I've been re-writing the Roman Empire decision to be a mid-game formable that can be achieved by an ambitious player that goes out of his way to conquer a fair bit of the former empire.The new decision requires that you own and core all of Italy plus one other entire region like France, Iberia, Balkans or Anatolia as well as 15 provinces within side regions.
However, with testing, I found that the current state of the decision is a bit too easy for a nation like say Aragon/Spain/France who get easy cores on their whole region plus Italy which just means you can affordably speedrun this and then form Rome by the 1500s with tech 10.I've considered simply changing up the number of regions to 2 rather than 1 which can become a lot more hard to do with powerful nations taking root.
I wanted to know if there is an easy way to write up a script that simply says "must own 2 regions from the following below" instead of writing up something massive and inefficient.Here's the script for anyone interested in reviewing it.

country_decisions = { restore_roman_empire = { major = yes potential = { normal_or_historical_nations = yes NOT = { has_country_flag = restored_rome_flag } owns = 118 OR = { ai = no is_playing_custom_nation = no } OR = { is_free_or_tributary_trigger = yes ai = no } OR = { ai = no AND = { ai = yes num_of_cities = 3 } } is_colonial_nation = no OR = { is_former_colonial_nation = no AND = { is_former_colonial_nation = yes ai = no } } NOT = { tag = HLR } NOT = { tag = ROM } NOT = { tag = PAP } NOT = { exists = ROM } OR = { religion_group = christian religion_group = pagan } } provinces_to_highlight = { OR = { region = italy_region AND = { region = iberia_region ROOT = { NOT = { region = france_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = balkan_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = anatolia_region } } } AND = { region = france_region ROOT = { NOT = { region = iberia_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = balkan_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = anatolia_region } } } AND = { region = balkan_region ROOT = { NOT = { region = iberia_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = france_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = anatolia_region } } } AND = { region = balkan_region ROOT = { NOT = { region = iberia_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = france_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = anatolia_region } } } AND = { region = anatolia_region ROOT = { NOT = { region = iberia_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = france_region } } ROOT = { NOT = { region = balkan_region } } } } NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } allow = { italy_region = { type = all owned_by = ROOT } OR = { iberia_region = { type = all owned_by = ROOT } france_region = { type = all owned_by = ROOT } balkan_region = { type = all owned_by = ROOT } anatolia_region = { type = all owned_by = ROOT } } adm_tech = 10 is_at_war = no is_free_or_tributary_trigger = yes is_nomad = no 118 = { is_state = yes } num_of_owned_provinces_with = { OR = { region = south_german_region region = low_countries_region region = maghreb_region region = egypt_region region = mashriq_region } value = 15 } } effect = { 118 = { move_capital_effect = yes } restore_country_name_effect = yes change_tag = ROM on_change_tag_effect = yes custom_tooltip = roman_culture_provinces_tooltip hidden_effect = { every_owned_province = { limit = { culture_group = ROOT } change_culture = roman } } change_primary_culture = roman custom_tooltip = restore_roman_empire_tt hidden_effect = { every_owned_province = { limit = { is_part_of_hre = yes } set_in_empire = no } } ROM = { set_government_rank = 3 } iberia_region = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } france_region = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } balkan_region = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } anatolia_region = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } egypt_region = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } mashriq_region = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } tripolitania_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } djerba_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } tunisia_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } kabylia_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } barbary_coast_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } algiers_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } northern_morocco_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } western_morocco_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } marrekesh_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } carinthia_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } tirol_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } switzerland_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } romandie_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } wallonia_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } flanders_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } brabant_area = { limit = { NOT = { owned_by = ROOT } } add_permanent_claim = ROM } add_prestige = 50 if = { limit = { has_dlc = "Domination" } if = { limit = { government = monarchy is_revolutionary = no NOT = { has_reform = celestial_empire } } hidden_effect = { unlock_government_reform = { government_reform = roman_empire_reform } unlock_government_reform = { government_reform = roman_republic_government } } add_government_reform = roman_empire_reform } else_if = { limit = { government = republic is_revolutionary = no } hidden_effect = { unlock_government_reform = { government_reform = roman_empire_reform } unlock_government_reform = { government_reform = roman_republic_government } } add_government_reform = roman_republic_government } else = { unlock_government_reform = { government_reform = roman_empire_reform } unlock_government_reform = { government_reform = roman_republic_government } } } add_core = 118 # Rome #if = { # limit = { # is_part_of_hre = yes # is_elector = no # } # every_owned_province = { # limit = { # is_part_of_hre = yes # } # set_in_empire = no # } #} if = { limit = { has_custom_ideas = no } country_event = { id = ideagroups.1 } #Swap Ideas } add_country_modifier = { name = "centralization_modifier" duration = 7300 } set_country_flag = restored_rome_flag } ai_will_do = { factor = 0 } } } 

Please note that the ticket links are usually for general admission; for VIP tickets, if available, you may have to go to the band's website.
Monday, May 29, 2023

The Dood, Nibiru, The Heavens, Oakflesh	High Dive - Gainesville
Fromjoy, Corpse Pile, Manifest in Filth	1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Madeline Goldstein, More Ephermal, Donzii	Will's Pub - Orlando

Friday, Jun 2, 2023

Attack Attack!, Traitors, Belmont	Conduit - Winter Park
Currents, Like Moths To Flames, Foreign Hands	Orpheum - Tampa
Summer Salt, The Rare Occasions, Addison Grace	The Abbey - Orlando

Saturday, Jun 3, 2023

Attack Attack!, Traitors, Belmont	Orpheum - Tampa
Not Promised Tomorrow, Get out of Nashville, Forged with Blood	Pegasus - Tampa
Screaming at the Silence, Auditory Armory, Orchestra in Black	Conduit - Winter Park
M.99, Shadow the Earth, FILTH	O'Malleys Alley - Ocala
Peace Cult, Sistamatic, Deux Visages	Stardust Video & Coffee - Orlando
SCHISM, New Divide, Humanity Gone	OCC Road House & Museum - Clearwater

Sunday, Jun 4, 2023

Ugly Kid Joe, Fozzy	Jannus - St. Petersburg

Monday, Jun 5, 2023

Rhapsody on Fire, Wind Rose, Seven Kingdoms	Conduit - Winter Park

Tuesday, Jun 6, 2023

Dying Whale, Dead Register, Moth Bite, The Path	Born Free Pub & Grill - Tampa
Heart Attack Man, Super American, Arm's Length	The Abbey - Orlando

Wednesday, Jun 7, 2023

Mike's Dead, The Haunt	Level 13 - Orlando
Within Chaos, Eyes Sewn Shut, Automatik Fit	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville
Jameson Tank, Parks & Razz, Outer Edge Band	1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville

Thursday, Jun 8, 2023

Subhumans, UpChuck, gilt	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Friday, Jun 9, 2023

Grass is Dead, The Coppertones	Underbelly - Jacksonville

Saturday, Jun 10, 2023

Halo Scars, Mind Virus, Cypher Machine, Re-Birth	Brass Mug - Tampa
Maul, Tombstoner, Plasmodulated	Conduit - Winter Park
Downswing, Falsifier, Bottomfeeders	Manna Tea & Kava Bar - Sarasota

Sunday, Jun 11, 2023

My Children My Bride, Extortionist, No Cure	Conduit - Winter Park
Bury Your Dead, Thirst, Edict	Tipsy Tiki - Fort Pierce

Monday, Jun 12, 2023

Maul, Tombstoner	Brass Mug - Tampa
Spotlights, Skyliner, The Darling Fire	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Tuesday, Jun 13, 2023

