Welt is a staunch ally of Ashe Stelfire. He also knows first hand the consequences of losing to Corsis. The Master of the Game inflicted a grave curse upon Welt.
Taking his head.
Through ethereal means, Welt still lives with a shadowy boundary at the base of his shoulders once occupied by his neck. He can still talk, eat, drink, and smoke gaun herb cigarettes. His friends value him sage and eloquent advice and his steady presence. He is a gunmancer, a specialist who mixes magic and technology with all manner of firearms, be they high tech or low tech.
Give him enough time, and he can make a weapon to slay the greatest of foes.
I’ve read many lines of dialogue and narration that have stuck with me over the years. One in particular has rung true for me of late from Logen Nine Fingers in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series. He repeated it often and other characters often quoted him as well.
“Once you’ve got a task to do, it’s better to do it than live with the fear of it.”
I’ve had a few vexing conversations in the past month. Ones that came at me as slow as molasses. Thankfully, I also prepared myself for them. I trudged through them and got on the other side. Anvils of Damocles may lurk in the future, but at least I’m through this part of it.
I didn’t have much control over the timing, but I can tell you on no uncertain terms, it is far better to have the hard task acted upon, rather than dreading it. Far better indeed.
Players of the Game Works in Progress
I reached page 400 with about 113,200 words on the Game War’s initial draft. Last month’s stats were 351 pages with about 99,200 words. That’s more or less the same level of production as last month. I’m calling this one a win due to the above-mentioned life stress stuff. Plus page 400 is a milestone in of itself, as is blowing past 100,000 words.
PLUS: The New Players: Origins is recently released. Grab it now with the links below if you haven’t already.
Work in Progress Out of Context Quote of the Month:
Benefactor: “It’s my experience that anyone who truly thinks he is a ‘great man’ is anything but.”
Recommendation Corner
She-Hulk (Both on Disney+ and the Comic Book by Rainbow Rowell and Roge Antonio) She-Hulk has always been among my favorite Marvel characters. She’s the smart and jolly Hulk. I also enjoy her 4th wall breaking, which she’s been doing since the 80’s.
The Disney+ show is lighthearted and just plain fun. Tatiana Maslany does a great job as Jen Walters in both her short human and tall hulk forms. And I disagree with the haters, I think the CGI is fine. It’s very evocative of Dan Slott’s run from the aughts.
And Rainbow Rowell and Roge Antonio’s current run is also among my current faves. Humorous, great art, and they brought back Jack of Hearts, one of my favorite D-list characters.
Fun stuff.
Better Call Saul
Oh, man. What to say about this series now that it has wrapped up? It is a fantastic character study of the complicated, broken man named Jimmy McGill who made an increasingly horrible series of choices. His transformation into Saul Goodman very much enabled to Walter White to fully become the even more broken Heisenberg.
All of the characters are fantastic in the final season, especially Nacho, Mike, Kim, and Howard. Carol Burnett’s guest role in the final few episodes was also really well done.
If you’ve never watched the Vince Gilligan ABQ-based shows, I envy your new experience. I recommend starting the series with Breaking Bad, then the El Camino Netflix movie that spotlights Jesse Pinkman, and then finish the binge session with Better Call Saul. I’ve heard these shows lauded as some the better TV ever made. I don’t disagree.
