Nov. 2024 Newsletter: What I’ve Been Up To

Hello, reader! Welcome to my first monthly newsletter. Each month, I’ll try to share what I’ve been up to, what things I’ve published that month, and any exciting news, if there’s any to be shared. With both Ashton and I getting sick this month, things have been a bit slower than usual, but we’ve still managed a few exciting projects.

News and updates

The audiobook of Being Emily is 50% off until December 9th! This is the perfect gift for trans girls, trans women, or trans femmes in your life. It also makes a wonderful gift to yourself, so you’ll have something optimistic and engaging to listen to as you try to stay warm. Get it before the sale ends on audiobooks.com.

Blog posts from this month

Just yesterday, I posted a gift + reading guide to help you figure out where to start with my books. Whether gifting a book or wanting to read for yourself, this post will help you figure out which one you’re most likely to enjoy first.

ICYMI: My social media highlights

This month, I shared the launching of the subscription option for this newsletter. There is also a sneak peek of the narration from Being Emily‘s audiobook for you to listen to.

Things that have brought me joy recently: Thanksgaming special

Happy Thanksgaming!

Years ago, my immediate family, being mostly Jewish, opted to replace Christmas (which we’d celebrated in a secular way) with a new holiday: National Day Off for Jews. Because that was a huge success, in recent years my household also replaced Thanksgiving with an epic celebration that we call: Thanksgaming!

To celebrate Thanksgaming–and you are invited!–reflect on all the great games and game-like activities you’ve played in the last year. Then play some favorites or try out new ones!

Here are some games I’ve played this year and what I’m giving thanks for:

Hearthstone Duels → Legends of Runeterra

I’ve been a longtime Hearthstone player and in recent years mainly played Duels because of how ridiculous some of the decks could get. Last spring, Hearthstone stopped offering Duels because the player base was too small for them, sparking a brief personal crisis for me. 

I circled back to Eternal (a good game!) but ultimately landed on Legends of Runeterra for its immense PvE depth and the fact that I can wander off in the middle of a game and not experience any significant penalty. This is important since I frequently play card games on my tablet to get my brain engaged and then switch to a work task. 

Plus, I could watch Arcane for even more depth to the story side of the game. Now in season 2, Arcane has introduced the character of Ambessa–who of course also debuted in the game. Currently loving her deck!

Self-Care games: Finch and Voidpets

I didn’t think I’d like a self-care game as much as I like either of these two. Finch stole my heart with its super cute “birb” that I get to learn with and also play dress-up with. Does it help me do more self-care activities? Who knows? But I have been looking forward to cute seasonal outfits and the mini-pets. 

Ashton, my social media manager and writer (hi Ashton!) got me into Voidpets and I binged it for a week or two and did all the battles. [Ashton here: I have, admittedly, left my pets in the void. I’m sure Karl the Anxious would like me to check in with him soon.] I appreciate a self-care game with battles for when I’m feeling aggravated. After that, I renamed my pets and turned it into a Voidpets Tarot (with some other cards & concepts). Because different pets show up every time I’m away from the app for a few hours, this allows for some great spontaneous readings. 

Favorite game to use as a fidget: Civ 6

I’ve been playing an immense amount of Civ 6, usually while listening to audiobooks. I seem to keep creating the same peaceful trade empire over and over again, so I suspect there’s a lot of fantasy/wish-fulfillment going on. Leaning into that, I recently played a few games as Canada and renamed some of the cities to their indigenous place names. Moderate chance I’ll also be doing this with the United States.

For now, I’ve returned to Nzinga Mbande leading the Kongolese empire because along with the Cree, it’s the best for how I like to play. 

Most looking forward to: Dragon Age 4

Now that the semester is almost over, I’m about to start playing Dragon Age 4: The Veilguard! And it’s going to be as queer as I can possibly make it!

We’ll see if I manage to connect it to Dragon Age 2. When I played Dragon Age: Inquisition (#3 in the series), my story was that Isabela from DA2 was impersonating the main character when the events began and had to keep up the ruse through the entire game. Can I also turn Rook from DA4 into Isabela? We’ll find out. 

(Very nerdy sidenote: I’m a big enough fan of the Bioware games that I have even done a Dragon Age 2 playthrough as Samantha Traynor from Mass Effect 3 playing the game as a simulation while on board the Normandy. Could I play DA4 with Isabela as Rook and Samantha as Bellara? Let’s find out!)

Additions from Ashton: I’ve recently been enjoying falling back into the world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This comes after playing all of Morrowind and pieces of Arena and Daggerfall. I’m playing as a Dunmer essentially born to serve Sithis, and as such, my character has many scuffles with the law and doesn’t play nice with others. She’s currently wondering why on Nirn the emperor would want her to save his son, but if there’s gold in it, she’ll play along.

I’ve also been loving the Mikami-like puzzles and backtracking of Amnesia: The Bunker. The storytelling, environment, and mechanics of this game are all fantastic. In recent times, I finished Solar Ash, which I recommend as a short, mostly chill platforming adventure that still has emotional resonance. The Hellblade series left a significant mark on my mind earlier this year. I must say, I think I enjoyed the gameplay of the first one more, but the story of the sequel was remarkable.

Lastly, for connecting with others, I currently really enjoy Golf With Your Friends and my forever classic, Gang Beasts. When it comes to gaming, I really value my single-player adventures, though.

Thanks for joining us for this Thanksgaming overview. We’re wishing you warmth, love and lots of play time this holiday season!

Stay tuned next month for the conclusion of the Neurodivergence Without Shame series, more social media updates, and recommendations on surviving and thriving post-election. Thanks for being a reader!