#THEY'RE NOT BAD GAMES BUT LIKE.... idk i think there is some sort of appeal that everyone else sees and i don't

[charmcoindied]

saying i'm not a zelda fan is a bit misleading because majora's mask was one of my very favorite video games when i was a child and i did own a plethora of zelda t shirts including the green one with the triforce on it that everyone makes fun of. but of all the games to obsess over zelda fans really did pick the lamest series

[mecachrome]

i swear there is something about landoscar that makes me insane like i got into this fandom and have liked a lot of ships like maxiel, carlando, lestappen etc but there is just something different about landoscar??? idk if it's the dynamic between the two?? or if it's oscar's personality that makes their interactions feel genuine but i would love your analysis or thoughts on this cause WHYYYYYYY have these boys taken over my brain like so??? i swear other ships are literally out here hugging like mad and saying sexual innuendos to each other etc etc and im unfazed but i see oscar and lando have the slightest touch or glance at each other and im feral foaming at the mouth lmfaooooo !!!

omggg anon i answered an ask here about why 814's personalities appeal to Me Personally but maybe i shouldn't get too into that... 😔

anyway idk whether this makes any sense but perso with some rpf ships i find that the myth somewhat outweighs the canon or vice versa — i.e. the "potential narrative" of a ship is really compelling but it doesn't quite exist as it's written in canon, or a ship doesn't have that many compelling extra narratives other than the existing relationship that's strongly visible in canon. and i think these are all great and fun to ship, but i guess as EYE see it it sort of feels like 814 balance those aspects fairly well? like they have a dece amount of sweet and interesting interactions with each other, but obviously they're not best friends and there's enough of this like, sense of repression + the fact of their personalities being not fully diametric but still different enough that it feels like you can take them in a lot of directions. i really like that landoscar aren't quite foils but also aren't "twins" either as some people say, and oscar despite being so lauded as mature is still inspired by lando in many ways and shares the same sarcastic humor as him and enjoys his presence a lot. they work because they aren't opposites but there are enough crucial aspects that separate them so you can make a lot of tropes and aus fit them. which isn't to say you can't do the same with the other ships you mentioned but... idk i'm also just biased because i'm an oscarybroTM so i don't really think about 90% of the grid so i'm fundamentally less invested HLKSDFHLH

also i've mentioned this b4 but my favorite hockey ship (2124) is literally the hockey version of oscar (dorky californian sportsnerd who brings his gaming setup on road trips to play fifa) x his dry finnish linemate whom he doesn't even interact with off the ice but ON the ice they have the most electric wordless chemistry and are constantly aware of where the other is and play beautifully together and get super awkward when reporters try to talk to them about it. so like to me unspoken collaboration IS a beautiful and worthy thing to rpf about.... *__* so clearly i enjoy teammate repression and awkwardness in my ships already but then 814 are kind of even more insane because they're less myth than 2124 so there's SO much to chew on. at least for moi 🥰 icl i'm a little bit anti-pda so constructing intricate rituals to look longingly at other men and laugh at their bad jokes is more compelling to me than straight up skinship/bgp... i was just telling @inchidentally whose analysis i feel like might be up your alley that i don't rly get why people act like oscar's "heart eyes" toward lando are "pr" (???) because from everyth we've been told and see about him it's so clear that he's always been just himself and the level of... unguarded emotion he displays around lando isn't something you can just make up imo. even if it's just little things and they go off and do completely different things off-track (which again i kind of enjoy. like romanze can be guy who goes off to party with models the day after a race x guy who's in bed gearing up his 10th joke about getting his wisdom teeth removed) it makes them rly fun to watch ;__;

[galaxythreads]

I wish you would write time loop fic where Loki dies over and over again and we can study his deteriorating mental state along with a lot of whump. Maybe Thor dies in the NY invasion and so Loki tries to save him over and over again? I know there are a few fics in the fandom about this, and it’s not the most creative but I’m interested to see your take on it, as you are one of the so which I admire and can write realistic mental health very well. Plus your characterisation is always on point.

ANON!!! ANOOONNN!!

No no no no i have to tell you about this fic idea I've had for literal YEARS but never done anything with. So generally I avoid time travel fics, but I have read a few where Thor gets sent back in time and manages to fix everything and I've had this idea forever where Thor goes back and time and just... CAN'T fix it. At least, not in the way he wanted.

So at the end of Endgame, after everything is over and they're staring at Tony's corpse, Thor is like "y'know what. No actually. I'm going to fix this" so he steals the time stone and goes back in time to Thor 1 with the full intention of stopping Everything Bad Happening and then proceeds to make something much worse happen.

