Natalia “Tally, The Girl With All the Scissors” Mai Lorraine Heilke

We can’t thank the Alacrity Foundation enough this year for their generous donation of the space that allows us to bring Desert Bus 9 to you! We want to take this opportunity to let you all know who the Alacrity Foundation is and what they do!

The Foundation is a non-profit organization based in British Columbia that is focused on the growth of the Canadian tech industry. Their team of advisers and mentors with over 100 years of experience in successful technology ventures do their utmost to connect young companies connect with investors and potential customers. Through their Investor Readiness Program and the Entrepreneurship@Alacrity Program,  they have successfully educated the founders of numerous Western Canada based startups.

Without the foundation we wouldn’t have the great space we have this year and as such we are beyond grateful for all the support they have offered us here at Desert Bus.

$5.02 (or multiples) until 9:55am

We’ve got a scorching hot Donation Drive lined up, so get in early and often!! It’s the Commander’s Arsenal!

This set comes with 10 Premuim oversized foil creatures, and 18 other premium foils, many of which were released in foil exclusively for this kit. It also includes 120 premium sleeves, and 20 battlemarks. A perfect set for anyone who loves Commander.

To enter, donate $5.02 or a multiple thereof until 9:55am!

Jimmy Wong will be calling in at 11am PST on Wednesday, November 18th.

Jimmy Wong is an actor, musician, and podcaster known across multiple platforms across the internet. Best known for this role as the lovable best friend Ted in Video Game High School, Jimmy has since garnered a large fan base from his musical talent on his YouTube channel and his work at Rocket Jump Studios.

His most recent work as a host of the extremely popular Magic: The Gathering podcast The Command Zone has led to a surge of popularity amongst the Magic community. The Command Zone is a weekly podcast focused on all happenings of the multiplayer MtG format known as Commander. Jimmy is now a staple of the MtG community, appearing in numerous Wizards of the Coast Events; chief among them being the Magic Community Cup.

Have a question for Jimmy Wong? Leave it in the comments below.

Daniel Saunders will be calling into Desert Bus at 9:00am PST on Friday, November 18th.

Podcaster, Writer, Vision Scientist, Brother of Awesome

Daniel Saunders is the co-host of the LoadingReadyRun podcast, Fight the Future, where he has spent the last year looking at the worlds of young adult dystopian books and movies, from The Hunger Games to Ender’s Game and Battle Royal to Nausicaa. He also wrote the LoadingReadyRun sketches Floating Solo and It’s All In Your Head. His greatest achievement, however, is that Daniel is Desert Bus driver Paul’s older brother — An honour so stunning that he didn’t submit a guest bio, so Paul had to write this for him.

Have a question for Daniel? Leave it in the comments below!

$7.99 (or multiples) until 8:22am

This incredible Transistor watercolour piece (titled “Moral Support”) can be yours! Measuring 11″x14″ on 12″x15″ paper, this piece would be a stunning addition to any home.

Just donate $7.99 or multiples until 8:22am!

Remember, as always, donations of multiples of $7.99 get you multiple entries, and more chances to win! Good luck!

We here at Desert Bus would like to extend a thank you to one of our continuing food sponsors.

The Six Mile Pub has been a Victoria institution for over a century. Holding the title of British Columbia’s oldest pub, Six Mile has endeavoured to use as many locally sourced ingredients in order to bring the flavour of Victoria to bear.

Six Mile has provided us with some great food throughout the run and we (and our appetites) are very thankful for the support.

RPG Art Contest!

We here at Desert Bus are big fans of RPGs and we know you are too! For Cam’s next Art Challenge, he has asked you to send us an illustration of your favourite RPG character! (Pro tip: Cam recommends “strong visual storytelling”!)

The options here are endless: this can be a character of your own creation or not, from any kind of RPG imaginable! (video game, pen-and-paper, board game, etc.!)

To enter, simply email [email protected] with your submission before 9:30am Pacific!! Use the subject line “RPG Art Contest” and MAKE SURE to include your screen name too!

The winning entry will win our fantastical Fantasy Lot! The Fantasy Lot includes a Dawnbreaker Necklace, a Dragon Dice Bag, a Googly Eye Die, a copy of Citadels multi-player strategy game, a Hero Vault in Oak wood, and a set of Tiny Titans dragons!! Follow this link for more details!

During Cam’s shift, we challenged the community to develop their concept for an alternative history story. Here’s the winning entry, by TacitusVigil:

We imagined history as a fixed path; “what was” is what was always meant to be. How could it be otherwise? Historians used counterfactuals to examine history to an extent (at least before The Device), but such musings absent of evidence were frowned upon by academics. Alternate history novels used to dive into the most overused questions…what if the Nazis won World War II? What if the South won the American Civil War? What if the White House wasn’t destroyed during the 9/11 attacks? After the Quantum Entanglement Device (the Q.E.D., or “The Device” as it’s usually referred) was invented ten years ago, all those “What ifs” were confirmed for us. At first it was deeply profound, gazing into The Device to see the road less traveled. Of course, The Device isn’t a time machine, so we’re limited to one-way real-time images into those worlds. Historians were thrilled to study worlds that look so similar, yet are so different…

…then the politicians weaponized the Device, pointing to select dystopic timelines where their opponents are in power (that infinite realities exist meant nothing to them). And when people started seeing what it would be like if they never had kids, or they married that other person, etc, well…we look back fondly when mere reality TV could “ruin” our lives. Now we ask “why do anything if your choices mean nothing”? Our world is now obsessed with “What if” and nobody cares about what is. The old saying is true…ignorance is bliss.

Do you like playing Magic: The Gathering? If so, you’ll want to check out this donation drive, where we’ll be giving away the Welcome to Zendikar lot. Donate $11.11 (or multiples thereof) for a chance to win. We’ll run this donation drive until 7:00 AM PST.