Vecna’s not just killing he's “absorbing” his victims. The aesthetic is to draw parallels to a spider dissolving and consuming the insides of a meal, leaving nothing but a empty husk, but I think its also deeper because freaky supernatural psychic mind fantasy horror stuff. Vecna (and Henry) leaves his victims body as mangled husks after “sucking” out what's inside them and assimilates it into himself, meaning, in some way, they're psychically connected to him. They’re not really gone, as he literally says, their physical bodies are dead but it might indicate that their mental / spiritual selves, THEIR SOULS if you will, still exist within some kind of pocket realm maybe within Vecna somewhere. Which may also be why Vecna, in particular, assures his victims he’s freeing them, viewing himself as their savior and why the whole thing is kind of portrayed to be some kind of twisted mercy by him. Like he’s doing them a service. He’s killing them, at least in our very physical plane of existence but is he? Is he if he’s keeping their spiritual forms in some other realm or something?

It would make sense if you think that Vecna hates the physical world as we know it. He views it as a broken, cruel, oppressive place that needs to be torn down and reset. It would make sense that he must see what he’s doing as a mercy, he’s destroying the physical body but perhaps “rescuing” the soul from crossing into oblivion or whatever other world a soul might drift away to upon the loss of the body and putting them somewhere he might deem “better”? I mean it might not be the case but it seems it might not be a completely insane theory either if you consider how we last see Max and the presence of a book called the talisman. (I recommend taking a look at that book, along with other books linked to it such as Insomnia, Dark tower and Black house because I think its a huge clue to reference that particular universe Stephan King created as far as getting an idea of what season 5 might be looking like.) El was able to psychically interfere with Vecna’s “process” and stop Max’s body from dying but Max “slips” into a “coma.” Later, when Eleven tries to reach into Max’s mind she can’t find her. Max’s mind is completely empty. Its just Eleven standing in an empty space. This could very much indicate that Max’s coma was brought on by the fact her spiritual / soul self has been “captured/stolen” by Vecna. The one difference between her and Vecna’s other victims being Eleven was able to stop him from completely destroying Max’s body, thus killing her in the physical world. So this at least gives her a vessel to come back to from wherever she might be if this theory holds any truth. So theres a suggestion that Vecna/Henry might have been transporting his victims to another dimension, which lends itself to the idea that Vecna isn’t the ultimate villain here, at least not in the way the fandom seems to think, and there is actually a lot more going on with him and in the universe of stranger things in general.  I also don’t believe Vecna’s trying to destroy the world as such and I don’t think hes trying to actually commit omnicide either. He doesn’t seem to be targeting humanity directly, because its not exactly humans he hates. It seems what Vecna wants to do from his own admissions and from things that have been said about him behind the scenes and clues left in canon, is to bring about the collapse of civilization, thus brining about the fall of most major social constructs and institutions of power over the world which lead to the very systems of oppression and hatred that Henry was a victim of and learned to hate as a human. Merging the upside down with Hawkins is a first step in creating some type of ecological disaster that will aid in this.  Which will indeed lead to a lot of deaths of “innocent” people. But I don’t think thats Vecna’s concern because I think in his mind the ends will justify the means. Which isn’t to say he’s “”right”” or anything, but no, I think its clear his motives don't just come from place of senseless destruction and death out of enjoying these things and wanting to kill and hurt people because he likes it and thinks other people are below him. To the contrary. But everything he’s doing he’s convinced himself he has to do for the “greater good.”

FINALLY, also mentioned many times before at this point but Vecna seems to take a LOT of inspiration from the Hindu goddess Kali. I think brushing up on her and mythology about her might also provide clues toward themes that might pop up (particularly with Vecna) In s5 particularly as THERE HAS been a suggestion he’s going to be somehow “”redeemed”” in season 5. I’m not sure if that's actually happening and I don't know if I think it will happen like a lot of people might imagine, but with EVERYTHING ELSE in mind I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some sort of redemption arc does occur with him in the very end. 

[thecensusbureau]

It's hard to look at really.

Every time they pass by each floor, they'd have to watch their footing in order not to move the bodies of people Cucurucho once knew.

People.

That was the problem.

None of them were people.

Osito, the workers that lay on the ground, the ones that employed them, and even the residents that stormed in and ruined everything.

Mostly everything. At least to Cucurucho.

