LiveMynd

I’d always been fascinated by tabletop RPGs, though they seem a bit too daunting, and as in the case of the most well-known TRPG system, Dungeon and Dragons, it can get pretty tedious. So imagine my delight upon discovering Dungeon World, a TRPG system where the fiction comes first. Sure, there are rules and regulations, but they are far less involved than what DnD prescribes. There is little that player characters cannot do — all they have to do is to roleplay it, run it by the GM and fellow players, and roll the dice to see if they succeeded or not. Dungeon World is a collaborative TRPG experience, where the players

I saw a therapist the other day to help banish my gloom and dismay. I learned I was somehow in recovery and I didn’t mind parting with the money. I arrived more than an hour early, and decided to explore the periphery. Beautiful weather, no cloud in the sky; it made me question myself… Why? Why do I feel bent and broken? Why do I think I am forsaken? Why do I lack the psychological vigor, when my life is objectively better? I sat down, half-drunk on sunshine as he prepared to listen to me whine. He prompted and prodded, in his asking about my problems, and how life’s going. Over a period of an hour less a quarter we did

First of April, a day of jest E-mail bodkins cruel, into my chest We regret sir, you’ve failed the test No luck there, back into the mess Broken my flow, no more writing This day needs to become of healing Soul cracked but still willing Who else is right now hiring? Third month out of employ Bank account close to void The despair swells into a noise Sought out a sympathetic voice. A temple visit for a quick prayer Do these gods lend their ears To “only during trouble” worshipers? More so will they aid a strange foreigner? Wishes transmitted, Pascal’s wager Heart becalmed, but still wavers Drew a fortune, slip of pa

Magic is a part of our daily lives (unless the reader is a nillie), but what is it exactly? What allows roughly one percent of the human population to perform feats in the physical world that seem to defy the laws of nature? And what does nillie science have to do with it? It has only been a century since willards across the globe collectively began to formally include ideas from thaumatology (Note for nillies: that’s an umbrella term for willard science and technology). In earlier times, your average willard took magic for granted, as an amorphous collection of convenient phrases that produce magical effects. One can imagine our shama

Inspired by Gas (Edward Hopper, 1940) The setting sun painted the charging station with shades of orange, edging towards red. Solomon was restocking the fuel cells. He hadn’t moved a Class G3 power cell in over a year. Not all that surprising, ever since Mercedes-Benz-Galwitz shifted their focus away from personal vehicles to arcology infrastructure several years ago. There was something in his inbox about a recall initiative, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Maybe after dinner. He hummed to himself as he worked. It was a relatively slow melody, bright in a few spots, but generally relaxed. He liked to time his movements

S-kofi Inspired by Automat (Edward Hopper, 1927) -- Chika -- Work was hard to come by, though times weren’t exactly tough. Everyone got a basic income, so the essentials of food and shelter were taken care of, as long as you didn’t mind living in an HU .  Most people didn’t. Chika didn’t either, not really. You got up to three well-rounded meals a day, access to hot showers, and public rooms where there was always something blandly interesting going on. A lot of people didn’t even bother leaving their HUs, choosing instead to immerse themselves in a vast library of recorded performances and interactive adventur

Inspired by Nighthawks (Edward Hopper, 1942) -- Kent -- ‘Hey Kent, what can I get for you?’ Mildly gregarious, the barman greeted the visitor coming in from a balmy spring evening. ‘Holloway, single, rocks. You should know that by now, Dan, considering I come here pretty much every other day.’ Kent bantered cheerfully as he ambled to his usual seat. The Corner Vista had been his local bar, ever since Tammy left him years ago. Not that he was at fault for that. Nor was Tammy, for that matter. If anyone was at fault it was everyone – the “everyone” that didn’t particularly care about belching

The Night Is For Writing 2016-02-23 00:59 The sleepless yet thoughtful night is for writing. It is at night when my loneliness rears its ugly head, because other feelings are temporarily assuaged. Ideas and thoughts poke and prod, tauntingly, enticing me with promises of satisfaction for understanding some “truth”, or expressing something that had yet to be expressed by any other. In the daytime during the week, I find it difficult to write, though I am currently unemployed and therefore have the time to spend on my favorite art (because it is the only one I am at least capable of). Instead, my head is filled with a gray ennui,

Many people all across the world are familiar with Santa Claus, especially the Coca-Cola version -- rotund, red, and ridiculously jolly. When the tinsel goes up, tensions come down as the multitudes wind down to celebrate Christmas, Christians and non-Christians alike. Where Christianity does not have a great foothold, Christmas is nevertheless celebrated in its commercial form. Though some may lament at how industries are leading the masses around by the nose at this time of year, the fact remains that people do feel some of that spirit of joy and generosity; that is what’s important, isn’t it? Call it the power of Hollywood, or