iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So @modiphius.bsky.social had a sale and I HAD to add to the repertoire of games available for therapy. I'm ENTIRELY planning on using Star Trek for an ethics and philosophy workshop series! #startrek #Dune #ttrpg

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Practising the cover art for my upcoming game, Heroes & Hearthfires, a cozy-chaotic game of mythic heroes running a tavern. #ttrpg #dnd #indie

A pencil drawing of a tavern scene. A wizard offers a quest to a halfling, a Barbarian pours directly from a keg, and a sorcerer uses telekinesis to serve plates of food.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Playing an RPG I wrote (Critter Caper DOWN UNDER) and a player crocodile ate most of a five gallon barrel of spaghetti *the horror*

Black pen writing says "Pickles the swamp puppy"

A black pen sketch of a crocodile, dripping red from its maw, adjacent to a pool of red and discarded jars of spaghetti sauce.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Doing some comparative reading to determine the differences between D&D 3.5 and the WoW TTRPG. Its fantastic how the Swords & Sorcery team really built on 3.5 and made a kickass game. Hoping the D&DxWoW game brings this energy.

Two books are placed on a wooden table, on the left is the World of Warcraft TTRPG, on the right is the D&D 3.5 book.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

I started running Monster of the Week a year ago and centred it on a location I discovered while propping Delta Green; that Innsmouth (Lovecraft), Derry (King) and Salem (most witch fiction) form a triangle of famously evil cities. What's in the middle and why? Amaranthe MA. @evilhat.bsky.social

A drawn map of a section of New England. It is centred on three cities; Salem, Derry and Portsmouth, connected by lines to form a triangle. In the middle of the triangle is a town called Amaranthe. Text at the top reads "Welcome to Amaranthe, a Monster of the Week story"

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Emus are one of the new critter types coming to #CritterCaper #DownUnder, and their top speed allows fellow critters to get in and out and leave humans in the dust. #indie #ttrpg

A pencil drawing of an emu wearing sunglasses and running shoes. Text alongside reads "Emu" and "Getaway"

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Was doing up a bit of lore for my #Steampunk #TTRPG, Aeronauts of Oceania, and had to stop and sketch the scene of the Gaelge Skyfort disaster, wherein Britannian agents sabotaged the engines of a flying fort lived in by Gaelic independents. I think this'll be a core event in the campaign.

A pencil drawing on a cheap paper pad. It depicts a flying island that has broken in half and is falling towards the ground. Walls from a castle Fort atop the island are broken too.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Just finished cooking up the foundations for CRITTER CAPER: DOWN UNDER, a game of Australian wildlife heist hijinks. Its gonna be a WILD ride #aussie #indie #ttrpg

Pencil art
A flying fox carrying a screaming platypus
Text reads: "Bill & Potato, platypus and flying fox". A Critter Caper

A platypus that has been launched at a wedding cake

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

TONIGHT ON CRITTER CAPER A raccoon jousting atop a fox against the most hated enemy; the door preventing entry to a bakery downunderverse.itch.io/critter-caper #CritterCaper #IndieRPG

A photograph of a pencil drawing of a raccoon brandishing a crowbar, riding a fox

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

WHAT A BANGER HAUL Picked up from a collector who was clearing out their library! So keen to dig into the Chronicles books #Vampire #vtm #wod #cod

Two rows of five books are arrayed in the picture.
From left to right and top to bottom;
Werewolf the Apocalypse, Vampire the Masquerade, Sabbat, Camarilla, Anarch, Fall of London, Mage the Awakening, Vampire the Requiem, Changeling, Second Inquisition

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

I am writing BUSHPUNK; SUNSET ON THE LUCKY COUNTRY, a game of antifascist resistance against an AI-powered totalitarian regime in a near-future Australia. So of COURSE I need to add in mechanics for mutual aid and community building! #ttrpg #antifascist #bushpunk

Black box of white text. Text reads: Part of Bushpunk is showing up for your mates, so sometimes your punks will find themselves needing to pitch in and help a community with mutual aid.

In the fascist future of Australia, currency is almost entirely tracable, and it would be terrible opsec to leave a trail of receipts across the country. The currency of the Resistance is people helped, lives saved and communities upgraded.

Text ends.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

I got to run #CritterCaper tonight and one of our critters said "I want to Alien the pinata" and I instantly paused the session to grab a glossy marker so I could draw the moment

Blurry camera photo of a glossy pink donkey piñata with a Squirrel bursting out of its chest

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Hey gang! I'm looking to open on Mondays starting in June - but before I dedicate a day to therapy hours I'm curious about services or programs that could be run in that time! I'm going to explore it with my supervisor but I'd love to know what the community's needs are.

Mike, an amab gender person, stands on a stage pointing at a white screen with the text "Monday Services Opening Soon. A subtitle reads New Programs and Services in consideration, seeking community consultation on what it needed"

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

A #CritterCaper :D Game to come soon, it's being formatted today! I sketched this up for the vehicle section and loved it.

