#Five parallels to the odyssey

[vorthosjay]

Are there parallel or alternate universes in Magic? Such as...

- Ravnica-2 where each guild is a 3-color combination

- Theros-3 where gods are artifacts

- Jace (from Vryn-5) and Jace (from Vryn-7) meet each other

Planes can have alternate universes, yes, but it's not common. The three planes we know have them, or had them, are Dominaria, Rabiah, and Tarkir.

Dominaria's you can see in the set Planar Chaos, there's one where Mirri strikes down Selenia instead of Crovax, one where the Odyssey legends are color shifted, one with different primeval dragons with the wedge colors instead of shards, one where Serra was obsessed with Sphinxes instead of angels, that kind of thing. It's possible these are all the same AU, I'm only listing them as different, we don't have more stories about them than the basics. In the Planar Chaos novel we also see "Ice Age Phyrexians" but don't learn more about them.

Rabiah is refracted 1,001 times, which in the diegetic reason there are no legends in the set. Each refraction is different in some way, although it's not really explored much except in Taysir's backstory for the five versions of him that fused.

Tarkir is more recent, but we've see the Khans timeline, which doesn't exist anymore.

[dark-twist-fairytales]

Loa x assassins creed?

...elaborate (This sounds very cool)

Oo- I didn't even think about Assassins Creed specifically, but that makes things so much more interesting.

Because Prime is the current day, that could be a parallel with Desmond, and link back to all of the LoA cast (since Derek features in a couple of sessions, and if I'm willing (which, I quite possibly am) to make Orpheus a connector to Mace's characters), it only brings more interest into it!

So, time line wise, I am pulling based off of games I've played/known (which... is pretty much all except 1, Valhalla, Shadows, and Odyssey), and we'll start from Icebound and work our way down the campaigns based on the loose canon!

And uhh... Sorry, this got lengthy with just Icebound, uhm-

Icebound

[PT: Icebound]

This one will pull heavily off of Black Flag, they're sailor assassins! Or, turn to them, at least. In the beginning, it runs the same: This rag-tag group find each other, but are incarcerated before they get a chance to be set up. How? Well, word got out that there was an assassination was being planned, and taking no chances, they were arrested.

Well... The guards weren't technically wrong with that assumption, but they grabbed the wrong assassin, and the kill went through anyways. Generally runs the same, they are let go by the captain and brought on board the More Abound, given their roles, and set sailing towards Chaac!

..... A true mutiny is planned, and the five of them crowd around and discuss what they're going to do. That's when the cards hit the table, Taishen says they go for the mutiny, Barnabos is a much more reliable captain. Skrimm's right in trying to find the papers and rip them, who all survives can be healed by Jornir, and Queenie can start planting more seeds to pit everyone against each other with her words, she sees everyone practically from serving them drinks.

Barnabos is originally against it because Skrimm's the only one saying it, but now Taishen is as well.. Maybe the dragonborn has a point. And the mutiny goes through. Few survive, and the five of them purposefully stay back to watch it happen. Then the crew goes down... One by one... Especially after a particular attack from someone in the crew leading the attacker to them.

Moral is low, yet the few that remain get told: Taishen is an assassin. He understands if the group doesn't want him on board, and he's willing to leave off the ship, if that's the case, but.... No, the other four don't kick him off. Upset they weren't told sooner? Yes, reasonably, but given the nature, it's still understandable. They wouldn't have gotten this far regardless, and based on papers Skrimm had found in the captain quarters... Well, maybe fate was right.

So, they go off in sailing, keeping course to head for Drakkar despite it all. Why? Well, Myelin. They're both part of the brotherhood, and a promise made is one kept: Trying to free his daughters. If they were able to wringle around and make it out, they could free them.

And they do. They managed to free both Daisy and Honey, and now they sail on the More Abound. But, the others play into this as well.

Obviously, Barnabos is an experienced sailor and beast slayer, and now captains the More Abound, renamed to something else [to be decided], but he holds his own when in battles, especially in larger groups.

Queenie is a very experienced hunter, and while apprehensive at first to joining and killing what could be kind folks, it's only afterwards when Taishen produces solid information does she go "alright, let's kill the bastard".

Jornir is a medicine man tried and true, and while he doesn't like to be caught in the fray of battle, him being a backliner and healing is so much more valuable than credited for. However, traveling more on the expanse of the ocean is.. Much nicer than he expected, despite being an artic druid.

Now Skrimm needs a lot more convincing to try and be anything more than a low thief, but there's a dark feeling that wells in him that's so.. Unreasonably okay, in his eyes, of the prospect of being sneaky and stabby. He decides to fall into the content, way sooner than he expected, but far later than everyone else, and he becomes a for true assassin. Him and Queenie make for a deadly duo.

Myelin takes his time to train Queenie and Daisy, Queenie to be a bit more stealthy (which doesn't take long), and Daisy to touch up on her hunting skills and stealth.

Taishen takes time with Skrimm, Honey, and Barnabos with equal parts stealth and sparring, playing dirty and getting down to business, to not rely solely on magic and to find a rhythm with their bodies.

Curse of Strahdanya

[Pt: Curse of Strahdanya]

Ooo boy, this one is a bit more of a dive. This one actually pulls more off of Assassins Creed 3, which, if you know that game, has twists and turns like you wouldn't believe.

Generally, it plays off the same, Clayton finds and expedition and pulls it together, hiring on Sarnax and Shepherd, allowing Victoria passage as his assistant, and eventually taking Kana on as well. However, Clayton is, what's called in the assassin world, as an overhead. [I'm making this terms up, so prone to change].

With Clayton as an overhead, Victoria has a secondary goal: Protect him. Oh, I haven't said that yet, have I? Victoria is an assassin! The brotherhood took her in and trained her, unbeknownst to her father. Her mother and biological father were both assassins, it's how they knew each other, but the plan for Victoria's father to become an overhead failed.

But not in vein.

Victoria's still learning and honing her magic, but she's much more skilled with a sword than in canon, her natural ability to stealth is a very affirming assist to her skill set. And now she has this hunter, a cleric, and a very skilled ronin all within her group to keep Clayton safe.

Because of the nature of Curse of Strahdanya, everything generally runs the same, except for the ending, but that's because, while poetic, I can make it even more poetic and heroic and I want to.

Regardless: Clayton is an overhead, he helps fund the brotherhood located in Barghest, but only became one because of Victoria coaxing him in. Of course, on his own volition, and once he saw what was implied with it, well... He uses it to his advantage, and that relationship, while a very very dangerous one, is equally useful for both groups. High risk, high reward.

Victoria is, obviously, the assassin that, instead of converting like Taishen, protects and understand with the mutual goal in mind. She is much more determined and lazer focused, actually working with trickery to take her target down. Much more confident with herself, but plays it like she isn't, a trick of the mind.

Shepherd is already a very skilled ranger, combined with Kana's skill as a samurai, they're a deadly duo. Victoria has much more sympathy for Shepherd when he says and she realizes that for him, this was just a job. Still, she offers a place in the brotherhood, if not for skill, then for protection and security. He takes the offer, but coming around to it takes time, after making sure his folks are already, he travels to Barghest with Doc after mentioning it once. Turns out: What Doc was running from, after so long of mystery, was from his past assassin life, at least here he was. They work together, making and trading guns and ammo to rangers as well as training them with it, tampering with his own guns to make them more quiet once back in Yona.

With Kana, she offers as much of a place in the brotherhood, as her unique skill set would greatly help with both combating against and fighting with. If she ever wanted to expand herself in that direction, the door is open. She decides to visit after the fact, to at least offer to train them with a more samurai sturdiness and precision. She doesn't directly join, but she is renowned and her lessons are taught.

And Sarnax, while they don't exactly see eye to eye, Victoria still offers a place. The brotherhood could always use healers, and sometimes bright and bold is better than stealth and quiet. When all is said and done, he does go visit (yes, he's alive here in the end), for Gherix willed it for him. This journey to Barovia may be over, but the next one has just begun. And he spreads Gherix's teaches to other healers, in a way he finds much more fitting than the cult did. Even teaching a younger lizardfolk to become a cleric and spread his teachings when he has passed.

Beneath Dark Wings

[Pt: Beneath Dark Wings]

This one, honestly, I'm pulling more off of Unity for this, the first Assassins Creed game I owned myself and, shamelessly, the reason I learned French in high school.

Soooooo, remember in like.. Episode 3, Derek points out that Caprice was conceptually a spy? Yeah, that stays. Caprice is an assassin, but he's not here trying to convert the group to be an assassin group. If anything, due to the political nature of Beneath Dark Wings, he's trying to stay hidden. The less the group know about him, the better.

But, with someone like Felix, who's been in the government and has been trained to watch out for certain assassin signs, he picks up that Caprice is, in fact, an assassin. Due to the mutual respect that, Caprice hasn't outed him to the government, he's keeping it on lock and key as well.

But, it doesn't mean that they don't use each other to each other's advantage. It becomes very quickly known that Caprice is an assassin to the group, but Iris mentioning her status, he better not have any ideas, Caprice vows his protection to her, his overhead.

Lufti isn't out of the loop with assassins, given her nature to lurk and wander in places she shouldn't, but she fills in the gaps for Hyrja and Toa when she can with what information she does know.

