#30 Day Video Game Music Challenge

[z-cerulean]

gonna do this i think

[wolfgabe]

I have been doing the 30 Video Game Music Challenge over on Spoutible. Tomorrow I will be posting a town/village theme

[timelineman-of-titors-edge]

Day 20: Your favorite music

EVOKE THE VIRTUALITY BAYBEE!!!

this shit is hype as fuck dude. It gets a little overplayed, but hot damn if it doesn't hit those hype notes for then the player character swoops in to the rescue during Episode 4.

Also from Episode 4, Shout out to Realization ~ Earth.

[thestrawberrygirly]

150 things to do when you're bored 🧸🍰🍓

make a journal and write down about your dreams.

try baking a cake.

draw sanrio characters.

learn choreo of the song 'war of hormones' by bts.

stream bts songs or your favorite band's songs.

clean your room.

play any cute mobile games like Purrfect Tale, Resonance of Ocean, Resortopia, Sumikkogurashi Farm, Rhythm Hive, HelloKittyWorld2 Sanrio Kawaii and more. (these are available on android)

plant some trees.

watch any ghibli studio movie.

declutter your phone.

watch some aesthetic japan vlogs.

read a book.

do some skincare.

make a playlist on spotify about the songs you would like to play if you owned a cute café.

write a book about your dream world.

do pilates.

try coquette aesthetic makeup.

start crocheting.

go for a bicycle ride.

have picnic with friends or alone.

watch youtube videos.

go stargazing.

try skateboarding.

go for a walk and observe the beautiful nature and then journal about it.

try cooking with your partner or friends

make a youtube channel.

start a side hustle.

start blogging.

read your favorite blogs.

listen a podcast.

write a song about your favorite person.

make music on bandlab.

write down goals you want to achieve.

learn new language.

re-organise your closet.

take a day off from social media.

take a nap.

organise your pinterest boards.

write a poem.

write a letter to yourself.

make a cute diy necklace.

invent a cute game to play with your friends.

learn to count in another language.

look through a cookbook and try something new.

water the plants.

pray.

try meditating for 5 minutes.

read my blogs :) <3

draw cute doodles.

make cute things out of air dry clay.

create cute diy stickers.

bake cookies in cute fun shapes.

build a blanket fort and read a book inside while eating snacks.

create a scrapbook of favorite memories.

paint rocks with colorful cute designs.

make cute bracelets for your bestfriend.

write a cute story about fairies.

make homemade popsicles with fruit juice.

watch the sunset or sunrise and take a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature.

go for a nature walk and collect interesting leaves or stones.

have a movie marathon with your favorite films.

have a fashion show with clothes from your closet.

design and decorate your own phone case.

create a memory jar filled with notes of happy moments.

design and paint your own ceramic plant pots.

learn about law of attraction.

do research about the history of something of your interest like 'how it was invented?', 'who started it?'.

create your own font.

play an old online game.

try a coloring app.

work on your wish list.

paint your nails.

take a bubble bath.

start a garden.

make your own short movie with your phone.

complete a puzzle.

write about the most beautiful dream you have ever saw.

organize your house.

make a smoothie.

put an appreciation message on a balloon and let it go.

complete a challenge like 30 day self care challenge, 30 day writing challenge and more.

visit a local art gallery.

watch a lecture or TED talk.

read a self-help book.

read a book on astronomy.

click aesthetic pictures of nature.

make your phone look aesthetic.

give your bedroom a makeover on ghibli studio aesthetic.

create a toothpick tower.

practice writing from your non dominate hand.

write about what a day in your dream life looks like.

take out your pet for a walk.

make something wearable for your pet.

learn about how to beat procrastination.

make a little plushie out of your old socks.

learn a new skill.

make a cute website in carrd.co.

write down 10 things you're grateful for.

sit by a river.

visit a local bakery.

walk around a lake.

scroll on pinterest about nature.

walk in the rain.

watch classic films.

watch fashion shows on youtube.

get a haircut.

drink water, take care of yourself <3

read some beauty tips.

watch ballet videos.

write a quote on moon.

say yes to everything for a day.

read some interesting articles.

watch your comfort movie.

write a fiction story.

make your own calendar.

have an indoor picnic with your partner.

write a list of things you will do with your bestie.

crochet something for your loved one or yourself.

learn graphic designing.

write 10 beautiful things about yourself.

make paper stars.

explore interesting websites.

explore your neighborhood.

make a yummy snack.

make hwachae.

try origami.

write a list of your favorite songs explaining why you love it.

watch run bts.

read some manga.

make strawberry cake.

watch conan gray's old vlogs <3

watch onegai my melody :D

design and launch a cute social media challenge to spread positivity and creativity online.

host a themed dinner party with your friends where everyone dresses up and brings a dish from a different culture.

have a spa day at home complete with homemade facemasks, bath bombs, and soothing music.

design a pretty jewellery.

draw your dream house.

try out guided meditation videos (you will find in youtube).

learn about a new culture.

make homemade jam.

do a random act of kindness.

research and plan a future trip.

try a new type of workout video.

research and practice self-defense techniques.

try a new type of creative writing (screenwriting, playwriting, etc.).

try a new type of DIY beauty product (lip balm, body scrub, etc.).

watch a documentary.

learn about constellations and stargaze.

practice calligraphy.

do a riddle.

