Rogers comes under attack while moving a prisoner. Violence erupts on the Walrus. Silver and Madi are put to a test. Billy sees a new role for himself in the coming battle.
That first scene between Flint and Vane in Miranda’s house is so great. I love Flint’s growing comfort with vulnerability, first and foremost simply by allowing Vane, Anne, and Billy into his private world.
TODAY’S RUNNER UP
Madi! God, she is such a great leader. She makes it look effortless in a world in which we’ve seen leaders scrabbling to hold on to any scrap of power. She’s so regal and confident, but when Silver assumes that is all there is to her, she reveals an undercurrent of deep emotion that she keeps at bay so that she can do her duty well. I love her!
LOL MOMENT
It’s tiny, but I love Flint’s frustrated snap, “Please, don’t touch that,” when Vane plays the same musical note over and over and over.
WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS
Here’s a question for you: At this point in the series, does Flint think of VANE as his primary partner more than Silver? I joked about Flint wanting his city-sacking buddy in my review of 305, but in this episode we see that he’s invited Vane into his private home. This is a level of intimacy not afforded to Silver, though that’s arguably because there was never the need or opportunity. I was also struck by Flint’s insistence on going after a captured Vane by himself and his conflicted decision to let Billy rescue him.
I don’t know, I just got a real “unlikely pairs” vibe from Flint and Vane discussing domesticity and comfort, and it made me think of their partnership as more significant than I previously assumed. Maybe it’s not fair to compare Vane and Silver…but it’s kind of fun to! If forced to choose between the two of them, which do you think Flint would choose as partner at this point in the series?
FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS
Vane makes a casually sexist comment about how men shouldn’t desire domesticity, and Flint doesn’t have time for that shit.
Flint: You have no instinct towards earning for yourself a life more comfortable? Vane: I don’t. And had I that instinct, I would resist it with every inch of will I could muster. For that is the single most dangerous weapon they possess, the one they tempt. ‘Give us your submission, and we will give you the comfort you need.’ No, I can think of no measure of comfort worth that price.
Thank you, Vane, for summarizing my conflicted feelings about civilization so well! YES, England offers comfort (stability, etc), but at the cost of submission.
It’s fitting that a former slave would be the one able to see through the lie. Huh, but it’s interesting that another former slave, Max, very much buys into civilization’s offer of comfort. Wow, I continue to love how complex this show is!
Anne: We miss that caravan, you lose what? Money? Your war? What I got to lose ain’t something so easy to recover from.
Whereas previously people partnered because they shared the same immediate goal, the pirates of Nassau have evolved. Flint says they’re all attacking the caravan for their own reasons, but that they must stay united. It’s not necessarily unselfish, but it is a new level of trust.
“There’s a whole world out there that every so often rewards ambition. Mark my words: today the crumbs, tomorrow the loaf. Perhaps someday the whole damn boulangerie.”
Jack uttering these words in a prison to a rat is the perfect blend of regret and hope.
Silver and Madi almost flirting about Silver’s nautical ignorance is lovely. I love Madi for asking him about his descent into darkness (stomping in Dufresne’s head) to check in on his mental state. It’s says a lot about his level of intimacy with both that he tells Madi it’s an experience he doesn’t want to repeat, but he told Flint that it felt good.
That scene with Max and the Eleanor surrogate is the most sexually explicit scene we’ve gotten in a good long while. It’s interesting that this is an Eleanor surrogate and not an Anne surrogate – is that supposed to mean something?
Max realizes that Anne must have given up the cache for a reason, and she tells Eleanor and everyone else. This is, to me, her real betrayal.
I am so torn between being mad at Max and Eleanor for trying to frustrate Anne/Flint’s plan and being mad at all the dumb men who don’t listen to them.
When Dobbs attacks a Maroon sailor, Silver has three options: 1) kill the Maroon, 2) let the Maroon attack Dobbs, or 3) let Madi decide. My appreciation of him rises significantly for choosing option 3. When an oppressed group is oppressed, the privileged people have to step back and let them explain what they want to be done.
Jack’s complete confidence in Anne’s love is *Chef’s finger kiss*
I just can’t be bothered to care about Hornigold even the tiniest amount.
We now know Jack’s backstory, which explains both his proclivity for fancy clothes and his preoccupation with establishing his name.
“‘You people, incapable of accepting the world as it is,’ says the man to whom the world handed everything. If no Anne, if no rescue, if this is defeat for me, then know this. You and I were neck and neck in this race right till the end, but Jesus, did I make up a lot of ground to catch you.”
That is, hands down, my favorite Jack speech of ALL TIME.
And Rogers’ response about “all you know about me is what I want you to know” is okay, whatever. You’re scary. But that does not at all address Jack’s accusation of privilege, you ninny.
That whole carriage attack!! Excellent action! Excellent tension! Flint and Billy leave with the cache, assured that the rest will be right behind. Vane, Jack, and Anne get a lovely triumvirate moment. Jack and Anne leave, assured that Vane will be right behind. Vane and Woodes Rogers fight and it is SO desperate and painful. AUGH.
This deserves it’s own bullet point: Anne’s look of horror when she thinks Jack is dead, and that A+ smooch when she realizes he’s alive. Jack’s post-kiss “ow” is icing on the cake.
“You can just imagine what that was like, asking him to accept what was done to him at the hands of men who look so very much like those he watched murder his parents when he was a boy.”
I love that this show never lets us forget the risk the Maroons are taking by partnering with white pirates. But Madi refuses to fight the small battles that will compromise the war despite her fear and anger. She is the best leader we’ve had on this show.
Silver is clearly impressed by Madi, as he ought to be. But he doesn’t trust his men to obey him with the same level of devotion and loyalty that hers have, so Dobbs is sneak-attacked belowdecks. In the pirate world, fear is still more powerful than love.
Is the Flint/Vane ship tagline “I can’t let someone else hang you” because it should be.
Flint is pretty obviously comparable to Madi here, making the hard decision to give up the small battle (rescuing Vane) in order to keep the war going. I love them both so much.
I like that Woodes Rogers knows Eleanor’s worth, but man, it’s annoying that he is still questioning whether or not he can trust her. Although kudos to his concern: “I’m asking you to tell me the truth about what you’re capable of right now.” He’s worried about her power and how she’ll wield it, which earns him a few points.
Eleanor admits she first partnered with Rogers because she thought that would get her close enough to Vane to exact revenge for the murder of his father. I like that she hasn’t forgotten. So many horrible things happen in this show that it’s easy to think, “But that was last season.” Let’s be real, though. Bad father or not, Eleanor’s “boyfriend” straight up murdered her last family member because she rescued a girl who would have made him money. I think that’s earned her a season’s vendetta.
Not done reliving the episode? Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!
Genre | YA Contemporary Fiction Page #s | 422 Publishing Date | June 2021
From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks…
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.
But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.
Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.
Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.
Goodreads
I loved McQuiston’s Red White, and Royal Blue, but unfortunately, I just could not get emotionally invested in One More Stop. If the romance and fantasy had been taken out and it was just a story about a girl moving to New York City and becoming friends with witty, sparkling roommates on a quest to save a local pancake restaurant, it would have been perfect. How did a book make me want LESS romance and fantasy? A tragedy.
When August meets Jane on the Q line of the Subway, I rolled my eyes for 80 pages of gay manic pixie dream girl. Jane was quirky and funny and everybody wanted her! When it turned out that there was an explanation for her clothes and retro music, I was very intrigued. But then we got hundreds of pages of just… this very weird conceit. Jane got unstuck in time and now lives on a Subway line? And they just kind of…date on a subway? And sleep together on a subway *shudder*?? How unsanitary. I’m so not into it.
It’s a shame, because the characters and writing are all truly excellent. The plot was just a big miss for me.
What Make This Book Queer?
In addition to a bisexual protagonist falling in love with a time-displaced lesbian, August moves in to an apartment with a trans man and his girlfriend as well as their disowned gay roommate who is in love with the drag queen next door. This book is bursting with queerness, and that part is super fun and lovely.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
I think a lot of people will love this book, despite my unenthusiastic reaction to it. If you want a light-hearted, kooky love story, give it a try!
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
The inaugural season of the ‘Sports Ball’ fantasy football league came to a close at the end of December 2020. Carrie and the Battling Finger Puppets were crowned champions, but everyone had fun (I assume, seeing as 80% of you are returning)!
Rivalries
What is fake sports without some fake(?) rivalries! These teams love to hate (or love) each other, whether it’s the group chat exploding with banter about Johnathan’s poor choices and Carrie’s blatant cheating (their words not mine) or a who wore it best team mascot onesies competition, you know these games mean something.
John vs Carrie Week 5
The closest of the big rivalry games in 2020. Carrie was let down by quarterback Lamar Jackson, her beloved cowboy Amari Cooper and the Bill’s Defence who contributed -3 points to the Battling Finger Puppets’ loss.
John got some help from wide receivers DJ Moore and Darius Slayton, and played Carrie’s Cowboys defense against her…you monster.
Krista vs Adriana Week 2
This one was not close. A monster week for Josh Allen helped Team Sorto to victory and a 2-0 start to the season.
Benny Snell and Julio Jones combined produced only 3.5 points for Team Real Slim Brady. Julio has since moved to Tennessee, but will Krista have forgiven him in time for the draft this year? Word on the street is Adriana drafted all the players Krista wanted. Better keep those picks hidden in future, there are eyes everywhere.
Rachel vs Tricia Week 7
In other not close games, the Fire Pandas annihilated the Somewhat Super Seacows and narrowly beat out the Eurasian Collared Doves for the highest score of that week.