Essentially, the group splits into two: One side that knows, and the other that vaguely does. It does work, surprisingly well, as Caprice is able to slink off whenever eyes aren't on him because they're on the big ass goliath and smooth talking tabaxi, him and Felix can do whatever they need to, and if shit hits the fan: They've got a monk and a paladin that can hit HARD when they need to.

Edge of Midnight

[Pt: Edge of Midnight]

This one, I don't have enough information on the campaign to give, but I'd imagine it would be closer relation of Assassins Creed 2. Something about them feels notable like Ezio is to the franchise.

Once Upon a Witchlight

[Pt: Once Upon a Witchlight]

For this one, I'm thinking more of Syndicate, the concept of duo yet different intruiges me greatly.

Now, this is where things get a little.. Interesting. There are two assassins within the group: Kremy and Frost.

They're part of two separate assassins groups, however they're all the same brotherhood. The Psionic Order he was apart of was a tabaxi oriented assassin group, meaning that it was built up and trained by tabaxi. Kremy was also built up within an oriented group, one for alligator folk (a general of lizardfolk, but it was mainly built of alligator aligned), but since they served under the same brotherhood, there was no reason for them not to team up.

It generally runs the same in canon, where Kremy finds Gideon, and Fraot and Gricko find each other. When they all meet, and establish Carnivàle Lecroux, this is where things get messy. You see: Frost and Kremy never told Gideon nor Gricko nor Torbek that they were assassins, that thing carnival was a rouse, that they reason they didn't have much money was to pay off guards to look the other way. They try to keep enough, they do, but demands being unreasonable.... They turn to desperate measures: Remy Garou.

They shouldn't have fucked with Garou, they know this, but there wasn't much of a choice. They were backed to a corner, and before either of them could logically think, they found a way out. And Garou rats them out, forces them out of Karkinos and into the feywild by sheer fear alone.

Of course, Gideon and Gricko figure out that they were assassins by that point, and it turns a bit confusing. Gideon wouldn't have been upset with it, and Gricko's just confused because Frosty??

Yet, it's explained, and they're sworn to secrecy for it.... But this could work to their advantage. They find Torbek again, but due to his witchlight and accidental knowledge, they form a Feywild specific brotherhood, with the help and allowance of Zybilna (becoming their overhead), and keep the denizens of the Feywild safe. For as long as they can, training those who want to join.

Prime

[Pt: Prime]

Just like Edge of Midnight, I will have to come back to this and talk it through. However, this is less based off an assassin portion of the game and more on the "In real life" portions of the Assassins Creed franchise.

However, I will say: Remy Garou plays a part as an opposing force, just like in Prime. Vandrys and Rodek are likely to be the ones connected in the machine to look back at their previous life and learn from it to figure out what happened. Sylvie and Midnight/Mathias are part of the current brotherhood. Anulin might be both part of the brotherhood and part of the group that dives in.

[smilesrobotlover]

Odyssey notes I took while reading the odyssey since I finished it!:

Imagine surviving the sea, monsters, and curses, and how you die is by breaking your neck LMAO. I guess that’s the nicest way to die compared to the others I guess 💀

Odysseus seeing his mom in the underworld nearly brought me to TEARS HE COULDNT HUG HER AUGHHUFHFHFJHFJ

Dang Scylla is pretty terrifying. Poor Odysseus, couldn’t save his men :c

Can the men listen to Odysseus, for FIVE SECONDS

he probably needed that sleep so bad.

Also those mfs just left him 💀

POSEIDON NEEDS TO COOL HIS TITS!!! HIS GRUDGE AGAINST ODYSSEUS IS GETTING OLD!!!! Bro was gone for like, 17-20 years and he lost everyone, almost died, and was prisoner to Calypso for 7 years. Leave him alone dawg

The freaking fact that Odysseus couldn’t recognize Ithaca and just assumed that he was on an island of monsters or somethin makes me so sad bruh. He’s been through so much that he just can’t accept that he’s back home. Even when Athena herself telling him he’s home he JUST can’t believe it. This man needs so much therapy omg

How did homie come up with that elaborate backstory under his disguise??? Why is Odysseus so extra???

Also that fake backstory kinda paralleled his own. Very loosely but it’s neat.

I bet it was so hard not to sob right in front of Telemachus as soon as he saw him. Odysseus was using all his strength to fight against the tears.

Also Odysseus and Telemachus reuniting also nearly brought me to tears. I am not ok

“On hearing this Telemachus smiled to his father, but so that Eumaeus could not see him.” PLEASE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AKSHDKSBSKSBSK

“Penelope came out of her room looking like Diana or Venus, and wept as she flung her arms around her son. She kissed his forehead and both his beautiful eyes, “Light of my eyes,” she cried as she spoke fondly to him” 🥺🥺🥺🥺 this is making me touch starved lmao. Oh to have everyone kiss my head and shoulders when I return home. Also love seeing momma Penelope

Penelope 🤝 Odysseus

Crying a lot

“As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, he dashed a tear from his eyes without Eymaeus seeing it…” WHAT IF I CRIIIIIIIIIEEEEED 😭😭😭😭 HIS DOGGO

NOOOO ARGOS!!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭 he died as soon as he saw Odysseus. He was able to see him one last time. I am unwell

“As she spoke Telemachus sneezed so loudly that the whole house resounded with it” THAT IS THE MOST RANDIM THING TO ADD IN THERE HSKDBSKSBSK. It’s so cute tho 😭😭😭 oh Telemachus you’re Adorable. And his momma laughed. Aww.

Nvm Telemachus’s sneeze was apparently an omen that the suitors will die lmao. This story just has things Happen

Telemachus: *sneezes*

Penelope: this is a sign that the suitors will die

Eymaeus: what

Odysseus has THUNDER THIGHS

“This was what she said, and Odysseus was glad when he heard her trying to get presents out of the suitors, and flattering them with fair words which he knew she did not mean.” HE LOVES HIS WIFE!!!!

“…I believe the light had not been coming from the torches, but from his own head—for his hair is all gone, every bit of it.”

Did this mf just make a bald joke 💀

Me and my homies hate the maids and suitors

Also Penelope rocks. Deceiving everyone cuz she doesn’t want to get married to those douche bags. Pop off queen. Poor lady, forced to get married :((

Odysseus trying not to cry upon talking to his wife after years 😭😭😭 that dude is TOUGH

Odysseus: oh yeah, I met Odysseus. He was wearing fancy clothes and was hot af.

Odysseus is trying so hard to convince Penelope that he’s coming home. Ough… sweet man

Ok so Odysseus was officially gone for 20 years. Ok Coolio. Yikes

Bro went on a huge tangent about the boar. It’s neat to hear about but sheesh.

Penelope had a dream that explicitly told her that Odysseus was coming home to kill the suitors and she’s like “can you interpret it for me?” I assume she’s trying to mess with Odysseus, cuz even tho he’s in disguise, she’s sensing something with him.

Oh she knows Odysseus is somewhere. Why is she setting up a tournament that only Odysseus could do now?? She knows…. She knows….

Book XX: Odysseus cannot sleep. What else is new?

Odysseus’s name meaning anger is starting to make sense now that he’s home and wanting to murder people out of anger. I guess the fact that he pisses everyone off to is also an indicator of that 💀

Oh the Odysseus and Penelope parallel augh

Odysseus is just brooding all the time huh

I like the idea that Telemachus is very timid and soft spoken. Everytime he speaks against the suitors they’re always surprised; now that he’s older with Athena and his father by his side, he’s beginning to break out of this shell and become more bold. It’s neat for his character. wonder how he’d feel about himself compared to his lion-hearted father

Telemachus is sooo cuuuuute he tried to do that trial for his momma… he was so excited too. My son

Love how Odysseus is absolutely JACKED. Just super strong. An absolute tank. Love him

“Eurymachus,” Penelope answered, “people who persist in eating up the estate of a great chieftain and dishonoring his house must not expect others to think well of them.” EAT EM UP PENELOPE!