It nearly steps in a puddle of oil. It mutters an apology for almost doing so. The silent counter in its head ticks everytime it registers the body count.

140... 141... 142...

And so forth. And it's always the same number every time.

374. Every time.

The former Bureau doesn't really know why it bothers to do rounds whenever they leave the office. It's... depressing really.

Maybe one round, it'd find a body less. Maybe one round, it'd find all of them suddenly up and about, back to working condition. Maybe one round, it'd find every one of them reaching out and crying for help.

But it never does.

They round the corner, careful as always to not accidentally move the state the bodies were left in when the residents had come by. There was no doubt in any way who had done this.

The workers most likely weren't even hostile. Most of them were probably just running. Running away in fear and in survival, but none of that had mattered. They had died anyway. They were probably toyed with, killed for fun and for the satisfaction of being in the right.

The residents weren't.

Come to think of it, Cucurucho possibly didn't register the oil slick stains on the clothing of the residents. The liquid dripping from each of their claws, teeth, and weapons. The supposed saviours.

They were supposed to do the right thing.

They were supposed to save people.

They were supposed to be good.

But that's the fucking thing.

Again, and again, it never fucking changes. That—

None of them

were ever

People.

They were just machines, they were just worker drones forced to do whatever the higher bids of them, they were the Island's enemies, they were computers relaying information back to the client, they weren't fucking people.

But it just doesn't make sense— Osito has seen time and time again how much these workers strive and interact.

It has seen them care for each other more than any resident has ever done, it has seen them brimming with different personalities and something close to being alive, it has seen them have wants and needs but they never said anything, because they weren't seen by others to even be worthy enough to have those things.

It loved them. It loved them.

And this ticked off Cucurucho. Everything was unfair, and unkind, and even if the world and its programming were screaming at how this was the way it was supposed to be then so be it.

But Bureau, it'd hear, not all of the residents are bad. Some of them are kind and caring and this was just a different story on their end!

If Cucurucho was forced to wipe out another island, the story would never change even though the tables were flipped. One side was always going to be the monsters, and the other the machines forced to be monsters.

And it didn't want to be a monster.

Not anymore.

[ohthehypocrisy]

Umbreon for Pokemon Unite! (obsolete draft)

All the way back in February, a handful of pokemon were leaked. With the release of Umbreon today, I can officially say that Umbreon, Chandelure, and Lapras were the leaked pokemon which I have made a moveset for and had movesets sitting in my drafts. I made a post regarding this, so I’m making good on my word.

Below the ‘Read More’ section is the original draft of the moveset in all of its entirety. All brand new comments will be in bold as I will be explaining my reasoning and thought process behind the moves.

Before I start, I should point out that I had made Umbreon a SUPPORTER instead of a Defender. Looking at it’s stats, you might disagree with me on this, but hear me out.

With huge Defenses and a great HP stat, Umbreon looks like a shoo-in for the Defender role. However, it is very lacking in offensive prowess and speed, which makes it hard to defend anything without threatening to KO something. While Umbreon in Pokemon Unite prefers to outlast the enemy and win the battle of attrition, it is also lacking in firepower in that regard. For this reason, I made Umbreon a Supporter as it uses its bulk to help its allies out of binds from the shadows. 

The official release of Umbreon even employs some Supporter tricks in Mean Look and Wish, and even Snarl to some extent. However, I won’t harp on about what they could’ve done differently or endlessly complain about how my version was better. I’m just gonna let you wonder what could’ve been after you read through all my points. 

Basic Attack - Melee/Atk

Eevee: Becomes a boosted attack after two hits. The boosted attack is a wide ranged tail attack that has a small chance of stunning enemies.

Umbreon: Becomes a boosted attack after two hits. The boosted attack is a wide ranged tail attack that stuns enemies. Afterwards, a short ranged dark mist clouds the pokemon, slowly damaging nearby enemies gradually the longer they are within the area of effect. Using the boosted attack again resets the duration of this effect.

As with most pokemon, Unite imposes a slight difference in playstyle between the evolution stages, and this post isn’t any different. Since Umbreon was supposed to be a physical Supporter, it starts out supporting the team by disrupting the enemy.

The ‘dark mist’ effect of Umbreon’s boosted attack is supposed to be a reference to one of its PokeDex entries where it can fend off attackers with a hazardous mist, or something to that effect. Looking back on it now, it was sort of defensive in this regard. Picture this Umbreon valiantly standing between a weakened Fletchinder and an opposing Buzzwole, who can’t afford to approach without overextending because of you. Supporters can support the team in some ways like this.

