Last Month's Books: "The Marriage of Stellar and Subpar"

I haven't had much time to read this month, so I'm rationing book reviews from last month out a bit. Padding things, see. It's a viable review tactic. Totally. Hopefully next week will be calmer. In other news, I hate business-class phone systems and the issues they have. 

Story: "Le Capitaine"

I dreamt of alligators and screaming men. When morning came, Jackson in the grip of August never seemed so sweet. Course, Jackson's got gators nearby, out in the cypress swamp. But not the kind I dreamt of. Not gators which have got a taste of le cochon gris.

Worm Fodder: Youboy!

Yes, that's his name. Surprisingly, of the three characters I had for that game (Youboy!, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern), Youboy! had the longest lifespan. He almost survived. Almost.

NAME: Youboy!

SYSTEM: Dungeon Crawl Classics

LIFESPAN: One session.

ABOUT: An orphan, Youboy! ended up working for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as a combination of muscle, pack mule, and general servant. They named him. They weren't good at naming.

NOTABLE FEATS: Outliving his employers; fighting a shambling horror of undead flesh; helping topple said shambling horror into a chasm.

CAUSE OF DEATH: Falling into a chasm.

Poem: "For the East"

When the grey rain dripping
From lilac trees
Becomes purple-gold pollen,
I turn to the east and sneeze.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Oh, hey! Remember the previous two Cardinal Direction poems I wrote? Here's another one... Now I just need to do one for the South. Yay me. 

Music Roundup Monday: "Heavy as a Very Heavy Thing"

Last week's theme was fun. Heavy music. Not just in terms of sonic weight, but also in terms of...feel? Like, CCR isn't a "heavy" band, but a lot of their songs are heavy. Emotionally heavy, maybe? I don't know. Anyway, all of these songs are heavy in their own way.

Iggy and the Trolls - "Inferiority Complex"

Black Sabbath - "Electric Funeral"

SubRosa - "Ghosts of a Dead Empire"

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"

Finntroll - "Galgasang"

Alice in Chains - "Grind"

OM - "Haqq al-Yaqin"

Worm Fodder: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Rosencrantz. Or maybe Guildenstern?

Seriously. When you get two tax collectors with near-identical stats on your sheet of level 0 starter characters, you HAVE to be some kind of duo. Laurel and Hardy. Penn and Teller. George and Lemmy. Thomson and Thompson. I chose to go with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for a couple reasons. One: The inevitable joke when both of them bite the dust. (Level 0 characters have a very short lifespan in Dungeon Crawl Classics.) Two: I really really really like the movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Three: I really really really like Hamlet. 

NAMES: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

SYSTEM: Dungeon Crawl Classics

LIFESPAN: One session

ABOUT: A duo of tax collectors. Incredibly dedicated to their profession, to the point that when they woke up in a mysterious temple-dungeon, they began appraising the structure. (Onyx and gilt are expensive, and if that's not being reported...)

NOTABLE FEATS: Mostly just providing warm bodies between the rest of the party and certain doom. Seriously. Read what killed them. 

CAUSE OF DEATH: Guildenstern--died to a very heavy door. Rosencrantz--mauled by a zombie.

Backlog Blitz: SNES, Week Eighteen, "Tactical Ogre Clinging"

It's the end of an era. No, really. I've finished playing Super Nintendo games. I have no more ROMs to play. My emulator can rest in peace now. What's next? A short, one or two week hiatus. Then on to the system that does what Nintendon't. SEGAAAAAAAAA~ But for now, let's look at some more old games.