The Seacows were probably feeing pretty good about 44.6 points from Davante Adams, but then Chris Carson let them down with only 5.1 points… probably because Tyler Lockett, a wide receiver on the same team, wanted to do all the football that day and ended up with 53 points. Solid performances from the rest of the team secured the Fire Pandas the win and Tricia a night on the couch.
Team Spotlight: The Eurasian Collared Doves
The Eurasian Collared Doves didn’t have the best start to their season. Like the bird after being introduced into the Bahamas in the 1970s and migrating to Florida, they went unnoticed at first because they look much like the Ringed Turtle-Dove. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that ornithologists realized the suddenly prolific and quickly spreading “turtle-doves” they were watching were actually Eurasian Collared-Doves.
Quite. Week 3 and week 7 saw the Doves sound their victorious coo and rack up the second highest score in both weeks, being beaten to the top spot by the Fire Pandas on both occasions.
Week 7 was also the start of a 3 week winning streak that set the ECD on the path to the playoffs. How like a dove, since according to whatbird.com “some have suggested that their spread represents exploitation of a niche made available by the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon.” Who did you have to kill to get those wins, John?
After a lull in weeks 10 & 11, the Doves soared to lofty heights picking up a win and the second highest score of the week behind the Battling Finger Puppets.
The Eurasian Collared Doves finished 4th in their division and made the playoffs. They fought valiantly into the second round but brought a bird to a sea mammal fight, losing to the Seacows 103.94 to 141.12.
The ECD were guaranteed at least a 4th place finish and faced off against the team that withheld from them the top weekly score twice in the regular season…the Fire Pandas. Alvin “Koo”mara made the difference for the Doves, securing a spot on the podium to end the season.
Coo! Victorious Coo!
Best of Beards ‘R Us
There are many methods of choosing your fantasy football team: picking players you like, combing through statistics, buying a magazine or listening to podcasts or asking the simple question…do they have a beard? If the answer was yes, there’s a good chance those whiskered wide receivers and bearded running backs were drafted by Jayse last year.
Did this tactic pay off? I did some light statistical analysis to find out:
Beards ‘R us ended the season with a 7-6 record and fell to the Fire Pandas in the first round of the playoffs.
In games where Beards ‘R Us won, the team had an average 7.85 Beards on the roster and an average 4.85 Beards in the starting line up. Comparatively, in games the team lost, they had 7.83 Beards on the roster and 4.83 beards playing.
Over the season, benched Beards scored 284.4 points and starting beards scored 807.9 points. Did they do better than their clean shaven counter parts? Don’t know, they didn’t have beards so it didn’t seem relevant. I see now that that was probably a key measure, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to make a bigger spread sheet to find out. There’s probably a website or a weird video about it. Actually, that’s probably where Jayse got the idea in the first place…
Conclusion: Definite maybe
BEST (statistical) BEARDS
*To qualify as a ‘Bearded Beard’ 50% of the player’s facial hair area on ESPN profile must be covered in fuzz.
Boo statistics! Lets look at some beards in the:
Top 5 Best Beard Countdown!
5. Nick Chubb
Nick Chubb is a borderline beard, the hair is definitely there but coverage is questionable. Maybe I’m being too harsh or having my opinion skewed by all the bushy beards in the rest of this list. Maybe let that facial hair fill out if you want to get drafted by the Beards again this year.
4. Ben Rothlisberger
Big Ben’s bushy bristles caused a social media stir in March 2020. Many blamed quarantine; however, this photo was taken 4 days after lock down started. It was clearly very inspiring – Jayse himself grew this beard in 2021.
3. Mike Davis
Although Davis spent last year filling in for the injured Christian McCaffery, his beard needs no filling in. The shaved head / beard combo is a bold statement and looks good on you, Mike, as attested by this wonderful fan art I found while looking for pics of your beard.
2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Trimmed and tidy, Clyde may have been a rookie last year but that beard is ready for the pro bowl.
Best Beard: Ezekiel Elliot
Here it is, the best beard of Beards ‘R Us. Not only did he score the most points for Jayse’s team, he has facial hair so luxurious you could lose yourself in it.
Numbers and Charts of Things
Looking forward to another year of Sports Ball! If you have enjoyed this Sports Ball update, leave a comment and perhaps there will be more!
Genre | Graphic Novel Page #s | 270 Publishing Date | December 2018
SHE CAN STEAL THE HEART OF EVERY GIRL…EXCEPT THE ONE WHO STOLE HER BIKE!
Leo’s the hottest senior at Princess Andromeda Academy, and her adoring fangirls have one goal: to beat her in a road race so she’ll go out with them. Unfortunately, the only thing Leo loves more than breaking hearts is her faithful old motorcycle, Bethany. But the arrival of mysterious new girl Vega upends her daily routine forever.
Now it’s graduation season, and with her beloved motorcycle gone, Leo finds herself facing a lonely summer at an all-time low…until mysterious beauty Vega comes crashing back into her life. The two strike a deal that puts Leo’s bike – and dignity – on the line. Will Leo rise to the occasion, or lose Bethany forever? What’s Vega’s deal, anyway? And what’s this burning feeling in both of their hearts???
ROADQUEEN: ETERNAL ROADTRIP TO LOVE contains strong language, nudity, and sexual content and is recommended for mature readers 18+ only.
Goodreads
Every page of this graphic novel was an absolute delight. I literally screamed several times, and I retold almost every page to my girlfriend before forcing it to read it for herself. Every queer lady should read this hilarious story about a lesbian f***boy who is duped into becoming a “decent lesbian,” full of hot ladies, motorcycles, fake dating, and emotions.
Everything about this book is ridiculous, but it is so unapologetically happy in its lesbian fever dream that it invites readers to revel in the drama. Leo is beloved by everyone in her school, but she won’t give any of the girls the time of day. When a mysterious hot transfer student fixes her motorcycle, Leo falls in love…only for the hot girl to disappear! Instead of learning her lesson and appreciating other girls, Leo sulks and continues to ignore her adoring fans. The hot girl (Vega) reappears to scold Leo for failing to become a decent lesbian. What the actual heck?? Hahaha, this all takes place in the first 30 pages or so. The majority of the book is what comes next: Vega’s second scheme is to force Leo to date her for a week and prove that she can be a good girlfriend. Cue fitting room montages, carnival games, and starlit conversations! Motivations are revealed, adorable epilogues are gifted, and I am just tearing through each page with gigantic heart eyes.
I assume there are people out there who would think this book is dumb, but I have no time for those people. This is maybe the greatest thing I’ve ever read, and I genuinely want to print multiple pages from this book to hang in my house.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
Gay ladies with a sense of humor.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
My name is Sean Hagen (he/him), co-host of DMs of Vancouver with Jessy Boros (he/him). I’ve been playing video games almost my entire life, and only somewhat recently got into tabletop RPGs via D&D 5th Edition. Since then I’ve played a whole bunch of games and have plans to play a whole bunch more. You can find me online on Twitter at @seanphagen, Instagram at @seanpatrickhagen, or on my website https://seanhagen.ca !
As one of the hosts of the podcast DMs of Vancouver, you have interviewed a lot of D&D players and DMs. How has your experience of D&D changed as a result of the podcast?
It’s been eye-opening for sure. I think the biggest thing has been realizing that everyone comes to the table for a different reason, and that as a DM you’ve got to be open to that. Some players are there to be social with friends, some are there for story, one of a thousand other reasons, or even a mix of reasons! I think that’s definitely part of the anxiety new DMs feel, wondering how they could possibly run a game that makes all their players happy. What I’ve learned while doing the podcast is that all you can do is be open and honest with your players about what kind of game you want to run, and to ask for honest feedback that you incorporate into your game. There are things you can do ( like running a session zero and using the safety toolkit ) to ensure that everyone is on the same page and having as much of a good time as possible.
Everyone coming to the table with a different set of purposes and experiences is great, because you can run a really fun game that is utterly unique to your table, and that’s mind blowingly awesome to me. Getting to tell an epic story of a group of adventurers facing down death & danger as they go about saving folks sounds like an awesome way to spend time with friends. The downside is that sometimes trying to relate stories of your awesome game to friends or family feels like trying to explain a dream, but that’s a price worth paying, I think!
Also, as a DM I’ve learned that not only is it okay to have parts of the game that excite you more than others, that’s great! For example, the recommended wisdom for new DMs is to start small, maybe only build a town or small province to run a homebrew game in. When building the world for my first homebrew game I went down a rabbit hole of map making and history building. I surfaced after a week with a binder of maps and tables and a calendar with major celestial events to use when running the game. I put, honestly, probably too much work into that binder.
I felt kind of foolish after putting in all that work into building this world, but soon realized that it had an awesome side benefit: I could ad-lib bits of history and art with total confidence, because I had already sketched out so much that I had a whole world inside my head I could draw upon. I ad-libbed all the descriptions for the statues and mosaics in a dwarven tomb because I knew their history and major events (and how dwarves in that world tended to hugely exaggerate their stories, good and bad parts alike). I was able to foreshadow an upcoming plot point as part of a mosaic because I had all that info in my head, waiting to be put to use. I don’t think I’d go that in-depth again in the future, but if I do I know not to worry about it.
We’ve talked to so many DMs with different jobs and experiences and views on D&D – each of their games is going to be unique to that DM. So for any new DMs (or folks thinking of taking the plunge): don’t worry that your game is going to be different from what you’ve seen online or read about; that difference and uniqueness is why your players are going to love YOUR game!
You are a straight man, but you have included many LGBTQ+ people in your podcast and intentionally create safe and welcoming spaces. How did you cultivate this attitude and awareness?
Honestly it’s been on my mind since we started the podcast. In tabletop games, the voices of straight white dudes are kind of predominant. We’re assumed to be the default consumer for tabletop games in most circles. I’d bet that for the majority of people, if you asked them to picture a D&D player they’d probably imagine someone who looks something like me.
