#Rob and Rich critical

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

My Commentary on Rob and Rich Reviewing (4x14) Sex and Violence

I was listening to the latest Supernatural Then and Now Podcast (The Siren Episode) and I had to stop it after the Rob and Rich review to write down my thoughts because it annoyed me so much.

The guys both thought the episode was okay, but a bunch of things “bumped” for them. This is fine, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion about an episode, but some of the things that “bumped” for them “bump” for me.

My thoughts under the cut …

Bump # 1 - The Siren turning out to be a man

So, both Rs had an issue with the siren being a man since the lore showed them as women, and I think, because in real mythology they are women. Though they conceded that the a male siren could be a thing too, it seemed to really bother them that the siren ended up not being about a sexual connection with the brothers (though Rich saw the flask sharing scene as flirtatious … because no guys have ever shared a flask, including, Dean and Bobby).

I’m sorry, but the siren targeting the brothers, and using a version of an ideal brother to get to Dean isn’t a plot hole or a “stretch” or something, it’s an interesting choice and it’s exactly the point of the episode. While many men are vulnerable to a pretty woman who is into them, Dean just wants Sam. He wants his relationship with Sam to be better. In particular, he’s so worried about Sam and insecure in their bond that he wants a Sam who likes what he likes but, more importantly, one who listens to him and doesn’t hide things from him. And I know I’ve written about this before on a previous post, but Dean doesn’t NEED the siren to be a hot girl; he can find one of those easily. He needs a Sam he can trust. That’s the whole point. The show is drawing the comparison between sexual intimacy/romantic companionship (usually one of the most desired things in literature/media) to the brothers relationship to show how much brotherhood matters to Dean in particular (in this case).

The way the male siren actor portrays its interest in the brothers, to me, is very much like it’s intrigued and excited that it found a high even better than the sexual desire that it usually feeds off of. When the siren feels how desperate Dean is for the bond with Sam to be fixed, it finds him more interesting than it’s usual target. Dean’s longing for Sam (not sexual) is even stronger than the sexual desire or romantic companionship that the siren usually feeds off of, so much so that the siren changes its entire MO to go after the brothers.

Bump # 2 - The Doctor sleeping with Sam (when she isn’t the siren) is weird

So, the Rs disagreed on the “bumpiness” of this one. Rob thought it was weird that the doctor would just decide to sleep with Sam (at work), while it didn’t bother Rich because … Jared Padalecki. Sound argument (in this case), Rich.

Still, the doctor is a little unusual, and her behaviour is clearly intended to be a misdirect, but the show does a good enough job of suggesting she had a bad breakup (or worse) and is now just sort of living in the moment, so her behaviour doesn’t bother me. Also, Sam is hot.

What is stranger than the doctor’s behaviour, for the audience who knows him, is Sam having sex with her I that moment. Not only that, but Sam is very chill when she’s hitting on him, where in the past, Sam has often been a little shy or awkward with women that he’s been attracted to or interested in. So no, this is not Sam’s usual MO to sleep with the doctor, especially when we know he and Ruby are or were also sleeping together. Sam is not acting entirely like his usual self. And he hasn’t been acting entirely like himself for a while now.

Bump # 3 - The Siren telling the boys to fight each other and saying the winner can “be with” him

I don’t know why they had an issue with this. The siren literally explains that it loves the rush of having people willing to do anything for it, even kill people they love. What the siren tells the brothers doesn’t matter because it’s not like it’s really planning to have a relationship with the brother who wins the fight. And the boys are already infected at this point, so it’s just giving them incentive to fight. It’s not sticky about the sexual-ness of people’s need for the siren, it’s about the desperation they have to be with it (in whatever way).

Bump #4 - Sam dismissing the Doctor after sleeping with her.

The guys were both bothered by Sam not bothering to say goodbye to the doctor, and they mentioned that it seemed sort of old-school (womanizing?). Rob said that Sam dismissing her was more like something Dean would do than Sam. I know that I already said this, but this is the whole point. Sam hasn’t been acting like his old self. This isn’t an accidental writing mistake, where the writer accidentally wrote Sam more like Dean. Sam is different now.

It also isn’t like Sam to call Dean weak, or ridicule him for being messed up from his experience in hell. Season 2 Sam would never, and Season 3 Sam wouldn’t either. Season 4 Sam has changed from the trauma of losing Dean, drinking demon blood, and having Ruby in his ear.

Also, to play devils advocate on myself, Sam has actually left towns before without saying goodbye to the girl he had a connection with, maybe not after sleeping with her, but it’s not wholly out of character for him to leave without saying goodbye (I’m not criticizing him for this). Also, I really don’t think that doctor was looking for anything more from Sam beyond hooking up in her office, so this doesn’t bother me much.

Final thoughts

Anyway, I’m not arguing that everyone has to love every episode, or even like all the ones that I do. I’m not even arguing that people need to like Sex and Violence because it really can be a little uncomfortable, and there is a bit of a sexual undercurrent to it all, even though that’s not the sirens intention with the brother. That’s also not exactly new on Supernatural. However, it’s weird to me that so many of the things that “bumped” for Rob and Rich seem to me like very deliberate choices by the writers, not careless mistakes or pointlessly out of character. This episode reveals a lot about where Sam and Dean are at this point in the season, both individually and in their relationship.

Granted, I have the benefit of watching the episode and knowing where it’s all leading, but this is what sort of bothers me about hearing people discuss the show who are doing it for a purpose and are probably only half-invested in the story. They miss things that seem like they should be really clear. Also, it’s funny when they find things uncomfortably sexual in relation to Sam and Dean (they didn’t outright say that, but I think it was implied in what they said) and act like it’s a surprise or out of place. Again, this isn’t new. They obviously listened to too many hellers if they didn’t realize that Sam and Dean are weirdly close at times or that the show makes some pretty blatant parallels between them and couples or makes quasi-incestuous connections between Sam and Dean.

I have nothing else to add here. This was mostly just a rant, but feel free to add your two cents if you made it this far.

[elizabro]

my parents have been watching welcome to wrexham and it IS bizarre and kind of unnerving in a way I can't describe

[charmac]

He faked cancer, he's been shot robbing his own bar, he's been arrested for arson, he bit open the jugular of a mall Santa in an attempt to kill, he kidnapped a bar critic with a hammer in a fit of rage, he gifted a woman a box of spiders and a man a box of hornets, he tried to chuck a woman out a window, he beat up a group of children for stealing his friend's bike (and might have killed a kid). He lives in a filthy one-room apartment with a rich old man and they keep cans of piss stored in every corner, because he boarded up the bathroom (toilet is noisy) and the bedroom (rooms behind other rooms are creepy). He can't read or write, but he's insistent on writing speeches and signing contracts. He makes up songs in fits of anger and to release his trauma when he's high, he created a play about his CSA, but it was actually just a cover for a marriage proposal to a woman he's stalked for a decade, and he continues to stalk her for another decade. He's an alcoholic janitor who huffs chemicals daily, and he'd happily skin someone alive while hallucinating, just as easily as he cut open his own arm in an attempt to win a made-up game.

