Jesus was brown and also very clear about capitalism

Hello and welcome - here we all are, surviving. This time sucks! I don’t have anything moving or meaningful to say that hasn’t already been said. I just hope everyone has a good support network and are working to cultivate that for your own security and also for the security of everyone you want to keep safe. We’re what we’ve got for now, and helping yourselves and others stay sane and functioning during incredible domestic unrest is crucial to being able to survive. Now is also the time for white people in positions of privilege to actually stand the fuck up to the shitty people in their lives who run their mouths, they need to learn that no we actually do not tolerate this shit. It’s time to be clear. It’s been time.

On a more uplifting note, please check out this direct fuck you to a Nazi march that happened in Columbus recently, reported by the Columbus Dispatch (support local papers!!). People did not go quietly into the night, they threw cans and vegetables, covered them in pepper spray when they got in people’s faces, let them know they are not fucking welcome and ran their asses out of town. I also want to highlight that the only group that organized and marched a counter protest the next day were a group of Black men from 100 Black Men of Central Ohio. They showed up when no one else did, at extreme risk, to demonstrate that Columbus won’t fucking stand for this. I’ve included the link to their donate page, if you would like to send them some money and a thank you.

Okay, let’s do the hard shift. As always, we've also included things to watch out for in the upcoming month, and a look at what's happening on our Discord & Patreon (which you can join for ~as little as a dollar~).

it's time, let’s get to the f e e l i n g s

STELLA:

If you listened to NYD last month you may have heard me talking about how grateful I was that I already had a volunteer schedule lined up for the morning after the election. It not only took my mind off the horrors for a solid hour but I got to hang out and read with some rad AF kids. Every year right before Christmas we do a book fair for the kids. Remember book fairs?! Well, this is even better because they get all the books for free! For the past two years, I’ve raised a bunch of money to supplement the amazing books provided by Open Books with comic books from Challengers Comics. I’ve already raised $600 but I’m hoping to get to at least $1000 so I can spend $500 for each school I work at. If you’d like to get into the holiday giving spirit by supporting an amazing organization and shopping local please consider donating to me before Dec 9th! Even if it’s only $5! $5 buys a little golden book so it’s all good money! If you want to donate you can Venmo me @stella-cheeks or Paypal me at [email protected].

I finally started listening to Critical Role’s third campaign. I was a little worried because I’ve heard tell from the bowels of the internet that it wasn’t as good as the other two, but damn the internet is full of haters. I am having a blast with Bells Hells. Specifically, Fearne and Laudna. Man, Ashley and Marisha are fucking KILLING it with their new characters. I can’t decide which one I want to cosplay more! Also, Travis pulling out an old cranky gnome werewolf? I love it. Please if you’ve listened let me know because I have like no one to talk to about C3. 

One of the mailing lists I subscribe to The Rec Center linked this awesome article about teaching fanfic in non-collegiate classrooms. Highly recommend this newsletter if you like talking or reading about Fandom™. 

I still think about this TikTok about once a week. 

Ok I saved the best for last. We HAVE to talk about Star Trek Unification!! I like sort of can’t talk about this coherently because I get so emotional every time I think about it. THE IMPLICATIONS. Like just think about it for a second. This was produced by a Roddenberry, a Shatner, and a Nimoy WITH Paramount's blessing. It’s a love letter to Leonard Nimoy, but it’s also a love letter to the fans. Star Trek, for all intents and purposes, is THE foundation of what we think of as fandom now. So to have this basically officially sanctioned fan film that more or less makes Spirk canon is MIND BOGGLING. Shatner greenlit this? NO HOMO SHATNER? Boy is he getting his ducks in a row before he dies. And that’s just the meta textual nature of the video!! In universe, Mr. “I’m Gonna Die Alone” Kirk who dies tragically young TWICE gets to travel across dimensions thanks to Gary Fucking Mitchell to be by the side of his lost in time and space T’hy’la who was forced to watch younger versions of all his dead best friends live out their lives and oh yeah his fucking planet blows up and definitely thought he was going to die alone is heart wrenching. They hold hands. THIS SIMPLE FEELING LIVES ON!!! JFC I’m gonna throw up. Please, if you like Star Trek at all, please go watch this video and scream into the void with me.

ERIN:

Something i worked really hard on last month was finding Bright Spots inside of these horrors - in addition to not complying in advance, one important thing to remember is that you cannot let these dipshits steal Joy from you. Enjoying the life they want to take from you matters. Being happy and comforted and buoyed up from the despair matters. Authoritarianism depends on your exhaustion, don't give it to them. 