Ability: Anticipation/Inner Focus

Anticipation: If the pokemon has a boosted basic attack ready, it will automatically counter with it when receiving damage from a close ranged attack, negating any status and hindrances that would be received.

Inner Focus: Receiving basic attack damage boosts your basic attack by one level. If the pokemon has a boosted basic ready, it will automatically counter with it when receiving damage from a close ranged attack, negating any status, hindrances, and reduction effects that would be received. If the dark mist is already active, the damaging effects are amplified.

While I got Anticipation and Inner Focus correct, this is one of those abilities meant to supplement damage by triggering a counterattack, allowing Umbreon to fend off offensive pressure by taking all the hits for its team. It acts as a defensive ward by using the hits received to build up its basic attack power level in order to bring it up. The basic attack has the ability to Stun enemies on hit, meaning a continuous assault would end in your favor if you were to constantly fight back. Not only that, the dark mist effect would be strengthened if the counterattack triggers, giving you a greater edge over the enemy that don’t know when to quit.

The official Pokemon Unite release has Inner Focus negate the effect of a hindrance received and boosts your Def and Sp. Def for a short while, followed by a lengthy cooldown. My version of Inner Focus is very similar in that, as long as you had a basic attack boosted and ready to use, you’d be able to use it as a counterattack when you received Melee damage, which would also negate the hindrance. However, this would only work on close range attacks. Long range attacks like Espeon’s Psyshock and Gardevoir’s Moonblast will still leave Umbreon Stunned in place, even if it could have used a counterattack boost basic attack.

This was by design, as it means that Umbreon cannot evade hindrances guaranteed in every match. This also forces the opposing team to switch up their playstyle, as an opposing Trevenant’s Wood Hammer and Horn Leech aren’t as effective against Umbreon if it can ignore the move with a counterattack. It doesn’t have a cooldown either, so it can be constantly reactivated if you can mash the basic attack button fast enough.

As a Supporter, Umbreon supports by taking hits for the team, which sounds a lot like a Defender, but it still lacks the firepower to be one. It’s, like, half of a Defender, you know?

Move 1: Bite

A short ranged bite attack that stuns enemies and lowers defense. The move can be used again after 3 seconds of cooldown, dealing more damage but will not stun or lower defense. 7.5s cooldown.

Since Eevee would evolve into Umbreon, I wanted it to start off with a Dark Type move, but I went with Bite instead of Fake Tears. This version of Bite has a unique mechanic where the move can be used again while it’s still on cooldown, changing a certain aspect of the move in such a case.

However, this version of the move wasn’t well thought out, and it was very likely I would’ve changed the move when it was time to finalize the draft. My original idea was something to the effect of ‘Use the move again for a different but weaker effect, allowing you to still work as Support without needing to watch the clock’. I’m not sure what I would’ve come up with, I just wanted to build Umbreon as a supportive combatant, a Supporter that excels at running interference. That’s why I chose Bite, so that Eevee/Umbreon can support the team at the cost of its own life.

I probably would’ve fixed it so that the weaker version would deal less damage but still inflict a weak stun.

Move 2: Helping Hand

High fives a nearby teammate, restoring some HP and boosting their attack power a little. If an enemy is caught in between and struck by the high five, they will be stunned briefly. and the cooldown of this move is reduced. 8s cooldown.

This is where the Supporter side of Umbreon would’ve come into play, as it uses Helping Hand not only to heal allies but also peps them up a bit. 

There’s a visual effect of two hands shooting out from both you and your teammate high fiving each other, followed by an audible clap. I just thought it’d be funny if an enemy caught in the crossfire would get stunned and your cooldown gets reduced because of this interaction.

Move 1a: Snarl

A dark wave directed forward that stuns enemies and lowers their attack. The move can be used again after 3 seconds of cooldown, in which it will have reduced range but will stun enemies and prolong the attack reduction effect. 8.5s cooldown.

This version of Snarl is an upgraded version of Bite that Eevee starts out with. Instead of a wide area of attack, it’s unleashed forward as a powerful Stun attack that applies a debuff to the opposing enemy’s attack stats.

