Thursday, 31 December 2015
Torn From The Headlines: Creepypasta...
"Creepypasta", if I'm understanding this correctly, is the phenomenon of modern-day, Internet-spread, urban legends - campfire horror stories spread through the world wide web (the most famous, I guess, being The Slender Man, which even made it on to Supernatural as #thinman).
These tales of unnerving make-believe - almost all originating from "unnamed sources" - are perfect fodder for gaming inspiration, even if quite a large number skirt a bit close to the bone (tread carefully if you have sensitive souls at your gaming table).
If you're not inclined to trawl the recesses of the web hunting down strands of 'creepypasta', then the horror film web site Blumhouse runs a weekly feature, with the latest installment being about a mythical TV show called Where The Bad Kids Go.
This particular Videodrome-esque 'show' echoed a particularly gruesome tale from the site a couple of weeks earlier: Mr Bear's Cellar.
I love this idea of "lost" or "forgotten" TV shows or films as the modern equivalent of HP Lovecraft's sanity-molesting tomes - such as the Necronomicon.
This concept was encapsulated in the incredible episode of Masters of Horror, John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns, starring Norman Reedus as a film hunter on the trail of La Fin Absolue du Monde, a legendary lost movie with the power to drive viewers to madness.
Of course, the granddaddy of all Creepypasta sites is the Creepypasta Wiki, which has a really great introduction to the concept, that alone provides fuel for the inventive gamesmaster... and probably nightmares!
News Bloopers Of The Year...
How better to wrap up the year than a selection of live news broadcast bloopers?
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Now You Can Game The Extracanonical Adventures Of The Fourth Doctor...
How better to round out the year than with the release of a new volume of free, fan-generated, support material for Cubicle 7's wonderful Doctor Who Roleplaying Game?
The latest, 213-page, supplement from fellow blogger Siskoid - and the talented posse of dedicated Whovians at Doctor Who RPG Forums - looks at the non-televised adventures of the Fourth Doctor (from audio dramas and novels through to comic books).
Head on over to Siskoid's Blog Of Geekery to view sample pages as well as links to the free downloads (high or low res).
These incredibly detailed and well-researched fan productions are the perfect complement to Cubicle 7's official Doctor-by-Doctor supplements officially covering the Time Lord's televised canon of adventures through his various regenerations (C7 has recently put its 10th Doctor supplement up for pre-order).
Torn From The Headlines: Hidden Lairs...
Whether you're the Phantom Of The Opera or the designer of the Eiffel Tower, a supervillain or a superhero, a 'secret lair' of some description is de rigueur.
Forget about your clichéd, musty, old Batcave and instead start looking for inspiration in real life, and this list of Eight Unbelievable Secret Apartments on Oddee?
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
Monday, 28 December 2015
Sunday, 27 December 2015
SIX OF THE BEST: The Bookshop Around The Corner
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| Grove Bookshop in Ilkely, West Yorkshire |
How better to spend this post-Christmas, pre-New Year period than curled with a book or two? And, in case you didn't get any for Christmas, who better to ask for guidance to a good bookshop than Erica Jones of The Bookshop Around The Corner? Bookshop blogger Erica is also the latest recruit to our gaming group, The Tuesday Knights, and a friend and work colleague of my wife, Rachel.
(1) How long have you been blogging, and how’d you get into it in the first place?
I’ve been blogging about bookshops for just over two years. It started as a result of Twitter.
I’d been on the social media site for a little while and as I’m a fan of books I’d gradually found myself following more and more bookshops around the country, talking to them and getting to know them as well as you can get to know a non-human entity on the internet.
They all seemed pretty cool and I found myself wanting to go and ‘meet’ them. Writing a blog about the experience seemed the perfect excuse to do that without sounding slightly crazy. I’ve now met lots of them (and many more) and still sound slightly crazy.
(2) What do you blog about and how frequently do you post?
Once a week I blog about bookshops. About my experiences in them, why I’m visiting that particular bookshop, what it’s like, what I buy, who I talk to... anything that strikes me as being the ‘story’ of my personal experience there. My aim is to remind people why bookshops are special and to encourage them to go back to supporting them.