I know this isn't Loki, but the concept of Thor and Loki literally unraveling the universe to save each other is just so *chef's kiss*

Anyway, I actually know a couple different fics where Loki does get stuck in a loop with thor dying, but I would need to think about it before I wrote it to figure out how I would want to. I really enjoy writing the massive fandom fic tropes, but in a Horrible New Way. (Like how I finally wrote the Peter Parker Stark Industries Trip but instead of it being crack it was a horrifying kidnapping).

Thinking outloud:

Loki gets stuck in a time loop for some sort of interrogation

Loki gets stuck in time loop because Thanos is trying to crack open his mind

Dr strange drops him in some sort of time loop and it goes wrong? idk, dr strange isnt' that vindictive

OH OH OH OH -- Mobius is being Mobius and instead of the time loop with sif beating Loki up, he shows him thor dying over and over again until he unravels mentally. Oh actually I think this is the one. I have never written a fic for the Loki series and there's something deeply appealing to me about Sylvie having to put Loki's shattered psyche back together. :)

thanks anon! You will regret this ask in like six months if I write this for the pain and suffering, lol. XD

for this ask game

[roostertuftart]

How's about a Kyle or Stan for rhe ask game?

Kyle's been done, here he is!

So Stan it is! And here's the original ask meme :)

Sexuality Headcanon: Stan is just a bicon, I don't think anything else can be said. Look at him. That is the bisexual character. That's who he is. Though tbh, I really like Stan being gay too, IDK, rare headcanon but I just find him dealing with comphet really interesting even if his feelings for Wendy seem very real to me.

Either way, I think besides Eric he's the one out of the main four that feels the least capable of being straight to me, I just- Can't really see it. Stan feels like such a queer character, idk lol

Gender Headcanon: Oh man that boy is not cis. Leaning that he's AMAB and just uses nonbinary but he feels like that's too vague and doesn't fully describe his feelings for his gender. But thinking about it too much stresses him the fuck out, so nonbinary it is. I think Stan has a really big feminine side and he leans into it a lot, and I think he uses the big three, she/they/he, though some days he prefers one over the others. Overall it's just something he really ends up exploring but also not his favorite subject, it's a lot to think about.

A ship I have with said character: Stendylenny as mentioned before, but for the more usual, Style and Stendy are like, my favorites for him, Style above all but Stendy is a close second. I used to kind of feel meh about Stendy on its own but I don't know, I've seen it done well and when it's done well there's such an appeal to it. They're pretty similar dynamically to Style on the surface but I think they're actually fairly unique from it, and there's something so sweet about the both of them kind of figuring themselves out together and putting in the effort to work on their canonical relationship problems. I like a few other Stan ships, namely stenny, stutters, and stanman feels interesting... I think I could get behind it anyway.

A BROTP I have with said character: Stennnyyyyy although I ship stenny a lot too :)) They're such goofballs together and get up to a lot of stupid bullshit. Stan and Cartman are really interesting too, their dynamic is so complex. Stan seems so unbothered by Cartman and I think Cartman kind of knows it and has a sort of respect for Stan. I mean, clearly he likes the guy since he let the pangolin live just because Stan was crying. That's so interesting to me, I need to explore it more.

A NOTP I have with said character: Stary. I don't know why. I have no reason for it. It bothers me soooo much for no reason. Not too keen on Staig either, though I mind it less.

A random headcanon: He has BPD and ADHD. Also he's a short, stocky guy, and pretty strong, especially from working on the farm! I think he still plays sports and stuff as he gets older but it becomes less of a core interest because boardgames take over, and I like the idea that he likes doodling a lot, and isn't that bad at it :)

General Opinion over said character: I love Stan so much. I need to protect him... Look at him. Little scrimblo. Baby.

[rationalisms]

currently playing yakuza: like a dragon for the first time and it's hard not to draw parallels to persona 5 for various reasons and man, persona 5 really comes out not looking great with most of those comparisons

like, even within the same franchise p5 is markedly less strong than its predecessor in so many ways, and in fact just outright (badly) rehashes so many things p4 did first and did better (the whole teddie/morgana thing is a perfect example and worth a whole separate rant lol).

but one of the things that always really annoyed me about p5 in particular is the lack of specificity, the fact that they chose broad general appeal and the more "widely relatable" options over riskier but more interesting ones. and that's partly about the more superficial choices like environmental design (i've already written a lot of words about why the art direction for p4 is goated with the sauce because it drills down on such a specific period in time and space so so so efficiently), but a lot of it is also about the messages in the narrative.

like: shido in p5 is a nothing villain. they explicitly go out of their way to avoid assigning any actual politics to him so players can project whatever their idea of a "corrupt politician" is on him, whether that's left wing or right wing. which is boring and cowardly.

