It took forever for me to find the time to properly start catching up since I didn't watch the last episode of 2025 live (save for the cold open which I watched for Yuletide-related purposes), mostly because I knew it was going to be pretty much entirely combat which tends to be something I'm not very big on. I really needed to watch it so that I can then catch up on the two most recent episodes, though, so here we are.
As with previous posts about the current campaign of Critical Role, this will be a combination of quotes, random thoughts, and some speculation. And it's obviously full of spoilers (albeit vague ones in places).
The first mention of longtime Goats member Peter Hughes occurs in the annotations for this song, though it feels more like a foreshadowing of his entrance into the story than a proper introduction to Peter Hughes. Hughes was running a tape label, and Darnielle decided to just make a song a day for ten days and release the resultant tape (this track is from that tape). This is not the story of how he met Hughes, but it seems to be the start of his professional interaction/collaboration with Hughes.
The song is all right, but I don't have a lot to say about it.
Current Music:Going to Cleveland — The Mountain Goats
New year, new list of reading choices to be judged! The candidates this time are:
The Flame Tree (凤凰花, pinyin: fenghuang hua) by Jue Ge (绝歌). Jue Ge has been writing on JJWXC since 2008, and is still actively publishing. Her yanqing novels seem to be somewhat better known, but she's written a lot more baihe than yanqing. I've been meaning to read something by her for a while. To continue my education in old-school baihe (and also because this novel is a reasonable length), I've decided to start with her 2009 CEO romance The Flame Tree.
An Incantation for Subduing a Dragon (降龙诀, pinyin: xiang long jue) by Shi Wei Yue Shang (时微月上). Protagonist Luo Qingci transmigrates into a xianxia novel and into the body of (draconic) female lead Ruan Li's evil, conniving shizun. After being put off by the length for years, I decided to take the plunge.
Time (时光, pinyin: shiguang) by Ning Yuan (宁远). Supposedly her realist tragic masterpiece. Looking forward to having my heart ripped out.
Calming the Wind and Waves (定风波, pinyin: ding feng bo) by Yu Huan (于欢). Yu Huan has a pretty good, though niche, reputation as an author of fairly serious historical novels with political themes. Again, I've been meaning to read her for a while and been again put off by the sheer length of her better-known novels. I've picked this title (which clocks in at a more manageable 543K words) to give me a taste of her work and see if I want to invest my precious reading time in something longer. Plus point: this is set in the Tang Dynasty, during Wu Zetian's reign.
365 Ways of Surviving at a High Difficulty Level (三百六十五种高难度活法, pinyin: sanbai liushiwu zhong gao nandu huo fa) by Mo Ran Piao (莫然漂). Thriller that seemingly begins with one of the leads in a psychiatric institution. Holdover from the last iteration of the TBR pile as I simply couldn't find the energy to read something that was 712K words long. Second time lucky, hopefully!
Song of the Peach Blossom (桃花曲, pinyin: taohua qu) by Ruo Hua Ci Shu (若花辞树), a historical romance between a raised-as-a-boy prince and her consort. I pre-ordered the Taiwanese print edition of this and it has just shipped, so I'm keen to read it. And also to confirm a Theory I have about the author's very specific kink (well not that specific as I'm sure quite a lot of people have the same kink, but still.
But honestly why are all the interesting-sounding novels so. Long.
Enemies fallen when the sermon spoken Taken by higher hand, amen Hallow the martyrs when the Bible's broken Summon the testament, amen🎤 POWERWOLF - Army Of The Night
Good grief, it feels like a Friday already, doesn’t it?
We’re continuing to see a lot of churn and tumult. Some of it, at least, seems to be moving the conversation in our favor. Since I last wrote we’ve seen Greg Bovino kicked out of Minnesota and Noem seemingly sidelined—although Trump still maintains that she’s not stepping down. Multiple Republican officials are now urging investigations, possible pauses to ICE operations, and congressional hearings over concerns about current immigration enforcement policies and their consequences. 1
Even Uber-right Barstool Sports called this a “watershed moment.”