He is a terrible man

[fashionbooksmilano]

Hellbangers

Pep Bonet

Texts Pep Bonet and Steffan Chirazi, foreword by Rob Halford

Hannibal Books, Furnes 2021, 128 pages, 17x22 cm, hardcover with coloured edging, ISBN 978 916388 788 5

euro 60,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

The Hellbangers are the enfants terribles of a sleepy, diamonds rich country. Photographer Pep Bonet (1974, Mallorca) has been following Overthrust, a heavy metal band from Botswana, Africa, and shows us a growing, exciting and thoroughly organic heavy metal community. Ten years ago, one group existed. Today there are more than ten and their fans are growing every year. The inhabitants of Botswana portrayed in this book are tattood, wear loudly and proudly leather jackets, leather trousers and play heavydeath metal music. Imagine the DIY ingenuity of their costume creation involving harvested animal skulls and other natural elements. With names like Demon and Gunsmoke, it would be easy though to think they are thugs, but We try to be exemples. Rock is awild thing, but also something for the heart, says Gunsmoke, the heavy metal head. Here too, the lyrics of the songs are very critical towards societies, just like their western peers. Metal in Botswana is rebellious movement against authorities. This is the story of what looks at first to be an unlikely union, yet one which powerfully illustrates how music, how heavy metal music, has become a positively unifying force in an unlikely part of the world.

28/12/23

[arthursfuckinghat]

I know it's quite the topic of debate, but I thought I'd share my thoughts on Strauss getting kicked out of camp anyways.

Just to be clear, Strauss having a place in the gang proves that Dutch doesn't follow his own code unless it benefits him in some way. It's true that Strauss brings in money, but the fact that Dutch said himself that robbing banks is more dignified than usury - loaning money with insane interest to the poor - says an awful lot. He knows exactly what Strauss does to lure in the poor to take up his offers and still allows him to do it.

In a way, Strauss and Dutch are similar in how they lure in the poor and destitute to work for them. That's likely why Dutch has no strong feelings towards Strauss and his work, because they aren't too different from one another.

Common criticisms I see for Arthur kicking out Strauss is how unfair it is since "Strauss is as bad as the rest of the gang". While I would usually agree to an extent, but Strauss is a unique case.

Robbing banks, rich folk in trains, shops and killing lawmen are still big crimes that cannot be downplayed, but compared to deliberately prying on the poor - and offering them loans they will never be able to pay off - is sick work on its own. Especially when Strauss is so nonchalant about it, calling it simply "legal work" with physical abuse involved.

Strauss stayed in the gang because they protected him and he was able to use Arthur as means for guaranteeing payment. It's worth noting how much Arthur despised the work too, he loathed it entirely and his resentment for Strauss built up until he finally took action.

To highlight, majority of Strauss' "clients" were working themselves (and their families) to death even if they were already sick themselves. Families with children, the elderly, the ill, destitute, starving and working themselves ragged to pay off an impossible debt.

And Strauss knows this, that's why he still did it because he knew these poor families had no choice.

Compare that to robbing a train full of rich folk.

Almost laughable, right? The rich can afford to replace their stolen goods, Leviticus Cornwall can afford another train, the city can afford to reimburse the banks. The rich, however, cared very little for the poor. These destitute families had nobody to help them and these loans seemed like answered prayers until they needed to be paid off.

And they were beaten for not being able to pay.

The gang never targeted the poor for just monetary gain, apart from Strauss.

Strauss is a vulture, going for the easy pickings in his work. I believe he deserved to be kicked out and I agree with Arthur that it was long overdue.

[wearepurplejackets]

Little recap of episode 4 of season 4 of Wakfu

Look at this!!

You saw this beautiful smile???? This smile can stop babies from crying (and Nora). This smile can revive a puppy.

You saw it???

Well, I hope you did because I think we'll not see it in a really loooooooong time~ (maybe 9... Or 10 episodes.) The storm is coming... violently with a bat.

(BEHOLD SPOILERS OF EP 4 OF SEASON 4 OF WAKFU)

I remember Tot said season 4 was gonna be sad a f*ck and that Yugo will have to pass some kind of "hard trial" (AGAIN) in this season because this kid will never have a good rest. Not even a breath. Stop. Give this little boy some holidays c'mon, the lord is always testing our little angel to the limit. (And by lord I mean Ankama I'm looking at you...)

So it's very likely that Yugo will start to suffer even more in the next episode. And of course, in the entire season :))))))) Let this boy have something, someone precious by his side more than an instant and stop take it from him in the next second, I beg you. (He just found his family... And... Qilby I guess. And Adamai just abandoned him already to investigate by his own way...)

Just seeing how the kings and queens of every nation were so disrespectful in front of him and just called his mother a monster and made her cry, well. (I want to riot! When Joris said they were "quite tense" he fell short.)

Okay, yes, I understand the eyes in the sky~ are pretty creepy and of course I don't trust her either, at least, like this is so suspicious for sure, no one was born yesterday even when she is trying to be so kind and helpful monitoring the entire planet (yeessss mom, way too much).

But, c'mon, this is a goddess as tall as... I don't know, as much as she wants, girl she is made of f*cking magic. If she wanted she could erase you from existence. She didn't have to give a f*ck about anyone and HERE WE ARE~

The best thing you can do is looking for a fight with her in the moment you meet her with no hesitasion? Do you want to die that much? Do you know about survival? Did you skip that class maybe? (I'm going for a tea BECAUSE-)

It was so necessary to (be a little racist dear rich people and) insult the giant blue mother of your hero in his f*cking face and the people who are at least trying to do your job (which any of you losers did well, like ever, btw. When Sadida kingdom was about to be destroyed by the chaos of Ogrest what did you do?? Eh, where were you???)

Jobs like protecting and saving your citizens from, nothing, being robbed and I don't know: imminent death??? I mean, really? Was that all you thought about in this situation? Being a d*ck was your best choice.

These same guys here were talking about stolen freedom?? What freedom? The brotherhood of Tofu had to save your asses for like 3 season. 3 ovas and dozens of comics. The same people who criticize others actions but never assist and reunite when they are needed, Cause I don't know Rick, it seems a little fake....

Yugo just met his mom and his sis and he already has the world of 12 hating them... Like wow, the rulers are all going to die in the hands of that kind of white demon/zombies of TLOU/soul suckers or whatever they are. And I really don't give a f*ck for any of them, ladies and gentlemen. Only the crowns are going to remain. (Down with the monarchy.)

Weeeeeeeell.

You know what? I don't care what Yugo will do from this point. Nop, not a bit. But I'm with him to the end of everything. I will support you honey, I will defend you no matter what. I mean, I'll be totally okay if he decides to save the world for the third f*cking time and I also will be okay if in the end he prefers to let all these motherf*ckers die in an instant with no mercy and no regre-

And it could even happen that Yugo loses someone important in season 4... (The same way I will lose my mind.) Hope that never happens, I just swear to god-

Anyway, Yugo fans, unite and brace yourselves.

[hamletshoeratio]

"But no new content 😭!!" that means jack shit. We have several literal decades worth of content we can watch or rewatch. The writers and now the actors too are not only fighting for their livelihoods but for the futures and the soul of their industries.

Fuck new content, fuck the executives and producers and powers that be who make millions upon millions while the people, who create the content that make them rich, can barely make ends meet.

Here's some suggestions to anyone who doesn't know what to watch;

Nostalgia rewatch; watch old favourites, shows and movies you haven't seen in years but that stayed with you, the ones that mattered to you.

Watch the shows your parents didn't let you watch growing up because they thought the show was "too mature" for you.

Watch the shows and movies people have recommended to you that you never found time for before.

Watch indie films!!!

Look at different genres than what you've watched before and give them a go.

Try films and shows from other countries and/or in other languages. There's dubs and subtitles available and these shows and movies can be just as good if not better than their American and/or English speaking counterpart.

