Liebster Award

Liebster Award

The other day I was kindly nominated for a Liebster Award by a mutual appreciator of Grandfather Nurgle, Dai, who writes The Lost, The Damned and The Stunted   http://lostdamnedstunted.blogspot.co.uk/  

Dai is Welsh, and now lives in the USA, and we’ve been following each other’s work for a while now.  Top bloke, go and have a look at some of the interesting things he’s been painting and building. He has a pretty old school approach, which is pretty inspiring. And also an uncanny supply of classic out of production models, seemingly!

In the tradition of what has gone before,  I also am going to be rather lazy and copy and paste all the info explaining what a Liebster is and what the whole phenomenon entails once one receives one. In the fine words of Dai, (well, paraphrasing for a bit of slight variety, and he took it from someone else, so I will too, even if it is kind of like copying someone’s homework at high school!!) yes this is blatant plagiarism, but hell, it seems fairly well explained, so I am going to just nick it. And correct minor spelling and grammar errors. If the internet inquisition chooses to purge me for this, so be it...

Essentially this is all an effort to help get more traffic on other people's blogs, but in a "benefits the blogging community as a whole" type way, not as a cheese dripping self aggrandizement sordid affair. 

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it you.

2. Pass the award to your top 11 blogs with less than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog.

3. Sit back and bask in the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you have made someone's day!

4. There is no obligation to pass this onto someone else but it is nice if you take the time to do so.

First off, we are supposed to give 10 truths about ourselves. Not really sure why, but in the spirit of the thing, I’ll go along with it...

7 Truths About Me (Tony of Nurgle only creates lists in 7s. Technically this should be ten. All power to Grandfather Nurgle. Breaking the law, breaking the law...).

1. I am a Yorkshireman exiled to the wilds of Croydon
2. London public transport induces a beserk rage type state in me
3. This rage is containable only through looking at photos of cute baby animals
4. The most famous person I’ve met (well the one worth hearing about) is David Prowse a.k.a Darth Vader (for UK folks that grew up in the 80s a.k.a the Green Cross Code man).
5. I go running. I do this under duress. I do not like it.
6. I used to run a record shop specialising in punk and metal
7. I used to DJ ‘punk nights’ for a good number of years

As previously iterated by Dai, in his nominations, I'd love to be able to pass on this award to some of my very favourite blogs, but in actuality, either other bloggers before me have already nominated them, or they have too many followers anyway. I’ll do my best not to list blogs that already got an award, but if it happens, sorry.

Anyway, I therefore take it upon myself to pass on some of my favourites, who I feel are very deserving of a Leibster and the respect that comes with the award. 

In no particular order, 11 (I can’t wriggle out of this one on a list of 7 regrettably) blogs that I can only describe as “legit” that you need to check out:

1. The Tears of Isstvan - http://isstvan.blogspot.co.uk/  - Tim (Fulgrim) is a good friend of mine and is the guy that inspired me to try and be a better painter, rather than just slapping on a basic paint job. His blog deals more with the aesthetics and the ethos behind the hobby, and was also the driving force behind me starting my own.  Some great imagery on here. Sadly he doesn’t post so much these days.

2. The Sky Mother’s Nest- http://fortheskymother.blogspot.co.uk/ - Another friend of mine, Lee is a horticulturist with a penchant for the Inquisition and genestealer cults

3.  Officio Convertorum - http://convertorum.blogspot.co.uk/ - a relatively new discovery for me, but this blog literally bleeds the Grim Darkness...

4.  Corehammer - http://www.corehammer.com/ This one is something of a newly realised behemoth made flesh, which is aimed at people in the punk scene that also take an interest in the world of war gaming, role playing and miniature painting. Self-proclaimed as “punk lifestyle for punks without lives”, these guys have so far hosted 2 tournaments in the UK and are full to the brim with useful tips as well as the inside track on underground music. I’m loosely associated with the crew and have contributed the odd piece.

5. Adeptus Imago - http://adeptusimago.tumblr.com/ - not too sure how many of you are familiar with this Tumblr account, but this is a collection of the most inspirational images. Food for the imagination. Visionary shit. Check it out.

6. Death of a Rubricist - http://apologentsia.blogspot.co.uk/ - Cool painting blog

7. Jugger’s Garage - http://juggersgarage.blogspot.co.uk/ - This dude has boundless enthusiasm for all things chaos – recommended!

8. Rumplemaster Miniatures - http://rumplification.blogspot.co.uk/ - Awesome conversions in bountiful numbers. Search out the Nurgle Heldrake, amongst other wonders...

9. Err. I’ve kind of run out... And I broke my own rule of 7s too.  What more do you want from me?

Dai’s 11 Questions (Which are also Keiran’s, which are also Drax's 11 Questions) which are also the same questions I pose to my nominees!

1. Why did you start blogging?
It wasn’t something I’d ever considered before. I didn’t even know what it was. I assumed it was the type of thing total arse-trumpets used to spout off their worthless opinions.  I was then shown my friend’s blog (Tim/Fulgrim), which opened up a whole new side of the internet for me.  I realised that it was something I could use to make a record of my work over time, and to gauge my level of progress as it (hopefully) advanced.

2. If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be?
Get rid of the stigma attached to the hobby in general. It’s largely illegitimate. If that’s not an option, introducing the prospect of soap and water to those out there that let the side down with poor personal hygiene. Or maybe a blanket ban on fedoras and “I am Alpharius” t-shirts. Any of the above.

3. What is best in life? 
Love.

Ale.

Good TV dramas.

Curry.

War games.

In that order. 

4. Do you want to live forever?  
Dying young just didn’t work out, so I guess I’m dying old. Or less cynically speaking, sure, why not? Only if I can be surrounded by those I love and if life can still bring us enjoyment.

5. Fame or fortune? 
Infamy? Can I say that?

6. What miniature are you most proud of having painted? 
I expect that is going to change over time. Thus far, probably my Blight Drone. Which now looks less good since it fell off a table. Sad times.


7. How do you deal with burn out?
Drinking fine ale, eating good food.

8. Why is a raven like a writing desk?
When did I begin to think practically all music was shit? Probably around the same time I was forced to use a raven as a writing desk. Could just be a coincidence.

9. Star Wars or Star Trek? 
Star Wars, man. Grew up on that stuff. Extended universe, the whole lot. Asides from anything prequel related. I’m still pretending that didn’t actually happen. Star Trek I also like, but it’s also an example of what can happen when quantity is taken above quality.

10. If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be?

I can’t lie. Probably Games Workshop (I’m including Forge World in this).   The ethos and vision of their whole mythology is too encapsulating. For all that they are widely criticised (often by me), I’d be kidding myself if I thought this was going to change. A lot of bad decisions would have to be made for this to change for me. If they keep making models I want to buy and paint, and I can afford them, I’m in.

11. What is your favourite take away?.
Chicken tikka karahi, garlic naan, pilau, paneer tikka massalla and onion bhajis.

Anyway, if you managed to get this far without glassing yourself, hearty congratulations. You got some staying power, son. Keep it real on them mean streets.