Standardized Edutainment

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Why I went with Quasimodo when Dracula and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde are right there (too predictable).

Why there's no Jules Verne or Dostoyevsky (haven't read it).

Why there's no Shakespeare (I very strongly considered adding Hamlet and giving him a soliloquy mechanic, but I felt like I was already over-representing England, and Mr. Darcy was funnier)

Show me your thoughts, literaries of Tumblr!

Perna Cabeluda. Severed leg. has inhumane strength. Will kick you. Will kick you. Will kick you (even if it's not its turn).

Iara. River mermaid. her singing hypnotizes people and can make them enter her river never to return to the surface (KO attack, takes a few rounds to charge). Can summon river animals. She is protected by the waters and the moon, can't be hurt in the water+under the moonlight. The further from the water, the weaker she is (different stages would have different environments).

Caipora. Forest spirit. Attacking her only angers her and makes her stronger. To face her, you must collect a set of items that will allow you to broker peace and make a deal with her. When playing a level in her home, attacking any side character under her protection will summon her, and she will impale you immediately. has the cutest art, riding her peccary.

Cuca. Alligator witch. Can cast an array of spells, including stunning you with a lullaby. her final attack traps you in her cauldron and turns you into soup.

Boto Cor-de-Rosa (tumblr user @juneru has some beautiful art, here). Shapeshifter. (Originally can turn from pink river dolphin to very handsome man, then back again). In land environments, can stun opponents with his beauty, and will dodge attacks with sweet talk, but has little attack power himself. In water stages, absolutely kicks ass in fish-shape, but is more vulnerable to all attacks.

Curupira. Forest guardian. has multiple weapon options for primary attacks. With the strongest one, he can cast illusions and confuse his opponents. his feet are turned backwards, so he's never where people expect him to be. he can summon a Caipora as his ally, if you haven't previously made a deal with her.

Boitatá. Giant snake. With fire powers. Can also smother you. Is immune to any fire or projectile attacks, but becomes vulnerable in water environments. honorable mention:

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Wukong is a classic zoner. You're going to spend most of your time Cloud Somersaulting and using Bodies Beyond The Body to cover yourself with tufts of blown fur. And if they ever get too close, your extending staff will show them their rightful place.

Sherlock Holmes has a unique defensive strategy that allows him to build in power over the course of the battle. Whenever he Observes an opponent's attack, it adds to a damage multiplier (especially if that attack made contact and he timed his Observation correctly). The downside of Observe is that you still take damage, but this can also lure careless opponents into confusing an early lead for a certain victory. An elementary mistake.

Pippi is a great introductory character. She's got good throws, simple projectiles, and excellent short range options. She's easy to play and the animations are very charming. Play as her enough and you'll learn a lot about building combos thanks to the hit stun effects of her bag of gold attacks.

Quasi is your classic grappler. Lots of options to grab opponents and deal heavy damage with bell-ringing attacks.

Darcy is a parry riposte fighter (also called a punisher or whiff). His primary offensive options are terrible, but if you can time your defenses just right, he can deliver a witty insult that can chain into a devastating combo.

Alice is a surprisingly ruthless rush down character. She attacks by summoning the Wonderlanders, each of whom has their own stats. White Rabbit is fast but weak, Mock Turtle is slow but hefty, Queen of Hearts has limited range but high damage output, and Hatter can make them all change places. We're all mad here.

Heaven (Journey to the West): Vertical tiered stage with the stables and orchards on the bottom, ascending to scenes of the Jade Emperor's palace, such as the banquet and the celestial warriors.

8th Circle of Hell (Divine Comedy): Simple flat horizontal stage with a lot of very colorful scenery for spectators to enjoy.

Spain (Don Quixote): Pastoral. Mostly flat, some varied elevation. Destructible windmills.

Destroyed London (The War of the Worlds): Martian tripods wander the flaming ruins of London, harvesting survivors and spreading the red weed. Lots of obstacles and hiding spots.

Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame): Painstakingly crafted recreation of all the visual details put forth in the text. If you play this stage on April 15th, it will be on fire.

Gertie the Dinosaur (Gertie the Dinosaur): Literally just the cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur playing on loop.

