#*I think the channel is a very worthwhile project

[eregyrn-falls]

Gravity Falls Revival Prospects Teased by Disney TV Boss (Exclusive)

By Russ Milheim Posted: June 05, 2024

(From "The Direct", original article linked above.) While Gravity Falls may have ended in 2014 on the Disney Channel, fans are still hoping for a revival—thankfully, that doesn't look too far out of reach, at least according to an update from a top Disney executive. The series may have ended in 2014, but since then, creator Alex Hirsch has published several books in the universe. This included Gravity Falls: Tales of the Strange and Unexplained, Lost Legends, and Journal 3. In fact, another book is even coming out later this year, called The Book of Bill, which tells the story of the show from the perspective of the big bad. However, while books are great and all, a continuation of the show would absolutely thrill the franchise’s fanbase. In an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Russ Milheim while promoting the release of Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation, Executive Vice President of Television Animation and Disney Branded Television Meredith Roberts gave a hopeful update on a possible Gravity Falls revival. She confirmed that they’re “in conversations with [creator] Alex [Hirsch]” before ending with an encouraging “never say never:” “You know, we're in conversations with Alex. He's about to publish a book with Disney on his project. And we also do some shorts. So never say never.”

What Could Be Next for Gravity Falls? While the update is a small one, plenty of fans will be thrilled to see even a slight glimmer of home. Sure, the new book releases are exciting, but not nearly as much as having the show back. If the show were to return, creator Alex Hirsch would likely want to introduce a new threat other than Bill. Admittedly, that's a high bar to clear. Perhaps a continuation would also age its leading characters, Dipper and Mabel. However, having older leads could transform Gravity Falls into a much different, more adult-based narrative. Either way, there's plenty of demand from fans to see the world of Gravity Falls again. Hopefully, that's something Disney can capitalize on sooner rather than later.

Since this is going around, and I haven't seen it posted here... well, here you go. What does it mean? Nobody knows! It may not mean anything. It's hard to tell whether this is just a Disney exec making noises for promotional purposes or what. I honestly would take this with a grain of salt until or unless Alex himself posts or tweets about it.

(My own thoughts: to be worthwhile, I strongly feel that any new Gravity Falls content would need to have the involvement of Alex Hirsch AND a good chunk of the other folks who worked on the show. People like Rob Renzetti, and others like Matt Braly, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Emmy Ciceriega, Dana Terrace, Matt Chapman, Jeff Rowe, etc. etc. It would probably be difficult to impossible to get everyone back, unless it was for a very limited project, like a TV-movie or something.

I'm not saying they would ALL need to be back, and I do also think you could find some new folks to work on the project who would be very good replacements for some of the original crew who might not be able to come back. But, I've said many, many times: Gravity Falls was not the work of only one man. I respect the hell out of Alex Hirsch, but, the show that we love had contributions from a lot of other people that went into creating the final product. If what we want is something as good as the original show, then I think it would need input from those people.

And even then, we still have to keep in mind that it can be difficult to recapture lightning in a bottle. Even if they got back a majority of the original team, it's 10 years later (ish), and all of those folks have been through a lot, and most haven't been working with each other. There's a groove that the crew of the show got into at the time, and they'd have to recapture that groove. It would be different in at least SOME ways. Maybe a GOOD different! A lot would depend on the enthusiasm they had for doing it.)

So, we'll see! Keep an eye out, though, for more news.

#gravity falls #alex hirsch #disney

[britofthebacklogs]

!Signal Boost!

A friend of mine is rebooting her youtube channel, which will mostly consist of story-focused play-throughs of games like Paranormal Files, Mystery Case Files, Stray Souls, and Dark Tales, with the occasional departure from these mystery/horror games to include a combo-breaker she's especially fond of. The first video, the introduction to Paranormal Files: Fellow Traveler, is HERE. Please check it out? Paranormal Files (like the other titles I've listed) is a fun series, and really picks up following the first game. I hope you'll come back to see the first game through, as well as the story which develops through the sequel games!

#*signal boost #*a post instead of a reblog: what a twist #*I think the channel is a very worthwhile project #*but she wonders “is it interesting enough?” #*“will anyone want to watch?” #paranormal files #mystery case files #dark tales #stray souls #HOS game #mystery #puzzles

[izicodes]

Improving Your Communication Skills

Hiya! This is a part 2 post of what I talked about in last Monday's post (LINK) where I talked about tips from my manager about 3 top skills to work on in the workplace, and I wanted to share them here! She mentioned; Work Ethic, Communication and Time Management.

Today, we will go over improving your communication skills in the workplace - but remember, her tips can be applied to any other environment!

What do 'communication skills' actually mean?