If there’s one thing I know from my day job as a programmer it’s this: having a diverse set of folks contributing to the thing you’re making can only make it better. As a straight white dude, I can do all of the reading, come up with checklists, and do my best to make something inclusive – but I’m going to mess up at some point. I’m going to forget something, or not notice something problematic simply because it’s not something I have to deal with as a straight white dude.
I see it all the time in programming; features that should have either never made it to market or been seriously re-worked got released because there were no women, BIPOC, queer, indigenous, or other marginalized voices on the team. There was nobody to point out that this feature would make it easier for an abuser to track someone down, or that feature would make it easier to out someone before they’re ready, and so on.
And the same thing goes for tabletop games. How long has D&D been able to get by with all of the racism baked in simply because they assumed the audience was straight white dudes who didn’t care?
So since we started the podcast, I’ve been doing what I can to educate myself. I keep an eye out for articles about problems like racial coding in D&D to learn about the problematic bits of the hobby and learn how to do better. I’ve also been looking for non-straight, non-white, non-male folks in the tabletop space on Twitter to follow so I can learn from them. I’m also just taking the time to analyze stuff I’m thinking about putting into a game to try and make sure I’m not leaning on problematic tropes.
It’s an ongoing process that requires ongoing work on my part. But it’s worth it! There are so many experiences and viewpoints out there, making the games we play more inclusive will only make them better. Also, there’s more than enough Western fantasy-inspired stuff out there, so getting more diverse folks creating in the tabletop space means more awesome stuff for me to check out. I’ve had more than enough of that in my life.
Give me more of the Afrofuturism from Black Panther. Show me a fantasy world built on the myths and traditions of an Asian culture, written by someone from that culture and not a white dude. Amaze me with a sci-fi world built by folks from South America. What does an urban fantasy game built by someone from India look like? There are so many rich myths and fantastic folklore traditions in the world — time to give them their chance to shine in the spotlight. And we’re starting to see some of that stuff coming out, too. I’ve got my eye on Thirsty Sword Lesbians, because that looks like a super fun game.
What advice do you have for other DMs about how to create safe spaces for queer players at their tables?
Whether you’re trying to make a space fun or safe, it all comes back to one thing: communication. Regardless of what system you’re running, the biggest piece of advice I can give is this: RUN A SESSION ZERO. Your first session should always be a Session Zero, no questions asked. Whether it’s your 500th game of D&D or your first game in a new system, running a session zero has so many benefits.
There’s all the basics of a session zero you’re probably aware of: agreeing on what kind of campaign you’re going to run, what kind of tone, how the party all know each other, and stuff the players would like to achieve ( “I want to earn the trust of a gryphon and learn to ride it!” ). It’s also a chance to go over more mundane stuff, like any house rules for critical successes or failures.
But beyond that, session zero is also where you lay the groundwork for creating a safe space for your players, queer or otherwise.
Lay out all the bits of the safety toolkit, and explain how they’ll be used. Go over stuff like the X card, lines & veils, and decide as a group on what kind of film rating you’re aiming for ( it’s a zany PG-13 adventure with swearing” VS “it’s an R rated horror film with vivid descriptions of body horror” ).
Let players know that if there are topics that should absolutely be avoided that they can say so now or send you an email or text. They don’t need to provide any kind of reason – and don’t ask for one, either. Also, their issue doesn’t have to be related to queerness or otherness. It’s a time for anybody to speak up about stuff you can do to make their experience at your table better.
For example, maybe you’ve got an arachnophobe in your group — so replace the giant spiders with giant snakes. Maybe you’ve got a player with auditory processing issues, so they’d prefer no loud music during battles. Another player might have PTSD from being in a war zone, so you know to try not to make any sudden loud noises without warning them. Anybody might have something that if encountered at the table will lead to a bad experience, and the session zero is your chance to become aware of all of those things so you can avoid them.
You shouldn’t be planning to jump into the campaign during session zero, so you’ve got time to make any tweaks or adjustments.
And yeah, it might take some work, especially if you’re running a module; but it’s worth doing because then you know you’re running a game where everybody at your table is having a fun time. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to feel good about running a game when someone isn’t having any fun.
And when it comes to running games that deal directly with stuff like racism or sexism, or games where those play a major part? My suggestion is that unless a group of players come to you specifically wanting to play in a game that deals with that kind of stuff, maybe just leave that stuff out entirely.
Okay, so you want to know the best part about doing all this stuff, and doing it right? You don’t have to even know that one or more of your players is queer!
It’s kind of like having someone with undisclosed trauma or PTSD – someone can have something that will trigger them and lead to a real bad time, and it’s pretty easy to avoid those things if you put in literally the tiniest amount of effort.
I think that’s what I find so bizzare about the people who complain about safety tools and running a safe table for everyone. It’s not that much effort, and you get to know you’re running a game that everyone actually is enjoying! I don’t know about you, but I want folks to have a good time when they play at my table. It’d absolutely crush me to find out someone has been spending the last few sessions miserable because of something I said or did without thinking. So to know what stuff to avoid ahead of time means I’m more confident that I’m creating an experience everyone can enjoy.
Because I want to have fun when playing tabletop games, and for me to have fun everyone has to have fun.
Lastly: if you’re a straight white dude and this all sounds annoying, or like a lot of work, or wah wah I’m thin skinned and don’t like new things – either do the work or go back to your cave. I’ll be over here running awesome games with fantastic people and having the time of my life.
In general, what are some of your favorite tips and tricks that you use while DMing, either in the creation stage or while playing?
I think I fall more on the “improv” side of the DM spectrum, so my tips and tricks definitely revolve around prep.
Donjon is indispensable, whether you’re running D&D or not. It’s got generators for all sorts of things, including generating world maps.
Another great system-agnostic tool is RPG Cards. I used this to generate cards for any magic items I was planning to give out, as well as generating a bunch of cards for stuff like potions, scrolls, and whatnot. The Gale Force 9 spell & monster cards are great as well — I’ve got a full set of the base spell cards, which I hand out to my players so they’ve got an easier time referencing their spells than flipping through the Player’s Guide. The only downside is that the Gale Force 9 cards are not exactly cheap. Maybe suggest to your players a deck as a thank you gift after you run a great campaign for them?
Another great tool is RPG Tinker. I use it to generate “captain” NPCs – NPCs that have special abilities so that I can mix up combat a bit. Useful for friendly or enemy NPCs, or if you just need something more than a regular human as the boss of a gang or something.
Lastly, I think something that’s more advice than tip or trick: be aware of when you’re getting burnt out! As a DM, you’re going to have a lot on your plate; not to mention all the stuff from your life away from the table. If you find yourself not looking forward to playing, or find it impossible to get psyched about game night: take some time and examine why you’re feeling that way.
I got burnt out after switching to playing online (which happened before the pandemic, funnily enough). The reason was that due to a quirk of my brain, the maps that I would draw on the battle mat when we were all around the table just weren’t good enough and so I ended up spending hours trying to make maps to use in Roll20. All the extra effort ended up burning me out and I ended the campaign early. They beat the big bad, but rather than having to chase down the lich to find and destroy the phylactery, I just ended the campaign after the boss fight.
Now I know that if I’m going to run a game online it has to be entirely theatre of the mind, otherwise I’ll just get burnt out trying to produce assets for virtual tabletops like Roll20.
So keep an eye on how you’re feeling when you sit down to prep (or if you’re unable to even sit down to do prep!). Your players should be okay with you taking a week or two to recharge so that you can come back to the table full of vim and vigour. And to be frank, if you’re not happy running a game your players aren’t going to have fun playing in it.
I care about you, reader, and want you to enjoy running games; so take care of yourself! It’s important.
What can we expect from DMs of Vancouver in the future?
Good question!
I’m hoping to run a contest or two in the future. I’ve got some goodies from backing Kickstarters at a level where I’d get duplicates, specifically with the idea of giving them away to our listeners.
I’m also hoping that we can continue to showcase non-D&D games. At the start of 2021 we started doing reviews of non-D&D games, and it’s been a blast. I love getting to talk about other systems, and not because I’m bored of D&D. There are so many systems out there that are much better suited to different themes and play styles, so getting to explore those and tell our listeners about them has been a blast. I also have a bad habit of buying rule books before I even know if I’m going to run a game in that system, so I’ve now got an excuse to buy a few more rule books!
We’re also going to continue to do our best to lift up and showcase non-white, non-straight, non-male voices. Whenever I think about this topic, I keep coming back to the Issac Newton quote “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. I think it’s time for white folks (especially white dudes) to realize we’re the giants.
We need to lift up and champion the voices of folks not like ourselves – otherwise the hobby will just stagnate or regress. There’s so many folks out there with awesome ideas. Making the hobby more inclusive doesn’t mean less for us, it means more awesome for everyone! And the more diverse voices who engage with the hobby, the better and stronger our hobby will get.
Thanks so much for giving me some space on your site to blather on! And to you reader, I can’t think of any way to close this out than to do it the same way we close out our episodes of DMs of Vancouver: Hope to see you out there at the gaming table!
Thank you Sean! Everyone should give DMs of Vancouver a listen today.
Flint and Silver return to Nassau, and a legend is born. A change in terms put Rackham and Bonny in jeopardy. Vane’s mission evolves. Eleanor confides in Rogers.
The entire scene in which Flint and Woodes Rogers face off is A+ Excellent, but the part that really destroys my soul is when, ten years after the first Great Defense, FLINT IS STILL DEFENDING THOMAS. Woodes Rogers claims that his goal is the same as Thomas’s, and Flint is all, “Let me tell you what Thomas wanted!!”
My heart!
