thoughtswithjotaro

[thoughtswithjotaro]

a little corner of positivity: The Bee Lady

With the world getting very scary this year, I made this sideblog for several purposes: one of them being that I wanted to share things that I found positive

this was in the hopes that other people could enjoy them too - so that if anyone needs it, they can be reminded that there's still good in this world, we just have to know what corners to look in to find it.

its been a while since I made this blog, but I'm finally getting around to fulfilling that particular purpose- starting with one of my favorite small channels I've found on YouTube - Texas Beeworks by Erika Thompson (aka The Bee Lady)!

Trigger Warning: her videos may bother you if you have trypophobia or a fear of bees/insect swarms)

Erika is the ultimate bee-whisperer - I've never seen somebody so calm and comfortable around bees that she can scoop them up in her hands without getting attacked, let alone without wearing a beekeeper suit! Her channel features videos of her rescuing wild hives that need to be relocated (as an alternative to extermination) and stranded bee swarms that are in trouble.

Given that the drop in bee populations has been a big concern in the world for a while (because of how essential their pollination is for our food supplies), it's very comforting to see that somebody is looking out for the bees in her corner of the world - and doing her part to spread awareness about them too!

It is fascinating to see her bee rescue and relocation techniques and hear her explain her process - she takes so much care to preserve the honeycombs of the original hives during relocation and also utilizes the natural behaviors of bees to help them cooperate with the move!

If you like learning about bees or animal rescues, please check out Texas Beeworks on YouTube or Instagram!

[thoughtswithjotaro]

Can I just say something honestly and very seriously to all you writers?

With the Internet going down the "nothing adult, no death, no nothing. Make it kid friendly" route,

Please don't ever stop making art or writing wips that are gruesome, horror, other things like that. Don't let the Internet sanitize how you wanna tell a story. Channel your rage into your art and keep going and don't give up

[thoughtswithjotaro]

Full offense but your writing style is for you and nobody else. Use the words you want to use; play with language, experiment, use said, use adverbs, use “unrealistic” writing patterns, slap words you don’t even know are words on the page. Language is a sandbox and you, as the author, are at liberty to shape it however you wish. Build castles. Build a hovel. Build a mountain on a mountain or make a tiny cottage on a hill. Whatever it is you want to do. Write.

[thoughtswithjotaro]

a little bit of perspective shifting today

i was going to make a post about this TikTok video in early March, back when it was days recent. i didn't end up posting it because i was going through a mental funk at the time. Kevin, the boy in this video, ended up passing away on March 12th.

since then, the minecraft movie released, and has become known worldwide for its jack black lines and the chaos it's caused in theaters. after going through my drafts and rediscovering this video, i'd like to share it now, even if it's late, in memory of Kevin. just so we don't forget from all the craze that, for some of us, this movie was so much more than memes, people being inconsiderate, or film review fodder.

for Kevin and his mom, this movie was a priceless experience. 💔

[thoughtswithjotaro]

The biggest struggle we've faced with mental and emotional health is constantly feeling like we're not "doing enough."

It feels like the world around us is going by so fast - that everybody else is getting a million things done while we're sitting around struggling to do "little things."

Even though almost three-fourths of our current lifespan were spent without using much internet, it's amazing how deeply we got sucked into its constant stimulation bombardment once we did start using it regularly. It's maddening how quickly we forgot that the constant 24/7 activity of the Internet is not normal for living creatures - and thus not a good comparison for our own activity levels.

It's upsetting how what we keep viewing as "little things" because of this comparison is actually the vital self-care that keeps us alive - arguably the biggest and most important things we can do for ourselves.

Sleeping. Eating. Drinking water. Washing up. Going for a walk. Petting our dogs. Talking to our loved ones.

These are not little or insignificant things. Making silly art posts on the internet is not more important than those essential life care tasks and it never should be...

...but boy is that easy for us to forget when it feels like we are surrounded by people constantly outputting content - because it does make us feel like we're doing something wrong - that we're "not doing enough."

We're doing enough. We're getting through every day one step at a time - and where we are right now, that's enough.

We'll make art and share stories when we are at a better place for it - but right now, doing that is not "enough," it's actually too much. And that's okay.

