Here be monsters

Academiahascollapsed.

Acollapsedworldalsomeansthatthehierarchicalandelitist valuesthathaveheldupacademicinstitutionsforcenturies havecollapsedorshifted.Thosewhoremainmustnavigate, buildorrebuild,andworktogethertomoveforward.

Here be dragons isatropeinMedievalEuropean cartography.Cartographerswouldillustratemapswith dragonsandothercreaturestoindicateunchartedareas–areaslessknowntocolonialpowers.Later,dragonsand monsterswereaddedsimplyasornamentationtolessbusy areasonthemap.Now,afterthecollapse,thoseonthe marginsandforgottenplacesofthemaparethosewho survived.Notasdragonsbutastechnoscientific, anticolonial,queer,marginal,orothersortsofmisfits,you areagroupofmonsterswhomadeitthroughthecollapse. Now,youaretheonesmakingthemaps.Asmonsters,how willyoucareforoneanother?Howmightcaringandbeing caredforworkdifferently?Whatwillyoudowithyour troubledinstitutionallegaciesandcorruptbiographies withthisneglectedandabandonedmonstrosity?

Throughmapmaking,youwillfind,tell,orcreateyour story.

Materialsneeded:thisbooklet,adeckofcards,twosheetsof paperorastartermap,onesheetofpaper,andsomethingto writeordrawwith. Identifythreesharedvaluesasagroup.Oneshouldbea variationonsomethingthatwascentraltotheBeforeTime. Anotheriswhatgotthegroupthroughthecollapse(for survival,communitybuilding,etc.),andthethirdisopenendedormorefutureoriented.Writethemdownononeof thesheetsofpaper.

e(theonenot

1.Playerstaketurnsdrawingcards, startingwiththeSpring(hearts)deck. Chooseoneoftheoptionsassociated witheachcardandgothroughit.Cards oftenincludeaddingtothemapand havingaconversationwiththeplayers orthroughmonsters.Youcanalwaysaddtothemapat anytime,evenifthecarddoesn’tcallforit.

2.Wheneachplayerhashadtwoturnsinaseason(shorter game),moveontothenextseason.

a)Longervariation:Goaroundsothatyouplayallcardsin eachsuit.

b)Shorter,publiclyorientedvariation:participantsjoinfor minutesatatimetodrawcardsandrespondtooneor morequestions,addingtoalargermap.

3.Afteryouhaveproceededthroughalloftheseasons, continuetothegameendconversation.Afterthegame ends,takeafewmomentstoreflectonthegamewithyour fellowmonsters,usingthepost-gameconversation prompts.

Whenyoustart,itcanbehelpfultoshareanytopicsthat youwanttobeoff-limitsduringthegame.Itisalsofineto stateduringthegamethatyoudon’twantthegroupto continuepursuingatopic.

Somepartsofthestorywilllikelyseemuntold,especiallyas yougetstarted.Ifspecificquestionsstickoutasgapsto you,takethemasstartingpointsforyourstoryasyou beginplaying.Takeforinstance"collapse,"whichis unspecifiedinthisbooklet.Ifyoufeelthatyouneedto knowwhathappened,answeritaspartofthegame. Maybeitwasthefallofaneliteinstitution,program,or network.Maybeitwasduetoongoingprecarityand austerity.Maybeitwasanongoingfissureincolonial knowledgesystemsthatfinally(finally!)becamealarger rupture.Maybesomethingelsehappened,entirely.

Ifareallifeeventisstickingwithyou,goaheadanduseit forinspiration,butotherwise,youdon'tneedtoanswer questionsinahyper-realisticorhistoricallyaccurateway. Youcanfindthehistoriesandrealismlateronifyouwant to,andthegamewillbericherandmorefunwithout seekingtorecreateallofthespecificsofrealsituations.

A.Closeyoureyesandputapensomewhereonthemap. Youfindthe doppelganger ofwhateverisclosesttowhere yourpenlanded.

ORYoufindthe evil twin ofwhateveris

7.Howcouldthemonsters live time differently thaninthe BeforeTime?

ORWhatiftheideaof time is buried intheruins?Isit worthrecovering?

8. Elite networks have fallen away.Whatenablesthisfor twoofthemonsters?

ORThe ruins of an elite institution arenearby.Describethe ruins.

9. Uncover something fromtheBeforeTime(perhaps somethingthatrepresentsavaluefromtheBeforeTime). Putitonthemapanddiscusshowthegroupreappropriates orrejectsit.

10. Uncover something fromtheBeforeTime.Putitonthe mapanddiscusshowthegroupreappropriatesorrejectsit.

J. Uncover something fromtheBeforeTime.Putitonthe mapanddiscusshowthegroupreappropriatesorrejectsit.

Q. Create an innovation:tieittooneofthegroup’score values.

K. Create an innovation:tieittooneofthegroup’score values.

A.Twoofyour values come into conflict,andyoudecideto replaceoneofthem.Whatisthe new value,andwhatdoes itreplace?Whatalternativevaluecouldbedevelopedto integratethetwovalues?

