RJ

Panel 1: A happy brain with sparkles in its eyes is throwing up its hands and yelling "I LOVE DOPAMINE!!!!!" Panel 2: The brain is happily running towards a door labeled "social media". Panel 3: A metal gate is abruptly descends from the top of the door, shutting it and blocking the path, bringing the brain's run to a screeching halt. Panel 4: The brain, now stressed and with clenched teeth, is running towards a different door labeled "video games". Panel 5: This door too, shuts in front of the brain, bringing its run to a screeching halt. Panel 6: Behind the brain, Shen shows up, holding a remote with a red button that he's been seemingly using to control the doors. He has a shadow over his eyes and an overall very serious expression. The brain, in the foreground, is sweating bullets. Panel 7: A closeup of Shen's hand, pointing towards something seemingly far off to the side. Panel 8: His hand and the brain (still sweating) bookmark the frame as it's revealed that what Shen is pointing at is a very far away door. Panel 9: A closer view of the door reveals that it is labeled "actual life goals". Panel 10: The brain has his face scrunched up in a crying expression, still shaking and sweating, saying "ouuuugh I-I hate you ouuuuughhh you're so mean to me..."

in case you’re not familiar, mask blocs will often have a variety of types/sizes/colors and will do handoffs, drop offs, or mail you masks! and often tests too!
for free! 🤩

get in touch with your local to give or get support 👍🏼

Spotify is emblematic of the worst parts of modern tech capitalism: a company screwing over artists en masse to funnel money into a technology that they hope will make artists obsolete.

Reminder: It's never too late to start wearing a mask again

a load-bearing component of “the magic of Christmas” is the invisible domestic labor of moms

you are now realizing how much she was doing for you and instead of just thanking her you’ve decided it’s about the decline of civilization

It feels like a large part of both culture and politics these days is people wondering “why don’t I feel the way I did when I was 12”

Here’s my Spotify Wrapped 🎵✨

No-strings-attached, zero-means-testing, no-questions-asked cash payouts have been proven, over and over again, to be the most effective form of charity/aid going.

It gets people in housing, and it saves the state money. We know this. It's fact, not theory.

yeah the harsh reality is that we do take a chance on small games no one's heard of a lot more often than anyone thinks we do. but literally no one reads the articles, which then reinforces to the powers that be that they're not worth doing. I don't know how to solve that problem!

If you're trying to ditch NYT Games, which you should be since their games singlehandedly prop up the entire dogshit rag financially, you should switch to Puzzmo. An annual sub is 50% off today for a crazy $19 and as a bonus doesn't enable the genocides of Palestinians and trans people

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Learning from Stoppard By Mike Fitzgerald, June 13, 2016 Comparing two drafts of a script can be hugely instructive, revealing point-by-point how a writer went about improving the story. When I stumbled upon an earlier draft of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I discovered a dazzling, glittering trove of lessons as nourishing as eternal life itself. Well, nearly so. Last Crusade was written by Jeffrey Boam, from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. So say the opening credits. Boam’s final draft, dated March 1, 1988 (ten weeks before production) differs drastically from the published script which reflects the released version of the film. Differences come as no shock, but with Last Crusade they aren’t just a few deleted scenes and some line changes. Whole sections of the Boam draft were reimagined, major set pieces were added, and the pacing and tone were markedly transformed. Whoever made these changes possessed a profound grasp of story craft. Screenshot from https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade-learning-from-stoppard/

Nine years ago Mike Fitzgerald wrote up an extraordinarily fascinating breakdown of the differences between the Tom Stoppard shooting script and the original Jeffrey Boam draft of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...

"We’re still living in overlapping pandemics: COVID, Long COVID, HIV. These are not disconnected crises—all are shaped by interlocking systems of racism, poverty, criminalization, and medical neglect." Gabriel San Emeterio on World Aids Day.

Illustration of a wacky colourful bird creature surrounded by flowers with text that reads: don’t give your money to billionaires, support artists and goofballs and wild wonderful weirdos

A reminder this holiday season and always

A graphic which uses the colours of the Palestinian flag: white, black, red and green. Text at the top reads “No games for genocide”, and text at the bottom reads “Boycott Xbox, Sign the pledge”, with the website nogamesforgenocide.com below. In the middle of the graphic is an icon of a fist punching upwards, splitting a missile in half. One half of the broken missile has the Xbox logo on it, and the other half has the Microsoft logo on it.

SIGN OUR BOYCOTT XBOX PLEDGE: We are asking gamers, game workers, streamers & journalists to join us in boycotting & divesting from Xbox, to force Microsoft to end its complicity in the genocide of Palestinians.

We’ve provided concrete actions everyone can take. Sign here: nogamesforgenocide.com

Elena, wearing black framed glasses, black KF94 respirator and a black top, posed for Julie Lam to support the documentary project Julie created for MaskTogetherAmerica

“I've been disabled by COVID. In 2024, I got it a 2nd time and I got POTS... I now see two cardiologists. I wear my mask to protect myself and my community.”— Elena Isabel, interviewed by @MsJulieSLam.bsky.social at a mask-required Breathe Easy London event to support #MaskTogetherAmerica.

