sage1589 - Tumblr blog

[sage1589]

Alright but hear me out:

A biopic of Little Richard starring Terry Crews in the title role. He'd have to lose some bulk, but can't you just imagine TC belting out the lyrics to Tutti Frutti? "Wooo!"

[sage1589]

So, India is dying.

Look, I know a good number of you are from the US and things aren't amazing there either, but my country is literally on the brink of collapse. So I'd love it if we could talk about that for a minute.

If you can't do anything else, please just read and reblog.

A second COVID wave has taken out the healthcare system. There are no more hospital beds. There's an oxygen shortage. There's a critical vaccine shortage. The Central Government has thrown its hands up and is passing the baton to the State Governments to do what they can.

There are over 16 million covid cases. A record 330,000 new cases reported yesterday - comparable to the US at its peak. 187,000 dead as of today.

There is no plan.

Mass cremations are taking place. The cremation grounds are running day and night and they are short on wood. People are watching their loved ones die while waiting for a hospital bed, and then they're unable to give them the proper burial rights.

Hospitals are overwhelmed. Patients are being confined, two to a bed. They're the lucky ones.

We are on the verge of people dying in the streets.

This is the second-most populous country in the world. The largest democracy. A country that encapsulates over 15,000 years of recorded human history and has endured everything from famine to invasion to colonisation.

We might be at the end. This might be the thing that does us in.

People are dying.

People are dying.

People are dying and there is no plan.

More good news? Variants are popping up. A double mutation strain has shown up. It is resistant to current vaccines. This will not go away. This is the devastation they warned of when the anti-maskers were out protesting the minor inconvenience of covering their face in public.

My country is on the verge of an emergency state. Our government has failed us. This is as dire a situation as it ever could be.

Look. I don't do much with my life. I write fics, some of you have read them and that's pretty much it. I spend my days with my head in the clouds because that's where I like to be.

But two days ago, my grandmother tested positive, had to be taken to hospital and the ambulance caught fire.

She barely made it to the urgent care she needs.

So, here I am, using whatever meager platform I have to cobble this request together. Because I have to do something.

If you can, donate.

Or spread the word.

Help. Please.

[sage1589]

Think that's good, try the first fart after diarrhea.

Finally being able to breathe through your nostril after a heavy cold is one of life’s greatest, yet simplest pleasures.

[sage1589]

Staying out the way so the folks can speak their peace

[sage1589]

I see you. 🏳️‍⚧️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CNGPG61nBkC/?igshid=176e5romx9yc6

[sage1589]

May the Fourth be with you! Here is a collection of some of my favourite Star Wars puns

[sage1589]

Monsters of the Month by Justin Gerard

[sage1589]

since the old version of this post was flagged for 'adult content'...

reblog this post if your account is a trans safe space or owned by a trans person!

along with that, reblog if your account is a trans non-binary spectrum safe space or owned by someone on the trans enby spectrum!

[sage1589]

Six drawings; six stats in D&D; my players are approaching end game of our campaign.

Definitely gonna have to make stat blocks for these guys.

Art by Harry Conway

[sage1589]

Austrians are to world politics as cats are to quantum physics.

WWI happened because an Austrian guy got shot, and WWII happened because an Austrian guy DIDN’T get shot.

[sage1589]

Repatriation is a vital part of archaeology and museum work.

To think otherwise, you are actively carrying on the legacy of racist and genocidal 20th century anthropologists and archaeologists. 

Science does not take precedence over family members receiving remains of loved ones or over Nations receiving important ceremonial and sacred items stolen during a time when the US government LITERALLY believed Native American would become extinct.

[sage1589]

Transcript of communication log from GNS Tarqual during extravehicular repair mission:

Ops Officer Gryllix: Human-Steve, are you in danger out there?

Specialist Steven: Yeah, why?

Gryllix: We heard a ripping sound of u known origin. Please verify your exosuit is intact.