compared to yakuza: like a dragon, where the "bad guys" are explicitly conservatives and the heroes are explicitly people usually fucked over and derided by those conservatives, that's so much more interesting than a generic "teenagers rebelling against idk, adults i guess?" plot lol. especially because yakuza also goes out of its way to lay bare the conservative playbook of picking some sort of hot button issue to performatively care about, couched in leading and manipulative language, to swing voters... despite doing the exact same stuff behind closed doors at the same time as they're fucking over the lives of people who don't have as much money and power as them to get away with that same illegal behaviour. which gives the story more depth and appeal than a generic narrative even if it alienates conservative audiences.

idk. i don't think p5 is a bad game per se, there's just so many things that are shallow and disappointing about it, especially knowing that they are perfectly capable of doing better and did so with p4 and p2.

[aetheve]

hello! I came from your Icarus dorm assignments, can I get sorted into one?

favorite character: I like them all but Floyd is my number one <3

favorite teacher: Mozus trein, I like his cat

zodiac: Virgo sun, Sagittarius rising, Cancer moon

rice purity score: idk

thing appealing about me: I like to think I'm pretty ❤️

book smarts or street smarts: is neither a option??? but I guess street smarts

dry texter or not: dry texter, I've been told that too many times 😭

introvert or extrovert: introvert

cats or dogs: CATS!!!!! I like some dogs doe just some

favorite song: none but my latest obsession is Honeymoon Un Deux Trois cover by dongdang

lead or follow: follow

─ I like story based games and otome games! I hate and despise horror and gore. I only have a small group of friends, and a casual relationship with everyone else. I never did dislike someone or had a crush on someone before. My friends had said I was kinda insensitive and too indifferent about some things. They did say I'm nice to hangout and talk with doe, only if I made effort to make friends.

─ making and keeping relationships is hard for me especially if I don't see them everyday like school or smth. I would feel lazy to text them or anything, just not making any effort to start or continue anything. ofc I'd say hi and stuff if I see them but nothing beyond school unless I know them for very long alr. I rarely trust people wholely, just some small doubts here and there, I never act it out doe. I love gossip and drama lol, hate it when I'm involved doe but they're entertaining.

─ I don't rrly know how to react to insults, I just say okay and go. I say thanks for compliments or I know for close friends and family. I've been called dumb so many times I don't even care anymore 😭 I haven't failed any of my subjects except for maths, as long I graduate and don't get hold back everything is good. I'm mentally and physically weak.... and lazy and easily unmotivated. I've been told I look scary doe, ppl. socially awkward, I'm super forgetful, straightforward. I tend to be more honest, I'd feel bad for lying 😰 (sometimes) I have a good poker face so many tend to think I'm saying the truth when I'm just messing with them lol.

─ I like humour and laughing, that sounded kinda weird. I like people with humour, I laugh easily too. I hate exercising and I'm bad with technology which is kinda funny cause i don't think I can survive without any entertainment honestly and also bc they say I'm addicted to my phone sometimes 💀

is this enough??? hopefully I didn't miss anything, sorry if it's too much, thank you if you took up my ask! ❤️❤️ stay safe and hope you have a nice day or whatever timezone you're at

—- 🐉 WELCOME TO DIASOMNIA! a dorm based on the thorn fairy's spirit of nobility. twisted from sleeping beauty.

malleus enjoys going on walks with you, very specific i know. you don't actually have to be talking to each other he just enjoys your vibez yk? you're his go to person when he needs to complain about the inaccuracy of magic class. if someone insults you, you'll both stand there with blank expressions before you look at one another wondering 'what now?'

sebek admires you, not as much as malleus though. you'll be his living diary. late at night you'd listen to him talk about his day and then he'll just fall asleep on your shoulder. i'd suggest listening to him in his room so you can just leave him to sleep when he passes out.

lilia love scaring you. you could be trying to sleep when he appears in your slightly opened closet looking like mf annabelle. it doesn't matter the time, he will go through hell and back if it means frightening you trust me. at some point, he deleted all your apps causing you to faint because your progress?! gone?! however if someone insults you he will roast their ass dwdw.

silver often naps, head resting on your lap, while you play on your phone. no words are spoken, you two just enjoy the presence of the other and that is all there is to it.

your close friend out of your dorm is idia. you two met online and you recklessly told him you attended the nrc and the rest is history. you're over there during school hours so you can study together without going to class and play games until school hours end because you have to go pick up your 'kids.'

"child of man, what's the matter?" malleus burst through your door, light from the outside flooding your room. your shaking hand pointed towards your closet, there you saw two red dot thingies that resembled eyes.