I FREAKING LOVE THE ARROW SCENE. GO ODYSSEUS GO

I guess people in Ancient Greek times just killed each other without any thought lmao. I have a feeling that it’s less about the law and more about the revenge that would fall upon you if you killed someone. It was satisfying to read the suitors and maids die tho. Heck yeah

Athena is a great wing man. Just making Ody hot and godlike

Love Penelope testing Odysseus to make sure it was him. Very good. She’s a very cunning women indeed

OUGHHHH THEYRE HUGGING HDBSBSKSBSKSBSKSBSSKSBKWKW 😭😭😭😭

Gosh. The love and chemistry between Odysseus and Penelope is so strong, even tho they’re barely together in the story. Like, it’s interesting to hear how much love they poured into each other that night, (especially compared to Circe and Calypso. Odysseus clearly did not love them.) and then they talked and explained their times away from each other. Augh they’re so in love 😭😭😭

Odysseus just tell your father that you’re home why are you LIKE THIS

WHY ARE YOU MAKING UP ANOTHER ELABORATE BACKSTORY JUST TELL HIM WHO YOU ARE

Dang, that was an abrupt ending. But why did Athena like… tell Odysseus’s father to kill the guy and then told them not to kill each other lmao. Idk. But overall yay. Interesting how Odysseus didn’t listen at first. I think he’s truly changed since his adventure

Something I noticed was that Odysseus was probably a very happy and joyful man. He had family and friends, a wife and a newborn son. He treated everyone fairly and with kindness and everyone adored him for it. But after his adventure, he seemed far more somber and angry. Sad change of character, but ultimately he didn’t change too much. I love him. I enjoyed that WAAYYYY more than I thought I would. Sure the writing was different than what I was used to—there was so much yapping and tangents and metaphors—but it wasn’t impossible to follow! I’ve read difficult stories from Shakespeare to scriptures and this was an overall easy read. The culture of Ancient Greece is very…. Strange to me, but it’s always neat to see differences in cultures, no matter how uncomfy it makes me feel. Love how both Odysseus and Penelope remained faithful to each other and cried over each other a lot. They got married for a reason <3 and Telemachus my son. He’s so precious. Good good story I enjoyed that a lot

[bongaboi]

Los Angeles Dodgers, all of them, are World Series champs

Los Angeles Dodgers, all of them, are World Series champs

Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Staff Writer Oct 31, 2024, 02:32 AM ET

NEW YORK -- The 2024 World Series is over: Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are champions in five games, the first title for him and, for the team, the eighth in franchise history.

There were heroes and goats, as there are in every Fall Classic, but no storybook showdown of Ohtani versus Aaron Judge. There were dramatic grand slams, stunning comebacks and horrible defensive miscues. The New York Yankees' title drought reached 15 years, and their captain, Judge, faced struggles that sometimes reached nightmarish levels.

In the end, what we got was a pure baseball matchup decided by baseball factors, and mostly by the fact the Dodgers had more good players than their opponent. They earned it -- as a group.

"They were the better team in this series," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, while praising his own heartbroken club.

This championship, and the way Los Angeles achieved it, is less about the names on the marquee and more because of the ensemble. It belongs to them all, as much to the supporting cast of Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux and Max Muncy as to Ohtani and fellow stars Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. To anonymous relievers as much as more heralded starters such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty. None of this is by accident. The Dodgers won this way because they were built to win this way.

Every season, the Dodgers rank near the top of the majors in categories such as rookie WAR and in total appearances on the transaction wire. Think about that: With all of the resources poured into the L.A. payroll -- the Dodgers spent more than $1 billion this past offseason -- the Andrew Friedman-led front office never stops tweaking the roster mix, addressing needs both immediate and imagined. The Dodgers excel at turning other teams' excesses into gold, with journeymen such as Ryan Brasier, Brent Honeywell and Anthony Banda becoming crucial contributors to the bullpen. Every bit as much attention is paid to the bottom 10 slots on the 40-man roster as it is to the top three.

"It's about getting the right players, the right people," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Talent is a lot, but it's not everything. You still have to be cohesive. I just think we do a great job of getting the right players in our clubhouse."

The Dodgers have as much star power as any team we've seen in recent years, but they could never be accused of taking a stars-and-scrubs approach, or constructing a top-heavy roster. Depth or stars? We'll have both, thank you.

"We have a culture here at the big league level," Roberts said. "But the scouting and player development is second to none."

After a second title in five years, the Dodgers, from top to bottom, are what Roberts says -- second to none.

THIS WAS SUPPOSED to be the Ohtani-Judge World Series.

Just look at the cover of the official program. On the left is Ohtani, his face exuding focus and exertion, his arms pointing behind him in the act of the backswing that completes the arc of one of his mighty hacks.

Judge is on the right, his mouth open in the midst of a shout, his head turned as he presumably looks at the bedlam in the dugout in the aftermath of one of his missile-like blasts into the farthest expanses of Yankee Stadium.

It would be Ohtani vs. Judge, in the ultimate version of a baseball hero's journey, one with no antagonists but two protagonists on a parallel odyssey in pursuit to slay the same dragon: a career-first championship.

Thus was the hook for the resumption of baseball's most prolific Fall Classic matchup, Yankees-Dodgers, the dream showdown between two of baseball's most storied franchises.

The hype wasn't without justification. This truly was an unprecedented clash between perhaps the best-right-now players in the sport, starring for marquee franchises in the glitziest of markets and biggest of stages. Together during the regular season, Judge and Ohtani hit .315/.423/.672 with 112 homers, 274 RBIs, 256 runs and 69 stolen bases. That's from two players.

This pairing of the game's two best players just hasn't happened very often in World Series history. It's easy to lose yourself in a debate about just who was considered the best in the game at any point, but the clear precedents are few: Ty Cobb vs. Honus Wagner in 1909. Ted Williams vs. Stan Musial in 1946. George Brett vs. Mike Schmidt in 1980.

Let's imagine the Platonic ideal as the climactic scene of "The Natural," when Roy Hobbs -- "the best there ever was" -- homers into the stratosphere, turning another Knights disappointment into an instant pennant. We've never had that payoff -- a championship-winning, come-from-behind home run blasted by the game's best player.

None of the superstar matchups we highlighted had the type of payoff we might dream of, and most of them disappointed altogether. In the just-completed 2024 showdown, while Ohtani played well as a stalwart at the top of the lineup, his series was most noteworthy because he popped his shoulder on a slide, bringing the term "subluxation" into the mainstream. And Judge, homerless until the clinching game, was astonishing to watch for much of the series, after a season in which he recorded one of the best offensive showings in history.

"He's a great player," a sympathetic Roberts said after Game 4. "I have so much respect for Aaron. There's probably a little bit of maybe trying too hard right now."

That's baseball, though, isn't it? When we zero in on a star matchup like Ohtani against Judge, that's the possibility we're teasing, even as we know the nature of the sport itself makes the realization of the dream scenario so unlikely.

In fact, the most cinematic moment of the series was not produced by Ohtani, Judge -- or even each team's next best player, Betts or Juan Soto. That belonged to yet another star, Freeman, in a postseason when his injuries threatened to keep him out of the lineup. His two-out, Game 1-ending grand slam evoked immediate images of 1988 Kirk Gibson and inspired Joe Davis' epic, instantaneous Vin Scully homage.

There's a lesson in there, both about baseball and about the Dodgers. No matter who we zero in on, it's never about only one person. Anybody might be the one to realize a boyhood dream.

"Those are the kind of things, when you're 5 years old with your two older brothers and you're playing whiffle ball in the backyard," Freeman said, "those are the scenarios you dream about. Two outs, bases loaded in a World Series game."

As for Ohtani, he went 0-for-4 in the clincher and struck out with the bases loaded in the sixth. It didn't make his night any less sweet.

"The success of the postseason is very similar to how we were able to pull it off during the regular season," Ohtani said, via interpreter Will Ireton. "Again: The strength of the organization. Extremely honored to be a part of this."

CONSIDER THAT 29 different Dodgers played this October. Nearly everyone had meaningful roles along the way, including a bright-eyed rookie named Ben Casparius, who began October with all of three big league appearances under his belt. He ended up making a start in Game 4 as an opener.

This is every bit as much a characteristic of this era of Dodgers baseball as the presence of household names Ohtani, Betts, Freeman and Clayton Kershaw.

"It takes a lot to get here," Kershaw said. "Regardless of the talent level, everybody just assumes that we're going to show up, win 100 games and win the World Series. It takes every last guy."

Since the start of the 2021 season, the Dodgers have had 68 instances of a player recording at least one bWAR. Only the Brewers and Rays (69 each) have more. But the Dodgers have also had 17 instances of a player reaching an All-Star level of four BWAR, second only to the Astros (18). L.A.'s success is built on stars plus depth.

During the 12 full seasons since the Guggenheim Baseball Management group assumed control of the Dodgers, they've won 99.2 of every 162 regular-season games they've played. During the wild-card era, no team has done better over such a span, one that has included 11 first-place finishes, a 12-for-12 presence in the postseason bracket, four pennants and, now, two World Series titles. And there is no question the Dodgers' economics might play a role in the team's staying power. According to Cot's Contracts, the Dodgers have sported a top-five payroll in all of those seasons. Yet other teams make huge payroll splurges -- including the past two teams they beat, the Yankees in the World Series and the Mets in the National League Championship Series -- and the Dodgers are sometimes outspent by one or two competitors.

A level of investment measuring in the billions sets a clear expectation for everyone who dons Dodger blue: to do what they did Wednesday -- win it all. That expectation isn't just carried by Ohtani, Betts and Freeman, but everyone who steps into the clubhouse. They would have it no other way.

"You've got a lot of good people that care about winning and that want to win," second baseman Gavin Lux said. "None of them have egos."

The Dodgers' stars, including Ohtani, outperformed their New York counterparts, especially Judge, in the Series, but that was mainly because of Freeman's massive output as World Series MVP. That certainly played a part in L.A.'s triumph.

But in terms of the headliner matchup, at no point did this feel like an Ohtani-versus-Judge World Series. If anything, it was the Freeman series, but of course he isn't going to claim that title.

"Sitting here now, I've just been blessed to be able to play this game a long time and be in certain situations because of the group of guys, the organization," Freeman said. "Just from top to bottom, to be put into a situation. … I mean, I got asked about the RBIs, and the RBIs are because there were guys on base. That's my teammates."

