Hey there, !

It's a busy time of the year, I'm planning and got all this shit to do before the end of the year but the stubborn part of me is like 'you got TWO WEEKS of content left for the year there's no need to miss a week for the newsletter'.

Okay, it's not that important, but anyway.

I listen to a fantastic DND podcast called NaddPod which I love because even though its audio-only, it's got 4 comedians who are amazing both at improv and character work, the DM is really good at building an amazing world, and they build up to some hilarious and heartfelt moments through the campaign.

Because they've been so successful, they've also branched out into other 'formats' of podcast, which include D&D Court (people submit arguments they've had over D&D for them to adjudicate on), 8-Bit Book Club (where they go through 'Choose-Your-Own-Adventure' books and improv all over it), and my new favourite Surprise Round! which is a series of unhinged hypotheticals where they evaluate what they'd do.

I thought they were excellent so I'm gonna put some here for your inevitable Christmas catch-up conversations becauase I think they're funny, unhinged, and really weird:

1. Imagine that every year, you could have the ability to rewind time 1 hour, once. However, sometime randomly during the year, Crash Bandicoot (from the game) will come and beat you up, just before the point of actually needing hospitalisation, but it will really hurt. No amount of hiding or preparing for him will work - he'll just beat you up. Would you take that ability? (No, because I hate pain)

2. You go skydiving, but because it's your first time, you are tandem skydiving. However, the instructor that is strapped to you is the Grinch. The Grinch is being hella annoying and making fun of you the whole time before you get up there, while you're in the sky, and plays with the parachute as if he's going to screw something up. Turns out, when you guys actually jump, the chute won't open, and the Grinch tries to fix it, but gets knocked unconscious while doing so. If you try and fix it yourself with the Grinch still attached to your back, you have a 60% chance of surviving. If you detach the Grinch, then you'll have a 100% chance of survival and no-one will ever know what you did. What would you do? (Yes, cos no-one would ever know, I would survive [I hate to die], and he's a dick)

3. You've been in the market for a house for a LONG time, and finally, you find your dream house. Not only does it has everything you've ever wanted in it - the pool, the automatic lights, the big kitchen, the high ceilings, the big backyard, whatever you want it to be - but it's also WELL within your price range. However, there's this faint smell of shit everywhere you go. You can't find the source of the smell (you'll never be able to find it), and even cleaners won't be able to find it no matter how hard they search. No amount of perfume will completely cover the smell. Would you buy the house? (Maybe - depends how strong the smell is)

4. You can rewind time by 5 minutes. You must use this ability once a month, but can also use it as many times as you want. However, each time you tap into this power, you get a tattoo somewhere on your body at random. Do you take this power? (Probably, depends on how big the tattoos get. If I use it all the time would it make me just tattoo'd all over?)

5. Not really a hypothetical but if you were at a fancy dinner (like a French restaurant or something), how many clowns being there would be too many clowns to impact the enjoyment your meal? (3. I think 2 would be okay)

Chat soon :)

(P.S. If you've got any feedback for the newsletter, just hit the reply button!)

✔️Real Life Recommendations

1. Coherence - 4.5 stars - I think it's been a LONG time since I recommended this, so I'm recommending it again because I wanted to watch it last week and it was still so freakin' good. It's a low-budget sci-fi thriller that happens during a dinner party as a comet passes overhead, and strange things happen. I literally can't tell you anything more than this without it being a spoiler so PLEASE go and watch this one. One of my favourite mind-bending movies that is still relatively solvable.

2. This light up bow Christmas decoration - like, super niche, but we got it for the office and it looks nice. It sold out at Kmart - looks like only limited availability for Target, so, er, if you need one go get it? :D

🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway

1. Joan of Arc - Astral Codex Ten - this is a long read, but it's a super fascinating breakdown of the history of Joan of Arc. I didn't know her whole story but WOWEE she really is as straightforwardly pious and also a great general as they say, and most importantly, well documented through history (which apparently is rare). A fantastic read for the holiday period!

2. The Bob Dylan Concert for Just One Person - Europeans do weird shit and this was one of them apparently.

3. We Need More Optimistic Science Fiction - I really do feel this. When I started reading sci-fi it was definitely more focused on the brilliant worlds and exploration we'd do in the future. And now...at least the stuff I read, it's a bit more muted and dystopian. A reflection on our current state, perhaps? (that's what science fiction always is)