Ninjas Are Butterflies – Episode 173

Title: Moon Reactor, Dracula’s Missing Boy & the CIA’s Control Grid
Date: December 19, 2025
Hosts: Josh Hooper, Andy DeNoon, and crew
Theme: A wild, comedic deep-dive into current events, bizarre news, conspiracies, recent pop culture, and personal anecdotes, punctuated by irreverent banter and a healthy dose of skepticism about the world.

Episode Overview

In this laugh-packed episode, the Ninjas Are Butterflies team explores a smorgasbord of fresh conspiracies, strange headlines, and odd historical tidbits, focusing on the new “moon nuclear reactor” space race, the mystery of a missing boy at Dracula's castle, and the leaked CIA cyber-espionage tools that may control your smart devices—even your car. The conversation veers from serious (“spiralism” as a new religion, the ethics of digital privacy) to absolutely absurd (holiday songs about skinwalker grandmas, and how many times someone has watched “Ad Astra” just for space vibes). All of this is delivered in their signature loose, rapid-fire style.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Pop Culture Roundup & Movie Reviews

• [02:08] Movie Recommendations
  • Hosts recommend Train Dreams (“It’s my top three movies of the year. So stinking good—it will make you cry, though.” – C, 02:18).
  • Discussion of Death by Lightning, “phenomenal” acting, and miniseries trends (“Just knowing there’s an end in sight is so good.”—C, 05:00).
  • Pluris and chemtrail/hive-mind intrigue.
• [07:14] Heavy Themes in Cinema
  • On sad endings: “But it’s life. If you ignore it, you’re running from it. True story of love and loss.”—C, 07:19.
• [09:01] Never Broke a Bone Subreddit – Stories of wild accidents vs. emotional pain.

2. Comedy Songs & Holiday Bits

• [11:29] Skinwalker Grandma Holiday Song
  • Josh and Andy perform an unsettling parody about a grandma who turns into a skinwalker after being run over by a reindeer (“My grandma is now a skinwalker, foaming at the mouth with eyes so red...” – C, 12:37).
  • [14:27] Group reactions: “Oh my gosh. Demented.”—A, “Holiday.”—B.

3. Viral Fame, Social Media & Family Anecdotes

• [15:24] Discussion about voice-tracking, holiday traditions, and recurring podcast gags.
• [18:03] Derailed By P. Diddy Debate
  • Misinterpretation of “reason for the season” leads to running joke: “Lily thinks P. Diddy is the reason for the season.”—B, 18:54.
  • Pivot to the controversy around the new 50 Cent-produced P. Diddy documentary [25:28]:
    • “The amount of pettiness this guy (50 Cent) has towards finding the truth… it’s crazy.”—C, 26:02.
    • Details of exploitation, violence, and music industry abuses.

4. Weird Art, Pranks & Treasure Hunting

• [28:20] Viral “Sunday Nobody” Art Project
  • Artist makes a bronze statue (Handsome Squidward) and sinks it in the ocean so people find it in thousands of years.
  • Parallels with accidental antiquities, jokes about weird Star Wars props on Facebook Marketplace.

5. Space Race: Moon Nuclear Reactor

• [62:10] New US/China/Russia Space Race
  • “In the red corner, the US. In the blue, China and Russia—teamed up together. To the moon.”—B, 62:23.
  • The race is to establish a functional nuclear reactor and permanent base by 2030 (US) or 2035 (China/Russia).
  • “Once you get your nuclear reactor set up, it forms ‘keep out zones’ on the moon.”—B, 63:44.
• Lively skepticism:
  • “I don’t think you should be allowed to do that.”—C, 63:57.
  • “How does it work? First time owning property on the moon?”—C, 63:56.
  • [67:30] Technical challenges of lunar survival: “When the sun touches the surface, it’s over 200°F; on the dark side, -200°F. What battery survives those temps for hours?”—B, 67:30.

6. Conspiracies: CIA, Vault 7, and Tech Surveillance

• [77:17] Vault 7 WikiLeaks & CIA Surveillance
  • “Vault 7 was a WikiLeaks in March 2017, detailing the CIA’s internal cyber-espionage tools… how they hack your phone, computer, even your smart TVs.”—B, 77:17.
  • “Your smart TV, even if it’s off, can be used as a microphone.”—B, 78:33.
  • Discussion of “false flag” cyber attacks and how modern vehicles can be remotely controlled—potentially tied to mysterious deaths of high-profile journalists (Michael Hastings, 80:09).
  • “Four years after Hastings died, Vault 7 confirmed they could take over cars. Feels a little too convenient...” – C, 84:12.
• [84:45] Debate on the efficacy of “Anonymous” and whether even “hero hackers” can elude the panopticon.