Y’all, we’re still in the thick of it, and at any moment another unspeakable atrocity could occur (in fact it just did, in Arizona). But I believe we are witnessing a sea change in public opinion and I want to celebrate that. Regular Americans who were unengaged are becoming engaged. People are realizing that “I don’t talk about politics” doesn’t work when “politics” can shoot you dead in the street for no reason.
As a result, more and more people are asking “what can I do?” My husband has gotten multiple calls from male friends who want to deliver groceries to immigrants here in L.A. A friend went to an ICE rapid response training in Pasadena yesterday. They were expecting 100 attendees. She told me there were about 1000 people in attendance! From what I’ve heard Indivisible’s ICE Observer training last night had 150,000 RSVPs!
It goes on. Of course many of us have already been here doing this work. But we’ve always known our circle would need to widen if we’re to win this fight, and right now it’s widening very rapidly. Good! While it may be tempting to say “what took these people so long?” the more productive (and generous) response, of course, is to throw our arms open, cry “welcome!’ and tell everyone joining us how they can help.
As for our calls, they remain unchanged while the Senate battle is ongoing, for while we’ve seen a coalescing determination from Democrats to hold the line (except for Fetterman, ugh) we must not relent. They must hear from us daily. As for Republicans? I’ll be damned if we’re going to let them off the hook. If there were ever a moment when we could peel some of them off this is it. They’re not blind. They read the same polls and notice the same trends we do. They know they’re on the losing side of this argument. If they were ever going to make a stand now is the time.
So let’s keep calling.
I love you guys. I am so very very proud of what we’re doing here, and what AMERICA is doing. We are collectively re-discovering our commitment to justice, democracy and freedom, and joining forces to save them. E pluribus, unum indeed!
It’s the stuff out of history books or epic films, folks. But we’re not reading or watching it. We’re living it. What an honor. What a responsibility!
We are the ones the world is rooting for. So let’s go out there and do them proud.
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I want the Senator to vote no on the DHS funding bill until several conditions are met: ICE and CBP must leave Minneapolis and stop terrorizing American cities. We need a full, independent investigation into Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s killings. There can be no more detaining and deporting of U.S. Citizens. ICE’s masks must come off. And the mass arrest quotas and warrantless arrests must end. Also? Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller must step down or be impeached, and Greg Bovino must be investigated. We’ve had enough!
[If GOP add:] Republicans need to stop blindly defending ICE and the Trump administration. The American people have had it; we will not accept being lied to. We want Congress to do its job and protect us—not a bunch of masked thugs. Please ask the Senator to join with Democrats and demand a complete overhaul of ICE before more people die. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
The Agricultural committee markup for a terrible crypto bill called The Digital Commodities Intermediaries Act (formerly the Clarity Act), is THIS WEEK. We need every Dem Senator on the Ag Committee to oppose it. This bill ignores crypto corruption in the White House and will negatively impact our economy and consumers.
Senator Booker is already opposed because it “fails to address core concerns.” We need to get the rest of the Dems on board!
We need lots and lots of calls. Please call the member below if they are your Senator.
Amy Klobachar, Minnesota 202-224-3244
Michael Bennet, Colorado, 202-224-5941
Tina Smith, Minnesota 202-224-5641
Richard Durbin, Illinois 202-224-2152
Cory Booker New Jersey 202-224-5702
Ben Ray Lujan New Mexico. 202-224-6621
Raphael Warnock Georgia 202-224-3643
Peter Welch Vermont 202-224-4242
Adam Schiff California (202) 224-3841
John Fetterman Pennsylvania 202-224-4254
Elissa Slotkin Michigan 202-224-4822
Script:
Script : My name is _____ and I’m a constituent from [zip]. I’m asking the Senator to vote no on The Digital Commodities Intermediaries Act (formerly the Clarity Act) when it comes up in the Agriculture Committee this week. Democrats shouldn’t give away the future of the American economy to crypto oligarchs who are dismantling our democracy, nor give a blank check to crypto corruption in the White House. I know Senator Booker will vote no and I am counting on you to vote no as well. Thank you!
