Tweet thread of the week
It’s a form of capitalist individualism that history’s never seen before. Modern technology makes it possible for a group of people to quarantine themselves away from the world without missing a beat. We have endless 24-hour streaming TV, movies, music, video games, and porn. And, in most places, you can even get food and supplies delivered right to your front door. In California you can open an app and order cannabis. In Mexico, I can get OTC painkillers and anti-depressants delivered using the same service that also brings me Burger King, Domino’s, and dozens of local offerings. We are more connected than we’ve ever been, more prepared to hunker down and isolate than any other time in history. And yet the “haves” can’t stop going to bars, clubs, churches, gyms, salons, and hundreds of other unnecessary places because their personal convenience and emotional state is more important the the lives of others. We’re all depressed. We all “need” physical contact and emotional intimacy. The difference, however, is that those willing to endure this hardship in quarantine aren’t actively making things worse for everyone. We can either embrace the long-distance Zoom-based holiday season and all the technology we’re lucky enough to have, or we can keep killing each other. — cyrée jarelle johnson (@cyreejarelle) November 24, 2020
there is nothing i would like better than a hug (yes, i mean some ****) but if i got sick I would likely die. — cyrée jarelle johnson (@cyreejarelle) November 24, 2020
physically disabled ppl are being care rationed at hospitals. as a black trans disabled person THEY WILL NOT SAVE ME IF I HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. what’s not clicking? — cyrée jarelle johnson (@cyreejarelle) November 24, 2020 When the pandemic started (and I still figured quarantine would only last about 6 months or so) I started doubling down on subscription content services such as Netflix, Hulu, WWE Network, Xbox Game Pass, and others. But, after nearly a year of binge-watching and playing video games instead of jamming on the beach, making new friends, and going out to eat, I’m about ready to lose it. I need an even bigger escape than TV shows and video games can give me. Enter DriveThru RPG. This website sells TTRPG games in the form of PDF files. Back in the day we’d all walk down to the local comic book or gaming store and spend hours browsing books, drooling over fancy dice and playmat sets, and wishing we could afford some of those massively expensive board games and figurines the clerks kept on the shelves behind the counter. But now you can peruse gaming books and purchase them digitally from the comfort of your home. Heck, you can even play D&D and Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. and almost any other game using one of the dozens of online virtual tables available (or just through a Zoom session with your friends). However, as I mentioned, I’m not looking for a group or necessarily trying to play TTRPGs at all right now. I’m actually systematically purchasing and reading as many books in the Palladium Books “Multiverse” of roleplaying games as I possibly can. And I’m just doing it for the lore. Re-reading old Rifts and Heroes books from the early 90s reminds me of a simpler time when my world wasn’t on fire. And reading the newest books gives my imagination new places to explore without committing to a narrative or story. Sometimes just seeing a page full of numbers and statistics for creatures, weapons, and magic that doesn’t exist fills me with a sense of comfort no bestselling novel or blockbuster movie can.
