Category Brain Goblins

“Time, Professor. It is all a matter of time…”

The title is in observation of the fact that numerous parts of this were drafted in my head when I awoke in the early hours of the last few days, but then forgot them when I awoke the next day. I’m certain I’ve lost some cracking jokes, but I’ll also take any opportunity to reference City of Death, the serial that has the single finest joke in all of Doctor Who, classic or modern, and why I can’t help but think of the Mona Lisa as ‘that dreadful woman with no eyebrows that couldn’t sit still.’ It could also reference that Covid shot my passage of time to bits, given I recently saw a joke that referenced Kendall Jenner giving a cop a Pepsi, and then found that ad was from 2017. *sighs* I mean, I know a lot of my cultural references are old, but I’m aware they are. Having that sneak up on me was less than welcome.

Most of what I’ve been doing the last week has been work, and it’s been relatively calm. Sure, there was the parade of right wing nutters that went past Saturday afternoon, but they stayed outside. At first I wasn’t sure what the theme was, as we’ve had a few pro-Palestine protests go past in recent months, but upon sighting the ratio between people wearing Australian flag capes and police, as well as a placard that read “Australia needs a Trump Card”, it wasn’t difficult. I resisted the urge to stick my head out the door and mock, but I did get some snark in with customers inside the store at the time. I did have a pair of LARP swords with me in a bag behind the counter, but there were there mostly for moral support. I knew they were there, and they made me feel happy. It’s also the closest I’ve got to actually using them in far too long, but I’m still in a state of miserable inaction on that front, as opposed to getting my shit together and getting to an event/writing one.

Speaking of customers, most of mine continue to be lovely. Even if I don’t remember them when they return. The area my work is in adds some atmosphere, from the occasional yelling and whooping from the alley, passers by playing music on Bluetooth speakers (who should be jailed if I had my way) and the folks who walk by screaming, whether into their phone or at the sky. The human who encouraged it’s dog (I don’t recall the person’s gender) to piss right next to our front door. I was going to to say something, but was struck dumb in shock, before filling an empty bottle with water and washing the residue away. And the café across the alley ways background music and their overuse of Queen’s Greatest Hits. There’s only so many times I can hear Bohemian Rhapsody – the least they could do was play the Muppet version,

There’s the people who haggle, those who want one thing that we don’t have, or who seem to refuse to acknowledge me. Overly intense chess players, people who want phone cables and video games (neither of which we sell), or are simply lost and need directions. I occasionally wonder if any of them ever found their destination, or if I’ll be haunted by them in whatever afterlife I wind up in. The occasional one who wants to tell me far too much about their characters/campaigns, but I’m certain every game store employee get’s those. And then we have those rare few who make me want to draw forth the Black Sword, announce “BLOOD AND SOULS FOR MY LORD ARIOCH” and let Stormbringer do what it does best. Though I haven’t wanted to smack a customer quite so hard as when one put a copy of the Avatar RPG Uncle Iroh’s Adventure Guide on the counter and started singing Leave From The Vine to me. Bastard. (To be clear, I know him outside of work and it was meant in fun, but still)

I do have a few catchphrases as well!
When selling dice: “And as always, may they roll better for you than for me.”
Battletech: “Have fun crushing your enemies.” (I haven’t gotten to tell any of them about my wedding vows, but when/if we get a new Conan the Barbarian RPG in stock it’ll happen)
Avatar: The Last Airbender Magic cards: “I hope you get some cabbages!”
Finding something a customer has walked past: “You didn’t miss it, you just hadn’t looked their yet.”

Getting back to the strange, there’s been a few conspiracy nuts. One said by embracing Halloween we were encouraging child murder – that was different. Some seemingly come in to try to mess with me – there was a spectacular one yesterday who stuck her head in, yelled “What the fuck, totally weird man” then left. Alas, she returned about 30 seconds later, enquiring as to my state of mind, to which I said I’m keeping busy and could I help her? I was told I could, and I quote, “Suck on my pussy flaps please!” and she left again, excitedly telling the tale at someone in the street. She could have been high, or just trying to shock a mundane, I don’t know. I kept a polite silence as to her offer, though the line “Not even if I was single” did pop into my head about 30 seconds after she left and later that night the thought of calmly saying ‘Sorry miss, I suck dick’ made me chuckle a little. It’s been a few years since I’ve said something that’s made the rest of the room stop and stare at me after all.

The baseline anger and frustration continues though. It could be the ever increasing length of Black Friday sales, given some stores were running them all month it seemed. It’s another unneeded example of the creeping tide of American cultural imperialism (I prefer Creeping Death), but seeing Christmas stuff in stock in mid October was infuriating enough for me. My views on Halloween boil down to ‘If it makes you happy, then go for it’, but I though it was meant to be a buffer before Christmas started? Clearly not. As with many things in life…. *shakes fist at sky* CAPITALISM!

Regardless, I’m looking forward to a day off, almost as much as not getting Black Friday ads for a while. I continue to block ads for shitty retro game emulators and curse the addition of AI options to seemingly everything I look at. I may have something of a grudge against ads and their overuse, but that comes from my time working in TV. My social batteries are fairly tapped out, but I’m trying to keep thinking of it as the good kind of exhausted, if that makes sense? It’s been long enough that I should be adjusted to it, but I’m still feeling like I want to hide more often than not. I’m not sure what this means for my recovery time, but I guess we’ll find out when/if I get a chance to. As for the rest of my brain, seeing a piece in the Guardian on toxic humility certainly applies to me, but telling myself that I can do good things on a regular basis? Believing in myself? Mostly it reminds me of how much my wife hates my knack for self deprecation. I’d like to say I’m getting better at avoiding it, but it’s as if it’s an awkward internet photo – it’s always there, no matter how often I delete it. Gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth indeed.

Not sure what else I have to say at the moment. It’s late and I should sleep. In case I don’t get the chance to say it, I hope you have all have a wonderful holiday season and only joyous things happen to you and yours. I may frequently be a miserable git who would like nothing more than to make it through this time of year without hearing a single bit of Christmas cheer, but that doesn’t mean I want that for other people. May you take joy however you find it. Glory to you, and your house…

And so as you hear these words, telling you now of my state.
I tell you to enjoy life. I wish I could, but it’s too late.