I believe we already know the definition but just in case: communication skills mean being able to express yourself clearly and listen carefully to others.

It's about sharing information, ideas, and thoughts with your coworkers, boss, and other important people at work, for example. The skills include how you talk and write, as well as how you use your body language and pay attention when others are speaking.

It's important to be able to understand what others are saying and respond appropriately.

Tips To Improving Your Communication Skills

Just like last time, it's a long list but worthwhile to think about! Here are all of the tips that my manager gave me and some extra notes I made afterwards:

Actively Participate In Team Discussions

Engage actively during team meetings and discussions. Share your thoughts, ideas, and ask relevant questions. I was very shy at the first ever meeting I attended and now I ramble on! It just takes time!

Seek Clarification

When assigned a task or receiving instructions, ask for clarification if anything is unclear. It's better to seek clarity upfront than to make assumptions and risk misunderstandings.

Offer Help And Support

Be proactive in offering assistance to your teammates when they need it. Collaboration and teamwork foster better communication.

Practice Effective Listening

Pay attention to what your colleagues are saying and show genuine interest. Avoid interrupting and allow others to express their thoughts fully.

Be Respectful And Considerate

Treat your teammates with respect and kindness. Be mindful of different perspectives and opinions, fostering a positive and inclusive team environment.

Be Responsive

Respond promptly to emails, messages, and requests from your teammates. Prompt communication helps maintain efficient workflows.

Use Appropriate Communication Channels

Utilize the right communication channels for different types of messages. For example, use email for formal requests and instant messaging for quick questions. At work, I use Microsoft Outlook for emails but we use Microsoft Teams for messaging people within the IT Department. I ask the Lead Developer lots of question via Teams!

Share Information And Knowledge

Share relevant information, insights, and resources with your team. Collaboration thrives on open communication and knowledge sharing. During my apprenticeship, one of the developers would always send me resources for C# for me to study on and I really appreciated that, it help build our relationship as well!

Communicate Progress And Challenges

Keep your team informed about your progress on tasks and projects. If you encounter challenges or roadblocks, communicate them early to seek support or find solutions together. This is something I do lack a bit, I didn’t want the Lead Developer to think I was ‘failing’, so I would wait until I understood and completed the task before telling him - but updating him frequently was something he wanted and appreciated, even if I was stuck!

Respect Deadlines

Stick to those agreed-upon deadlines for your deliverables. If you think there will be any delays, communicate proactively and discuss alternative solutions. Plenty of times the deadline has been pushed forward for some of my work tasks, sometimes months forward!

Use Professional And Concise Language

When communicating through written channels (documents, emails, etc), use professional and concise language. Plain and simple to read, no need to sound like a professor in the 50s just to sound "smart".

Foster A Culture Of Open Communication

Encourage open and transparent communication within your team. Be approachable and create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns. You don’t want people to feel ‘scared’ to discuss things with you!

I hope you learnt something today and have some kind of good self-reflection on your own communication skills. Again this is part 2 of 3 posts I made on skills for the workplace, you can check out part 1 "Improving Your Work Ethic" here - LINK~!

#resources #my resources #career advice post #coding #codeblr #programming #progblr #studyblr #studying #tech #work tips #work life #career #career tips #career advice

[solradguy]

I’ve seen you mention a lore server for Guilty Gear a couple times, is it possible you can share the link?? I’ve been trying to find a Guilty Gear server for a while. And also a quick question, but since you know a lot about the topic, are there any other ways I can contribute to the fandom rather than scans and translations that pertains to finding or salvaging lost media? My skillset is rather small but I am good at what I do know!

OH yeah, sorry, I should've shared the link for this ages ago. There are a couple GG servers (that I'm in) so I'll include them in a readmore at the end of this post, since Tumblr displays links as huge giant things.

As for contributing to the fandom, scans/translations are definitely the biggest thing, but there's always editing the wiki. Some of the pages are missing art or have little typos/oddly worded bits here and there. I don't know or talk to anyone who works on the wiki, but I get the impression that the team that does is incredibly small. I'd do it myself but I'm purposely avoiding it because I know I would get hyperfocused in a bad way...

There is a LOT of ancient GG fan content barely hanging in there online, like the stuff @xrd digs up and shares here occasionally. I think archiving stuff like that is really important. Saving backups of like pretty much any GG stuff online in general is important, imo. I can't count the number of times I've gone digging for something and was only able to find one archive/host for it online. The guides/encyclopedias suddenly getting erased from Archive.org the other day is a good example of what I mean. If Volcanic Fighter didn't have them in his personal archives, those scans very possibly could have become lost until someone else bought hard copies of the books and re-scanned them.