[study-with-aura]

Friday, August 16, 2024

I am so excited that I have Variations twice a week this year unlike last year which was only one! It is my favorite class.

At the beginning of September, I will be starting to volunteer at the mission on Fridays and Saturdays. I was looking at my schedule to find where I could add volunteer dates and at the same time line it up so I will have a ride to the site since I don't have a license yet.

Not to mention that soon, I will be starting to learn how to drive! I am going to start the theory course next month and once I finish that and get my learner's license, I can do behind-the-wheel with my dad, so I am ready when I turn 16 next year to get my provisional license! It will make everything so much easier when I can drive myself back and forth instead of depending on Mom and Dad since they are both very busy as well.

While gaming today, I had a wonderful conversation with someone in my guild. It's a Christian guild, and we were talking about some of the things I was learning in my coursework. Apparently he's some sort of Bible teacher? I can't remember exactly what he said. They are all very nice though, and it was wonderful to talk about all of that with someone. It was sweet, because he and another officer in the guild said they felt very protective over me because of my age and they both have daughters too. They even said my parents could just the Discord, but I told them that my parents trusted me and could always ask me to login if they wanted to see for themselves, but I already showed them. They thought it was nice that they do Bible studies and prayer meetings along with guild things.

I cannot believe that it is the weekend already. My first week went by terribly quick. I dread that next week might be more intense! But what is learning without a challenge?

Tasks Completed:

Algebra 2 - Reviewed solving multi-step linear equations + learned to solve absolute value equations + practice

American Literature - copied vocabulary terms + completed part 1 of the study guide for The Scarlet Letter + discussed it with Mom + typed up a response to literature for the first eight chapters + emailed response to literature to Mom for grading (28/30)

Spanish 3 - Reviewed present tense verbs + quiz + read over more conjugations

Bible 2 - Read 2 Samuel 8-9

Early American History - Read about the rise of nation-states and exchanges + looked at chart showcasing the Colombian Exchange + answered question on study guide

Earth Science with Lab - Read about a theory of the formation of the solar system + looked at a diagram of the layers of the atmosphere + looked at a chart of the gases in the solar system + took a quiz

PE/Health 2 - read a health article about herbal medicine research + went over our family fire drill again with my dad + read about the "Scientific Seven Minute Workout"

Music Appreciation - Learned about the sections of the orchestra + watched a video about the cello + watched a video about the clarinet + copied major necessary terms from the C section of the music dictionary

Khan Academy - Completed US History Unit 1: Lesson 3 (parts 6-11)

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 30 minutes (Spanish + French + Chinese) + completed daily quests

Piano - Practiced for two hours in one hour split sessions

Reading - Read pages 64-100 of Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

Chores -  Dusted my bedroom, my bathroom, and the study + laundered my bedding

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Proverbs 3)

Gaming

Ballet

Variations

Journal/Mindfulness

[pleaseeeimjustagirl]

♡Weekly Chronicles♡

Hey babesssss I have missed writing weekly chronicles updating you girlies on my life so here we are and welcome to my new babesss<3333

♡Education♡

The semester has been so gooddd so far! I am super strict on myself when it comes to homework and studying I like the fact I am taking this semester so seriously it makes me feel ahead of the game. At the beginning of the semester, I had trouble getting my hobbies done and I didn't want school to take over my entire life. I was able to reorganize my schedule so that I could fit in my hobbies and self-care days. I had to drop a class because it was toooo much taking 18 credits worth of classes this semester was alottt but I'm pushing myself to meet my credit requirement for my degree before graduation in 2025. 

♡Mental♡

I am doing well mentally. Last month was very hard on me mentally because I put in the refill order for my antidepressant so late. I was off of my antidepressants for a week which caused a huge imbalance within my body. It was a literal emotional rollercoaster I would feel really good for a couple of days and then really sad for a few days. But I made it through I kept taking my medication consistently once I got my refill now I am back to normal. So pro tip do not get your refills late lol. Other than that I've been journaling, tracking my emotions, and reading affirmations daily.

♡Physical♡

I started doing yoga recently which has definitely been a game changer. When I am feeling overstimulated or anxious I put on a yoga video on YouTube and follow along. I prefer videos that have no music and then I play rain sounds or brown noise as I follow along to relax my brain when I'm done I feel so good. Ramadan has officially started so I created a workout playlist that is similar to the workouts I was doing before Ramadan but instead, these are much slower and lower in intensity they will still help me reach my body goals. During this month I’ll be fasting for 30 days so I am doing OMAD(one meal a day) which I don’t mind I've done it before and have seen amazing results. There are so many benefits of fasting I'll link an article if you're interested in learning more about Ramadan and the benefits of fasting.

♡Hobbies♡

I have been very consistent with my Italian on Duolingo I started a 100-day challenge so I can hit a 100-day streak and I'll throw myself a little duo party lol. I am learning that it is okay to celebrate your little achievements. Blogging has been one of my favorite hobbies I've been super consistent with posting on here for you ladiessss. Let me know what other content you want to see. I started a new writing project which I am so excited and anxious about but I can't wait to share once everything is settled. I also have been on Amazon creating a list for my YouTube set up<3333 Expect to start seeing content in June I am so excited to start content creating again! I will be doing a lot of chit-chat videos on topics similar to what I have been posting on my blog, vlogging, and so much more. My other hobbies I have been keeping up with are reading, playing games, recipe keeping, pilates, and weight lifting. 