Steve: Uh, yeah, it's fine. No need to --

Bio Monitor Tornk: Sir, Human-Steve's exosuit monitor is showing a small spike in methane and trace amounts of sulfide compounds.

Steve: Oh, hell...

Gryllix: Human-Steve, activate your emergency environment unit until you can locate the source of these contaminants.

Flight Comm Wwrrgh: Sir, Human-David is shaking uncontrollably and seems unable to breathe.

Engineer David: I'm... *snort* I'm fine! *snort*

Steve: *grumbling* fuck you, Dave.

[sage1589]

Just gonna put this here for later OMG I WANNA PLAY THIS!

To Serve

A game for 3–5 players

To Serve is game of credit where no credit is due. One player will take on the role of a questing Knight, and the other 2–4 players will assume the roles of the various Servants who make up the Knight’s retinue.

Servant Creation

All Servants begin with the Skill of Effrontery. Starting with the player to the Knight’s right and proceeding around the table, each player chooses a skill from the following list until all have been selected. Each Skill may be selected only once.

Accountancy – The skill of overseeing the Knight’s funding and supplies

Armoury – The skill of cleaning and maintaining the Knight’s weapons and armour

Cookery – The skill of keeping the Knight well-fed

Hostlery – The skill of caring for the Knight’s horse

Livery - The skill of managing the Knight’s wardrobe and helping them dress

Pageantry – The skill of identifying coats of arms and answering questions of protocol

Poetry – The skill of entertaining the Knight with clever words

Theology – The skill of providing the Knight with moral guidance

Each Servant should distribute a number of dice equal to [9 minus the total number of Servants] among all of their Skills, including Effrontery. At most three dice may be assigned to any one Skill.

Give your Servant a name, not that the Knight will remember it.

Knight Creation

The Knight’s player should name the Knight, and may choose as many grand titles as suits their fancy. The Knight is not good at anything, and thus has no Skills or other attributes.

Playing the Game

Play proceeds in a succession of scenes. A quest (i.e., a session of play) consists of a number of scenes equal to the number of players, including the Knight. Each scene is assigned a Peril rating, as follows:

Three players: 3, 4, 5 Four players: 3, 3, 4, 5 Five players: 3, 3, 4, 4, 5

That is, if there are three players, the first scene has a Peril rating of 3, the second scene has a Peril rating of 4, and so forth.

At the start of each scene, the Knight’s player describes the challenge that lies before them, and how they intend to overcome it. If nothing springs readily to mind, the Knight’s player may roll two dice on the following table, totalling the results:

2-3: A devil in disguise offers the Knight a deadly temptation 4-5: Natural disasters or fearsome beasts bar the Knight’s path 6: An innocent in danger must be rescued from certain doom 7: An enemy Knight offers a duel or joust 8: A terrible monster demands the Knight answer a riddle 9-10: A corrupt noble’s excesses outrage the Knight’s sensibilities 11-12: The Knight must navigate the intrigues of a faerie court

Identify the Relevant Skill

Based on the Knight’s chosen approach, identify the relevant Skill:

If the Knight’s material means are tested, the relevant skill is Accountancy

If the Knight’s combat ability is tested, the relevant Skill is Armoury

If the Knight physical or emotional fortitude is tested, the relevant Skill is Cookery

If the Knight’s horsemanship is tested, the relevant Skill is Hostlery

If the quality and appropriateness of the Knight’s clothing is tested, the relevant Skill is Livery

If the Knight’s social graces are tested, the relevant Skill is Pageantry

If the Knight’s wit is tested, the relevant Skill is Poetry

If the Knight’s moral rectitude is tested, the relevant Skill is Theology

For many of the Knight’s actions, more than one Skill might plausibly apply. When this is the case, the Servants may work out amongst themselves which to use. If there’s ever a dispute concerning which Skill is most suitable, the Knight’s player has final say.

