Deep Space and Dragons

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We start with Karl’s medical saga, an MRI, a string of specialists, and the relief of returning to work, then veer into adaptations, fandom, and why some worlds are easier to live in than others. Along the way we argue for better theme parks, smarter ethics, and monsters that make your party sweat.

• third nerve palsy scare, MRI, neurologist referral, hospital recovery, back-to-work reset
• platelet whiplash, vaccine necessity, RFK Jr rhetoric critique
• Jurassic Park book vs film, adaptation trade-offs, Hammond and Malcolm contrasts
• product placement ethics, advertising to children, immersion vs commerce
• grad school survival, double-speed audiobooks, slash fiction and gender lenses
• Harry Potter immersion, Star Wars breakpoints, Jurassic Park core fantasy
• Netflix One Piece wins through ocean, ports, and pirates
• research threads on Gattaca, eugenics, Neuralink, Ghost in the Shell
• worldbuilding that does the homework, Fullmetal’s alchemy nods
• Daggerheart design: split-the-party golem, flexible builds, four humors flavor
• civic rant: school lunches, inequality, practical fixes through design
• immersive park pitches: Digimon AR world, Hunter Exam live run, Duelist Kingdom LARP

Submit your Random Question of the Week: “Just Google Richard Kevis. I’m absurdly easy to find.”

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Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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Richard tries not to get sued... again, Karl does something with bats.

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Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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Don't Cancel Us

Support the show

Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
https://linktr.ee/rajkevis

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Karl and Richard explore the fascinating world of fictional afterlives across anime, games, and popular media, examining everything from bureaucratic waiting rooms to digital consciousness uploads.

• Karl shares his experiences diving into Korean manhwa on Webtoon, discovering popular genres like isekai and regression stories
• Richard explains his frustration with the formulaic nature of many modern isekai stories compared to their more nuanced predecessors
• We examine various afterlife systems in fiction, starting with the common "waiting in line" bureaucracy seen in Dragon Ball Z and Beetlejuice
• Bleach is nominated for having the worst fictional afterlife, where even "heaven" is a feudal slum with rigid class hierarchies
• The Good Place offers a thoughtful examination of afterlife ethics, suggesting people need opportunities to grow even after death
• Digital afterlives raise philosophical questions about whether uploading consciousness creates a continuation or merely a copy
• We debate whether isekai stories qualify as afterlife narratives, given that many begin with the protagonist's death
• Dragon Ball Z's tournament-based afterlife rewards martial prowess, fitting its universe's values

What fictional afterlife would you choose? Let us know by reaching out on social media or joining our Patreon community!

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Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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Karl faces a medical challenge as his "cursed spleen" requires removal to treat a condition called ITP, while Richard prepares for upcoming changes with a new job and master's program starting soon.

• Karl's consultation with a surgeon reveals Saskatoon lacks a spleen specialist, potentially requiring travel to Regina for surgery
• An unexpected eye issue leads Karl to visit an optometrist who refers him to an ophthalmologist
• Richard discusses writing accomplishments, having completed five full-length books in five years
• Discussion of how anime portrays Americans, from Bandit Keith in Yu-Gi-Oh to G Gundam's America colony
• Chainsaw Man's War Devil proclaiming love for America because "America made war sexy" leads to analysis of military glorification
• Hosts propose anime series that deserve American sequels or spinoffs, including Kaiju No. 8 and Chainsaw Man
• Critique of Solo Leveling's recent awards dominance despite lack of character development
• Random questions segment: whether it's better to speak only in rhymes or only in whispers
• Final debate on immortality with aging versus 30 years of peak physical condition

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We take a nostalgic deep dive into the Donkey Kong franchise, ranking games from the classic Country series to the upcoming Bonanza, while exploring what makes them stand out from other platformers.

• Karl shares his experience watching the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, comparing it to the original animated film
• Richard has been researching JRPGs by sampling classics like Final Fantasy 1 and other PlayStation 2 era games
• We debate why Donkey Kong 64 was critically acclaimed but seemingly led to a decade-long hiatus for 3D DK games
• Diddy Kong Racing had features that Mario Kart has taken years to implement, yet never achieved the same success
• Retro Studios revitalized the franchise with Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, delivering some of the best platformers ever
• The upcoming Donkey Kong Bonanza for Switch 2 promises destructible environments and seems built on the Mario Odyssey engine
• We provide recommendations for shows, manga, and games that excel at worldbuilding, including Fullmetal Alchemist and Chrono Trigger

Check out our second podcast where we play Daggerheart, just Google "Richard and Karl play Daggerheart."