The Ups and the Downs

Post con crash continues. It could be that, a spike in my depression or general exhaustion, I’m not sure. Maybe I’m getting more social contact through my time at the store, and my system is still adjusting to that. Am I putting too much emphasis on sales reflecting my self worth? Could it have been going straight from Pheno back to work with no recovery time messed with me? Is the unstoppable approach of Christmas even earlier this year making things worse? In the words of Ronnie James Dio, “Who the fuck knows?” Either way, I’ve been tired, unfocused, cranky at times and generally sleepy. Well, more so than normal. I posted about it elsewhere, not wanting to ring any alarms, more talk through it in the hope it’ll move on. While the low mood hasn’t moved on as as far I’d have preferred, I did get a lovely and gratifying amount of support and care shown my way. For some reason that continues to be unexpected, despite the long history of the people in my life being wonderful. I’m sure my wife will say I should expect that, but that’s low self esteem talking!

I’ve made it without buying too much random stuff to try to cheer myself up. Well, mostly. I’ve got a few Sharpe paperbacks from a local second hand bookstore, finally found a copy of The Klingon Art of War that was in my price range (Accursed Ferengi!) and since B5 Books was about to close down, I treated myself to the ‘What the hell happened?’ series about Crusade in digital form. Yes, I normally prefer the physical books, but this meant I could purchase more and I’m still scarred from moving. The deadline helped, otherwise I may have gone for a Captains Coat (Still not sure if wool or cotton), or adding a very pretty axe to my collection. The quest for dopamine is a tricky one, as all too often I buy something, get the minor hit and then get home where it gets added to the pile of other random unused stuff. Yes, I am looking at the stack of LARP weapons I own and have barely used. I really miss LARP – the camaraderie, the stories, the cloaks. It’s a glorious moment heading to an event in costume and have a small child look at you, then accusingly at it’s parents as if to ask “Parent, why am I not wearing a cloak right now?”

You know who you are.

Once again, with pretty much every mention of LARP, it reminds me of the fun and makes me want to do more, and most of that is interstate. So, what do I do with the kit I have now? Do I go to the shops in costume (I don’t know if I’ve gained a reputation amongst my neighbours yet), or try to write something that I can actually run? We all know what my track record is like with that sort of thing and it’s not great. Sure, I’m contemplating one for Pheno next year, but a single session three hour freeform scores lower on the difficulty scale than a full day LARP. There’d be a similar amount of rules though, as Path of the Warden converted me to a minimal rules (I believe it’s called Nordic, but don’t quote me on that) approach. It’s a vicious circle – I buy stuff that could be used at LARP and that makes me happy, but rarely actually get the chance to use it. Maybe I should stage some small scale costume parties or wear a cape when I’m working in the store?

Switching back to the miserable, the recent malaise has been that bad it’s kept me from sword. Well, that, and an issue with my left hand – I’ve been getting wrist soreness and the muscle on the back of the hand has been sore. I think it was down to a heavy jacket (Yes, my mid life crisis rock and roll one) pressing down on that part of the hand rather than anything more serious. At least, I hope not. It seems to be recovering, though from time to time it’ll flare up and make itself known. I’ve been back at sword the last couple of weeks, and while it’s a struggle from time to time, it feels really good. I train with a lovely bunch of folks, and the welcome back’s were much needed, as nervous as I was walking back in the hall after the time off.

There has been some definite good news though – planning for the next Ravenswood LARP event has kicked back into gear, and I’m excited for it. Based on how Coach was received last year I’m ecstatic, and planning for a bigger and better Phys Ed experience, one with on and off field participation! (I’m also really hoping Spiritual House get’s some new students, so I can be the Yowie again.) New costume plans, games and ideas are floating around, and I’ve been very good and not overwhelmed the admin chat with them, or even asked any of the faculty staff if they wanted to do something IC romance wise. Tickets are on sale now, so if you want to cast some spells and have some fun, get on it! Yes, Western Australia is a trek, but the game (and the people behind it) are wonderful and well worth it. I’m really hoping to not be the only one from NSW next event.

Never thought I’d want to hear Sauron saying “G’day cunts!”

In other good news, I have secured tickets to a special event, as one of my favourite comics is returning. Officially, he’s here for his day job as part of the BBC Ashes coverage team, but he managed to book some shows in around that. He’s the Prince of Puns, the Baron of Bullshit, the Cardinal of Cricket Stats, the one and only Andy Zaltzman! You may know him from his recent Taskmaster UK victory, The Bugle podcast (It’s former co-host being some guy named John Oliver) his other radio and TV appearances, or the pun runs I keep playing to people when I introduce them to the Bugle. He’s also responsible for why I can’t help giggling at the merest mention of Silvio Berlusconi as well as my introduction to the Iron Sheik and for those I am eternally grateful.

I’m not sure how to end this, I’ve been bouncing back and forth. I’d like to say there’s light at the end of the tunnel and that it’s not a freight train and that would be mostly right. Have I spend more time wanting to do something than actually doing it? Emailing the NSW police to ask if I can import a flintlock cap gun instead of writing plot? (I did get a response, but it merely quoted the act at me, and not, as I asked, give me a Yes/No answer as to if I could or not) Have I spent time idly musing about a slow introduction of a supernatural element into a setting and the risks/rewards inherent in that? Really, I’d just be happy to be able to get up in the morning and get something done before having to leave for work, that would be bloody lovely. Surely that’s not too much to ask?

I didn’t come here to be attacked, and yet here we are.

Good night, sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.

The post event blues

And once again comes to post con crash. Slightly lessened for me this year but having to go straight back to work as opposed to recovery time, but it’s been relatively busy, so that’s kept me from too much angst. The comedown is still there though, as is the adrenaline crash. The flood of ideas for next year has continued, but more on that later. An ugly part has reared it’s head, and that’s feedback. As always, it’s terrifying to see, soul shattering to read, and left me in a crumpled heap. To be clear though, I have zero issue with it’s author, and he was kind enough to clarify what he’d said and add some quite lovely things afterward. Feedback is like a bad playtest – it hurts at the time, but it makes for a better product. Some things I can work on, other things have become part of the fabric of my events. I do regret not checking with people on pronouns and comfort levels, and am willing to admit that I was running off a “It’s one of my events, surely nothing too horrible can happen” and at times did tell people to please speak up if they were uncomfortable. I like to think that people would feel OK doing so, and can only pleased that people who choose to play my events are wonderful and who wouldn’t be jerks. It’s not an actual defence, as I had a few first timers, but I assume the best of people until proven otherwise.

(Although I could probably use a Co-GM to stand beside me and tap me on the shoulder when I’m about to go off topic, anecdote or have let players fart about for too long, no matter how much fun they’re having.)

The flood of ideas has continued. Well, less flood and more ‘I’m temporarily hyper focused on this until something else comes along’. I have met my brain before. The first idea was the ‘escaping the rest home’ and that’s mostly been about what is the actual point of the adventure and what archetypes are the PC’s inspired by. Inspirations have been the following:
Autolycus (Hercules/Xena)
Locke Lamora
Ffarhd and the Grey Mouser (In this version they’d be a couple)
Catwoman
Lupin III and Fujiko Mine (If you don’t know these names, run, don’t walk, to legally attain a copy of The Castle of Cagliostro and watch it. You’ll thank me afterwards.)