And remember when watching shows, that you do not have to binge them all at once, you can have your own personal tv schedule and watch say an episode a week like you would've done when/if they aired before streaming

Look at some older films and shows, why does it matter if it's in black and white or the camera quality is lower than 4k and hd, so long as it's good? And so many of those shows and films, while not perfect, have aged better than shows that have come out in the last decade, like the golden girls for instance has aged so much better than say glee (ok many many many shows aged better than glee but let's be real for a second, music was better when artists were terrified of the Glee cast doing a better version of their song on the show. I do still wish it was a show my mom didn't let me watch tho, lmao glee was fine but no, her twelve year old being obsessed with Les mis and rewatching it religiously was cause for concern 😂😭 I was just as obsessed with glee for seasons 1-4 especially).

It's ok to indulge your inner child and rewatch the classics tm. The shows and movies you grew up with. Rewatch the shows that got you through sick days from school, the tv movies you remember watching premiere, the cartoons that MADE your Saturday mornings, etc.

On the topic of animation, that's literally an unlimited genre you can tap into, which rarely gets the recognition and respect it deserves.

Don't be afraid to watch the one season wonders, the shows that networks and streamers cancelled after one season in spite of strong reviews and good ratings. Or the shows that ended abruptly around the season 3 or 5 mark because networks and streamers cancelled them because they didn't want to negotiate contracts and have to pay the actors and writers more. Get angry, remember what the actors and writers are fighting for.

The privilege of older shows that either concluded naturally or that writers were given a heads up on might be on it's last season is that you get closure, unlike with the above. That might not mean an ending is good but a bad ending is better than a cliffhanger. There's always fix its fics for a bad ending. And if the ending is good, it's typically GOOD in my experience. The fear of a cliffhanger and zero closure has already turned many against watching new content until the show is renewed for another season or is fully wrapped (and fans don't hate the ending).

Watch the shows that were in their day or are popular or critically acclaimed, they usually hold up to the hype.

Watch the old shows and movies your favs were on/in before they were your favs.

Try a soap or a telenovela, they can be entertaining af (holby city my love, Tuesdays have never been the same since the BBC robbed me of you).

If you liked a reboot or a revival of a show, try the original (in certain cases, the og is even better, see boy meets world v girl meets world).

If you like period dramas, try shows and films from other countries based on their history. A lot of times when people are telling their own history it goes far better than when Hollywood tries it (see the many times Hollywood has actors brought in because producers think they're good for box office and they then go on to butcher the accent their character should have, see Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and so many others who have absolutely butchered the Irish accent over the years for instance. There's also many many instances even recently of just blatant whitewashing see Matt Damon as the last samurai...).

Listen to recommendations, watch the shows and movies you know your family and friends loved but you never got around to watching.

[crimeronan]

first post I've seen that's got me genuinely interested in leverage... do you think I'd like it

HMMM I THINK IT DEPENDS. i can wholeheartedly recommend it as a pretty leftist show about insane characters being insane and maladaptive, the slowest-burn polyamory i've ever seen, character dynamics off the CHARTS, super clever writing, incredibly done arcs, and episodes that all feel fresh and important despite also being semi-formulaic (the vast majority focus on one heist of the week, robbing one shitty rich person).

my one caveat is that one of the main characters is ex-US-military and gets in his feelings about it and there's some pro-military messaging and occasional imperialism-related jokes that make me cringe hard. it's not unexpected for an american TV show from 2008 and it's certainly not as relentless/overt as with a lot of other shows from the same time period (it's not even relevant in the majority of episodes), but like...... i know that This In Specific Is A Personal Turnoff so i wouldn't rec the show without mentioning it.

amazingly though, that's the Only major criticism i have of the show. (not counting occasional minor quibbles with individual episodes -- again, none of which i dislike at all.) overall every single plot is about finding a new completely fucking evil rich person modeled off of real life completely fucking evil rich people, and terrorizing them not just financially but also psychologically. the team Breaks their targets of the week. they don't do murder, but mostly Because their focus is on ruining these people's lives and making them Sit In It. instead of getting the mercy of dying.

so like, power fantasies about taking down corrupt politicians, oil barons, fascists, mega-corporations, wellness influencers, and more, all while creating entertaining satirical caricatures of the Worst People On This Earth. in this, and in the characters being SO FUCKING CRAZY, i think you would have a Great time.

[bloooodyconsort]

How I gained Unlimited Power by Astarion Ancunin

Acquire as many perks and permanent buff like Auntie Ethel hair, the shadow summon etc etc

Pretend to be helpful so you can gather a lot of valuable allies such as Zevlor and foster a good relationship with your party members

Raise your relationship with Gale because THE Gale of Waterdeep is a valuable ally

Raise your relationship with Wyll because he is the son of a Duke, exiled or not he still got some clout that you can use

Shallow the cringe from doing selfless good deeds like a lame ass hero, because it is an effective strategy to romance Gale

Successfully Romance Gale

Endure Gale's dramatic hang up with Mystra

Pet Gale's flying cat

Commit genocide against goblin and gith, don't worry not even your goodiest two shoes friends will complain about it. You killed them. You killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too. They're like animals, and you slaughtered them like animals. YOU HATE THEM (because ew they are ugly)

Prevent Gale from going Kamikaze for Mystra in Moonrise Tower

Get to Baldur's Gate with your gang

Steal all valuable items that you can find, rob all merchant and kill anyone who get in your way because honest trading is for losers

Immediately confront Cazador, bully his flat board skinny rat ass, steal the ritual and power, then become vampire ascendant

Yay! No more crippling hunger and now you can get a tan without the fear of turning into crispy elven bacon!

Encourage Gale to take the crown for himself to become a God because no way you will let go this once in a life time opportunity

Solve your companions personal issues and quests because you don't want Karlach to blow up and it is imperative for Wyll's dad to be saved (he's a Duke) etc etc

Gather allies to bonk the brain

Defeat the remained dead three and steal Gortash and Orin clothes for the drip

Bonk the brain

Gale will retrieve the crown for himself so he and YOU will become Gods

Okay fine Karlach can go with Wyll to hell as a treat

Hone your ascendant power, congratulations now you can turn into a bat, even some people who have been critical of your ascension will admit that your bat form is super cute. It is a genius PR move because statistic proven that EVERYONE are weak to cute animal and you can spy to learn about gossip and secret

Reunite with your buddies 6 months later, get hammered, spy on them using your bat form, flaunt your expensive clothes because now you are a rich boi, judge your friend's attire

Make out with God! Gale, you gotta admit that he looks badass

Ascend AGAIN for the second time and now Gale will take you to Genshin Impact Heaven his domain

Congratulations you married the God of Ambition and now you are the Ascendant God of Vampires

Conclusion?

