Out with a Bang

Journal 137 22-29 Dec. 2024

This will likely be a short post again. First, no games for this week, nor for next, ergo no stories about my characters. Second, that “bang” in the title does not refer to NYE but rather to rupturing a disc in my back. Or rather, re-aggravating an older injury.

This past week started in agony, with me injuring my back on Christmas eve while working, and is ending with my feeling better. The pain is duller but I still have to be careful how I move and what I do. I split my time between sitting at my desk, and laying flat on a heating pad to relax all the muscles.

Anyway… this blog is not about my poorly aging body or injuries. Just a head’s up that I will not be able to sit long to write this, and I did not accomplish much at all.

Xmas and Work

Xmas dropped on Wednesday this year, which is also New Comic Book Day… so, got the day off work as we were closed, but that just meant I traded it for my normal day off of Thursday. Back issues aside I still had to work, and it wasn’t bad. But this is also our annual back-issue sale, and us preparing for inventory.

I basically have today and tomorrow off and then I work every day next week. Yes, on New Years Day is when we do inventory, so I’ll probably do a 10- or 12-hour day. And once again, because its Wednesday, we’re closed and we need to push New Comics to Thursday, and so I’ll have to go in on Thursday for at least the pulls and then the opening shift.

This is a long way to say, don’t expect a post for next Sunday.

Media Consumption

Since I was mostly laid up in bed when I wasn’t at work, I guess the only thing I accomplished is watching a good amount of TV. I watched the last two seasons of Lower Decks. Great and an interesting idea to introduce to Star Trek…. But I don’t know how well it will be received.

I finished two mediocre k-dramas. I think I was a little biased by reading reviews before I watched them. I’m thinking I will actually stop doing that. The only thing I need to check on a show is to see if it is a happy ending or not.

I spent xmas watching a handful of old favorite horror movies. Well, to clarify I took movies that would be in the 30-50 range in mt top 100 films and watched those. Hellraiser 3, Idle Hands, etc. Movies I like but are not top 10.

And because these movies are ones I’ve seen a bunch, I read about twenty comics while they were on. I’m still weeks behind in my current reading, but I’m making a dent in the pile.

Games

No D&D for the last two weeks, and none for this week going forward. And with my back hurting so bad I couldn’t do much playing my Solo RPG, 2d5Dungeon. I did put a couple hours in on xmas morning, but my back said no, and I ended up having to spend the day on the heating pad. Reading comics and watching movies as mentioned above.

Visual Novels

While laid up I discovered visual novels. I don’t play video games as much as I used to, I literally have dozens of games still wrapped in plastic I never started. And I was going to sit back with my Switch and play some games. I couldn’t make up my mine on what to open. So, of course I got something new that piqued my interest at the moment. I found a visual novel where you play as an investigator trying to escape from Innsmouth.

Had a heck of a time dying continuously at different places in the town. In the Gilman hotel, on the waterfront, while sneaking out of the town. I did manage to get away a couple times, but both of those were without discovering all of the secrets.

I’m certain there are whole sections of the game I have yet to discover.

That’s It

My week was extra work, holiday feast, a bunch of movies, a visual novel, and trying to ease out the agony in my lower back.

No roleplaying stories, no other gaming, I didn’t watch a decent k-drama to talk about. I did start a new one that looks like fun, but I find myself reacting weirdly. The last couple of shows have featured “enemies to lovers” type storylines… and I’ve been wishing for “truer/ angrier enemy reactions in both of the shows.

The new show has a very obnoxious FL who man-handles the ML and just really intrudes on his life.

Now I know that they are going to end up together as the arc of the show and I’m for it. But I would just love for him to tell her off. Start VERY adversarial. Enough. None of your bullshit. Instead, he just tags along and takes it, and it’s played for laughs.

Rocky Road

I want the romance to start from a rockier place. Or maybe I’m just projecting that I want people who act badly to be punished for their bad behavior and then have to work on fixing their problems. Atoning for their sins. But since we have a bunch of jerks in the real world that act like garbage and don’t get held accountable… yeah, I’m definitely projecting my anger in life into my media consumption.

That said, I still would like to find an “enemies to lovers” with a rougher start. Or at least the catharsis of badly acting people being punished for their actions.

Love to Hate You was great with a ML that pretty much hated women, and a FL that though all men were just pigs. Both of those characters learned to love each other.

Crazy Love comes really close, and is probably the second best for what I want, but was also the first show where I wanted characters to be punished for their actions.

And now, Love Next Door, I just really need the ML to push away the FL. Close her off for a bit and make her earn his trust/respect again. But that’s not how the show is going to go. I’m saying this after only watching half way through episode 2.

Prediction

But I foresee the whole show being her acting out, harming the ML and making his life hell, while he puts up with it, supports her, and finally gets her through HER problems and then she falls for him.

And before you all think I’m just against the woman. One, the other two shows I mentioned it was the male lead I wanted to slap. Two, I totally love the actress in LND so I would probably tolerate all her actions as well. And Three, I am serious when I say “harming the ML.” He literally has scars on his body from previous moments in his life where she has harmed him, or caused his harm.

But anyway… perhaps I just want to see people start rougher and get punished and have to earn back the trust. I don’t think I’m asking too much.

That rant also added an extra page for you all, and got us over a thousand words. So, we’ll end it here. I hope you all have a great day and thank you for reading. See you all again in two weeks.