There’s a Vietnamese restaurant in Redding, CA (or near it, can’t remember) that serves Belgian beer with the food. The right pairing makes both things better. Also pretty sure I’ve read some studies about what alcohol does to our tastebuds and general olfactory system. Can’t be bothered to look them up. Food and drink pairings are legit though. But an alcoholic beverage does not work miracles.

There’s also something to be said about a celebration where food and alcohol are served creating fun times and memories that could cause things to be remembered more fondly. Great food is great without alcohol. Great food with rot gut is no better and often worse.

I do like my fish tacos better with a beer.

Thank you for saying this I_Fart_Glitter

Oh yeah... there is that, lol. It's weird being from America where violence isn't viewed through a puritanical lens, but the human body very much is. I easily forget where the line is drawn with what level of violence is acceptable. The message of Parable stuck with me now more than 20 years more so than any memory of the specific gruesomeness they endure during the travel north. Thanks for reminding!

Cory Doctorow’s ‘Little Brother’ only has 1 sex scene and it’s a pretty good model for sex positivity, I guess. That aside, it’s definitely near-future dystopia. Not far off the mark from today.

Octavia E. Butler’s ‘Parable of the Sower’ may be a bit above their level, but I could see 13 and 14 year olds devouring it none the less. Hmmm… there might be a steamy sex scene in this one too.

Technically Ender’s Game is a dystopian sci-fi novel. The film omits some insanely important content like a video game that the cadets all use during downtime that explores their psyche.

It’s old, but was my first introduction to dystopian concepts: The Time Machine by HG Wells

Oh, my wife loved Z for Zachariah at that age and reading it as an adult was enjoyable for me. A classic post-nuke young adult book.

I would also accept a dramatic table read. Whoever portrays “footnote” is going to have to be next level.

Yay!!! I’m so happy I’m not the first to mention Becky Chambers.

Octavia E. Butler is right up there too if OP has never read their stuff.

Yes! I was hoping someone would mention the Tiny Tina DnD campaign. Tiny Tina is my favorite in general, but that DLC made me appreciate her character in subsequent play throughs even more. Her laugh kills me.

I agree that they shouldn’t be targeted. I do fully understand why they were targeted. Many credit unions don’t have the tech or tech departments or internal training necessary to safeguard against these sort of attack vectors. A credit union I had in the early 2010s didn’t even offer online banking and I had online banking with a traditional bank for over a decade at that point.

There’s only a couple theories as to why we perceive the moon’s size differently and the best one is context/contrast with the moon’s surroundings in our visual field. Pretty sure there’s a wiki article about it. Not settled science yet either. Remember going down a rabbit hole about that a couple years ago. Neat stuff.

Checks notes on Australia I don’t believe you.

J/K

I see you’ve played earwig-roly before.

Anything by Octavia E. Butler.