The joy of role-playing games (Spoiler art for Court of Fey and Flowers on Dimension 20)

 

 

 Pic of ~Luka to avoid showing thumbnail of below art on top of post! 

Ever since covid, I've been getting so much joy and inspiration from watching Dungeons and Dragons and other role playing games like Wanderhome and Good Society played on screen on youtube, twitch and Dropout TV.  I've even started running my own games for friends and family.   Never let it be said that an old chook can't learn new tricks!

There is something about this medium of shared storytelling that I just get.  I love the two layers of the relationships between the players, and the relationships between their characters, I love the spontaneity of it and the amazing humour and emotion that can be generated by a group of people sitting around a table together.  The long play style and slow burn of the stories are peaceful for me, too.  

For some time now, most visual media have just been to over-the-top for my senses. Too violent, too emotion-jerky, too camera-twitchy, too manipulative.  I begin to watch things that are supposed by others to be so great, and then back out early on because I just don't feel good for watching them.  RPG, though, the stories they tell give me joy and live in my head in a happy way, and may they live there forever!

If you'd like to get a feel for a role playing game where dice and improvisation decide the outcome of the story instead of a script, watch this lovely series of edits of just one thread of A Court of Fey and Flowers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uszsCnSQs9k&t=206s

Beware below pics the spoiler for this thread!   Come back after you watch!

 

 

 

 

There is something about this pair of beings who see themselves as unlovable and monstrous and yet find each other that just grabs my heart. So many of us think we will not be worthy of love because of what we perceive as our flaws, but actually there is somebody out there who will see your beauty and worth just as you are.  This story was beautiful, and it was played out by a pair of fellas who were as surprised by its unfolding as we were.  That's the beauty of RPG.         

These two have my heart.  This is my first ever piece of fan art!  Oscar Montoya and Brennan Lee Mulligan played them to perfection.  Drawn in ink and coloured-pencil then put into procreate to add the circle and text.  

               

Look at our little beauty!

She's just turned 10 months old.  As usual with puppies, it seems forever we've had her, but also yesterday that she arrived. 

 

And another new baby!

 Meet Montego Bonnie!

She's an Australian Koolie.   She's our best girl! (Our only girl now.) 

 

 

Too Long!

 You know it's been too long since you blogged when you have to report the loss of three animals all at once.  

Three in two years.  First the sweetest kitty ever, Cyrano.  

Then a year later, our dearest darling Rosie.  My puppa. 

  And then only a year later, her daughter, Tuppence, the guardian of the family. 

 

All sent peacefully ahead of us via Pets at Peace vet, Dr Ann, and a huge shout out to her, since I'm not sure I'd have survived these last two years without knowing we could call on her compassionate expertise when we needed to.  

More sad changes:  Mum is in care as her dementia was just too bad for us to cope any more.  So, now mum's boy, Angus, Tuppy's litter brother, is living with us.  He's a very very lovely boy and we feel privileged to be able to care for him when mum can't any more.

Here he is visiting mum. He still loves her best but he understands he lives with us now, and every time we visit he gets a treat on the way home to cheer him up, because he is sad to leave her. 

Dementia is so cruel.  Endless cuts of grief for all concerned.  I loathe it.    

We still have Luka the poodle who is now three.  Yegods, what a character!

Don't go daddy!

 Loves his daddy!

 

He and Angus get on well, though not perhaps as well as they would if Luka wasn't a bit of a dick at times.  Mostly Angus just looks at him like, FFS calm down, dude!  

I dunno what else.  I'm finally writing again, steadily progressing on the book that ground to a halt when mum's care just overwhelmed me to the point where I had no mind or energy for creativity.  Interestingly, the bad tummy stuff has also slowly stopped, so just another example of how stress can affect your body.  It's still stressful, and horribly sad, but not to the level it was when she was here and needing us day and night. 

Also, aged care workers are underpaid saints.  Just sayin'.

While we all wait...

While we all wait for the Corvid virus to settle down, and hopefully keep inside as much as we can to slow the spread, I've put all my ebooks down to 99c on Amazon for as long as it takes.  If you've been wanting to read them but think it is too expensive, or if you've never wanted to read them but now you're bored as and any escape will help, go for it!

Writing on my current book seems to be going as slowly as treacle runs.  Life keeps getting in the way.  Ah well, it's growing slowly and one day will be born.

In the meantime, here's some pics of Luka and stuff for your viewing pleasure!  We've been having way to much fun with his grooming!

       

He's afriggin'dorable!

The two labs love him too.  Bless their patient hearts!

Rosie is 12 now!  Where does the time go?

We've been improving the cottage again.  This time a fence to keep the zippy poodle safe when the front door opens, and a pergola off the new verandah, and paving, so less dirt gets tracked inside.  It's such a lovely space now.  

Let me help you with that, Dad!

 

Next comes a vegie garden that is safe from the chooks!

Fireys for us has been quiet this year, unlike some of our mates over east, but we did get out to a social event to give the local kids a chance to use the hoses. 

 

  

I haven't been very well for the last few months, so what fires there were, I've missed.

We did get a new baby in the family, wee Elaena Pearl, and what a little angel she is.  Almost as cute as a puppy!

      And other random stuff...