TODAY’S RUNNER UP
Silver! This guy is unraveling as he keeps being thrust into positions of power, but it is so compelling to watch. It’s especially interesting that as he descends into “Flint’s” darkness, Flint himself is doing much better.
LOL MOMENT
When Max tells her that it was John Silver who stomped a dude’s head in and scared a tavern full of soldiers and pirates, Eleanor’s face is so confused! You can see her flashing back to the man Flint stashed in her office to keep him out of the way and thinking, “That guy??”
WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS
I keep wanting to prove that “civilization” is bad and the pirates are good. And I can definitely make arguments to that effect: Just this episode, we saw that civilization (personified by Woodes Rogers) is polite and reasonable when everything is going his way. He’s happy to let Jack go, “no harm done,” so long as he gets his cache. But as soon as he finds out that Spain wants Jack as well, Rogers easily betrays his promise to Jack.
There’s also Flint’s line about Rogers keeping the pirates from the beach by “keeping them in line with shame.” The perks of civilization are upheld by shaming people into submission. And when Flint refuses to submit to him, Rogers revokes pardons to the Walrus crew, thus explicitly making the pardons a means of control rather than of forgiveness.
But on the other hand…I don’t think it’s meant to be so simple as “these are the good guys and these are the bad guys.” I believe Rogers when he accidentally repeats 210 Flint: “If you insist on making me your villain, I’ll play the part.” He doesn’t WANT to do bad things, just as Flint doesn’t. This show is all about putting people into impossible situations so that their true feelings are revealed.
Perhaps the reason I empathize with the pirates so much is that they wear the worst of themselves on the outside, and slowly we see their goodness underneath, whereas civilization wears its goodness on the outside, and slowly we see its underbelly. Like Jack said, “We’re all villains in Nassau. Don’t think because you’re new you’re any different.” At least the pirates are self-aware about their darkest impulses.
FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS
Max is once more trying to convince Anne to go with her plan rather than Jack’s, and I GET IT. She’s scared that Spain is going to destroy Nassau if they don’t turn over the cache. But I’m totally empathizing with Anne’s pain and confusion here.
Flint standing at military attention while reporting to the Maroon Queen is Doing Things to my heart. Of course, he’s doing less fun things to the Queen’s heart when he suggests turning her home into a battlefield and answers her very good questions with “I don’t know yet.”
Madi joins the Walrus crew!!! But as an equal to Flint!!
Woodes Rogers wants to be the good guy so badly. But Jack eloquently and brutally puts him in his place.
Jack: Do you have a wife? Rogers: I do. Jack: How do you imagine she would feel if she were told you were suffering some awful, degrading abuse and that the only way she could end it would be to betray your trust? How do you think she would feel if she betrayed you, knowing she likely lost that trust forever, and then learned the whole thing was based on a ruse? And no one was harmed. We’re all villains in Nassau. Don’t think because you’re new you’re any different.
Max is legitimately upset that Spain now requires Jack along with the cache, meaning she lied to Anne. Eleanor fights to protect Anne, knowing how much Max loves her. THIS IS JUST SO GOOD. This is how exes should treat each other.
“That fucking chair. To gain it, it demands you win partners, call them friends, make them promises. To keep it, it demands you break them all. One day when all is settled here, we should burn that fucking chair.”
Max discusses the cost of becoming Eleanor in the same episode that Silver realizes the cost of becoming Flint! Good writing.
Max warns Eleanor that Rogers will abandon her if she continues to compromise his position with his men…so Eleanor sleeps with him (her go-to desperate power move). And I just? I know some people see their love story as great, and I can see that Eleanor does love Rogers. But this is not real love. She doesn’t trust that he loves her back. This is just Vane 2.0! I don’t ship it.
Vane finds Featherstone, who gets Idelle. I love this new, temporary triumvirate. Featherstone is worried that Rogers is a shit, and I am too!
Madi and Eme!! I love that Eme is still around, and more than that, that she’s secretly Mr. Scott’s agent! Black Sails writers, continuing to ask the good questions: “How can we make our female characters even more awesome?”
“I undertand this is the place cowards come to beg forgiveness from a king. Sign your name to sleep easy, thinking all your sins have been absolved. But some sins even a king can’t make clean. You, all of you, every last rotten fuck on this island has crossed a man far less forgiving than old George will ever be. I come as his right hand. I come on a mission of mercy, to show you a path to his forgiveness. I come on behalf of Captain Flint.” “Captain Flint is dead.” “Not anymore, he’s not.”
It is VERY GOOD to have Dufresne pop up and remind us of who Silver used to be, right before Silver reminds us who he is now by stomping Dufrense’s head in. Repeatedly.
“Contented men have short memories” vs. “My name is John Silver, and I’ve got a long fucking memory” is SO GOOD.
Caregiver Flint is ALSO my favorite (along with Revolutionary Flint and Strategist Flint, if you’re keeping score), and his going to Silver and asking, “Are you alright? I wasn’t asking about the leg,” does so many things to my heart! And just like Eleanor and Max, we get two colleagues discussing the cost of power.
Flint: You were right. About the toll it took, playing this part. Losing Miranda, the things that losing Miranda drove me to. So I know what you’re feeling in the moment. Silver: I perceived its effects on you. What I assumed was sorrow, loneliness, and worst of all terror at the thing you were becoming. There is an element of this journey into the dark that I’m only now beginning to appreciate. Flint: What’s that? Silver: How good it feels.
My question is: is this true of Flint as it is of Silver? Did Flint enjoy the darkness? He explicitly told Miranda that he hated his role as Flint more and more every day. We’ve seen him do horrible things and then hide somewhere to cry. On the other hand, I have a hard time believing he doesn’t derive SOME satisfaction in what he does (especially things like destroying Charles Town). What do you think? Is Silver misreading Flint and experiencing something separate?
Mrs. Mapleton is madam again, and she reveals the origin story of Eleanor/Max! Which is basically that she suggested Eleanor get her rocks off with no emotional attachment, but then Eleanor got emotionally attached. This makes me love her even more, actually? It’s very Moulin Rouge.
Flint smiling at Rogers sitting on the beach oozes “Finally, a match for me.” This is made extra satisfying when we remember that Rogers’ plan actually came from Eleanor!
Flint’s FACE when he’s greeted with Rogers saying, “Lord Thomas Hamilton.” He was NOT expecting that. But as he is phenomenal, he regains his footing and smirks a, “Clever” at Rogers’ transparent ploy to align Flint with him.
Flint: So that’s what this is. We’re all reasonable men, we all want the same thing? You offer me a pardon, I accept it, this all ends? Rogers: Maybe. The pardons are on the table. No one is being hanged. No one’s even being tried. They’ve all been forgiven, just as you wanted. Just as Thomas Hamilton wanted. So what is it that you’re fighting for that I’m not already offering? Flint: Thomas Hamilton fought to introduce the pardons to make a point. To seek to change England. And he was killed for it. His wife and I went to Charles Town to argue for the pardons, to make peace with England, and she was killed for it. England has shown herself to me, gnarled and gray and spiteful of anyone who would find happiness under her rule. I’m through seeking anything from England except for her departure from my island.
FLINT IS STILL DEFENDING THOMAS I’M DEAD
It must feel so good to say Thomas’s name out loud, to school some arrogant guy who thinks he understands Thomas and get to say, “I know every nuance of Thomas’s plan, LET ME TELL YOU IT.”
I totally forgot how that scene with Anne played out! I was so upset for her, and then Vane appeared, and I was so relieved!
Anne and Vane (and Featherstone and Idelle) are very smart! Now that Jack and the cache are in the same place, it forces people who couldn’t care less about Jack (i.e. Flint) to rescue him in order to retrieve the cache.
It’s VERY enjoyable to see all my favorite pirates on the same ship. Jack isn’t there, but they’re talking about him, which I feel he would find satisfactory.
This whole “Flint jumps into the seafoam and the camera pans up his body” shot was wonderful.
Not done reliving the episode? Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!
Genre | Historical Fiction Page #s | 400 Publishing Date | January 2021
A novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence.
Isaiah was Samuel’s and Samuel was Isaiah’s. That was the way it was since the beginning, and the way it was to be until the end. In the barn they tended to the animals, but also to each other, transforming the hollowed-out shed into a place of human refuge, a source of intimacy and hope in a world ruled by vicious masters. But when an older man—a fellow slave—seeks to gain favor by preaching the master’s gospel on the plantation, the enslaved begin to turn on their own. Isaiah and Samuel’s love, which was once so simple, is seen as sinful and a clear danger to the plantation’s harmony.
With a lyricism reminiscent of Toni Morrison, Robert Jones, Jr. fiercely summons the voices of slaver and the enslaved alike to tell the story of these two men; from Amos the preacher to the calculating slave-master himself to the long line of women that surround them, women who have carried the soul of the plantation on their shoulders. As tensions build and the weight of centuries—of ancestors and future generations to come—culminate in a climactic reckoning, The Prophets masterfully reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty, and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love.
Goodreads
I don’t generally read novels about slavery or the Holocaust or any hugely traumatic occurrence in which some people brutalized and dehumanized other people (I can do nonfiction more easily, but novels feel more like entertainment to me, and those subjects are not entertainment). However, the book club I am a part of sometimes reads these kinds of books, and I am grateful to have been pushed outside of my comfort zone and to have read such a phenomenal book by Robert Jones Jr.
The story of the The Prophets revolves around the love between Isaiah and Samuel and the way that it effects everyone on a plantation called Empty. However, each chapter comes from a unique character’s point of view, from other slaves to the master of the plantation to ancestors in Africa first experiencing the arrival of and enslavement by white men. The variety of experiences portrayed and the depth with which is character is explored is truly stunning. I cannot believe this is Jones Jr.’s debut novel; he is incredibly talented.