I love chatting with you babes and want you girls to chat back<3 So let me know what you have planned for this weekend and how was your week. Love you babes we are almost at 500 followers<3

[narcosfandomdiscord]

narcos october prompts

The Narcos Fandom Forever discord server is introducing a month-long challenge, the Narcos October Prompts, which is open to fan creators for both the OG Narcos and Narcos MX TV shows.

Creators of all kinds are encouraged to make all types of fanworks! Fic, art, gifs, vids, and other miscellaneous fanworks are all welcome. 

Each fanwork must be published on the day that corresponds to the prompt. There are two prompts for each day of the month, and you can choose which you prefer.

For example, you can post a fanwork inspired by the Day 7 prompt “Blackout” on October 7. If you create something late, you can publish it on the amnesty day, which is October 30. 

Please use the hashtag #narcoctober to submit your entries, so we can find them and reblog them! 

EDIT: the event is now over. To enjoy the things we've created, peruse masterlist i (days 1-10), masterlist ii (day 11-25), and masterlist iii (day 26-31).

🍰 Prompt List 🍰

October 1 — Day of Firsts

Create a fanwork about a canon character you’ve never written about/used before.

Create a fanwork of an alternate universe you’ve never tried to create before.

October 2 — “Porque No Los Dos?” Day

Create a crossover for the original Narcos show and the Narcos: Mexico show, featuring at least one character for each.

Anything involving polyamory, ex: a fic about somebody who has two or more partners (with their partners’ knowledge and consent, aka not infidelity. That’s a different prompt).

October 3 — Day of Music

Create and post a playlist for fic/wip of yours OR your favorite episode and explain why each song resonates for that fic/wip or episode.

Put your favorite playlist on shuffle and whatever song comes up first, that’s your prompt.

>>> more prompts below the cut

October 4 — Day of Conflict

Anything involving a fistfight or a gunfight.

Quote prompt: “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

October 5 — Day of Visual Art

Visual fanworks: post a screenshot, meme, gif, gifset, video, or other non-fic visual fanwork.

Create a fanwork about a character interacting with a piece of art (e.g. buying decoration for a new home, stealing a piece, hitting on a stranger at a gallery, creating art themselves, etc)

October 6 — Day of International Relations

Write non-English language fic.

Use a random country picker and utilize that country in your work in some way: a character is from that country, a food from that country shows up, there’s international politics, etc. You get two rerolls if you don’t like the first or second country you get. If you get the United States, reroll automatically.

October 7 — Day of Darkness

Make something centered around non-death dark topics (we have a specific death day already). Morally or emotionally dark topics/themes.

One-word prompt: Blackout.

October 8 — Day of Light

A day of pure fluff: anything insanely, unambiguously, self-indulgently, luxuriously enjoyable.

One-word prompt: Sunrise.

October 9 — Day of Gay

Create anything devoted to an LGBTQ+ character. This can be your headcanon, but if you want a canon gay character, Pacho and his boyfriends are canonically gay. Also, one of Pacho’s biker lady criminals is played by a trans actress.

Create anything with a queer and/or trans original character or reader insert.

October 10 — Day of Tough Shit

Write a fic whose exact wordcount is divisible by 500 (500, 1000, 1500, etc).

Make a fanwork in a medium you’ve never used before. If you make GIFs, write something. If you write, draw. Etc. As long as it’s uncharted territory for you!

October 11 — Day of Fun

Create a non-visual, non-fic fanwork: quiz, game, playlist, incorrect quotes.

Create a fanwork with at least one joke in it (that YOU think is funny, fuck everyone else if they don’t think it’s funny lmao).

October 12 — Day of Death

Kill a character who lives in canon.

Create something with a character who is mourning a dying thing rather than a person (their dying relationship, their dying career, their dying city, their dying memories, their dying friendship, their dying dreams, etc etc etc)

October 13 — Day of Life

Create a fanwork in which a character avoids their canonical death.

Create a fanwork about characters having kids (sex to have kids, pregnancy, the birth itself, the kids growing up) or choosing not to have kids. It's a free country (it’s sorta a free country) (it’s sorta kinda a free country) (depends on which country we’re talking about i suppose)

October 14 — Day of Support

Create a review, response, or analysis of a Narcos or Narcos Mexico fic, in the style of an Amazon review or a NYT book review or something like that. Please keep it constructive and positive, no roasts.

Quote prompt: “I got you.”

October 15 — Day of Absolute Filth

Create a smut fanwork that includes three different kinks and/or sex acts (basically you could tag it with at least three tags that are Pure Filth).

Create a fanwork about a character’s moral corruption.

October 16 — Day of Surprises

These prompts were revealed at the start of the day.

Create a fanwork that focuses on dreams, either literal or metaphorical.

Shrimp.

October 17 — Day of Rare Treasures

Create a fanwork about a character that only shows up in one (1) season of the show. the rarer the better honestly

“I laughed and said, Life is easy. What I meant was, Life is easy with you here, and when you leave, it will be hard again.”