A bunch of Daisuke/Katano interviews I don't have manuscripts either, if that's something you'd be interested in preserving or working on. A couple of them are on the lore server but they're mostly just article links and not .PDF/.TXT compiles of the actual text of the interviews. They wouldn't need translated right away, but saving them and digging up the ones the server doesn't have, especially the really old ones from either magazines or websites, would be a worthwhile endeavor. It would definitely make it easier for a translator to work on later, having a text file of these articles.

I'm not sure what else you could work on tbh... But maybe poking around the lore server will give you some ideas or inspiration for a project.

Here are the server links:

GG Lore Rev - Main archive/lore server but has channels for like art/ff, memes, casual chat, etc

Robo-Ky Containment Chamber - Art-focused GG server. Really casual, lots of GG Tumblr regulars in here

The Missing Link - GG1 server. These guys make patches for Missing Link ("Minus R") and sometimes host ML tournaments. Relatively slow server, but I really like ML and I love that it has a dedicated community just for it

#asks

[wolveria]

Quick & Dirty Writing Advice

Just a few things I’ve picked up and learned from other authors:

Write what you want to read. Writing what you think will be popular will never be as satisfying, and it’s impossible to predict what will be popular anyway.

Writer’s block is a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are reasons that you’re “blocked” from writing, such as mental health, exhaustion, lack of time, etc., but writer’s block itself doesn’t exist. You don’t wait around for inspiration (and published authors certainly can’t, being on deadlines). You can dip into your well of motivation and inspiration by reading other books, watching movies/shows, talking about your projects, and rereading your own writing. But waiting around for your muse takes the control out of your hands. Writing is active, not passive. If you’re lacking motivation, write anyway, and the act itself may inspire you.

Burn out is a real thing. I’ve gone for months without writing because that’s what I needed to do. It didn’t make me any less of a writer, and it won’t make you less of one either.

Using the word “said” is great! It’s preferred 90% of the time! It’s one of those words that the reader skims over without noticing, which smooths the flow of your writing. When you add a different dialogue tag to every piece of dialogue (such as explained, argued, protested, agreed, etc), it slows down your writing and distracts from what’s actually being spoken. Use dialogue tags sparingly, and you’ll make a bigger impact when you use them.

Learn to stop leaning on filter words. Words like “feel” “noticed” “saw” “heard.” These words put distance between your audience and what the character is experiencing.

Example: “I felt his hand on mine.”

Can be changed to: “His hand touched mine.”

Example: “I smelled freshly brewed coffee coming from the kitchen.”

Can be changed to: “The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the kitchen, filling the air with its enticing scent.”

Want to write more? Then write! If you write consistently and with regularity, whether it be every day or every weekend, you get into the habit of writing. Put on ambient sounds, grab a snack, make a cup of tea, and do that every time. Your mind starts to associate those things with writing time and puts you in the mindset before you even open that doc.

Do not edit your WIP! Get that first draft written without going back to edit. I’m serious, don’t edit a thing until you’re at a point where you’re ready to post. Only then go back and edit, otherwise your writing momentum will grind to a halt. If you need to read back a couple paragraphs to get your bearings, then go for it, but I promise you you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor by leaving editing to the very end.

First drafts aren’t supposed to be pretty or even coherent. Their only purpose is to get words on the page. Let them be a mess. That’s what the editing stage is for, to clean everything up, add new scenes, delete redundant ones, whatever makes the story better. Besides, once you start writing more, the less editing you’ll need to do as your skills improve.

And for my last bullet point, similar to the dialogue tag advice, don’t overuse your adverbs. You don’t need to describe every action with an adverb. When you use them less, they make a bigger impact. There are other ways to describe your character’s action.

Example: “He spoke quietly.”

Can be changed to: “He dipped his head, casting a glance around the room as he spoke.”

I am guilty of adverb abuse and breaking a few of these rules myself, but once you learn the rules, you can gauge when and how to break them for the sake of elevating your writing.

This advice is meant to be practical, as it’s coming from someone who works over 40 hours a week and is often distracted by exhaustion and chronic illness. My time and energy is limited, but I find writing to be very worthwhile.

For more writing advice, I suggest Alexa Donne’s youtube channel. She started writing with fanfiction, so a lot of her information is applicable to fanfic authors too.

#writing #writing advice #fanfiction #author #quick i say as i'm once again long winded #there's so much more i could go over but i think that's the most useful for every writer #at least they were the most useful to me

[felassan]

New Mark Darrah video, on his channel Old Game Dev Advice: “Why I'm not worried about Dragon Age 4 (DAO edition)”

The vid description is as follows -

Discussed at the end of my Dragon Age: Origins memories and lessons video, I thought it was worthwhile to extract this into its own video.

Why am I not worried about Dragon Age 4? Or at least, why are many of the current worries VERY similar to things that happened on DAO?