2.Oneofyourpersonalvaluesisin conflict with a collectively held value bythemajorityoftheothermonsters. Howdoyounavigatethisaspartofthemonster community?

3.A new monster arrivesand tells youabouttheir community.Addtheirknowledgetothemap. ORA new monster arrivesandwantsto join you.Havea conversationabouthowyoudecideaboutthis.

4.Onemonstertakesonanextended study of an artifact or technology.Whatdotheylearn,andhowdotheylearnit? OROnemonstertakesonanextended study of a generally avoided object.Whatdotheylearn,andhowdotheylearn it?

5.Onemonsterdeterminesthatthegroupneedsto study something onthemap.Whatsomethingisthis?Havea conversationaboutwhetherthegroupagreeswiththis. OROnemonstertakesupa study of something onthemap. Haveaconversationwiththatmonsterandoneother abouttheirfindings.

6.Twoofthe monster.They somewhereon isthisplace? ORTwoofth foronemonste onthemapfro thesevalues,an Whatdoesthe 7.One monster themapandde dotheothersr 8. Uncover something fromtheBeforeTime.Putitonthe mapanddiscusshowthegroupreappropriatesorrejectsit. 9. Uncover something fromtheBeforeTime.Putitonthe mapanddiscusshowthegroupreappropriatesorrejectsit. 10. Uncover something fromtheBeforeTime.Putitonthe mapanddiscusshowthegroupreappropriatesorrejectsit. J. Create an innovation:tieittooneofthegroup’score values. Q. Create an innovation:tieittooneofthe group’scorevalues. K. Uncover two things fromtheBefore Timeandmixtheminaninnovativeway tocreatesomethingnewfromthem.

Fall // Values evolving

A.Thecommunityhasharvested summer.Howdoyou store it for 2.Onemonstercomesupwitha cultivatesoilinordertoproduce thecommunityofmonsterstestw

3.Onemonsterfindsapreviously hidden cave fromoldacademiaan asksotherstocomewithit underground.Whojoinsandwh doyoufind?

4.Onemonster’s personal refuge c group’svalues.Drawthisplaceo conversationwithanothermonst

7.Oneofthemonstersseemstohave more power thanthe othermonsters.Haveaconversationbetweenthismonster andoneortwoothermonstersinwhichtheothermonsters trytoaddressthis.

8. Disaster strikes.Whathappens,and howdoyourecover? 9. Uncover something fromtheBefore Time.Pu thegroup 10. Uncov mapand J. Create values. Q. Create values. K. Create values.

A.Oneofthemonsters wants to leave,temporarilyor permanently.Why?Whathappens?

OROneofthemonsters wants another monster to leave, temporarilyorpermanently.Why?Whathappens?

2.Onemonsterhasa nightmare.Whatisitabout,andhow dotheothermonstersrespond?

OR,onemonsterhasa bad feeling aboutsomething.Havea conversationwithanothermonsteraboutthis.

Whenyouhavegonethroughalloftheseasons,yourealize thatmoreofoldacademiaremainedthanyouhad anticipated,andthatitisencroaching.

Howandfromwheredothesevestigesappear?Doyou integrateyourselvesbackin,gointohiding,flee,orfight? Goaroundthetable,witheachplayerdescribingwhatone monsterencountersfromoldacademiaandwhattheythen choosetodo.

AnticolonialandIndigenousscholarspointoutthattropes like“theapocalypse”oftenerasetheongoingsocietal ruptureandviolencefacedbyIndigenouspeoplesandother marginalizedgroups(e.g.,Whyte2018).Takinginspiration fromthisargumentthat“theapocalypse”alreadyhappened andisongoing, what from the game is already present in your lives? Likewise,feministandanti-racistscholarscallourattention tothefactthatacademiaisdeeplybroken(e.g.,Ahmed 2021). What processes, policies, and/or practices might you integrate into your scholarly worlds,aspartof reparativeortransformativeefforts?How,ifatall, can your map contribute to a “feminist toolkit” in academia?

MaryShelley’sFrankenstein-the-monsterwasdestructive becauseofhistreatmentandabandonmentbyDr. Frankenstein.Inthegame, how does our understanding of monstrosity get troubled post-collapse? Who embodies monstrous characteristics, and what characteristics constitute monstrosity?

Howdidyour intentions and expectations align (or not) withhowthegameunfolded,or how did your ideas about specific monsters play out differently thanyoumight haveimaginedatthestart?

References & Inspiration

Games: MarkDiazTrumanandAveryAlder, The Deep Forest (2015)

AveryAlder, The Quiet Year (2013) KathrynHymesandHakan Seyalioğlu, Dialect (2017)

Stories: MaryShelley, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) N.K.Jemisin, The Broken Earth Trilogy (2015-2017)

Scholarship: JosephNigg, Sea Monsters: A Voyage Around the World's Most Beguiling Map (2013)

SaraAhmed, Complaint! (2021)

DonnaHaraway, A Cyborg Manifesto (1985)

AudreLorde, The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House (1983)

LindaTuhiwaiSmith, Decolonizing Methodologies (1999) EveTuckandC.Ree, A Glossary of Haunting (2013)