October 18 — Day of History

Create a fanwork about characters experiencing, participating in, or witnessing a real life historical event (could have been depicted in canon or not) e.g. moon landing.

Create a fanwork about two exes meeting unexpectedly.

October 19 — Day of Hurt

Create a fanwork about a character so emotionally or physically hurt that they can’t help but start crying even though they don’t want to.

Make a spitework (that is, a fanwork addressing something in canon that pissed you off, whether it was a character or a plot point).

October 20 — Day of Comfort

Create a fanwork about a character getting exactly what they need from someone unexpected.

Create a fanwork inspired by your #1 narcos comfort episode (not necessarily “the best” but rather the episode you rewatch the most often because you love it so much).

October 21 — Day of Women Who Will Step On You For Free

Create a f/f-centric fanwork.

Create a fanwork focused on the character development of a woman from the show.

October 22 — Day of Cross-Fandom Pollination

Create a fanwork that includes at least one Narcos character and at least one character from another fandom.

Create a fanwork with the plot or setting stolen from another fandom (and cite which fandom it is). For example, a daisy jones and the six fic where món is a 60s singer.

October 23 — Day of Threes

Create a fanwork that includes three items you can currently see.

Create a fanwork including three canon characters. extra difficult version: three canon characters that have never met.

October 24 — Day of Monsters

Create a fanwork about a character turning into a supernatural creature.

Quote prompt: “The world isn’t made up of heroes and monsters. Just broken people balancing between the two.”

October 25 — Day of Wow, That Escalated Quickly

Create a fanwork that begins in a canon-compatible place, but ends up going somewhere more dramatic.

Quote prompt: “It’s surprising how much can change in just one hour.”

October 26 — Day of Echoes

Pick a quote from the show that you love and use it as inspiration for your fanwork. Then share what the quote is at the end of your post.

Create a fanwork inspired by any mythological story (Greek, Norse, Aztec, Celtic, etc. get weird with it. Bible counts as mythology, fuck it)

October 27 — People of Color Day

Create a fanwork about an original character or reader character who is explicitly a person of color.

Create a fanwork about a canon character of color (e.g. Truijllo, Enrique, Kiki, Rafa, Azul).

October 28 — Day of Friendship

Create a fanwork inspired by somebody else’s fanwork, or including a cameo of somebody else’s original character (fanvids, fanart, moodboard, etc included — just please ask for permission from the original creator to use inspo before you do it!)

Quote prompt: “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

October 29 — Day of Horror

Create a fanwork inspired by your favorite horror movie.

Prompt: came back wrong.

October 30 — (penultimate day, October 30) Day of Amnesty

Post a fanwork you started for any previous prompt but weren’t able to finish in time.

Quote prompt: “I forgive you.”

October 31 — (final day, October 31) Day of Legacy

Create a sequel or counterpart to a fanwork you posted previously this month.

Quote prompt: “This is [my/your/their] legacy.”

November 1 — Bonus — Day of Celebration

reblog a fanwork that is your favorite creation that you made in the month

[delta-orionis]

Tuesday Again No Problem 4/30/24

This week's Tuesdaypost contains: electronic music, stupid youtube videos, me being tormented by spiders in Rain World, and an extended ramble about my OCs. (Maybe skip the Playing section if you don't want to hear about the spiders...)

Listening

Not much to say on this front, I've still been listening to the Rain World soundtrack. I've also been dipping back into my Repeat Rewind playlist on Spotify and remembered a couple of songs that I really liked a few months ago:

Watching

I've (unfortunately) been spending a lot of time on Youtube lately (mostly to listen to in the background while I play Rain World- more on that in the Playing section)(also yeah I guess that should technically count towards the listening section, whatever).

I got a big kick out of Drew Gooden's newest video about how the Cybertruck is stupid:

As well as Strange Aeons's new video about Blingee:

Playing

I've been messing around in Rain World's Expedition mode (basically: a challenge mode with permadeath- if your karma drops below 1 the run ends). I started a Spearmaster run the other day with a challenge to visit Looks to the Moon, which ended up being a much more difficult challenge than I anticipated.

It took me three attempts- and on my third attempt I got all the way up to Moon's Struts before I started being harassed by a gang of Mother Spiders. It was there I learned that my Switch doesn't like Mother Spiders very much.

Very very long story short- Mother Spiders kept getting into my shelter, and I was desperate enough for food to kill them and deal with all of the Coalescipedes they spawned. This meant I ended up with a whole bunch of spider corpses in my shelter, which tanked the framerate. I had to spend several cycles cleaning the spider corpses and spears I used to kill them out of my shelter. I died several times, and I did eventually start save scumming (if you close the game before the game over screen in an expedition, you can restart the cycle at karma 1). I'm not proud of it, but god damn it I was so close to Moon and I was not in the mood to start the expedition from scratch for a fourth time.

I did eventually get inside Moon's superstructure. I paid a visit to her puppet chamber before I reached the vista point and beat the expedition. It was smooth sailing once I eventually got inside, but god damn, I think I'm going to see Mother Spiders in my nightmares.

I regret not taking more screenshots of Moon's interior, but I got a couple at least. She's very pretty.