Whichever Servant possesses the the Skill in question makes any required decisions in the following steps. (Yes, even if the Skill is rated at zero; the fact that it’s your responsibility doesn’t necessarily mean you’re any good at it!)

When your Servant is put on the spot, the first choice you must make is whether to keep your head down, or to intervene. If your Servant is dead or absent, you must choose the former, but play otherwise proceeds as normal.

(As an optional rule, if the Servant who possesses the relevant Skill chooses to keep their head down, another Servant may elect to intervene in their stead. However, as the interloper is acting outside their sphere of competence, they roll one die less than they ordinarily would, to a minimum of zero.)

Keep Your Head Down

You allow the Knight to deal with it themselves, trusting that you’ve adequately prepared them for the task.  If your Servant is both present and alive, roll a number of dice equal to your rating in the relevant Skill; otherwise, roll one die less, to a minimum of zero.

If your highest die is a 6, take all three. If your highest die is a 4 or 5, choose two. Otherwise (including if no dice are available to be rolled), choose one:

The Knight accomplishes their goal. The Knight gains one Progress token.

The Knight is not injured or exhausted. The Knight gains one Weariness token if you do not take this option.

The Knight does not suffer some humiliating mishap. The Knight gains one Ignominy token if you do not take this option.

If this results in the Knight accumulating a total of five Weariness tokens, the Knight is killed or horribly maimed. The quest is over, and the Servants will have to find real jobs.

If this results in the Knight accumulating a total of five Ignominy tokens, the Knight retreats in shame. The quest is over, and the Servants will likely be blamed.

If this results in the Knight accumulating a total number of Progress tokens equal to the scene’s Peril rating, the challenge is overcome. Reset Progress to zero and proceed to the next scene. Otherwise, the scene continues.

In any case, the Servant’s player narrates the outcome. If the scene has not been concluded, the Knight’s player then describes their next attempt to overcome the challenge at hand. The Knight may not describe an approach that calls upon the same Skill as the one that’s just been attempted.

(Note that the Knight being killed or retreating ordinarily renders any Progress gained irrelevant. However, if the Knight reaches five Weariness or Ignominy on the same roll as attaining Progress equal to the scene’s Peril rating, and this is the final scene, the Knight can both triumph and be killed or disgraced at the same time!)

Intervene

You sneakily interfere, hopefully in the Knight’s favour. Describe how you do so, and roll a number of dice equal to your Effrontery. (As above, if the optional rule allowing a Servant to intervene out of turn is in play, a Servant acting outside their sphere of competence rolls one die less, to a minimum of zero.)

If your highest die is a 6, take all three. If your highest die is a 4 or 5, choose two. Otherwise (including if no dice are available to be rolled), choose one:

The Knight accomplishes their goal. The Knight gains one Progress token.

You do not draw unwanted attention to yourself. You gain one Attention token if you do not take this option.

Nothing horrible happens to you as a result. You gain one Misfortune token if you do not take this option.

If this results in you accumulating a total of three Attention tokens, you’ve drawn too much notice, and are either dismissed from service or taken away by the Knight’s enemies; either way, you’re never seen again.

If this results in you accumulating a total of three Misfortune tokens, your luck has run out, and you’re killed in some nasty way.

If this results in the Knight accumulating a total number of Progress tokens equal to the scene’s Peril rating, the challenge is overcome. Reset Progress to zero and proceed to the next scene. Otherwise, the scene continues.

In any case, the Servant’s player narrates the outcome. (Yes, even if the Servant is killed!) If the scene has not been concluded, the Knight’s player then describes their next attempt to overcome the challenge at hand. The Knight may not describe an approach that calls upon the same Skill as the one that’s just been attempted.

Concluding the Game

When the final scene is overcome, the Knight’s player describes the titles and accolades they receive for their single-handed accomplishments. The Servants may accept this with equanimity or seethe in quiet resentment, as they prefer.