Extra Extra Credit ✅ ✅
Free DC has made it easy to email the CEOs of Target, Hilton, and Enterprise to demand that their companies cancel their contracts with ICE (or, in Target’s case, stop allowing them to stage in their parking lots). Please do so here!
Get Smart! 📚
In case you missed Indivisible’s training yesterday, I have two more in similar veins that sound excellent!
Join SURJ and their immigrant partner organization, Solidarity Organizing Initiative, for a training on organizing locally and being ready if ICE comes to your community. No experience is necessary—anyone who wants to take practical steps to build neighborhood-level power is welcome.
They’ll share lessons from Minneapolis, where communities organized at the neighborhood level—parents coordinating school drop-off patrols, neighbors looking out for one another, and networks ready to mobilize when ICE showed up. Minneapolis showed what’s possible when communities are organized and now we’ll explore how to start that same groundwork where you live. Step by step, they’ll explore how to get to know your neighbors, build trust, and prepare to act together if ICE comes to your town. RSVP here.
Give 💰!
I was at a gathering on Sunday and I met someone who is good friends with the folks who run 5 Calls. She informed me that the volunteers running this app are desperate for donations to keep it going!
5 Calls is an amazing resource that has enabled literally hundreds of thousands of Americans to call their reps regularly. It is invaluable to our fight. If you can possibly throw them some cash—or even become a monthly donor—please do so here.
Get in the Streets! 🪧
Indivisible is asking us to plan an ICE Out action at our senators’ home offices. Our calls and emails are critical, but it’s also very important that we turn up the pressure on senators publicly, in their home states.
Indivisible encourage us to plan creative, nonviolent, and lawful actions that honor the lives taken and highlight our demand to rein in ICE. ESPECIALLY if your Senator is a Republican!
If you want to learn what companies to boycott AND which to use in their stead I highly recommend follwing the Instagram creator Cut Off the Spigot. She is fantastic! I have learned so much from her. She dives deep into who owns what companies and where they get their funding, and always offers an ethical alternative! Sorry if you’re not on Meta—she’s apparently also on Upscroll but I’m not familiar with that platform so can’t link to it. But if you’re on instagram do check her out!
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
I am writing to urge you to oppose the SAVE Act (H.R. 22 / S. 128) and any expanded version, including a so-called “SAVE Act Plus” or “Super SAVE Act.” This legislation is not about election security. It is a coordinated effort to suppress lawful voters by turning registration into a bureaucratic obstacle course.
In your own space, create a promo and/or rec list for someone new to a fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it and include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Let me meme at you:
HAVE YOUR HEARD OF THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED MMORPG FINAL FANTASY XIV WITH AN EXPANDED FREE TRIAL WHICH YOU CAN PLAY THROUGH THE ENTIREY OF A REALM REBORN AND THE AWARD-WINNING HEAVENSWARD EXPANSION AND ALSO THE AWARD-WINNING STORMBLOOD EXPANSION UP TO LEVEL 70 FOR FREE WITH NO RESTRICTIONS ON PLAYTIME?
Final Fantasy XIV is a fantastic game - but it wasn't always. Its first incarnation was considered a critical failure, so what did they do? They rebuilt the game from the ground up while simultaneously releasing updates for the original version. This way they kept the current fans happy while building something BETTER for everyone.
What they ended up doing was creating a calamity ingame that gave them the excuse for a branching off point for the new version. The final scenes of version 1.0 can be seen in the trailer for "A Realm Reborn", version 2.0 of the game and its new "base game":
As A Realm Reborn starts, five years has passed since the calamity, and the city-states of Eorzea have rebuilt - but threats still linger. There's the Garlean Empire which tried to take over Eorzea in the past at the Battle of Silvertear Lake, and has a new plan to invade Eorzea now. But there's also the Primal threat - primals being summoned gods of what's then called the beast tribes. One of the threats of the primals is their ability to enthrall subjects, so that the person only does what the primal wants.