"uhh, malleus is everything alright?" sebek inquired, popping out from behind the housewarden. he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he watched malleus open your closet curiously. "huh.. who would've guessed yn'd be the type to have a life size lilia plushie.."

"this isn't a 'plushie'" malleus sighed, picking up the thing by its head. "it's lilia." a 'boo!' accompanied malleus' statement from the smaller fae.

"ha! you looked so scared–"

"we'll be going now."

bonus:

it took a while to calm your racing heart, you couldn't make yourself move as you eavesdropped on the not so quiet conversation outside,

"that wasn't funny, quit your giggling, malleus scolded.

"yeah, lilia, you should apologize–" sebak chimed in, slowly realizing his mistake weh nthe fae disappeared.

"sorry!" lilia reappeared above you, upside down for a minute to see your reaction before disappearing for the night.

"...in the morning." sebek added at the sound of your scream.

"done!" you giggled, turning your phone screen to your blue haired friend. "got luke's ending before you did, woo!" you collapsed on his bed with a sigh of relief at the released tension."

"eh? but that's impossible!" he stood examining your phone.

"but it isn't." you looked at him, amused by his distress. "i'm tired.." you mumbled, rolling onto your side.

"uh – uhm, sleep i have to figure out how on earth you beat me at this, it – it just isn't adding up?" he went back to typing away on his computer like a man on a mission, "i'll wake you up when it's time. unless you cheated…"

[batfoonery]

Crafty Batkids

Literally. Just batkids doin' crafts. As someone who does..... way too many crafts to list here (I'll send a list if asked but just trust me) I feel like I've gotten a good feel for this.

Dick

My man grew up in a circus, regularly checking ropes and tensions....

Macrame. He's a pro at macrame. Maybe he doesn't do it often, but like. For his friends, he'll sometimes surprise them with lil gifts.

When any of his Titans buds move he makes them those fancy hanging macrame plant holders. Donna and Kori both love them, and have been known to fight over them during white elephant/dirty Santa type gift games.

Probably doesn't have the ability to sit still for long periods of time, so can't do anything that'll unravel if he puts it down. It takes him a long time to finish a project, so he really only buys materials as he starts a new one, and doesn't have any excess stuff lying around his apartment.

Jason

You cannot tell me he doesn't crochet to unwind. Like. Idk if he's any good at it, but he def angry crochets.

Probably has been working on one scarf for like five years

Never has consistent stitches

Likes touching all the yarns at the store

Probably just enjoys squishing the yarn in general tbh. It's slightly more satisfying than ever actually doing anything with the yarn.

Cass

One time Bruce took her to like. Silver Dollar City or somewhere else that had someone with a loom, and she was fascinated. She made him buy her a shawl and then made Tim put together a power point about why she should have a loom.

Bruce ended up caving and buying her one that's skinnier, for like table runners. It's great, because she's mostly fascinated with making gradients in her weaves.

She learned Swedish Weaving (it's a like an embroidery/weaving hybrid) so she could embellish her works.

Mostly gives them out as gifts. She gave one to Selina, who guards it possessively. Harley tried to borrow it once and about lost her fingers.

Probably also learned to make little tassles for the ends

Tim

Attention to detail? Obsession over the minutia? Oh. You know my boy is an epoxy resin artist.

Has a crafting station in his room that's meticulously organized. There's cubbies for pigments, flowers, glitters, bits of ribbons and strings, etc etc

Probably makes all kinds of thing tbh. Phone cases, trinkets, you name it. But pens are his favorites, because they're both simple and practical. There's like a whole army of pens that just... keeps growing in Titans Tower because he always forgets where he's put his.

None of his teammates realize he is the source of the pens. They (Kon, Cassie, Bart) just think the pens are an infestations and/or are pairing up and making baby pens. But Cassie and Bart love them bc ✨aesthetics✨

Probably has a tik tok or an insta where he posts videos of himself de-molding things to soothing lofi tracks. Literally just. All the vibes. It's gorgeous.

Steph

Also all the vibes. She is a bujo/stationary queen.

Her collection is much messier than Tim's, but has a surprising amount of overlap. Sometimes they borrow things from each other, and have collabed on their social accounts (he makes journal covers, she makes them into notebooks, he supplies her with pens, she uses them when making a weekly/monthly set up, etc)

Stickers and glitter everywhere

Probably sponsored.

Canonically draws cute little cartoons in the comics, they absolutely are a regular on her socials and in her bujos.

Duke

For some reason I don't peg him as being as craft-oriented as his closest-in-age sibs? He probably has less expensive coping mechanisms tbh

That being said I can see he would enjoy those stores where you go in and paint pottery and they kiln/glaze it for you? Like he isn't into sculpting it himself, but painting the little kitchenware pieces or statuettes is relaxing.

