Chit Chat and Recommendation Post: June 2023 (Patreon)

Evenin', Patrons! It's time for our monthly chit-chat and rec post, a nice lil space to update each other on what we've been doing lately and all the things we’ve enjoyed during the month!

My June flew by. Work at my day job picked up, as it always does in the summer, so I didn't get to do much in the way of fun stuff this month. The most important thing that happened in June was (finally!) getting back on my ADHD med after a several months long national shortage. To say I'm happy about that is an understatement; when I opened my prescription, I may have teared up a bit.

The adjustment period getting back on my old dosage has been a little rough, but my brain is finally starting to reliably defog. So much so, in fact, that I wrote four (!!!) original scripts this month. If I can keep getting my meds properly and there are no more supply chain issues, the second half of 2023 promises to be way less stressful and far more productive for me. Fingers crossed!

And now, here are some things I enjoyed during the month! The list is a bit short, since I've been so busy with so little downtime, but I hope you enjoy some of the offerings anyway!

Articles: Mostly fun/silly/weird stuff this month, because I've been so stressed from work I can't handle much else!

How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers: As a midwesterner, I've seen cows up close, and as someone who's traveled quite a bit I have been lucky enough to get within a couple feet of a wild bison without dying; those are scary enough. I do not have the words to tell you the sheer knee-knocking terror that seizes me when I think about hippos roaming the plains.

Caligula Wasn’t Supposed to Be a Porno: Oh, trash cinema trainwrecks, my beloved. I adored this brief look behind-the-scenes at how the notorious garbage fire of 70's porno chic Caligula came to be as horrible as it is. (Did I try watching it once? Yes. Is it really that bad? Oh my, yes!)

These Masks Brought Shame to Gossips, Drunks, and Narcissists: Throughout history, there have been many weird (and often torturous) forms of public humiliation meant to help maintain the social order: stocks, pillory, scold's bridles, etc. 

I'm kind of morbidly fascinated by the existence of these things, because they're both so monstrous and yet were so socially acceptable within their time periods. It's one of those things that makes you extremely glad to live in the era of people being mean to each other online instead of fashioning iron torture masks and fastening them to your face. D:

Why Did We All Have the Same Childhood? Just a short article on one of my favorite anthropological curiosities: children's street culture. If you've ever gotten a cootie shot, been dared to say "Bloody Mary" into a mirror three times, or said "Step on a crack, break your mother's back" you've been part of it. 

Games: Renowned Explorers: International Society: I returned to one of my favorite strategic RPGs this month after (mumble mumble) years of not playing it.  Renowned Explorers is an exploration rouge-like with deceptively simple gameplay but a lot of strategic depth. I return to it every so often, play endlessly for a week or two, and then wander off again.

Monster Girl Manager: Does what it says on the tin! I love management sims (though I don't talk about them often, I don't think?) and this is the perfect midpoint between a simple raising sim and a dungeon crawler. With monster girls!

I'm afraid that's it for me this month. But I hope you all had lots of fun for me! What have you been up to? Read/watch/play anything fun?