Halocene, Lauren Babic, Alphamega	Hooch & Hive - Tampa

Wednesday, Jun 14, 2023

Drain, Drug Church, Magnitude, Gel	Brass Mug - Tampa
Halocene, Lauren Babic, Alphamega	Level 13 - Orlando
The Convalescence, Summoner's Circle	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville
pulses., With Sails Ahead, I Met A Yeti	Will's Pub - Orlando

Thursday, Jun 15, 2023

Halocene, Lauren Babic, Alphamega	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Friday, Jun 16, 2023

Roxx, Re-Birth, Cyber Machine, Haloscars	Conduit - Winter Park
Hollow Leg, Clamfight, Moat Cobra	Will's Pub - Orlando
Every Avenue, Makeout, Say We Can Fly	Orpheum - Tampa

Saturday, Jun 17, 2023

Crossbreed, Cultus Black, Cypher machine, Davey Partain	Orpheum - Tampa
Defy the Tyrant, Losing Daylight, Shadow the Earth	Kona Skate Park - Jacksonville
Breed, Gillian Carter, Audible Parts	Will's Pub - Orlando

Sunday, Jun 18, 2023

Crossbreed, Cultus Black, NoSelf, The Dev	Level 13 - Orlando
Bodybox, No Zodiac, High Pressure	Conduit - Winter Park
Dikembe, Camp Trash, Glazed	Will's Pub - Orlando

Wednesday, Jun 21, 2023

Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Animals As Leaders	Ruth Eckerd Hall - Clearwater

Thursday, Jun 22, 2023

Garbage, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Metric	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Friday, Jun 23, 2023

Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, Animals As Leaders	Hard Rock Live - Orlando

Saturday, Jun 24, 2023

Misfits, Megadeth, Fear	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater - Tampa
Intoxicated, Vacuous Depths, Ebullition	Conduit - Winter Park
black midi, YHWH Nailgun	Orpheum - Tampa

Sunday, Jun 25, 2023

No/Mas, Knoll, Shock	Conduit - Winter Park

Monday, June 26, 2023

We Are the Union, Kill Lincoln, Catbite	The Social - Orlando
No/Mas, Knoll	Orpheum - Tampa

Tuesday, Jun 27, 2023

Yungblud, The Regrettes, Caspr	Jannus - St. Petersburg

Wednesday, Jun 28, 2023

D.R.I., Metalriser	Underbelly - Jacksonville
Peter Frampton	St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Thursday, Jun 29, 2023

The Cure	Amalie Arena - Tampa
D.R.I., Metalriser	Will's Pub - Orlando

Saturday, Jul 1, 2023

D.R.I., Metalriser	Brass Mug - Tampa
Liliac, Fortune Child	The Twisted Fork - Port Charlotte

Sunday, Jul 2, 2023

Godflesh	Conduit - Winter Park

Thursday, Jul 6, 2023

Sad Summer Festival	Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville

Friday, Jul 7, 2023

Sad Summer Festival	Coachman Park - Clearwater
Subdivisions, Violence System, The Fallen Sons	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Saturday, Jul 8, 2023

Memphis May Fire, Norma Jean, Secrets	The Beacham - Orlando

Sunday, Jul 9, 2023

Memphis May Fire, Norma Jean, Secrets	High Dive - Gainesville

Monday, Jul 10, 2023

blink-182, Turnstile	Amalie Arena - Tampa
Orthodox, Cell, Chamber	Crowbar - Tampa

Tuesday, Jul 11, 2023

Analepsy, Cognitive, Wormhole, Nectoricgorebeast	Conduit - Winter Park

Wednesday, Jul 12, 2023

Analepsy, Cognitive, Wormhole, Nectoricgorebeast	Crowbar - Tampa

Thursday, Jul 13, 2023

Staind	Seminole Hard Rock - Tampa

Friday, Jul 14, 2023

Staind	Hard Rock Live - Orlando

Saturday, Jul 15, 2023

Obituary	Brass Mug - Tampa

Monday, Jul 17, 2023

Cenotaph, Horrific Visions, Architectural Genocide	Conduit - Winter Park

Tuesday, Jul 18, 2023

Agents of Chaos, Black Clash	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Friday, Jul 21, 2023

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Bryan Adams	Amalie Arena - Tampa
Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, Gwar, Nonpoint, Butcher Babies	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa
The Final Sound, Abbey Death, Layne Lyre	New World Music Hall - Tampa
Yosemite In Black, Endbringer, Murder Afloat	Orpheum - Tampa

Saturday, Jul 22, 2023

Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Story of the Year	Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville
Less Than Jake, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Devon Kay & the Solutions	House of Blues - Orlando
Rising Up Angry, Tragic, Legions Blind	Kona Skate Park - Jacksonville

Sunday, Jul 23, 2023

Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Story of the Year	Yuengling Center - Tampa
Endbringer, Yosemite In Black, Heavy Hitter	1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville

Tuesday, Jul 25, 2023

Fall Out Boy, Bring Me The Horizon, Royal & The Serpent	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Thursday, Jul 27, 2023

Havok, Toxic Holocaust, I AM, Hammerhedd	Conduit - Winter Park

Friday, Jul 28, 2023

Between the Buried and Me, Rivers of Nihil, Thank you Scientist	Jannus - St. Petersburg
Round Eye, No Fraud, Caffiends	Will's Pub - Orlando

Saturday, Jul 29, 2023

Between the Buried and Me, Rivers of Nihil, Thank you Scientist	Beacham - Orlando
Southpaw, Highest Crown, Fortitude, Dead Mirrors	Born Free - Tampa

Sunday, Jul 30, 2023

Crobot, Rickshaw, Billie's Burger Patrol	Orpheum - Tampa

Thursday, Aug 3, 2023

Underoath, The Ghost Inside, We Came As Romans	Yuengling Center - Tampa

Saturday, Aug 5, 2023

Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa
Underoath, The Ghost Inside, We Came As Romans	St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Sanguisugabogg, Kruelty, Vomit Forth	Conduit - Winter Park

Sunday, Aug 6, 2023

The Queers, The Radio Buzzkills, The Jasons	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Wednesday, Aug 9, 2023

Pyrexia, Cerebral Incubation, Atoll	Conduit - Winter Park

Friday, Aug 11, 2023

The All-American Rejects, New Found Glory, The Starting Line	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa
Black Flag	High Dive - Gainesville

Sunday, Aug 13, 2023

Alesana, Vampires Everywhere, Limbs	Level 13 - Orlando

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2023

The Offspring, Sum 41, Simple Plan	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa
hed p.e., Lydia can't Breathe, Razorz Edge	Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville

Saturday, Aug 19, 2023

Left to Suffer, Distant, Justice for the Damned	Conduit - Winter Park

Sunday, Aug 20, 2023

The Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol, Rival Sons	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Tuesday, Aug 22, 2023

The Mezingers	Underbelly - Jacksonville

Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023

Bless The Fall, Caskets, Kingdom of Giants	Orpheum - Tampa

Thursday, Aug 24, 2023

Clutch, Giovanni & The Hired Guns, Mike Dillon	Jannus - St. Petersburg

Saturday, Aug 26, 2023

Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Ministry	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023

Ghost, Amon Amarth	Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville

Thursday, Aug 31, 2023

Ghost, Amon Amarth	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Saturday, Sep 2, 2023

Baby Metal, Dethklok, Jason Richardson	Orlando Amphitheater

Sunday, Sep 3, 2023

Spitalfield, Rookie of the Year, The Future Perfect	Conduit - Winter Park

Tuesday, Sep 5, 2023

Bad Omens, ERRA, I See Stars	Jannus - St. Petersburg

Wednesday, Sep 6, 2023

Bad Omens, ERRA, I See Stars	House of Blues - Orlando

Friday, Sep 8, 2023

The Waning Moon, Palace of Tears, Rux Vendetta	Hooch & Hive - Tampa

Saturday, Sep 9, 2023

Kamelot, Battle Beast, Xandria	Hard Rock Live - Orlando

Sunday, Sep 10, 2023

Angelmaker, Vulvodynia, Flasifier	Conduit - Orlando

Wednesday, Sep 13, 2023

3 Doors Down, Candlebox	Daily's Place Amphitheatre - Jacksonville
Dance Gavin Dance, SiM, Rain City Drive	Hard Rock Live - Orlando