You should check out the whole video here: https://youtu.be/K7NsTS9MtPw 

AAA Game development is a group exercise. [source]

In the video, he had this to say -

“When you look at Dragon Age 4 through the lens of what happened on Dragon Age: Origins, you actually see a lot of similarities. The team has been working on it for a really long time. The overall project direction has changed a couple of times. It’s gone one way and then come back to its original goals. Some key leadership members have departed and been replaced (I was the third or possibly fourth Executive Producer on Dragon Age: Origins, depending on how you count). The Creative Director changed late in the development of Dragon Age: Origins as well. But Dragon Age: Origins came out and it was very successful. I’m very confident in Dragon Age 4. I believe in that team, I believe in that vision, I believe that there is a continuity of vision and development within that team that is capable of making an incredibly amazing game and I think they are well-positioned to do that.

AAA games aren't made by individuals. This isn't about my brilliant vision driving the game to completion. It’s about the collective vision, the collective ideas, the collective creativity of the team, and while people have left the Dragon Age team, most of that team knows this IP, most of that team knows how to make a great game. My belief is that they're going to do that. I have every confidence in that team. And honestly I believe that EA is going to give them the space to do that. I think that EA learned lessons from Mass Effect: Andromeda and from Anthem and from the Mass Effect trilogy remaster and from Jedi: Fallen Order, and all of those lessons I think will help Dragon Age to be a great game. Don't worry about Dragon Age 4 because I’m not on it. Don't worry about Dragon Age 4 because any one person isn't on it. This is a large team and large teams have resiliency when it comes to the departure of individuals.”

[source and watch link]

#dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #video games #mass effect #anthem #mass effect: andromeda #dragon age: dreadwolf

[idrellegames]

Wayfarer Dev Log 2022.04.01

Hi friends,

Spring is here and while I didn't finish everything I had planned for the winter quarter, I have still completed a significant amount of work on Episode 2.

March was a pretty stressful month in terms of personal events and work/life balance. Unfortunately, this means that we'll be looking at a public launch later in spring/summer rather than earlier, but I am really pleased with the shape of the episode and I think the extra work is going to make it even more worthwhile to play.

Because Episode 2 is still in development, I will not be answering any coding or writing asks during the month of April. My inbox will stay open for all other types of questions. 💕

✦ The Public Build [Version 1.1.1.]

Patch 1.5.2 was released on March 28. This is an extremely small patch to fix an inventory bug and a couple continuity errors in Aegineta's scene.

If your Episode 1 playthrough took you to the Cove and you received duplicates of jewelry in your inventory from Lars Drakehand, you will have to restart from before that section to correct the error.

✦ The Alpha Build [Version 1.1.2.2.]

The alpha build received the same patch as the public to fix those errors.

Episode 2, Scene 4 is currently at 95,000 words of cumulative content. I am hoping to finish the rest of Episode 2 this month. Regardless, the next update to the alpha build will be the last. This is a beast of an episode and I will be very happy when it's complete!

✦ Special Announcement

Playtester applications are open! This will be for playtesting Episode 2 prior to its public release. Applications close on April 30th. Selected playtesters will be contacted by May 7th.

You must be 18+ and have a Discord account in order to playtest (all bug reporting is done through private playtester-only channels in the Wayfarer Discord server).

See this post for details. ✨

✦ On This Blog

No Twine, coding or interactive fiction writing tutorials were posted this month.

✦ On Patreon

Two in-depth progress reports on Episode 2's development.

I am now posting weekly sneak peaks of WIP material! These are available for all tier levels.

Twine tutorial on everything you need to know to make a character creator. This covers the basics (name, gender selection, pronouns, and custom pronouns) and advance options (such as appearances and backgrounds/origins), gives multiple examples of different methods, and comes with a Twine HTML file you can download and pop into the editor to play around with the code. [Apprentice tier and above]

If you’ve enjoyed Wayfarer, used my tutorials, or would like to support my work, please consider supporting me on Patreon (patreon.com/idrellegames). Patrons receive access to the alpha build, private channels in the Discord server, exclusive previews, bonus content, and other benefits.

Wayfarer is a passion project and creating it is a full-time commitment. Any little bit goes a long way to help me bring it to fruition.

If you aren’t in a position to support financially, reblogs, shares, ratings and comments, and spreading the word about the game are much appreciated and do a lot to help me out! 💕

#wayfarer #wayfarer if #interactive fiction #interactive novel #twine #twine game #indie game #indie games #cyoa #dev log

[compassionatereminders]

Dealing With Executive Dysfunction - A Summary

(The full post with elaborate explanations can be found here.)