NO TEAM LOST more player games to injury in 2024 than the Dodgers. Even as they sprayed champagne and whooped it up in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, the Dodgers had more than an entire upper-tier starting rotation on the injured list.

That's why Roberts -- whose postseason decisions have been maligned by Dodgers fans and detractors alike over the years -- deserves so much credit for this run. It's not just that Roberts, along with pitching coach Mark Prior, was able to navigate around the losses in the pitching staff. It's also that the skipper, as usual, folded in rookies such as outfielder Andy Pages, Landon Knack, Casparius and even Yamamoto, not a traditional rookie but a rookie nonetheless. It's also that when the Dodgers splurged at the trade deadline, adding Flaherty, Tommy Edman and Michael Kopech, they all fit so seamlessly on and off the field that it's easy to forget they didn't join the team until the end of July.

No game showed it more acutely than the Dodgers' Game 5 win against San Diego in the NL Division Series, when the big three went a combined 1-for-10 but four relievers backed Yamamoto on a two-hit shutout and Teoscar Hernandez and Enrique Hernandez hit solo homers for the game's only runs.

"He lets you be the player that you'll always be," Teoscar said of Roberts. "He lets you have fun. His communication with his players is one of the best that I've had in my career. I think that's why he's so special for this team and the players."

Roberts' masterpiece was Game 5, when he had to work around Flaherty's too-brief outing and a bullpen with perhaps too few adequately rested arms. So Roberts rode relief ace Blake Treinen for 42 pitches -- seven more than he got from Flaherty. And then he turned to Walker Buehler, his Game 3 starter only two days before, to slam the door in the ninth.

"That's one of the best games I've ever seen managed," Freeman said. "That was special."

Through it all, Roberts spreads the credit steadily away from himself, even as he joins the short list of managers who have won more than one World Series, a list made up almost entirely of current and future Hall of Famers, including Dodgers legends Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda.

"Humbling," Roberts said. "Never thought I would be in that same conversation. I'm a part of a great organization, a lot of great people around me supporting me, and we've won a lot of ballgames. This is something I really wanted. I wanted this one."

If Roberts required validation that perhaps the team's shortened-season 2020 title did not supply -- he has it. He might just be another high-profile cog in the Dodgers' immense apparatus, but he's a vital one. He's also the manager of a dynasty.

This championship -- after a grueling marathon of 162 games plus a month of playoffs, cannot be diminished. It took all of the Dodgers to make it happen, right to the end.

When the Dodgers spilled out of the third-base dugout after the final out, Ohtani, Betts and Freeman were in the middle of the pile. So too were Casparius and Knack. Baseball's latest championship doesn't belong to any one of them, but all of them, under a banner dyed a rich Dodger blue, just how it was drawn up all along.

[grandhotelabyss]

How the fuck can Homer be so good, and yet so close to being the very first thing we have? Like how can literature come almost straight out the gate with what is still an arguable top five artwork, across all media? (I know we had a couple of technically literate civilisations like that, but nothing as literary as to be comparable to Homer!) It feels almost like Homer is somehow an ancient psy-op by Athens, they backdated him somehow to boost their reputation lol

I don't think we really know, but I assume the body of oral tales at the basis of the Homeric epics were put into writing by a fairly literate civilization. The complex structure of The Odyssey, with its two parallel plots converging into a single timeline in the final third, seems to me to have to be the product of literacy and the type of recursive memory literacy encourages. The Odyssey is already a kind of meta and ironic Ulysses to whatever primordial lore it's based on, or so I surmise.

[nietzschey]

Complete Works

Franz Kafka

Before the Law

An Imperial Message

Description of a Struggle

Wedding Preparations in the Country

In the Penal Colony

The Judgement

The Metamorphosis

The Village Schoolmaster

Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor

The Warden of the Tomb

- Continue when read

Dostoevsky

The Brothers Karamazov

Crime and Punishment

The Idiot

Demons

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

- All works

Philosophers:

Nietzsche

The Birth of Tragedy

The Gay Science

The Genealogy of Morals

The Twilight of the Idols and the Anti-Christ: Or How to Philosophize with a Hammer

Thus Spoken Zarathustra

Beyond Good and Evil

God is Dead. God Remains Dead. And We Have Killed Him.

Schopenhauer

The World as Will and Representation

The Wisdom of Life

The Two Fundamental Problems of Ethics

Studies in Pessimism

Camus

The Myth of Sisyphus

The Stranger

The Fall

The Plague

The Rebel

The First Man

Between Hell and Reason

Kant

Introduction to Logic

Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals

Critique of Pure Reason

Religion Within the Bounds of Bare Reason

Dreams of a Spirit-Seer

What is Enlightenment?

Hegel

Introductory Lectures on Aesthetics

Phenomenology of Spirit

Absolute Spirit

Science of Logic

Lectures on the Philosophy of History

William James

The Principles of Psychology

The Varieties of Religious Experience

Essays in Radical Empiricism

Philosophies

Moral Nihilism

The Moral Fool

The Evolution of Morality

Ethics of Ambiguity

Beyond Morality

Essays in Moral Skepticism

Abolishing Morality

Morality: The Final Delusion?

Metaphysical Nihilism

The Overcoming of Metaphysics

Metaphysics and Nihilism

Existential Nihilism

Existentialism is a Humanism

Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre

Macbeth

Being and Nothingness

Political Nihilism

An Introduction to Political Philosophy

Political Philosophy: Responding to the Challenge of Positivism and Historicism

Positive Nihilism

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

A Tale for the Time Being

John Dies at the End

Epistemological Nihilism

Nihilism's Epistemology, Ontology, and Its God

Absurdism

The Trial

Nausea

Slaughterhouse Five

Waiting for Godot

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Fatalism

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Wide Sargasso Sea

No Longer Human

Sapiens

Cat’s Cradle

Antinatalism

The Denial of Death

The Human Predicament

Every Cradle a Grave

Better Never to Have Been - The Harm of Coming into Existence

Misc.

Medieval Philosophy

Classics

The Catcher in the Rye

The Grapes of Wrath

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Great Gatsby

The Crucible

The Bell Jar

The Yellow Wallpaper

A Clockwork Orange

A Room of One's Own

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Thousand and One Nights

Of Mice and Men

As I Lay Dying

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Where the Red Fern Grows

Flowers for Algernon

Lolita

Lord of the Flies

Wuthering Heights

Moby Dick

Little Women

Death of a Salesman

Beloved

Don Quixote

Diary of a Madman

Jane Eyre

Pride and Prejudice

I, Robot

Catch 22

Religious

The Apocrypha

The Summa Theologica

The Divine Comedy

The Epic of Gilgamesh

City of God

Angelology

-

The Occult

-

Books to reread

The Odyssey

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Scarlet Letter

The Time Machine

The Invisible Man

The Secret Garden

To Kill a Mockingbird

Ten Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Alice in Wonderland

Gulliver's Travels

Dracula

Frankenstein

Books I’ve completed - Sept. - Dec. 2024

Lord of the Flies

American Psycho

A Clockwork Orange

Blood Meridian

The Black Farm

The Stranger

Fahrenheit 451

Of Mice and Men

The Catcher in the Rye

The Great Gatsby

1984

Animal Farm

And Then There Were None

Murder on the Orient Express

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

God is Dead, God Remains Dead, and We Have Killed Him

[mothmage]

20 Qs for fic writers

Tagged by @monstersinthecosmos , thank you!!!

1. How many works do you have on A03? 31 (and a few anon, i think 2 or 3. idk, when i post a fic on anon i forget about it forever)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 446,135

3. What fandoms do you write for? currently/primarily vc, iwtv (amc), star wars, and merlin (bbc)!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? A Lovely Little Normal Life (which, honestly, kind of annoys me lol. i know it's just bc it's a huge fandom, but really? the stupid little 12k harry potter fic i wrote in two days is my most kudos? please...); Arthur Pendragon, Long May She Reign (forever pushing my lesbian genderswap agenda); The Face of God (les mis slightly canon divergent javert character study); The Odyssey of Recollection (amc iwtv s1 pov armand); Away From Stranger Tides (potc philip/syrena fic i started ages ago and never finished, lol)

5. Do you respond to comments? yes i love talking to people in comments!!!! i've made a lot of friends through comments!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? omg. umm. merthur fans don't know this yet bc i havent finished posting but it's arthur pendragon long may she reign (BUT it's part of a series, so it's literally fine). idk, i dont tend to write long fics that end angsty. but my angstiest fic in general is probably Hollow-Boned Boy (armand contemplating his human life in the early CoD era) or Vision of the Damned (daniel's turning from armand's pov)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i love a happy ending!! my series Odysseus in White Silk is probably the happiest ending, and in such an undeserved way hahaha it's so very AU because i was sad after s1 of the show and just wanted them all (and armandaniel) to live happily ever after

8. Do you get hate on fics? i dont think i ever have, but i tend to read comments in good faith too, so maybe someone out there is annoyed that i interpreted their vague dislike comment as a genuine comment or something, idk. in general though, i'll say no

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? yes but i dont post that often, idk if there's a particular kind, but generally it tends to be a little rougher than is probably appropriate without discussion in real-life situations, but also very...idk my friend described it as very tender, like theyre very clearly in love. which is so funny considering that that kind of tenderness irl gives me fucking hives lmfao

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? oh wow, not in a long time. i do have a wip sitting around rn that's a crossover between london spy and cloud atlas, which is really crazy until you remember that ben whishaw is in both london spy and the cloud atlas movie lol. and cloud atlas is already about weird reincarnations and parallel worlds and stuff, so it isnt too out-there.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? i dont think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes!! The Face of God was translated into Korean by ao3 user Crescent919 !! i've had a few comments on other fics asking to translate for personal use (always yes, of course), but no one else has asked to share a translation publicly

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? no!! i've been thinking about it lately though

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? all-time? probably merlin/arthur from merlin (bbc). it's the whole fate-destiny-choice thing, it just compels me like nothing else

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? hmmm, i would like to finish Roswell -- well, kinda (agent carter farm girl / alien crash landing au) because i still have all the original notes and outlines and stuff. i also made a shitty conlang when i was first writing it, which is crazy lol. but it would need some pretty serious revisions, and i would definitely rewrite the first few chapters that i posted years ago. i just kind of lost the agent carter bug, but i might return to that fic if i ever get in the mood for it again.