(3) How does your blog stand out from all the rest?
My blog is almost unique. I say almost, because to the best of my knowledge I know of only one other blog dedicated to bookshops (I’d be very happy to be corrected). Generally, people seem to overlook the bookshops in favour of the books. Which is a shame, because they’re missing out on some great experiences and friendships - and personal book recommendations!
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| "Books are my addiction," confesses Erica |
The best: A big leap in my confidence, because of the nature of my blog it’s led to me having a range of wonderful experiences, visiting new people and places I’d’ve not otherwise encountered. The blog itself gave me the confidence to go out and do all that, but then the experiences themselves further boosted my confidence in general. I’m a lot happier for it.
The worst: The cost! I’m spending a lot of money on train tickets, car parks and lovely books.
(5) Do you have any self-imposed rules (or guidelines) for your blog?
Two main ones. The first is that I have to write once a week. There’s no particular day to post, but my self-imposed deadline is before 9am on a Friday. This helps me stick to a routine.
The second rule is the most important: If I’m to write about a bookshop I must spend money in it. Otherwise I’d feel like I was visiting them for no reason or to be selfish - like the people who take photos of books in shops and then go and buy them online (the biggest sin of all as far as I’m concerned). This rule is also important because if I can’t find anything I want to buy then it’s an indicator that maybe I shouldn’t be writing about the bookshop - I only write about places I like (maybe that’s rule number three).
(6) Name one blog everyone should be reading (other than your own).
This one’s easy, people should also be reading The Matilda Project – which is the other blog dedicated to bookshops.
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| The Matilda Project |
Saturday, 26 December 2015
The Cast Of Star Wars Sing "Stayin' Alive"...
The Tonight Show shows its excitement over the release of the latest Star Wars sequel, The Force Awakens, by editing together footage of the previous six movies set to the tune of the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive.
Star Wars Legends: Legacy Of The Force...
Adapted from the [Expanded Universe/Legends] Star Wars novel Invincible by Troy Denning, Star Wars Legends: Legacy Of The Force takes you into the last moments of the final conflict between the children of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo.
Jaina Solo must confront her brother Jacen, now calling himself Darth Caedus, in order to put an end to his reign and restore peace to the galaxy.
Friday, 25 December 2015
Ron Swanson Sings 'Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian'...
Up in horsey heaven, here's the thing
You trade your legs for angels wings
And once we’ve all said good-bye
You take a running leap and you learn to fly
Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian
Miss you in the saddest fashion
Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian
You’re 5000 candles in the wind
And though we all miss you everyday
We know you're up there eating heaven's hay
And here's the part that hurts the most
Humans cannot ride a ghost
Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian
Miss you in the saddest fashion
Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian
You’re 5000 candles in the wind
Everybody sing it now!
Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian
Miss you in the saddest fashion
Bye Bye Li'l Sebastian
You’re 5000 candles in the wind
Maybe someday we'll saddle up again
And I know I'll always miss my horsiest friend
Spread your wings and fly
Spread your wings and fly
Thursday, 24 December 2015
'Twas A Night In Litchfield...
Litchfield gets festive for the holidays with their own version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
I'm Not The Only Person Who Buys Himself A Christmas Present, Am I?
My Christmas present to myself this year was a renewal of my lapsed subscription to the evergreen Doctor Who Magazine.
After an 18 month - or so - trial separation, my interest in the TV show has been rekindled in part by the fact that I'm totally smitten by Cubicle 7's Doctor Who Roleplaying Game and also the recent addition of characters from the nuWho to Big Finish's audio output (particularly the 10th Doctor and Donna; yes, I fanboy-squeed at this announcement).
I'm still not a total convert to Steven Moffat's current "vision" for the show, but I can't hate on a man who allows Big Finish to play in the nuWho sandbox and mix it in with their Classic Era portfolio.
In recent weeks I've binge-watched what is now called "season nine" (some good, some not so good episodes - Sleep No More I'm looking at you in particular), but haven't yet summoned up the intestinal fortitude to return to "season eight" after the whole "the moon is an egg" debacle.