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Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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Richard and Karl explore the philosophical question of analyzing relationships objectively, debating whether approaching friendships with analytical detachment is valuable or potentially harmful.

• Karl describes a relationship where he's helped someone significantly but feels minimal emotional connection
• Richard explains how he evaluates friendships based on whether they add value to his life
• Both hosts agree on having limited capacity for deep relationships and needing to prioritize connections
• Different approaches to measuring friendship value, from emotional support to shared interests
• Richard shares his misadventures, including accidentally taking a train to the wrong city
• Extensive discussion of what makes prequels successful versus disappointing in various franchises
• Analysis of Star Wars, Final Destination, and other notable prequel examples
• The importance of exploring new perspectives rather than simply setting up known events
• Random question segment about projecting sensory experiences onto others
• Final thoughts on sounds that instantly make the hosts happier

If you enjoyed our Daggerheart gameplay from last week and want to see more, let us know in the comments! Visit daggerheart.com to try the game for yourself.

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Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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Richard and Karl venture into the dangerous world of Daggerheart, playing through the official quickstart adventure in a special one-on-one session to test the new game by Darrington Press. 

• Comprehensive overview of Daggerheart's core mechanics, including the hope/fear duality dice system, character experiences, and streamlined combat
• Exploration of the Sablewood Forest and its unique hybrid animals like lemur toads and strix wolves
• Encounter with bandit Thistlefolk who attempt to ambush and steal from our hero
• Visit to the peaceful village of Hush with its magical protective barrier and unusual customs
• Meeting with the eccentric Whitefire Arcanist, a fairy-like being with mysterious powers
• Epic final battle to protect a magical ritual that maintains the village's protective wards
• Demonstration of Daggerheart's death and sacrifice mechanics when our hero falls in battle
• Side-by-side comparison of how this system differs from D&D and other traditional TTRPGs

If you're interested in trying Daggerheart, the quickstart adventure we played is available for free on the Darrington Press website!

P.S, I got the crit mechanic wrong!

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Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
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Richard and Karl critique anime's problematic tropes while exploring the ethics of charity, business responsibilities, and graduation ceremonies.

• Discover how the Titanic board game works with passengers, lifeboats, and flooding mechanics
• Debate the ethical complexity of giving away free food versus supporting systemic change
• Explore the ethics of performing welfare checks on elderly customers showing signs of memory issues 
• Experience Richard's graduation ceremony, complete with academic traditions and awkward encounters as he Han Solo's the president 
• Analyze problematic anime tropes including exploding clothes, mid-season character dumps, and hypersexualization
• Consider how certain anime concepts fail in execution despite having interesting premises
• Discuss examples of anime that stumble at the ending like "Kaido: The Right Answer"

If you're writing a story, you don't need to explode clothes. You could write an entire series where everyone stays appropriately clothed the entire time. You have our permission.

Support the show

Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
https://linktr.ee/rajkevis

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We dive deep into the world of brand loyalty and how it affects our gaming choices, from trading card games to tabletop RPGs, questioning why we remain loyal to companies with questionable ethics.

• The ethics of emergency pizza delivery for wildfire evacuees and the problems with tip-based compensation
• Richard's unexpected capybara encounter at High Park and celebrating post-graduation achievements
• Why Magic: The Gathering's "Universes Beyond" sets represent corporate greed over gameplay design
• How Flesh and Blood cards offer a more ethically-produced alternative to Magic but struggle against established IP
• The challenge of convincing D&D players to try Daggerheart despite its improved game mechanics
• Discussion of why Monster Sanctuary can't compete with Pokémon despite offering better gameplay
• Random questions about being isekai'd into magical worlds and using Pokémon as lease negotiators

Support indie game developers and try games like Sea of Stars, Expedition 33, and Monster Sanctuary. Check out Daggerheart's free YouTube videos and starter kit to experience a more ethically-designed TTRPG.

Support the show

Follow all things Richard and Karl, and check out "The Minuet of Sorcery"
https://linktr.ee/rajkevis