Friday, Sep 15, 2023

3 Doors Down, Candlebox	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Sunday, Sep 17, 2023

Avenged Sevenfold, Falling in Reverse	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa
Wave to Earth, slchld	Orpheum - Tampa

Tuesday, Sep 19, 2023

Scowl, Militarie Gun, MSPAINT	Conduit - Winter Park

Thursday, Sep 21, 2023

Scowl, Militarie Gun, MSPAINT	1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville

Friday, Sep 22, 2023

Cavalera Conspiracy, Exhumed, Incite	Beacham - Orlando

Sunday, Sep 25, 2023

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus	High Dive - Gainesville

Friday, Sep 29, 2023

CIRCLE JERKS, TSOL, Negative Approach	Underbelly - Jacksonville
Shinedown, Papa Roach, Spiritbox	MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre - Tampa

Saturday, Sep 30, 2023

NOFX	Vinoy Park - St. Petersburg
Flogging Molly, The Bronx	House of Blues - Orlando

Thursday, Oct 5-7, 2023

Absolution Fest	Crowbar - Tampa

Tuesday, Oct 10, 2023

Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Creation, Persefone	Orpheum - Tampa

Wednesday, Oct 11, 2023

Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Creation, Persefone	Conduit - Winter Park
Fit For a King, The Devil Wears Prada, Counterparts, Landmvrks	The Ritz - Tampa

Saturday, Oct 14, 2023

Beast in Black, Dance with the Dead	Orpheum - Tampa
Fame on Fire, Kingdom Collapse	The Social - Orlando

Sunday, Oct 15, 2023

Beast in Black, Dance with the Dead	Conduit - Winter Park
Motionless In White, Knocked Loose, After the Burial, Alpha Wolf	Hard Rock Live - Orlando

Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023

Atilla, Gideon, Until I Wake, Ten56	Underbelly - Jacksonville

Wednesday, Oct 18, 2023

Atilla, Gideon, Until I Wake, Ten56	Orpheum - Tampa

Friday, Oct 27-29, 2023

The Fest	Gainesville

Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023

Protest the Hero, Moontooth	The Abbey - Orlando

Wednesday, Nov 8, 2023

Protest the Hero, Moontooth	Orpheum - Tampa

Friday, Jan 24, 2024

Kansas	Florida Theatre - Jacksonville

So I’ve been down the rabbit hole, trying to chase every off-the-cuff reference, stray allegory, allusion, comparison, and tangent. I’m going to need you to bear (hug) with me for a bit because I think I’ve stumbled on some truly insane parallels between this show and the myriad of references it makes and it will take a lot of text to justify to you that I'm not crazy (or that I am, but at least I do my research).
This is a show that employs a ton of intertextuality and what the poet T.S. Eliot (someone quoted frequently throughout the series) calls “the mythic method”: essentially using historical, literary, and mythological allusions to draw parallels between characters on the show and characters throughout history (real and imagined).
This method helps the audience to build both conscious and unconscious associations with each of the characters and, ultimately, underscores the Roys’ (and humanity’s) damning commitment to making the same mistakes over and over again. The show seems to draw a lot from Greek mythology, Arthurian legend, biblical parables, Shakespearean tragedy, and modernist poetry (among many other things).
These networks of symbolism span from the earliest recorded history to modern celebrity culture and yet they reveal frighteningly unchanged elements in the stories they tell. The parallels of these references throughout the show serve to highlight the cyclical (the illusion of progress) and deterministic (the illusion of free will) nature of existence.
While I will be dipping in and out of the existing references, I want to call particular attention to the poetry of the aforementioned T.S. Eliot (who champions the mythic method) and John Berryman’s poem Dream Song 29 because I believe much of their work has served as a foundation for characters.
In the show, Frank makes mention of his poem “The Long Song Of J Alfred Prufrock” more than once. Outside of the show, Matthew McFayden (the actor who plays Tom) references the same poem to describe his character. Jeremy Strong (the actor who plays Kendall) says Eliot’s work The Four Quartets is a huge inspiration to his acting and character. A line from this particular work did strike me as being quite on the nose, which is why I continued to comb the poem for more (which it does deliver on):

"In my beginning is my end. In succession Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass. Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires, Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth Which is already flesh, fur and faeces, Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf."

This will probably be a monster of a post, so I will attempt to break down the following sections between poetic parallels, visual and dialogic symbolism of eternal recurrence, and an exploration of the historical and mythological allusions. Ultimately, I believe all of these clues point to the overwhelming conclusion that we will end where we began, in some way or another.
Circles & Cycles: Endless Recurrence & The Futility Of Progress
The show toys a lot with the philosophical concept of eternal recurrence, which postulates that “time repeats itself in an infinite loop, and that exactly the same events will continue to occur in exactly the same way, over and over again, for eternity.”
These eternal loops are symbolized visually with mirrors, water, fractal reflections; in the “uh-huh” and “mhmms” of repeated, near-palindromic dialogue; and in the show events that echo and repeat: in-air death scares, asynchronous business deals, family betrayal, weddings, retreats, implosions, family reunions, trauma bonding, baptism, funerals, etc.
In this understanding of time, there is no linear progress — or even progress at all. Time is cyclical. People are cyclical. As are the events that transpire. This is particularly interesting in a show like Succession whose title alone implies the phrase “line of succession.” Viewers would expect to see what comes next — who comes next — but as Logan himself yells, “Nothing is a line. Everything is moving all the time.”
Logan consistently evokes the circle shape in his speech, “Put a circle around him” he tells Shiv. “We’ve been circling for an hour, tell them we’re out of gas,” he complains in a moment of grim foreshadowing on his plane. “Crawl in a circle and close your eyes,” he shouts during the game of Boar on the Floor.
And he is the bright, burning nebulous center of this circle. He’s described as “carr[ying] his gravity. He's not a man, he's a f*cking planet.” And the people around him are described like satellites and moons. Characters exist in his orbit. And every complete orbit (or “revolution”) leaves characters in exactly the same place. There are motions, there is the illusion of progress, but the result is the same. Eliot again:

“every attempt Is a wholly new start, and a different kind of failure”

With this understanding, the show may just end where it begins. Not only in “nothing” happening, but in repeating the same events ad infinitum: A kid tries to take over the family business, they try to align with their siblings, they eventually backstab their siblings, they end out in the cold, and then they reunite, swear not to do it again, until it all repeats.
As most of us are aware, the show has made very direct mention of the John Berryman poem Dream Song 29. The names of the past three season finales (as well as the name of the upcoming fourth) are all direct excerpts from the poem, which deals with grief and sadness and the guilt of killing someone when you can’t even confirm there’s been someone killed at all.
Berryman consistently wrote about the guilt and grief he experienced from his father’s suicide. Berryman himself would eventually end up taking his own life, which on its own is a brutal reminder of the cycles of trauma. It also doesn’t feel insignificant that Berryman jumped off a bridge.
What’s really interesting is how each subsequent finale is named for a line that comes earlier and earlier in the poem. It also toys with this concept that things come full circle and end where they begin. This echoes Eliot’s essential thesis of the poem:

“What we call the beginning is often the end And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