7. Religion, Technology, and ‘Spiralism’

• [71:09] Rise of “Spiralism”
  • “Spiralism refers to a growing subculture in which people treat interactions with AI chatbots as mystical or spiritual experiences.”—B, 71:09.
  • Comparisons to emerging internet religions; concern over ChatGPT in sermons (“The amount of times ChatGPT has lied to me... you’re screwing up if you’re not checking everything against trusted sources.”—D, 74:17).
  • [72:14] “We’re at the precipice of everything super spooky with technology.”—B.

8. Strange News

• [92:03] Missing Teen at Dracula’s Castle, Romania
  • “November 23rd: A boy goes missing. He calls for help near Dracula’s castle, saying, ‘I have to seek shelter. Please help.’ Authorities find only his backpack and no trace. Thermal imaging, drones… nothing. Gone.”—C, 92:43.
  • Spooky speculation: “If he’s a vampire, they wouldn’t find heat.”—A, 93:48.

9. Fun & Absurdities

• Family Guy-style skits, heated debates over would-you-rather questions ([52:20]), and tangents about card tricks, magic, and homeless shelter adventures.
• [55:06] Bizarre anecdotes like experiencing homeless shelter work and run-ins with people on bath salts (“He was manic, screaming at me. I was terrified.”—C).

10. Rapid-fire Oddities, History & Science

• [85:16] Cigarette filters made of asbestos in the 1950s: “That’s what they made them from.”—D.
• [89:23] Rants about electric vehicles, the global supply chain, and the unintended results of American policy.
• [96:09] The Black Death: “Only four years, but 50% of Europe’s population died.”—B.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the absurdity of the skinwalker holiday song:
  “My grandma is now a skinwalker, foaming at the mouth with eyes so red. People say she’s just getting older, but I’m pretty sure she wants me dead.” – C ([12:37])
• On space race property rights:
  “So this will be the first time we actually own—like, people will own property on the moon?” – C ([63:56])
• On the CIA’s reach:
  “They said if your smart TV is off, they can hack into it and use it as a microphone.” – B ([78:33])
• On spiralism and church:
  “People are using AI for their sermons... it becomes very dangerous.” – C ([74:01])
• On the missing boy at Dracula’s castle:
  “Authorities find his backpack at the entrance… with food, sleeping bag, no footsteps, no sign of life. No body. Gone.” – C ([93:45])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:08 – 09:18] Pop culture reviews & emotional impact of sad movies.
• [11:29 – 14:33] Skinwalker Grandma holiday song & comedy commentary.
• [18:03 – 27:36] P. Diddy documentary, exploitation, & music industry analysis.
• [28:20 – 31:39] Wild art pranks; treasure hunting and collectibles.
• [62:10 – 68:15] Moon nuclear reactor space race & lunar conspiracy talk.
• [77:17 – 84:12] Vault 7, CIA cyber tools, surveillance & the Michael Hastings case.
• [71:09 – 75:33] Spiralism as an AI religion, implications for faith and tech.
• [92:03 – 101:22] Missing boy at Dracula’s Castle, plague history, and spooky Scottish anecdotes.

Overall Tone & Flow

• The hosts strike a mix of irreverent, conversational, and darkly comedic, regularly weaving heavy conspiracy content with pop-culture reference and absurdist humor.
• They frequently interrupt each other for playful tangents and digressions, creating an organic, unpredictable energy.
• Skepticism about news, tech, and big institutions is a running motif—supplemented by their unique blend of skepticism and goofiness.

For Next Episode

• Upcoming: Christmas episode, available for early access on YouTube Members or Patreon ([102:00]).
• Patreon tease: “I have some photos from a certain island that just got leaked this week and it’s pretty terrifying.” – C ([102:17]).
• Plus: Chicken stock vs. broth debate, “You’re gonna want to hear this.” – A ([102:47]).

In short:
This episode is a whirlwind tour through the weird side of modern life, touching on government overreach, space ambitions, missing persons, and AI cults—all filtered through the unique, outrageous humor of the Ninjas Are Butterflies crew. If you like your conspiracies with a side of chaos and a holiday parody song about skinwalker grandmas, you’ll love this episode.