Heart Strings XX

After 20 instalments, it's becoming quite difficult to find images of striking and/or noteworthy babes with bows that I haven't posted afore.

1. Fashion shot of Japanese model Chiharu Okunugi. (I was actually searching for kyudo archeresses.)

2. "The Archer" (1910) statue by Ferdinand Lepcke in a park in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

3. Nightingale Armour set from the videogame "Skyrim", as recreated by a talented American lass known as Armored Heart Cosplay. 

4. Saucy thumbnail - or should I say bum-nail? - from the "Archery Clash" game app.

5. Libuse Safrankova in 1973 Czech-East German movie "Three Wishes For Cinderella". She was 20 at the time.

6. Australian "Playboy" magazine from July 1982.

7. "Seldarine Dedicate" by artist Howard Lyon for the "D&D 4E - Divine Power" manual. Such a great illo!

LHS 1140 b

Will be nigh on impossible for tomorrow's World Cup final to top this morning's third-place playoff. What a show-stealer! The 10(!!!) goals, the near misses and saves, the records set, the crowd reactions, the slick pitch, the DRAMA between two eternal rivals.

Smashed this bookazine in short order. From items such as Eldrad's Hand and the Moleculon Nanoscaler, the ace hacks springboard into examinations of wider aspects of "Who" like the use of quarries and surprisingly many tales involving miniaturisation. These writeups feel fresh while, to my eyes, correctly privileging the classic era.

(Very) Aussie zombie fillum from 2024. Smart, sensitive, stylish, sinister, stark, savage, something special!

Squirm like a wyrm

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

"Justice League Unlimited #21" by Seb McKinnon. Eerily beautiful! I'd put it on a wall. I'd go there if I could.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Heaven" by Tayori (Japan).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyZdh5GaVJo

Commended >>> "Call The Cops" by Xzibit, B-Real, Demrick (US) is REAL rap; "Brussels Is Haunted" by Echo & The Bunnymen (UK) could have been an '80s hit for the band; "Sunshine (Just Right)" by Tessa Violet (US) is cuter than I normally like but somehow gets away with it; "Ultimate Sacrifice" by Gloryhammer (UK) grows on ya - should be heard LOUD while browsing the racks in a heavy-metal store; "Barthelona" by Sofi Tukker (US) is unadulterated fun.

BEST THREE NEW 'TOONS I WATCHED YESTY

The animations I saw on Friday would fill a reel the size of a cosmic wheel...er, if they weren't digital. The Top 3 standouts had to be "One Piece Heroines" [Netflix], "X-Men '97" Season 2 [Disney+] and "Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You" [Crunchyroll].

NEW FAVE BITMAP COMPENDIUM (TA, RS2)

Considering I lived through the VCS era, played all of the key titles extensively and have since read tons of articles on the system/games/programmers/publishers, I was suprised by how much I learnt from this designer doorstopper. It has overtaken the Sega Master System compendium as my favourite in the range.

Missing Scorpia

Felt a bit off. Had an AFD (alcohol-free day). Dug out the album below for a listen. Still ultra-cool nine years later. Watched the season opener of "Only Connect". Newcastle, Australia appeared on one of the Connecting Walls! Spooned Greek yoghurt and honey onto a slab of homemade apricot'n'almond slice. Did not regret it. Read some of the new issue of "Wargames Illustrated". Did less interesting stuff.

Mid-air refuelling

Got my six-monthly Covid jab. The next 24-48 hours will inevitably involve some unpleasant flu-like symptoms. Better than the alternative!

Backed Professor DM's "Deathbringer" TRPG on BackerKit. I like deadliness of the rules and the unreconstructed nature of the art.

Are you into Chess? The latest ep of the "Perpetual Chess Podcast", with special guest Bruce Pandolfini, is equally entertaining and insightful, supported by an unmatched authority lightly worn.

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2026/7/14/ep-490-bruce-pandolfini-on-50-years-of-teaching-chessnbsp

Saw the fourth flick in the "Roundup" series, from 2024. As the villains keep getting nastier (and stabbier), watching Don Ho's rule-bending detective punch seven shades outta them grows increasingly more satisfying. And knowing the actor himself beat UFC powerhouse Alex Pereira's score when they had a contest on one of those video-arcade punching machines in Korea only adds to the believability of the blows.

Did the Sherlock Holmes-themed "Exit The Game" on my own last night. Was so impressed with the ingenuity of the design and the sneakiness of the puzzles! Scored 5/10 possible stars. I was fast, but had to use several clues. I suspect the next "E/T/G" I tackle will be easier because - SPOILERS AHEAD!!! - I now know a problem may require combining separate puzzle elements, scrutinising/utilising the packaging, temporarily breaking a game rule (a line of text urged me to "rebel")... Physical challenge-wise, I had to assemble two little cardboard cabinets with drawers! I also had to line up depictions of a room's contents in order, foreground to background, on wooden skewers to plot the trajectory of a bullet! Cheers to PG for recommending this range of escape rooms in a box, of which he and his missus have solved a few.

Spiral staircase syndrome

It's been so cold here the past two days, I've had to wear gloves while hanging washing on the line and collecting it again. When I was in junior high, there was a lad who sported skiing gloves in the playground in winter because he was prone to chilblains. Poor bastard, I thought. Now, I am that bastard.

"University Challenge" is backeroonie. If "Chef & My Fridge" is what I *tell* people is my favourite active program, "U/C" is my favourite-favourite. The questions are always easier at the beginning of the season. I got 17 correct today before the students could answer. Imperial look like genuine contenders.

Finally read all of the novel "Railsea". I bought my signed hardcover from Books Kino in 2012. At the time, I was working on an MMA mag and I recall discussing it with a bloke from the auto mag across the room. Not sure why I never finished it then. Anyway, I deshelved it recently and righted that wrong.

Think: "Moby Dick" meets "Snowpiercer", only weirder and bolder than that, with an old-fashioned principled young hero, linguistic/narrative quirks and a surreal development that threatens to derail the enterprise but doesn't. The conclusion left me feeling I was in Robert Silverberg territory (compliment).

Pine wine with a P

UFC 329: Every fighter who I particularly wanted to win did so - Wang Cong, Oz's own Robert "Bobby Knuckles" Whittaker in his light-heavyweight debut, King Green, Paddy Pimblett and Max Holloway. Result.

The Nagoya Basho is under way. Let's go, Hoshoryu! Also Tobizaru! Also Tamawashi...in the lower juryo division. Maybe the "Iron Man" can keep his incredible career record going a little longer down there.

In a different sort of weekend activity, joyriders left a thrashed, half-stripped car in the car park up the road. Not the best advertisement for this suburb. It was mostly gone this morning, save for a lone wheel.

I like Moss Monsters.