Traverse Fantasy

Started my long-awaited pirate campaign! I don't know if I've mentioned it here, although I've definitely talked about it in conversations with some of y'all. The basic premise is that elves and dwarves employ extraterrestrial humans as privateers to settle land disputes over a fantasy pseudo-Caribbean; meanwhile, and more centrally to the campaign, orc slaves revolt to liberate themselves and establish a free republic. It's a pretty lazy setup—but it's both distinct from typical Euro-fantasy and more relatable to our various experiences. I can't say that being away from my family wasn't a factor! We left off our first session by the crew taking an offer to raid a plantation in exchange for a ship and whatever loot they find there (specifically, barrels of rum for the Ugly Coyote Inn, which offered one of the pirate characters a rehearsal on the condition that she delivers rum to them—the others asked if they could just get paid instead, to which the own...

This is a spiel. A good and proper ramble. I didn't go back over this. I don't like you that much, except for you . Taylor Swift is—was?—the biggest pop star of the years immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not that she came out of nowhere. Obviously, unless you lived under a rock during the last two decades, she enjoyed a wildly successful career from teen girl country to pop proper (with a notable transition album in RED , my personal favorite). I could tell you my favorite singles from each of her albums up to the point where it seemed like she fell off for good, and so could most people who were around. That’s probably why The Eras Tour was so popular: the mediocre reception to her latest albums weren’t drawing crowds, but we all have more-or-less fond memories of Taylor Swift as a pop artist who “grew up” with us from our childhood (with whatever caveats apply; I’m guilty as charged of being white). Her sudden explosion in popularity is not so much a discove...