As a book about the experience of enslaved people, it is obviously hard to read. However, I did not find that it veered into “trauma porn” territory, which for me is when the horror has a shock value quality. To be fair, there are scenes of physical abuse, and rape and sexual assault is a regular occurrence. For most of these scenes, though, we are in the head of the person experiencing the tragedy, so we are not forced to experience assault with the person who is perpetrating it (there is one notable exception, and it is awful).
Additionally, the trauma that the men and women in these pages experience is not their whole existence. There are moments of peace and shared bread, shared knowledge, shared support. Most importantly, there is Samuel and Isaiah’s relationship, which is tender, loving, and intimate.
“This is why Isaiah and Samuel didn’t care, why they clung to each other even when it was offensive to the people who had once shown them a kindness: it had to be known. And why would this be offensive? How could they hate the tiny bursts of light that shot through Isaiah’s body every time he saw Samuel? Didn’t everybody want somebody to glow like that? Even if it could only last for never, it had to be known. That way, it could be mourned by somebody, thus remembered – and maybe, someday, repeated.”
I was also very impressed by the way Jones Jr. portrays women. Although two men are the center of the story, I think we hear from women more than men. They are each unique, wonderful, complicated, and stunningly realistic. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that a man could capture the dignity of a woman enduring indignities so well, but I am! My entire heart goes to Maggie, though everyone else is also amazing.
We do get perspectives from each of the four main white slavers on the plantation. They are hard to read, mostly because Jones Jr. explains their motivations in ways that feel relatable without ever letting them off the hook for their despicable actions. He did a wonderful job of balancing their humanity and their own struggles (the wife watches her husband rape his slaves, the son is gay and closeted) with their complicity in a system that grants them privileges at the expense of others.
I was genuinely stressed reading this book, mostly because I couldn’t imagine how it could end with any kind of satisfying close. What kind of happy ending could anyone get in a world that wouldn’t end slavery for another several decades, wouldn’t end legalized racial discrimination for another century, and is still working through cultural and systemic racism? I won’t say that the ending is happy, necessarily, but it is definitely cathartic.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
This is a book for anyone who wants a complex, lyrical, female and queer-centric perspective on slavery in the United States.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
In July, Rachel wrote a blog post about her creative process in making a One Page Dungeon for the annual contest of the same name. She has finished the dungeon and is back with some final thoughts on the process and end product!
Rachel’s 2021 One Page Dungeon: Medusa’s Prison!
Dungeon complete! Start to finish, I probably spent about 12 hours on this dungeon, and I’m happy with how it turned out. I could have spent more time on it tidying up the maps, title text and background detail but at some point you just have to call it done (and that can be hard).
Looking at my finished dungeon, I could have been a bit more creative with the shape of my maps. They definitely feel like they needed another draft, but they fit with the Greek theme. I liked how I was able to organise the information on the page and bring it together with the architecture. I remember while I was playing Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey I learned that the tympanum (triangular area over the door) is the best place to have a big sculpture that tells a story, so it felt very fitting to have my adventure’s introduction in that spot.
I haven’t run this adventure yet. That would have helped me with the text and finding any plot holes, but I didn’t have time to do this before the contest closed. I will definitely be running it soon though, so join the Roar Cat Reads Discord if you would like to play it with us.
Overall, this was a great experience for me. Having the deadline really helped me pull my finger out and get it done, and it’s always great to have a project to practise drawing skills. I am excited to see the other entries for this year’s contest, and I can’t wait to enter again next year!
Genre | Memoir Page #s | 273 Publishing Date | September 2019
Who gave Jonathan Van Ness permission to be the radiant human he is today? No one, honey.
The truth is, it hasn’t always been gorgeous for this beacon of positivity and joy.
Before he stole our hearts as the grooming and self-care expert on Netflix’s hit show Queer Eye, Jonathan was growing up in a small Midwestern town that didn’t understand why he was so…over the top. From choreographed carpet figure skating routines to the unavoidable fact that he was Just. So. Gay., Jonathan was an easy target and endured years of judgement, ridicule and trauma—yet none of it crushed his uniquely effervescent spirit.
Over the Top uncovers the pain and passion it took to end up becoming the model of self-love and acceptance that Jonathan is today. In this revelatory, raw, and rambunctious memoir, Jonathan shares never-before-told secrets and reveals sides of himself that the public has never seen. JVN fans may think they know the man behind the stiletto heels, the crop tops, and the iconic sayings, but there’s much more to him than meets the Queer Eye.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll come away knowing that no matter how broken or lost you may be, you’re a Kelly Clarkson song, you’re strong, and you’ve got this.
Goodreads
JVN is an inspiration, both as the bubbly hair stylist in Queer Eye and even more so in this honest retelling of the darker parts of his personal story. I highly recommend you listen to the audiobook to get the full JVN experience.
Growing up in Illinois, JVN has a classic “always knew I was different” origin story, but it is the honesty with which they describe their experiences that sets this memoir apart. Little Jackie sounds so adorable, working tirelessly to be as graceful and athletic as the gymnasts and ice skaters they looked up to. (Side note: the fabulous Russian aliases that are given to people to protect their identities is one of my favorite aspects of the book).
With a childhood experience of sexual assault followed by a less-than-supportive reaction from family, JVN got out of their hometown as soon as they could, and found themselves struggling through sex work, drug use, and sex addiction. I really admire their willingness to share this part of their story, and I love their acknowledgment that it’s all quite heavy. At an especially difficult part, they drop in a childhood essay of outrage against the Bill Clinton sex scandal. Hearing JVN’s delight at their own writing is just as good as the impassioned essay itself.
Through the support of their family, career opportunities, and some hard lessons learned from boyfriends, JVN ends their book where most of us know them – starting a new journey with Queer Eye, inspiring people with the love, community, and wisdom that drew viewers to them in the first place. It’s an excellent book, and I’m going to follow it up by checking out their tumbling passes on Instagram.
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
Fans of Queer Eye who want to get to know the hosts on a deeper level.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
Cayla (she/her) is a nerd of every flavor, including western comics, manga, video games and table top with a passion for cosplay, writing, world building and drawing.
Today she is a host, player and producer of multiple TTRPG podcasts and in involved in more games than she can count. You can find her on Twitter @veranox, read her webcomic Blackburn, and listen to The Human Exception podcast, where Nathan, Halli, and Cayla go on wild trips down the rabbit hole that is human history and the Internet.
Cayla, how long have you been playing D&D? What has your experience in the TTRPG world been like?
I started in my early teens, but it wasn’t something that really took over my life until the last five years when we began DM’s Test Kitchen. With the goal to try and play as many different TTRPGs as possible, it has really opened up the TTRPG world! We have met some truly amazing people (like Jessy!) because of this and for the most part my personal interactions have been very positive.
As a pansexual woman, have roleplaying games helped you explore or express your queer identity?:
I have always felt pretty comfortable being myself while gaming, but I think the thing that has made a difference for me is the community. There is a really large and compassionate community of queer folk that made me feel a lot more comfortable finding my place there. Being pan in a “hetero” relationship, it’s easy to not really feel like you’re part of the LGBT world or like an “imposter”. But the community is incredibly positive and encouraging of bi and pan individuals, and it really gave me more confidence as a queer.
From our conversations, it seems like you are intense in your love for nerdy hobbies. What does it take for a project to hook (and keep) your attention?
Well, I think a big part of my intense and multi-faceted nerdom can be traced back to my ADHD. I don’t know how to dip my toe in, I just go headfirst into pretty much anything that catches my passion. I think the thing at the core of all my projects/hobbies comes back to stories and storytelling.
When it comes to cosplay, I pick characters that I identify with or really love the stories of. “Recently” (aka the last costume I worked on pre-Covid) I made a costume that I have wanted to do for decades: Laurana from the novels and TTRPG setting Dragonlance. I grew up on those books and the story meant a lot to me. So yeah, my love for Dragonlance led me to do a 100+ hr cosplay build.
Even my comic Blackburn which I have been working on for 3 years now started with a single drawing. Whenever I draw I am telling a story to myself the entire time, and I decided to draw this punk drow character. As I was drawing, I asked myself why she was the way she was, what led her to be that way and what kind of world she lived in. In the end I wanted to find these answers out and that’s ultimately what led to Blackburn.
The main game I am running now, that I started like 2 years ago? Is a completely custom setting built from the ground up that all spawned from the phrase “feast or famine”. I was actually planning a one-shot for something else, when the phrase popped into my head and I couldn’t let it go and immediately wrote up an outline where I explored the idea of what a world controlled by this concept of feast or famine would look like. I came back with this idea of a world with only two seasons. Feast: Where everything was lush and grew wild, threatening to consume villages and Famine: where nothing grows and disease and monsters become a major threat. How do people live in a world like that? What does that look like? Why is it that way?
That’s pretty much a summary of how all my passions start, with a single idea that gets lodged in my ADHD-riddled brain that I can’t let go of. Just a spark for a story that I want to share or tell.
What nerdy interests are you most excited about right now?
My biggest focuses right now are my giant Pokémon cross-stitch that I showed you. The final canvas is probably going to be like 4’x7′ and will consist of all the sprites from Pokémon gen 1-5. I love Pokémon, have ever since I was a child. And ever since I learned to cross stitch as a child I entertained this idea of making a giant Pokémon tapestry, but never knew how I would do it. The idea showed up again a month or so ago when I saw an ad on Facebook where you could submit an image to a website and they would make you a custom cross stitch kit. I looked at all the options and wasn’t really satisfied with the services that were out there. I stumbled across a free online pattern generator that allows you to upload an image and it will make a pattern for you and provide you with a list of all the colors you would need. Well obviously I needed to do that, and pretty much ordered everything the same day.