He paints mugs for all his sibs on their birthdays, and for Alfred.

Alfred probably has a whole army of custom mugs made for him by the kids, now that I'm thinking about it. Like half of them are from Duke, because he doesn't know what else to do with them. There are just so many because it's so simple.....

Kate Kane, Tatsu Yamashiro, and Jeff Pierce also all have mugs. Actually... Lowkey highkey I can see that Tatsu might have introduced Duke to this kind of stuff in the first place? I can see that she would enjoy something simple that you can do while trying to clear out your mind.

Damian

Well. Damian is a gifted artist, but this translates differently into actual crafts. It just does.

He's probably a good printmaker. Not only does this take advantage of his art skills and keen attention to details, but it's one of the oldest artforms still in practice today. Most printmakers develop their techniques by perfecting one of several forms of the art, which have been passed through generations, and have a really firm grip on art history. Those stories would appeal to Damian, in addition to the craft itself.

Damian is the most likely of his siblings to be able to sit still for prolonged periods of time and do a repetitive motion. In fact, it may actually be something he can enjoy if it means he can just zone out for a bit. So, he's probably actually decent at spinning yarn. If the sky is grey and rainy, he drags out a wheel and some pre-sorted rolags and spins yarn, exclusively for Cass, who then weaves it. He enjoys the progression of colors in the fibers as much as she does, and they bond over it.

The feeling of different fibers slipping through his fingers is also really soothing. Bad day? Time to spin some merino, because it slips like water through his touch. Need to feel grounded? Time to spin a cotton blend, because you have to be present enough not to chafe your hands on the rough fibers...

Probably also really good at embroidery, for the same reasons. Plus, it's really satisfying to feel and hear the pbt-psht, pbt-psht of the needle and thread pulling through the taut fabric.

Bruce

Obviously knows how to forge/metalwork. I like to imagine he's also dabbled in lost wax casting.

Probably has little trinkets he made when he was younger scattered around the house. Maybe he donated a few to charity auctions.

Has made rings/jewelry pieces. But doesn't talk about them. (One ring went to Selina, and a pair of earrings went to Talia)

Alfred

The all-talented, all-knowing. There's probably nothing he can't do. He already sews all their outfits. So I mean.

Sometimes it feels really good to have something to stab. I'm not saying he does needle felting, but I'm not saying he wouldn't.

Probably was the one who taught Bruce about lost wax, and the one who helps Damian research about printmakers.

Silently supplies all the kids with all the art things.

Has a chest in his room filled with all the things that he's been gifted with over the years. There's little uneven macrame hanging from when Dick was just getting the hang of it, lumpy scarves that are too short for anyone to realistically wear from Jason, linen sets made by Cass, various trinkets from Tim, handmade cards and notebooks from Steph, mugs from Duke, and old embroidery pieces from Damian in unevenly stained hoops.

[kae-karo]

[1] hi!! so idk if you've seen dan speaking at the mental health panel or not, but there was one part that hit me really hard and id love to know your thoughts on it! basically he was saying that often content creators, and people in general, are struggling with their mental health the most when it seems like they're thriving (uploading constantly, getting good grades, etc) but everyone thinks they're fine. which is literally my life rn but i can't take a break from overworking myself bc i need

[2] to get into college. do you have any advice abt how to provide for my future while still taking care of myself? also, i just want to thank you for running such a healthy and positive blog bc it has helped me thru some difficult times, and you seem like such a thoughtful and caring person!

hi dear! oh no :( I'm so sorry, that's such a hard position to be in - I havent been in school for a few years, and not in high school since 2012 yikes lmao, so I'm sure things have changed a bit but hopefully I can still give some advice that helps?

I'd say first and foremost, talk to a trusted adult you know in person about how you're feeling - whether that be a parent, older sibling, favorite teacher, advisor, etc. they may have advice more specific to your situation that might take into account details I dont know. and while this is my first piece of advice, it can also be the hardest? sometimes facing our demons and being honest about them with others who have only seen our "good side" can feel impossible, but it can be a crucial step to help build a support system that you can go to when you feel you're struggling

the next thing I'd say is, on a small scale, start taking time for yourself. I know that's like. the hardest thing to do when you have like 6hr of homework a night, minimum, plus clubs or sports or other activities that take time, but literally even sneaking five minutes between some bits of homework to do something that's calming and centering for you can make a difference - if you can grab five minutes to go sit in a space you feel comfortable, away from your work, to breathe and think about something other than your work, that can be helpful

the next one is sorta like. tangential, but take care of your body as well - you're still a growing and developing human, so this is ESPECIALLY important, but drinking lots of water (and not too many sugary drinks/chemical drinks) and eating veggies and getting enough protein can literally make such a big difference in your brains ability to function at it's best. the other important thing here is sleep - every body is different, so keep in mind what your body does best on and (when you can) aim for that. between hydration, good nutrition, and sufficient sleep, you're laying a foundation that can help your brain be more successful throughout the day