As for the plot, friends on BlueSky have been ‘helping’ with that. Perhaps the children of the PC’s are slated for execution, or borrowed their tools and need to be saved, before the PC’s are incriminated as well? Makes for a nicer idea than breaking out to see the sun one last time before the end, or a thinly veiled knock off of Bubba Ho-Tep, which I’m not sure I can manage as a GM either. As funny as that film was, it was also a lot bleaker than I was expecting. I do like the idea of choosing characters by picking a prop responding to that character’s style – the assassin get’s a dagger, the thief get’s lock picks, con artist a false moustache, etc. In no way do I claim the idea to be original, but it amuses me so it’s not being discarded.

The other idea arose from a sartorial desire. I’d idly posted about wanting tailors set up near cinemas, so I could walk out of a movie and commission versions of things I’d just seen (It’s been a dream for a while) and in an effort to explain myself, said I’d had an idea for a pirate freeform, but didn’t really have an idea short of “Let’s Dress as Pirates: The Freeform.” Since then, there’s been encouragement, a little regret at not dressing up recently, and several ideas, some less cursed than others. The current most spectacular one is the Multiverse Pirate Gathering, in which the likes of Captain Hook, the Pirate King, Davy Jones and Long John Silver (The Tim Curry version, in case anyone wondered) have a get together.

I adore my friends that they’ll jump on stuff like this. For all the chaos it can cause, it makes me feel incredibly loved. It’s eerily similar to how Australians will automatically back each other up when bullshitting to Americans, I suggest something utterly stupid and they emerge yelling things like “Write it!” and “When are we getting a second Fair and Balanced game? And before you monsters say anything, the answer is no. As for the pirate game, the Multi-Vaaarrrrsal Committee* isn’t a bad one, but mostly I’m vexed by how, despite his not technically being a pirate, can I sneak a cameo from Redbeard Rum in?

The other topic that’s been vexing me is a possible supernatural element to it, mostly is there something that hasn’t been used overmuch, or is unexpected? Skeletons, zombies and voodoo (Mostly the Hollywood version, but some more historical) are all much part of the legend these days and what else could there be? We’ve all seen the Kraken, battled zombie pirates and the like, and while I’m normally the first to jump for the old clichés, I find myself struggling for something new. Not sure why to be honest, but my ideas so far have been monkeys empowered by dark magics that fling explosive poop and piss acid, or borrowing an old idea of mine and using drop bears (AKA, crew in bloodstained koala onesies with giant foam claws) and neither of those are exactly practical for a convention one-shot. And no, I’ve no idea where the idea for the monkeys came from.

“Wake up hon, a new Pirate LARP just got announced!”

Bedtime now. I’ve worked all weekend, and am back at it tomorrow. Sleep well, I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.

*It’s a working title.

Been a while.

Last week I typed “I am not good at selfies” into my phone.

Auto correct changed that to “I am not good at self-esteem.”

I have not felt that personally attacked in a long, long time.

What prompted that particular exchange was something I’ve also not done in a long, long time. Brace yourselves people, but a bit over a week ago, I got a haircut.

Newer readers may be unaware of how long my I’ve had my hair that way, but it’s been near 30 years. I grew it as part of my nascent heavy metal fandom, and kept it. It was a signature, part of my style and identity, a silent declaration of ‘this is who I am and what I’m into’. Yeah, there was the odd cry of “Get a haircut!” and the like, but once it grew past the Beatle’s mop top length, it became my style. I’m certain the only people I’m in regular contact with these days who’ve seen me with short hair are family, and they were quite surprised when word got out. It was very much the ‘make sure you’re sitting down when you read this’ type of message. Why I did this was simple. Between some gentle nudges from my wife about it’s condition, and seeing far too much of the back of my head in the photos from Ravenswood, I bit the bullet. I’m proud of not bolting for the door at the salon and I certainly understand why she goes there, as the atmosphere was lovely. They even asked if I wanted to keep some of it, and while I was tempted to take a photo of the pile of hair on the floor, I felt no need for a keepsake lock or two.

As for how it looks now, well, it’s a lot shorter. There hasn’t been as much of the “Who the fuck are you?” when I look in the mirror, though given it’s now unrestrained I do find myself sweeping it back from my eyes a lot more. The reactions have been a mix of shock and appreciation, which has been much appreciated, though one acquaintance said it was a Samson-esque moment, and my brain went straight to Hercules Returns…

Turning to gaming, thanks to the generosity of a dear friend, I now have a physical copy of Feng Shui 2nd edition. For those who know not of it’s glory, it’s inspired by Hong Kong action cinema. If you’ve seen any of the work of John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan or Jet Li, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. The first edition was something of a revelation to me, for while I never did quite grapple with the metaplot, the idea of a game who’s combat was more than “I swing at him” *rolls dice* “And I miss”, where action movie wackiness was positively encouraged (To quote the GM advice book Blowing Up The Movies, “Any place you can have a rickety shelf packed with propane tanks, there will be a rickety shelf packed with propane tanks.”), it was a thing of beauty. Now owning a physical copy of the book has made reading it a lot easier (As opposed to the PDF), as well as learning the system (in as much I ever learn a system) and soaking all the detail in, one part of the book stood out to me. Short version: In the setting there’s a form of time travel, by accessing junctures in the Netherworld, the 4 main areas being 69AD, 1850AD, the modern day and the blasted post apocalyptic wasteland of 2074. Now, there’s a number of other junctures in the book involving alternate histories, cyborg apes and the like, all regular run of the mill stuff, but the one that stuck out the most tome shouldn’t be a surprise, at least not to anyone who’s played one of my convention games…

HOW IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK HAVE I NOT DONE THIS BEFORE? I’ve owned a PDF of the game since the Kickstarter ended near 10 years back, and somehow never noticed this. I can only assume I was rolling those particular Notice checks. It’s not that my events don’t have that particular style of wacky, but they tend to be more low budget BBC than Chow Yun-Fat diving through the air both guns blazing. This might have sparked a few ideas for bringing the Chi War to France, or reskinning the system to buckle some swash. Hell, maybe setting it in space. Firearms can pierce the hull, but swords don’t after all.. Well, unless we’re talking laser swords and that is damn tempting. Anyhow, I’m dead keen to run it, though more as the occasional one-off rather than a campaign.

