Curt

Studiocanal to release new 4K restoration of 'The Lion In Winter' - The Arts Shelf Studiocanal to release new 4K restoration of 'The Lion In Winter' by The Arts Shelf

theartsshelf.com/2024/12/16/s...

My favorite movie is getting a new 4k release. If you haven’t seen it, the film is a master class in dialogue and shows that words are sharper than swords.

Cliche and likely not helpful but ... create for the love of it and don't worry if things have to wait a while for the creative well to fill up again.

The 'hustle' mentality is the enemy of enjoying the things we love to do.

I have sympathy for women who read BL/MM as a 'safe' escape lit. I don't understand how it works for them, but it is obvious the need is there.

But damn, I hate it when they get mad at us saying, 'This doesn't reflect the queer male experience of anyone I know.' It's like we are imaginary people.

She was such a good writer. And a hell of an ally, from what I've heard/read.

It's getting weirdly difficult to discuss gay male-themed media without offending straight women, I've noticed. It's long been a sensitive topic with some of them.

Example: Goodreads and Reddit groups for gay novels don't allow one to discuss whether a given woman author can write gay men well.

Our small town fantasy ttrpg’s high school prologue has rapidly become a John Hughes movie, with our characters focused on revenge on the tennis team and getting my nerdy slayer pc a boyfriend.

I absolutely adore America Chavez's costume in the Ultimates. I am a sucker for a jacket and tights combo. That look works for everybody from Mr. Terrific to Dazzler.

Also, enjoying the mythic tone of the book.

Modern fantasy. Kind of urban fantasy but small town/rural based. Savage Worlds for the system, using the horror book for most stuff, but we toned things down by introducing 'heritages' that are the human descendants of various 'monster' types.

A little WoD, a little Supernatural, a lot of fun.

It looks like our group's new game is going to start off with a prologue of several sessions set in our character's high school days. The idea is to get us seriously invested into the 'small town' feel, good and bad, and bond the PCs and NPCs with common experiences.

This is going to be fun!

After much negotiation, the all-queer gaming group I'm a part of has decided what our next campaign is going to be:

Small town modern fantasy set in rural California.

We're also switching systems from a Storyteller kludge to Savage Worlds.

I feel like I am the fringiest of fringe gamers now. :D

I love this. The DLC to Fights in Tight Spaces adds a fem-presenting agent to go with the masc one and the butch/non-conforming agent. I LOVE this. Everybody should get a chance to kick some action movie ass.

There are times I love being a nerd.

I was having a conversation with a friend about an old DC series called The Warlord and used Elizabethan politics to explain something. He got it. I laughed, he laughed, Walsingham laughed. (And took notes.)

(Also, in retrospect, that series was queer AF.)

The plucky little common folks who see a problem and step up. Usually halflings. Anti-chosen ones who make my heart grow three sizes at the table.

I like making settings. The current one is 'pulp New York pulled into a pocket void and not bigoted.' Not as a 'side hustle' or home campaign. I do it because it makes me happy. Making for joy of making.

I respect/admire professional authors. But creating for fun is fundamentally human for me.

I read the WoT series back when doorstops were trendy.

I could never figure out why the only queer people in the whole world were bisexual women. And why he was both obsessed with seemed to portray them (and all the women in his books really) as malicious children.

Oh wait, we know why.

Playing a lot of Fights in Tight Spaces this week, which is a delightful action movie-themed deck building computer game. The strategy is deep and addictive.

This exchange cracked me up:
"I never thought I'd have to say this but Berlin has a ninja problem."

"Don't we all?"

Perfect action dialog.

Ah, a nice relaxing weekend, with just me, books, a fun video game and various beverages. I am renewed and ready to face the world! Let me just log ... oh. Oh dear.

Are there grants you can sign up for at any reputable hermitage? (No garden follies, please.)

I find myself reading and playing a lot of solar punk themed things lately.

I think we need to coin a phrase for ‘the world ended but stuff mostly worked out’. I am calling that ‘Most Apocalyptic’.

The element of hope for better day amongst the ruins of the old world is key.

I am a technical writer by trade and I am 100% onboard with this sentiment. TTRPGs are often just poorly executed in terms of information organization.

One step further: given that YouTube is free to publish, why do so few publishers embrace multimedia support of their games?

I am getting why Outgunned is talked about so highly. It is remarkably good at being what it is. The game reminds me very favorably of the Feng Shiu and Wushu RPGs. And the little adjustments for various genres of action movie are perfect.

Also, as a layout/writing/art snob? Chef's kiss.

Let me tell you about my favorite badass moment in urban fantasy:

Faith Hunter's Jane Yellow rock series: when Jane tangos with a kinda bad guy. And the two of them ramp up the dance to superhuman levels.

Sexy. Cool. Smart. NEW. It got the point across without violence.

What's yours?

Does anyone know of any cool 'Occult Detective' style RPGs floating around? Games that model Lord Darcy and John Thunstone, for example.

I suspect that with the right group, the semi-cozy parlor mystery of manners and monsters would be a very fun thing to play.

I hate that we're back to this. I hate that another generation of queer kids is going to grow up with the fear of being murdered for even appearing to support queer and/or trans people.

But they'll find strength in defiance and community, like we did. Fuck the toxic fantasy of mainstreaming.

The unholy amalgam of Cook's WoD and Ars Magica actually works in play. It is NOT friendly to improvised spells, but for rotes/scholarly spells that one must research (aka build via points), it works. And the fussy complexity goes thematically with our 'invisible college' campaign.

I am amused.

I feel both horrified and faintly ripped off. I mean, there isn't even a laser drone? When the AIs started killing us off, I expected at least to rate a flying laser bot!

Now I want a question mark shaped headstone and a pressure sensitive plate on my grave that triggers a recording of me saying, "Greetings, Adventurer! It sure is dark down here! Would you mind picking me up five candles?" or one of a couple of dozen other side quests. :D

I just saw a web comic with the phrase: 'Side quests are my love language' and I have emotions.

First - I've been seen. (Which is a mixed blessing. I was going for the stealth bonus.)

Second - How very dare you!

Third - I want a t-shirt with that line.

These characters who are retroactively your 'favorites' (and we both know you're full of crap) are queer because they occupy the middle ground between 'disposable' and 'move books' and because it's the 21st century and some people actually want some queerness in their tights.

...Phrasing.

And Jon Kent ... well, ya'll just assumed he was straight, because straight people always assume straight is the default. But that doesn't stop you from whining that he went from a kid character (that you weren't reading) to a teen character (that you're still not reading) who turns out to be bi.

So that's why Tim Drake is bisexual. And that's why Bobby Drake is gay. Hell, it's kinda why Kate Kane is a lesbian. She's a rehab of Kathy Kane. A character nobody remembered or cared about until she was revamped as a queer woman.

Those characters were around but not doing much. Fair game.