The Emerald City (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz): Book accurate, so it isn't actually green. The outer walls are green, and the yellow brick road is visible past that. Background characters, including Dorothy's crew, can be seen wearing green-tinted spectacles.

If you don't play many fighting games, then this is something you wouldn't know about but it's very important here. For years now, it's been common to have characters deliver some kind of quip to each other before the fight begins, and sometimes, if they have some kind of prior relationship or can make a specific insult, then you will get a unique bit of dialogue that only happens when those two characters face each other.

And sometimes they're just funny.

And since this is a literature-inspired game, it feels especially important to include as much character-specific dialogue as possible. Especially if there are only 8 characters on the roster.

Please help me write the 64 pre-fight dialogues for these (or your own) characters!

Don Quixote: You, sir, are a coward to fight from behind a mask!

Phantom: Your incessant prattling distracted me from Christine's solo. For that you will die.

Sun Wukong: Hey Pip, check out these cool new moves I just learned!

Pippi Longstocking: Sounds like fun! Whoever loses has to pay for ice cream!

Sherlock Holmes: Fascinating! My exact double with regards to practically every detail.

Pippi: *playing in the dirt like a gremlin* Old enough to know how to throw hands. You don't even have any candy in there, do ya, creepo?

(I haven't read or seen anything Pippi Longstockings since I was a kid, so I hope I'm remembering the right energy)

-----

Missingno: *indecipherable glitching noises* *flings candy all over the arena*

Mary Poppins: Well, you're a right mess, aren't you? I'll have to teach you a lesson in manners, and then maybe you'll not be so naughty.

Missingno: *angry glitching noises*

Mary Poppins: *tuts* What an awful mouth you have! We'll have to wash that out, too.

------

Betty Boop: How 'bout after this little shindig you take me out for dessert, big boy?

Count Chocula: *blushes*

-------

Moses: My Lord has decreed that I must come and split your ass like the Red Sea.

#they've gone 30 years with no one to listen to them, but here she comes understanding all the smack they're talking?

#also don't forget Moses had anger management issues. Sun Wukong's lackadaisical attitude would drive him off a cliff

#He just breaks the ten commandments over monkey's head like it's a chair in WWE

#I've decided on an 11th commandment: Talk Shit Get Hit

@artstardoodles can you draw one of these scenes for me as a birthday present 🙏? (Note, these characters are all public domain, even Count Chocula)

And I have to platform @writingbrainrot for being the kind of cryptid who knows how to write in the authentic dialect of a 1950s Swedish brat.

Pipp's dialogue in bratty 50's kid swedish translated: Men, va' kul! Den som förlorar får betala för glass! Så det så, ha!

Pippi longstocking 1: Let's see who can lift the horse the most! Pippi longstocking 2: Nuh-uh, this is gonna be proper fencing! Pippi longstocking 1: Golly! What an adventure!

Obligatory swedish:

Pippi longstocking 1: Vi ser vem som kan lyfta hästen mest!

Pippi longstocking 2: Nä du, här blir det ordentlig fäktning!

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Wukong is a classic zoner. You're going to spend most of your time Cloud Somersaulting and using Bodies Beyond The Body to cover yourself with tufts of blown fur. And if they ever get too close, your extending staff will show them their rightful place.

Sherlock Holmes has a unique defensive strategy that allows him to build in power over the course of the battle. Whenever he Observes an opponent's attack, it adds to a damage multiplier (especially if that attack made contact and he timed his Observation correctly). The downside of Observe is that you still take damage, but this can also lure careless opponents into confusing an early lead for a certain victory. An elementary mistake.

Pippi is a great introductory character. She's got good throws, simple projectiles, and excellent short range options. She's easy to play and the animations are very charming. Play as her enough and you'll learn a lot about building combos thanks to the hit stun effects of her bag of gold attacks.

Quasi is your classic grappler. Lots of options to grab opponents and deal heavy damage with bell-ringing attacks.

Darcy is a parry riposte fighter (also called a punisher or whiff). His primary offensive options are terrible, but if you can time your defenses just right, he can deliver a witty insult that can chain into a devastating combo.