16. What are your writing strengths? ooh, i'm not really sure! i get a lot of comments mentioning characters' voices and/or personalities, so i would say maybe that!!! i also feel that i'm fairly good at mimicking an author's writing style when i want to (notably, i do not mimic anne rice when writing vc fic, lol)

17. What are your writing weaknesses? editing for sure. i have at least a hundred fics sitting on my hard drive fully or almost-fully written that i just need to edit. but i would simply rather die than do all of that. it's also why my whole merlin fic got put on pause while i went down the vc rabbithole, because i just can't bring myself to go edit the next chapters lol

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? hmm, i think it's usually unnecessary and comes off as a bit silly. that said, i did do it once (maybe excessively) in Daniel Molloy, Time Bandit (1984 daniel ends up in 1794 theatre des vampires, it's more of a character study than a time travel fic) BUT, let me defend myself -- i did it because daniel doesnt understand french, it's his pov, and he's incredibly confused and distraught for most of the fic. i felt like the dialogue being in french conveyed this sort of "daniel does not belong in this time/place" vibes. but, also, my french is...a little rough. so i'm sure it's an annoying fic for french readers lmao

19. First fandom you wrote for? warriors cats, a million years ago hahahah

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? ok, i have three different answers for this. the fic i think is the best, objectively, in terms of writing and content: The Story of Dani [...] (r63 devil's minion from armand's pov, starting with lestat's house). the fic i am the proudest of, mostly because it was my first "big" fic (it's funny now, bc it's only 41k) and i feel like i grew a lot as a writer while working on it, and i'm still happy with it: The Face of God (les mis pov javert, character study from childhood). the fic i have the most fun with and think about almost 24/7: Arthur Pendragon, Long May She Reign (r63 merthur, canon divergence, this is like a 4-part series that's currently over 300k lmao)

no-pressure tagging: @aunteat @leslutdepointedulac @butchybats @graygiantess and anyone else who wants to!!

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time Season 2 - [Chapter 17: Chapter 19: οἴκαδε]

[Chapter 17: Chapter 19: οἴκαδε] Links : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Summary: After the incident between Klaus and Lloyd, Rin takes refuge in the alleyway where she had arrived in 1961. There, Five finds her and talks to her about… "going home"

(…) I don't say anything, I keep my head in my arms, but that young, slightly nasal voice is easy to recognize. I'm not even surprised to find him here. How many times have I hoped to see him or the other Hargreeves in this brick-walled alley? This time, I don't tell myself that Five is a dream. I can feel the golden particles of his power, even with my eyelids closed. (…)

"I'm so lost, Five… I just… want to go back to where we belong".

These are words straight from my heart. I once told Allison that I'd always feel at home if I could collapse on the same couch as Klaus again. Tonight, I don't even feel like I can do that anymore. I hear Five sigh, then keep silent for a moment. And finally, as if he needed to recite those lines over and over again, he utters into the night:

"Tell me about a complicated man, muse, tell me how he wandered and was lost". I look up a little, my red eyes above my crossed arms. He speaks a few more words, which I can't properly hear, and then : "Where he went, who he met, and the pain he suffered in the storms at sea… and how he worked to save his life and bring his men back home."

I don't know why, but his words instantly soothe me, as I identify them as coming from Homer's Odyssey. One of the few books I remember from my short time in high school. All of a sudden, my heart seems to calm down. Maybe it's because I feel a kind of parallel with our wanderings through space-time. Maybe because I believe that Five bears more responsibility than any of us, as if at the helm of the ship. And maybe… because there's this muted hope that - like Ulysses and despite all the ups and downs - one day we'll finally be able to go home for good.

(…)

↝↝↝↝ Read 'A bend in space-time' ↜↜↜↜ Full chapter : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 1 complete : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 2 in progress : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

I chose to insert an OC - Rin - into the plot of The Umbrella Academy, appearing almost only in deleted scenes. This fic is not a self-insert nor a OC-centric fic : Rin exists to flesh out the canon characters, and the fic is mostly focusing on Klaus. Please read the introduction for more details ♡

Any comment will make my day! ♡

[xtrablak674]

Re: psycho-sexual photography

[Email thread from December 21, 2006 to Dec 23, 2006 between Stephen McKinley and Trevor Brown, most of original format included, reversed order for easier reading, and mild editing for clarity.]

 

On 21 Dec 2006 17:58:50 +0000, Trevor Brown <TrevorBrklyn@aol.com> wrote:

You've been sent a Flickr Mail from trevorbrklyn:

------------------------------------------------------------

:: I see you found

my photostream. hope you liked my recent postings :)

-----Original Message-----

From: stephenmac@yahoo.com

To: TrevorBrklyn@aol.com

Sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 10:31 AM

Subject: Re: [Flickr] I see you found

Yes, I did — my God, what would my mother think?!

Hey, without resorting to Google, do you happen to know who Samuel Delaney is?

Stephen

-----Original Message-----

From: stephenmac@yahoo.com

To: TrevorBrklyn@aol.com

Sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 6:18 PM

Subject: Re:

This is Delaney: he's a science fiction writer, but it is his crazy psycho-sexual books like one called The Mad Man that are really interesting...

Well, sort of, anyway...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Delaney

On 12/22/06, TrevorBrklyn@aol.com < TrevorBrklyn@aol.com> wrote:

Actually your mother wouldn't be able to see your penis unless she was a "friend" of mine, its not for public view. The photo is a favorite amongst my contacts though.

With out resorting to google, the name Samuel Delaney sounds familiar but I am not sure in what context, I am seeing the name in my head but can't connect it to its source.

They screened at BAM last night 2001: A Space Odyssey, I had never seen the film, what an amazing accomplishment for 1968, the film stood up quite well. They had a rock-opera after the movie in BAM cafe, Odyssey: 2001 years in the making, which was humorous but no Hedwig.

Samuel Delaney, while I was writing about 2001, something about BOOKs with the name Samuel Delaney came to mind, I am not sure books and what.

T

718 622 6725

On 12/22/06, TrevorBrklyn@aol.com <TrevorBrklyn@aol.com> wrote:

Its curious that you say he is psycho-sexual in his writing. Because I think my photography has themes of sensuality and psychology. I can't say I have read any Samuel Delaney. My father was big into Science Fiction, sadly I sold a lot of his collection. I am a science fiction fan but like my science fiction in comic books or novels or well written tv-shows. Going anywhere special this weekend?

 Oh and no comment on my photography?

 

 

T 

-----Original Message-----

From: stephenmac@yahoo.com

To: TrevorBrklyn@aol.com

Sent: Sat, 23 Dec 2006 12:37 AM

Subject: Re: psycho-sexual photography

I haven't properly looked at your pics yet... I'll comment more when I have... I don't really know Delaney's works very well, actually, except for that one book, The Mad Man. An ex of mine read it and talked a lot about it — the premise, I felt, has a parallel with my own sexual experiences at the time (five, six years ago) — the protagonist in The Mad Man is drawn inexorably towards increasingly risky, dangerous sexual experiences in the 'underground' NYC gay scene, while possessing the knowledge that a 'sex disease' is killing gay men.

At the time my then-boyfriend was reading The Mad Man, we were no longer having sex (it wasn't a very happy relationship towards the end, but none are), but he knew that I was increasingly engaging in risky sex and one of the ways he would attack me would be to say "you're going to end up HIV+ and then I'll be laughing at you." And I would say "yes, I probably will, and if you laugh I still won't care."

I had moved to New York from Scotland, where outdoor cruising and sex was pretty routine, and there is a lot of outdoor sex in The Mad Man (as I remember) and I was then as now surprised at how little if any outdoor sex happens in NYC. Anyway, I think my ex was somewhat attracted to the kind of things I was attracted to back then (outdoor sex, anonymous sex, etc), but did not have the same ability to throw caution to the wind as I did.