Outside that, I’m still battered and sore from a sword class yesterday. A lot of time in it was spent blocking other people’s blades with my body, even if that wasn’t the intention. As a great man once said, it’s all in the reflexes. Walking today hasn’t been fun, though the shoulder that took most of the blows isn’t as sore as I was expecting. Which was nice. I need to warm up more and work on my reflexes. I adore fencing, but there’s days it really hurts.

As for the future, who knows? I’m still eyeing off going to the next Concord event to crew, hoping to hear about upcoming events (I have been very good and not been bombarding the Path of the Warden crew with questions) and am looking forward to new Lower Decks and Transformers One. Do I like Chris Hemsworth’s Optimus Prime voice? Not really. I’m also not a fan of the tone of it, at least based on the trailer, let alone the celebrity rather than voice actor casting. Peter Cullen’s voice casts a long shadow and Hemsworth based on the trailer doesn’t have it. Still, it’s not to have a reminder that at heart it’s a production for people who were my age when I first watched the show. I’m reminded of the age of the cinema audience when I went to see Muppets from Space.

That’s it, time for bed. Night all. Be seeing you.

PS: No, you don’t get a photo of my hair, you’ll have to wait till you see me in the flesh. My wife’s orders.

This one time, at Wizard camp…

No, we’re not going there, but the line was too good not to use.

So, I spent my weekend on the other side of the country pretending to be a wizard. It was a lot of fun and I’m going to talk about it. Before I do though, there’s been some lovely things happen recently, despite falling into my now traditional ‘extend the times between psych visits and immediately collapse mentally’ issues. I got a photo with the Great Maker at Supanova *and* he remembered me from being in the audience at his writing panel about 45 minutes beforehand. I get that I have a distinctive beard, or maybe it was the ‘Not the One’ shirt I was wearing but I’m still buzzing from that moment Furthermore, in what was the best $10 I’ve spent since I bought a housemate a pendant of a bloody guillotine, I entered a raffle and won a pair of lightsabers! They’re currently charging and I’m really looking forward to putting them through their paces. This might be the inducement towards finally doing some Star Wars cosplay, though I’d need a belt hook for them first.

Wait, that clip is *how many* years old? *crumbles to dust*

So, wizard school. No, nothing involved with the ‘TERF Who Shall Not Be Named’, outside of the counter spell ‘Copyrightus’, to be deployed if anything from that series was used. I spent more time doing research in the leadup listening to the Snake Boys from Smersh Pod talk through the movies and I’m still cackling over the ‘Nearly Cancelled Nick’ running gag. Mentally, it’s the traditional post event slow returning to reality and I’d expected that. On the bright side, I booked more time off work afterwards, and the rain during the event held off, as I’d been caught in heavy rain twice the previous day racing back to my hotel. The venue was nice, with a series of cabins/small houses so players and crew were all in groups. The players were split up into various styles – each did the same thing, but had a preferred style and theme – Physical, Nature, Mental, etc. We members of Physical House were bunking with the Meta-Magic folks and while jocks and nerds are naturally mortal enemies, we bonded swiftly. Main issues were the sand and dirt we tramped inside (As you all know, it’s coarse and irritating and get’s everywhere), followed by the cold. Yes, it’s winter, but there were times when I had to pee in the early morning and was desperately hanging on, hoping the temperature would rise. I was reminded of the listening to podcast about the event And Now My Watch Begins, where it snowed. Yes, the game was set on the Wall in Westeros so it was incredibly evocative, but still. Needless to say, the sleeping bag gifted by my in-laws recently came in incredibly handy.

Outside of the cold, the venue was solid. It was a good size, the dorm rooms weren’t too far away and didn’t feel like everyone was in sight, so you could plot nefariously out of sight. I was part of a group planning to summon a demon at one point (We had it’s true name, so could have banished it easily), but we ran out of time/couldn’t find the other conspiracy members when needed. Next time Gadget, next time… Moving on. the catering was welcome (I do like bread and sausages, though I understand they aren’t to everyone’s tastes) and well stocked. Food is good and they deserve more applause.

The event was split up into classes, with breaks between. Classes included spell casting (Which nearly went to hell owing to repeated attacks by undead creatures. Experience is one thing, but nearly getting students killed is another), wand making (Arts and crafts time!) and magical creatures (Cute puppets and more arts and crafts!). Classes went well, though I was hoping for more content in a couple of them. The afternoon was break time, for me mostly being nap time, before dinner and some more shenanigans, the main skirmish on Saturday night I accidentally missed owing to getting wound up in conversation and not hearing the main group of players. Whoops… There were several Fae on campus, though I’ll admit the two mushroom themed ones constantly starting dance parties did put me off somewhat. I am very much not a dance party guy, but points for commitment to the bit from the crew. Also, the horror of someone getting torn in two by the Fae king and queen, owing to a deal the school headmaster had made back in the day, that had some impact. I caught some of the plot regarding that, but as I emerged from a nap shortly before the whole drama kicked off, I didn’t get the full thing. Feelings were had, though the less said about the mandatory therapy session afterwards the better. Well meaning, but not the best execution.

Cutest. Monster. Ever. (Drink can for size comparison)

Spellcasting involved yelling something in pseudo-Latin and flourishing your foci, which for most folks was a wand. It was lovely to see how swiftly everyone got into the spirit of the thing, both in the shouting and reacting sense. I understand it can be tricky when there’s nothing to react to, but it still sparks joy when the switch is flipped and the in game becomes real, much like seeing people panic at the initial zombie release in Zedtown back in the day. (I really miss that game, and still hold out a forlorn hope it’ll return.) Other shenanigans included a list ranking students preferred teachers (I fell asleep the Saturday night to the sound of that night being debated in the kitchen and the reaction from staff the morning after was heated), mostly legal duelling and Physical House triumphing over the staff in a game of spellball, aka wizard dodgeball. it started as 3 out of 3, then grew into best of 9 as neither side refused to admit defeat or get enough of a lead. Also, we students took far longer to start using our wands than the teachers, so we had a moral victory as well.

I’ll be honest, I missed a fair chunk of the plot, and I do regret that. There were a couple points when I needed a nap, owing to general exhaustion or noise overload. It had been a stressful week leading up to game, and that reflected in my performance. There was no IC romance, though I did volunteer for it – one of the local Fae had a prophecy that he was going to be ‘laid like an egg’, and while that wasn’t my flavour, I hadn’t tried it and why not? It seemed that the prophecy was misread, and as far as I know nothing more happened. The main regret, outside of not doing more, was should I have let my character die at the final ceremony? In short, there was a large ceremony to replenish the wards around the school, and I was one of the people donating a serious amount of mana to help with that. I was having a bad brain moment, not helped by a nasty tarot reading from one of the mushroom folks. The idea of a long life devoid of creativity is an utter nightmare to me, both in and out of character, and the thought of dying as the hero really appealed for a few seconds. ‘Let me die the hero, after so many as a villain. It is far better thing I do, than I have ever done…” Still, what’s done is done.