Next year, though, which I'm seeing as a sci-fi-themed year, I will knuckle down, watch both seasons in order and scribble off some reviews.
And, of course, tomorrow, we meet The Husbands Of River Song.
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
FINALLY, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Makes Its UK Return...
Months after it kicked off in the States, the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally has a premier date in the UK: 9pm, Sunday, January 10.
However, it has moved from Channel 4 to E4, which actually makes more sense, as E4 is home to such great genre shows as Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, Scream Queens etc
Hopefully now, despite being about three months behind, Marvel's Agents will get the respect they deserve in the UK.
Tuesday, 22 December 2015
Deadpool: Bigger Is Better...
I've made no bones about the fact that I'm no fan of Deadpool in comics. However, what little I've seen of the movie (and its advertising) so far makes me think I might actually like it... a lot!
And So, It Ends...
With the publication this week of the final issue of the superlative Gotham By Midnight, my monthly dalliance with DC Comics comes to an end.
Recent years had seen the volume of DC titles on my pull-list whittled down eventually to just this title, and now it has come to an end.
To be honest, I still collect The Flash and Batman in trade form, but after this week, for the first time in years (possibly decades), I'm not picking up a single DC title on a monthly basis.
Either my tastes have changed (matured?) or those of DC Comics have, but it still feels a bit sad. Then again, my Marvel titles have been pared to the bone as well, being now primarily their Spider-verse titles, Star Wars, and some stand-out titles like Dr Strange and Daredevil.
I suspect this is a topic I shall be revisiting next year as I strive to keep my pull-list down to an affordable spread of titles.
Hidden Gems In Half-Price Sale At Tunbridge Wells' Comic Book Café...
Famously, death is rarely final in the world of comics (heck, even Bucky came back!) But I still mourned the loss of the Tunbridge Wells Comic Café.
Then in June it returned - bigger and better! But sadly with the Sword of Damocles - in the form of a short-term lease - forever hanging over it.
Originally, I understood that the shop would be finally closing its doors at the end of this year, which was why Stan was running a "closing down" (50 per cent off all stock) sale.
Rachel, Alice and I popped in at the weekend to snag some bargains. As well as a really cool Luke Cage action figure (have to now find myself an Iron Fist to pose with him though), I picked up a couple of random Spider-Man titles, a Sword Of The Atom special, a spare copy of the Archie where Barack Obama and Sarah Palin stop off in Riverdale (I have one copy already, but want one to frame), and an old Archie superhero title, issue one of Archie As Pureheart The Powerful.
These were all items I would have picked up anyway, but 50 per cent off was too good a deal to think twice about.
Although Stan wasn't there, I learned that the shop will be staying open through January now, which hopefully gives me more time to go back and rootle out some more hidden gems.
Torn From The Headlines: The Avenging Lama...
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| Ja Lama (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Then Mongolian adventurer Ja Lama (real name: Dambijatsan) is your man.
Said to be both immortal and invulnerable; the son of a demon; the reincarnation of an 18th Century hero; and able to rip the beating heart from the chest of prisoners, Ja Lama operated in and around Tibet and Mongolia in the early 20th Century at the head of his own army.
Even after his death, it was believed his angry ghost rode the winds, seeking vengeance on those who slain him.
To learn more about this larger-than-life personality, check out the ever-interesting Karavansara blog of author Davide Mana.
When Hollywood Comes To Make The Film Of My Heroic Life...
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| Misfits |
I've already made a couple of suggestions of possible actors who could portray me in the inevitable big screen adaptation of my life story (James Purefoy and Jim Caviezel).
But there's always the possibility that the filmmakers opt for a "mirror universe"-style twist (to use Star Trek parlance) to give the tale a bit of edge, in which case I'd suggest Joseph Gilgun for the role (star of Misfits, the This Is England cycle, and the upcoming Preacher TV series, to name but three).
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| Lockout |
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| Preacher |
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| Ripper Street |
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| This Is England '90 |
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| This Is England |
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