Afterwards, the move effectively has a 3 second cooldown in which it can be used again for a weaker effect. It’s not as threatening as the initial burst, but in serving the team, it keeps the enemy off of their backs by constantly barking at them and deflecting their approach. It can even prolong the duration of the attack debuff, provided you Snarl at enemies struck by the initial growl.

Move 1b: Assurance

Dive in and deal damage to the target, ignoring their shield. Deals more damage to the target the more damage they receive from your basic attack. Will instantly defeat an enemy that is at really low HP, resetting the cooldown of this move. 9.5s cooldown.

So hear me out. I think instant KO attacks can be good when done right, especially if it’s an effect of a hard to hit move or difficult to master attack. My version of Assurance isn’t exactly a balanced move, which is why I was planning to change it when the draft was finalized, I swear.

That said, it was meant to combo with the basic attack and the dark mist effect it summons by increasing the damage it dealt to enemies damaged by the effect. If I had the chance to rework it, I would’ve removed the instant KO effect and added the cooldown skip mechanic that Bite and Snarl had. I probably would’ve made Assurance hit harder on the second strike or something to that effect, but it wouldn’t have been that effective of a Supporter move. Ah well. Maybe I would’ve scrapped the move altogether and replaced it with Foul Play or something.

Move 2a: Moonlight

Casts a bright moonlight onto the field that can be directed. Teammates will gradually restore HP while enemies will have their movement speed reduced. If the dark mist is active, its duration is paused and increases in size. 

I was a lot more excited to write Umbreon for this move alone. Moonlight basically puts you in command of a spotlight that can heal you and your team, but you’re stuck in place while the attack is active. Your ability to defend isn’t hampered, though, as the dark mist effect ends up being amplified if you’ve got it running while you’re healing the team. 

Basically, you pick a spot to settle down, then summon a beam of moonlight to shine down and cast healing rays, which you can direct with the control stick. You’re stuck in place, rooted to the ground while you’re healing your friends, but you can move the beam to heal yourself if necessary. Receiving damage won’t stop the move, but receiving a hindrance or getting KO’d will, so you’d have to be picky about the time and place to go moongazing.

Move 2b: Dark Pulse

Casts an energy wave of darkness to a teammate that reduces the damage they receive. On hit, the energy wave causes enemies to be stunned. If the dark mist is active, it spreads to the teammate, dealing damage to all nearby enemies at the same strength as it was when it was active on the pokemon. Can be reapplied to a teammate repeatedly. 4s cooldown.

The idea behind Dark Pulse was to cast a protective barrier on a teammate by wrapping them in darkness. When hit, the darkness dispels outward in a violent blast, stunning nearby enemies. It also combos with the dark mist effect by passing it along to the chosen teammate, turning them into a passive damage field of black dankness.

The other highlight of the move was its very low cooldown, allowing Umbreon to continuously cast a protective barrier on teammates as long as they were nearby. Not only does this move thwart melee attackers, it also grants a hard stopgap to burst damage by punishing dives and offensive spears. The move wasn’t going to be as effective against ranged attackers, which was the idea, but completely neutralizing a specific playstyle isn’t really my motif anymore, even if the move does punish terrible team composition. I probably would’ve changed it to grant multiple nearby allies a protective coating of darkness and give it a normal cooldown like 9 or 9.5 seconds.

-

And that’s the whole post. I never made a Unite Move because I didn’t come up with one yet, and I probably would’ve made it up on the spot or something. In these cases, I try to come up with something that ties up the whole playstyle into a culmination of the pokemon’s overall impact on the game. By that I mean the Unite Move has to complement the Pokemon that uses it, an Attacker has to deal high damage, a Defender has to stop an enemy hard, etc. A Supporter has to have a Unite Move that either helps the team or greatly hinders the enemy, and it has to be one of these extremes. For Umbreon, off the top of my head, it would probably have gotten an invisibility effect with an instant KO attack on the enemy or something like that. I would’ve fine tuned it afterwards. I don’t write all of these posts in one go, you know?

That’ll do it for this post. Looking at what’s to come in Pokemon Unite, I might be doing another one of these obsolete drafts for a future pokemon, but nothing’s been confirmed yet, even to the plumbers (that’s what I affectionately call the dataminers digging up all this information for us). However, since we’ve got loads of new content coming in, I reckon it’ll be a while before anything substantial is released.

Don’t expect Season 3 anytime soon. I’ve still got a lot of stuff to get through before I can even comfortably release anything.