Despite the (mostly self inflicted) issues, I still had a blast. The people, players and admins, were lovely, and getting to reunite with some of the South Australian folks from Path of the Warden was a joy. I’m looking forward to the photos, if only to see what sort of absurd faces I’m striking. Actually, that’s another issue – I regret not getting any group photos, be that the players, or the school houses. And yes, I’m planning to head back next year should there be another event, dependent on time. Shockingly, I’m already having ideas, this time for a faculty member, the school’s sports teacher. The costume would be modified sports armour covered in runes, maybe with an enchanted whistle or blowing horn. Ah, the things my brain does instead of letting me sleep.

That’s it for the moment. Be seeing you.

“Damn, it feels odd to be a player.”

It feels weird that I haven’t submitted an event for Pheno. I mean, I’ve had ideas, but they were more fragments, such as running a sequel to a game that didn’t happen, where the players construct/have flashbacks to the previous adventure as they go through and not a worthy scenario. Yes, jokes about what happened in the last movie can be amusing, but without a solid framework of an idea, a scenario, that’s not enough for me. I guess it’s my head’s way of saying you’re taking a break? It’s not that I’m not looking forward to playing again, I enjoy that, but there’s something special about GMing at cons that sparks joy. The wonder, the variety, of seeing groups deal with things in different ways. It makes me happy, and almost die from laughter. Seems odd is all, given I haven’t had any inclination for running something at home again. I mean, I have plans, but haven’t had the brain to put them into practice. Damn brain.

True, it’s been a stressful last few weeks, with knowing the submission deadline is coming and issues with work and home. Far too many people in my life coming down sick, to say nothing of how many were sick the day of my birthday event. I was damn glad anyone made it there were so many “I’m sorry, but we’re sick” messages. (I don’t blame anyone, to be clear – I’d rather you stay home and get well than force yourselves out) The day itself was enjoyable, Wyrmspan is a fun game (Tiny Dragons!) and The Court Jester went down a storm. Given this year’s film choices were mostly swashbuckling, I’m tempted to make the choices a genre next year, with sci-fi, schlock and sword and sorcery among them. Though to be fair I can likely find something that’ll combine all 3 in one. A new tradition has also been started, that of a late night classic series Doctor Who, with The Ark in Space being chosen. It nearly got horribly derailed, given I jokingly mentioned liking them too much to subject them to Timelash, but maybe there’ll be a night when they need to see Paul Darrow chewing the entirety of BBC Television Centre after he runs out of scenery. I’m also oddly proud of the playlist I put together, as putting it together involved answering questions like “It’s a party – we probably don’t need the theme to The Prisoner.” Also, there’s only 3 versions of Run to the Hills, which I consider to be very restrained on my part.

Distractions have helped somewhat, though the theming was accidental. Between showing my wife Ghostbusters: Afterlife, picking up the remaster of the Xbox game and getting to see Frozen Empire, my brain has been stuck on “Who you gonna call?” In short: we both really enjoyed Afterlife, I adore the Xbox game, despite some issues, with the background banter between the team a highlight. I’m not sure what I find funnier, the jokes about how often Ray get’s possessed or that you can interact with the painting of Vigo in the fire house, that Max Von Sydow recorded new dialogue for. As for Frozen Empire, it wasn’t bad, but felt overstuffed with characters and had a few too many nods to the original film for my tastes. Yes, I’m aware that’s doppelganger check time for me, who lives in the past as much as possible, but even I have my limits. Who’d have thought? This has naturally snowballed into me digging up a PDF of the old RPG, some idle googling of has anyone run a live action version, and wondering how you’d represent proton packs and traps in a LARP. I can see some sort of GM controlled Bluetooth device for the PKE meters (The louder it gets the more energy is nearby, as a general thing), but the proton packs is something else. Maybe MacGyvering a laser tag system, or hi-vis on the ghost costumes that needs to be illuminated by torches on the stream throwers for a certain chunk of time? Either way, the establishment of a new branch seems like a good start for a game and it’s been added to the ever growing list of game ideas I have. Also, I enjoyed the 2016 film, still want to be like Holtzman when I grow up and hope that someday we’ll see a proton pack rigged for a left hander.

Speaking of LARP, things are up in the air. Ravenswood hasn’t sold many tickets yet so who knows (Though I did test my costume when I was acting as the Responsible Adult at Niece’s 16th birthday party), Lost Settlers hasn’t announced dates yet and I fucked up slightly and bought a ticket to Heilung in Sydney for a ritual halfway through Drachenfest. Ooops. I’m going to be good though, and not scalp the ticket for a pile of cash as a relative suggested. That leaves Concord in September, and while I know at least one person thinking of going, the nation she and her husband are looking at is the one I have the least ideas for. So, I can go with that and know someone, or throw myself into the unknown, but with a nation I’m keener on. *ponders* Taking the second option will mean there’s another chance to wear my giant hat, which is tipping the scales somewhat. Then it’s the old issues of working out what parts of the event I want to play in, creating a working character, and not an excuse just to buy more weapons and another cloak. As if I need a reason for that!

A bearded man wearing a giant leather hat.
“Man walks down the street in a hat like that, you know he’s not afraid of anything …“

I could talk more, but it’s well past time for bed. Be seeing you…

“Brains, and the storming of”

So, I spent the Invasion Day long weekend having a mini vacation with my wife and as usual on a vacation, I collapsed. I slept most of the first day as is traditional, then slept badly the second night and barely slept at all the last night. My emotions are all over the shop (I don’t normally almost break down crying when reading Princess Bride memes, but it happened), my concentration is frequently… something, and I still can’t quite mesh the two competing/contrasting themes together for my Pheno event I’m planning. However, I’m going to try to talk about good stuff that emerged from my brain over the time, and a lot of that involves brainstorming ideas. Dinner on the Thursday night was a feast of ideas old and new. The creative process is a wonderful thing, and getting to do so with my wife just makes it all the more wonderful. I know I’ve talked about how she has a wonderful knack for taking my bizarre over the top ideas, shaving off the dodgy bits and sculpting them into the pieces of glorious nonsense they are. And she’s only gotten better at it. So, let’s go.