[humansofnewyork]

(38/54) “I could not find it anywhere. The Iran of Shahnameh. The Iran of Cyrus The Great. The Iran of Rumi, Hafez, Saadi, Khayyam. The Iran of our mothers and fathers. The Iran that I had loved since I was a little boy, it was no use to them. They didn’t care about our culture, our history, our ideals. One day Khomeini gave a speech saying that nationalism was against Islam. He said that we should be a nation of Muslims, not a nation of Iranians. The Lion and the Sun were removed from our flag, two of the oldest symbols of Iran. They were replaced by Arabic writing. Our institutions were dismantled one-by-one, until the only things left of the republic and constitution were their names. They became empty boxes that no one knew what was inside. Three months after the revolution I took one final trip to Nahavand. These were the people who trusted me most. Nobody could say that I’d ever wronged them. I wanted to speak with them freely, and share my thoughts. I wanted to see if they grieved along with me. Normally the moment that my car pulled into town, the news would spread like wildfire. People would gather at the house of my father. It had a very large salon, and people would come and go as they pleased. They’d come in excited, passionate, sometimes angry. They’d be critical. They’d debate me. Everyone had something to say. But this time only a small crowd gathered. And I was the only one who spoke. I shared all of my concerns: that we were losing our ideals. We were losing 𝘋𝘢𝘢𝘥. We were losing 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪. We were losing 𝘙𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪. We were losing 𝘈𝘻𝘢𝘥𝘪. But everyone just listened in silence. They knew my words were true. They knew better than me. But it was fear. They were silenced by fear. There is a famous parable about a caravan of one hundred merchants crossing the desert. Their camels are loaded down with riches. In the night they are overtaken by two bandits, and robbed of everything. Afterwards they are asked: ‘How could it possibly happen? There were one hundred of you, but only two of them.’ They replied: ‘Yes. But those two were together. And we were alone.” 

آن را نمی‌یافتم. ایران شاهنامه. ایران کوروش بزرگ. ایران خیام، مولانا، سعدی و حافظ. ایران مادران و ‌پدران‌مان. ایرانی که از کودکی دلبسته‌اش بودم. ارزشی برایشان نداشت. برای آنها فرهنگ، تاریخ و آرمان‌ها بی‌ارج بودند. خمینی گفت ملی‌گرایی بر خلاف اسلام است. گفت ما باید امت مسلمان باشیم، نه ملت ایران. نشان شیر و خورشید، دو نماد هزاران ساله‌ی فرهنگ ایرانیان را از درفش ایرانزمین برداشتند، جایگزینش واژه‌ای عربی بود. سازمان‌ها و نهادها را فرو پاشاندند. به زودی دریافتیم که جمهوریت و قانون اساسی‌شان نامی بیش نبود، قالبی میان تهی. سه ماه پس از شورش، سفر‌ی به نهاوند داشتم. آنجا زادگاه گرامی من بود‌، مردمانش، ارجمندانی که دلبسته‌ی هم بودیم. در زمانی کوتاه کارهایی برایشان کرده بودم. خواهان دانستن برخورد و برداشتشان بودم. آیا چون من افسرده و غمگین یا امیدوار، شاد و خشنودند. گفت‌وگو با آنان بایسته می‌نمود. پیشتر دیدن خودرو من آژیروار همه را خبر می‌کرد. در تالار خانه گرد می‌آمدیم . مردمی پرشور، هیجانزده، شاد، غمزده، آرام یا خشمگین می‌آمدند و می‌رفتند. بحث و انتقاد و درخواست‌های شخصی و شهری از هرگونه پیش می‌آمد. رایزنی‌ها برای همه آموزنده و دلنشین بود، امید در هوا موج می‌زد. ولی این بار تنها شماری اندک آمدند و تنها من بودم که سخن می‌گفتم. تمام نگرانی‌هایم را با آنها در میان گذاشتم. اینکه آزادی‌هایی را هم که داشتیم از دستمان می‌گیرند. راستی کاسته و کژی افزوده می‌شود. بیداد، بیداد می‌کند. دیدم همه خاموشند. دریافتم که همه همآواییم. آنچه زبانشان را بُریده، ترس است. از ترس دم درکشیده بودند. همه رفتند، جز یکی، دوستی که اسب و تفنگی هم داشت. گفت: “در شهر ناکسان در کارند، نا‌امن است .شب را به خانه‌ی ما بیا، تنها نمان.” نگران من بود. چندان پافشاری کرد تا پذیرفتم. ایران سرزمین آزادگان و جوانمردان است! زبانزد پرآوازه‌ای هست درباره‌ی کاروانی از سد بازرگان که از بیابان می‌گذشتند. بر شترهاشان بارهای گرانبها می‌بردند. شباهنگام دو دزد بر آنان شبیخون ‌زدند و همه‌ی دارایی‌‌شان را دزدیدند. در آبادی از آنها ‌پرسیدند: "چگونه پیش آمد؟ شما سد تن بودید و دزدان تنها دو تن." پاسخ دادند: "زیرا آن دو تن با هم و ما سد تن تنها بودیم!”

[ahaura]

via Twitter

Since SAG-AFTRA is going on strike and the unions in Hollywood are getting more attention, I think it's really important to remind people to be mindful of the anti-union propaganda most media outlets will be releasing on behalf of the corporations.

For example, yesterday Deadline Hollywood tweeted that Matt Damon was talking about how tough the strike was going to be for his new company, making him out to be anti-union. This was a deliberate mischaracterization of his words: he said that while it would be difficult, if the union leadership deemed it necessary then they must strike, especially since it makes the difference for working actors to have healthcare. Deadline Hollywood retracted their statement after backlash.

This is not the first instance of this nor will it be the last. Media outlets will intentionally try to make it seem like there is real divide between actors and personalities in Hollywood about the strike when the vast majority of actors (and crew members in general) are in solidarity with one another. The media's role is also to turn the public against them, which subsequently makes collective action seem "selfish" and "greedy". They lay it on thick with additional comments with arguments such as "why are all these rich people complaining?" when the Big Names In Movies only account for about 10% of working actors industry-wide. Actors have to make $26, 000 USD to qualify for healthcare but with present conditions - and companies withholding residuals on streaming platforms as well - many can't even get that, and must get secondary jobs to survive.

It is absolutely necessary to be critical and skeptical of headlines as the strikes kick off. There will be more and more anti-union propaganda as it goes on. While there are bound to be a few actors who are anti-union, they do not represent the vast majority of working people in the industry.

The corporations involved in the strike do not want to pay their workers - the people generating the value of that which they produce - their fair share, a living wage, fairer contracts, and healthcare. Moreover, other corporations do not want to pay their workers fairly and pay for necessities like healthcare. The United States unionization rate is only 11.3%, which is too high even in capital owner's eyes. They do not want this number to increase; they do not want people to realize that they're being robbed of what they're owed while CEOs and executives rake in millions upon millions every single year.

TL;DR please be mindful of the headlines you see coming out of the media while the strikes are going on. The media has and will continue to lie to the public about labor action because they serve the corporations, not the workers. And this goes across the workforce, regardless of industry.

[scoops-aboy86]

I guess this... is the end! With an epilogue to follow, probably, that's a little more soft feedism related, but for those who aren't into that it's totally optional. Thanks to everyone who came along for the ride, and I'll put this up on ao3 sometime soon. 😊

Part 1, part 1.5, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10 of the love spell no go au

-

The world didn’t end, so life goes on. Eddie, who is the king of casting teeny little spells so he heals fast but not too fast, gets out of the hospital and moves into a one-story little place with Wayne that’s miles from the trailer park. It’s on the same street as Robin’s house so he sees her all the time—but still not as often as he sees Steve. 

And they tell Wayne what really happened, NDAs be damned. It’s a Tuesday night and Steve and Robin have brought a couple Western tapes from their latest shift at the miraculously still standing Family Video; they put one on in the background and a flick of Eddie’s fingers make sure that’s all the government bugs scattered throughout the house can hear. 

Afterwards, when they’re about to head over to the bigger record shop in the next town over to replenish Eddie’s music collection but pulling up at a gas station first, Steve complains that the whole thing was a little anticlimactic. 