As you start the game, you're just another adventurer - but one with a mysterious power called the Echo, which allows you to glimpse past scenes from others' memories. You start off doing things for your local city-state, making a name for yourself, but soon attract the attention of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn - an organization that works to prevent the primal threat.
Will you make the choice to join the Scions? What's in store for you if you do? That's the story of A Realm Reborn. Now, there are those who say ARR is weak story-wise but I personally feel it's a solid story with enough OMG! moments to keep you interested. And it sets up SO MUCH of the future of the game, so it's well worth playing on its own.
When you first start playing FFXIV, you may find yourself overwhelmed. The HUD (heads-up display) will look rather busy at first, and they'll be a lot of NPCs with quest markers to talk to. The most important ones will have this symbol over their heads:
This is the Main Scenario Quest Marker. If you follow these markers one after another, you'll play through the game's main story. Note that the last marker of each individual quest will be green in color, letting you know that talking to that NPC will complete the quest.
Blue Plus Sign markers unlock things, like extra dungeons or jobs, and are usually good to check out, too. Any other markers can be ignored.
Gameplay is... well I'm not entirely sure what to call it, but you'll have a bunch of actions, abilities, or spells on your hotbar. Pressing certain actions will open up others for big damage, etc, and often, actions have cooldowns before you can use them again. There's an optimum rotation for each job, in which pressing certain buttons one after another will be the most effective. The game helps you though, by highlighting the next proper action(s) to do.
For those who may be scared of playing with others: there is now Duty Support! This is a system in which you can enter dungeons with NPCs rather than other players. You'll still need to do trials with players, but a large part of the game can be "soloed". But really, most players in FFXIV are pretty nice to play with. For instance, there is a "ready check" mechanism where a party member can ask everyone to indicate they are ready to go ahead with the fight, and this is used a LOT in Raids when you may have newcomers watching cutscenes. The vast majority of players will wait at least a little bit for the newbies to finish the scenes before progressing onto the fight.
The following list is my "starter guide" of resources, originally posted on Bluesky but now posted here as well.
FREE TRIAL - Includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn, the award-winning Heavensward expansion, and the Stormblood expansion, and allows you to play up to level 70 with no restrictions on playtime. There ARE some other restrictions, though! https://freetrial.finalfantasyxiv.com/na/
SERVER/DATA CENTER - choose a data center close to your region, then choose a server that's open for new characters. Those are indicated by the green person icon next to the server names on the Server Status Page: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/worldstatus/
STARTING CLASS - pick your Disciple of War or Disciple of Magic starter class. Make sure to do the class quests as you level, and definitely unlock your job at level 30: https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Class
STARTING CITY-STATE - This depends on what class you start as. The city-states have slightly different stories to start off, but eventually merge into one grand story line. It really doesn't matter which you start in!
DUNGEON/TRIAL/RAID GUIDES - Mizzteq (MTQCapture on YouTube) makes wonderful, entertaining guides for the duties. Highly recommended! (Note: it appears she has retired in the past year but her past guides are still available!): https://www.youtube.com/user/MTQcapture
(C)HOTBARS - oh gods where do I put all these actions? Let XIV bars guide you! They have layouts for both Keyboard/Mouse and Controller: https://www.xivbars.com
RETAINERS - At level 17, you get access to retainers, which can sell items on the marketboard for you or go out on ventures to retrieve random (or not-random) items: https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Retainers
If you're thinking of playing or returning to the game, do let me know! I'll be glad to assist in any way. <3 And if you're thinking, "This sounds great, but I have no time/money to play; can you tell me about the story?" -- LOOK NO FUTHER: https://altheavalara.neocities.org/ffxiv/
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