A raccoon desperately holds onto the handlebars of a scooter, alongside a fox, a hedgehog and a lizard stuck to the side. The scooter has a domino's bag on the back.
Flying above is a crow and pursuing behind is a Bear.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

THATS IT, WE'RE GOIING GRIMDARK Gates of Hell: The Dark Century is about holding onto hope in the face of an apocalyptic hellscape brought about by the tyranny and greedy of evil men.

Text is a screenshot from a Google doc
The Apocalypse has begun
No heavenly host has ridden out to save you
The only pronouncement from On High is to repent in your final days.

Fuck that, we've got a line to hold.

A not very Friend Shaped game by Mike Keady

An Apocalypse has come. This isn't Armageddon itself - but some bastard form of it brought about by the faith and fury of enough evil men to bring ruin to the world.
Enough greedy men, seeking their place in the next world, brought this one to an end in order to proclaim their holiness.

The End is here and so are we - a struggling handful of bastions standing true in a last ditch effort to hold the Earth in the face of the Apocalypse. We've held out for ten years. Fought and died and held the line for ten years. It's starting to feel like this is our world now. Burning in the flames lit by lesser men, while we desperately try to hold up what's left.

Knight-Commander Maxine, ATLAS

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

And no players, we have a mini game- name that Bear! Tried to draw a Bear without doing the thick line work where there would actually be fur. Possibly the most time consuming part of #CritterCaper Has been deciding to do the art myself.

A pencil drawn picture of a Bear in a cabbie hat and a dinner jacket.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Staying up late doing professional development and working on a fun gag piece for #CritterCaper! See if you can pick the inspo!

Pencil drawn text says CRITTER CAPER, A Very Friend Shaped Game

From left to right are a Bear, a Fox, a Raccoon, a Squirrel, a Hedgehog and a Beaver wearing suit jackets and sunglasses.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Me making a tiktok on why I haven't been making tiktoks. I've been making roleplaying games. friendshapedgames.itch.io/cozypunk

Pictured: Spider-Man facing a dinosaur-man, saying "with all this time on your hand you could be making tiktoks"
And a pterasaur-man replies "but I don't want to make tiktoks i want to write roleplaying games"

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

For five years I've run over fifty therapy D&D campaigns in the same world; Emdyria. Emdyria mostly leans on D&D's canon deities but I'm inducting another into the Pantheon. Derec the Resolute, God of Justice In Defiance of Tyranny.

A photo of Derek, a teen from the USA. He is winding up for a punch, to be thrown against the point-of-view, an ICE supporter with a camera.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

I ended up with a stack of the SG1 TTRPG - gotta find them good homes! (A few of them are earmarked but what a weird get)

A stack of 10 copies of the same book: The Stargate SG1 roleplaying game.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

I've come a long way from the quiet kid who refused to attend school on the days of any type of performance or public speaking. I've just spent an incredible two days emceeing for the People With Disabilities WA State Conference and I've never felt more connected to, and empowered with, community.

Pictured is Mike, a bald white male-presenting person with a brown goatee. They are wearing a purple vest with studs and spikes across the shoulders, and a variety of neurodiversity, disability, queer and nerdy pins.

Mike is smiling in front of a stage.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

I'm kinda surprised it took me this long, but I've started applying therapy in World of WarCraft! @support.blizzard.com @worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com

A picture of a Blood Elf paladin, clad in plate armour, beneath the text:

Bringing Therapy to Warcraft
Ten years ago, realising I spent almost all my free time helping others, my World of WarCraft character influenced my decision to become a therapist.

It’s been awhile since I played.

But this month I’ve re-entered Azeroth - as a therapist. I’ve been utilising it in sessions as a means to provide a shared activity, provoke conversations about personal journeys and the roles we see ourselves seeking in social groups.

We’ve come full circle!

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Join me for a ninety minute presentation unpacking incels, the red pill, and influencers of note who spread hate, as well as the tactics they use to gaslight and obfuscate criticism. Monday May 5th @ 8pm-9:30pm, AWST Tickets at: events.humanitix.com/language-of-...

Green and yellow background, white bubbles and black text.

Text describes Language of Radicalisation, a presentation building on the Netflix limited series "Adolescence", discussing hateful ideologies, the tactics and language used to target young men online for radicalisation.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

I'm so damn keen to be presenting at TAGGS this weekend with @veenusau.bsky.social How to help therapists support streamers and aspiring content creators! #therapy #streamer #contentcreator

Purple background
Black bubbles, white dyslexic font
DBT for streamers.
STOP skill:
Stop, Take a Step, Observe, Proceed Mindfully
Cope Ahead Skill:
Rehearse potential sticky situations to prepare for their occurence
Positive Self-Talk Skill
Speak to one-self positively, avoid self-deprecation
And other skills for Developing Boundaries & Interpersonal Effectiveness

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

I don't often see the point in calling out bigots' hate and hypocrisy - but for folks that aren't yet fully acquainted with it - their bigotry is rarely limited to one topic.

A text post from Facebook reads:

Yesterday I made a post about tolerance and care even if you don't understand something.

And the usual thing happened when I make a post about empathy or basic decency; someone showed up to the comment section with a critical lack of it.