Making

I've been toying with the idea of turning some of my OCs into iterators for fun. I have a few very rough sketches, and I'm contemplating their lore. I'm really struggling with their names, though; it's hard to come up with something that sounds nice but also is at least tangentially related to their personalities. I'll keep thinking about it.

(In order: Rhode, Lilith, Theta, and Rhode again)

It's kind of fun to adapt their (admittedly messy) backstories into Rain World lore. OC rambling below:

Very shortly after Theta's activation, they developed an extreme phobia of being watched or interacted with. They subsequently put their entire superstructure into lockdown and cut off all communications with the outside world. They're completely unresponsive, and the only indication that they're even still alive is the periodic rain from their can.

Rhode is Theta's neighbor and only friend. She developed a passion for learning how to manipulate iterator software so she could circumvent some of her own taboos. She used this ability to hack into Theta's communications, and ended up being the first to successfully talk to them after they went silent. Rhode is in a relationship with Lilith.

Lilith is Rhode's romantic partner. She was built as an engineering facility and used her knowledge to restore functionality to some of her own systems after an earthquake destroyed her structure's legs. She helped Rhode figure out how to circumvent her taboos, and spends her time trying to help other iterators with their mechanical problems.

So, in short, they're a local group with two lesbians and their weird goth friend with debilitating social anxiety.

I want to try and finalize their designs and figure out canon-compliant names for them, because I have a couple of fun art ideas. I'm working on it. (It's kind of funny that the solution to my worldbuilding roadblock for my ocs was to put them in the setting of the game I'm currently obsessed with.)

--

I'll check back in next week, thanks for reading!

[angelosearch]

Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool~) 🌈🌈

First off, thanks for this! ❤️ yaaaay an ask game!!!

Second... OH MY GOD five things Iike about myself?! This is going to be hard. But my therapist would be so happy to know I've been given this challenge, haha.

And of course, I have to provide details and addendums to these because I have to treat everything like a personal essay. Ugh.

I am a loud cringe nerd

I have fun facts for days, if not weeks

Music is my religion

I bet I can make you laugh

I understand my narrative

Longer answers under the cut.

I am not afraid to show enthusiasm/honesty and be loud. You know the part of your brain that tells you to not do embarrassing/cringe/over-the-top-thing before you do it? I am not going to try and diagnose it but that literally does not exist for me. I will sing along loudly to songs in public; I am the person at a wedding who never leaves the dancefloor; I dress in bright colors and wear the weirdest prints; I will laugh or cry uncontrollably if the moment calls for it. I am incapable of holding back positivity and excitement. I will gush about how great something or someone is. If I like your shoes, I am 100% going to tell you, no fear. All of this can make life really fun. It attracts people with good energy into my orbit. It makes me feel like the last thing I am is boring - but I also go home and regret every minute of it because of the second-hand embarrassment later. Somehow all these things are wrong to do in my head (even though I am never moved like this by negativity, fear, or hate), yet I cannot stop myself from doing them. I loathe that I am a book with a broken spine that cannot stay closed. I hate every inch of space I take up. I cannot stop being vulnerable which is great for therapy but not so great for being a normal, functioning adult. I fear sometimes that people think that I believe my thoughts are all-important because I share them all. Nope. I just literally have no choice in the matter. The thoughts and actions pop into my head and they must be heard/done.

I am an endless fountain of "fun" facts because I am interested in a lot of stuff and love to learn. I think "did you know that..." is my most used phase. If I have a fun fact on a subject, you will know (it's something else I feel I have no control over). My hand will be up if I don't just blurt it out. And I am always rolling them up in my Katamari-Ball brain, listening to podcasts, reading articles, watching documentaries, and other videos. I remember these weird fringe things but then I will forget your name and your job. Don't tell me what you're into because I AM going to do a deep dive and suddenly be an expert in it. Tbh it's a great skill for a writer, but I am pretty sure it annoys people around me. Especially when all the fun facts are related to whatever I am obsessed with at the moment. You'll never guess what I have way too many fun facts about right now.

I connect with music, so strongly it's almost spiritual. Singing and listening to music have always been my go-to coping skills. I learned to drive very late in life (at 30 - but that is a story for another day) and at first I was a horribly anxious driver. But once I realized my car could become my little mobile box of music where I could just belt it out 24/7, I learned to love driving. Lyrics help me understand the prism of my experience and others. I love when songs make me dance, or cry, or give me goosebumps. My shower is my favorite place in my new house because of the great acoustics; plus, there is enough space to pull off an entire shower concert, complete with choreography. Concerts and karaoke make me feel like I am connected to the universe and everyone in the venue. I love my taste in music, which sounds weird, but I am just so proud of my eclectic taste. Also! I am mad skilled at identifying songs and artists and samples, probably because I have listened to so. Much. Music. The downside to this one is that I emotionally connect so thoroughly with every song that I enjoy that a bad association will make the song/artist or even the genre unbearable to listen to (see: country music). Also, some people in my life don't understand why I prioritize concerts so highly and are very critical of me for it. I can't help that a concert is the closest thing I have to a church!