I listened to a biography of FDR recently and the throughline of his first 2 terms is that he was boldly against monied interests in word and deed and the American people fucking loved him to death for it*

*kept reelecting him until he literally died in office

Minimalist white poster with a subtle crumpled-paper texture; small ‘whn.global’ logo centered at the top. A small intro line sits above a huge headline where ‘COVID’ is bright red and ‘is different.’ is black. Text: ‘Paraphrased from David Brasure’s WHN blog post, “COVID Is Different.” Read the full article at whn.global/covid-is-different. COVID is different. SARS-CoV-2 behaves differently from the viruses most of us grew up with. And treating it like “another flu” is costing people their health.’ Footer: The World Health Network is a network devoted to global compassion—working together to inspire collective action through science for a safer, healthier world.

Same white, paper-texture poster and top ‘whn.global’ logo. Large title reads ‘What makes COVID different?’ with ‘COVID’ in red, followed by a bulleted list. Text: ‘Paraphrased from David Brasure’s WHN blog post, “COVID Is Different.” Read the full article at whn.global/covid-is-different. What makes COVID different? • It can breach the blood–brain barrier • It can damage your endothelial lining and increase clot risk • It can persist in tissues • It can lower key immune cells • It may increase cancer risk • You can catch it multiple times per year These are not “normal cold virus” behaviors.’ Footer line about the World Health Network.

Same clean white poster with paper texture; ‘whn.global’ at top. Big statement line mid-page where ‘Long COVID’ appears in red and the rest in black; two short paragraphs below. Text: ‘Paraphrased from David Brasure’s WHN blog post, “COVID Is Different.” Read the full article at whn.global/covid-is-different. Long COVID is caused by SARS-CoV-2. Persistent symptoms come from real, documented damage. Not anxiety, not imagination, not “just needing rest.” Hundreds of thousands of studies show SARS-CoV-2 affects the body in ways we’re still uncovering. Just because you’ve had multiple infections and “felt fine” doesn’t mean it will stay that way.’ Footer line about the World Health Network.

Same minimalist white, paper-texture layout with ‘whn.global’ at top. A large heading ‘Here’s what you can do.’ sits above a simple bullet list; the final URL slug ‘covid-is-different’ is in red. Text: ‘Paraphrased from David Brasure’s WHN blog post, “COVID Is Different.” Read the full article at whn.global/covid-is-different. Here’s what you can do. • Improve air quality (filters, ventilation) • Wear a high-filtration mask in shared indoor air • Test when exposed or symptomatic • Stay home when sick • Use layered protections with friends, family, and workplaces Read more at whn.global/covid-is-different’ Footer line about the World Health Network.

COVID isn’t acting like the viruses most of us grew up with, and treating it like “just a cold” is putting people at real risk. David Brasure breaks down why SARS-CoV-2 is fundamentally different, how it causes long-term damage, and what we can do to protect ourselves.

Two Blue Prince interviews, seven months apart (Tonda Ros) Chatting with the director of Blue Prince before its release... and again, before The Game Awards

I interviewed the creator of Blue Prince days before the game's release about his modest expectations for the indie puzzler.

And then I interviewed him again, last week, ahead of The Game Awards, about how a hit game does and doesn't change your life.

Saw this, and it's 1000% true

Tim's was bought out years back. Not even a Canadian company anymore. And they changed everything on the menu!! You can't even get breakfast after lunch anymore, it was LITERALLY A BREAKFAST SHOP!

they tried to make it into a shitty sandwich/pizza place no joke

i bet this feels awesome i wish i was a radish

HOOOOOOOLY FUCK DID YOU GUYS HEAR ABOUT THIS

just a quick holiday psa because it's almost december and i see people make this mistake in their festive art every year without fail

Hahaha, right?! Or what about mandatory disclosures for the discrepancy between the salaries of the CEO and their lowest paid worker? That would be so funny, right?! Let’s do it as a funny joke!!!

Sure, they've made an environmentally catastrophic mass hallucination disinformation plagiarism Clippy that will destabilize the world, but also their other goal is to replace human workers entirely and let us humans starve. A boycott of AI is the most important boycott of your entire life.

need masks but don’t know where to start? here are a some brands i like in the qt, and if you’re looking for free masks near you (or you want to donate free masks), try these resources:
maskbloc.org
covidactionmap.org

Some people out there may remember the comic I made called 'Gather Ye Power'. I stopped posting it in 2022, but I would still come back and chip away at it every now and again. Today, it is coming back. Just posted up #28, mostly from 2022-24, to the old location: www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/ga...

Zohran Mamdani (36:00): New York, we're going to freeze the? Audience (36:02): Rent. Zohran Mamdani (36:04): Together, New York, we're going to make buses fast and? Audience (36:09): Free. Zohran Mamdani (36:09): Together, New York, we're going to deliver universal? Audience (36:13): Healthcare. Zohran Mamdani (36:16): Let the words we've spoken together, the dreams we've dreamt together, become the agenda we deliver together. New York, this power, it's yours. This city belongs to you. Thank you.

Thinking about Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech and how he was able to get an enthusiastic call and response from “freeze the rent, keep buses fast and free, make healthcare universal” almost as if people respond to strong, confident, actionable statements

You gotta be silly, dude. At least a little bit. You gotta have a spring in your step and a smile in your heart or else none of this matters

ANYWAY

Buy from small businesses
Buy from independent creators
Buy passion projects
Buy commissions
Buy art

In a society that's decided that money is final word, be aware of where yours goes and to support what

Yes it sucks, I don't like it either, but pretending it's not a thing does not help!

Hot* take: I want to see more spiritual successors rather than remakes for old games. I want to see people telling new stories and building new worlds rather than just rehashing old things.

I also want old games to be easily and legally playable.

* Probably not actually that hot