Anyway, it has been a slightly obsessive personal, err.... what I'm trying to say is merely what I think I said when I met you, that I engaged in everything risky and assumed I was positive, and rationalized it in my own mind, and life and then was surprised to find that I wasn't, and am not positive... which suggests I have some level of perverse disappointment, but I don't.

Blah blah blah...

I'm spending Christmas Eve in Brooklyn with some friends, that's about it. And yourself?

S

On 12/23/06, TrevorBrklyn@aol.com <TrevorBrklyn@aol.com> wrote:

Well I am a former HIV/AIDS educator for GMHC, so to become a notorious barebacker bought on a lot of reaction. I think I covered my feelings around it in this essay I posted on FlickR

I am not going to say I am pro or against barebacking. I think adults need to make choices for themselves about their sexuality and their sexual preferences, based on educated decisions, facts, truth and honesty.

I decided a little over seven years that I would stop practicing what is commonly known as "safer sex". For longer then that, I had found myself in several situation where I just wasn't using a condom, whether it be low self-esteem or wanting to have a more intimate connection with another man. I found myself not always reaching for the condom.

The biggest dichotomy to this is the fact that I was a Safer Sex-HIV/AIDS Educator for GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis). But I knew as a human being and as an educator that putting a condom on my dick for sex wasn't the most natural thing in the world, and I knew that the behavioral change would only last temporarily.

The education at the time was hoping AIDS would be temporary. This was not the case, and the onset of the first wave of re-infection came and HIV/AIDS educators were stumped as to why their out-dated prevention methods weren't working anymore. I had realized some things long ago that people have unprotected sex for a number of reasons, and each time they do it's for a different reason, and the reasons are not always necessarily the same every time they have sex.

Notwithstanding the complexities of man to man sex, HIV, STI's (formerly STD), and hate influence men loving each other. I was from a younger generation who had grew up into condoms and I can't pretend I didn't feel denied, especially in lieu of the fact that I didn't smoke, drink, or do drugs, sex was my only vice and this vice and I had to limit, due to this legacy of disease.

I made a very non-traditional decision as explicitly stated in the first issue of LGNY in 1995 (currently Gay City News) www.trevorbrownonline.com/ffm/sex/ [That site is no longer live so that link isn't either. Here is a link to the article I was referring to:

and my decision was to have sex the way nature intended, which is now commonly known as "barebacking". I knew the risk of my decision were the possible exposure to different STI's, and of course the risk of HIV infection, which subsequently I have contracted. But I understood the risk I was making and I understood the repercussion of the actions, I think the only thing I underestimated is the social stigma still associated with HIV, but other then that everything else I felt very comfortable with.

I did not throw my sexual health out the window I knew it was important to reduce the harm in my very non-traditional decision and I would NOT do certain things like sex parties or orgies or sex clubs. I also traditionally had the same partners, limiting my activities to a regular set of fuck-buddies.

I would go every three to six months for a STI check up to make sure I didn't have anything extra. As the Department of Health, my new best friend would say, 'You can get more from a blow job then a silly grin'. Chlamydia was a favorite STI of mine. I was very blessed not get some more extreme STI's like Syphilis, or Herpes, or even Gonorrhea. But I have had a yeast infection, which was not actually from sex, but from taking an antibiotic to kill Chlamydia.

What's most important is that I made a choice no matter how non-traditional or unacceptable for certain individuals, I made a choice and I have to live with the repercussions of that choice. I think people need to make choices about their sex lives from educated places not just from whims or mis-education.

About five years ago I came out of the closet as a barebacker, I lost a few friends over it, but I felt better being honest about who I was and what I wanted, and I have never regretted or looked back.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorblak/35379278/"><img src=" http://static.flickr.com/32/35379278_aaf4686d00.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="close and intimate" /></a> [SmugMug deleted my Flickr account so that link is no longer live, and I don't have enough information here to replace it with the actual image]

I will be very honest I was looking forward to your next email.

I think part of the reason I have thrown some caution to the wind is because sex is my only vice, why should I be denied the fullness of my only vice? And there is more outdoor sex in NYC then you realize I an introduce you to Prospect Park sex area, Central Park has a few too.

I loathe this season, and will attempt every day until January to pretend that every day, is just a regular day.

If your in Brooklyn there is always somewhere else your welcomed.

718 622 6725

Oh did I said I write a little, my grammar is a little bad, but I am usually pretty articulate :)

T

Re: psycho-sexual photography

SM Stephen McKinley

To: Me ^ 12/23/06

From: Stephen McKinley stephenmac@yahoo.com

To: TrevorBrklyn@aol.com

Date: Dec 23, 2006 at 10:01 AM

Hey,

Thanks for the reply — very interesting... I'll take a while to digest this, but I will reply soon. And I'll hope to see you again in Brooklyn soon, though it may not be as soon as Nazareth Bastard Birthday. Your pix are wonderful!

S

[Photo courtesy of the Brown Estate]

[thelovebudllc]

Electric Recumbent Adventure Continues – BionicOldGuy

I have finally gotten my recumbent back on the road in electric-assist mode. This turned out to be quite an odyssey. I pursued two parallel approaches. First I tried to fix the wheel with broken spokes It turns out you can get custom spoke lengths online so I got replacements in 228 mm. Then I swapped out the five broken spokes with new ones, and tried to tighten them by feel so they matched…

[whatsonmedia]

Art Odyssey: Explore the World's 7 Best Exhibitions!

Embark on an artistic journey through 2024's most exciting exhibitions! Dive into immersive retrospectives and thought-provoking thematic explorations. Discover groundbreaking works and intriguing themes across continents. Join us for an unforgettable adventure in the world of contemporary art! M.F. Husain: The Rooted Nomad Where: Magazzini del Sale, Venice When: April 18 – November 24 Explore the captivating life and artistry of M.F. Husain, a trailblazer of Indian modernism, in this immersive exhibition running parallel to the Venice Biennale. Supported by prominent art collector Kiran Nadar, delve into Husain's innovative works that transcend cultural boundaries and explore themes of exile and identity. Website: The Rooted Nomad Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective Where: The Art Institute, Chicago When: April 20 – August 11 Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective at The Art Institute, Chicago Experience the groundbreaking art of Christina Ramberg, a key figure of the Chicago Imagists movement, in her first major retrospective in over three decades. Delve into Ramberg's thought-provoking paintings, which challenge societal norms and offer poignant reflections on femininity and power. Website: Christina Ramberg Anna Park: Look, Look Where: Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth When: April 20 – September 8 Anna Park: Look, Look at Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Uncover the thought-provoking commentary on media and reality in Anna Park's mesmerizing black-and-white drawings. Through her satirical style, Park sheds light on the illusions of fame and perception in contemporary culture, inviting viewers to question the narratives presented by the media. Website: Anna Park Figures on Earth & Beyond Where: Gallery 1957, London and Accra When: Through May 25 (London), late 2024 (Accra) Figures on Earth & Beyond at Gallery 1957, London and Accra Embark on a journey of interconnectedness with a diverse group of artists exploring themes of nature, belonging, and ecological change. From surreal collages to abstract cartographies, immerse yourself in artworks that challenge perspectives and evoke wonderment. Website: Figures on Earth & Beyond Thomas Nozkowski: Everything in the World Where: Pace Gallery, Manhattan When: Through April 20 Thomas Nozkowski: Everything in the World at Pace Gallery, Manhattan Celebrate the influential legacy of Thomas Nozkowski through a retrospective of his remarkable career. Explore his intimate yet powerful paintings, which defy artistic conventions and invite viewers to explore the depths of personal experience and perception. Website: Thomas Nozkowski The Last Caravaggio Where: National Gallery When: April 18 – July 21 Experience the dramatic works of Caravaggio in his possibly final masterpiece, "The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula." Immerse yourself in a world of darkness, violence, and passion in this captivating display of Renaissance artistry. Website: The Last Caravaggio Marina Abramović Retrospective Where: Stedelijk Museum When: March 16 – July 14 Marina Abramović Retrospective at Stedelijk Museum Journey through five decades of groundbreaking performance art with Marina Abramović's retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum. Engage with iconic works and live reperformances, offering a unique opportunity to participate in the transformative power of performance art. Website: Marina Abramović Read the full article

[dustedmagazine]

Ahmed Abdullah (with Louis Reyes Rivera) — A Strange Celestial Road (Blank Forms Editions)

In "A Strange Celestial Road" trumpeter, improviser, composer and band leader Ahmed Abdullah recounts his life in music, much of which was influenced and guided by his on-off membership in Sun Ra's Arkestra from 1975 till 1983, when Sun Ra left this planet. Co-written in plain and concise prose with renowned poet Louis Reyes Rivera, the book is a page-turner, compelling the reader onward through 581 pages of anecdotes spanning not just the Arkestra and Sun Ra, but offering a first-hand account of life in New York's Black avant-garde jazz community during the heady times following World War Two.

Abdullah was born 1946 in Harlem, where he spent his formative years and began playing trumpet there at the age of 13. By the early 1960s he was venturing into New York's jazz clubs, hearing virtually all the practitioners of where this music had been and where it was going. His first contact with Sun Ra and the Arkestra came in 1966 at a concert in Slugs' Saloon on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. The music impressed and startled the young Abdullah to such a degree that he went out right after the show and bought a copy of Sun Ra's latest record "We Travel the Spaceways."

