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Planning and plotting…

Yes, once again it’s been far too long between entries. Nothing and no-one to blame but myself. Yes, I’ve been busier than normal at times, but that doesn’t count. In an effort to put some format in this though, I’ll categorise it. Some of this may be old news to you, but I’m sure you’re a responsible adult who can cope with that. Or you’re like my wife and will be counting the amount of times you’ve heard me tell it. Also, if you don’t spot the reference, your cultural education in classic film is sorely lacking.

THE GOOD:
Two missing episodes of Doctor Who have been found! Episodes 1 and 3 of the 12 part First Doctor story The Daleks Master Plan were found in the estate of a deceased film collector and all praise to Film is Fabulous for their recovery. This takes it to 5 out of 12 episodes that now exist, which means we’re almost halfway there. (Woah-oh, chicken on a bear!) It still feels unreal to think that these 2 episodes hadn’t been seen since they were first aired in 1965. The collector who had them in his collection hadn’t even screened them – he was more a fan of trains and canals. The universe can be amazing some days, and given how long it’s been since the last missing episodes came to light, I was starting to give up hope. (I take some small amount of joy from a certain polarising figure in Who fandom posting about his mixed feelings at the recovery as while it’s his favourite story, he’d recently had them remade through AI. For the third time.) Given the all the rumour and hearsay around the modern show at the moment, it’s bloody lovely for some good news. Ncuti was wonderful, but the finale (and the chaos rumoured around it) left a bad taste in my mouth. Obviously, I know very little of what went on, and I look forward to the making of documentary once it’s been long enough, but surely they could have done better? Returning to the point though, if there was only a way I could watch the newly discovered episodes without crime…

Lost Settlers continues to get closer, and I continue to try to be calm about it. Kit’s mostly here, I’m just stressing over background details, IC behaviour (I’m really hoping to get in some messy IC romance play) and looking for accessories, jewellery etc. There’s been some limited practice of what could be called a Scottish accent (and what Scots would call a race crime), and given who I’m playing I could use some practise with the axe I bought for the event as well. Also, while I’ll take some extra kit, I’m trying not to make firm plans for a backup character. Going in with that seems to tempt fate, as if I won’t care if my character gets killed. And look, I won’t, but I don’t want to. If ti comes to that, I want a dramatic last stand, something worthy. I’m going in wanting to live, but knowing that character death is a possibility. Yes, I’m a little nervous about things, but I keep telling myself that there will be a couple of folks I know OC, even if they’re in different factions. The last couple of times I’ve gone to events in faraway places it’s gone well, so why should this be any different? Mind you, I haven’t found a suitable gourd for my belt yet, and after I got approval from the GM team to carry on as an Easter Egg.

There’s finally been some progress made on the renovations, even if we hadn’t done much recently. I’ve finally gotten back into the painting, and making some progress, however small, feels good. We inch ever closer to me beginning the task of re-shelving everything. My wife may be taking some time away to help a friend who’s about to give birth, so should that happen I’ll try to throw myself into that to distract myself, and so I don’t spend her time away being miserable. Plus, there’s the hope that when she returns I’ll be able to show off the work I’ve done. Yes, I’m a sucker for praise, but I try to keep a lid on it. Mostly I’m reminded of that when my brain care specialists and fencing instructor approve of things I do, and I feel like I’m floating.

The first season of Starfleet Academy was delightful and I was sad to see if won’t continue after season 2. I spent the time bouncing between in-jokes, laughter and tears, and genuinely liking the characters. Or just wanting to give them a hug and tell them it’ll all be OK. That’s been followed by catching up on S3 of Strange New Worlds, and the holodeck test episode was a joy to watch. I’m not saying I want a full blown Star Trek: Columbo, but it was a delightful way to introduce the concept to Those Old Scientists.

Lastly, I’ve submitted a freeform for Pheno, and am in the agonising wait to see if it’s been accepted or not. Given they’ve been calling for more tabletops, I expect it’s a crowded field this year, and it might be the year my event doesn’t get accepted. My wife would say I’m far too down on my work, but I always get nervous about this time.

THE BAD:
I’ve had less time in the store than I like the last few weeks and while it’s finally cooling down, there’s been some brutally hot days, I decided to wear one of my kilts to the store recently, and nobody said a bloody thing. Not one word. Either they’re used to that sort of thing, or I’m gong to have to start dressing fancier if I want compliments. For the most part, customers continue to be lovely. Sure, there was the guy this week who threw a fit about having to leave his bag downstairs, but he left quickly. Then there was Tattoo Guy. Short version: a heavily tattooed guy (As in, arms and head covered in ink) stuck his head in a few weeks ago and asked if I was a wizard. No bad thing, he seemed cheerful, albeit a bit addled. I took it as an amusing incident and moved on with my day. He came past again this week, spotted me and stuck his head in again, yelled something incomprehensible and saluted me.