Alice is a surprisingly ruthless rush down character. She attacks by summoning the Wonderlanders, each of whom has their own stats. White Rabbit is fast but weak, Mock Turtle is slow but hefty, Queen of Hearts has limited range but high damage output, and Hatter can make them all change places. We're all mad here.

Heaven (Journey to the West): Vertical tiered stage with the stables and orchards on the bottom, ascending to scenes of the Jade Emperor's palace, such as the banquet and the celestial warriors.

8th Circle of Hell (Divine Comedy): Simple flat horizontal stage with a lot of very colorful scenery for spectators to enjoy.

Spain (Don Quixote): Pastoral. Mostly flat, some varied elevation. Destructible windmills.

Destroyed London (The War of the Worlds): Martian tripods wander the flaming ruins of London, harvesting survivors and spreading the red weed. Lots of obstacles and hiding spots.

Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame): Painstakingly crafted recreation of all the visual details put forth in the text. If you play this stage on April 15th, it will be on fire.

Gertie the Dinosaur (Gertie the Dinosaur): Literally just the cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur playing on loop.

The Emerald City (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz): Book accurate, so it isn't actually green. The outer walls are green, and the yellow brick road is visible past that. Background characters, including Dorothy's crew, can be seen wearing green-tinted spectacles.

If you don't play many fighting games, then this is something you wouldn't know about but it's very important here. For years now, it's been common to have characters deliver some kind of quip to each other before the fight begins, and sometimes, if they have some kind of prior relationship or can make a specific insult, then you will get a unique bit of dialogue that only happens when those two characters face each other.

And sometimes they're just funny.

And since this is a literature-inspired game, it feels especially important to include as much character-specific dialogue as possible. Especially if there are only 8 characters on the roster.

Please help me write the 64 pre-fight dialogues for these (or your own) characters!

Don Quixote: You, sir, are a coward to fight from behind a mask!

Phantom: Your incessant prattling distracted me from Christine's solo. For that you will die.

Sun Wukong: Hey Pip, check out these cool new moves I just learned!

Pippi Longstocking: Sounds like fun! Whoever loses has to pay for ice cream!

Sherlock Holmes: Fascinating! My exact double with regards to practically every detail.

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Wukong is a classic zoner. You're going to spend most of your time Cloud Somersaulting and using Bodies Beyond The Body to cover yourself with tufts of blown fur. And if they ever get too close, your extending staff will show them their rightful place.

Sherlock Holmes has a unique defensive strategy that allows him to build in power over the course of the battle. Whenever he Observes an opponent's attack, it adds to a damage multiplier (especially if that attack made contact and he timed his Observation correctly). The downside of Observe is that you still take damage, but this can also lure careless opponents into confusing an early lead for a certain victory. An elementary mistake.

Pippi is a great introductory character. She's got good throws, simple projectiles, and excellent short range options. She's easy to play and the animations are very charming. Play as her enough and you'll learn a lot about building combos thanks to the hit stun effects of her bag of gold attacks.

Quasi is your classic grappler. Lots of options to grab opponents and deal heavy damage with bell-ringing attacks.

Darcy is a parry riposte fighter (also called a punisher or whiff). His primary offensive options are terrible, but if you can time your defenses just right, he can deliver a witty insult that can chain into a devastating combo.

Alice is a surprisingly ruthless rush down character. She attacks by summoning the Wonderlanders, each of whom has their own stats. White Rabbit is fast but weak, Mock Turtle is slow but hefty, Queen of Hearts has limited range but high damage output, and Hatter can make them all change places. We're all mad here.

Heaven (Journey to the West): Vertical tiered stage with the stables and orchards on the bottom, ascending to scenes of the Jade Emperor's palace, such as the banquet and the celestial warriors.

8th Circle of Hell (Divine Comedy): Simple flat horizontal stage with a lot of very colorful scenery for spectators to enjoy.

Spain (Don Quixote): Pastoral. Mostly flat, some varied elevation. Destructible windmills.

Destroyed London (The War of the Worlds): Martian tripods wander the flaming ruins of London, harvesting survivors and spreading the red weed. Lots of obstacles and hiding spots.

Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame): Painstakingly crafted recreation of all the visual details put forth in the text. If you play this stage on April 15th, it will be on fire.

Gertie the Dinosaur (Gertie the Dinosaur): Literally just the cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur playing on loop.

The Emerald City (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz): Book accurate, so it isn't actually green. The outer walls are green, and the yellow brick road is visible past that. Background characters, including Dorothy's crew, can be seen wearing green-tinted spectacles.

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Wukong is a classic zoner. You're going to spend most of your time Cloud Somersaulting and using Bodies Beyond The Body to cover yourself with tufts of blown fur. And if they ever get too close, your extending staff will show them their rightful place.

Sherlock Holmes has a unique defensive strategy that allows him to build in power over the course of the battle. Whenever he Observes an opponent's attack, it adds to a damage multiplier (especially if that attack made contact and he timed his Observation correctly). The downside of Observe is that you still take damage, but this can also lure careless opponents into confusing an early lead for a certain victory. An elementary mistake.

Pippi is a great introductory character. She's got good throws, simple projectiles, and excellent short range options. She's easy to play and the animations are very charming. Play as her enough and you'll learn a lot about building combos thanks to the hit stun effects of her bag of gold attacks.

Quasi is your classic grappler. Lots of options to grab opponents and deal heavy damage with bell-ringing attacks.

Darcy is a parry riposte fighter (also called a punisher or whiff). His primary offensive options are terrible, but if you can time your defenses just right, he can deliver a witty insult that can chain into a devastating combo.

Alice is a surprisingly ruthless rush down character. She attacks by summoning the Wonderlanders, each of whom has their own stats. White Rabbit is fast but weak, Mock Turtle is slow but hefty, Queen of Hearts has limited range but high damage output, and Hatter can make them all change places. We're all mad here.

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Why I went with Quasimodo when Dracula and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde are right there (too predictable).

Why there's no Jules Verne or Dostoyevsky (haven't read it).

Why there's no Shakespeare (I very strongly considered adding Hamlet and giving him a soliloquy mechanic, but I felt like I was already over-representing England, and Mr. Darcy was funnier)

Show me your thoughts, literaries of Tumblr!

1. Othello - his only weakness is personal betrayal, and that doesn’t really come up in a personal fighting game. He is well versed in the arts of war :)

2. Odysseus - cunning, skilled bowman, and also fought in a war

3. The Phantom (of the Opera) - maybe not the best at hand to hand, but I bet could whip up some interesting weapons and mini traps

4. Beowulf - he’s a sea serpent slayer. I must include him

5. White Fang - can kill pretty much any animal he sets his mind to kill, including humans, huge

6. Jesus - can do a whoooole lotta shit

7. Peter Pan - can sword fight, fly, and literally drives grown men insane

8. Nana Miriam - knows enough magic to defeat what was essentially a giant hippo x Fire version Blastoise and nearly drive all hippos to extinction.

Peter Pan, Beowulf and the Opera Phantom are all solid choices.

Odysseus I left out on purpose, but you're not wrong that he'd be a great character. Good DLC option.

Othello is an interesting pick. Could be controversial, but also very interesting. Give him a rage meter, maybe? Oh yeah, that's sure to go over well.

Nana Miriam leans too heavily as folklore to me, rather than literature. Otherwise I'd say hell yeah.

Babar the Elephant (Babar)

Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh)

Nosferatu/ Count Orlok

Audrey II (apparently?!)

Count Chocula

Gertie the Dinosaur (early animation icon)

Felix the Cat

Betty Boop

Mary Poppins (the book version)

Oswald the Rabbit (Disney)

Missingno (Pokemon)

Buck Rogers

and finally: Moses

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Why I went with Quasimodo when Dracula and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde are right there (too predictable).

Why there's no Jules Verne or Dostoyevsky (haven't read it).

Why there's no Shakespeare (I very strongly considered adding Hamlet and giving him a soliloquy mechanic, but I felt like I was already over-representing England, and Mr. Darcy was funnier)

Show me your thoughts, literaries of Tumblr!