The end of The Princess Bride, with Kermit as the grandchild and Cary Elwes as the grandfather.
As you wish… *cries*

Resistance is *static noise*
The Borg. The most implacable enemy of Starfleet. You’ve likely fought against them, or run away from them, but what happens if you are one? As far as you can remember, you’ve been part of the Collective, travelling the galaxy adding other creatures biological and technological distinctiveness to your own. Resistance is futile. And then one day, you wake up, and there’s nothing. You can’t hear the Collective, you remember nothing of your name, or past, or even what species you were/are now. (“Hey, my forehead’s lumpy, means I’m not Human!”) The Cube you travelled on is now a shattered barely functioning wreck, but there are others who have shared your fate. Some newly assimilated drones may still be wearing scraps of uniform, but for most there seems to be no trace of who you were or are. For now, survival is key – can you restore power and life support to the vessel, let alone navigation? You’ve no idea what part of the galaxy you’re in, and with no idea how this has happened to you. So, what’s next? (I have to say this was part inspired, at least for me, by memories of an old RPG called Zero, that I found for $5 at a convention decades back, but never actually ran.)

Today is a good day to die, but the day is not yet over.
A few posts ago I mentioned the Klingon Empire version of the current Star Trek RPG, and an idea popped up. What if, instead of a ship full of proud warriors, you had the misfits and screw ups? Those who would create rather than destroy, a ship of Alexander’s rather than Worf’s. It would be dishonourable to kill them, so they’ve been assigned to an old Bird of Prey and sent out into the galaxy, to find their purpose or die in the attempt. Do they embrace their warrior heritage, or attempt to find a new path, one that could perhaps revolutionise Klingon culture? (Yes, I’m very much reminded of the Orion’s in the Strange New Worlds crossover) As much as the whole macho Klingon aspect appeals to me (Yes, I’m aware I have issues), I do enjoy the idea off turning all that on it’s head.

A meme about a Klingon acting as ship's counselor.
Glory to you, and your house!

Wait, what would Picard do?
Lastly, this is another space one, and was begun by my wife. The idea was for one of the larger space settings like Traveller, but I’m sure it could be adapted to a lot of other settings. So, the standard group of characters in those sort of games seems to be a rag-tag group of smugglers or scrappy revolutionaries, aka space murder hobos. Case in point, the 1st Edition of the Star Wars RPG where the characters were… Rebel operatives. And that’s it. It wasn’t till 2nd Ed that ideas opened up. So, what if instead you were the command crew of a military vessel? None of you have met before – it could be your first tour, or your last. How do you deal with the responsibilities, deal with the crew, and cope with orders you may disagree with. When you can stand those orders no longer, what do you do? Work within the system and hope for change, or mutiny? And how does that mutiny go? Have you made friends with the crew, or are you more of the iron fist captain type?

Join Starfleet for the swag!
There’s more than the skants!

That last idea slightly mutated into thoughts inspired by a Stargate campaign I’m playing in. So, the default player group in the game is that of an SG Team, a perfectly sensible idea for it. But the idea for other options came to mind, and there’s more than a few in that setting. NID spooks back on Earth, a group of To’kra, members of the Free Jaffa movement or former Go’auld who’ve had the snake removed. To quote my wife, “there’s no point playing one as Claudia Black did it perfectly”, but you could try, I guess? (Also, the range of Big Finish Stargate audio plays is now back on sale and well worth a listen.)

So, yeah. Feel free to use them, as I, it feels weird to say can’t, but I’m not the GM for them. Maybe the Klingon idea, but the Lower Decks wackiness is closest to my skill set. Coming up with ideas that aren’t in my skill set as a GM is a blessing and a curse. It’s good to have an outlet for them, as not all of them work for LARPS I Will Never Run. Speaking of LARP, I’ve booked my ticket to Ravenswood Institute and completed my enrolment submission form, asking my likes, dislikes and any red flags. I like drama (Desperate last stands are one my thing’s), I loathe snails and slugs (Out of character) and need IC romance to function. OK, not quite, but I’ve had a lot of fun with it and want to do more. I think I’ve got my character idea bashed out, and I’m currently in the throes of costuming options and a suitably over the top entrance to game. The two leading ideas are ‘in character’ as the evil wizard he’s best known for playing, or post fan convention very hungover. Either way, I’ve plenty of time to work on options.

Lastly, I’ve been watching Nemesis on iview. It’s been a rage-inducing documenting of Australian political chaos, or to quote The Bugle Podcast, “a Human Centipede of backstabbing.” There’s been plenty of things I’d managed to happily forget from those times, such as the smug look of entitlement on Bronwyn Bishop’s face, or Wyatt Roy. All of him. The whole ‘Knights and Dames’ thing. Hearing Christopher Pyne’s, I want to say, ‘human’ speaking voice will haunt me for years to come and if I never hear or see Michaelia Cash ever again, I won’t miss her one bit. I’d dearly love to see footage of a just overthrown Tony Abbott swearing bitterly at Malcolm Turnbull, to say nothing of the exchange between the two from a committee meeting:
TUNRBULL: “If you’d let me finish.”
ABBOT: “If you’d let me finish my Prime Ministership…”

High School levels of pettiness doesn’t come close. And I haven’t even gotten to Barnaby Joyce, and I try not to at the best of times. Why was I watching this? Morbid curiosity and schadenfreude mostly – watching the Liberals tear each other to bits does warm my heart, even as the rest of me is being warmed thanks to their shitty climate policies.

Well past time for bed. Goodnight all, sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.

So many emotions, so little time.


This update may be a little fragmented, owing to an earlier version not saving and some strong emotions, which I’ll get to later. To start with the nerd stuff – the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds binge has continued and the musical episode is truly glorious. I don’t generally care for musicals (This is Spinal Tap being a prominent exemption), but that was wonderful. I’m also cursing the season ending cliff-hanger, but I really should be used to those right now. Other chunks of my mental health have been propped up by binge listening to old episodes of A Wheezing Groaning Sound, the only Doctor Who podcast. Their episodes on City of Death and The Time Warrior are particular highlights, the former for their glee at everything Duggan either punches or smashes (Which is a lot), and the latter for the repeated jokes about Jon Pertwee yelling “HAI” at every opportunity. I’d get into the Ian Lavender discussion during their coverage of The Pirate Planet, but that has to be heard to be believed. Suffice to say, ever since listening to that one that I’ve not been able to hear the word lavender without wanting to shout “Oh shit, it’s The Hello Goodbye Man!” I swear, it made some sort of sense in the episode.

Now that’s what I call K-Pop!