His salute was with his right arm. Which he kept straight out in-front of him.

I really hope I’m overthinking it, but I’m no longer amused.

Turning to music, while I have tickets to Iron Maiden and Skindred (And tickets to the Damned just went on sale), that’s been tinged with sadness at the deaths of Ross ‘the Boss’ Friedman (Founding guitarist of NYC punk legends The Dictators and power metal legends Manowar) and Phil Campbell (Motorhead). I was lucky enough to see Friedman twice (Once with the Dictators, once solo) and both shows were phenomenal. Once again, my wife wanting me to like bands younger than I am so I’ll outlive them continues to come across as irritating, but sensible.

THE UGLY:
After several weeks of teasing, Nathan Fillion announced that he’s developing a Firefly animated series and I don’t know how I feel about it. Look, I adore the show and a few years back it was the short of thing I’d have given my left nut for. But with the passage of time, the fall from grace (so to speak) of Joss Whedon and the fact it’ll be set between the show and Serenity, I’m not as thrilled as I was expecting? To say nothing of the fact that while Whedon won’t be involved, Adam Baldwin will, and if you aren’t across his conservative shitheadery, well ignorance is bliss. I haven’t watched the show in many years, and it’s old enough that I’ve developed that nostalgic lens for it. Look, I frequently let my enthusiasm as a fan get away from me (I think back to some of the praise I had for Steven Moffatt when he took over as Doctor Who showrunner and cringe) and yeah, I did that with Whedon as well. I find myself glad I never bought a ‘Joss Whedon is my Master now’ shirt, but there’s a lot of shirts in that category. I get it, we want the people who make things we enjoy to be good people, and we get disappointed when they aren’t. Perhaps we need to go into things assuming the worst? That seems overly bleak but I’ve known worse coping mechanisms.

As for a possible series, it’s a long way off. I’ve seen no word of interested channels or streaming services since the announcement, mostly people feeling icky about Baldwin and Whedon. It wouldn’t be the first time an actor has tried to get an old show back on the air, and while this one seems more possible than say, than Richard Hatch’s attempts to get Battlestar Galactica back, it feels equally quixotic. One last thing: it’ll be set between the series and Serenity, so while that means we get Wash and Book as characters (With Book being recast in place of the late Ron Glass), it also means we know what’ll happen to them. As strange as it may sound coming from me, if you’re going to do something along those lines, then take it to a time period we haven’t seen before. Try something new! That was my main issue with Ghostbusters: Frozen empire – you’ve had your Force Awakens film reintroducing everything, there’s potential for something new, and while I enjoyed the film the sheer volume of nods and call backs to the old days seems to take away from the new cast. We shall see if more happens.

That’s it for the time being. Hopefully I’ll have more Lost Settlers updates next entry. Be seeing you…

Can you say ‘Happy New Year’ with less sarcasm?

How am I?

It’s been, a time. It felt very strange being told “Happy New Year!” by one of my brain doctors recently. He seemed taken aback at my “Happy? Have you read the news?” response but it’s a bleak time of year for me. As for me, well I’m still here. To commit the capital crime of misquoting Citizen G’Kar, in what I’ve humbly dubbed the Retail Workers Creed: “We do not celebrate Christmas, we can only hope to survive it.”

I made it through the Christmas season at work relatively undamaged, outside of the Monopoly box I took to the head from a high shelf. Outside of the amusement that capitalism was actually trying to kill me, the most irritating thing was it wasn’t a large enough wound to get me a cool scar out of it. There were a few days when I had a couple of LARP swords in a bag behind the counter, but they were there to make me feel happy. I’ve joked about keeping one on the shelf with a sign reading “IN CASE OF UNRULY CUSTOMERS” but that would leave me tempted to use them, and that’ wouldn’t end well’s not the atmosphere I want in the store. Customers continue to be lovely, for the most part. It’s the little moments of joy that mean the most, from “Oh yes, we have this thing you’ve been searching for weeks to find” to my now standard when selling dice of “May they roll better for you than they would for me.”

The break from work between Christmas and New Year was unproductive. Almost as if my body went into involuntary shutdown mode and I don’t think I’d been running that ragged in the weeks leading up to it. Hell, I spent most of New Years Day either asleep, lacking the energy to move, or just at quarter speed. I wound up going for a late night walk to try to spark something, but didn’t accomplish much more than getting shat on by a bird while sitting reading the book I took with me. At least it only shat on my arm, and not my book. *sighs* It’s not that I mind the body shutting down, so to speak, but I did have things I wanted to do. Still, rest is nice. On the bright side, I now have a workable (According to my wife, and who else would I trust?) idea for a creative project that’s helped fire up the brain, which has been useful.