I wish, ultimately, i had a perfect answer for the fucked up school system (esp in America which is what I'm most familiar with), but it honestly sets you up to fail. what (unintentionally) worked well for me was having a blow-off class or two - classes that were easy for me (like sign language, or French 1 after I'd already taken Spanish for several years) and could help boost my GPA without stressing me out as much. if you can find those classes- and definitely look for the ones that are easy for YOU, don't just ask around for the easiest classes - that can be a really nice break in your day and help relieve you of some after-school stress

here's another "honesty is the best policy" situation - if you find yourself struggling to understand a concept, or homework is taking you so much longer than some of your peers (or the teacher says theres only an hour of hw a night and you end up spending far longer on it) talk to the teacher! tell them you're struggling, and ask if you can get some help understanding a topic. be specific about what you dont understand (dont just go "I dont get it") and explain your thought process - this can help teachers understand where you're veering off the path and what you might be missing. and, more importantly, if you're coming in for help, they're more likely to be lenient with you because they know you're trying (yes I'm aware that was more a "school help in general" bit of advice but in case that's something you're struggling with)

now heres....maybe some controversial advice. take calculated risks. example: if a teacher has a policy where they drop your lowest homework grade in a class and you're doing alright in that class, but you have a day where you're saddled with WAY too much work for another class where you're struggling, it's okay to say "okay, today I need to go to sleep by 10pm, I can either finish this difficult homework or complete homework for the class that will drop a grade", sometimes it makes more sense to skip that one homework and get a zero to spend time dedicated to the class you're struggling in and get rest. in a similar vein, there is also a limit to studying - there is a point where you physically cannot absorb more knowledge. it is so much better for your brain - both from a focus and memory standpoint - to get a little extra sleep than to stay up late studying well past the point where you will retain knowledge.

now....again, I havent been applying to colleges in ages so my advice might be a bit stale, but colleges tend to look for good grades but also challenging classes, or improvement over time in classes, etc etc. they want to know you're working hard, and that you have diverse interests. college apps are a bit like resumes honestly, except you cant lie about your GPA. but like. you can fluff everything else. literally EVERYTHING becomes fair game with college apps. you can talk about fanfic or a fandom you're in if you phrase it the right way, like there are barely rules lmao. and you can make yourself sound very appealing

so my advice would be basically this: work hard, but learn your personal limits. figure out how much sleep a night makes you feel awake and focused the next day (again, it varies!) and aim for that as much as you can. try to eat nutritiously when you can, and drink lots of water. dedicate time to your homework and studying, but be sure to take regular breaks and ACTUALLY shift your brain away from your work during those breaks. and it's also good to dedicate time to life activities - like I said, colleges want to know you're a diverse person. spend time in clubs you like or playing sports if that's your thing, or do things unconnected to school. and remember, you can fluff that all up on a college app! but also remember - you have to live with you for the rest of your life, and there are so so many paths to a good job or a college education if that's what you decide you want, be sure to prioritize your health as much as you can. the education system tricks you into this never ending cycle of "if I just push through ___________ I'll get to ___________!" and taking that through your life can be really challenging and exhausting. I need to acknowledge that some of this is easy for me to say - I was a good test taker in high school, I went to college, and I bullshitted my way through (that's a whole other story lmao) but like. I need to acknowledge that, by some privilege and luck, I do have a college education. so when i say this next thing, please take it with a grain of salt, but there is more to life than chasing what society tells us to chase - there is family, there are friends, relationships, hobbies and interests and love and dreams and spending hours playing video games and SLEEP and getting sunburned cause you spent too long out under the sun photosynthesizing and collecting pens or shiny rocks and ANIMALS there is so so so much in life and I hate with such a burning passion that, for the first 22 years of our lives, we are told the ONLY thing in life is getting through college, getting a degree. again, I need to acknowledge that I say that with a background of privilege, and that education can help people get out of bad situations, etc, but there are many paths to education and they dont all require you to put life on hold to get there