I’m making preparations for an upcoming birthday and this years viewing is determined by a poll! Saturday also saw a playtest for a friends RPG, based on her urban fantasy novels, which was good fun. Feedback was given, and fascists were punched – both worthy things. Ravenswood Institute has released their event information packet and importantly, there’s another player organising a convoy to get there, as the venue is about 150kms from Perth. The brainstorming has continued, and I think I’ve settled on a PC idea. I know that’s dangerous 6 months out, but given how much I dither, it’s good to sort that nice and early. Thee idea is this: a mature age student (I have little confidence in my ability to pretend to be a 19 year old in person) who’s life in the mundane world has led him to appear in D-grade fantasy films. The current working version is played a villain in a cult hit early in his career, and owing to fan demands (and possibly chemical intake), the line between actor and character has blurred somewhat.

“Name sir?”
“My name? Foolish mortal! I am Skaldack the Destroyer! Where I tread I leave nothing but dust and darkness. All life is my enemy, all life shall perish under the reign of, oh I’m so sorry, old habits. Ah yes, the table was for 10, booked under the name David.”

Needless to say, the idea had me chuckling quite a bit, and was received positively by one of the admin team, so it’s a go I guess? The next part to choose will be what approach I take – do I go full Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest (As I’ve said before, the best Star Trek film and that’s a hill I will die on) or dress like a cheesy goth wizard from a SyFy Original movie. Given I’ve been browsing for faux leather pants, and my wife’s reaction to that piece of information, that’s in the lead. Shallow? Who, me?

Now, to the emotional section. Saturday night saw a TV1 reunion, based around the 10th anniversary of the channel’s end. (I mostly worked for SF, their sister channel) To be clear, it was hard for me, as I loved that place and would likely still be there in some fashion if at all possible. On the way there I was browsing the invite list hoping I remembered enough people, and I did get the jitters the closer I got. It had been a long time since I’d seen them, and upon doing so I was overwhelmed with emotions. Seeing happy looks at my arrival helped ease the jitters somewhat, even if the next thing out of most people’s mouths was “And where is your wife?” I showed some of them her calendar to explain her absence, but I still don’t think that got across how busy she likes to be.

The first of two big moments involved talking to my former supervisor. We were doing the update thing, and I was discussing my journey, getting to the point where I realized I needed to talk to someone about my mental health, then stopping and managing to say “I’m sorry, this was supposed to be a fun night.” It was an awkward moment, but one that was treated with sympathy and respect, and for that I damn near wept. Not seeing someone for over 10 years means you can forget how lovely they are, and I certainly had. Emotions flooded back, joy, fulfillment, of the delight that all that useless nerd trivia I’d built up came in handy. Of feeling needed, and in control in the workplace. Oh, and having air conditioning in the workplace. I’m not saying things were perfect for me there and looking back on it there were plenty of times I could have used mental help, but it was also the workplace where I’ve felt happiest. It could be said to have ruined me for future jobs a bit and others I talked to agreed on that.

That brought back how I felt in the first two jobs I held post TV1, and how bitterly I hated the atmosphere in them. I may flip the bird to the building one was located in on the rare occasions I pass by it. (Yes, I try to hold my standards higher, but on occasion I can be spectacularly petty) I try not to begrudge people interests other than mine, but having to play ads for the Kardashians, let alone other E Channel shows, on a science fiction based channel, even one that was a pale imitation of the original that I adored, still feels like a stain on my life and soul. It felt like I was having to promote something that was opposed to everything I stand for. There’s times I take my fandoms far too seriously, and that may be one of them.

The other big moment of the night was chatting to another former co-worker, who explained that reading my gaming tales here had given her a window into a world she otherwise had no idea about. A speedy way to my heart is to tell me you read my work – all too often during my time writing a weekly nerd update at SF I’d wonder if I was just yelling incoherently into the ether and the precious few responses I got (Outside of the ones from my wife alerting me to typos) meant a lot to me. Anyhow when the person in question reads this, if you ever want to try your hand at gaming, you only have to ask. I’m always happy to help new blood into the hobby. As for the rest of the night the venue reminded me of both the farewell party we had for the channel there, and having to go to the Ivy Bar once after a team building event, which left me both feeling incredibly out of place and wanting to burn the place to the ground and salt the earth so nothing could grow their again. I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite so out of place anywhere. But I digress. I managed to mostly hold it together, and only broke down when I got home and could hug my wife.

It’s late, and I should sleep. Night all.

* Except for the guy who was obsessed with the possible return of Firefly, to the extent that he’d bitch about cast members getting other jobs, as that might interfere with a possible Firefly return. Some people really need a new hobby.

“Well, Shaka when the walls fell.”

As far as I know, it is functionally impossible for me to fall asleep anywhere but lying on my  back. So, it’s been suboptimal that I’ve spent a solid chunk of the last few nights for some reason lying on my front attempting to quiet my brain so I can finally crash out. Alas, a lot of that time has been spent drafting blurbs for updates that I immediately forget as soon as I fall asleep. *sigh* So, I’m trying to reconstruct some of them here, or at the very least talk/write through stuff. Once again, here we go…

I have survived another year, somehow managed the Christmas season without resorting to fire and slaughter and passed New Years with barely a drop of misery. Hearing my in-laws had gone off-list for a Christmas gift had me concerned, but when said gift turned out to be a (beautiful) drinking horn, any fears were swiftly calmed. Playing Cards Against Humanity with a housemate’s mother being among the players was awkward, though no more awkward than drawing the question card “What makes me wet?” I get that it’s based on what cards people have in their hands, but based on the answers I got some of my friends have an odd idea of my kinks. And no, I’m not telling you what those are.

That has passed though. There’s been medicinal fuck-ups (Forgetting or sleeping past the allotted time, not over indulging, to be clear), far too late nights and more than the the odd bout of emptiness, both in the forgetting to eat and wondering what the fuck am I doing today definitions. I don’t fall to pieces every time my wife goes away, but it’s a bad time of year for it to happen. So yeah… Loathe as I am to Google diagnose seasonal affective disorder, Christmas does bring stress, rage and anxiety in large amounts. Good times!

In further bad news, Path of the Warden has been put back to 2025 and the news felt like running into a wall. Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely on-board with the admin team’s reasons and have zero ill will towards them for it, it just brings back memories of Covid days when the calendar kept getting emptier and the days blurred together. Yes, there are other events running this year, and I’ve started tentative efforts towards putting together groups to go to them, but as previously stated I was really looking forward to that event. *sighs*

Only bright sides are I have more time for costume prep (Or more accurately, being incredibly indecisive about what I’m going to wear for longer) and there’s a chance I’ll be able to drag Niece, then to be aged 17, to it. She’s said convention freeforms aren’t really her thing and I respect that, but I’d love to get her to a foam weapon game for her to try it. This hobby makes me so damn happy, I want to share it with people, and if that means dragging a family member interstate so they can play dress up and try to thwack people with rubber swords then I’ll do that. A provisional agreement between us to do so has been reached about it, though she’s indicated she’ll require naps during the game. I don’t blame her. I’m still surprised I made it through the event without crashing, physically or emotionally. After the game though…

Artists reaction of the author’s brain at the game postponement news.