One way i tried to focus my time - I both made time to see and got to perform a bunch of live theatre. It was nice to remember that this is a thing I like, and it’s been long enough since it was my job that I feel like I can actually enjoy it again. Fun fact I’ve learned about myself in my late 30s: I don’t actually like solo performing! I’ve had great opportunities through Plan 9 this year to do solo, duet, and group numbers, and I hope to eliminate the solo parts of that in 2025 and return to my natural stasis of Clown. 

Also exciting, I went to a wrestling show for the first time in absolute ages! I'm bougie now and i don't want to sit anywhere except the front row ever again. Perhaps I'm just built different, but people seem to have forgotten that a wrestler yelling “you all better get the fuck out of the way” during a match with our backs to the hard cam means we all better get the fuck out of the way!  i plucked my shit, ready before he even finished the sentence, and got the fuck out of the way. We all got to huddle as a group while like six dudes hurled themselves and several ladders into the place where our seats had been. There were tacos. It was Josh Alexander’s last indie match! It was everything i needed it to be. I was so connected in on the indie scene before COVID and it was really fun to be able to go knowing basically nothing, not check the card, and just vibe. I do not want to just scream in my heart anymore, I want to scream inside a bingo hall.

I played about 15 minutes of Baldur’s Gate and friend, i don’t know about all of this. I suppose that means I’m no longer A Gay, alas.

A fixation i leaned into this year is curating a collection of tarot and Oracle decks, and I'm now obsessed with finding rare ones. If anyone has a line on a Mars Power Tarot Deck i have the other three in the set and must complete it. Generally, i also love a trade and have some good decks for that too! Hit me up in the Discord I'm fully serious.

If you watch one non-Unification video today let it be Queen’s Pon Farr ass, cross-dressing spectacular I Want To Break Free. Like truly, watch this and tell me that's not fucking Pon Farr bffr.

If you watch two non-Unification videos today, make itthis performance by The Who at the Rolling Stones’ Rock n Roll Circus in 1968. It’s arguably the greatest single song set of all time - so good in fact that the entire movie was scrapped because they out-played everyone so spectacularly. I could explain the whole premise of the song - a sea shanty in content if not execution - but honestly all you need to know is that Jerrald does return and he definitely fucked the engine driver but she forgives him anyway and this song makes me emotional every. single. time!  Not kidding when I say this song dragged my ass up and out of it MANY TIMES during this bullshit year, i truly cannot recommend it enough. Let it roll through you and be forgiven.

PRODUCER BOBBY:

Well hey! I’ll try to start using this as a blog a little bit like Erin and Stell. It’s as good a place as any. I thought a lot this month about my place in this world, the things I can do to help, and how to continue existing for the next 4 years. My plan is to  make some GOOFY shit and then actually share it with the world. So you’ll see some of that. Probably. But I’m here, and I’m making a conscious effort to be more vocal in my support and whatever joy I can create. Because that’s also how we rebel. 

Game: Trombone Champ: Unflattened is wonderful escapism, Toremture is an interesting update/throwback

Music: Silence (45 minute club remix)

Watching: Paint dry

Things coming this month:

Housekeeping: Not Your Demo is delayed this week for a variety of reasons most of which are Don’t Worry About It. We’ll have our newest episode to you on 12/11.

We talked about small things you can commit to that can lead into big action on NYD this month - the hashtag #DidThisToday is full of people talking about what they are doing every day to fight back against fascism and can give you ideas, be a way to keep yourself accountable, and be a place to feel encouragement about the things we're all doing to keep moving forward.

Reminder that Stella is accepting donations to help kids get free comic books until December 9th. Venmo her @stella-cheeks or Paypal her at [email protected].

One more thing I, your Editor Erin, would like to tack on is something I overheard on a podcast that really resonated with me. One of the hosts was talking about how some people get really stuck on if something is fair or not, and can get really upset and angry when they feel they are being done unfairly. He said that when you’re interacting with people generally but especially that you care about, “You need to stop thinking about if something is fair or not. Don’t ask yourself, is this fair? Ask yourself, is this kind?” I personally get stuck in the “fair” mindset a lot and honestly it does very little good. So maybe during this very stressful Holiday Season we try to be kind even if you’re really frustrated and annoyed. I think it’s worth it to at least try. (this does not apply to Nazis and tbc this was definitely two comedians on a call in advice show) 

Exclusive to our Patreon & Discord (for as little as a dollar!):

• SFW NYD After Dark! No question mark this time!

• Exclusive impact statement discussion where Erin and Stella EXPLODE about Unification for the first time. (This is the good stuff baby)

• Next book club meet-up is December 18th, come read with us!

If you’ve made it this far and paid attention to all the captions (and the subhead and kicker!), they are: It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, So Emotional, I’m Just a Kid, Wannabe, Merrily We Roll Along. Thanks for reading far enough for us to have a silly private joke, you guys are the best. Happy holidays and we love you.

Here’s to us - who’s like us? Damn few.