In comparison to the wild concert he had just experienced at Slugs', Abdullah was initially so disappointed with the record that he went straight to the Arkestra's house on East Third Street to personally register his disapproval with Sun Ra. Abdullah told Sun Ra that he was expecting to hear more avant-garde music on Sun Ra's record, like in the Arkestra's performances at Slugs' or John Coltrane's "Ascension" record.  Sun Ra patiently listened to  Abdullah's critique then dismissed him with, "The music you're looking for is on this record. 'It's in there.' "  And closed the door in Abdullah's face. So began a long, complicated and, at times, fractious relationship with Sun Ra the person, his sounds, philosophy and a life that revolved more around the spiritual search for that unheard frequency than of any commonly accepted notions of success or accomplishment.

This isn't to say that Abdullah's life reflected some altruistic approach to his craft and art. He had kids to feed, rent to pay and found himself in the fast-moving era of the 1960s where, for one brief moment, it seemed like real social change in America could be possible. These hopes came crashing down with the deaths of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and the disarray of radical political engagement as the 1970s wore on into the wasteland of the 1980s, where Abdullah found himself challenged not just by drug dependency but, in the face of a public more interested in a kind of sanitized repertory jazz, rapidly narrowing horizons of economic opportunity for his music as well.

Going back to the beginning, it all started when out of the blue one morning in April 1975, Sun Ra phoned Abdullah to ask him about playing a gig at the legendary Brooklyn venue The East. This would mark the initiation into Abdullah's enduring odyssey with the Arkestra, appearing on over twenty-five releases and traveling with them to Nigeria, Egypt, Turkey, Japan, through nearly every country in Europe and all across North America. Parallel to his activity with the Arkestra over the years, Abdullah also led his own groups, such as Abdullah, The Solomonic Unit, Diaspora and Ebonic Tones; or was a member of collective ensembles like the Melodic Art-Tet or The Group. The book reads like a who's who of avant-garde jazz. Practically anyone you've read about or heard a record from in this period from the early 1960s through the 1980s will make an appearance in Abdullah's telling. This alone makes the book an exceedingly valuable historical document.

Having seen Sun Ra with the Arkestra several times in the 1980s, I was particularly interested in hearing some inside information on the workings of this enigmatic group and its fabled leader. I'd read John F. Szwed's "Space is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra" but this left me with an even more heightened sense of outside looking in. Abdullah's autobiography will fill in many questions enthusiasts of Sun Ra's music may have been asking, giving not just intimate details of how Ra worked with his musicians and shaped the Arkestra's music, but first-hand accounts of Sun Ra the person, his philosophy and some of the more challenging sides of working in a group exclusively defined by its leader but internally thriving from the extremely complex social dynamics created by a large pool of incredibly gifted musicians, many of whom were utterly dependent on Sun Ra not just for their room and board, but in some cases their musical identities as well.

Abdullah was never a live-in member of the Arkestra, which often comes across in the book as a kind of cult or, at its most innocuous, a rambling and wild commune. Abdullah writes, "One had to be almost a nonperson in the Arkestra — except, of course, when one was called on to deliver improvisational episodes that spoke to one's individuality. This momentary visibility proved a major contradiction. That brilliance, revealed from time to time, was vigorously suppressed by Sun Ra in most other situations." And for Abdullah this was probably the main reason he kept the Arkestra at arm's length, choosing rather to work with them only when the schedule of his own groups allowed.

This side of Abdullah's life outside his work with Sun Ra provides an interesting counterpoint throughout the book, with much detailed information about New York's short-lived loft scene, of which Abdullah was one of the main players. As a musician myself, I could identify with much of Abdullah's never-ending ordeal involved in running one's own band: the booking, the rehearsals, the petty in-fighting between various micro-scenes, the struggle to get paid, to find a way of releasing recordings, to attract an audience, and to keep a relationship or family life somehow going outside of all this frantic activity. For non-musicians, the book will give a candid, and at times painful, insight into the life of a musician working very much on the fringes of society, experiencing just enough occasional glimpses of recognition or financial success to spur one on to the next stop down the road.

Added to all this is Abdullah's position as a Black American musician, which heaps on many other complexities and frames the music not just in the context of an artistic statement but as a means of self-determination in the face of a system which is unevenly stacked according to one's racial background. As such, "A Strange Celestial Road" is very much about the experience of being a Black person in America and in particular of Sun Ra's afrofuturist vision of a time and place where Black people would finally transcend a repressive social and political system by taking to the spaceways and proudly celebrating their culture in complete freedom.

Unfortunately, women do not seem to share equal footing in Abdullah's vision of self-realization and empowerment. Throughout the book they often make appearances as either objects of Abdullah's affection or as someone to work with in having his various musical projects managed. The only women musicians mentioned in the book are Gerri Allen, which Abdullah by chance hears one day practicing in a rehearsal room next to his, and Amina Claudine Meyers, who he only plays with because she's available and he needs to fill in for a musician who couldn't make a gig. I had to ask myself if the lack of interaction with women musicians was a product of Abdullah's relation with women in general or if this was just an accurate picture of the times. As in the Arkestra, women are only very occasionally included in Abdullah's groups, and then usually only as dancers, singers or reciters of poetry. The book scratches the surface of Sun Ra's sexuality and attitude towards women, but the reader will ultimately be left with more questions than answers in this regard.

As for Abdullah, he's very honest and forthcoming when it comes to, as Salim Washington so euphemistically refers to in his introduction, his poly-amorous lifestyle as a traveling musician. This is often framed in the intersectionality of being in relationships with White versus Black women, where the complex dynamics of race and class most acutely collide. Abdullah often frames these dalliances in the context of a spiritual search, whereby women are the key to some kind of epiphany in himself. This, quite frankly, didn't wash with me and was probably one aspect of the book which I found most distracting from the more fascinating and revealing accounts of working with Sun Ra and Abdullah's coming of age during one of the golden ages of jazz music.

When Sun Ra died in 1993 the Arkestra fell into acute disarray. Of his time with the group Abdullah writes, "The phrase used most often was follow the leader, which in itself was a good idea if there was a leader who knew where he was going, as Sun Ra did. Without Sunny, however, and with no one to replace him, there wasn't a snowball's hope in hell of really delivering the message of Sun Ra's music or moving on to a higher level of organization." This ultimately proved Abdullah's undoing with the Arkestra, which for a time imploded into a dysfunctional tug of war over who should represent the group and who had the legal rights to Sun Ra's estate and legacy. Though Abdullah would occasionally participate in concerts of a post-Ra Arkestra, he had for the most part moved on after Sun Ra's passing.

The strange celestial road taken by Ahmed Abdullah in this book has perhaps less to do with his time with Sun Ra, than the Arkestra as a kind of leitmotif running through Abdullah's life, shining like a beacon of inspiration and hope to persevere as a musician on the very edge of a culture where, against all odds, one in the end might succeed in forging an identity through resistance, self-determination and creative expression. Sun Ra's most famous dictum, "Space is the place," must surely refer to a place of light and freedom. And like Sun Ra, it would seem by the end of the book that Ahmed Abdullah has indeed made peace with the path his life has taken and finally found his place of universal light by traveling the spaceways.

Jason Kahn

[gemsofgreece]

I explain very clearly what I think Dr Wilson should have done in my original post though. Dr Wilson (and all translators) should translate Homer as closely as possible from 700 BC Greek to 2023 CE English, with minimal linguistic adjustments, just enough in order to not sound lingually irrelevant or inaccessible. The context must not be touched. That's the job of the translator. Translators should compete over who gets closer to the original style and meaning. Not who brings more of a "character" and "interpretation" into it. The more character and intepretation a translator adds to the original, the worse a translator they are. The interpretation is entirely the reader's freedom and should not be compromised by other opinions (unless of course we are talking about a study on the original, which is an entirely separate thing).

You can't tell me she did not adjust the context when she was literally struggling to transform a plain self-insult into a parallelization to a loyal, positive image of a loved animal. You brought up the cannibal king on your own. She translated polytropos in Odyssey into "complicated" lol what. There were countless words she could choose from, from resourceful to ingenious to adaptable as few examples, but she went for "complicated". When you call a person complicated in the first verse, you immediately prepare the reader to assume the hero is troubled or gray or controversial and certainly not what Homer meant by polytropos, which is a word that is 100% a token of the author's admiration and generally positive image of his hero. In Goodreads I read some more examples, such as that she translated vultures into sweet little birds or something, I don't remember exactly so don't hold me to it. She also wrote that Odysseus, when recounting the audacity of Penelope's suitors, said something like "you flirted with my wife" like... that's a stupid choice of a phrase. Flirt. Really? From court to tempt to even shame would all be closer to what the suitors attempted towards a Greek queen loyal to her king in 1200 BC than "flirt with her". They didn't flirt with her, they openly asked her hand in marriage and tried to court and win her very tyrannically and audaciously. "Flirt with her" is as if they were batting their eyelids with Penelope over a cup of wine.

