“Juicebox in the words of” is a series that highlights JB community members in interview form. Learn about members’ roles at JB and what makes them tick.
This article is a written version of an upcoming episode of The Juicecast in which Matthew and Brileigh interview Felixander to hear all about his origin story and his special project… The Contest.
Felixander is a writer and all-around colourful character at Juicebox. He contributes to the JB blog, collaborates with Wagmi Studios on Bannyverse content, and organizes community-building activities at Town Hall. In short, he is doing his best to get the juicy word out there to the masses and bring newcomers into the JB ecosystem.
Matthew: Felixander, you’re one of the more—dare I say—eclectic members of the DAO. If we think of the Juicebox family as a bunch of bananas then you are a very special banana indeed. We’re curious to know what you were doing before you got into crypto— how the hell did you end up here?
If everyone’s a banana, sometimes I definitely feel like a plantain.
In terms of the origin story, I was floating around in the web3 space when I was onboarded by filipv (who I knew IRL) and he told me about Juicebox. I had recently changed careers and decided to jump in full-time, and I started making content that became increasingly more zany. That’s basically my origin story. The longer story is that I had a career in education and before that in psychology.
Matthew: That’s funny because we had a theory that you were an English teacher who dabbled in philosophy. Could you tell us more about this part of your background?
For sure. Well, I’m pretty over-educated. At one point I was regarded as a voice on certain areas of philosophy, particularly phenomenology—the philosophy of consciousness—and I studied how that intersected with artificial intelligence. And back when I did psychology I was also a research scientist. I spent two years looking at adenosine signaling with SSRIs and neuroplasticity. Essentially studying stress responses and how people deal with stress, fear, and anxiety. It wasn’t exactly pleasant but it was important research.
Brileigh: Wow, there’s a lot to unpack there.
And of course I’ve been a writer for about 20 years now doing mainly ghost writing. There’s a bunch of stuff out there that has my fingerprints all over it but not my name on it.
Brileigh: Is your name both Felix and Alexander? My mom created my name a bit like that and I was wondering if yours did the same. Or what is the origin of “Felixander”? I feel like we need to get to the root of Felixander before going any further.
I was on the phone with filipv and he was talking to me about Juicebox. He sent me a Discord link and I wanted to use a new name. I thought “hey, I’ll just make up a new name that sounds like a real name but it’s not.” And Felixander was born. Sometimes it’s Felixander. Sometimes it’s Felix ander. I’m fluent in German and “ander” means different or alternate and so I’m Felix, but alternate.
Matthew: I’m learning so much already. Let’s dive into the ghost writing. Obviously you can’t reveal what exactly you were writing, but were you writing academic texts, fiction…? Can you tell us more about your relationship to writing, both as a ghost writer and as an academic?
There’s a spectrum to ghost writing. Some people want you to do their degree for them, whereas others in STEM fields might be brilliant researchers but don’t have a strong writing style. In the private sector, I wrote all kinds of things: fiction, non-fiction, even lyrics. Generally if it’s high-profile you need to sign an NDA and you’re like a writing mercenary. I definitely had some interesting clients over the years.
Brileigh: What is the zaniest thing you have ever ghost written?
I’ve ghost written a Pokemon erotica that was intensely graphic. I can probably describe it because no one’s ever gonna find it—
Matthew: Well, depends on who’s reading...
True, I’m sure filipv read it yesterday.
There was a trainer and they were all going to this house with five or six of the most recognizable Pokemon, including Pikachu. I happen to know that in prisons, basically you have to circle jerk and whoever cums first, wins. And so all of the Pokemon were engaging in this behaviour in this semi-circle and seeing who could splooge first. But they were also mad-dogging each other as an intimidation tactic. And something happened—I can’t remember exactly—and they all started cumming at the same time. The question was: who would win? At first it seemed like Pikachu because he had the electric boost power. He fried and congealed all of his cum immediately so that it hardened. But there were rules that I made for the game and because of the way that it hardened, Pikachu’s team didn’t count. And then at the end they all kinda fucked each other.
Matthew: Uhhhh, wow. My neurons are dancing around and making connections, and now you writing Red Rocket Banny makes perfect sense.
Excerpt from Wagmi Studios Bannyverse Treatment by Felixander
Matthew: You often hang around after town hall and discuss philosophy (among other topics) with fellow Juicebox contributors like Mieos, filipv, and jango. Now that you have some distance from the world of academia, how has your relationship to philosophy changed?
I think the question is “what is studying philosophy worth?” And it’s definitely not to get a job or anything like that. Really it’s an endeavour of self-improvement. You’re trying to understand something complicated but also seeing if you can apply it to your own life and become better in some way, whatever that might be. I feel like I’ve been able to be more present and aware of my existence, react with a bird’s eye view of a situation and relate it to something that I’ve studied in philosophy or phenomenology. That’s how I see it now.
Brileigh: Who is your favourite contributor and why is it Wraeth?
Wraeth is awesome. Wraeth is a front-end maniac. Wraeth is charming. Wreath is— look. I told my wife, it’s gonna be Wreath if this keep going the way it’s going. I can’t say enough good things.
Matthew: On another note, setting aside your torrid love affair with Wraeth… you’re like the glue that binds Juicebox town hall together. It started with Two Truths and a Lie and has since expanded to other games. Why are you interested in taking on this community builder role? Does it come from your background in education?
It definitely comes from my time in education. I held some academic leadership roles, some for as long as 10+ years, and over time really came to understand the importance of community.
Juicebox has a terrific community, but as I was doing these “Juicebox in the words of” interviews I realized that not everyone knew much about each other since they were all working remotely. I did one with filipv—who is an exceptionally high-quality trumpet player—and so many people were surprised. And I thought about how there’s all of these interesting things about each of us that other DAO members might not know. And Two Truths and a Lie is also a great vehicle for that. I’m glad that people enjoy it.
Brileigh: Well, thanks for sitting down with us for this special edition of “Juicebox in the words of” Felixander.
My pleasure, anytime.