I also kickstarted a Horizon Zero Dawn board a while back, and the last of the assets finally arrived, meaning I have dozens of minis to paint and I am so excited!
My other big project right now (that I guess isn’t really that nerdy?) has to do with our podcast HEX. Last year, Halli, one of our hosts did a story on Teal Swan, the online self-help guru and cult leader (and overall horrible person. This story and many of the attributes of Teal reminded me of a story I had read on reddit, known as the Final Fantasy 7 house. A harrowing tale of Icarus, a young trans man in college, who was struggling to figure out his identity and ended up meeting some people online that seemed to accept and love him for who he was and they bonded over a shared love of Final Fantasy 7. He would go to live with them over the summer only for him to realize he had joined a cult and he was forced to live in horrid conditions and serve their every whim.
So I put together my story and shared it on the podcast, but it drew me back in, and I began to dig deeper. Not only did I find out that this internet legend was actually a fairly accurate account of real events, I found that Icarus was far from the only survivor. I’ve talked to nearly a dozen survivors now, having tracked them down on the internet even having many come on the show (we have another interview coming out this week) giving them a chance to tell their story of survival and be more than just a victim of the woman that has been running this abusive scam since 2001 and may even be still active today.
It’s become a whole thing and a huge passion project for me, to find these survivors and give them a platform to speak out about what happened and a safe environment to do so, all with the hope that their story could maybe help someone else. All of the survivors I have spoken to are queer and the grand majority of them fall into the trans spectrum. They were targeted specifically because they were questioning and feeling alienated and unsure of themselves. It’s been absolutely inspiring to hear their stories and how they escaped and have grown into such amazing people (not that they weren’t to begin with). Being someone that is also an abuse survivor, it has been very healing for me.
Other than that, I continue to work on my Feast or Famine campaign and world building. We hope to make the campaign available as an actual play podcast in the future, and I look forward to sharing that world with the rest of the world.
What advice do you have for GMs who want to get better at worldbuilding?
It all comes back to stories. Everything you make should tell some sort of story: Do all your elves live under the ocean? Why? Have they always lived there? How do they live there? What do they eat? Sometimes the most seemingly boring questions can lead to some of the most delightful “discoveries.” One thing we had to consider for Feast or Famine is, how do you live 6 months when you can’t grow new food or breed livestock? Pickling and canning seemed like the obvious solution, but what if you wanted fresh meat? That’s how rock chickens were born.
I had this idea for chickens that came from the fireplane, whose eggs were like rocks, and wouldn’t hatch until they were put in fire, after which they would grow to maturity in a very short period. Meaning that you could have a store of rock chicken eggs that you can hatch at any time. When we were doing our session zero, I kind of threw the idea of rock chickens out there, and my players loved it, and now we’ve developed a whole thing around rock chickens. Like they taste like Louisiana hot chicken and different varieties have different flavors (even a cool ranch variety).
Which, on that note, don’t forget to bring your players in on some of the world building! It helps get them excited about the world, and bouncing ideas off each other helps develop them or come up with something you never would’ve thought of on your own! World building isn’t just about the DM. It’s easy to think of it as a solitary activity done in isolation, but a DM is only a narrator. The players are the characters, the ones that actually do things and shape the world.
There are also a ton of world building games that you can play as a group to help further develop your world. One thing we did was play a game of the Quiet Year (made by queer creator Avery Alder) to develop the town the players would start in. This led to the discovery of an underground city, a salt plague, a murder mystery and shadowy monsters that live on the edge of town. This also created a whole host of NPCs and a functional town, as the game asks you questions about how the town survives, what the dynamics are and challenges you to make decisions about the world functions.
Do you have any recommendations of queer nerdy content that you would like people to know about?
Oh man, do I! Halli (from HEX and a player in DMTK) just released her first book: Wilderwood. It follows three characters as they try to protect the small town of Wilderwood from mysterious forces. They are Octavia, the vampire baroness, who has watched over the town for centuries, Bellemy, the non-binary hunter and lover of Octavia that disappeared into the faelands 2 years ago and has suddenly returned mysteriously and Roderick, another hunter that has been drawn to town on a hunt avenge his fallen partner.
And I can’t mention Halli without mentioning her TTRPG stream Terrible Party where she and her queer cast play games, host charity streams and much more!
Thank you, Cayla!
Are you an Adventure Queer? Do you love to play D&D? Email us at roarcatreads@gmail.com to let us know you would like to be interviewed!
His face, I think, just after he’s shot Teach. He looks so shocked that he might have actually won the duel, and so easily. Of course, nothing is easy for Captain James Flint.
Still, it’s a brief moment of vulnerability and hope, emotions he usually has a lockdown on in public.
TODAY’S RUNNER UP
Jack! From deliciously nerdy shade to a sneaky plan to continue fighting England, Jack resists the allure of “order” to continue a fight for freedom…without Flint or Vane (the resistance’s leaders) or Anne (his personal support). That’s bravery! And, uh, the usual heavy dose of ambition that we’ve come to expect from Jack.
“One of two outcomes will result. Rogers will understand his defeat to be ultimately inevitable and leave this place, in which case I’ll have it back. Or he’ll stubbornly refuse and eventually Spain will raze this place to the ground. The English flag will burn, and a second pirate republic will be born from the ashes of the first. Only this time, every man who calls it home will know it came about because of me.”
LOL MOMENT
Idelle and Featherstone are quick becoming the Merry and Pippin of Black Sails.
Idelle: Well? What do you think? Featherstone: You mean aside from the tit curtains? Idelle: It’s called a cravat.
WELL-FORMED THOUGHTS
I spent most of this episode frustrated with Silver’s hyper-masculine resistance to showing even the slightest bit of weakness. It seemed ridiculous, because I have no doubt that the men of the Walrus would be understanding of, and even appreciate, his vulnerability. “He’s not Flint!” I thought. Suddenly Silver’s actions connected to his conversations with Madi in a way I hadn’t seen before.
In their first conversation, Madi realizes that Silver is new to power and doesn’t know how to “wear the crown.” He has only ever seen leadership modeled by Flint, who is so concerned with creating a mythic character that he refuses to show doubt or weakness. As an excellent observer, Silver tries to do the same.
In their second conversation, Silver confesses to Madi his fear of becoming so close to Flint that he is burdened by his descent into Flint’s wants, needs, and fears. He believes he is becoming like Flint, and that this will be his end (though he doesn’t seem capable of just…NOT acting like Flint). Fittingly, Madi offers him the thing he’s been denying himself – vulnerability, the admittance that Silver needs a tether to keep himself from getting lost in Flint’s psyche.
FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS
Silver’s forced to stay behind on Maroon Island while Flint and the Walrus seek Charles Vane. Madi is pissed that he’s missed Mr. Scott’s healing ceremony, but he’s in a lot of leg pain. I get the sense that there is a TINY bit of that brand of aggressive flirting where the boy you like isn’t where you think he is, so you use your Righteous Indignation to find him and talk to him.
Flint: “If he tied it wrong, then you instructed him wrong.” I know that his primary motivation in siding with the Maroon guy is to uphold the alliance between pirates and slaves, but it’s also really nice to see him standing against his crew member for a former slave.
I am aware that I am giving Flint all kinds of benefit of the doubt when I haven’t shown the same curtesy to other characters, but, well…I LOVE HIM, and love has made me an expert excuser of his potential faults.
We know Vane’s conscious is irking him because he’s not participating in the revels on Okracoke Island. What a difference between this and his season 1 self, always lounging with topless women.
Teach at Flint’s resurrection: “Jesus.” LOL.
Mrs. Hudson explains that she became a spy because her children’s lives were threatened. So soon after pirate Nassau feared an English invasion, English Nassau fears a Spanish invasion. Everyone’s enemy has a scarier enemy. The whole system is broken.
“If we can’t find Jack Rackham, we’re finished.” Cut to: Jack Rackham walking into the tavern. LOL.
“I though as an added prize, I’d at leas be able to see it for myself. The new governor up to his ears in the very same bullshit in which I’ve been drowning for the past few months. And what do I find? The streets are swept, industry is in fashion, you’re dressed like a Turkish whore, and all because a man arrived, stood on the beach, and said please.”
What is the show trying to tell us with this? That people crave order? That order brings out our better selves? Or are we meant to see that this IS a benefit of civilization, but (as we have seen and will see), this benefit comes at a significant cost?
This scene between Silver and Madi, though! SHE IS SO GOOD.
Silver: For some time now, I have been holding my entire world together with both hands, keeping my men in line, seeing to their needs, and the only way that endures is if I look the part… Madi: No one prepared you for this, did they? For as long as I can remember, I have been prepared for the day I would take my mother’s place. To know that from that day forth, I would forever be the one who tends as opposed to the one who is tended to. You’re frustrated. You’re angry. You’re tired. Perhaps no one else knows why. I believe that not even you know why. But I know why. The crown is always a burden, but it cannot be borne if you cannot stand.
A good leader cannot take care of others until they take care of themselves!! It feels very right that it is a woman who teaches a man that self-care is a necessary part of leadership.
I could watch an entire episode of Flint and Teach talking to each other. And I would give ANYTHING to have a flashback (or entire series!) that shows us Flint arriving in Nassau and telling Teach, Hornigold, Bellamy, and Avery that he’s got a better idea of how to run things.
Woodes Rogers and Jack!!! This episode is A++ on incredibly dynamic conversations between two people.