And that's not so much my problem. My problem is bigger than whether Wilson's translation is perfect or not. This is not the point. I do understand that she wrote the introduction in order to somehow bring the context closer back to the original ( and as is indirectly stated, correct the mess Miller has made). The true problem is that western translation and extremely liberal interpretations have traditionally been so off the rails, that now Wilson had to make an introduction stating the bloody obvious, that a 750 BC foreign ancient story does not conform to the fanfiction wishes of 2023 US teenagers!!! Really? I am sorry but do you need a whole introduction for this? You think anyone else in the world gets that? You think every foreign book I read comes with an apology in the introduction saying "you know, gems, England in 1813 was not the same as Greece in 2023, so don't be disappointed there were so suffocating rules of manners and propriety". Normally readers don't get such explanations suited for five year olds. Out of the west, people are not so entitled that the translator feels compelled to write a whole essay so that she eases their childish disappointment. I actively dislike that type of stroking. I am not saying she wrote something inaccurate like "they def fucked" but I find it super degrading for an ancient story that is a huge part of a cultural legacy to have an introduction saying "soz folks we not sure they fucked, for your fucking wishes go back to Madeline". And don't tell me "that's not how she said it" because no matter how she wrote it, it is very clear from the interview that this is what she meant and that was her main concern. Long story short, the greater problem is not that Wilson was a little inaccurate here or there or that she wrote an introduction but that western entitlement and appropriation are outrageous and western writers and translators keep feeding them like they are overindulging spoiled babies, from whom they dread to remove the pacifier.

PS: Want Greek lgbt poetry? Read Cavafy. It's only 19th-20th century AD I am afraid but I promise he was great.

https://lithub.com/enduring-epics-emily-wilson-and-madeline-miller-on-breathing-new-life-into-ancient-classics/

What's with Madeline miller and Emily wilson claiming that they are bringing something new in Greek mythology and being applauded for it?

Emily also is a translator and from what i read completely changed the meaning of words and characters like calling Agamemnon a cannibal king. A translator's work isn't making their own story on top of the old one.

It's disrespectful to Homer's work and he gets overshadowed by modern authors that push modern ideologies into classic works that should have stayed neutral.

Why are western writers like this ??? 😖😖😖 I read the interview and I would say some parts of it were okay but I will mention here the ones that gave me secondhand embarrassment:

My god, this can’t be real. The literature class in American school has messed up many brains. Dogface, κύνοψ in Ancient but surviving in Modern as σκυλομούρης - σκυλομούρα is a swear word. More precisely dog-face could mean someone ugly whose face looks like a dog’s, but it could also imply a cruel looking face, a lowlife whose lowlifeness is evident in their face and so on. The struggle of modern translators and academics is unreal - “we can’t use a bad word for a woman - perhaps she meant dog-face as a symbolism of loyalty, of a fierce huntress like Artemis, of an obedient and long lasting friend uwu” - no sweetie she meant: “I hate myself, I am a bitch and as repulsive as one”. Sorry. Meanwhile, swear word for a man; “Clearly, it can’t just be a swear word spoken in anger, Agamemnon must in fact be a cannibal” 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Yeah, great. Just head on acknowledging that Iliad is not as queer as young American audiences are misled to believe. I love how there is a vibe of apologism in the air because Wilson, as a translator, didn’t have the endless entitlement to go as berserk on the characters as Miller did. I also love the iconic addition that “admittedly there aren’t many queer warriors and athletes in American culture” so she implies they have to keep Patrochilles (🤦‍♀️) at any cost! NEWSFLASH: ACHILLES AND PATROCLUS ARE NOT A PART OF AMERICAN CULTURE!!! Whether gay or straight friends - they are not part of your Marvel and DC culture!!! Oh my god!!!

What’s your business responding to readers’ expectations, Emily? Your business is to translate Homer for English audience. Whether they will like it or not, it’s their business. You are not appointed to “excuse” Homer to anyone or make him palatable to Marvel fans! Jfc

I will say I agree with her that Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship is ambiguous but I hate that she clearly dreads to openly admit that for fear of what American 17 year olds will feel about it. It is another example of how the last years the definition of truth has morphed into what one wants to hear rather than what is factually the case.

[deliriiuumm]

how terribly on brand for five to quote homer’s odyssey to reggie the first time they meet in the 60s. the odyssey, a story abt a man who spent years going on heroic quests and finding his way home

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

BABYMETAL Releases New Single 'Divine Attack'

Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL has released "Divine Attack", the first single from its upcoming concept album, "The Other One", due on March 23. The song is accompanied by an official visualizer, available to watch below.

Last year BABYMETAL was "sealed" from the world after a successful 10-year journey. In April 2022, "The Other One" restoration project began to recover the BABYMETAL we never knew existed within a virtual world called the Metalverse. A total of 10 songs have been discovered within "The Other One" restoration project, with each song representing a unique theme based on 10 separate parallel worlds that they have discovered.

One of the discovered 10 parallel worlds is "Cavalry", and "Divine Attack" centers around this theme. As if this song is a hint into the future, alluding to a cavalry preparing for their next battle, we can feel a new sense of power from not only the sound but also the lyrics that have been written by Su-Metal for the first time. In addition, the official visualizer includes never-before-seen cuts of the members from "The Other One" — Black Box — and conveys the power and dynamism of the song. Five pre-release digital singles will be available worldwide for download and streaming, each respectively scheduled to release in October, November, January, February, and March.

After BABYMETAL makes its official return on January 28 and January 29 of next year at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall, they will also be joining Swedish metal band SABATON on their Europe tour in April 2023.

BABYMETAL was formed in 2010. Their mission was to unify the world through heavy metal by creating a fusion of heavy metal and the Japanese pop genre. Their music contains a stunning mix of electronic pop, a pinch of alternative and industrial rock, and is leveled up by fast-driven heavy metal. Their live shows are ground-breaking and epic visual as well as sound performances. BABYMETAL continued to travel the path of metal with the international release of their three albums, telling the story of the mighty Fox God and his brave metal warriors.

A book about the first ten years of BABYMETAL, "Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu", was released in Japan in October 2020. It contains a long interview with Su-metal and Moametal as well as never-before-heard stories from band producer Kobametal from BABYMETAL's decade-long history, photos taken from live shows, a discussion between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and much more.

BABYMETAL's third studio album, "Metal Galaxy", came out in October 2019 via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" was based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".

In 2018, BABYMETAL announced the departure of Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the Japanese group's core trio. She exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

[fire-and-swan]

Picking up from my previous post, let's jump into Episode 5 of a Starstruck Odyssey!

Live-blog of watching a battle episode is probably gonna be a little more spotty than the ones before, but we'll see.

Because yes, I can admit it, this is turning into a live blog. Blow by blow, here we go.

Surprised it took this long to suggest shifting the slug to another body.

Double nat ones. Always great when that happens (sarcastic). (Now I'm wondering, how many spare sets of dice do they travel with? Cos I know I have a few, but unless I'm running the game, I leave most of them home.)

Eleven hp total? Heck.

17.5 ft off the ground?! That's a jump and a half.

Save Gunnie from further damage, yes. Fewer expenses is better.

Why is it always Murph Brennan makes roll for arrival of NPCs? It made sense in FH, but now? Is this because of the running joke that is Murph's rolls, or just the cool parallel of it? (Especially since they need these folks to show up, just for a very different reason than the first time.)

Only in this game is taking the time, mid battle, to sort things out with your bank a good use of time.

If I had a penny for every time a D20 character took a moment mid battle to sort out their finances, I'd have two pennies. Which isn't bad, but it's weird that it's happened twice.

"In this galaxy, there's always less going on than meets the eye. Many people are coming after you, but they're not all coming after you all, and they don't all know the same stuff, and they don't all talk to each other. Information is currency, and you understand currency." That last sentence is gold. But I grabbed it in context because the crew have a lot of enemies, and if their enemies team up, they'll be in serious trouble.

#BeardsleyBlessed

When the party is more concerned about damage to a little flying scooter than the PC riding it. Barbarians rock, man.

Gunnie is baby? Gunnie can lose his legs. Oh, that is a weird mental image.

Nine of them at once! Yesss. Go Murph!

Banking in the Box! Surprisingly good move.

"I don't wanna fight you." "I don't wanna fight me either."

"Murph would've allowed it. He's a good dm." Murph's reaction, the moment before he gave in and agreed, would say otherwise.

Nat 20! These are the moments to save 20s for. And they got Brennan to kiss the die. Yeah, I wouldn't be rolling with that one in a desperate situation until I'm sure it'll behave.

"That's a pretty neat trick." "Oh, that was just a bonus action." I love the idea that some of these phrases are actually being used in universe, just by the sorts of people who move in particular circles.

Warfare Whitney is on the board! All we're missing now is Barry Nine (and someone with something against Riva), and we'll have the whole set.

Some parties toss halflings, here we toss mercs.

I wanna read that Hot Exit Binder. Sounds like it would be fascinating.

Five star review? Five Star Review!

Damn, that was fun. I had to split the episode in half to get through some other stuff, which was a shame, but eh *shrugs*. Between this and the previous episode they are seeding so many potential plot threads.

I'm starting to get the feeling that Brennan doesn't have a big-bad planned for this season, but rather four or five potential big-bads, with the final battle being determined by how the group play, and who they've already allied with/defeated by the time they get there. Which, if that's the direction this is going, would be cool.