“We told him there’s a whole other dimension under Hawkins that there’s this huge government cover-up about it and he didn’t even blink.”

“Well,” Eddie starts, then abruptly reaches for Steve’s ear and produces a quarter from it. He leans over from the passenger seat and holds it up in Steve’s line of vision with a smirk. “It takes a lot to startle us Munson men, sweetheart.”

“Really?” Robin interjects dryly while Steve pulls up to the pump and cuts the engine. “Because the other day Steve asked you to get a sponge from under the kitchen sink and something touched your hand and you shrieked because you thought it was a spider.”

Steve eyes the quarter critically. “Did you… really just magic a coin out of my ear?”

“When it was, in fact, the sponge in question,” Robin finishes. 

Eddie sticks his tongue out at her. “Of course not, baby, that was slight of hand,” he tells Steve, repocketing the coin and glancing around to make sure the gas station is deserted before planting a little kiss on his cheek. 

“Oh, okay.”

“I actually magicked it from your gas money jar into my pocket.”

Steve laughs, and that Eddie wants to bottle and hoard like one of those stupid rich old men with their dusty old French wines. “Good thing I’m not just about to get gas or anything, or I might need that back.”

“I’ll get you something from the convenience store?” Eddie offers, batting his eyelashes and tilting his head in a way that he knows makes his eyes look bigger. Knows because Steve has told him, and seems as susceptible to it as cats to catnip. 

“Strawberry slurpee,” Steve says immediately. “But if they only have cherry, I want a blue one. Wait, Robs—that’s what the screaming was about?”

Eddie flails with both arms, waving at them both to get out of the car as all three of their doors pop open. “Alright, nothing to see here, some of us have snacks to buy and one of us has a car to gas up, let’s go!”

So they all pile out, and Steve points at Eddie over the car while unscrewing the gas cap. “You’re going to use that on the gremlins, right?

“Just who do you take me for?” Eddie scoffs, hooking an arm through Robin’s and dragging her towards the store. “Of course I am, Harrington.”

Robin snorts but keeps up with him, breaking into a frankly jarring skip that causes them to almost trip over the curb right in front of the doors. Once inside, they break into their customary shop-till-you-drop game of trying to grab everything they want, beat the other to the register, and get to the car before Steve finishes filling the tank. They both almost always lose, but it does help make stops like this more efficient. 

(It has been Steve’s idea.)

“You know,” Robin starts conversationally while he’s filling two slurpee cups at once and she’s flipping rapidly through a nearby magazine rack, “I’ve never witnessed the dingus in an actual relationship before.”

Eddie flicks his eyes in her direction, then to the bored-looking cashier, but the statement was vague enough and Robin isn’t stupid. He returns his attention to the slurpee machine. “I find that hard to believe.”

“No, I’m serious. He’s dated a lot, and I mean a lot, but—ah ha!” Snatching the magazine she was looking for, she moves on to the soft pretzel heater and grabs the tongs to fish a couple off the slowly rotating rack. “But no one he’s ever really gotten serious about. He used to complain to me about his dates at length… Kinda relieved that’s over. He’s literally the happiest I’ve ever seen him these days.”

As she turns away to grab a couple Cokes, Eddie hides a giddy smile behind his hair—and then beats her to the register with a slurpee in each hand and a flimsy but full little shopping basket dangling from one arm. 

Because Robin wouldn’t lie, not about Steve. She’d already threatened him over Steve’s welfare back in the hospital (and people thought he was scary, Jesus); it’s obvious that she wouldn’t encourage him if she didn’t think it was in Steve’s best interest. And, against all laws of probability and magic, Eddie seems to make him happy. 

The happiest his platonic soulmate has ever seen him, even. 

“I win,” Steve crows when Eddie is still a few feet from the car. He lifts the nozzle, blows on it like it’s a smoking gun, and pumps his fist in victory. “In your face, Munson!” 

Eddie doesn’t care though. His prize is in Steve’s beaming smile, in the energy that rolls off him that crackles across Eddie’s senses like a kind of magic all his own. “Yeah yeah, big boy, you’re a champ.” He holds up the slurpees and the flimsy plastic bag crammed with a tube of Pringles, a bag of pretzel sticks, Doritos, and various snack cakes. “Are we ready to hit the road or what?”

Robin jogs up behind him, bagless because she keeps insisting that they’re bad for the environment but barely hanging onto her sodas, pretzels, magazines, and a few odd candy bars. “Aw man, did we lose to the dingus again?”

“Yes,” Eddie tells her faux mournfully as he crowds past Steve to the front passenger door, bumping against him way more than necessary but meeting no complaints. “Almost makes me reconsider giving you the change, Steve-o.”

He does anyway, though. Drops a nice, shiny quarter into the gas money jar after getting himself situated, slurpees nestled in their cup holders and a Twinkie already unwrapped to shove suggestively in his boyfriend’s mouth as soon as the wonder twins are both in the car. Robin heckles from the back seat; Steve takes it with the ease of practice and a smirk as he chews and swallows and licks escaping cream filling from the corners of his mouth. 

It’s a beautiful summer’s day and Eddie feels like the luckiest guy in the entire world.

Tag list (comment to be added/removed): @hotluncheddie @8em-em-em8 @anaibis @connected-dots @lawrencebshoggoth @zombiethingy

[etoilesombre]

hi! this is maybe very out of the blue, but - i'm reading 'our feast is but beginning' on ao3, and in a comment on part one you write something about the urca gold being a cursed symbol and that it makes zero economical sense. idk really what i am asking but maybe - do you have posts on hand that deal with that? or would you write down some of your thoughts on that? it sounds really interesting! thanks (:

OOOH I'm so excited to talk about this -- it is actually going to come up more in the final chapter of that series, and it comes up as a major plot point in longfic, because I think its a really great example of how in some ways Black Sails is Just a Story. Which is also to say: none of what I'm saying here is a criticism of the show. The Urca Gold is Pirate Treasure writ large, it serves its function in the narrative, we don't actually need to think about the real world implications of stealing it.

But IF, for instance, you were a fanfic writer and kind of a history and econ nerd, and inclined to 'well actually' stuff, then you might see a couple problems with the gold as a solution for a free and independent Nassau. I think of them basically as problems of scale and form.

Let's talk about scale first. Basically, if you are going to steal and not die, you have to make a few calculations.

If you can steal something big, run away and live anonymously ever after, good for you! No problems. (This was Silver's initial plan. He was smart.)

If, however, you are going to steal openly, and maintain some sort of defended home base (see: bandits, organized crime, pirates) you have to ensure it is not worthwhile for people to come get their stuff back. This is why, as a pirate, it behooves you to have a reputation for extreme violence, and also a remote hideout. Merchant ships have insurance, the right people quietly profit from the fencing of pirated goods; nobody actually wants to die, so piracy is cost of doing business, and the world carries on.

The Urca gold is in a completely different class of stealing. This isn't holding up a truck; it isn't robbing the bank. It's robbing the Federal Reserve. Five million Spanish dollars, in today's money (yes, there are issues thinking of it this way, but the point holds) equals somewhere around 250-300 million US dollars.* There is simply no way that it is not worth Spain's (or England's) time and resources to go get it back. The cache they were fighting over at the end was one share and it was enough to cause all that trouble. The full amount would be worth sending a good chunk of your navy for, and the fact that this did not happen immediately requires some suspension of disbelief. Anyway.