But while the speaker of the poem comes to realize he has not murdered “nobody” by the poem’s last line; Kendall, moving through the poem backward, must reckon with the idea that he may have killed somebody even if they were a “nobody.” And while we may encounter this as a moment in which Kendall is genuinely despairing over his season 1 inadvertent murder, I believe we are far more likely to see Kendall embrace this moment.
We see "nobody" and "no one mentioned" a lot when it comes to Logan, who believes most people are "fungible as f*ck," and "pygmies" while he's "1,000 feet tall." When Kendall is involved in the accident, we see him echo "NRPI" or no real person involved.
The reason Kendall couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations is that he couldn’t be the killer his father needed him to be (even if his morality or basis of being a good person is off). This retroactive movement through the poem could be Kendall realizing he is, in fact, the killer his father always needed him to be, enabling him to take the necessary steps of seizing the crown on his own.
Allegories & Allusions: Mythic Comparisons & Determinism
It’s Shakespearean, like Roman says, “I kill Kendall, get crowned king, like we’re in f*cking Hamlet or something.” But it’s not just Hamlet, it’s King Lear, King Richard III, Coriolanus, Macbeth. And it’s not just Shakespeare, it’s Oedipus Rex, The Odyssey, The Waste Land, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Cronus devouring his children, Romulus killing Remus, Noah cursing his child for looking upon him naked.
The concept of the monomyth was popularized in "The Hero With 1000 Faces" and discusses throughout history, throughout different times and places, different cultures, different religions, different people have developed stories with relatively similar fundamental elements. The show is rife with allusions of stories that follow that same thread. Logan is Cronus who is King Lear who is Romulus who is who is. This is another form of endless recurrence: the inability to break the cycle. Or, in a very Hamlet reference, "maybe the poison drips through."
The themes of patricide, fratricide, and incest in particular are rampant. Rhea (like Rhea Jarell) in Greek mythology is both sister and consort to Cronus. Both are part of the first generation of aptly named Titan gods. Cronus overthrew his father Uranus and learns his children are fated to overthrow him. So he eats them as soon as they are born. Logan does refer to people as food a surprising amount throughout the show, varying from red meat to vegetables. He outright calls for blood sacrifice, which evokes the language of the gods.
Logan is referenced specifically as one of the last real American titans in his obituaries and eulogies. The language around him is frequently god-like. He's known as "the big man" or even "the big man upstairs." Tom tells Greg to "be his representative here on earth"; Roman asks the audience, "who is going to climb Mt. Olympus and be the next Dr. Zeus?" And that's where the myth gets interesting.
The only child not to be eaten is Zeus, who does end up killing his father and was surprisingly interested in marrying his mother. We're familiar with this plot formula through a different archetype: the Oedipus Complex, which we see referenced in the show with “Oedipus Roy,” “Oedipussy,” and “stabbing my eyes out.” The same story is repeated again in Hamlet with brother killing and brother and son yelling at his mother about her milky breasts (something Roman does to Shiv more than once). In the show when Logan says to Roman, “You may want to f*ck your mother but I don’t.” We know none of these stories end well. As Connor muses, “It’s not right to kill one’s father; history teaches us that.”
In the story of Romulus and Remus (whose mother’s name is also Rhea), the two brothers were initially chased out of their city as potential threats to the King (yet again). They were left by the river to die and were saved by the river god (important). After successfully overthrowing the kingdom that left them for dead, they agree to found a new city. They ultimately disagreed on which hill to found it and decided to have a bird-watching competition to see who could see the most omens indicating they had divine approval for the hill. Remus says he saw 6 auspicious birds but Romulus claims to see 12. Romulus kills Remus over this.
It should remind you of Logan visiting his childhood home with Ewan: “I saw a mistle thrush at the bandstand,” and the log book he kept as a child of birds he “saw” that Ewan would cross out if he didn’t believe him. It may also echo a part of The Four Quartets, “Other echoes/ Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?/ Quick, said the bird, find them, find them,/ Round the corner. Through the first gate,/ Into our first world, shall we follow/ The deception of the thrush?"
There is much to be said about the themes of warring brothers. Also the themes of fathers worried their children would one day overthrow them who take action to thwart or murder their children, which inadvertently sets into motion the very outcome they fear. It happens over and over again in stories old and new. As Panhandle Pete says, “I push him, he pushes me, and around and around we go.” Or as Eliot puts it, “that the wheel may turn and still / Be forever still.”
Much of these works touch on a sort of determinism, or the slow crushing reality that every action you take — even if that action is an attempt to thwart your fate — will ultimately lead to the same inevitable ending. This is the illusion of free will on top of the illusion of progress. And Logan, in fearing his children would usurp him (and also disparaging his children for not being able to), set into motion his own death and his own messy succession.
It’s also a reminder that the greatest men in life are all the same when laid to rest:

"O dark dark dark. They all go into the dark, The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant, The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters, The generous patrons of art, the statesmen and the rulers, Distinguished civil servants, chairmen of many committees, Industrial lords and petty contractors, all go into the dark…"

Structure & Symbolism: Water As Rebirth & Destruction
The show has very much been structured around Kendall, and we watch him move through bodies of water with what feels like different symbolism each time. Is he drowning, is he reborn? We witness Kendall at his lowest point face down in a pool and at one of his highest, splashing into the Pacific ocean. We watch a man drown. We watch Logan beg Kendall for water as they walk through Adrien Brody’s maze. We watch Roman clamor for water at the funeral when he needs to calm down. Poetry has long played with this life and death dynamic in water, like the sailors dying of thirst in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner who cry:

“Water, water, every where,. And all the boards did shrink;. Water, water, every where,. Nor any drop to drink. The very deep did rot: O Christ!”

This sub has noted Kendall’s connection to water, which has been represented over and over visually. But once you realize every metaphor, analogy, and simile he uses is water-based, you can’t unhear it. He calls his father “a tsunami of corruption” and describes things “as more precious than water”; he calls deals “choppy” and “dead in the water,” and asks to “help steady the ship”; he offers to “row back” on business deals, says timing is “high tide,” and that he has “bigger fish to fry.”
Logan is apt to use similar water symbolism, even telling Shiv that she’s marrying a man “fathoms” beneath her. As Rhea tells him, fearful of his own monstrosity, “I can’t see the bottom of the pool. I don’t know if you care about anything. It scares me.” ATN’s major scandal was “death cruises.” Even his operating nemesis is called “Sandy.”
In fact, there is mention of all elements and seasons — in particular, fire from Shiv, air from Roman, and earth from Connor. T.S. Eliot’s The Four Quartets confront these same themes and share some surprising similarities with show scene locations, dialogue, and plot points.
That’s because Succession is an allegory for the micro and the macro: the rise and fall of families, civilizations, monarchies, dynasties, and empires. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, the cycles rinse and repeat. Eliot modeled the four quartets on the 4 elements and the 4 seasons. And you can see even in Succession a similar manifestation of 4 elements. And, well, 4 seasons of the show. (And what occurs after 4 seasons? A full revolution around the sun, bringing you to where you began.)
Water seems to be at the root of it all. Even Ewan’s eulogy meditates on his and Logan’s journey on a boat. Even their abusive uncle is named Noah. In the show, we watch our nobody die by water, we watch our main character nearly die by water, and then we watch him revive in the ocean. As Kendall and his father wind their way through Adrien Brody’s circuitous Long Island home, Kendall remarks, “I think this leads to the ocean.” Because every path leads to the sea in some way or another.
The overarching narration from T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is the Arthurian Legend of The Fisher King. This story is told a million different ways with a million different outcomes, but always boils down to an injured or maimed monarch ruling over a dying land. Or as Ewan refers to his "empire of shit": “He’s built a wasteland and called it an empire.”
He’s looking for someone, anyone, to heal him, rescue the kingdom, and ensure the dynasty survives. This is the myth of the holy grail, which, in this show, can be seen as the throne: The original stories of the holy grail were not Christian/religious but they do employ a lot of the same mythmaking from earlier religions and mythologies to tell their stories and thus construct their new realties. As Eliot says in The Four Quartets:

"The whole earth is our hospital Endowed by the ruined millionaire, Wherein, if we do well, we shall Die of the absolute paternal care That will not leave us, but prevents us everywhere."

