Breaking Out of the RED Zone

I am phew! in the world of Cyberpunk, but wanted to take a break and mention a couple of bits I wrote for FlamesRising.com and offer some recs. Okay, driving away from Night City's slick streets thanks to The Killers...

If you're into collecting and using tarot cards, my friends over at Apotheosis Studios funded the Red Opera Tarot on Kickstarter. I managed to track down Diana Sousa, the artist who beautifully designed this foil deck. You can read Diana Sousa's interview and check out previews of the cards generously provided by the studio. You’ll also find links to pre-order the deck if that’s your jam.

I also sat down to write about my development style in a post titled Creating Space for Hunter: The Vigil Second Edition. With the game coming out soon, I wanted to support the new, Native compact designed by Allen Turner by talking about it from my developmental perspective.

Crap. I don't have any stunning insights about the writing life to share this week. Winter is starting to hit here, and let me tell you friend: not my favorite season. I promised to illustrate that fantasy Met Gala project, and I still plan on kicking that off once I hit this deadline. More on that later. In the meantime, I'm reading a couple of nonfiction books instead of hitting the headlines. Decided to pick up The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching; Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh. I'm beyond impressed with how clearly I can "hear" the authorial voice is in each passage.

Added Apple TV after several people recommended I watch Ted Lasso, and I don't regret this choice. This show is a master class in ensemble writing that is grounded in kindness instead of sarcasm or spite. One of the things I dig about Ted Lasso, is the writing team’s realistic-and-poignant presentation of how leadership impacts the team's personality. Mind you, a personality is not necessarily tied to "winning" at all costs. If you haven't seen it? Check it out. It's a balm in a 24-7 kind of a world.

Movie-wise… Hmm… Well, I just rewatched the remastered edition of Bladerunner. Perfect. Movie. It’s brutal, because it needs to be. But the characters? So, so sharp. I wish there was a spin-off featuring Edward James Olmos, because his character, Gaff, had so many unspoken secrets and understandings that felt worthy of exploration.

Ack! Looks like I need to get back to Night City, but feel free to drop some viewing recommendations in the comments if you're so inclined.

Have a good one!