I guess an argument could be made here that simply by social distancing and wearing masks etc at work might mean that I’ve avoided the infections that would have given me some immunity to help fight them off. Guess it doesn’t matter really. Either way I feel terrible right now. I ache in places I didn’t think you could ache. I mean toes…seriously? My thighs and back feel bruised. Near constant headache and sore throat that I’m only working through with a rotating schedule of painkillers and salt water. I’m hoping this goes away soon but I fear it’s going to be around for a few more days.

I know…I’m probably very late for that. Honestly, I’ve not played any fighting games for a very long time and wouldn’t have tried this one if not for my PlayStation Plus account. Gotta love monthly free games. Either way, I’m kinda hooked. This time around I'm not rushing into anything though. That’s a great weakness of mine. So I’m playing it slow, learning the game and a few characters. Starting off with Harley Quinn and then maybe moving on to Black Adam. Which I’ll play the story mode with, I’m not sure yet. Right now I just want to level them up and grab some upgrades. Let’s hope not having played the first one doesn’t leave me lost as to the plot.

It’s pretty much what it sounds like, I’m sure most of you have guessed. The venue for this not so little excursion was Eagle Heights, a not for profit Bird of Prey and animal sanctuary about an hour away from where I live. Along with various Raptors, Eagles, Owls plus Servals, Pigs, Sheep and Alpacas they have a group of around 20 rescue huskies from both the Siberian and Alaskan breeds, mostly from owners who could no longer deal with such a boisterous and powerful dog.

Our companion for the day (our being me and my brother) was a seven year old Alaskan Husky named Sirius. It should be said at this point that while I do like dogs, I’m also somewhat nervous of them. Which made Sirius the perfect dog for me; a dog that’s much more interested in where she is going than me. She was so excited for the walk she tangled up her lead just racing around and straining for the off.

As soon as we got going, you can see why these amazing animals are used for sled dog teams. If it had just been me on my own, I don’t think I could have held her back. She was that powerful and energetic. She was pretty much leading us for the start. Once she burned off some steam she became a little more laid back and calm, letting us get some pictures, pats and head rubs when we stopped for a water break. For the second half it was more sedate and we had the chance to get to know her a little. She’s a really curious dog, wanting to get her nose into everything and anything. That was part of the fun, she did keep you on your toes. It will be fun to go back for a second visit.

Spotless. Not what anyone wants to see from a messy Gameshow I know. Luckily for you that’s something very difficult to achieve. And that’s exactly the point. What we have here is a game played between 3 teams of two where each round each pair is looking to get away Spotless; which can only be done by avoiding the most obvious answer to each question. Each obvious answer has a forfeit behind it that will ensure they end up anything but Spotless. While I don’t want to spoil everything just yet, this little concept will soon feature on my Patreon. I hope to see you there soon for fresh updates and other cool projects. I’ve got some cool art in the works that you will really enjoy.

https://www.patreon.com/white66

While it’s fun to work on something like Serenity Base that is my own creation while being inspired by existing tv shows like the excellent Crystal Maze for one; sometimes it’s fun to take an existing idea and remake it with a modern twist as well as head down routes they never could have produced. I’ve already had a few delves into this with my short stories from a reimagined Noel’s House Party. That already had a grown up appeal if not a shall we say Adult one. So this time I’ve been struck by surge of inspiration that could well result in a remake of the icon of my youth Fun House. If you haven’t watched it and are a fan of classic games you really should. I’m not sure the direction this could take entirely but the games are likely to be as messy as they are madcap.
If that kind of idea sounds like fun, there are lots more opportunities on my Patreon where Patreons help to guide and shape my stories. Better still there is no Paywall for content.

https://www.patreon.com/white66

A dear, sweet and really good friend of mine has gotten hit with some serious medical bills to the sum of $3500 and could really do with all the help he can get. I know times are hard all round and some are facing financial issues of their own. It would mean a lot a if everyone who reads this could boost and share across their platforms. If you can donate that would be even sweeter. Stay safe out there. White.


https://www.gofundme.com/f/acute-gallstone-pancreatitis-medical-bills?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

This is, obviously, a question for all Serenity Base fans. One little spark of inspiration that struck recently is the idea of introducing a celebrity segment to future episodes of Serenity Base. Maybe in the form of a celebrity joining the team to help, or hinder, the games they play as a special guest player perhaps. These celebrities could be furry characters across the franchise multiverse. Perhaps furry versions of actual celebrities or simply ones that spring from the fertile grounds of my mind. OC’s of my fans could make for an interesting option as well. Either way, it should make for a fun twist to play around with. Do let me know what you guys think about this.