The usual rhetoric came out though; being trans or queer, to this person and whatever ideology they were representing, was a mental illness.

What makes me sadder than how *predictable* that was, is that if, SOMEHOW, being trans or queer was a mental illness - that they would show no empathy or care for someone who is ill. They still resort to bullying, hate and dehumanisation.

The way people act and respond to one thing may often inform how they feel about others. Think about how JK Rowling has made hateful statements about autism in an attempt to discredit transness.

We won't stop talking about love, care and authenticity here. What you can do is decide how much of your heart is given over to trying to make others feel unhappy.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

A huge thanks to Hasbro & WOTC for a copy of the Dungeon Masters' Guide for the 2024 rules set of Dungeons & Dragons! I'll get the other copy shipped off to a Headspace soon, as part of the Paladin's Alliance!

Mike, a bald white guy-passing person, smiles at a camera, standing in front of a bookshelf, posing with the 2024 Dungeon Masters Guide

Mike is kneeling because his other shelves are a mess.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

if you're a horror nerd join our gang of biconic genderqueer vampires as they dive into this World of Darkness in Vampire the Masquerade; Perth by Night; One Way In, No Way Out. Tonight at 8. twitch.tv/FriendShaped...

A silhouette of the Perth City skyline, introducing Perth by Night and its players, as well as its Twitch address and schedule.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Friend Shaped Studios brings you a Never Stop Blowing Up Christmas spectacle for the ages! Join our crew of the baddest racers and car thieves that LA has to offer as they race to the North Pole to save Santa Claus from the clutches of the CIA Tuesdays at 8pm (+8, AWST) Twitch.tv/FriendShaped...

A box with a neon landscape reads "The Swift & The Savage Save Santa, a Friend Shaped Studios Action Adventire Heist."

Tuesdays at 8pm, WA time
Live on Twitch.tv/FriendShapedStudios

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

When you run a serial Vampire show - and you're live tonight.

A silhouette of Dexter Morgan, sitting in his car. Subtitles read "Tonight's the night. And it's going to happen again, and again."

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Tonight our World of Warcraft live play Heroes & Hearthstones, continues! Join our heroes as they accidentally fish up a dinosaur, and set out to protect lakeshire from marauding orcs Join us at twitch.tv/friendshaped... @veenusau.bsky.social @thebigcheesetv.bsky.social @potatoque3n.bsky.social

In the style of parchment on wood, a poster for the Heroes & Hearthstones cast, and a link to their Twitch channel.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

I suppose if a Toreador is joining the coterie, it is only appropriate to study the forms.

Two Anne rice books, atop a stand, between them, five black dice and two red ones.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Me: "Oh hello there whoever is audio editing this in the future." Also me; "Hello past me!"

A screenshot of the film Jurassic Park, wherein three digital copies of John Hammond self-indulgently greet each other on screen.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

I am proud to announce that my streaming channel is rebranding to Friend Shaped Studios, a TTRPG channel and community space celebrating collaborative storytelling, fandoms & friendship. Twice weekly RPG shows! Join us tonight! twitch.tv/friendshaped... Logo by @mattymohawk.bsky.social

A golden hexagon of a d20, with the central side having the silhouette of a bear.

In the Dyslexia-friendly font surrounding the dice, says Friend Shaped Studios.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Friends and Vamily - you are invited to join us for our Vampire the Masquerade chronicle, Perth by Night: One Way In, No Way Out. As tensions simmer in the revitalised Anarch Movement, the City of Perth careens into an unsteady future. Tonight at 8pm, our vampire saga begins.

A black poster featuring a white a silhouette of the Perth skyline. The image is bisected by a stylised ankh. On the left is the show title, Perth by Night. On the right is the cast of players.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

Join @potatoque3n.bsky.social , @veenusau.bsky.social, @thebigcheesetv.bsky.social AND our newest party member tomorrow night! We're gonna do a GIVEAWAY of some D&D books! Join us tomorrow night for #HeroesAndHearthstones, a World of Warcraft #TTRPG Adventure! @warcraft.bsky.social

An image in the style of the Ready Check for a Dungeon move in WoW, but for advertising a World of Warcraft ttrpg group.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 04/11/2024

May I present the Kindred of our Perth Chronicle, #PerthByNight, One Way In; No Way Out, a #VampireTheMasquerade chronicle set in the modern Australian night. This tale will explore the bonds of adversity, the inhumanity of oppression, and the danger of speaking truth to power. #vtm #v5

A poster depicting the Perth city skyline in white, upon a black background. Text on the left reads Vampire the Masquerade, Perth by Night, One Way In, No Way Out.
A stylised bladed ankh bisects the image. A cast list shows the players and their characters they're depicting, alongside symbols for their vampire clan.

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 25/10/2024

Couples Counselling study has been a GOLD MINE for making memes.

This image depicts Rogal Dorn from Warhammer 40k, an expert in siege Warfare. Text is above him stating; "Four horsemen? Stonewalling?"

Text below him says "I am fortifying this relationship"

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Mike the Nerd Therapist | DownUnderverse Studios @perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social · 25/10/2024

Couples Counselling study has been a GOLD MINE for meme potential.

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