Being a responsible adult doesn’t have to mean doing things perfectly - it means doing what you realistically can. Can’t eat 7 fresh veggies and fruits a day? Buy some veggie juice or a smoothie and chug that. Can’t make a proper, healthy meal? Add some extra protein to your instant noodles. Can’t do the dishes? Buy some paper plates. Don’t worry about doing things “the right way”, just do what works.

It’s not cheating to do something the easy way. If there’s an easy or more manageable solution available, use it. Even if some people think it’s lazy. Don’t worry about that. Just focus on finding the methods of doing things which make life easier for you.

Fuck what you’re “supposed” to do. Yes, ideally you shouldn’t run the dishwasher twice, but if cleansing the dishes by hand is not an option and that’s the only way you can get clean dishes, do it anyways! When you’re in a really bad place mentally, fuck the rules. Do what you need to do to get shit done, even if it’s not how you’re supposed to do it.

Do stuff while you’re waiting to do other stuff. We spend a lot of time waiting, so spend the time you’d normally just waste getting some chores done. Collect the trash while your roommate is in the bathroom or wipe down the kitchen counters while you’re making coffee. You can even turn it into a game! How many dishes can you clean before the potatoes are boiling? How much trash can you collect and throw out before your load of laundry is done?

You don’t have to do everything at once. Don’t wait for the day where you’re up for cleaning the entire house cause then you’ll be waiting for ages. You can wipe down one counter and call it a day. You can put away a couple things and leave the rest. You can do one small chore and let that be it. You don’t have to choose between doing everything and doing nothing. Any progress is worthwhile.

Let go of the idea that something has to become a permanent habit to have any value. Doing a certain sport for a month is still healthy even if you then move on to something else. Exploring a new hobby for a while and then moving on to other stuff will always teach you something. What’s good for you today will not necessarily be what’s good for you tomorrow.

Don’t worry about the entire task. Just focus on the first step. Don’t worry about brushing your teeth - just get your toothbrush wet and put tooth paste on it. Don’t worry about writing the essay - just look at the assignment and open a document. Don’t worry about going to the store - just put on your coat and your shoes. Starting a task is a lot easier if you only focus on the step right in front of you.

Imagine that your body is a pet/animal you have to care for. Feed and hydrate yourself, keep yourself and your environment clean, make sure you don’t get under or overstimulated, allow yourself time to rest and relax, find ways to enrich your life (like socializing, media or hobbies) - and do your best to make sure you’re healthy and happy, even though you never actually signed up for being your own zookeeper.

Just because you can’t do it perfectly doesn’t mean you should stop trying. Packing lunch a couple times a week is better than never packing lunches. Journaling or making art once a month is better than never doing anything creative. Exercising every once in a while when you have the energy is better than never exercising. You don’t have to do something every single day for it to be important and helpful.

Put on a professional persona when it’s necessary. Try to separate the anxious and dysfunctional you from the Student You who’s sending that important email or the Client You who’s making that phone call or the Customer You who isn’t afraid to ask for help. It might feel like you’re performing a role, but to be honest, most of us do at times.

When you’re doing chores, act like you’re filming a tutorial. Narrate what you’re doing like someone’s watching. That might make it easier to maintain focus and to keep track of the various steps.

You don’t have to do anything perfectly. Wiping yourself off with some baby wipes beats not doing anything about your personal hygiene. Eating a protein bar beats not eating. Using mouthwash beats neglecting dental hygiene completely. Going for a quick walk beats not moving. It doesn’t have to be perfect to count and make a difference.

Make something you know you have to do the trigger for you to start doing something else. Tell yourself “next time I get up to pee I’ll take out the trash” or “when I get up to get something to drink next I’ll make lunch.” If you HAVE to get up anyways, you might as well.

Assign yourself a deadline. Tell yourself “once this video is over, I’ll do the dishes” or “once this alarm rings, I’ll do my laundry.” 

If you struggle to be compassionate towards yourself, try visualizing your future self as a separate person who you like and want to do favors for. Try to think of your future self as a friend who is separate from your current self and do what you can to make their life easier by doing things like preparing that lunch, doing those chores, taking that shower or making fun plans. I know they’ll be grateful.

Make putting stuff back where it belongs so easy that you “might as well.” Organize your home so that placing stuff where it belongs becomes so easy that you might as well just place it there. For many people that means several laundry baskets, many trash cans and easily accessible and very visible storage options. So if you keep finding things in annoying places, make sure they get an easily accessible home!

Look into why you can’t do something. Is something about the chores you’re struggling to do actually causing you sensory distress and is there something you can do to make it more comfortable? If you hate mint toothpaste, get one that tastes like bubble gum. If old food grosses you out, do the dishes with thick gloves on. If showering makes you feel bad about your body, shower with the lights off. The problem isn’t always about self discipline, and in those cases it’s worth looking into why you’re struggling so much to get certain chores done.