Flint's theory seems to be that it's enough money to allow the pirates to defend Nassau against that threat, and basically establish themselves as a rich colony the empires won't fuck with. This is treated by the show like a reasonably serious proposition. So why does it fall apart? You can buy anything with that kind of money, can't you?

Now we get to the problem of form. Gold is only useful if you can exchange it for stuff you need. This is a problem for the pirates on two different fronts, defense specifically and trade in general.

In terms of defense, the pirates would need, very quickly, enough ships and guns to fight at least one imperial navy. But only the major powers were capable of manufacturing those ships and guns. Even if the pirates bought up all they could in terms of well-armed merchant ships/found a corrupt governor or two to buy guns and powder from, it would always be a losing battle because no matter how much money you throw at them, the powers that make warships are absolutely not selling you any. Why would they, when they can use them to come take the gold instead?

So, if the pirates aren't going to live long once they have this gold, can they at least spend their last months being filthy rich and enjoying themselves?

Not really.

We see Jack's crew members getting huge shares, everyone else on the island taking payment to help with defense when the time comes, as well as Jack paying laborers exorbitant amounts. So there's plenty to go around right?

This is how inflation happens. If we all suddenly have twice as much gold, but there is no more actual physical stuff, almost instantly the stuff will cost twice as much. This problem at least theoretically could be corrected by increasing trade. [Also, realistically, people would leave. But let's say they're staying for belief in the pirate republic reasons.] Because in the wider economy of trade in the Atlantic money is still valued normally, you can just import what you need.

And, maybe. This is more plausible than the rest.

But that sort of correction takes time, and given the whole 'war with civilization' situation, there can't be legitimate and sanctioned trade. It's pretty hard to get enough illegitimate goods in for an economy to prosper --- especially because if you're relying on black market trade during wartime, notoriously there ends up being price gouging and then you're back to square one with inflation.

In conclusion: the show does not get bogged down by this, as it shouldn't. It's fine. But yeah, the gold is fake and makes no sense, and Flint and Jack especially are borderline delusional about what it can achieve for them.

*This is actually not as impressive as I wanted it to be, once I started looking up reference points, eg, how much outstanding student debt is there? how much money does besos have? how much is defense spending? Did y'all know we should fight capitalism and eat the rich?

[makriiii]

Caught (Arthur Morgan x f!reader)

Word count: 2.6k

Summary: You rode up in the mountains after the rest of your gang- the O'Driscolls- planning to rob a train belonging to a Mr. Cornwall. Come to find out, the O'Driscolls weren't the only ones who were preying on this train.

Author's notes: This is my first time posting a fanfic, so any constructive criticism is appreciated! It's not entirely lore accurate, and I changed a few things here or there just to work better with the story.

Warnings: 18+, fluff+angst, slightly nsfw, mentions of blood and gore. Also, spelling mistakes.

Pt 2, this isn't a oneshot ;)

Wattpad or Ao3

♡

Caught.

Wind whistling through the swaying tree tops above you and muffled hoofbeats on the path beneath you interrupted the otherwise near perfect silence.

Your chilled breath formed small clouds in front of your face with every exhale you took, quickly whisked away with the blowing that cut against your face.

You were huddled closely to yourself. The cold was getting to you, and it had been ever since you'd been sent up to this god forsaken place.

It was your gang's first step to the robbery everyone had been rumoring about, a rich man's train, so you heard.

'Cornwall.'  You recalled, thinking back on the plan Colm had proposed to the lot of you. One that didn't excite you simply due to the climate.

It was getting later and later, the ride taking significantly longer than you'd initially expected. Having left a few days after your comrades, it seemed you had missed out on a storm with all the fresh snow that rested on the ground.

As much as you hated their company, you did feel safer with the whole lot around. Less for you to worry about.

However, not long was it for you to spot the camp through the thick trees. Though it didn't light much excitement in you at the dark and dreary sight as much as you hoped it would.

Something was wrong. That much was made clear when you heard no commotion, no sign of life. In fact, it was quite the opposite when you came upon large lumps in the snow.

Frozen bodies and blood were spread all about the path. They weren't fresh, at least not by much. Still, you brandished your revolver, scanning the small and torn down mining site.

There were too many to count, all dead. Some of them you recognized, others were face down or too deformed to identify.

"Christ..." You drawled in a long sigh, sliding off your seat and losing the warmth you had from your horse's sides. A quick shiver ran up your spine while you rubbed your arms for warmth.

The whole place was a ruin, and although it seemed unlikely, you searched the place cautiously. Making sure the ones who did this weren't still here awaiting any more poor suckers such as yourself.

Having found the place completely ghosted again, you, yourself, were grateful for having missed your own possible execution by a few days. But you still soured at the fact nothing was left for you.

Everything had been ransacked and stolen. An involuntary groan escaped your lips as the delayed realization finally caught up to you.

You'd be here, entirely alone, in an area you had almost no knowledge of prior to your arrival and with people no better than you somewhere out there.

The thought less than comforting in every sense of the meaning.

-

A low growl hums from your stomach. Consequently, making your eyes blink open slowly. 

Your whole body ached from the cramped position you kept in all night to stay warm, the fire you had stoked now a small, cold heap of ash.

Early, no doubt. The sun had barely risen from behind the tree tops and boy, were you glad to see it, knowing it wouldn't be so cold, easier for you to work.

A few minutes had passed, and you tried thinking on what to do, but your mind remained blank as the aspect of removing yourself from your bedroll seemed just as bad as starving.

Still though, hunger bit at you until you relented and begrudgingly got up. Grabbing your shotgun from your side, you peered out at the forest you had rode in from.

There was to be something; deer, rabbit, anything really as long as it was just you you were feeding.

The wind from the night before had let up, and thank the lords for that. Anymore of it, and you feared you'd end up no better than the rest of the unfortunate men at your feet.

That thought sparked a whole chain of questions in your head again. 

Who else was up here with you? Who knew your gang was here, and where are they now? All questions you'd likely never have the answer to and hoped you wouldn't get.

As much as you tried focusing on hunting, the thoughts ate at you, and so did your paranoia. You head whipping around to any snap or snow slipping off the needled branches around you.

You weren't alone up here, and that had to be considered if your life was something you planned to keep for longer.

You thought of the train. Were you still to attempt that? One woman against who the hell knows how many men, with enough bullets that would have you descending far below any hell that might exist.

You were ill equipped, if you put it lightly, and all your men were dead. No use of them dead.

Countless scenarios ran through your tired mind as you trudged through the resistant snow, knee deep and reflective in the morning light. Someone would've definitely thought you a zombie had you been in any town like this. Drab and completely on auto pilot.

Just then, a small flash of fur out of the corner of your eye yanked you from your thoughts, causing you to jerk to a halt and cock your head over.

That there was your meal. Possibly the only one for today, so you remained motionless.

The rabbit bounced through the fresh powder at its feet, clearly not having noticed you yet.

You dug your boots into the ground, slowly raising your gun and aiming, mumbling a small sorry to the poor varmint who was unknowingly about to become someone's meal.

A pop followed in response to your pulled trigger, the echo sounding from all sides of the surrounding canyon, which made you wince at the thought that someone other than you might've heard it.

The rabbit now laid in the snow, giving you permission to collect it, dragging your feet through the powder to grab your meal.

You turned back the way you came, and made for your little run down shed. If that was even the right word for it.

The fire crackled once more in your arrival as you finished your food. Saving the rest of it for your travels.