let me tell u a story real quick, cause my education looks (from the outside) "easy" (turns out I had depression and eating disorders of all kinds yeehaw !!!!). my sister did NOT have an easy time in school - my parents could afford it, so she had a tutor for some of her challenging subjects, but she also dealt with anxiety and depression the entire time. she didnt get into the college she wanted to, but got put in a sort of program where, if she got good enough grades in some community college courses, she could get into the school. so she worked her ass off, dove even deeper into her mental health issues, but eventually did get in. and then she had challenging classes and didnt have a great support system, and she ended up failing out of many of her classes, to the point where she got put on academic probation. so she took a year off, got a job at a daycare, and I have literally never seen her happier or more well-adjusted. shes going back to school now, for early childhood education, and working part time at the daycare while she takes a light course load at school

another story for you - my aunt graduated high school and went straight into the workforce. she came from a dirt-poor family and couldn't afford it. she bounced around a bit, but eventually found company that she worked well with. they paid for her to go to school, and she finally got a degree many years after what we would consider "traditional". she had a few other jobs, but shes been at her current company now going on 20 years, has been through several promotions, and works directly with a c-suite employee. she is also the only woman in her office, a very traditional trucking company where she works with engineers on a daily basis

there are many paths to education, if that's where you want to go, and it's okay if it ends up looking different from the traditional path were told to follow. do what you can to avoid sacrificing your mental health for an education - if its what you want, you will get there. and remember to ask for help along the way!! I hope that helps a little, dear

[finsterhund]

Thinking

The reason I've been so depressed this past week is because I'm getting too old. It's frightening. Extremely frightening. I haven't mentally aged (beyond getting wiser and having more experience) since I was about 8 or 9 but my legal age, and more pressingly, my body have. And the fact that I am a very sickly person means that I'm aware of my mortality more than most people are. I can ignore it most of the time but now it's just sorta snuck up on me and I'm terrified. My bones are getting weaker, my chronic pain worsens, the flare ups when the air pressure changes are getting to the point that it can keep me off my feet when it happens.

I'm also aware of the fact that especially since moving up north that I don't have hardly any friends in real life within visiting range. I don't have people who can come over and hang out. Not only that, but I really can't deny how not having friends who will actually play with me, legitimately, actual play engagements, really does get me down more than I let on. Running around and having adventures and acting out fun elaborate stories like some sort of live action role playing isnt something I've actually gotten to do in a very very long time, because that's something most people grow out of incredibly quickly. I'm just sorta, starved for emotional stimulation, attention, and experiences. There really isn't a cure for this either.

Being stuck unable to mentally mature means that after a certain point socializing in a way that is natural for me becomes impossible. It's a very lonely experience and tbh it's made my depression a fair bit worse.

I also fear that me not getting access to medical attention is going to eventually mean i won't be able to at all and that it will be too late.

I'm just such an extremely lonely person, and I guess that's making the fact that I have a trauma disorder worse. Lack of mental stimulation means there's nothing to keep the voice of "hyperarousal" (stupid name for it but that's the official one) away.

I have trouble playing games and watching movies because my life just is so empty so much of the time that they're not enough to sedate how rabid my brain gets. I can't focus on things.

I'm sure I'm thinking so much about these things because my friend will be gone for a whole month and all that.

I got a large dog helium balloon that is very nice that I want to try to photograph. I am staring at it and it helps me feel better.

I keep thinking of how my birth mom is trying really hard to coerce me back there but I know I won't be healthy because she puts things above my personhood and safety. But the desire for parental affection is really strong.

I think first thing I need to get my friend to help me with when he gets back is to finally put me back on some sort of medicine for my disorder because although things weren't perfect back in like 2015 things felt easier to manage. But I think that was also because more things were going on in my life too.

I think it's that I know I should be making the nost of the time I have left but I'm incapable of doing things by myself.

My brain keeps beobg drawn back to the 90s where I can pretend I had a better childhood with better parents and everything appeared as if it was so much more simpler back then.

I'm sorry I've latched onto beanie babies so tightly that's just the biggest manifestation of that. I need too get back into the swing of drawing HoD fan art and scanning my traditional commissions but I'm realizing that I crave physical stimuli in life. The beanies are physical toys with more textile variation than copies of the game or digital stimuli. Its why I latch onto stuffed Whisky so much.

I think something that would really help would be to fix up vintage toy dogs and get them collars and stuff like that. I feel the failure with the baking soda upset me a bit too much.

I hope everything goes back to normal. I wish I could be self sufficient.

Also world news is very dark and depressing, bad people in the world, fears about the future of the websites I use, friends disappearing, me having to use a computer that isnt the best, just a bunch of factors that I guess tire me out.

My one friend says I need a vacation. Just the ability to go to one of those bright beaches with lots of sand and sit on a chair and drink iced tea and then play in the shallow water for a bit. That sort of thing. Not have to worry about money or anything. Just running around on the beach and having fun. I'm actually scared of the ocean and dont go swimming very much because of my pain but the cliche vacation still sounds very appealing. Just like going to Disneyland or going to Europe does. I wish I wasn't so blegh that I could go to water parks and stuff but that is very situational and health permitting. As is playing in snow. I'd like to go camping too.