Take care of yourself in order to take care of others ( whether pets or people.) Outside motivation is necessary for many people who struggle with executive dysfunction. For many people getting out of bed is easier when you know someone else is relying on you being somewhat functional. So don’t be afraid to find the motivation to take care of yourself in wanting to take care of others.

Make keeping your place clean as easy as possible. Make sure there’s easy one step access to the things you need often. Make sure that the place where a thing is supposed to be is actually within reach of where you use the thing. Make sure everything has a an easily accessible place to go, even if that means several laundry baskets and several trash cans. Examine what’s messing up your place and find a home for it where you’re likely to actually place it on a regular basis.

Choose one very specific thing to work on - like the bathroom sink or the oven or your desk. If you suffer from executive dysfunction you’ll likely be distracted, but having one specific focus point you can keep returning to will mean that in between getting distracted, you can return to your chosen project and get some shit done.

When something feels overwhelming, tell yourself to “just show up” and that you “won’t have to stay the whole time if it’s horrible.” Cause odds are that once you’ve pushed past your initial mental block, you’re likely to stay and finish what you started.

If you really can’t do something, accept your limits and find a different method. Don’t keep trying to push through via willpower alone. If you need outside accountability to get your shit done, find someone who can hold you accountable. If you know you can’t remember the stuff you’re supposed to remember, make sure to always write things down. If you keep forgetting your meds, set a daily alarm. Don’t keep expecting yourself to be able to do things you always struggle with.

Make your chores into a game. Assign certain chores certain points and make a list of fun rewards you can have once you’ve earned a certain amount of points through doing chores.

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly. Any amount of effort is better than none, so on days where you can’t do something well, do it anyways! Any amount of progress beats not getting started.

Find a momentum and use it to do that thing you’ve been struggling to start doing. You can’t get yourself together to shower? Well, find something you CAN do - and once you’re already doing something, you might be able to channel said energy into showering.

Take it one step at a time. I know a shower sounds overwhelming, but can you take your clothes off? If yes, can you turn on the shower? If yes, can you stand under the stream? Look who just tricked themselves into doing the thing by breaking it down into manageable chunks!

Don’t just break a task into smaller steps - break it into steps so small you can’t possible get overwhelmed and fuck up. “Clean my room” is far too vague - but “set a timer and collect all the trash you can in 10 minutes” is actually manageable and so is “move all dirty dishes to the kitchen” or “remove and/or sort all clothes laying on the floor.”

Don’t worry about how most people do things - worry about what works for YOU. You constantly lose your key? Make ten copies. You overlook your post it notes? Put something with the important reminder on it in front of the door. Got laundry and trash all over the floor? Get more laundry baskets/trash cans. Coping with executive dysfunction is not about learning to do things the neurotypical way, it’s about finding strategies which actually work for you.

When you’re overwhelmed and struggling, find the easiest and fastest way to get rid of some of the distress. Eat if you’re hungry, sleep if you’re tired, pee if you have to, get that thing you’ve been postponing done if you can. The more stressors you can remove, the better - and it’s okay to start with the smaller ones!

Don’t worry about aesthetics. When you struggle with executive dysfunction, maintaining a picture perfect home is probably unrealistic. So drop that dream and focus on making your space practical and functional. Remove the doors of your kitchen cabinets and closets if that will actually make you put stuff away. Get a paper shredder and a mail sorting station if you got mail and advertisements everywhere. Buy all your socks in one color if you struggle to pair them. There are many ways to make your environment more functional. Explore them instead of just trying and failing to make your home look nice.

Get started on your next task before you take your break. Write that first sentence, make that first sketch, get the vacuum cleaner out of the closet or collect the dishes for washing and THEN have your break. Many people with executive dysfunction struggle to start tasks, so for most of us it’s easier to continue something we’ve already started working on than to begin from scratch.

#kat gets serious #coping #executive dysfunction #disability #mental illness #self care #recovery

[yasminbenoit]

“A Romantic Partner Won’t Complete Me, Because I Was Born Complete”: How Identifying As Asexual & Aromantic Brought Me True Freedom & Happiness | Yasmin Benoit for British Vogue

There is a phase in our lives where everyone seems asexual and almost everyone seems aromantic. It wasn't until puberty kicked in that platonic relationships seemed to take a backseat. My peers stopped wanting to play together and started wanting to 'date' each other. That was when I started to realise that there was something different about me. I didn’t seem to be experiencing the same urges as those I was around. I chose to go to an all girls school in the hopes that – in the absence of boys – everyone would stop caring about sex and dating. It actually had the opposite effect. There was a sense of deprivation in the air and the heightened desire to project their sexuality onto anything and everything.  