New Years Eve itself was spent at a friends place, and was a lovely event. There was a bunch of folks I didn’t know, but seemed nice, I let people be wrong about media and didn’t threaten them for it (I did bring several LARP swords, but no sparring happened), and both my kilt and beard got complimented. Having my beard shaking be compared to bouncing cleavage (I think in terms of a distraction, I don’t recall exactly) was… new. I was sensible and rotated between areas based on the noise level, and it was lovely to meet new LARPers from groups I’ve not been to. Swapping stories was both lovely (People who haven’t heard my LARP tales? Hooray!) while the venting about various frustrations really makes me appreciate the interstate events I’ve gone to. There’s been a refreshing lack of drama in my limited interaction, and while I’m sure there is some I’m not aware of it yet and I’ll keep to that blissful ignorance as long as I can. Yes, I still hold grudges over events in my local scene, and yes, I also realise I should move on from them, but I refuse to. I’m Dwarven in that respect, or maybe Klingon.

I continue to try to lure people to interstate events, both for having people from my neck of the woods attend, and in the hope they’ll bring some of that spirit back to my area. Attending other people’s events is a wonderful thing for getting a sense of perspective. Seeing how other people do things, how they deal with problems, it’s an educational experience, and can be a bit of a confidence boost. I struggle with the whole ‘wanting to do something, but feeling as if I don’t have the skill set’ to do so’, but there’s been a part of my brain that’s looked at how well Ravenswood went for me and wants me to put together a team for an event. But then we fall into the old trap of is it a workable idea, and can I work with other creatives without wanting to murder them when they depart from my vision of the event? How other groups manage it I’ll never understand. All that’s reminded of a wargame I’ve been meaning to read more about called Flintloque, which is fantasy Napoleonic War ea Europe. British Redcoat Orcs battling against French Elves? Oh hell yes! But as much as I adore the idea, I also have no idea how to make it or what to do with it, both things that need to be considered before emarking on a project I find. Still, there’s that previously mentioned project that should tide me over.

The Lost Settlers prep is continuing (I bought some gorgeous bracers and a very pretty axe recently for it), and I’ve now got friends trying to get me to Concord. Fortunately, they’re planning a group in a nation I’m keen on playing in, and it would mean I’d get to wear my Giant Hat of Magnificence! I bloody love that hat. I have enough kit to costume most of my ideas, it’s more the issue of flights to WA are expensive, and coupled food and accommodation at the event, it’s not a cheap trip. I’m fairly certain that flights to New Zealand are cheaper, and while I know that’s closer, it still feels odd that I can go to a foreign country cheaper than somewhere in my own. I unearthed a few things of mine from back in the day I keep meaning to sell that should bring in a fair chunk of that, but I also struggle with being able to justify doing this for myself. Ah, the wonders of having a shitty sense of self-worth!

A bearded man wearing a giant leather hat.

It’s good to have the creative juices flowing again, things in the calendar and events to plan for. It’s needed to counter the effects of looking at the news, and trying to balance my wanting to stay informed vs having a sense of hope. There’s light amidst the gloom though – I finally managed to get the Owlbear pin from the D&D blind bag range (The cashier wished me luck getting it, I walked out of the store, saw what I had and immediately went back in to say thank you) and won a large chunk of Doctor Who audios and merch at auction a friend alerted me to. That should keep my eardrums distracted for the next few months,

That’s it at the moment. I mean, there’s also been the renovations (A friend of ours who’s a builder has put in new bookshelves for us) and my wife and I have been kepy busy priming and painting them. I get the wonderful job of putting everything back on them when the paint is dry, and I’m both excited and fearful of that. I’m looking forward to having things laid out in an orderly fashion, by topic and/or author, even if I’ll have it messed up within a week. As my wife complains, it’s a flat surface in our house, so I’ll pile stuff on it. Anyhow, time for sleep.

Be seeing you…

Stabbing and falling and punching and crawling…

No, the title has nothing to do with my mental state, it’s more that Halestorm’s version of Dissident Aggressor (Surely I don’t need to state the original was by Judas Priest?) is a stone cold banger. You could also take it as a meditation on what it takes to get through some days, but I try not to get too philosophical this early in these things.

So, what have I done of late and why haven’t I written? For starters, my left wrist has been wonky the last few weeks, and it’s kept me from sword. I shouldn’t be able to hear grinding when I rotate my hand, right? To say nothing of the muscle on the back of my left hand tensing up. Yes, I know I should see a doctor, but I’ve had stuff on, OK?

I attended the wedding of 2 friends last week, and was very good and kept to the dress code (New kilt, yay! Also, it has a pocket!) and didn’t take a LARP weapon with me. I first met the couple through LARP, hence the possibility of weaponry, and have been at a few weddings that could have been improved by carrying one (As could almost everything), but I was fairly certain that doing so wouldn’t have been appreciated. So, instead of causing a scene, I was good, and wish the rest of the happy couple’s lives together be as happy as a Maiden gig when Fear of the Dark kicks in.

