16) Epilogue: "Of What Future Are These The Wild Early Days?"

16) Epilogue: "Of What Future Are These The Wild Early Days?"

In the epilogue of 235 bloom we explore the aftermath of occupation with Everest Pipkin’s World Ending Game. [https://everest-pipkin.com/games/worldending] Jordan and Paul create a montage of continuing stories for some of the characters we’ve met along this journey. We end with an invitation for you to contribute to a vision for this city’s future. *The title of this episode is a quote from Kyle Tran Myhre’s Not A Lot of Reasons to Sing, But Enough [https://guante.info/enough/], a book about two wandering poets on “a prison colony moon full of exiled rebels, robots, and storytellers.” It’s truly worth your time and dollars, go pick up a copy. Content Warnings: * Depictions of war and military occupation * Discussions of trauma and loss * Scenes involving violence and destruction * Themes of political and corporate power struggles * References to death and memorials Produced by Paul Privitera and Jordan Lee Thompson. Edited by Jordan Lee Thompson. Music by Javier Lopez of Goatfoam [https://goatfoam.bandcamp.com/]. Cover Art by Maddy Fusco [https://www.maddyfuscoillustration.com/]. Voice over by LIPING VONG [https://www.lipingvong.com/]. 235 bloom is a collaboration between Des Moines & Dragonsand The Institute for Manufactured Futures. It is a work of speculative fiction taking place in the year 2089. The locations may be real, but any similarity to actual persons or their descendants is unintentional.

15) Bazil's Story: The Night Masquerade

In the final episode of our game of Salvage Union [https://leyline.press/collections/salvage-union], Baz is left to piece together the fragile aftermath of conflict in a war-torn Des Moines. He works to square up with his past and decide on his future. *The title of this episode is an homage to Nnedi Okorafor’s novella of the same name, the third installment of her Africanfuturist Binti trilogy [https://nnedi.com/books/the-binti-series/], about a young Himba woman navigating interstellar conflict and her own identity. It’s very good, you should read it. Content Warnings: * Violence and combat scenes * Injury and death references * Emotional distress and anxiety * Mention of war, ambush, and military operations * Descriptions of damaged buildings and post-disaster environments * References to trauma and nightmares Produced by Paul Privitera. Featuring Jordan Lee Thompson. Edited by Jordan Lee Thompson. Music by Tommy Ljungberg. Cover Art by Maddy Fusco [https://www.maddyfuscoillustration.com/]. Voice over by LIPING VONG [https://www.lipingvong.com/]. 235 bloom is a collaboration between Des Moines & Dragonsand The Institute for Manufactured Futures. It is a work of speculative fiction taking place in the year 2089. The locations may be real, but any similarity to actual persons or their descendants is unintentional.

14) Emil's Story: SEEDBOMB

Emil closes the book on our game of ECOPUNK: 2044 [https://dicekapital.itch.io/ecopunk2044] as he traverses a city on the brink of open revolt. With tense confrontations at an armed checkpoint and urgently needed medical aid during a devastating storm, Emil finally learns just what he’s been carrying around this whole time. Content Warnings: * Torture and physical abuse * Injury and broken bones * Violence and gunfire * Occupation and military checkpoints * Medical emergencies and blood loss * Death and mourning * Intense weather events (storm, derecho) * Themes of resistance and conflict Produced by Jordan Lee Thompson. Featuring Paul Privitera. Edited by Jordan Lee Thompson. Music by Isac Lundholm. Cover Art by Maddy Fusco [https://www.maddyfuscoillustration.com/]. Voice over by LIPING VONG [https://www.lipingvong.com/], Alex Walton, Oanh Vu, Ruben Vallejo Regalado, David Valentine, nouf saleh, and H. LaVeau. 235 bloom is a collaboration between Des Moines & Dragonsand The Institute for Manufactured Futures. It is a work of speculative fiction taking place in the year 2089. The locations may be real, but any similarity to actual persons or their descendants is unintentional.

13) Bazil's Story: Derecho

The resistance makes a stand against the GK forces in a storm-blasted urban battlefield, in our game of Salvage Union [https://leyline.press/collections/salvage-union]. Tall angry clouds line the horizon while Baz and his team face off against stealth BE-TLE’s fighting to break through to a critical checkpoint. With the city embroiled in combat and communications disrupted, trust is tested and sacrifices are made. Content Warnings: * Intense combat * Descriptions of injuries * Scenes of explosions and destruction * References to death and potential loss of life * Stressful and tense situations involving survival in a violent storm * Themes of war, resistance, and occupation Produced by Paul Privitera. Featuring Jordan Lee Thompson. Edited by Jordan Lee Thompson. Music by Tommy Ljungberg. Cover Art by Maddy Fusco [https://www.maddyfuscoillustration.com/]. Voice over by LIPING VONG [https://www.lipingvong.com/]. 235 bloom is a collaboration between Des Moines & Dragonsand The Institute for Manufactured Futures. It is a work of speculative fiction taking place in the year 2089. The locations may be real, but any similarity to actual persons or their descendants is unintentional.

12) Emil's Story: The Silent Gardener

Emil’s harrowing journey continues in our game of ECOPUNK: 2044 [https://dicekapital.itch.io/ecopunk2044] as he faces betrayal, injury, and uncertain alliances. Emil must navigate the tense aftermath of what he was able to accomplish, and where he fell short. Content Warnings: * Descriptions of explosions and destruction * Kidnapping and captivity * Non-consensual substance use and psychological torture * Injury and graphic descriptions of wounds * Violent crowds Produced by Jordan Lee Thompson. Featuring Paul Privitera. Edited by Jordan Lee Thompson. Music by Isac Lundholm. Cover Art by Maddy Fusco [https://www.maddyfuscoillustration.com/]. Voice over by LIPING VONG [https://www.lipingvong.com/]. 235 bloom is a collaboration between Des Moines & Dragonsand The Institute for Manufactured Futures. It is a work of speculative fiction taking place in the year 2089. The locations may be real, but any similarity to actual persons or their descendants is unintentional.