Wayward Daze (Gambling Daze, part 2). A poem.
I remember carrying my son Two months old and sleeping Into wayward pubs and clubs In search of a wayward mother Bewitched by poker machines And the scent of an easy win. I remember the humiliation Of asking doormen and … Continue reading Wayward Daze (Gambling Daze, part 2). A poem.
Comics: All-Time Personal Faves
I looooove comic books. I’ve been reading them since I was a kid, and in my currently bereft and almost moneyless state I don’t get as many opportunities to buy them as I used to. A loooong time ago, I … Continue reading Comics: All-Time Personal Faves
Poker Machine Daze (Gambling Daze, part 1). A poem.
She played the pokies in her day, her singular gaze unflinching and intractably admiring. The stars and bells, her friends; a gentle, constant riot of affection and affectation, pleading to stay and coaxing her with opium overtures of digitised ecstasy. … Continue reading Poker Machine Daze (Gambling Daze, part 1). A poem.
Stealthy. A poem.
You sneak into my world past locks, alarms, sigils, wards down corridors of fatalistic compromise through rooms of idealistic circumspection and find me waiting earnestly wanting, more or less what you want no need to be so stealthy For more of … Continue reading Stealthy. A poem.
Laidback DM: The Virtues of the Mini-Campaign
I like short role playing game (RPG) campaigns. That’s not to say I don’t like the occasional long-termer, but mini-campaigns (say, around 3-4 months) are my current preference. For those not in the know, a campaign is a series of … Continue reading Laidback DM: The Virtues of the Mini-Campaign
Hurricane Heart. A poem.
Transfixed by you, statuesque in the hurricane, riding tempestuous slipstream currents— a goddess of hail and happenstance. You’re a lightning rod, attracting joules and fools like me, incontrovertibly shattering stratospheric records like a pheromone cyclone. After your storm has passed, … Continue reading Hurricane Heart. A poem.
Widows. A movie review.
Widows is a remake of a British TV series from some years ago, based on the book by Lynda la Plante. It’s stylishly directed, well written, brilliantly acted, but leaves you feeling somewhat flat by the end as a consequence … Continue reading Widows. A movie review.
Upstart Photographer – The Book
I recently found a house in the mountains, burnt out and abandoned. Resting on a window pane, its tenuous pages teased by the wind, was a partially charred book. The page settled in the breeze. As I took a photo … Continue reading Upstart Photographer – The Book
Laidback DM: Avoiding The TPK
As DMs, we’ve all done it at some time or other: we’ve killed the entire party and drained the fun out of the D&D session. Sometimes it’s unintentional, sometimes it’s mean spirited, sometimes it’s to punish players for being complete … Continue reading Laidback DM: Avoiding The TPK
Old Friend. A poem.
I’m spiralling again: an anxious emptiness, a long bitter refrain, that repeats over and over and over and over and over in my angry, lonely brain. Old friend, you’ve never let me go, though you always let me down/ bring … Continue reading Old Friend. A poem.
Laidback Movie Reviews: ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’
The Girl in the Spider’s Web * Claire Foy is great in everything (witness her dramatic turns in First Man and The Crown), including this. A shame the script leaves her little to work with. * Abundant cliches and criminally … Continue reading Laidback Movie Reviews: ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’
Laidback DM: Free Map – Duergar Stronghold
Time for a free map! I love drawing maps for D&D adventures. I have far too many, though, so I give them away any chance I get. This week: Duergar Stronghold Down into the Underdark we go, to a Duergar … Continue reading Laidback DM: Free Map – Duergar Stronghold
Avoidance. A poem.
I avoid you when I see you, now. Not ships passing in the night but rather garbage scows, no more trashy encounters or the like. No potential head-ons or man overboard, now endlesss drunken shanties to help me smile While … Continue reading Avoidance. A poem.
Half-Life/Half-Light. poem.
Of this lingering half-life, only the iceberg tip exposed. Beware what lies beneath: cut glass, mirrored edges and radical toxicity. Splinters and elements better left submerged; its palpitating heart, decaying in the half-light. For more of my poetry, check out … Continue reading Half-Life/Half-Light. poem.
Laidback DM: SteveStillStanding.com 