I’ve had a couple of bits drafted, the longest one being about the Triple J Australian Hottest 100 and how WRONG and UTTERLY STUPID the voting public are. Yes, my tastes aren’t shared by the masses and ordinarily I have far less of a problem with that, but Khe Sanh getting more votes than Highway to Hell? Made things even worse seeing the songs that came in 101 to 200, to add insult to injury. Alone With You was at #160? (I’m) Stranded only came in at #124? NOT A SINGLE RADIO BIRDMAN TRACK? I’ll spare you my further screaming about it, but seeing Ben Lee’s Catch My Disease there did make me want to punch something. I’m sure he’s a lovely guy, but I fucking hate that song.

Yes, I hold musical grudges as bitter as any of the other illogical grudges I carry with me long past any sane expiry date. Surely that’s no surprise by now? It’s rarely against performers themselves (Unless they’ve done a shit cover of something I love), but there’s far too many songs out there who’s success utterly mystifies and/or infuriates me. For example, I take a large amount of delight from knowing that everyone involved with the song Groove Is In The Heart will eventually die. I don’t want them dead now, to be clear, but knowing it will someday happen is something I look forward to. It’s much in the same way that John Rogers (Leverage creator) once said “I do cardio because I need to live long enough to piss on a lot of graves.” Anyhow, I scrapped that piece after seeing that First Dog on the Moon beat me to it and did it in a way far more amusing than I could. I do humbly disagree with him on the best Ramones lyric though, which is clearly the opening of “I Just Want To Have Something to Do.” Tell me I’m wrong. *waits* YOU CAN’T CAN YOU?

(The Turnbuckles and Scientists are also well worth your time. EDUCATE YOURSELVES HEATHENS!)

The main distraction was my event for Pheno, which I tested last weekend and it… Didn’t go well. All hail to my playtesters for their patience and tolerance, and the feedback given will make for a much improved event. I wasn’t ready, even more so than normal, and it showed. I’d also committed the cardinal sin of not talking to my wife about it, which is the first thing I generally do with my games. Yes, it had been nearly 2 years since I’d GMed and have been rattier than normal (Turns out the retail part of my job being quiet of late weighs on me more than I thought), but that doesn’t excuse things. Still, changes have been made, plots rewritten and the enterprise is shaping up nicely. Moral of the story is, thank your playtesters people, they are worth their weight in dice!

In other long delayed achievements, I finally passed my driver’s test and am now allowed to drive solo! I thought I’d fucked it up again so being told I’d passed meant restraining a yell of triumph. It also meant I managed to get my P’s before Niece, Age 17, got her full license, but she has things that are alien to me, like self esteem. After a shaky start, I’m now perpetually torn when behind the wheel between a burst of nerves as soon as I see another car near me and wanting to scream “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU INCOMPETENT P’TAKH? May Fek’lhr visit your soul with a thousand tortures before you next sit behind the wheel!” If you’re going to road rage, do so in a way that utterly confuses the person you’re screaming at. And don’t get me started on pedestrians – “Lady, there’s a crossing barely 50 metres away, why in the actual fuck are you trying to cross here?”

On the bright side, as a reward I bought another LARP sword! #treatyoself The store it came from didn’t have the axe I was after on the day, but given the time it took to get to the event they were at, there was no way in hell I was leaving without a weapon of some sort. Now, if only there was a game near me I could use it at, as all it’s doing currently is sitting next to my writing desk ready for me to twirl it dramatically from time to time. There’s worse uses for a blade. Alas, the next Concord came up too quick and it’s too close to Pheno, and the battle games near me aren’t my thing. At least, I assume they’re still running. It’s back to the old position of ‘if I want something that’s my style I’ll have to be part of the GM crew.’ Either way, it’ll have to wait till after Pheno. I’ve already had 2 workable ideas for 2026 (Both tabletops), and I don’t need more getting in the way of that. Yes, I know that’s only a week away, but I’m nervous enough about the bloody thing. No matter how many I run, I still get spooked hoping that people will enjoy it. I choose that to be a good thing.

I’ve also found some more RPG’s I’m keen to try, and they’re all Borg. No, not that sort of Borg. This sort: Pirate, Dukk and Ninja. Me being keen on Pirate Borg should be about as surprising as my wife being a fan of Stray Kids, and Dukk is a post apoc doom metal version of Duck Tales (Woah-oh!), a premise so utterly insane it needs to be on my gaming shelf. There’s one issue with Ninja Borg though, and that’s while it looks near perfect for the sort of over the top wackiness I run, I’m not sure I can support a game that not only foolishly claims ninjas are better than pirates, but sells merch I find personally offensive?

Anyhow, it’s past 1am as I type, and from past experience my writing only get’s less coherent at this point. Good night. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.