#158 Trolls and robots
Sci-fi. Fantasy. Social Media. Farmers.
19 MARCH 2025
Hello, and welcome to another edition of Pretend Post.
I’m Chris Mead and I don’t have much time to chat this week as I’m trying to finish a video game in under 48 hours (see my first recommendation).
And now, back to fighting trolls and robots.
Rule of three
[Game] Split Fiction
This week, I’ve been putting all my time, energy and creativity into completing Split Fiction with my nephew, Ethan. It’s a sofa co-op game where you play a pair of writers (one who writes science fiction, and the other fantasy) who have been trapped in their own stories by a shadowy corporation hellbent on stealing their ideas. Believe me when I say, I LOVE this game. It has such a variety of gameplay styles and clever mechanics. Over the last few days I’ve played as a dragon rider, cyber ninja, magical pig, bomb train defuser, fairy, hand-drawn illustration and anthropomorphic tooth. But will Ethan and I finish it before he has to go home this afternoon? Find out in next week’s enthralling edition of Pretend Post.
[Social media] Not Facebook
I’ve been largely absent from Facebook for a whole year now but this week I started the process of laboriously downloading all my photos and posts because I’m shutting down my page completely. I just don’t want to be a part of what Meta represents on any level. I obviously have mixed feelings - this is a move that will consciously isolate me further from my extended network and particularly from the improv community. But what I lose in connectedness, I more than make up for in peace of mind. Eliza McLamb puts it perfectly in this article.
[Comedy] Bike Folds Three
I’ve had the privilege to work with Mike Kunze a fair bit. He’s a top tier improviser and a genuinely lovely human. His new comedy outfit Bike Folds Three looks awesome and their new show, Boy Band is definitely worth checking out. For a taste, take a look at this rap about crop yields.
Spotlight
I’m in a Teacher Show at Hoopla this Saturday. These are always a lot of fun and allow the Hoopla faculty to demonstrate a bunch of games and formats.
Come and see me fail to implement everything I’ve ever taught you in the classroom. IMPROV!
Movement for change
Lovely first week of my new movement practice. The highlight was a session climbing trees on Hampstead Heath. I’m continuing to see so much crossover between natural movement and improv.
This week, I want to share an exercise called Telekinesis which I’m itching to bring into one of my improv classes.
Radio contact
EXTREME CLOSE-UP!