The sun is shining and my latest obsession is watching The Murderbot Diaries on Apple TV. I read all the books over the course of a few days before the TV show came out and I am vibrating with anticipation over the next episodes to come. Looks like Martha Wells (the series author) is having a great time too. Sanctuary Moon even got a full opening title sequence this episode (you can watch it unglitched on YouTube). Anyway, Murderbot is pretty cool, but let’s go over a few more cool things for May!
The Invalids – 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Entry
“In a dystopian future where disability is exploited for sport, two disabled women wake up trapped in a brutal competition — to survive, they must outwit a system built to erase them.” Equal parts Squid Game and Severance, this short film highlights some of the real obstacles disabled folks face on the daily in our society. The only thing missing in reality is the cameras and cheering.
Wizard Simulator on Bluesky
This bot is an experimental art piece by Nora.Zone on Bluesky where it live posts what the wizard is doing. Following this account is a lot like getting an ongoing story in small little snippets. Pretty neat if you ask me!
Formless Star: a free pixel-art space game
In this free game (yep, it’s name-your-own-price on Itch) Formless Star for Mac, PC, Linux, and more, you play as a space researcher who has to gather data on each planet you land on. Each time you step out of your spaceship, a new procedurally generated environment forms (it’s a new planet) and you have to gather more info! Sounds really neat to me and I can’t wait to play it. Get it now on Itch.
Nonstandard – a Documentary on Nonstandard McDonald’s
I was suggested this documentary by Peppermint Bubble on Bluesky but haven’t gotten to sit down and watch it yet. It’s about an hour long and it’s about “nonstandard McDonald’s” – that is, McDonald’s locations that are outside of the franchise mold and unique in some way. The description is as follows:
What do you get when a restaurant titan known for its uniform quality and mundane ubiquity manifests in a way that is unexpected, remarkable, or one-of-a-kind?
You get what we call a “nonstandard McDonald’s”.
There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of nonstandard McDonald’s worldwide. Some differences are mundane – a sign with a single arch, for instance, or an exterior of a different color. Others are bizarre and fantastical, taking diners to places like the deep jungle, the old West, outer space, or into the future via elaborate themed restaurant buildings. If you’re lucky, you may even find one offering pizza.
Odds are that you or somebody you know has had their lives irreversibly altered by a Nonstandard McDonald’s. Some of them are famous, some of them are obscure, and some of them have been lost to the sands of time, only living in the memories of a lucky few.
Where in McDonald’s’ long history of standardizing fast food did this phenomenon of unique outliers begin? What brought it into the fore of its own cultural moment? What led to its irreversible decline? Most importantly, what is that strange magic at the core of the Nonstandard McDonald’s that continues to stir our hearts and curiosity?
C.L. Cannon’s Book Fair Happening now!
Looking for a great new title to read? Take a look at C.L. Cannon’s book fair! There’s over 100 discounted or free titles participating in the sale for until mid-July. Plus, you can enter to win a Kindle Fire, an Owlcrate subscription, and more. Find your next great sci-fi/fantasy read in C.L. Cannon’s Book Fair!
Amputheater – A horror fighting board game
Pipe-cleaner monster artisan The Gil-Monster on Bluesky shared with me their board game, a tabletop horror fighting game called Amputheater. You can pick up the rulebook to play it for yourself with just some dice and a few players right on Lulu.
Yharnam Sunrise: A Bloodborne Tarot deck is coming June 19th!
A friend of mine is going to be raising money to bring into the real a tarot deck featuring Bloodborne (the video game) fanarts and it looks absolutely gorgeous from what I’ve seen so far. You can subscribe on Kickstarter to get notified when the project launches in your email.
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