Sometimes you write something and it just doesn’t feel…right. Sure you can write something technically, by that I mean get ideas down on paper and put them into prose. Yet equally you can feel that it doesn’t gel, doesn’t fill you with an excitement to write it. And it really should. One thing I’ve learned is that that feeling is trying to tell you something. And it’s not something you should just push on through. If you feel that feeling, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Which is exactly what I’ve done here. I’ve kept the elements I like and just reworked them into this new game idea which I think will be pretty kicking. It’s playing very much into ideas I’ve had for the grander scope of the show and will be a great way to test them out. I don’t want to spoil too much but it’s gonna be a real laugh for the players. And for us as well.

Stay safe,
White.

Which might sound like a good thing, only it’s more a routine I’ve gotten into without really thinking about it. I’m all for the kinda routine where you get up early and pound the pavement or hit the punching bag or bash out some writing before breakfast. This isn’t that kinda routine. I’d almost call it a rut in a way. I really need to shake up my evenings and get back to doing stuff, real world stuff. I want to get out and meet people, heck, meet girls really. These last few years have been romantically rather dry. So I’m following as many social and singles groups as I can, seeing what comes up. I’d rather not fall back on my fall back of speed dating. Which I can’t believe is still a thing. That’s like decades old. I can’t believe someone hasn’t come up with an alternative.

That’s kinda what I feel now. It’s not really a bad thing I guess. Once upon a time writing was all I had as a hobby. Writing isn’t all this is about but it makes a good example. On an average week I maybe get two or three hours of writing in. Usually just two. A few years back I could manage five or six. And thinking about it now, that’s kinda on me. These past two years I’ve been stuck in the same pattern thanks to Covid. I come home, I eat and I watch tv. It’s become such a habit I’ve not even really questioned it.

Well..today I’m questioning it. This wasn’t the direction I planned this journal to go but what the heck, I’m running with it. This week, I’m breaking the cycle. No more evenings vegging out in front of the tv. This will be a week of writing. Maybe I won’t make the five hour mark, but I’ll give it a go.

If all goes well, I’ll be writing a good stint on Serenity Base. This current game I’m working on will be a little different from others, the first of an style of game I’ve been kicking around for a while now. So far it’s been as much fun as I imagined. And it’s going to be a watershed moment for the team. I don’t want to spoil too much but let’s say a reckoning is coming.

It’s a fact that I don’t get as much time to write for fun as I once did. Not necessarily a bad thing, just means things have changed. There is work for a start. An increase in late night shifts cuts down on the amount of time I have for a start. Add to that an increase in new hobbies during lockdown means I have other creative efforts clamouring for my attention. I’m getting back into the trading card and model painting world pretty hard, especially with some new releases that have strongely captured the imagination. I’m sure most of you guys here in the trading card world are aware of the new Digimon TCG. Less so a Power Rangers Game called Heroes of the Grid.
With both of these, I’ve never gotten into something so quickly and avidly. And I wouldn’t change that for the world.

Anyway, the writing hasn’t taken a back seat and I’m pressing on with several projects. Right now my focus is on my Serenity Base and Pokegirls series. If you are following those, then my thanks and I hope you are enjoying them. For both, I’m having a few rethinks. In terms of Serenity Base, it’s a rethink of the game mechanic going forward. For Pokegirls, it’s more of a going back to basics and resetting the series. I just felt the whole thing was wandering off on a few too many tangents so I’m gonna dial the planning in a little more. Likely the existing chapters will be moved to my Scraps.

Outside of this, I have some cool projects coming up on my Patreon so if you are after some more WAM content do check my page out. It’s wild, it’s messy and my Patreons can direct the action. If that sounds fun, I hope to see you there.

https://www.patreon.com/white66

Nothing better in my book than a birthday or a holiday. Unless you have a Birthday when you are on holiday. Which is usually what I try to arrange if possible, even if I’m going to be out of the country. Which I haven’t done for a good long while, largely due to Covid. Which wasn’t to say to I haven’t managed to get away. This week I’ve been away to one of my favourite places closest to home. My old haunt The New Forest. As a National Park, it’s a pretty cool place. I’ve skipped over my usual holiday stop for somewhere new, which I wasn’t sure about to start with. But I’m kinda ashamed to say this place is better. We have all kinds of wildlife around here. Horses. Ponies. Deer. Pigs even. Most of them wild and free. I’m not sure about the pigs, they seem to live in the old farm next door so they might be farmed. They are certainly the most used to people. The first day, pretty much the moment we arrived, they were coming up to the fence and snuffling around.
Maybe looking for food, at a guess. Or expecting it.

