exurb1r
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Recommendations, an Update, and Smol Cat News
🕑 Added 2022-10-05 09:56:38 +0000 UTCHello marmosets,
It's been quite some time, how's everything? I'll just straight up apologise without reservation for going quiet, that was quite rude and, well, quite rude really. If I'm honest, there wasn't a huge amount to tell you about besides yelling at Word documents and deleting Word documents and throwing laptops out the window. I hope I've done my bestest with replying to messages on here – if I'm still leaving you hanging, I'll be getting on that shortly and massive sorries.
All's relatively fine on this side anyway. The cat is growing out her winter coat and covering my winter coat in it. Bulgaria is finally back to a human temperature, or as my Bulgarian friends call it, “intolerable”, and I'm just happy we can all wear knitted jumpers again.
A spot of housekeeping as always then. After dangling the Geometry for Ocelots audiobook for at least a year now, the plan is to try and get it out by Christmas at the very latest. I'm sorry it took an age – listening to one's own voice gets extremely dull, and giving the thing a final thumbs up is something I've been dreading for months. More excitingly I hope, I got quite quite bored with trying to write fiction and started messing around with poetry instead. Quite to my surprise a book happened. I hope to release it by the time the next video drops, as an ebook and in print. As always, I'll be sending you the digital version via Patreon – in the unlikely event it's of interest, please don't buy it, you should be able to find it here when it's out.
Next bit of housekeeping: I mentioned mutiny on a starship a little while ago, the video project I've been trying to make real for ages. I found a rather fantastic illustrator to do the visuals—she paints my dreams and better. (I'll attach some stills of the project so far, I think you'll agree she's fantastic.) The plan is to try making the thing a bit more flashy, and to commission the artist I'm working with to add some more illustrations. If you'd like to help with that, and if it isn't a massive imposition, I'll be charging Patreon folks in 4 days if that works for everyone. If you want to opt out, completely understood – it's pretty rich of me to turn up after months of absence and suddenly spring this on you, but I hope that's enough warning in advance.
The last few months have been a bit of a strange exercise in throwing away projects that seemed exciting at the time, then trying to sift through the wreckage for anything that can be saved. I see the occasional comment asking why some of us upload with zero in the way of schedules, or take months in between putting anything out there. I can't speak for anyone else, but: because lots of stuff just doesn't work and you don't want to put out half-made things. Sometimes you'll spend a few weeks trying to get a script right and in the end it won't resolve – the ending makes no sense, or the jokes don't land, or you were trying to make something to keep up with a schedule when really you should've just sat tight and waited for something that was genuinely actually you. So, you can imagine how much it means on this side that you folks are still here and hopefully don't hate me for being allergic to anything resembling an upload schedule. If I stuck to one my stuff would be even worse than it is now, I promise. You're lovely and thank you.
Hm, in other news I went to live in the woods for a month back in March – I'll be putting up a video on the second channel about that shortly, I hope. I also discovered that adding hot sauce to everything for every meal is – I hope you're sitting down for this - actually quite damaging to one's stomach and had to give that up. And I've almost, for the first time in three decades, managed to stick to a sleep schedule. It's like normal sleeping, but you force yourself to go to bed before 3 in the morning. Radical I know, but these are strange times we're living in.
As is tradition, I'll also gladly throw some recommendations from the last months your way.
The first is a fantastic movie I don't recommend watching: Threads. I kept being told to avoid it and curiosity got the better of me. I really wish it hadn't. It's a hyper-realistic depiction of what would probably happen to a UK city population after a nuclear bomb goes off nearby. If like me you thought you'd seen proper horror and nothing could top it, wellllllllllll you might be unpleasantly surprised. It's brilliantly made and I haven't slept properly since.
They re-released Jaws at the cinema, here in Bulgaria anyway, so obviously that was a must. Good god damn, I thought it was just a monster movie, but the thing is remarkably well-written – I suddenly understand why it's a classic. I wasn't particularly fond of sharks before, but this further confirmed I won't be inviting any over for tea.
I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but I temporarily got addicted to The Crown. As someone who couldn't care less about the British royals, the thing is just so well written. I'm fairly convinced the hallmark of good writing is getting an otherwise apathetic audience to care about a subject matter they usually wouldn't. Mad Men did the same with advertising, I reckon. Anyway, the acting is fantastic, Claire Foy in particular, and somehow the writers have managed to humanise otherwise completely unrelatable public figures. It goes without saying that Olivia Colman is a national treasure and she plays the part brilliantly.
For the gamers among you, I wonder if you've gotten around to playing Return to Monkey Island. I was a huge fan of the original, first video-game I ever played, and followed the series ever since. Wasn't sure what to expect with this one, these things have a way of winding down over time, but I felt they pulled it off wonderfully. Lots of ridiculous pirating, lots of obligatory silliness, and just to spoil it for you, six games in now and no: the secret of monkey island is not revealed to say the least.