You couldn't stay here much longer, and with that in mind, you had to come up with what you were to do. Rob a train solo, or go back empty-handed?

The second option was safer, of course, but where was the thrill in that? Thrill was what kept you in this business after all.

There was nothing you did that didn't already risk your life, even just traversing down this mountain could have you saying your last prayers. So if you were to die, why not do something you hadn't done before? Stupid as this decision was.

With a full belly, you decided to look through camp more thoroughly; for anything that'd leave with a more detailed understanding of the train robbery you were to commit, as Colm handed you his barest of explanations.

Yet, the more you searched, the harder anything was to find. Whoever pillaged, did it well. The dynamite, the plans, everything was now in their hands, which meant train attendants were likely not the only thing you'd have to worry about today.

You cleaned up all your belongings, stomping out the fire and packing your horse. 

The trail back was just to the left of you, but you pushed on away from it before you could change your mind.

-

The scenery became sparse with snow, much to your relief, as you made further down the mountain. The railroad sat below you just a couple hundred yards.

You had your eyes peeled for anyone who had clearly made a great effort to join you.

Once you felt you made it close enough, you stopped in a shaded forest area, hiding your horse away in the cover of trees.

There was a ledge and a small tunnel which had hefty rocks near it - a perfect hiding spot with a vantage.

You fiddled with a blade of grass, unfolding, refolding, and tearing at it while you waited for the train, though arguably more so your unnamed and unseen enemies. 

It was nearly past mid-day, but before any doubt that the train had already ran by, voices barely caught your ear.

Your eyes flicked to where it sounded from - men and their horses. A frown worthy sight, but not an unexpected one.

You slid further behind the cover of your rocks, making sure you couldn't be seen by them. 

The blade of grass in your hands got replaced by a small pair of binoculars to get a clearer look at the group.

There were no shortage of them that stood on the ledge overlooking the track. No doubt the ones who ravaged your entire gang's camp. If you weren't careful, you'd be added to the body count.

You counted six from afar before you spotted a seventh one willy-nillying around in the small clearing by the tracks.

Another man in a navy coat rode down the steep hill to meet the one in the clearing, helping him draw out the dynamite.

As you studied the ones on the ledge. One face seemed familiar in a way to you. It wasn't long till you recalled some gang Colm had qualms with. Some Van der Linde if you were correct.

You weren't quite sure how this would work out for you. The train attendants seemed easy to work around with enough caution.

But your cocksure thoughts from earlier started dimming. A whole other gang of pure no-good criminals who would probably know exactly what you are with a quick glance suddenly made you a lot more nervous.

What was worse, was the long standing hatred each gang held for another.

You felt at this point, your more rational side near convinced you out of it. Being alone and all, you'd have to relent.

Defeat had grasped you completely, but you didn't want to leave, not yet at least. Curiosity kept you seated. You wanted to see how this would pan out for them.

The loud motion of a train moving along on the tracks drew your attention, as well as the gangs.

All the men on the ledge now covered their faces, and the ones in the clearing scurried off out of sight.

Your thoughts cleared when the train sped around the corner, approaching the spot the dynamite had been planted. You covered your ears, the train getting closer and closer.

You furrowed your brows when nothing went off. Why were they waiting so long?

It only took a second before you realized it was faulty. You perked up with this prospect.

Three of the gang members shared your reaction when they quickly dismounted and ran to the opposite side of the tunnel.

You didn't care to pay attention much longer as you got up without hesitation, making for your horse with speed.

Spurring hard, you caught up to the train that hadn't yet passed you too far.

With a quick glance, you made sure you had no one behind you. Though it seemed their access to the tracks was not as clear cut as yours.

When you finally turned to look back at the train, your mouth flew open.

One guy dangled off the side as crossed a bridge, the other helping him up.

If you were crazy for this, they'd be psychotic. You certainly didn't think them to be ballsy enough to jump on top.

They didn't notice you, thankfully, and with that you cleared your head and focused.

If they were shooting, you could be stealing. Stealing what was yours in the first place. After all, they wouldn't notice your shooting amongst all the others.

You rode right up to the last train car before you finally heard gunshots. Instinctively ducking closer to your horse as you weren't sure if it was you getting shot at.

Reluctantly you looked up, and saw no one. With that, you couldn't waste anymore time. 

An involuntary leap of nothing but faith landed you on the back ladder of the final train coach.

You watched as your horse slowed behind you and all you could do was hope she didn't get in the way of the other members who followed.

Gunshots continued the ring out in the cabins ahead of you, making their way up to the engine.

The door next to you was the only thing keeping you from this score, sending a bullet through the lock that kept it hitched shut.

The metal flung open with its release, which made the sounds of men more apparent to you.

You weren't quick to peer around, readying yourself for the rain of bullets you were likely to receive. 

Forcing your arm in the way of fire, you shot indiscriminately inside the cabin, hoping your bullets would find them.

Now you gained enough confidence to peep back over, you saw only one slumped. The rest each held a great look of fear and fury.

You hissed at the time this was costing you as you reloaded. A few gunshots shot through the metal side of you, which motivated you to work faster.

Sliding out from behind the door swiftly, you popped each one with precision. Simply no room for no precision, lest it was your life you intended on losing.

The worry of being shot died with the men as you walked into the train cabin. 

It was something to be marveled at for sure. Warm gas lights pulled you in, illuminating the wooden decals and Scarlett seats.

Your boots met with a cobalt rug now stained with the same color of the furniture, your doing, really.

Ruffling around in all of the cabinets and dressers that sat to the sides of the inside, you found two lock boxes, which didn't take much time to break into. That or it was another bullet breaking through it for you.

You listened for each and every gunshot, hoping they wouldn't end soon, that thought being filled with pure irony.

The inside of the lock boxes held train bonds and a great deal of cash, too much for you to count through now as you stashed it and made it to the door that flung around in the wind.

The train was going too fast for you to jump off, or at least want to jump off, but staying on wouldn't do you much good either, that much quickly prominent when you heard the final shouts of some men and the screeches of the wheels as you jerked forward with the halting train.

"Shit."  You scowled.

Blowing a whistle desperately for your horse, you leaped off the now stationary train, maneuvering through the rough mounds and rocks that littered the surrounding terrain.

You crouched down with trepidation when you heard yet another round of shouting and gunshots. 

As soon as you ducked behind a boulder, you checked if it was directed at you. And it seemed not yet.

You needed to get out of here before they realized that you weaseled around, or you'd be on the same horizontal plain as the train attendants.

Whistling again, you prayed your mare would find you without catching much attention. And attention was exactly what she caught.

The largest of the men, the same who had been in the clearing, pointed directly at you. Barking out loud commands at the others whilst your mare innocently trotted straight up to you.

Now you got real nervous. Your blood ran thin as you sprang onto her back, shaking so much the reins threatened to leave your grasp.

You fled deeper into the forest, the gunshots having now stopped but not the frantic hollering nor the sound of many hooves in your direction.

Losing them in the dark, snowy alps was your only plan, and by no means full proof since the beginning of your day lacked a great deal of proper planning.

[rpgsandbox]

The 10 Most Anticipated TTRPGs For 2024!

EN World's annual vote on the most anticipated titles of the coming year, and yes, some games have appeared on this list in previous years.