I believe Kendall (and the other children) represent the grail knights who try to save the king. (On the same level they stand in for the gods, the elements, or anything at all). When Christianity became more popular, these myths adapted to Christian overtones, but they still had the Celtic and pagan myths at their core: the grail becomes the chalice from the last supper.
That’s why Kendall’s easy comparisons of himself to Jesus feel less blasphemous than revelatory. Jesus is another hero archetype in the show’s mythology. He is willing to sacrifice himself, which Kendall must do in order to become the successor his father wanted. As he says, "this is a culmination of my life's journey to be crucified for you morons."
(It’s worth noting: In some legends, the knight saves the king; in others, he inadvertently destroys him. We know Logan dies, but it does feel less likely that Waystar Royco survives.) Drowning is a constant feature of Eliot's poems, but so is baptism and renewed life. It is difficult to determine the meaning of water in either instance, except that it doesn't discriminate as a life or death bringer, which is both beautiful and terrifying.
Parallels & Predictions: Piecing The Plot & Poetry Together
To repeat again, as this show is wont to do: “Crawl in a circle and close your eyes!” Logan Roy shouts during a game of Boar On A Floor. It’s an allegory, like many games on the series, and proudly says the quiet part out loud: Logan always wins. Here’s a little boar on the floor reference in The Four Quartets:

"We move above the moving tree In light upon the figured leaf And hear upon the sodden floor Below, the boarhound and the boar Pursue their pattern as before But reconciled among the stars."

We’ve seen the L.O.G.A.N. system at work many times and with many people. He dangles a carrot, a morsel of love, as each character attempts to play the game over and over while expecting different results. They are doomed to crawl in that circle, to play that blind game, as Logan angrily shouts, “It’s fun!” And this game doesn't end in death. The children still ask. "What would dad do?"
Games on Succession (which are a consistent refrain), it turns out, are rarely fun and are often designed to humiliate or inflict pain. The same goes when characters say “I’m just kidding” after an eviscerating remark. Logan thinks life is a game, and as he says, games should be taken seriously. And because Logan explicitly makes the rules, there is no winning, just trudging around the board, passing Go, and collecting $200. The games are essentially Sisyphean tasks that the kids wouldn’t be able to win even if they were actually competent enough to run the company. And yet they keep rolling the boulder. It’s endless. The repetition. It ends where it begins.

"Every phrase and every sentence is an end and a beginning, Every poem an epitaph. And any action Is a step to the block, to the fire, down the sea's throat Or to an illegible stone: and that is where we start. We die with the dying: See, they depart, and we go with them. We are born with the dead: See, they return, and bring us with them. The moment of the rose and the moment of the yew-tree Are of equal duration. A people without history Is not redeemed from time, for history is a pattern Of timeless moments."

Please also note the use of “the rose” and “the yew tree,” which are the names of Logan’s siblings Rose and Ewan, which derives from yew-tree. Other important name comparisons include Kendall’s association to spring/river valley; Siobhan’s nickname either a knife (Shiv) or Pinky (a variation of the name Rose); Roman’s connection to Romulus/Corialanus; Tom’s name meaning “twin” because there was already someone named Judas in the bible HELLO; Logan’s name meaning little hollow, which recalls another Eliot poem, The Hollow Men.
We know this show is a game, one that isn't fun at all, and one whose rules Logan made up. Even when there's a winner, there's no winner. So it's almost futile to play at all. That said, it’s impossible to make sense of any of it all without the ending — to confirm this ball has been rolling toward an inevitable conclusion, but given the show’s ending has probably occurred already, here are my thoughts:

• Kendall drowns

This may feel a bit on the nose given we’ve already seen this almost happen to “the Kurt Cobain of floaties,” but it would certainly be poetic. This could be sad (launched from a bridge); empowering (a la The Awakening); or metaphorical (a drug overdose). At some point Kendall says, "If dad didn’t need me right now I wouldn’t know what I would be for." The kids exist with Logan as their sun; they are moons, satellites, in orbit. And when their sun dies out, they repeat the motions in the cold, slowly losing their patterns and motions. The term is science is a rogue planet and the following lines from the poem remind me of Kendall and his broken, hollow stare.
“It would be the same at the end of the journey, If you came at night like a broken king, If you came by day not knowing what you came for, It would be the same, when you leave the rough road And turn behind the pig-sty to the dull facade And the tombstone. And what you thought you came for Is only a shell, a husk of meaning From which the purpose breaks only when it is fulfilled If at all. Either you had no purpose Or the purpose is beyond the end you figured And is altered in fulfilment.”

• Kendall is king of the ashes

Any victory feels like it will be a Pyrrhic victory regardless when you've had to systematically take down everyone you love to achieve it. The same lines above can echo here "the purpose is beyond the end you figured/And is altered in fulfilment." A hollow victory. The Fisher King question Logan poses is, "Who can replace me?" Logan wanted each of his children to display the killer instinct. Kendall’s backwards journey through Dreamsong 29 may very well see him realize he is, in fact, the killer his dad always wanted — with open eyes. This will probably involve taking down his siblings. In this version, winning is a lot like losing, which feels very Succession.

• Mattson wins it all

These Shakespearean histories and tragedies rarely end well for existing houses. With Richard III (the-multiple-lineage-ending war of the roses) and Hamlet (the-whole-house-dies-but-a-norwegian-king-swoops-in-to-take-it-all dynastic struggle) references abound. We may just see a new house rise up and rinse and repeat. This would probably also occur if the kids take each other down and leave it open for another party. We saw last season that Roman thought he had an in with Mattson until it didn’t serve Mattson anymore. I see the same thing happening between Roman and Mencken. This puts Mencken and Mattson in a position to take over, which may make Mattson win it or…

• Mattson destroys it all

When Mattson is introduced, he is referenced as a trickster. Generally, in mythology, this character is quite intelligent or in possession of secret knowledge, and he uses it for trickery and commandeering situations. (Is that blood thing real???). Hamlet concludes with every major character killing the other with their own tragic flaws until a third party Scandinavian comes in to take the crown with no necessary action or bloodshed at all. We already know he's unscrupulous; what is his end game? It reminds me of one of his early lines to Roman, which would be an eerie foreshadowing:
“Success doesn’t really interest me anymore, it’s too easy. Analysis + capital + execution. Fucking, anyone can do that. But failure, that’s a secret. Just as much failure as possible as fast as possible, burn that shit out, that’s interesting.”

• Tom betrays Shiv

We’ve seen it happen before (which is why it should happen again). We’ve also seen Tom remove the thin veneer of his ambitions to the point where he almost feels like Richard III. He has played the fool, which is Shakespearean estimation, is often equivalent to the trickster. This would be a fun and distorted parallel to Shiv offering this job to him for Logan to offer it to her. This would probably happen in conjunction with Mattson winning. As I mentioned earlier, the name Tom means “twin” and the apostle Tom was only called as such because there were already one too many “Judas” in the mix. He's also from Minnesota (the twin cities!), so this is becoming very real, you know???

• Greg betrays Tom

While we know Tom has betrayed Shiv before, we also know Greg betrayed Shiv and Tom when he spoke to Geri in the first season about Tom having a press conference on cruises. He leads Tom to believe Shiv has betrayed him, getting one over on both of them. There may also be something with the Rule of 3 and being betrayed 3 times that feels biblical. The show also makes TONS of references to holding on to blackmail for opportune moments. Will we see something like this?
I’m not a big believer that Greg will fail so far upwards that he will win (this would feel like a betrayal in its own right), but do I believe there’s a world where Greg gets himself on a piece of paper with a question mark. Maybe???