Turning to better news, I chose to take time and grabbed a Paramount +* trial to finally catch Star Trek: Lower Decks, and it is glorious. Star Trek workplace comedy may have been the idea, but it doesn’t shy away from the more terrifying parts of that universe, even while it’s cracking gags at a speed rarely seen since Airplane. Ask me, it’s a more than worthy successor to Galaxy Quest (Still the *best* Star Trek film, and I will DIE ON THAT HILL), in that loving tribute/merciless parody mix. It’s been 3 days, I’ve burned through all 4 seasons and am hankering for more. It’s the first Trek, bar the movies, that I’ve seen all of, and I love it. They’re a shipful of player characters and that’s a Star Trek game that I could run. Sure, I won’t, as the rules system is above my preferred crunch level as a GM and I’m still keener on the Klingon version of the book. Yes, they’re my favourite Trek race, mostly because I never lost the feeling of power they gave a young and scrawny me, and that feeling continues as an older and more pudgy adult. (Also, the songs) This may also explain why I’ve spent so much time admiring the tales of a certain northern barbarian…  

The sheer amount of Easter Eggs and historical gags is stunning, whether it’s taking the piss at the stranger parts of Voyager, familiar voices from other parts of the franchise (Recognising them is kind of a thing of mine), dealing with Q, or calling the TOS era ‘those old scientists.’ And the crossover with Strange New Worlds was beautiful. Also, GORN WEDDING. The line “I suppose, by the transitive property, I too must be Vulcan as a motherfucker.” And I can’t help but cackle at the bleeping – that makes everything funnier. I can’t decide what was the biggest punch the air moment for me, between the Titan’s arrival and Shaxs finally getting to eject a warp core. Also, “Moopsy” has taken it’s place in the list of things that will immediately induce sheer terror in me, alongside “Are you my Mummy?” and “Hmmmmmm.” 

If you know, you know.

Continuing the TV talk, the Doctor Who anniversary and Christmas specials were a delight. I wasn’t sure about the return of [SPOILERS, AS MY WIFE READS THIS AND HASN’T SEEN THEM], but I was happily surprised. Getting to see [REDACTED] again, even if only briefly, was incredibly emotional, to say nothing of seeing [DELETED FOR SECURITY REASONS] and the whole [THIS CONTENT IS NOT AVAILABLE IN YOUR REGION]. Large sections of them has seemed to really piss off certain toxic sections of fandom, even if I did spend a couple of days of being on the same side as Ian Levine and I still feel unclean from that. The new Doctor is amazing, and oh gods, his costumes are wonderful. I’m really looking forward to the new season, but I’m like that with all Who. I love it at it’s best, and at it’s worst.

So, yeah. Bit up, bit down. My best to you and yours for the new year. Be seeing you…

*blows dust off* *coughs*

Been a while. I’d like to say I’ve been off doing stuff, having amazing adventures and what not, but I’ve mostly been in a brutal depressive funk. Now, it’s not been all bad. There’s been some delightful stuff in that time – I went to my first live concert in 3 years and holy crap I was feeling out of shape the next day. I wasn’t even going at it that hard. Lawnmower Deth’s Into the Pit has never felt so appropriate.

Speaking of things I’ve badly missed, I spent the long weekend at a LARP, and while there were parts I had issues with (Not in a bad way, more a me being tired and cranky kind of way), spending the Saturday night sitting around a fire and swapping stories while wearing a cloak, I damn near wept. I’d missed that so much. That game has ended now, and will be replaced by a fantasy post apocalypse game. Hmmm. I’m still planning on going, but I’d be lying if I said I was keen on the post-apoc angle. I like escapism in my entertainment, more so in times such as these. I still haven’t found a LARP that’s running near me that will let me buckle my swash to a satisfactory degree, and while I know of two games that are currently running, one’s a battle game and I had a bad first experience at the other that soured me on it. Lest you think I’m warning you off it, I’m told by friends who attend the admin team has almost completely changed, as has the atmosphere, so please don’t let me stop you. I have no interest in stomping on anyone’s fun.

Speaking of rock and roll, some Googling brought about a wonderful blast from the past. I’ve spoken in the past about a Datsun’s gig, where the normally 6 minute Freeze Sucker became a near 15 minute epic. I NOW HAVE VIDEO. Thanks to a kind soul with a YouTube account, 23 year old me is somewhere down at the front, skinny, barely bearded (Yes, it was a long time ago) and flailing around with a grin on his face a mile wide. I kinda lost touch with the Datsuns after that album, as their second one seemed to be writing songs as opposed to a jam session that was recorded, which was my take on their debut. That’s not a bad thing mind you – look at the difference in the Saints from I’m Stranded to Eternally Yours. While Nights in Venice has that full tilt everything’s about to melt down energy, Chris Bailey’s sneer of “It’s all so funny, I can’t laugh” on This Perfect Day is well, perfect and Orstralia deserves to be a national anthem.

Gaming continues to bring joy. Bombshells has added a new player, one of my wife’s work friends, and she’s fitted in seamlessly. Case in point, they were pursuing someone through a crowded park, and she proceeded to grab a picnic basket and hurl it at the fleeing suspect. She then immediately apologised to the couple who’s picnic she interrupted. Her character is Canadian after all. But on the flipside, I have players keen for Troubleshooters, but I keep staring at blank pages. To add to that, my Babylon 5 freeform has been accepted to Pheno in October, and I’m hoping third time’s the charm, both for the convention running and for me actually finishing the damn thing.

Kenobi continues to be wonderful, both to the nostalgia loving parts of my brain (Yes, I do have other parts to my brain, though my wife may disagree with that. To her credit, she continually tries to get me interested in things younger than I am, in the hope I’ll outlive more of them) and the part that is loving watching Ewan McGregor. For all I may mock the overly twirly moments, his lightsaber technique is gorgeous. Also, I hasped with delight at seeing Indira Varma, leading to my wife asking what that was about. At the end of the episode I explained, only to be met with a stern, “Yes, I know who she is, it’s hard not to forget her from Rome“, and while I’m mangling her exact words to remain spoiler free, YOU SHOULD HAVE WATCHED ROME BY NOW. I first met a friend when she was wearing a “What would Titus Pullo do?” shirt. Some of the people who asked were surprised by the sweary response. Can’t please everyone.

That’s enough for tonight. Be seeing you.