1. Othello - his only weakness is personal betrayal, and that doesn’t really come up in a personal fighting game. He is well versed in the arts of war :)

2. Odysseus - cunning, skilled bowman, and also fought in a war

3. The Phantom (of the Opera) - maybe not the best at hand to hand, but I bet could whip up some interesting weapons and mini traps

4. Beowulf - he’s a sea serpent slayer. I must include him

5. White Fang - can kill pretty much any animal he sets his mind to kill, including humans, huge

6. Jesus - can do a whoooole lotta shit

7. Peter Pan - can sword fight, fly, and literally drives grown men insane

8. Nana Miriam - knows enough magic to defeat what was essentially a giant hippo x Fire version Blastoise and nearly drive all hippos to extinction.

Peter Pan, Beowulf and the Opera Phantom are all solid choices.

Odysseus I left out on purpose, but you're not wrong that he'd be a great character. Good DLC option.

Othello is an interesting pick. Could be controversial, but also very interesting. Give him a rage meter, maybe? Oh yeah, that's sure to go over well.

Nana Miriam leans too heavily as folklore to me, rather than literature. Otherwise I'd say hell yeah.

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Why I went with Quasimodo when Dracula and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde are right there (too predictable).

Why there's no Jules Verne or Dostoyevsky (haven't read it).

Why there's no Shakespeare (I very strongly considered adding Hamlet and giving him a soliloquy mechanic, but I felt like I was already over-representing England, and Mr. Darcy was funnier)

Show me your thoughts, literaries of Tumblr!

Create a roster of 8 fighting game characters drawn from literary characters in the public domain.

Due 7/11/2026

Guidelines:

Creating a well-rounded roster

Be inclusive of as many literary traditions as you can

Characters can be from any genre

Decide for yourself where to draw the line between literature, folklore, mythology, etc

Draw from as many eras and cultures as possible

It should be difficult to narrow your choices down to 8

Envisioning each character

What moves do they use? (Think about iconic moments/activities that could be animated as attacks)

A playable character might be able to summon supporting characters for special attacks (i.e. Winnie the Pooh as the playable character, but a special move causes Kanga to momentarily appear and kick)

Don Quixote

Sun Wukong

Sherlock Holmes

Pippi Longstocking

Quasimodo

Mr. Darcy

Alice (Wonderland)

The Brothers Grimm

Do Now:

And frankly, it makes very little sense that America's 250th anniversary should commemorate the Declaration of Independence.

Consider the following:

We weren't a country yet

We still wouldn't be a country for several years

We were, in fact, in the middle of a war for independence

It's not even a legally binding document (King George III didn't sign it)

So if you, a randomly sampled citizen of the United States of America, are asked what happened 250 years ago that we are ostensibly celebrating this year, you might be able to recall the correct answer from your education. Maybe you can perform 4 digit arithmetic (somewhat difficult) to help you get that answer. But most likely, you will choose the option that feels most correct.

The Declaration of Independence was basically a wartime propaganda measure, a manifesto by the educated elite of the continental colonies, with the express intention of rallying the citizenry to fight against the British instead of for the British. And yes, it is also more complicated than that, but it's been given so much mythological importance, as if it's Scripture, rather than a hurried, sweaty compromise.

The tags on your last reblog (about how the zine is a bit of a money sink) made me think -- is there a place we could donate to help it? You mention the stamp fund in your pinned, but if there's a donation link somewhere, I am blind to it.

I'd happily kick in like, $5-10 month for the zine. I know that isn't a lot but ideally it wouldn't just be me 😅

For the uninitiated, since January I've been publishing a monthly zine, The Some Times, mailing out free physical copies to subscribers on the 13th of each month. I was motivated by my nostalgia for magazine subscriptions in the early 2000s, so I've made a concerted effort to keep the project as offline as possible. I prioritize snail mail over email (digital copies are available upon request, but very few people have opted for that so far), I post the issues on my blog with a one month delay so subscribers get to read them first, and I have not set up any digital payment methods. The stamp fund is an informal thing; several people have sent me donations in the mail (some cash, but most have been postage stamps), and I give each of them a shoutout in the following issue's Letters to the Editor article.