[talldarkandroguesome]

7th of Midyear, Middas

Tharn and I arrived ahead of schedule and he expected that his sister was already going to make us wait before seeing us, so he offered to give me some insight into her rule and the way she governed in order for me to better understand the situation.

I indulged him, as I have been instructed to do. I was pretty interested in learning more anyways and it must be said that when Tharn is not being a total arse, he can actually be rather considerate in his observations.

And so we left our beautiful red coach and headed northward, up the long stairs into the upper portion of the city. Tharn wanted to stress to me that, despite the appearance of a peaceful city, the conditions, particularly for the Khajiit were far beyond what could be imagined.

We started with the workhouse. Unlike the workhouses that I have seen before, which, while not the most elegant solution to getting more of the populous employed, are at least, at their heart, a good faith effort to help those in need.

This workhouse was different. It only took Khajiit workers. Those who fell behind in debt, presumably directly money going into Euraxia’s coffers, could join the workhouse. Once there, the costs of room and board were deducted from the already low wages, leaving those who had come to pay off debts, only further indebted. 

As we watched the Imperial guards, massive weapons and heavy plate armor, guarding the workhouse, Tharn explained that this was just a part of the method Euraxia used to oppress the Khajiit within their own homeland. She levied taxes and tariffs that only applied to Khajiit citizens.

I knew that the Imperials had horrible methods of government that worked to compound the pressure on those who might seek to escape from under their rule. An enemy who cannot meet their basic needs is not in a good position to have the resources to combat you. That is the sort of thinking of Euraxia. It is smart in some ways but overall disgusting.

Tharn then brought me to the market and showed me that the Khajiit merchants were given higher cost for their stalls and that they had to pay a fur tax. I was already keeping myself steady so as not to tremble with anger. The explanation of it was even more infuriating, extra inspections to ensure that “fur does not enter products sold” and extra money collected under the claim of paying specially trained inspectors. I could have torn Euraxia’s eyes out.

We finished our tour of Euraxia’s immoral practices at the edge of the palace, overlooking the city’s grand walls. Tharn pointed out the trebuchets. In particular, the direction they faced. Not outward, as though to repel invaders, but inward, towards the people. It was a threat against the Khajiit and the Khajiiti Defense Force in particular. Anyone who spoke against Euraxia’s rule faced a minimum of deep fines, seizure of property, and imprisonment. And that for any greater dissonance, maximum force would be used.

Apparently, she tells her non-Khajiit residents, who are made to live in different areas of the city, that only the Khajiit areas of Rimmen will be fired up. I asked Tharn if it was even possible with such crude weapon. He laughed and told me no, there was no way that further destruction would be contained. It was just something told to keep the non-Khajiit compliant and at peace. Despite this, Euraxia would destroy the whole of the city rather than cede control back to its rightful rulers.

Given what I heard the main say about how she had marched in and demanded a meeting with the King and Queen of Rimmen and then slain them and their entire family in order to make sure that there was no other legitimate heir to the throne, I can easily imagine her making such threats. What a horrible woman. Successful, yes, but horrible. There are tactics that work and then there are tactics that work without compromising every ounce of moral fiber inside you.

We returned back to the inn, the appointed time still not yet arrived. And in thanks for his tour and the intelligence he provided, I left Nettle to restock our provisions and the guards to wait outside, and then I showed Tharn my appreciation. I was very thorough, as I always am in such cases. But I thought it was particularly important that he be at his most relaxed before going into such a crucial negotiation.

He has gone to bathe and I have changed into clothes more befitting of my new role. Let us hope that Euraxia will not simply slay us all the moment we enter the palace.

[cassianus]

St. Nilus of Sora- Of the different spiritual battles waged against us, of our defeats and victories and how passions should be strenuously resisted.

The fathers describe a variety of conflicts by which the soul is engaged, with their victories and defeats. First there is the assault of thoughts and imaginings, then there is conjunction with them, then acceptance, then, enslavement, and finally, passion.

The assault, say the fathers, John Climacus and Philotheus of Sinai and others, is a bare thought or image concerning some object or event entering our heart and presenting itself to our mind; Gregory of Sinai says that such a thought may be inspired by the devil suggesting that we do this or that, as he tempted our Lord to command that stones should be turned into bread. In simpler words, this is an ordinary thought fleeting through our minds. Such a thought, the fathers say, is no sin, for it is impossible for us to be immune from the thoughts and imaginings inspired by the devil. It is the privilege only of those who have made great progress in perfection to remain unmoved, and even they are occasionally troubled.

