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We debate a small perk turned big headache at a pizza shop, then zoom out to fan parodies, fair use, and why some fan projects elevate art while others drain it. Along the way we share a library field trip, a tense late-night safety call, and tease the cozy weirdness of Christmas ghost stories.

• employee discount loopholes and solidarity vs rebellion
• how one abuse creates rules that bind everyone
• safety triage when a teen fears being followed
• Team Four Star’s craft, limits of monetization, creative value
• lazy clip reposts vs real parody and editing
• mods, Mario Maker constraints, and respecting original intent
• AI scraping, fair use asymmetry, and ownership ethics
• giving oxygen to original creators with real feedback
• archives, maps, Power Nine awe, and why fandom still inspires

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We trade recovery notes after a splenectomy, call out an ambulance delay on the shop floor, and pick apart how vacation pay models discourage real rest. Then we dive into AI remixing, creator leverage, and a Shonen Jump sweep from Chainsaw Man’s earned madness to One Punch Man’s drift.

• platelet rebound after splenectomy, targets and confidence
• light duty at work, paid leave structures, and why vacation banking matters
• two-hour ambulance delay, frontline tradeoffs, dignity in crisis
• AI tools as amplifiers, citation leverage, and where originality lives
• pacing as craft: Chainsaw Man’s scope vs One Punch Man’s sprawl
• One Piece long-game payoffs and Kagurabachi’s style vs character
• Ruri Dragon’s teen core with dragon set-dressing
• new series: post-apoc teeth that actually bite, romcoms that stall
• grad school bandwidth, burnout management, and project pacing
• folklore thought experiment and Pokémon electability for fun

Send in your questions to get entered for a signed copy of The Waltz of Blades

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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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Richard tries not to get sued... again, Karl does something with bats.

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Don't Cancel Us

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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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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"
https://linktr.ee/rajkevis