Jack: I read your book. Well, most of it. I confess, I may not quite have soldiered through to the end. But, you know, I got the gist of it. Rogers: If you don’t mind my asking, what did you take to be its gist? Jack: Wealthy son of a wealthy man takes to the sea to prove something to the parents, presumably. Seeks adventure, finds the limits of his own capacity. Loses everything in the process and then stumbles upon a hell of a story in the process. Please understand, I’m quite particular about my library, but people seem to have liked it fine, and it seems to have done wonders for you. So congratulations on all that.
BRUTAL, I love it.
The duel scene is perfect. Starting from Billy’s perspective, who is not loyal to Flint (things just keep changing too fast for him to keep up!), then ending with Vane, who is not loyal to Teach.
The lack of music throughout is SUCH a good choice. Even though I’d seen this before, it was still so stressful.
TEACH’S FACE when Vane jumps in to save Flint. Oh God, the utter shock and betrayal. I mean, I wouldn’t have wanted this to end any other way, but poor Teach! Uuuugh, it’s so sad.
It is VERY interesting to me that Flint convinces Vane to rejoin him, not based on loyalty, but on revenge. Fandom seems very into making Vane synonymous with loyalty, but here Flint explicitly tells Vane to think beyond loyalty.
Vane: I gave you my word, shook your hand, pledged to defend the island with you. But my pledge to him began a long time before I ever knew your name. What I owe him – Flint: I don’t care that you shook my hand. I don’t care what you feel you owe him. This is too important to be clouded by any of that. They took my home. I can’t walk away from that. Can you? Forget me, forget Teach, forget loyalty, compacts, honor, debts, all of it. The only question that matters is this: Who are you?
Silver says that he’s not the first person to have descended into Flint’s depths and never resurfaced. But is this an accurate reading of reality (keeping in mind that Silver doesn’t know all of Flint’s story). I assume he is here referring to Gates and Miranda. Was Gates dragged into Flint’s depths? Into his orbit, maybe, but I never got the sense that he was emotionally burdened by Flint in the way that Silver is. And Miranda? If anything, they were thrown into the depths together, and they clung to each other down there. If anything, she helped him climb OUT of the depths, if only for a too-brief moment.
Again, it’s so fitting that a man consumed in either/or and win/loss thinking is taught to see a gentler, more supportive option by a woman: “Maybe to go to such a place, one needs another to hold the tether and to find a way out.” Now that’s both/and thinking!
Love seeing Mr. Scott and Madi interact as father and daughter, and I love even more that Mr. Scott knew the best way to prepare her to lead in the New World was to give her stories.
Max’s betrayal. She reasserts her worth to Rogers with, “If you have me, you have the street,” and officially choosing her ambitions above her relationships. To be fair, while this makes me very sad (and a little mad), she is only joining the ranks of Flint, Eleanor, and many other characters I love.
It’s very fitting that as Max chooses her ambition above relationships, Vane does the same, for the very first time.
Flint and Vane talking quietly together in the dark, making little jokes, is SO cute to me.
Vane has changed so much, and this episode really highlights it. No reveling, choosing revenge over loyalty, and saying with disdain about other men, “one piece of information everyone else was quick to dismiss as it held no value to them in that moment.” He’s become a proper revolutionary.
Not done reliving the episode? Listen to Daphne and Liz’s podcast at Fathoms Deep!
Genre | Fantasy / Science Fiction Page #s | 512 Publishing Date | August 2020
Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station.
She answered the Emperor’s call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman’s shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
Goodreads
I’ll be honest – after rereading Harrow the Ninth via audiobook, I still don’t fully grasp the plot. But did that affect my enjoyment of the story? No, I am a big confused blob, grinning manically into the middle distance. Tamsyn Muir is just such a talented storyteller, and her words wash over you in a chaotic jumble of cleverness, leaving readers delighted regardless of their level of understanding.
The feeling fits with this story in particular. Picking up where Gideon the Ninth left off, Harrowhark the Ninth (now the First) has ascended to lyctorhood (almost) but has an unfortunate side effect of insanity. She flashes back to events that are almost the same as the first book, but with one massive difference: where Gideon ought to be, Ortus is instead. But Harrow and the readers must piece together what has happened to her as she hangs out on a spaceship with God and her elder lyctor siblings, some of whom are trying to kill her.
It’s interesting enough, but the story picks up like a rocket about halfway through when Harrow runs into some characters that literally made my jaw drop. Soon thereafter, there is the single greatest perspective change in the history of literature. Never has a book’s POV been so important or so subtly important. From that point on, I could not shove the story into my brain fast enough.
Although Harrow and Ianthe are pretty much the only characters that continue from the first book (other than flashbacks), the characters that are introduced are excellent. Augustine and Mercymorn are perfect as entitled, bored, talented 10,000 year old beings, and the introduction of God/John is endlessly entertaining. There is nothing better than to see a nun of the Ninth House prostrating herself on glass before her god, a kindly human who drinks tea, eats biscuits, and horrifies her by patting her on the head.
It’s just been announced that the series will now include four books, with Nona the Ninth coming out in fall 2022!
Who Would I Recommend This Book To?
You can’t read this without reading Gideon the Ninth, but if you’re invested in the Locked Tomb series, this is an excellent sequel!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!
When confronted at the orphanage, Cid says he ran away because it was a no-win situation for him, which is…pretty fair. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for him to see his wife possessed, taking over the world, and know that she wants you to send some teenagers to murder her.
Edea lays out a lot of plot exposition: She was possessed by Sorceress Ultimecia, who lives in the future. This sorceress wants Ellone and her power to transport people through time (how Ellone has this power is not explained). Edea fears that Ultimecia has abandoned her body to jump into Sorceress Adel, former evil ruler of Esthar. Ultimecia wants to compress time, seemingly for shits and giggles as far as I can tell.
Cid lectures Squall on how to be a good leader, and c’mon man. I was empathizing with you earlier, but this is a bit rich. Also, maybe Garden should consider choosing a leader who isn’t emotionally compromised by a sorceress.
I’m very annoyed at everyone in this scene. They’re all like, “We care about Rinoa, but everyone else matters too!” As if they weren’t JUST giving Squall such shit about prioritizing the lives of other students over immediately running off to save Rinoa when she was hanging from a cliff, like, a couple hours ago.
We get another FLASHBACK to Laguna’s stint as an actor (sure, whatever!). He is a very bad actor, but hot people are allowed to be talentless. However, everyone is incredibly dumb. I cannot believe that anyone thought that huge ass dragon was Kiros.
Laguna sees a flying ship! Then Ellone tells Squall that she will use him a little longer, and suddenly Laguna is at the orphanage looking for Ellone, who was kidnapped by Esthar soldiers.
Things get very sad when Ellone reveals that she has been trying to change the past in these little flashback jaunts, but has now realized it’s impossible. She can’t change the past, which means that Ellone will always be kidnapped, Laguna will always go after her, and Raine will always die alone while he is away. Presumably after giving birth to Squall, who will always be an orphan. Depressing!
White SeeD Ship
I always have to cheat to find this thing.
Zone and Watts are on the White SeeD ship! However, Ellone is not. She went willingly with Esthar soldiers who came to get her. Seems weird, since we just learned that she was kidnapped by them as a child!
Great Salt Lake
Squall takes Rinoa from the infirmary and carries her from Fisherman’s Horizon across the bridge to the continent that was impossible to explore until now. This is a really great map expansion technique!
The party somehow meets Squall on the other side, and Edea is with them. I had totally forgotten that you can play with Edea as a party member!!
This is such a fun little place to explore – snow and undead monsters! I remember the first time I played through this, not knowing that you can use healing spells and potions to cut through undead easily. It used to be a lot scarier!
At the edge of a cliff, a glitching techno door reveals itself! The entrance to Esthar is a perfect sequence. It is utterly different from anything else we’ve seen.
Esthar
We start with another flashback. I assume Ellone is just now providing Squall with helpful information? We get to see Laguna imprisoned in the Lunatic Pandora Laboratory. He helps a moogle, and a guy is like, “You’re nice. You should be the next leader when we rebel against Sorceress Adel!” Talk about white guys falling upward!
Laguna saves Ellone and it is super sweet. I feel like something is missing though…how did Squall know Ellone/sis? Was he born before Ellone was kidnapped, which means Laguna left his son and never went back? Was he born after (which I assumed) and Ellone was sent to an orphanage AFTER Laguna rescued her? What is the timeline here??
Esthar is…fine. For being high tech, it’s pretty underwhelming.
At the Lunar Gate, Angelo says goodbye, which hurts my heart!
A party of three has to go to the moon for some reason (the plot is getting REALLY weird by this point), and Edea stays behind with Zell, who is the newest wannabe sorceress’s knight. The Galbadians have salvaged Lunatic Pandora, which appears at the city. Zell won’t let Dr. Odine tell us where it came from or what it is, which is very frustrating! We do learn that monsters just sometimes fall from the moon…all of this new plot information is dropped here at the end of the game without buildup, and it is very weird.
The gang races across the city to get aboard the Lunatic Pandora, but they’re magically expelled. The thing/place hovers over Tear’s Point, and Zell gives up for some reason.
Space!
There are a few scenes where you get to play with gravity, and recovering the pods is a fun introduction to a new space (hah!).
Seem like Sorceress Adel is being kept in space. So is Ellone, who tells everyone that sending them into Laguna’s past was helpful because she saw how much she was loved. I mean, several of the first flashbacks had nothing to do with her, but okay! Then she gives us some pretty good advice: “The past doesn’t change. You do.”
They have somehow decided to take Rinoa, a woman possessed by a sorceress, to the place where another sorceress is held captive, and SURPRISE! A sorceress uses a sorceress to free a sorceress! Too bad no one anticipated this.
Panicky Gentleman: Why is everything happening at once?
We get to see President Laguna doing his motions while in an astronaut suit! This slow reveal is done really well.