As a little boast for the techno fans, I went to see Carpenter Brut recently. It was extremely nasty and bassy and if they're touring near you at some point, I'd strongly recommend seeing them too – your ears will never be the same again and I think I mean that in a good way.
I was also completely blown away a few months ago by Olga Ravn's The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century. It's hard not spoil this one, but let's leave it at: poems about a spaceship. Most unique thing I've read in years, can't wait to see what she does next, and she's become my uncontested new favourite emerging writer. (The sequel to Children of Time and Children of Ruin will be out shortly too, rather looking forward to that. One of you was kind of enough to recommend the series a few years ago, thanks for that, most enjoyable sci-fi reading experience in a long time.)
Finally: Sea of Thieves, my most longest lasting game addiction so far. I made a little video love letter to it recently, I won't bore you banging on about it again, but if you're looking to kill time between depressive episodes, this is the game for you. No but seriously, it's fantastic. A friend and I meet online after work in the evenings and have learned to embrace the humiliation of being bested over and over again by players who are only too happy to hurl insults while doing so. It's rather fun to be a pirate in any case.
So, yes. More stuff on the way as always, but I'd quite like to get them right, or as close to not-terrible as is possible. If all goes well the new book should shortly be turning up in your inboxes (or however you read these, I'm still not sure) and a few new videos too. Again, if you want to opt out of this month's Patreon charging, it's totally understood. If not, just thank you ever ever so much for sticking around and bearing with my flakiness – I hope you enjoy the stuff that comes next anyway.
Massive love, and hoping all's well on your side,
Ex.
P.S – this wouldn't be a Patreon post without pictures of the Destroyer of Worlds herself. She has been passably well-behaved recently and sends her warmest regards.
Comments
TheBestPessimist
Not sure if you're interested, but would you like to publish your books here? https://www.smashwords.com/ It's a website which sells the books without DRM, and frankly, fuck amazon. You'll retain all of your rights to your book and you're your own publisher, they get paid when someone buys your book (and they're cheaper than Amazon). I love smashwords and i can highly recommend it.
Dominic Pastorelle
need new video injected into forearm plz
exurb1a
Hello there Sir Robotman, a pleasure as always. I sympathise entirely with your weather-trouble, but I find myself in the strange position of apparently being made of ice and only tolerating sub-zero temperatures. And on the subject of projects inflating, I'd love to see whatever it is you're working on, whenever you get to a point where you'd like to share it. It's a strange thing to say about sweary rants on the internet, but I can think of one or two videos that ruined me by the end of trying to make them - I'm almost coming around to the idea that despair is sometimes part of the process, horrible as that sounds. (Other weeks it's enormous fun, I don't mean to paint a miserable picture.) Thank you for the recommendations there, as soon as I'm back near my PC I'll be getting on Bonelab immediately - the trailer looks absolutely brutal. (Did you ever give Blade and Sorcery a go in VR? It's impossible to play for more than 20 minutes without turning into a full-on megalomaniac, but fun.) I was blown away by The Double when it came out - I had no idea Richard Ayoade was directing before that, quite the creative departure from the sort of comedy we're used to from him, brilliant wasn't it? So, the vegan video and all that - it's something I'd like to go back to, but it was just structured so badly and preachily I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it over. I can't say anything has changed about my thoughts towards food ingeneral, but I'll certainly give a go in the future with less grandstanding and more actual points hopefully. That sounds like *quite* the year indeed, and obviously congratulations on having excellent blood there (I'm sure the Colorado adventure was big fun too, I hear things are rather relaxed and chill down there.) Anyway, as always, thanks for sticking around my man, it's always a joy to talk, and hope you're doing well. (P.S. I'm not sure what exurb1a is either to be entirely honest.)
Owen Manning
Arent we all
exurb1a
Eyyy, мерси много Ahry - knowing my cat, she might be moonlighting as a double agent. (Thank you kindly for the support, massively appreciated.)
exurb1a
Cheers Ryan!
exurb1a
An enormous thank you, hope I don't disappoint
exurb1a
Likewise Dennis. Cheers for the support
exurb1a
Thanks Owen! Personally I'm hoping for an RTX 3080 and a Twix
Ahry Siss
Greeting from a fellow citizen in Bulgaria, no worries please, genius takes time. We have nearly the same cat too. Hope you have a few good months ahead. Thanks for all your work.
Ryan T
glad you hear from ya ex:) looking forward to all that's to come!
Okwss
Glad to hear back from you!