By the end of the week they seemed pretty calm with us being around. One of them literally walked up to us, grunted and went to sleep. Although everything seemed pretty relaxed about humans. Even the deer who came closer to us than I’ve ever seen one. Okay, they were still skittish but even so… The horses too didn’t seem to bat an eye as you walked past, even if they had foals. Which a lot did. One I swear even nudged her foal closer to us as if saying go on, make friends. I’m definitely gonna come back soon. Next year maybe.

Anyway, it’s home tomorrow and my second birthday sort of. I still have presents waiting at home. As well as a present to make a booking for. I got from my folks a voucher for a Husky Trek. That’s gonna be fun. Hopefully I can upload some photos as well once I get them uploaded onto the laptop. Stay safe.

White.

While I’m not saying I’m a fool, I often do rush into things. And yesterday was sadly was one of those days. Now that the world is sort of getting back to normal, I’m trying to get back out and do things I enjoyed before the pandemic. And one of those is trading card tournaments. And that was the first thing I rushed into, heading to an event yesterday that I now realise I wasn’t ready for. Just hearing the other players talk made me realise how little I had played the game. So I made a strategic retreat from a superior foe and ducked out. It was a good learning experience though and I’m going back next week better prepared.
​

Sadly my rushing in streak didn’t end there. In my eagerness to make up for missing the games I could have played, I dived into an online match without having tested my setup. Which worked so badly that I had to drop out and rethink. The moral of this story is, for me anyway, to ask myself if I really think I’m ready before I do something. Hopefully that will let me rein in my rash impulsive thoughts.

…and I’m not sure I’m enjoying it as much as I did the first movie. While a movie of course needs conflict between its main characters and often in the comics the most enjoyable parts have been the foil between Eddie and the Symbiote, I’m now running headlong into one of the facets of Venom I’ve never enjoyed. That of Venom needing to eat brains to stay alive. That’s always struck me as wrong and something I’m glad was dropped for the recent comic run. So to see it in this movie does tarnish the shine somewhat of a movie I had been looking forward to. I’m going to finish it just to see where it goes, but it’s made for some viewing that isn’t exactly comfortable for me. It even rankles with me more than Venom having an origin that doesn’t involve Spider-Man.

So this movie might be a one watch wonder for me, even if I do love Tom Hardy as Venom. If we ever get an MCU Venom, I do hope he gets to carry the torch over when the switch is made. Ideally as the buff, muscled, lethal protector Venom. Or even the Venom from the current comic run after he gets the Symbiote back after Gargan had it for a while. But as for this film, I think I’m gonna finish it, watch the post credits then put it in a drawer somewhere for a while.

Tonight was supposed to be my first big step back out into the world now that all this COVID madness seems to be moving into some kind of planned normality. I’m not going to tempt the fates by saying it’s all over and done with. It’s not. Not by a long shot I fear. Still, after two years of doing nothing outside the house, I was going to get out and enjoy an evening of new games and new people. That’s how the event was billed after all, almost a word for word recount of the blurb. Plus it had a small number of attendees, perfect for someone not that comfortable with large crowds. I suppose something should have rung alarm bells when the event organiser said that eight people was more people than they usually got. Yet I just figured that would mean maybe two or three others would arrive. And that would have been fine. Sadly only one other turned up. Someone even shyer than myself and I didn’t think that was possible.

Couple that with no real interaction from the event organiser and that lead to a rather awkward 30 minutes of gaming before I made my excuses and left. I was never going to be comfortable trying to learn and organise an unknown game with someone I barely knew. Nor was that the evening I had in mind. I’d have been much happier being the shy one admidst the group of out going people just dipping in and out in little spurts of conversation rather than carrying the whole thing myself.

Still…I’m not letting this hold me back. There is a Dungeons and Dragons Meet-up this Saturday and I’m going to treat that as step 2 of my bold ventures out into the world again. Wish me luck.

Which I guess wasn’t exacrly surprising. It seems that juggling four different ongoing fun writing projects as well as three commercial projects finally took its toll on me and my creativity. I was getting more focused on just getting out some content regularly than on actually writing and planning a cohesive story plan. None of which is good for my readers or my satisfaction with what I’m doing. And did lead me to have a little bit of a creative burn out. While I didn’t really plan it this way, the last few months have lead to something of a hiatus in my writing output. Some days I just didn’t feel like writing and the few times I tried it was a real struggle.