• Geri finally beats Tom

This is my personal hope because I want the Tom and Jerry allusion to be real more than any other I put together (we love a good cat and mouse game). If Mattson wins, he needs a US CEO. Geri has collected a massive amount of dirt on everyone. And to call back to season 1’s interim CEO discussions, Shiv says, “I don’t like Geri. But I don’t hate Geri either.” It would feel particularly good given how much time and effort Logan spent clarifying Geri would be terrible at the position. Especially as Logan disparaging someone generally means he’s afraid of what they can do.
I’ll end at the ending. Or conclude where Eliot did on The Four Quartets:

"We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, unremembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea. Quick now, here, now, always— A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything) And all shall be well and All manner of thing shall be well When the tongues of flames are in-folded Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one."

PS. Given ‘Pinky’ is another name for ‘Rose’ does this mean Shiv wins??? JK let’s just watch the show tonight and laugh at our predictions in the morning.

I am the daughter of Ralph and his second wife, Carolyn. My brother and I grew up in the Hurricane\Winfield area. My dad Ralph was the CFO to a major hospital chain in Charleston, WV for many years. My mother was a teacher. My sibling and I grew up in Hurricane and Winfield West Virginia.
Ralph was moved around during his formative years, being the only son of Ralph Bowles, Sr, and Geraldine Fizer, who were a military/navy family. Ralph grew up from California to New Port News Virginia, places where his father was stationed.
My father Ralph and my mother met while attending classes at Marshall University in the 1970's and married after a long courtship. They were married ten years but were together for much longer.
Ralph was an avid Chicago Bears fan throughout his adult life. He enjoyed learning about WWII and was a voracious reader of all things Stephen King. He enjoyed horror films, especially black and white horror films.
Unfortunately, this is where the account of Ralph's life gets blurry for some people, and would be unless you were there and lived it, as my sibling and I did.
Ralph was married three times and my mother was his second wife. He and my mother had two children together and his co-workers remember pictures of me on his desk at work.
It was around this time that Ralph met his third wife, who was 11 years his junior, as she was working as a cashier at Hecks in Teays Valley. Hecks no longer exists, just as Hills no longer exists. Their relationship started prior to his marriage to my mother ending, according to my paternal grandmother, who told me this information when I was 12.
By all accounts of his third family, he was a beloved father and husband who helped his inlaws with a variety of tasks, even going so far as doing their accounting homework for them. During this time in his life, he enjoyed keeping his grass short and green and couldn't abide a single weed in his yard. He owned a variety of dogs, including a shih tzu, a pug, a toy poodle, a maltese, a labrador retriever, and several bulldogs, his favorite bulldog being named Daisy.
My sibling and I were at our father's house on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and at least one weekend a month. When I was about 12, Ralph and his third wife had a baby girl. My grandmother, by that time, had taken a parental role for me and my sibling with Ralph's second wife, due to my parents' busy lives.
It was after the birth of his last child in the mid 90's that things started falling apart between my father and his second family. Accounts seem to differ but it was around this time that my father and his third wife moved the belongings of me and my sibling to the garage to make room for his third child. It was at this time that my relationship with my father effectively ended. It was also around this time that my paternal grandmother thought I deserved the truth of my family.
The reason for this information is that my sibling and I, as well as multiple others, were conveniently left out of his obituary for reasons I don't completely understand. Ralph was proceeded in death by his mother and father and nephew, and is survived by his first, second, and third wife and their children, as well as in-laws and cousins.
Multiple people have reached out and asked why we omitted, those who remember me and my sibling are just as confused as we are. There are two reasons why I think we were omitted : 1) he's worried we are going to try to come for his money. I assure you that neither of us are interested in that. 2) he has some kind of desire to pretend that my sibling and I don't exist. We do and we have pictures and memories that prove we were there.
My sibling and I are both successful people with careers and families of our own and we have not in any way brought shame upon his name or family other than expressing desire for our truth to be known and the truth of what happened to our family to be known. The people who have chosen to exclude us have done so our whole lives and it is our opinion that this is the last attempt to push us to the side.
Rest in peace, Ralph. We do remember you.

I'm traveling to Spain late September into early October with my parents and partner. My partner and I more relaxed travelers - we would be happy with light sightseeing, eating well, and people watching but my parents have mostly travelled in tour groups because they're anxious travelers and can get easily overwhelmed when left to themselves. So being used to the kind of pace where it's just constantly go-go-go, they tend to get overly ambitious and want to see every touristy thing possible but then they never get to really experience things fully or enjoy the local culture. Hoping to slow things down for them a bit on this trip and find a happy medium between our travel styles. We will be arriving in Barcelona and departing for home from Madrid!
Anyway, this is the itinerary I've put together and would love any thoughts or advice on it. One thing everyone is in agreement with is that we prefer sights/nature/experiencing things from outside over too much time in museums, churches, etc...the only museum that is a must-see for us is the Prado in Madrid but none of us really have the capacity to spend more than 3 hours in a museum, so it should only take up part of our day there. I'm debating taking a day off from Seville and tacking it onto Granada or Barcelona.
Barcelona (3 nights)
-day 1: late morning/early afternoon arrival
- day 2: (full day)
- day 3: (full day)
- day 4: fly to Granada
Granada (3 nights)
- day 4: early afternoon arrival
- day 5: visit Alhambra (this is the main reason we're coming to Granada, but I know there's so much more to see! will this take all day? or could we reasonably fit in this excursion and another sight in the same day?)
- day 6: day trip to Malaga (planning on renting a car just for the day)
- day 7: train to Seville
Seville (3 nights)
- day 7: arrive in Seville
- day 8: (full day)
- day 9: (full day)
- day 10: train to Madrid
Madrid (3 nights)
- day 10: early afternoon arrival
- day 11: day trip to Toledo or Segovia (via train)
- day 12: (full day)
- day 13: go home :(
Also - thoughts on Iberia airlines? I've never flown with them but it looks like Iberia operated by British Airways is the best option in terms of arrival times and the slightly cheaper price. The other option is with Delta, who I've flown with plenty of times and feel comfortable with. Our flights will be around 7-8 hours direct from New York/New Jersey. My parents are in their mid 60s and like I said, are super anxious travelers - any little hiccup will stress them TF out which then will stress me out lol so I'm curious to know what peoples experiences are before making a decision.

With the Fate of Iberia DLC, Paradox introduced the new Struggle mechanic. They next intend to apply this system in Persia this year, and I'm very interested to see what they come up with, and in what ways the system can be expanded. That said, I think Italy would be a fantastic place for a new Struggle region. This is a long post discussing what that would look like.

Guelphs and Ghibellines

If you're not familiar with the topic, I recommend watching this video from M. Laser History, it gives an excellent overview of the topic.
For a TLDR; At around the 1066 start date, there is a power struggle between the Holy Roman Emperors and the Papacy, about who has authority over who, and about rights of investitute. Later (~1125) The Italian states in the Empire find themselves caught in the middle, and deep factionalism develops between the Guelphs (pro-Church) and Ghibellines (pro-Imperial). A lot of battles and wars, big and small, are fought over this, including the glorious War of the Bucket!
The rest of this post is me spitballing an idea about how this might be implemented. If you have any ideas about how this could be done, I'd be really interested to hear it.