RobotWobot
It's mister Exxy Spacey Tortoisey boi - I'm glad to hear from you again! Omg it's been almost a year. It's been such a fast year that I didn't even notice! ^_^ Winter is coming... I love a Christmas jumper as much as the next person, but I can't say I'm excited. I love summer to bits and I struggle to think of anything good in the Winter that isn't also accessible in the summer. My main problem is being *ultra* cautious how many layers you wear - too little and you're freezing. Too many and you're sweating. Sometimes you're both! 😖 Happy to hear about current projects! It sounds exciting, and I'm glad you've only been driven *moderately* insane in the process. But may I say the attached art looks dazzling and I know the final outcome will be equally splendid. And on the creative process, I'm personally completely unmotivated to continue a small project that ended up inflating to the size of the f**king Sun. However, I'm glad you're working on things that you're happy with. But dang, I'd love to see your unfinished stuff and understand your thought processes behind it all! Living in the woods? As in, an Internet/social media detox? Either way, it sounds mighty interesting and I'm absolutely looking forward to this video! :D And on the sleep schedule? I found that talking to a friend every night before I sleep, plus setting the Internet to shut off at a certain time works for me. They've recently been failing though, so I'd love to hear any tips! 😃 I shall write down your recommendations. "Threads" and "The Employees" certainly sound intriguing... I've never been interested in nor played Monkey Island, but I'm glad you've found enjoyment! ^_^ Meanwhile, I've been playing a new VR game called "Bonelab" (you may recall how enthralled I was for a game called "Boneworks" - Bonelab is the sequel). I haven't been excited for a new game like this for years and it *kinda* meets expectations - the music is phenomenal and the mechanics have been improved. The game design is a little funky and there have been lots of complaints... but the community is hoping for this game to be the *foundation* of amazing VR stuff, because there is mod support! I am very excited and I highly recommend anyone with VR check these games out. CARPENTER BRUT!!!! I'm so excited to see them on November 5th. I listened to their new stuff recently and I had just this stupid smile on my face because I love it all so much. And btw, I would highly recommend getting high-fidelity earplugs for concerts! Otherwise you'll damage your hearing. 😬 They don't affect anything - they basically just turn the volume down to a manageable level. On your last response you recommended "Wild Tales". I remember you mentioned it a while ago - so I watched it! I wouldn’t say it was my favourite movie of all time, but it was great. I especially like the idea of individual/exciting/interesting stories. It’s like "Fargo", "If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler", "Upsilon Dies Backwards" (😉) or "Love, Death and Robots". I distinctly recall enjoying the ones about the parking ticket and the beginning one with the plane. I would've liked the stories to become connected somehow, but that’s fine. I can certainly see why it’s your favourite movie. Meanwhile, I highly recommend a movie called "The Double" (with Jesse Eisenberg) because it really resonated with me. I liked it so much that I watched it again the next day - I’ve never done that with a movie before. It's this dystopian world where someone meets their double... except they are better than them in every way. I saw someone post about this last time: The vegan video… shame that you took it down before I got a chance to watch it. I thought maybe you could just share it with us Patreon peeps. No worries if not. I respect your decision for taking it down nonetheless. 👍 Except for that, a lot has happened in the meanwhile... the biggest things for me? - I had my first kiss recently. I'm not in any relationship or in love or anything, but I went to a Porter Robinson concert this year with a bunch of people I met online. I built it DM by DM and now there are over 100 people. It's really crazy and it's lovely to finally have irl friends. AND THEN KURZGESAGT HAPPENED. - Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell: they released a video about making friends. And I, a lonely extrovert, was ALL OVER THAT - we now have a London-based Discord server with over 600 members and I am one of several people moderating it. I've met lots of people and I am excited for the future! - Still been getting things done - some bike problems I've had for almost a year are finally coming to an end, I'm finally getting into therapy from secondary school trauma, and I'm getting a mouth guard, too. I got a blood test and I was pleasantly surprised to find EVERYTHING was a-ok and within range. - I've been constantly busy with lots of personal quality-of-life projects, too many to name right now. It is very satisifying! Next steps include moving out and getting a driver's license. - I went to Colorado for my cousin's wedding. I danced the whole night, and then on the final day of the trip I got hit in the face with a ceiling fan. (I'm fine, don't worry!) - I finally went on big rollercoasters. P.S. I just told my colleague I'm writing this and he said "What's Exurb1a? A Minecraft mod?" He also got a minor headache from the sheer amount of writing on my screen. 😅 What a year it's been. Lots of love. ^_^ 💛
SkyCat
It’s a privilege to contribute to your work.
Clouthe
My day has been blessed
Owen Manning
Oooo another teaser for the audiobook, lovely stuff, ill put that on my xmas list for santa. Super glad youre doing well Ex
