Sellshields

Was running errands all morning, in the glorious spring sunshine. One small business had a prominent sign that read, "Please don't steal. This is my income." It's sad that people have to be reminded of the fact.

Relaxed in the arvo with "White Dwarf #527" and a bottle of soju. Ideal jumping-on issue, by the way, as it officially introduces the new 11th Ed. of "40K" and has obviously been written to be beginner friendly.

Got around to watching "Mortal Kombat II". One thumb up for the dumb, fighty fun. I liked some of the choreography and effects (and over-the-top gore). Amusing in places. But death feels too temporary.

What was once Type II is now Type Poo

Tried Standard "MTG" for the first time in years. It was a wretched experience. Hordes of creature-enchantment combo decks with tons of redundancy. You either join them or ya go extreme control packing copious counter/removal/card draw and only about four win conditions*. I despise the latter style of pile as much as I do copying a net.deck. Ended up with a BGW mid-range creation that won maybe 25% of the time. Wrong for the meta but at least it was mine - and it appeared to confuse the odd person. Will now be returning to Brawl (~1v1 Commander), where my win rate is closer to 50% and, despite the number of broken cards, games actually seem fairer.

*It's more likely the opponent will concede out of boredom rather than wait for you to finally start attacking with a lone critter backed up by a full grip.

Power pivot

Played "Gloomhaven" at RS2's with the fellas. It's the boardgame that keeps on giving. Will we ever run out of scenarios? Various bevvies were imbibed at the gaming table. Alas, I cannot recommend passionfruit-pineapple vodka.

Am enjoying "Physical: 100 - Italy" on Netflix as much as I did the three Asian series. The Mexican edition will be released soon, too. Perhaps the long-term plan is to hold an all-star international season of the show.

Latest anime guilty pleasure = "World's Strongest Rearguard". Yet another isekai where the protagonist ends up leading a harem-ish adventuring party. But well paced, with some unique bits (e.g. giant dogs) and not sleazy.

Stand-up tragedy

Made it through my annual dental checkup unscathed. Huzzah!

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By Rahzzah. Lobo's been irrelevant since the '90s, but this is nice.

SONGS OF THE WEEK

* "Kung Fu Jumpstyle" by Kaien Nuen (China) - Track has been out for months. Fun-ass clip is new.

* "Que Me Quiten" by Maria Arnal (Spain) - For Colors. Unusual. Really builds in such a short time.

* "Vem Du An Ar" by Keisha (Sweden) - ADORE this. A challenger to Veronica Maggio's pop throne?

* "Beat SID" by TRS (Germany?) - On da C64. Bomb The Bass continuing to inspire decades later.

* "Kyrgyzstan" by Amirchik (Kyrgyzstan) - Catchy celebration of his homeland and its nomadic heritage. 

* "Anime Mig" by Jalda (Sweden) - Almost as fresh/fine as the Keisha track. Swedish musos, eh?

* "Ravage" by Novelists (France) - A concert in a song. Wide-ranging music and vocals get me.

* "Crazy, Baby" by Cara Delevingne (UK) - Like an old fave you forgot. Much credit to the producer.

* "Beautiful World" by World Order (Japan) - Glad to see Genki and the boyz still doing their thang.

RANDOM RPG REMINISCENCE OF THE WEEK

After I taught GH how to play "D&D" (in our early teens), he used index cards to create a host of ready-to-use monsters with their stat blocks reproduced, no. appearing and individual HP rolled, and treasures fully generated from the tables. I was so impressed.

Zipped through this GN (ta, PG)

Collects all 12 issues of the comic "Heathen", about an unfairly exiled Viking lass named Aydis attempting to overthrow the established order - taking on fellow humans, monsters like trolls and mermaids (nastier than you'd think), the mighty Valkyries and, ultimately, the boss god himself, Odin. Dug the sketchy-yet-expressive art, its cool palette a constant reminder you are travelling in frozen lands. Dug the writing; almost exclusively dialogue and no word wasted. Dug that the sexual situations and combat were never gratuitous. Dug the playfulness. Dug the seriousness. Thought the point about the madness of Christian converts turning on the witches who'd served their communities for centuries was particularly well made. "They accuse me of cursing things and conjuring demons, consorting with someone called Satan? I don't even know who that is. I mix potions, that's all." A feminist fable? Yeah, but one that charms, surprises, provokes in a good way and puts to shame probably 90% of mythology/fantasy stories on the market.

Ladies of letters

As a dude from the other side of the globe who wasn't even born when "Ms." launched, this nearly two-hour doco (released in 2025) was an education. Granted, I'm interested in anything to do with the history of magazine publishing, but I reckon most inquisitive folks would find it worthwhile. It's not just a praise-fest, either, as former staff admit important areas where they coulda done better and the film-makers note two famous writers who later cut ties with the publication. But let's not end on a downer. "Ms." mag, which still exists today albeit in a limited form, has clearly enriched the lives of millions of American women.

Current paper reading (ta, SC)

Publisher blurb:

"For 70 years, they guarded the British Empire. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart.

"But there must always be an account...and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

"Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no-one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism - a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields - to answer one last, impossible question:

"What makes a hero?"