Therefore, my lack of interest became even more obvious, and it became a not-so-fun game to work out the source of what should be troubling me, but hadn’t been until that point. Having a sexual orientation isn’t just natural, it’s essential. It’s part of being a fully-functional human being. And to be romantically love and be loved by another is the ultimate goal. It’s part of being normal, which made me both abnormal and puzzling. When your asexual, people think there’s something wrong with your body. When you’re aromantic, they think there’s something wrong with your soul. Even for a teenage girl who internalised all of Disney Channel’s “be yourself” messages, it’s never nice to have people publicly debate your supposed physical and psychological flaws.  

My nickname in school was “hollow and emotionless.” I was a joker with a decent amount of friends, but I was lacking something crucial, the kind of love that really mattered and the kind of lust that made life exciting...so I was practically Lord Voldemort with braids. I sat through the regular DIY sexuality tests, having my peers show me graphic sexual imagery, have very sexual conversations in my presence, and ask me inappropriately intimate questions to gauge how far gone I truly was. These tests lead to the development of theories, most centred around me having some kind of mental problem. After a while, you start to wonder if everyone knows something you don’t.

When they said that I must have been molested as a child and “broken” by the trauma, I wondered if I had somehow forgotten about sexual abuse that actually hadn’t happened. I looked at some of my own relatives with suspicion, the same people who would later ask me if I didn’t experience sexual attraction because I was a pedophile. It was suggested that I was “suffering” from my “issues” because I was socially anxious and insecure. The suggestion that my ‘issue’ was pathological stayed with me for a long time, but not as much as the widely accepted theory that I was mentally slow. Unfortunately, that one stuck. I was referred to as “stupid” and I started to believe that was the case. It would impact my experience in education for the next eight years, long after I realised that there was a word for what I was.

Asexual.

I first heard the word during one of the near-daily sexuality tests that I was subjected to. I was asked if I was gay, to which I said that I wasn’t interested in anybody like that – men or women. At fifteen, I was asked, “Maybe you’re asexual or something?” but it wasn’t quite a lightbulb moment. How could it be when I had never heard the word outside of biology class? After an evening of Google searching, I realised that there were many people with my exact same experience, complete strangers whose stories sounded so strangely similar to mine. I also stumbled across the word ‘aromantic,’ but at the time, I didn’t understand the need for it. "Wouldn't all asexual people be aromantic? A romantic relationship without sex is just friendship with rules,” I thought.

Either way, my discoveries showed me that I wasn’t alone, but that only half helpful. I now had an identity that no one had heard of or understood. Most didn’t believe that being asexual or aromantic was a real thing, and I doubted it to. I had been taught to after years of armchair pathologisation. If asexuality was real, why did no one tell you that being sexually attracted to nobody was an option? What if it was just an internet identity made up to comfort people with all of the issues that had been attributed to me? I didn’t have to go far down the rabbit hole to realise that asexuality, like many non-heteronormative identities, had been medicalised. What I had experienced as just the tip of the iceberg. As someone who hadn’t been prescribed drugs I didn’t need or subjected to unnecessary hormone tests, I was one of the lucky ones.

My activism would be my gateway to the community. Despite being the ugly friend at school, I ended up becoming a model while in university. I decided to use the platform I had gained through my career to raise awareness for asexuality and aromanticism. It gave me the opportunity to encounter a range of asexual and aromantic offline, it was then that I learned the significance of having an aromantic identity. There are many asexual people who still feel romantic attraction, as well as aromantic people who still feel sexual attraction. They have their own range of experiences, their own culture, their own flag, and like the asexual community, I was relieved to see that they are just normal people. These intersecting communities are not stereotypes. They weren’t just thirteen year old, pink haired kids making up identities on Tumblr to feel special. They were parents, lawyers, academics, husbands, girlfriends, artists, black, white, young, old, with differing feelings towards the many complex elements of sexuality and intimacy. Most importantly, they were happy.

I am proud to be part of both, and I know that while being asexual and aromantic, I am a complete person and I can live a perfectly fulfilling life. Since meeting members of my communities, I’ve become more open about my identities in real life, and a reaction I’m often met with is sympathy. “You must feel like you’re missing out,” “I can’t imagine being like that,” “It must be hard for your family,” “Do you worry no one will want you?” “How do you handle being so lonely?” “You’re so brave and strong,” “What will you do with your life now?” Even in 2021, a woman who isn’t romantically loved or sexually desired by their “special someone” is perceived as being afflicted with some kind of life-limiting condition.  