I don't want to charge for the Some Times because it reaches way more people when its free. But that also means that readership has grown WAY beyond my wildest expectations; 108 subscribers and counting after only 6 issues. I thought I'd reach maybe 20 people all year, mostly mutuals or family members if I begged them, but this project has really taken off!

Last week I broke down the cost to produce a single physical copy of the zine and mail it out

Toner: about 6.667 cents per page or 13.333 cents per sheet (usually 6 pages/3 sheets per issue, so that's 40 cents) Paper: I print on purple paper instead of white, so it's 2.4 cents per sheet (7.2 cents per issue) Envelopes: about 8 cents a pop Address labels: about 30 cents a sheet, but I can fit more than 30 names on each one, so it's less than 1 cent per subscriber (call it 1 cent exactly when accounting for 1/30th of a page worth of toner) Stamps: 78 cents domestic, $1.70 international (postage goes up to 82 cents and $1.79 respectively after July 12th) Total: $1.34 domestic ($1.38 next month), $2.26 international ($2.35 next month) for raw materials. Accounting for labor and PO Box rent, let's call it $3 domestic, $4 international total (the cost of labor/rent is fixed each month so the cost-per-issue goes down the more people subscribe)

Is it worth $3 - $4 per person per month? I don't think I'd have gotten anywhere near 108 subscribers if I had paywalled it from the start, and I'd feel bad charging for it now after it's been free for so long. I've considered setting up a Patreon as a tip jar, but even that makes me feel iffy because then it becomes an obligation rather than a hobby. If people are paying for it, then I gotta provide, come hell or high water. I don't know... That route just doesn't seem right to me, at least not yet.

The best way anyone can help out is by contributing to the stamp fund. My PO Box is always open, not just for donations but for submissions too; pet photos, drawings, recipes, entire articles, you name it. We've built a really nice community this year, and I'm truly humbled that this project has resonated so far and wide (38 states, 4 Canadian provinces, and 6 other countries).

My entire backlog is available on my pinned post, and the window to subscribe for Issue 6 is open until July 6th (after that, you'll be signed up for Issue 7 instead). There are articles about astronomy, cartography, library science, book and movie reviews, cryptids, linguistics, fantasy worldbuilding, and even personal ads to start a reader-to-reader penpal network.

heyyy so I wanted to start something because it kind of feels like we as students always talk about “the future” like it’s something that’s going to happen to us instead of something we actually shape and I don’t really buy that idea anymore.

we’re literally growing up in a time where economics, AI, policy decisions, and global systems are changing faster than anyone can fully explain in a classroom. and most of the time, we’re just learning about it after the fact. so I started thinking… what if students weren’t just readers of that stuff, but actual contributors to it?

SOOO i’m trying to build a student-led global publication focused on economics, public policy, technology, finance, and future trends. not like a typical school newspaper, more like a space where students can actually write real research, publish serious ideas, and collaborate across schools and even countries.

the goal isn’t just “content.” it’s to create something that feels like a mix between a publication and a youth research network. students can learn how to think, write, and lead at a much higher level than what we usually get access to.

and yeah, it’s early. but that’s kind of the point. it’s being built from scratch, which means the people who join first are literally shaping what it becomes.

if you’re someone who’s into economics, policy, tech, writing, or just wants to be part of building something global with actual structure and ambition behind it, this might be for you.

we’re looking for founding team members right now: editors, writers, designers, website/help with ops, social media, basically anyone willing to build.

if you want to apply, the link is in the bio of the Instagram: @globalyoutheconreview

and honestly, even if you’re not sure, it’s one of those things that could actually be a really solid opportunity for college apps and experience because you’re not just “joining” something… you’re helping create it from the ground up.

I'm not a student. I have not been a youth since the more recent Bush administration. But is there anything I can do to help or otherwise become a part of this?

i see what you're referring to, but that "never get that final block in place" thing is what infinity is for. the infinity is kind of for the moment when you do the final thing in a never ending pattern. its the last number. there is no last number. its there. you can see it. you cannot get there. but what if you did? then you'd be at two. you are at two. you measure the corners of your house. its a little bigger on the inside than the out. hm.

Assessment Item:

Everything I know about that field comes from NPR and Freakonomics, which isn't enough to validate the claims that I want to make.