Thankfully this break seems to have done me the world of good and I’m back on almost my usual form. And back on the next chapter of Serenity Base. I wouldn’t expect a new chapter I’m immediately. I’m going to spend at least a week dialling in the games and backstory of the show a little bit, so I’m not just making things up on the fly. If anyone has a game they would like to see played or even the beginning of an idea for one throw them my way and I’ll add them to the pool.

This is going to mean stepping away from my other ongoing projects here. With To Have I wasn’t happy with the direction it was going so I might move those to scraps and start afresh with a new plan at some point. With Pokegirls I was just rushing it and that made for some bad writing. So that’s going on the back burner for now. Which will be good for my writing in the future and I hope for my health too.

White.

….or more accurately flu season. Flu is definitely going around the house. My mum and brother have it. And my dad most certainly had it. And had it bad too. Not bad as in he needed a hospital or anything, but there was a moment it did seem like we might be heading that way. Something that I now know was down to a high fever, so high he went from being mildly unsteady on his feet to disoriented and almost delirious. And that was really really scary. I just asked him if he’d like some more water and his answer might as well have been ‘close…the reverse…harbour’. I don’t remember what he said, because I was too worried he was having a stroke or something. Which meant a hasty call to 111 who said it was more likely a fever. Getting his temperature down helped even if it was a uneasy night after that, not one of us got much sleep. While the worst seems to be behind us, that didn’t stop mum and my bro from catching it. Which leaves me as the healthy one, trying to hold down the fort and hoping I don’t get it, which isn’t likely.

I’m thinking it’s a good idea to let ad many people as possible know about this variant that’s going around. If you do get a family member with high fever and delirious speech, give them paracetamol and do all you can to keep them cool. Fans, cold compress. All will help and they will bounce back. Hopefully you guys won’t need it.

Looking back on these past few years, it’s suddenly hit me how little I’ve actually done. Not in terms of things I’ve achieved but have literally done. I know we had Lockdown after Lockdown which does put a crimp on a social life in a lot of ways. And yeah, there wasn’t much we could do about that. But now that things are opening up again I’m gonna do more than just binge Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

It’s tempting to me to fall back on the old…well…fallbacks and just hit up my usual haunts of gaming cafes and shops which are pretty much my comfort zone if I’m being honest. One thing I wanted very much to do before the first lockdown was take in a few sessions of Bhuddist meditation. Not just with a small meditation group but in an actual Bhuddist temple. That I think is going to be the next step of exploring the more faith based side of that. One thing most people don’t know about me is I don’t a specific faith. I have faith I guess you could say, faith in general. But I’m starting to have questions from my own reading and research I think I need a more in person experience to answer. Plus it will be something I’ve not done and that’s what this is all meant to be about, doing new and different things.

That doesn’t mean I’m gonna take up Skydiving or Bungee Jumping; I’m not that adventurous or brave. Really I’m not. Yet I’m looking to push myself and actually put myself out there socially. Meet new people, that’s really the key. And that means dating as well. I’ve relied too long on online dating and apps. I want to get out and meet people in person. That’s gonna be the plan. There will be hiccups along the way but I’m gonna keep moving forward.

….well, I’d like to think so anyway. I’ve certainly got some fun ideas in the works. Somewhat personal ideas, I suppose you could say. There is always an element of fantasy in what I write, but these are going to delve into the world of fantasies. Nothing too out there or weird to not be enjoyable, but they will have a very personal touch to me. I guess that’s just the way my mind has been working recently. I’m not going to complain though. Hopefully things will go well and a my Patreon will be graced with a few updates. If that sounds good, don’t be a afraid to swing over and take a look.

https://www.patreon.com/white66

Let’s start with the fact that one country has gone to war with another for little gain than just land. Not riches, or resources or anything tangible. All those lives lost, soldiers and civilians, lives snuffed out from both sides. Enlisted soldiers. Conscripts. Generals even. And all those in between. All dying for something they wanted no part in. And now we have fresh reports of poisoning again. Of people literally being poisoned. It’s utterly insane. Often I joke that we are facing the apocalypse, what with all feminine and pestilence and death in the world. It’s a gallows humour kinda joke. But add a genuine war into the mix, not just a war against terror but an actual war with two European countries going to blows against each other, and that suddenly feels less funny. Yet it’s one of those things from these past two years that we have just accepted as normal. What is there we can really do? Nothing, just sit here watching Netflix or Amazon or BritBox like nothing has changed. When the whole world has changed and I’m worried we can’t go back. Like the world will never be the same.