10 Tales of the Valiant (Kobold Press)

1st appearance Kobold Press joins the 'alternate 5E' club with this rewritten, non-OGL version of the game! A million dollar Kickstarter last year, and a new one for the GM's book going on right now, Kobold Press announced this as 'Project Black Flag' during the OGL crisis of 2023, but being unable to trademark that name opted for Tales of the Valiant instead. The system, however, is still called the Black Flag Roleplaying System.

9. Mothership 1E (Tuesday Night Games)

3rd appearance On this list three years running, the boxed Mothership 1E game should be coming out this year! This is sci-fi horror at its best -- you can play scientists, teamsters, androids, and marines using the d100 'Panic Engine'. Yep, it's Alien(s), pretty much.

8. Monty Python's Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Program (Exalted Funeral)

2nd Appearance Exalted Funeral made quite a splash when they announced this game last year, which went on to make neary $2M on Kickstarter. And how could they not? It's Monty Python fergoodnessake! A rules-lite gaming system, spam, a minigame with catapults, spam, coconut dice rollers, spam, and an irrepressible Python-eque sense of humour. Did I mention the spam? It was at #10 on this list last year, but it's claimed to #8 this year.

7. Daggerheart (Darrington Press)

1st appearance From the Critical Role folks, Daggerheart is a new fantasy TTRPG with its own original system coming out this year with "A fresh take on fantasy RPGs, designed for long-term campaign play and rich character progression."

6. Cohors Cthulhu (Modiphius)

1st appearance It's Ancient Rome. It's Cthulhu. It uses Modiphius' in-house 2d20 System. You can be a gladiator, a centurion, or a Germanic hero. Did I mention Cthulhu?

5. Dolmenwood (Necrotic Gnome)

1st appearance The British Isles, a ton of folklore, and a giant Kickstarter--Dolmenwood is a dark, whimsical fantasy TTRPG drawing from fairy tales and lets you "journey through tangled woods and mossy bowers, forage for magical mushrooms and herbs, discover rune-carved standing stones and hidden fairy roads, venture into fungal grottoes and forsaken ruins, battle oozing monstrosities, haggle with goblin merchants, and drink tea with fairies."

4. Pendragon 6E (Chaosium)

4th appearance Last year's winner was on this list waaaaay back in 425 AD, and it's still here! Well, maybe not that far back, but it's shown up in 2021 at #4, 2022 at #3, 2023 at #1, and now 2024 at #4! What can we say? People are clearly anticipating it... still.

3. 13th Age 2nd Edition (Pelgrane Press)

2nd appearance 13th Age is over a decade old now, and was our most anticipated game way back in 2013. Now the new edition is coming! It's compatible with the original, but revised and with a ton more... stuff! 13th Age 2E was #3 in last year's list!

2. The Electric State Roleplaying Game (Free League)

1st appearance Free League is always on these lists, and for good reason. This gorgeous looking game is described as "A road trip on the verge of reality in visual artist and author Simon Stålenhag's vision of an apocalyptic alternate 1990s".

1. Shadow of the Weird Wizard (Schwalb Entertainment)

3rd appearance First announced by Rob Schwalb a couple of years ago, this is a more family-friendly version of his acclaimed RPG, Shadow of the Demon Lord. SHADOW OF THE WEIRD WIZARD is a fantasy roleplaying game in which you and your friends assume the roles of characters who explore the borderlands and make them safe for the refugees escaping the doom that has befallen the old country. Unsafe are these lands: the Weird Wizard released monsters to roam the countryside, cruel faeries haunt the shadows, undead drag themselves free from their tombs, and old, ancient evils stir once more. If the displaced people would rebuild their lives, they need heroes to protect them. Finally at the top of the list after being #7 in 2022, and #6 in 2023!

[stardust948]

Urzai adopts the Gaang AU

More ideas for this AU because the thread was getting too long.

The main story takes place over 3 years; 1 year for each season.

Urzai didn't really know how to relate to the Fire sibling in their care bc they didn't spend much time with them. For example, Ursa gets Azula a Fire Nation doll thinking she just hated the EK one but Azula still burns it. And Ozai gets Zuko some firebending scrolls because that the only thing he saw Zuko reading at the palace. But Zuko thinks Ozai’s telling him that his bending still sucks and gets even more depressed. Likewise Zuko and Azula kept asking about the other parent the first couple of months. Things were pretty rough but they eventually work it out. Azula and Ursa bond over sparing and herbology and Ozai and Zuko over criticizing reviewing street plays.

Ozai feels guilty for Zuko scar since Zuko took the hit meant for him. Also because Ozai didn't know how to treat it properly so he thinks the scarring could have been prevented. Of course, Ozai has no idea how to express this to Zuko so he thinks Ozai’s ashamed of his weakness. This doesn't get resolved until after The Boiling Rock when they finally have a heart to heart.

The family unlearn the FN propaganda while hiding amongst the villages. Witness and experience first hand that the FN is not spreading prosperity through the nations. Just the opposite actually.

Azula's 1st friend (who wasn't required to play with her like Mai and Ty Lee) was Suki. While Ursa was in Kyoshi Warrior training, the two would rough house. Suki wasn't afraid to shove the young ex-princess back. Azula was annoyed at first but grew to enjoy the rivalry. (Sokka and Suki never hears the end of it when Azula finds out they like each other)

Iroh gives Lu Ten a cushy job to keep him safe but Lu Ten wants to redeem himself. Sets off on a self appointed mission to track down his ex-family and recuse his cousins. Jee goes with him and reteaches him firebending for battle.

Ozai and Ursa keep barely missing each other during Book 2. What's even more aggravating is they have no idea.

The Fire Family being back together after 6 years apart was awkward at first. Not until the Gaang each found an excuse to leave them alone did they finally hash things out and get back into the swing of things.

Ursa and Katara get into a big fight when Katara trains with Hama. Ursa doesn't trust her but Katara really wants to learn SWT waterbending and thinks Ursa’s holding her back. Katara yells at Ursa to stop telling her what to do and she's not actually her mom. Which was very traumatic for both of them but they make up at end after Katara stops Hama from trying to kill Ursa.

Urzai stay behind with the other adults during DOTBS. Ursa is taken to FN palace dungeon and Ozai and Hakoda to The Boiling Rock. Meanwhile Lu Ten talks to Ursa in the dungeons and learns the truth about the coup. He confronts Iroh but Iroh tries to arrest him for "his own protection". Lu Ten escapes and sets off to find the Gaang.

Iroh plans to execute Ursa and use Sozin’s Comet to wipe out BSS. Reference to "If we don't burn it down first" in his letter. The gaang go to stop Iroh and free Ursa. Ozai fights Iroh as they waited for Aang’s return.

Fun ideas:

Katara, Azula, and Toph’s girls night out as they rob from rich FN ppl and blow up factories.

Many "that's not what they did 100 years ago Aang we think your friend was messing with you" conversations

Appa has final authority over everyone.

A family that fights together stays together TM

The Gaang out voted Urzai for Aang’s secret dance party. Urzai has to wear disguises bc they can't leave the kids alone after the incident (accidently got high off cactus juice)

Ozai: Why did you shove your boomerang into the beard???

Sokka: To give it character.

Ursa: At least you don't have a pillow stuffed down your shirt.

Ozai and Hakoda bond in The Boiling Rock. (Nothing says fun bonding experience like doing time in a cruel abusive prison full of ppl who want to kill you)

Suki assumes Sokka's from a community compound like Kyoshi Island and doesn't question the multiple parents arrangement. (The more the merrier! It takes a community after all)

Lu Ten is very confused. He thought he had 2 little cousins not 6.