I have a great sense of humor (or at least I think so). If you have followed me for more than two seconds, you have probably figured out that I am constantly attempting (and hopefully succeeding?) to be funny. I try VERY HARD to make people laugh. If you were to talk to me in real life, you'd quickly discover that I would come up with puns in our conversation like we're having a funny rap battle. My favorite tools are wordplay and re-contextualization but I also have quote upon quote and will use physical humor, too. The good thing is that I can make myself laugh, for sure. Like I said yesterday, I embody Chrysippus. A lot of comedians claim their jokes are hiding pain. I've recently realized that I use my humor a little differently--since my social anxiety has convinced me that no one in the world wants anything to do with me at any given moment, I use my jokes as sort of a litmus test. If you're laughing, there is a very strong chance that you don't actively hate me at that very moment. I think this strategy probably annoys people and probably comes off at inappropriate. Don't bring me to a funeral.

I can contextualize my personal story. Somewhere between taking autobiography/memoir and essay classes in college and over a decade of therapy, I've become exquisitely good at taking an event in my life or facet of my personality and placing it in the context of my life. Does that make sense? Like in high school English class I took so much joy out of reading a novel and analyzing character motivations and author intent and "why is the wallpaper yellow." I am still very good at reading something and identifying symbolism, but now I mostly use this same skill to look back at the story of my life and find patterns and connections. I think this will help me as an Art Therapist, and, if my personal essays and posts are actually any good, then it is helping me as a writer as well. But this is a double-edged sword in therapy. It means I can sit in the chair and practically therapize myself. But lives are not novels. We are not characters. Sometimes the wallpaper is just yellow. My over-cerebral approach to my understanding of self makes me come off as "not sick enough" in some settings--I've been told by peers and staff many times while in treatment, "Why are you here? You seem fine!" Well, the truth is, just because you understand why the monster is in the book, you can't always outrun it. Sure, it can help to know where the monster came from and why he's chasing you, but if you get too caught up in that it may slow you down. Or you will run the wrong way because you are so sure you understand him. Or you will run so well that no one will notice you are running at all.

[beardedmrbean]

California’s largest daily newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, announced on Tuesday that it is laying off at least 115 people -roughly a quarter of its staff- as it continues to hemorrhage money.

The layoffs were announced in a newsroom-wide email from L.A. Times president and Chief Operating Officer Chris Argentieri, according to reporter Matt Pearce.

“This total, while devastating, is nonetheless far lower than the total number of Guild layoffs initially expected last week,” Pearce posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Last Friday, members of the Los Angeles Times Guild, the union representing newspaper staffers, staged a one-day walkout to protest the anticipated job cuts.

“Slashing a quarter of the newsroom is devastating by any measure – to our members and their families, to our morale, to the quality of our journalism, to the bond with our audience, and to the communities that depend on our work,” the Guild said in a statement. “We believe our decision to go on strike saved scores of newsroom jobs today.”

Tuesday’s layoffs come after the paper slashed 74 positions in July, the union said.

In an article published in the L.A. Times on Tuesday, the newspaper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, said the cuts were needed to account for losses totaling $30 million to $40 million a year due to declining subscriptions and advertising revenue.

“Today’s decision is painful for all, but it is imperative that we act urgently and take steps to build a sustainable and thriving paper for the next generation. We are committed to doing so,” Soon-Shiong said.

Among the senior editors laid off were the paper’s Washington bureau chief and deputy Washington bureau chief, its business editor and music editor.

L.A. Times video game industry reporter Sarah Parvini was also let go.

“It’s been an honor to work at the paper for nearly a decade, launching a video game beat, helping to win Pulitzers, covering diverse communities. To my colleagues, [the L.A. Times Guild], readers: Thank you,” Parvini tweeted.

Soon-Shiong and his family purchased the L.A. Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune from Tribune Publishing for $500 million in 2018.

Layoffs and buyouts have hit a wide swath of the news industry over the past year. The Washington Post, NPR, CNN and Vox Media are among the many companies hit.

An estimated 2,681 news industry jobs were lost through the end of November, according to the employment firm of Challenger, Gray and Christmas. That was more than the full years of 2022 and 2021.

[sleepers-are-rulers]

30 Day Video Game Challenge

Day 13 - A game you’ve played more than five times.

I've played We Happy Few so many damn times like when I'm done with the main stories and DLC I delete the files and play again. I've played this game since it came out. I just love this game, the setting, the game play, the complying realistic characters, and the music. I know the glitches are a pain but that's what makes me love the age more.

[thoughtsinadaydream]

The Spooktacular Halloween Movie Challenge: October 28, 2023

Five Nights at Freddy’s (October 27, 2023)

Desperate for a job so that he can keep custody of his little sister Abby, Mike Schmidt accepts a position as a security guard at an old animatronic pizzeria called Freddy Fastbear’s. It turns out the job isn’t as simple as it may have seemed. Can he keep his sister safe against the tide his new job brings?

Released only yesterday (theatrically; I believe streaming was two days ago) and available on Peacock, this long anticipated movie adaption of the video game is already getting some boos from the critics, but I expect that ratings will take an upswing as the audience puts their two cents in. I have only watched some let’s plays of the original and some adaptations of the game; I haven’t played it myself. That being said, I know enough to say they captured the spirit of the game pretty well. There are some shot for shot copies of some of the game’s jump scares, and of course, there are similar musical stings, Easter eggs, and a pizzeria matching the original layout pretty faithfully as far as I can tell. That’s all good news for people who were excited for its release because they loved the game.