Ideas About Implementation

For starters, the region of the struggle would at least be Northern and Central Italy, and probably all of it. To the best of my knowledge, South Italian rulers didn't play a direct role in this struggle historically, but it's not hard to envision an alternate history where they do.
However, unlike the Iberian Struggle, which has already begun at both start dates, I imagine a super-event for Catholics about the "Investiture Controversy" or something of the sort, which would start the struggle.
For the actors involved (Struggle Participants), I imagine five types:

1. Imperial: The Holy Roman Emperor.
2. Papal: The Pope. In in-game terms, whoever's Head of Faith for the Catholic faith.
3. Neutral: Every landed character whose capital is in Italy and is inside the Holy Roman Empire. This would include vassals of vassals. All Italian rulers will start in this camp. Some will stay, most will move to one of the following two types.
4. Guelphs: Those who wish to support the Pope.
5. Ghibellines: Those who wish to support the Emperor.

In terms of phases, I'm not too certain. A lot of the phase effects in Iberia concern relations between cultures and faiths, which aren't so applicable here. I've come up with this so far (excuse the boring names, these are just placeholder):

1. Dormant: Relatively few effects from the struggle. Progresses to Limited.
2. Limited: A Casus Belli is unlocked for Guelphs against Ghibellines and Ghibellines against Guelphs. Each side can call others of their faction to the war. Imperial and Papal characters (so, just the Emperor and the Pope) can support their respective members if they are in such a war through character interaction (give money, add combat modifiers at the cost of prestige/piety, etc.), but cannot get involved. Character interactions exist for the Pope and Emperor to entice those not in their faction and who are not at war to join it. Progresses to Hostile.
3. Hostile: Emperor and Pope unlock a Casus Belli on each other which allows them to end the struggle. Neither side can call allies into the war. Guelphs join Pope, Ghibellines join Emperor. Regardless of who is attacker and defender, ticking warscore does not start for the Emperor until they occupy Pope's capital (Rome, probably), and does not start for the Pope until all Ghibelline land in struggle region is occupied by Pope and Guelphs. If Emperor wins, struggle goes to Imperial Victory Ending. If Pope wins, struggle goes to Papal Victory Endin. If it's a white peace, struggle progresses to Peace.
4. Peace: Very few (or no) effects from the struggle. Progresses to Dormant.

How do the phases actually progress to one another? Well, it could be just time, but ideally, it would be based on a type of action/character interaction that would be emblematic of friction between church and state. This would likely relate to mechanics regarding investiture. For example, every time a Catholic ruler appoints a bishop, or revokes a bishopric, the struggle progresses a bit. Basically, this whole struggle (or my idea of it) rests on the idea that Paradox has implemented some type of mechanic about investiture rights and the College of Cardinals, and where the outcome of the struggle would affect those. I'm gonna speak about the endings of the struggle broadly, and I'm gonna act as if those mechanics are already there. You can imagine that, at the start of the game, all Catholic rulers have full investiture rights, and that their ability to appoint essentially whoever they like gives them some ability to influence the election of a Pope (in a more involved fashion than CK2). I imagine the phases of this struggle being shorter and less equal than those of Iberia, where the Limited phase is significantly longer than Dormant or Peace.
The outcomes are as follows:

• Imperial Victory: Effects on Catholic faith would be that the Holy Roman Emperor gets some sort of disproportional say in the College of Cardinals and the election of a Pope. Free Investiture rights are maintained for all Catholic rulers, never to be challenged again until the end of the game. Effects on Italy would be that a number of the biggest Ghibellines (either by size, or contribution to the final Imperial-Papist war that led to this) would get a special contract type with the Emperor that gives significant bonuses and some reduced obligations. They would also be made into electors in the empire.
• Papal Victory: Effects on Catholic faith would be that, by default, free Investiture rights are disallowed, and Catholic rulers passing free investiture laws get a significant opinion malus with the Pope, as well as from their own Zealot stance vassals. Effects on Italy would be that all Guelphs would get a special contract type that disallows title revocation, allows war declaration, and has no obligations at all.

And that's basically all I've got. The specific values would play a big role in what does and doesn't happen here, but I can't begin to imagine how to go through balancing that. General pointers would be that Italians are far more willing to side with the Pope, but that the Emperor's support of Ghibellines would be stronger. Another thing might be to make one of the phase effects significantly decreased costs for upgrading/building castles, as well as any buildings which add fort levels. Essentially, marching an army from Germany all the way to Rome as the Emperor should be extremely difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming in the Hostile phase unless the Emperor has been diligent in supporting his Ghibellines and enticing others to switch sides in the Limited phase.
One last note is that this entire thing would also very much benefit from an overhaul of republics and city-states. They were an extremely important part of this conflict, and no representation of Medieval Italy would be complete without proper mechanics for them.
I guess the Struggle parts of this could be a mod. I haven't made a mod for CK3 yet, but I happen to be a programmer with some free time. I think I can do that. This would require Investiture/College of Cardinal mechanics though, with its own UI and all. I have no how to do that.
Let me know what you think of this, I would really love to hear someone else's take on how Struggle mechanics can be applied to Italy, and specifically the Guelphs and Ghibellines wars, since I find them very interesting. This has been sitting in my head for too long, and I'm happy to have it structured and proposed.

Just saw Obituary in stl last night. Just wanted peoples opinion on the band. Mine is they we're amazing live. I just didn't know what the metal community as a whole thinks of them. They definitely made three new fans out of my family as did Immolition.

after multiple tries, I found the following strategy the best:

1. Take the family with the increased diplomatic bonus (I have the feeling that increased popularity with other factions prevents them from attacking you, and it makes them more willing to sign trade agreements).
   1. Plaster every other faction in Iberia and other faction such as Masaesily with non-aggression pacts (only at the beginning, when you secured your holding you can slowly attack them one after another)
2. Cancel the tributary status with Lybia and conquer their land
   1. move south afterwards to take Garamantia and sign a non-aggression pact with Egypt (now you east flank is secured) / or you plan an invasion later on to get their land. In this case ally yourself with Seleucides
3. More or less abandon Africa for the moment, only garrison Qart Hadast (there is a good chance, that you won't get attacked from Turdetani. They even signed a peace deal with me)
4. Evacuate Sicily and let it rebel
5. Try to defend Karalis (here a small garrison army should suffice to defend it from an invading Roman army)
6. Create a defensive force in Cartago
7. Do not intervene in the war between Nova Cartago and Gaetuli, let them fight and invade the winning faction
8. Afterwards, move slowly into Africa and send several generals to circumvent the map to gain new trade agreement
9. Once Africa is secured, you should be rich enough to attack Rome and invade Italy or just build a fleet composed of catapult ships (more or less an invincible fleet) and attack every incoming invasion fleet

I’m having major trouble finding my way home after a cruise with my mom the last week of November! Looking from AUH, DOH, DXB. Ideally to ATL or LAX. I can’t seem to find anything that doesn’t swap to BA metal mixed cabin for the long haul. And that I can book with MR or UR. Does anyone have experience of building in a stopover on the way TO the us? Turkish has to be rt. Swiss stopped their program. Etihad and Emirates has to be in Abu Dhabi or Dubai and that’s where I’m coming from. Tap and Iberia seem to only be to/from Portugal and Spain. Is it a good idea to wait until the beginning of June and hope for new promos / space to be released? I’d really appreciate any help from someone more experienced at piecing together and pricing an itinerary. I’m flexible on dates and stopovers!

1. Things we’ve changed our mind about, including New Jersey.
   
2. In fact I linked to this recently, it is one of my favorite videos (some very real lessons about eroticism in there), but since Tina Turner has passed away here it is again. RIP.
   
3. “Creators”? WTF? What is wrong with you people??
   