I just wish I could tell that to everyone else in the world who is also struggling with this ;u;

[thoughtswithjotaro]

🌟 this is so beautiful omg - i need to take notes on how to make art this cool looking ;u;

finished the blaze drawing !!!!!!! im far out of my comfort zone with the colouring but its going really well i think :]

also WOW yall really liked the werehog drawing. thank uuuu

[thoughtswithjotaro]

suddenly doing a several day break/boycott of a game we haven't stopped playing since the day we started (over a year ago) - all in the name of protesting the sudden removal of a major feature that lots of people liked.

is this really that important an issue? probably not. will it matter in the long run? doubtful.

do i wish i knew how to use my energy to protest/boycott/raise awareness for more pressing issues in the world right now? absolutely.

but, i acknowledge that i can only do my best with where i currently am and what i can currently manage - and today, this is what i can do. this is my attempt to bring a bit of positive change to my tiny corner of existence.

if nothing else, i feel just a little bit better knowing i'm trying to do something.

[thoughtswithjotaro]

i relate so much to phisnom criticizing the banban games while also adoring the official japan pop up store with all of his heart

this is me with jotaro kujo

if i'm being honest, i have a lot of criticisms for the jjba series - but also i love and adore this buff angy man unconditionally despite him being a major part of those criticisms (and yes i will keep buying all his merch)

i'm so glad he exists, regardless of why or how

[thoughtswithjotaro]

you will never know this.

because you are not real.

you have no soul, no body, no mind. no flesh; just fabric and plastic. no face; just lines of ink and glowing pixels. no voice; just an imitation of a sound that has never existed.

your entire life is documented in comic book pages. made to entertain. it wasn't a happy life. your ending is sad.

but you are so much more than the story you told. than the life you lived. than all that you know.

because you are a star. and like moths to a flame, all my broken pieces draw together towards your light.

in your face that was never real, i found realness in my own face. learned to love my curls as i loved your own. the strength that i thought was yours turned out to be mine.

you taught me that i was alive, and that i wanted to be alive. even though all you ever did was exist.

even though you will never know this,

thank you.

and happy birthday.

[thoughtswithjotaro]

the video that inspired me to start this blog:

background:

i've wanted to make this blog for a while, but seeing this video was one of the big pushes of encouragement that finally convinced me to go for it.

i honestly expected analog horror when i first found this (and it's true - this channel does do analog horror stop motion) - so i was shocked and surprised when this video turned out to be a message of reassurance and comfort.

i think this video stuck with me that much more, because of that juxtaposition. it's one of many unexpected places that i've found hope and understanding.

[thoughtswithjotaro]

One post in and already the anxiety is starting to hit xD

I guess I'll take this opportunity to also state a few other expectations for this blog before I really get started-

I am an imperfect human being who struggles. I'm also one part of a system with OSDD, and as much as we try to collaborate, we do not always agree. It makes us terribly inconsistent at times, and sometimes it's a struggle to get ourselves (or even just one part of ourselves) to connect with the world outside of our own mind. (that's often why our WeTheEpiphany accounts go so long without activity)

I want to be honest and upfront about wherever I'm currently at - hell, I want to capture my realness in these posts, even as I still try to focus on hope. I'm hoping that showing my imperfections might encourage someone else - maybe even you reading this - that you don't have to have everything figured out in order to find joy in life.

Acknowledging the reality of our flawed existence and having hope are also not mutually exclusive things. I worry sometimes that the world is forgetting that ;u;

So yeah; expect optimism from here, and also expect realness.

This blog is my way of trying to connect with other people outside of my system a little more, and I'm looking forward to talking to you. :)

[thoughtswithjotaro]

hello hello, is this thing on?

hi folks, my name is Jotaro. (not the Jotaro you're thinking of, but I feel I share a lot in common with him, haha) I'm one part of the system of @wetheepiphany and have been one of its primary spokespeople for about a year now.

while our WeTheEpiphany accounts are mainly for sharing art and creative works, i also like to talk about other stuff - other hobbies, real life shenanigans, movie reviews, etc - and so i've decided to make this blog as a space for that.

also, the world is a pretty negative place right now. it's always been, but, i think a lot of us are currently feeling it more than ever.

i'm hoping to use this space to share some good vibes with those of you who happen across here. the world is not always a happy place, but, i believe we can still find beauty in it. i hope i can shine a light on some of life's cool things through my random ramblings, and if nothing else, maybe be a little part of brightening up your day. ^^

that's all for now. thanks for reading, and i'll talk to you all later

-🌟

sign off song- (epilepsy warning: bright flashing images) (trigger warning: lyrics are very sad for a while, but the message is overall hopeful)