As they escape, Ellone sends Squall into Rinoa’s past. We get to see her demand that Irvine return to the prison for the others, ask Zell for Squall’s ring, and be possessed by Ultimecia and order Seifer to find and raise the Lunatic Pandora.
In one of the best sequences of the entire game, Rinoa runs out of air in her spacesuit, drifting in inky blackness. Squall tries to reach out to her, first telepathically, then physically. It makes her remember to push a button to get more oxygen (?), and Squall thanks Ellone and goes to find her. Navigating your way into her path is so simple but so moving. And then they spoon in space!!
Deus ex Ragnorak.
“The space suit was in our way before. Give me a hug. A real tight one!”
It’s very annoying that Rinoa can’t get EXP fighting all of these propogators.
I will handwave away the miracle of Ragnorak successfully making contact with Esthar after 17 years because ROMANCE SCENE. Rinoa sits on Squall’s lap, and he opens up about feeling alone and pushing people away. She assures him, “Squall, you’re the one who gives me the most comfort. Comfort and happiness. And disappointment, too!” It’s so freaking adorable.
Rinoa knows she is a sorceress, so she thinks they can’t be together. Squall comforts her when she says she’s scared! She knows that Ultimecia wants to achieve time compression (still…why?) because Ultimecia is the only one capable of existing in such a world. I guess she just really wants to be a loner?
Let’s Wrap Things Up
When Ragnorak lands, Rinoa is taken away to be imprisoned, and the rest of the gang shows up. Quistis reveals that Ellone has been kidnapped…again!! Gah.
Quistis reveals that she has had no character growth, because she’s still hung up on Squall and being passive aggressive about it. “You weren’t thinking about anything but Rinoa when you jumped into space, huh? I wonder if anyone would do that for me? So where’s the princess who changed you?” C’MON QUISTIS, you’re a hot teacher! You can do better than lusting after your student-brother!
Squall decides to save Rinoa again, and they get a dramatic CGI embrace.
“Even if you end up as the world’s enemy, I’ll. I’ll be your knight.”
Back in Esthar, we finally learn that Laguna is the President and Dr. Odine explains the plan to take down Ultimecia. It’s very timely wimey and weird, but Laguna sums it up as “It’s about love, friendship, and courage.” I…don’t think it is, man.
This whole final plot is so tacked on and ridiculous. I’m glad for the romance stuff, but these final discs are not necessary. Ending with a battle between the Gardens and against Edea would have been way more emotionally satisfying.
Oh well, we’ve still more to go! Next up: All the weird side plots and the final confrontation!
I am just one of many who have fallen in love with Wells’ Murderbot series, and for good reason! She has created a unique sci-fi experience centered around a delightfully compelling security robot who would rather watch soap operas than kill people. This is the first book in a series of novellas (and one novel), so you can several bite-sized stories that both satisfy and leave you wanting more!
I love IKEA, but I couldn’t resist a tongue-in-cheek novella set in a comically brutal capitalistic sci-fi setting with wormholes, alternate Swedish-furniture box store realities, and two exes sent to find a missing grandma. It’s hilarious, haunting, and a lovely look at queer relationships post-breakup.
Alice Payne Arrives & Alice Payne Rides by Kate Heartfield
This duology of novellas centers on two women of colour, one of whom is a queer masked highway(wo)man. There is time travel shenanigans that are philosophical in the first book and adventurous in the second, and I hope a third Alice Payne novella will be published in the future!
Combining Eastern and Western fairy tales, this novella stars two middle-aged lesbians who are not in love with each other! Rosa (Red Riding Hood) and Hou Yi pursue dangerous creatures and deal with the regrets of their past…which are not quite so far in the past as they may have hoped! If lesbians are poorly represented in media, middle-aged lesbians are even less so. I am desperate for more!
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
An Asian-based fantasy with a queer love triangle between a woman, a princess, and a fire elemental that is about finding your purpose and choosing to be more than the small role that life and love can sometimes assign you.
An anthology of short stories about space bikes with trans narratives. Each story is unique, from werewolves and mailmen to launching a bike into space like a rocket, but the anthology is edited perfectly into a cohesive whole.
A queer feminist sequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, this novella focuses on Prospero’s daughter when she leaves the magical island and returns to normal life, where she solves the mystery of her mother and falls in love with a woman named Dorothea.
As a co-host of the podcast DMs of Vancouver, you have interviewed a lot of D&D players and DMs. Has your experience of D&D changed as a result of the podcast?
Yes, and for multiple reasons. Making the show and talking to people is a really valuable experience because you get to hear people talk about how they run a game. I always try to approach each episode with the perspective that there are very few wrong ways to run a game, other than “Don’t be terrible to your players” and “Don’t abuse your players.” I try to come in with an open mind. It helps that when we started the show, I really wanted to learn from people, both how to play and how to DM.
Of course, sometimes I learn useful skills from our guests that I would never want to put into practice. One of our guests (Jane Perella, episode here) is a school teacher who runs a D&D Club for fifteen children! I never want to do that exactly, but I still learned a lot from her. In fact, that’s one of my favorite episodes, and she is going to be on a follow up episode soon!
The other reason my experience of D&D has changed is because I’m on social media so much for the podcast. I keep track of the TTRPG Twitter sphere, and I see a lot of different generational differences. I once saw someone say, “If your DM ever says no to you, that’s bad.” I don’t agree with that, but I also tried to look at it, consider it, and figure out where they were coming from.
Are there any specific examples of things you’ve changed in your D&D style over time?
I learned to use online tools from Sean. Honestly, it’s hard to know how I’ve changed, because I don’t notice when it’s happening. I’m starting a new campaign after a long pandemic pause, so maybe I’ll notice that I’m a completely different DM because it’s been a while.
I do still think about something that Milo Applejohn said about representing neurodivergent characters in your games. They said to include those characters but don’t make that characteristic the whole character. Especially if you’re not a part of that group, make it a detail, but don’t play it a stereotype. Always keep in mind that people are much more than just being neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, etc.
You are a straight white cis man, but you have included many LGBTQ+ guests on DMs of Vancouver. I have been very impressed with how you intentionally create safe and welcoming spaces for queer people. How did you cultivate this attitude and awareness?
Honestly, when Sean and I interviewed our friends for early episodes, we sometimes didn’t know they were queer. As people come out as trans, I try to go back and change their dead names in the episode titles. I also became friends with people who are openly queer as my wife Haley and I became involved with the Vancouver comics community.
When it comes to creating a safe space, we really just want the podcast to be welcoming to everyone who isn’t a raging asshole. We are constantly trying to do better. For instance, during the Black Lives Matter movement, we took a look through our list of guests and realized that we don’t have many POC guests. We want to change that moving forward. It’s funny, when we mentioned this in an episode, someone messaged and asked if we were called out. We weren’t! I’m just on Twitter in leftist spaces, and I paid attention to the conversations people were having. It’s a joke that the old guard of D&D are all straight white cis guys. We are straight white cis men, but we always want to be improving.
What advice do you have for other DMs about how to create safe spaces for queer players at their tables?
I never want to do anything homophobic or transphobic anyway, and most of my regular players are queer. If I do something shitty, I hope that they’ll tell me, “That sucked. Don’t do that.” I think DMs should listen to their players, both verbally and nonverbally. Pay attention if they’re obviously uncomfortable. And if you’re a straight white cis guy, do your research! Find trans or queer creators and read and watch their stuff. People think it’s harder than it is. Just listen, learn, and try.
Specifically, I recommend Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk’s TTRPG Safety Toolkit.
In general, what are some of your favorite DM tips and tricks?
Like I mentioned earlier, I’m starting a new campaign. For the first time, I sat down with my players beforehand to create the world together. I gave them some general details and big picture stuff, but we made the setting as a group. That won’t work for everybody, but if you’re open, I think you should give it a try! You get some really interesting ideas.
Our campaign will be in a post-apocalyptic setting where magic faded with the advancement of technology, but that fell apart and now magic is re-emerging. It’s mostly a desert, but there is a single snowy mountain in the middle of it all. They really helped me put together a complex interesting world. Because it’s the desert, we decided most people would live underground, and someone had the idea that people would live in abandoned parking garages, with property divvied up by the lines there.
When we were creating together, there were a lot of moments when I was thinking, “I’m mad I didn’t think of that; that’s amazing!” I would have come up with something more like a stock fantasy town, and now it’s going to be way more interesting. Of course, I still have a lot of work to do to tie together some disparate ideas, but now my players are already invested in the campaign.
DM Advice from Jessy:
Talk to your players and ask if they’re enjoying the game. If no one is having fun, it’s okay to just stop the campaign! It sucks, but it’s better than dragging on too long. My first campaign ended with me being super burnt out and not wanting to play or DM again. That feeling ended pretty quickly, but there’s no need for it to get to that point.
If you hear an idea that everyone seems to use or love, but you don’t like it, don’t feel like you ought to. I don’t like critical fumble/hit tables, so I don’t use them.
If you are going to use homebrew rules, let your players know before you begin the session or campaign. If you make something up on the spot while playing, talk to the players to agree and then give everyone a grace period to get used to the new rule.
What can we expect from DMs of Vancouver in the future?
Our 100th episode will air in late October. We’re still deciding how we want to celebrate, so stay tuned!
As we move forward, one of the things we want to focus on is playing more games and reviewing them. It’s been a lot of fun when we’ve done it in the past, but they take a lot of work.
Recommendations:
Rolling with Rainbows is an actual play podcast by GM Sophie (Curio on YouTube) where they play a Call of Cthulhu TTRPG, and their episodes are only about an hour long.
Thank you for taking the time to share your stories with Roar Cat Reads, Jessy! Everyone should head over to DMs of Vancouver and check out their nearly 100 episodes.
Roar Cat Reads 