“Conjunction” or “intercourse” the fathers tell us, occurs when a thought or image has been suggested by the devil to a man, and he enters wilfully, with or without passion, into conversation with it; in other words, when he ponders and reflects on a thought which may happen to enter his mind. Such intercourse, the fathers say, is not always sinless; however, it may be made the occasion of merit if discrimination is employed in making the issue pleasing to God. If we do not cut off the first impulse of the evil thought, but begin intercourse with it, and the enemy makes us think of it with passion, let us then strive to turn it to good. How this should be done, will be explained hereafter, with the help of God.

“Acceptance” the fathers define as the voluptuous inclination of the soul towards the thought or image which has arisen; in other words, when, after the devil's suggestion has been received, we not only enter intercourse with it, but decide in some way that the conditions suggested by our adversary should take on reality. The degree of guilt in this acceptance, the fathers say, is to be judged according to the stage of spiritual advancement which the soul has reached. If a person is in a state of progress, enjoying divine assistance in preserving recollection, and yet grows slothful and negligent in turning away evil imaginations, he will not be without sin. But one who is still inexperienced and can make but feeble efforts to divert these imaginings, and who therefore accepts them momentarily, yet immediately confesses his sin to God, repenting and reproaching himself-such a person will be forgiven by God in the name of His mercy and because of human weakness. According to the fathers, mental acceptance of this kind means that a man has been defeated against his will while wrestling with the baneful thoughts; yet he remains firmly resolved in the depths of his soul not to sin and to abstain from evil in action; but, on the other hand, it often happens that a man wilfully accepts the thoughts inspired by the enemy, enters intercourse with them and is defeated by them; then, ceasing to resist passion, hemakes up his mind to commit sin. Now even if it falls out that this man is prevented from realizing his intention, either by circumstances of time or place or by some other obstacle, his sin is a grievous one subject to excommunication.

As for “enslavement,” this may be either an involuntary diversion of the heart or a sustained preoccupation with certain harmful thoughts, and this is most detrimental to our high purpose.

The first - that is, involuntary diversion - occurs when the mind is captured by a thought or image and is drawn into malicious reflections against its will, but, with the help of God, returns to itself. The second occurs when, as on the waves of a storm, we are carried away from our good dispositions into evil imaginations and are unable to return to peace and tranquillity. This is most often occasioned by idle conversations and useless sociability.

Now the first kind of captivation is judged according to whether it occurs during prayer, or outside the time of prayer, and whether it is inspired by thoughts which are essentially wicked or such as are of an inferior nature. If the mind becomes enslaved by evil thoughts during prayer, this is serious sin. For at such a time, we should hold our mind in attention to our prayer, turning away from all other thoughts. But if distraction occurs outside the time of prayer and concerns such matters as are necessary for our existence, it is no sin, for the saints themselves legitimately accomplished the actions essential to their livelihood. No matter what our thoughts may be, the fathers say, if the mind is in a pious disposition, it is with God; nevertheless we must drive away all evil thoughts.

The second form of enslavement - that is, passion - is when an evil thought becomes nested in the soul and, by force of habit, is made part of a man's nature. He has admitted it by his own choice, and now he is constantly disquieted by thoughts inspired by the enemy: again and again an image which exercises upon the agitated soul, willing or unwilling, an attraction above all others, is presented to it, and a spiritual defeat is sustained. Now this usually occurs when a man has attended to this thought through negligence and has entered intercourse with it - that is, has willingly given way to improper thoughts. This is a sin which incurs either repentance in proportion to its gravity or the torments of the future life. That is, we should repent and ask in prayer for deliverance from this perturbation. For our future punishment will be incurred by our failure to repent, and not by the fact that we have been assaulted by temptations. Otherwise no one could receive forgiveness unless he were perfectly impassible.

A man who is attacked by a passion must resist it vigorously, and in a way which we shall describe in speaking of the passion of lust. If he is assailed by passion concerning anyone, he should avoid that person in every way-and this applies to the person's presence and conversation, the touch of the clothing or its very fragrance. A man who does not follow this rule yields to passion and commits fornication in his mind, kindling the fires of sensuality and allowing impure thoughts to enter into him like wild beasts.