What made me appreciate this film was the effort they did to put some more depth to the story. After all, you’re pretty much a faceless security protagonist in the original video game, listening to the history of the place through tapes and trying your best to stay alive in a struggle against unstable electricity and relentless monsters. Interesting for a game, not really interesting for a movie. Instead they gave Mike Schmidt a story, a pretty compelling reason to make the choices he does, and people to protect other than himself when things go awry.

You can probably tell that I liked it. The practical effects were great. Using puppetry instead of CGI gave it some realism, the music could be both haunting and fun depending on the circumstances, and I became pretty invested in not only the three main characters but the puppets too.

I should warn that it’s honestly not that scary, which seems to be why most of the critics were irritated, but to be honest, I don’t think it would have been appropriate if it was scarier or gorier. The makers probably knew their target audience, mostly kids up to 20s, maybe early 30s adults. No need to scar children for life who just wanted to watch such a huge pop culture icon adaption. And to be fair, the game is not gory either. It’s got jump scares, that’s pretty much it. Hard to be mad at a video game adaptation for keeping the same tone. I had a good time. It looks like a lot of people who are familiar with FNAF agree. Try it out if that sounds like fun to you.

**Edit: to be clear, critics are rating the movie pretty low, around 20-30%, but if you really dig into it, audience scores are hovering at around 90%. Pretty big schism to make early judgments on success**

[e1ectrostatic]

30 Day Fictionkind Challenge Day 20

Q: How do you express your fictotype? Clothes, merch, cosplay, maybe even name?

A: A few ways! I'm going for the completionist route. Mostly in name, but I express it through clothes (and... possibly merch?) too :]. I also express it in ways not listed in the question, including but not limited to art, music, and video games.

Name is... kinda obvious. My most preferred name is Luca, and that's the one I go by primarily, especially online. As far as I'm concerned, Luca Bal/sa is my full name. Feel free to treat it as such. I have other names and nicknames I go by both on and offline, but Luca is the one I'm happiest to be called. I'd prefer not to be called Prisoner, though. lmao

It's a bit more complicated with regards to my wardrobe. I use my clothes to express myself, and I'm me, so I guess by extension I'm technically expressing my kintype? I guess the thing is, I don't dress myself in this life like a 19th century nobleman. It's a great style, but I don't have the means or particularly strong urge to do so right now. And I guess this goes without saying but I don't dress myself in old timey prison garb either.

One thing I think is funny though is that I do dress myself like how I'm commonly drawn by fanartists in modern AUs. My taste in fashion also often aligns with how I'm portrayed in official art that puts me in more modern clothes. I like to wear chokers, chains, straps, and stripes, which seems to be the common consensus of what I'd wear in modern times anyway. I don't go out of my way to dress like my fictotype or closet cosplay, though. I mostly just wear what I want because I think it's cool. I'd like to go steampunk someday, too 🫶.

On the topic of cosplay though, I don't do anything like that right now, but would like to. Perhaps someday I'll put together my own cosplay. I think that'd be nice.

Merch... I'm honestly not sure if this counts. The only merch I have for my source is a little Eli plush. I can't recall what our relationship was in my canon (if any), but I love the little thing so much and pretty much anything related to my source makes me feel at home, so I'll count it anyway. I'd like to get more merch sometime, especially if I ever see any fanmade stuff at cons.

Art is one of the most effective tools I have for expressing my fictotype. I already mentioned it in a previous question, but I'd like to elaborate here. My favorite way of expressing myself is through drawing or writing out my noemata. I consider it less of an "external" way to express myself and more internal or insular, especially if I decide not to share what I make.

Whether it's actual concrete memories I have, how I remember the people around me to have looked like, or just making something to express fictotype-related feelings, it always feels satisfying to get out of my head and on paper. I also often make art of my source unrelated to my noemata, but it feels nice anyway. Even if something I draw or write didn't actually happen in my canon, I still consider it self-expression because it feels like building my source from the ground up, in my vision.

Music is a very internal way for me to express my fictotype, but it's my favorite method (with art being a close second, of course). Like I said in my post about what shifts are like, music can be a very powerful callback to my canon. Sometimes it just feels nice to be in my head and express myself to myself rather than be concerned about what I'm showing to other people. If I feel inclined, music can inspire me to express myself outwardly (through making art or just talking about my thoughts), but oftentimes I just keep to myself and let my mind wander.

Video games are a very fun way to express my fictotype, particularly with games that have character customization and/or various playstyles. RPGs are my favorite for this. I love to recreate myself in the character customization to the best of my ability, and then go with a playstyle that would best suit me. Admittedly, it can be a hit or miss. Some games are right on the money while others...not so much. The latter still has its own silver lining, though — it's fun to improvise and work with what I have, plus oftentimes the results are funny as hell. I have amassed several clearance section Luca Bal/sa player characters over several games.