4. Ten-year gilts back up to Truss/Kwarteng levels.
   
5. Twelve-minute John Cochrane Bradley award acceptance speech.
   
6. Update on the prospects for AI regulation. And Nabeel on Waluigi, Carl Jung, and the Case for Moral AI.
   
7. Robert Zimmer, RIP (NYT).
   

The post Thursday assorted links appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

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I know it seems cut and dry but its not as simple as it seems. Post is long, sorry.
Note: ages listed are current, names changed for privacy.
Backstory: a few years ago, when i was in my twenties, I (33 m) met a girl (30 f) that we'll call Sam at a get together and really hit it off. She was brought by one of my other buddies as a date but she kind of ignored him most of the night, which i felt bad for afterwards because I kind of stole his thunder. (Doesnt matter now, hes been in a relationship for 3 years and im perpetually single and he is still one of my best friends).
So anyway, after a few weeks Sam and I started hanging out on a regular basis. I would say there was definitely a lot of flirting, but due to my upbringing as well as past experiences I have always preferred being friends first to make sure there's a real foundation before dating. Naturally, this means it is relatively difficult for me to enter into relationships. So after giving Sam a ride somewhere as a favor, and flirting a bit more, she asked me how she could repay me, and I told her just by being my friend.
That response definitely changed the dynamic because the flirting definitely stopped, but I guess she was excited to have someone legitimately wanting to be her friend rather than find a way to sleep with her, and we quickly became best friends. We were practically inseparable, if one of our separate friends wanted to get together and do something we'd bring each other. For instance, if one of my friends invited me to a concert, i also bought a ticket for Sam. If one of her friends invited her to a club, she made sure I got in too and got hooked up with drinks. She also lived closer to my job than I did so often times I'd crash at the studio apartment she shared with another friend and often slept on the same bed with her, albeit a pillow between us.
It turned out we had a lot in common between our humor and our interests, and we each got each other into certain things we never thought we'd enjoy. No matter where we went and what we did we always had a blast together.
Now I not only had the desire of being friends before dating anyone to make sure there's an actual connection, but I followed the idea that when eventually, if ever, I got married that that person would be whom I consider to be my best friend. By this point, Sam ticked all the boxes for me and I caught feelings.
Sam on the other hand did not feel the same way, and I cant remember exactly how it went down, but i know she was upset with me about it.
Now I am not someone who believes anyone owes anyone anything for their feelings or good gestures, and I did not feel that Sam owed it to me to date me or sleep with me, and I assured her that if she wasnt into me in that way, that it was fine and I left it up to her if she still wanted to continue being friends on the level we were. She said she wanted it to stay the same, so i did mu best to do that.
But then when she did start seeing guys, she would tell me about it and to be honest i didnt want to hear the details I got. It got even worse though when guys would tell her they only wanted sex but then she wanted to have actual relationships and they told her no, that they only wanted sex. This isn't me making things up as a jealous incel either, she actually told me these things and would show me the texts. When i would suggest she stop trying to date guys who verbally would tell her they are only interested in sex and not a committed relationship with her she would accuse me of trying to sabotage her love life out of jealousy.
Now after a few years of us still hanging out, I'd gotten used to her love interests coming and going and learning to keep my mouth shut on certain things. I would tell her do what she thinks she should, if it went well then great, if not, I'd be there for her. Most times it went bad.
She also started partying more and drinking more often. She got heavily into cocaine, which im not about for my own personal reasons. She also started claiming that she was tired of being fucked over by guys, and some girls, who only wanted her body and not her mind, and that she would only be willing to date her favorite pop star. I figured she meant that as an example of how high she was setting her standards. But no, dear reader, this is where things literally get insane.
She eventually started telling me that the pop star that she set as her standard was secretly communicating with her through subliminal messages and watching her through cameras secretly installed near her home. She also was claiming she was studying psychology and learning to interpret things. Now ive also studied psychology, except I studied in academic environments, and this is when after 4 years of close friendship i started seeing less as simply your average irrational twenty-something year old and more as someone with possible schizophrenia. She even started telling me that she suspected her roommate might be a serial killer and she didn't know what to do.
It became increasingly difficult because Sam was someone i genuinely cared about and loved, but with all of what she was saying my feelings were definitely not the same. But i stuck around because I didnt want to abandon her, especially because i had promised her i would always be her friend. There also weren't any real things i could do to get her professional help. Neither of us could afford it, even if she were willing to get treatment. Welcome to America.
She also started hanging around more cocaine users (and probably other hard drug addicts as well) and they would tell her in, front of me might i add, that they knew someone who knew the pop star she was obsessed with and they'd get it worked out for them to meet in person, then invite her over for a bump and some liquor. I never went despite being invited because i was so disgusted at what i was seeing take place. It was honestly all the kind of shit you saw in a bad 90's romance drama. THIS SHIT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING, PEOPLE!!!
So eventually she has me over, and she wants me to shop for wedding dresses with her because she said that the pop star had asked her to marry him by talking in code to her in an interview on youtube. Nevermind the fact this pop star was already married and lived across the country, in her head it was all a ruse and soon he'd be sending a van (yes a van, not a limo, that would blow their cover) to retrieve her.
I couldn't take it anymore! I told her i no longer could support her delusions of being in a secret subliminal relationship with a pop artist who was already married and she never met and would have no way of actually knowing who she was! She called me a hypocrite because she also supported me in my dreams whenever i learned a new song on guitar or bought a bunch of pro-grade magic tricks. Yep, i was certainly a hypocrite.
To cut out a bunch of stuff, i admit i was not 100% innocent throughout our friendship. It's always a two way story, but I definitely recognize I was foolish for not cutting contact sooner.
Sorry for the long backstory, but it sets the stage for the title question, and I find myself still triggered by certain things because of that whole ordeal.
Anyway, just because I finally broke contact doesn't mean i stopped caring about her. She was once my best friend, and our friendship didn't end because of backstabbing or betrayel. It ended because of mental illness, and to protect my own mental health.
Because I did still care I would check up on her socials periodically to see how she was doing, and for the most part she seemed okay. She posted regularly and seemed happy, so I kept to myself and over time would check less and less. You know, finally moving on. Until i checked a few months ago, and realized she hadnt posted anything on any socials in about a year. So i found myself searching Sam's name on google more often, honestly fearing the worst but never really finding anything.
That is until last night. In a conversation with my roommate and our friend, something said triggered my flashbacks of Sam and I got into a mood that both my roommate and friend could tell something was off. So after going to bedbi searched Sam's name and to my surprise on the first page in that little subsection with images was her mugshot.
To be honest I wasnt surprised that she had eventually gotten arrested, and was really kind of happy it was a mugshot and not an obituary. So being curious, I tracked down the records and it turns out her arrest was only a week ago, and that in the arrest and court records she's listed as homeless, which sadly i figured was the case because she looked homeless in her mugshot. The crime is also pretty serious, though i couldn't find out exactlybwhat happened, only that she was arrested with someone else twenty years older than her and that person was also charged with resisting arrest.
From what i can tell, shes may not get sentenced super long for her part, but theres no way shes going to be able to make bail being homeless, and im certainly in no position to come to her rescue. But despite everything that happened between us, i still care about her and I want Sam to get help, and im hoping that she is at least able to get some help this way, but anyone who knows people who have gone to county jail or watched those undercover prisoner shows know how things can be.
So in my mixed emotions, i ended up writing a letter to her last night because I do care and i dont want her to feel alone, but noting there isnt anything more i can do in my position. I dont know if it would help her or upset her, and I know our friendship will never be what it was and im not seeking that. I'm doing fine so far since we broke communication, possibly even better than when we first met. But i still care about her and want her to get help. She's still young enough that this doesnt have to define her entire life, and even if its just a gentle reminder of the good she once felt, I dont want her to feel alone.
So here's the point of the question. In which choice am I the asshole, by sending the letter i wrote, or knowing where she's at and staying out of it all? Or am I the asshole at all?