It’s something of an almost cliched idea in writing that if you are struggling with an idea a little break might not hurt. Which doesn’t make it less true. As someone who has really struggled with some serious writing doubts and creative stumbling blocks, I can’t rate this advice highly enough. If you are really struggling with something, put it in a drawer for a time. Can be a week. Can be a weekend. The time doesn’t matter. What matters is stepping away from it completely and doing something else. Write a flash fiction. Plan that Fan Fiction you always wanted to write but never felt you had the time. Stepping into writing something else often provides a creative release and let’s you come back refreshed and with a fresh take on the last project. I really can’t recommend it enough.

…I hope. Having a little change of hours at work which hopefully should give me more time to devote to my craft. Sure having to do a few shifts that start at 6 am are going to be a little rough. And take some getting used too. Especially having to be awake at 4 am. Gonna need a strong cup of coffee that’s for sure. The pluses come when I finish at 2pm. Gives me a good few hours to knuckle down to some writing. And I’ve got a few projects to knuckle down too. My novel. A commission. My current Patreon project. A little art trade piece as well. So it’s time I’m going to make some good use of.

Speaking of Patreon, it’s a great place to check out my stories and get involved. Lots of cool perks for every interest. I can’t wait to see you there.

https://www.patreon.com/white66

So I think we can all agree that 2021 was a pretty awful year. No matter race, creed, age, orientation, nationality or political affiliation, everyone around the world has faced unprecedented challenges, trials and tribulations. Especially with the lockdown keeping us from doing so many things we would have enjoyed. Including a number of well deserved gungings, So I thinking of turning it on its head and creating some art to balance the scales. Of course I could just go with the ones I’d want to see but why not share the fun with the rest of this community. Feel free to share anyone you’d really like to see gunged and I will see what can be done.

I'd like to say that is something of an exaggeration yet sadly it's not. Everything has been getting steadily more...different recently, even so these recent months have felt something much worse. I guess it's too easy to lay this at the feet of Covid and the Pandemic, even though that is having something of an impact. I'd say it's more likely that it's down to the oddly bizzare leadership position that I find myself in. It's not like I've become a manager or anything official like that, it's just that the level ten staff are now being required to step up to take charge of day to day running of the sections.

Not that there are sections so much any more. Back when I started the whole place was firmly divided into Fruit and Veg, Fresh, Ambient, Service and Checkouts. Over the intervening years those have been whittled down to less and less until here we are at a One Branch model of staffing. Which in a nutshell means while fixed staff have an area they may be assigned too, they can be redeployed where needed at the whim of the Duty Manager of the hour. I'm sure for checkouts that model works quite well, since they sit at the top of priority tree and get the lion's share of support on any given day. Often to the detriment of any other operation in branch.

Really the worst bit is the contradictions we get hit with on a daily basis. You will be told in no uncertain terms to get the work done you need to do, without fail. Yet at the same time be told to offer support to whoever needs it. Usually at the last minute. Made all the more efficient by these new headsets we have been given. It's one open radio channel across the building. Too often you will hear something like 'we go down to one cashier in five minutes. Help.' Gotta love the time we have to prepare for that.

Makes me glad that I'm well on the way to my exit plan, having gotten underway my online course in copywriting. One step further on to dream of breaking into that career option, something I'm hoping I will find much more satisfying. Wish me luck.

Not literally obviously. 2021 ended with a real bang, lots of them as it turned out; the traditional fireworks display taking place at the stroke of midnight U.K. time. Okay it wasn't by the London Eye but down in my old stomping ground of the University of Greenwich Campus. Which is still a great venue. And it was a great display as well. The use of drones was a nice new touch, almost like moving fireworks. Anyway, I'm digressing.

This year I'm going to make more use of my Twitter account, something I've just been sitting on for far too long. Before I was just using it to share random things, now it's going to have a WAM slant so that's good news for those who enjoy the messy side of my content. Now that I actually have some fans on my Patreon account it is a great way to keep in touch with them in a less formal setting. That being said it's not just Patreon's that can swing by and join in the fun. So don't hang about. Join me for some New Year messiness.

https://mobile.twitter.com/2NY4EVR

Or you can just search White66