Those are all my methods of self expression that I can think of off the top of my head. As usual, if I think of anything else, I'll come back to the topic. Take care :]

[fullmetalgirl98]

30 days Hypnosis Mic challenge

DAY 18: a song perfect for workout

🎤 「Move Your Body Till You Die!」 - Rio Mason Busujima

(link)

No, you don't understand. You know, I workout regularly, mostly treadmills and abdominals, and in the summer I add to that a nice brisk walk along the coastline. So it's pretty obvious that I listen to music during my exercises. While I run on the treadmill the playlist goes on automatic but 3 Seconds killer, Ikebukuro West Game Park and BLACK OR WHITE are particularly stimulating. But I guarantee that THIS is the song for workout. There's no story. You guys have no idea how fucking well it works. Last summer I happened to listen to it during my brisk walks…and I swear that trying to keep up the pace to the beat of the song was something EXTENUING. Not to mention that as the speed increased, I practically had my calves on fire. And I say it's perfect because Rio incites you to move and do your best! Exactly like the personal trainers in the video tutorials I follow to train! This makes everything so real! And then it's brilliant that the other HOMIEs were also involved, with their complaining and labored breathing LOL (sorry not sorry, Doppo). It really makes the idea that you're training as a group with them!

[luleelaa]

31 DAY CHALLENGE!

made by me :3

1. what is your cw and gws?

2. what is your biggest reason for losing weight?

3. what is your favorite low calorie food/safe foods?

4. do you avoid sugars or eat everything in moderation?

5. what is your favorite, coffee or tea? what type?

6. how would you describe your aesthetic? is clothing a big reason why you’re losing weight?

7. do you wear makeup? why or why not? how do you usually do it?

8. what is your favorite movie?

9. have you ever been bullied for your weight or how you look?

10. what is your mbti? what are some traits of them?

11. are you currently in a relationship? do you want to be?

12. do you like video games?

13. how old are you? how long have you struggled with an ed?

14. are you a dog or a cat person?

15: checkpoint! add ur cw. are u happy with how youre doing so far?

16. do you have any tips to share?

17. have you ever been confronted about your ed? what happened?

18. have you ever fasted? how long was your longest fast?

19. what is your favorite clothing/makeup brand?

20. have you ever tried recovery or been recovered?

21. what is your favorite book?

22. how do you stay motivated or stop a binge?

23. what is your favorite music genre? what bands do you like?

24. do you feel like you have body dysmorphia?

25. who is your favorite movie character? why?

26. do you do any sports? do you want to?

27. do you collect anything? would you want to?

28. what is your favorite fruit?

29. how many cals do you usually eat per day?

30. what is your all-time favorite album or song?

31. you made it! what is your cw?

[divine-elixir]

30 Day fictionkind challenge

Doing four today.

Day 17.

Does fictionkinity connect to spirituality for you?

Day 18.

Does fictionkinity connect to neurodivergency for you?

•It's spiritual all around for me. From my current understanding of myself, I don't think I was born in this body. I sort of showed up one day a long time ago.....though, I'm still trying to parse things out. Things like a human childhood and such hmm, I don't remember anything before a certain time period. And from what I do remember, whenever I think of certain memories it's like if someone else is showing me a photograph of an event I had no part in.

It makes me wonder if I'm a walk-in or a soulbond myself. What I am isn't from a past life, since I can't die under any circumstances. And incarnation doesn't sound right either. Traveling to other worlds is one of my things, so maybe I did show up here and attached myself like a balloon to some kid I connected with, hmm.

As for neurodivergency, I don't know if it has relevancy to how I experience or see myself specifically. But this body's mind is rather funky and different. If what I think is correct, then the one I attached to is certainly neurodiverce. Though, I don't doubt that their mind's funkiness as well as their fears and joys might rub off on me....and I too rub off on them to an extent. I've tried talking to them recently and it seems they see themselves as nonhuman because of my being with them since they were a child. Tee hee 😋

Actually, if I am a soulbond or walk-in myself and I have my own soulbonds.....mmm, that's a lot of layers. I'm not going to think to hard about it.

Day 19.

Do other people notice your similarity to a character or species?

•I wouldn't know. If anyone has noticed anything they never said anything.

Day 20.

How do you express your fictotype? Clothes, merch, cosplay, maybe even name?

•Whenever I can, I like to wear big long sleeved clothing that can hide my hands, since it emulates some of the kinds of clothes I wore very well. I also walk around barefooted around the house and in the yard, save for when I'm in public. Then I reluctantly wear shoes.

Other than that, I also collect Gen/shin merch and fanmade items (we gotta support artists besties). I especially love plushies. Most of the merch I have are of those I knew, and by knew I mean it's just one guy........not sure if this is creepy or not. I am not obsessed and am very normal.....having his imagery and likeness around makes me feel safe and relaxed. 😔 Just recently I also managed to get a scale figure and keyboard of him, normal behavior. (I am resuscitating my bank account.) I also spent money to c6 him in the game, do NOT do this. At least he hasn't left my team since I pulled him on his first run. Me and the bad bitch I pulled by being autistic.

I also collect jade & rabbit based items, do dream related practices, and go by part of my title in otherkin spaces.

Lost and obscure media is also of great interest of mine, as well as observing teams of people who put in efforts to restore, archive, and find said media. Most of my interest in lost media lies in films, animation, video games, music and just about anything that requires creativity and imagination.

It's always wonderful when something gets found and shared online. I can't stand those who hoard such treasures just for bragging rights or for the sake of depriving the public for no reason other than spite. I get especially rabid when money is involved.

But uhh, the full Blue's clues pilot was found recently. Yippee!!! 😋