Anyways, have a ded Andy.

Idk I'm going to try to sleep now. It's very hot here.

[gronjon44]

Ok. So I'm sure this has been done before, but I want to make a sort of "Petition" as to why we need an Overwatch film now

As popular as the game is and as much content as it may have, we lack a concise story that fills in the gaps that Blizzard has yet to fill. I think we could really use an animated film that can fill in what we need and or don't have. I have theories as to why they haven't made the film yet and solutions as to how to get it done without complications.

First, the Plot Holes

One big plot hole right off the bat that needs explaining is Reapers motives. He was a loyal member of Overwatch and friend to Jack Morrison. And yet he oh so willingly swapped sides to join Talon, even though he was angry at them and wanted to kill them, proof being Antonio. And he lost his good friend Gerard LaCroix to a Talon attack. There is no explanation to why he's changing sides with no real reason, he just does it.

I think if we had a film we could be given a real reason to why. Maybe Talon explained that Antonio was the only one responsible for Gerard's death, and the new Talon was what the world needed. Or maybe after the attack on The Swiss base, the event that caused the final fall of Overwatch, he was brought back and brainwashed himself like Widowmaker, turned into a violent monster who only remembers a hatred towards Overwatch, especially Jack and Ana.

Now this isn't the only Plot hole or empty info slot that needs to be filled. We need more explanations for different events, like what actually happened at the Swiss Base when it was blown up, who blew up the base, was it an inside job, Is Mercy secretly Gay and having an affair with Pharah idk. We need info.

Now we'll most likely (and by that I mean hopefully) get more info from the cinematic videos they release, but those are few in none, with the most recent being Dva in "Shooting Star". They may give us additional information as they release heroes but that isn't enough till they realease something worth us watching it for more than eight minutes.

And on the topic of new characters, that could be another reason why they haven't given much else in story. They may not feel like they have enough characters yet for a full film. But they don't need one full film they have the potential for a franchise. They can use the cast of characters they have and add more as the film gets enough popularity and money to make a sequel. They have the money and skill to make a film on par with the likes of Disney and DreamWorks, maybe something better. They just need to do it. Even a simple phrase of, "Oh we're considering it" or " Oh we have something in the works" that's enough hope to last for a year and a half. A Film would not only offer a new advertisement opportunity, but it would help bring in New money that they're gonna lose with the loss pf Loot boxes.

Now for those who don't know, certain countries have deemed Loot Boxes a form of Child Gambling, and are ordering Blizzard to pull them from the game. America isnt being affected yet by this but it will be. And when it does this is alot of money that the game is losing. A film would make up for a lot of lost revenue, helping to bring the game out more to the public. And honestly, I think they need a new movie based off one of their games after Warcraft.

Unrelated, I like Warcraft as a film. It offered enough story to be filled in by a sequel, it could become a strong trilogy franchise, and it had amazing cgi. But here's the thing.

IT SHOULD'VE STAYED ANIMATED

Like I said, Blizzard has animation that's on par with the likes of Disney and Pixar, hell even DreamWorks. They could become a full movie studio with no problem. But they faced the same problem like all video game film's. They went Live action.

Some games could work in Live action. Rampage pulled it off well. But I think Warcraft would've done better as an Adult Animated film. Now don't think I'm talking about it being like film's such as "Sausage Party" or "Happy Time Murders". But I think it would've made a good film. Adults can watch animated film's, as long as they appeal to the wider audience. And this is what they need to do with Overwatch if it becomes a film.

If you go on YouTube you'll find plenty of videos talking about Potential castings for an Overwatch Live Action film. And not to say they're bad choices the actors are amazing I'd recommend Andy Serkis to be Winston the man is a good at playing CGI apes. But I think the film would just transition better as an animated movie. And it doesn't have to be for kids, I don't think people realize this. Adults can like animated film's and cartoons too there's nothing wrong with it. They just need to do it right.

Now, I could be dumb and they've been planning it for a long time. But the thing is, the game will lose it's relevancy. Other games like Evolve and even Fortnite. They have the potential to be great movies or shows, Fortnite could be an amazing YouTube series and Evolve could've been one hell of a movie with an amazing cast. But Evolve lost its chance to make itself relevant after it stepped up to the plate. And Fortnite does what it can to stay relevant and it does a pretty good job so far, even taking endorsements from Samsung and Avengers: Infintity War. But Overwatch needs to do something. Or it'll die faster than you can say "Cheers Love"