Asexuality doesn't make undesirable or unable to desire others. It is a unique experience of sexuality, not a deprivation from it. Even if it was, there is so much more to life than what turns us on and what we do about it. Romantic love is just one form of love, neither superior nor inferior to any other. Being aromantic doesn't mean that you can't love or be loved, it does not mean you are void of other emotions or capabilities. I am not lonely with my friends, family, co-workers and supporters. I feel confident not when someone wants to date me but when I meet my goals and form worthwhile connections with others. My success isn't determined by whether someone will want to marry me someday. What we want out of life is our decision alone, our sources of happiness should not be defined by our ever-changing, culturally relative social standards. The love of a romantic partner won't complete me because I was born complete. Feeling sexual attraction to others won't liberate me because my liberation is not dependent on other people.

Valentine's Day is on the horizon. It's an occasion that amps up the focus on (and the pressure to achieve) a very specific type of love and sexual expression, one that is actually alienating for people inside and outside of the asexual community. During a pandemic where many relationships have been strained, tested, formed or distanced, it's important to keep the diversity of romantic and sexual feelings in mind. Many expect me to feel annoyed or lonely during this time of year, but I actually feel empowered and excited by the way sex, romance and love are discussed more deeply around this time. These conversations are constantly expanding to become more inclusive for everyone, and that's what we need to see all year round.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/asexuality-and-aromanticism

#yasmin benoit #valentines day #british vogue #asexuality #aromantic #aromanticism #aroace #asexual #this is what asexual looks like #thisiswhatasexuallookslike

[queersatanic]

@QueerSatanic social media

As the year ends, a little wrap-up of what we've been up to and where:

Facebook Satanic Antifascism: For now, this is mainly in-depth articles and some historical essays that are valuable as information but hated by the algorithm. At some point, we'd like to have the free time to go much more into the political Satanism of the 19th century which was associated with anarchism and socialism, and how these things are inherently opposed to the essentialism, stratification, and hierarchies of fascism.

Facebook Evergreen Memes for Queer Satanic Fiends: Your friendly neighborhood queer satanic meme page. We'd hoped we might end the year with 18K followers, but it doesn't look like we'll quite get there. Still, this is quite the come-up since the start of the pandemic in the USA when it had less than 500 followers. As it's the one being used as an excuse to try to continue a SLAPP suit against us, we try to confine most of our talk about The Satanic Temple here as well.

Facebook Anarchist Dreams With Queer Satanic Themes: Our backup queer satanic meme page. It mostly fills the same lane as "Evergreen" and we do a lot of crossposting but try not to outright duplicate everything. We also post a little less about TST over there.

Instagram @QueerSatanic: Primarily original content memes.

Twitter @QueerSatanic: A potpourri of 1.) absolute shitposting, 2.) quick OC memes for screenshots, 3.) retweets of very smart people you should be listening to (particularly on disability rights; Indigenous, Black, Brown, and Asian antiracism; antifascism; anticapitalism; and queerness), and 4.) Tweet threads about what latest awful thing we've discovered that The Satanic Temple and/or its leaders have done. A great place to publicly correct us if you see us make a factual error, btw (sincerely).

Reddit u/QueerSatanic: A little bit of shitposting. Some Satanism discourse but branching out into political and religious conversations more generally. The Satanic Temple's defenders really hate us over there, and the LaVeyan Satanists tolerate us except when we criticize Stinky Tony and his bad ideas.

Tumblr @queersatanic (hi): Not just discourse but ~d i s c o u r s e~, as well as some slightly more polished versions of those Twitter threads

Medium @QueerSatanic: This is the final version of those Twitter threads, written to be worthy of citation by other people or as resources for people looking for information directly. Relies heavily on work from collaborative project "The.Satanic.Wiki"

TikTok @QueerSatanic: This exists, but we have a lot to do already and videos are hard, so there's nothing there right now. Speaking of which

Patreon /QueerSatanic: We're working on what exactly it makes sense to paywall since we basically just want everyone to know everything we know as soon as we know it. But maybe making some video content with feedback from interested supporters would be worthwhile? We do have a YouTube channel and would like to do some readings of older texts so people have the option of ear-reading to them as well as eye-reading.

Redbubble people/QueerSatanic: We have designs donated by artist Hate Kill and tattooist/artist Vox Dombek (@AgenderBlob). If you ever send us a picture of you with our stuff, we love to re-post it because it makes us feel good.

And that's it? We think that's it. Except—

Moreover, we're still being sued by The Satanic Temple in federal court. Check the pinned post for more.

#Queer Satanic #Satanism #The Satanic Temple #year in review #your year in review #@QueerSatanic

[thethistlegirlwrites]

OC Enneagram types!

@nade2308 I haven't been able to stop thinking about doing this since the Enneagram conversation came up in the Discord, so here it is! My seven main characters (sorry, Rowan, I'm not confident enough to type a tree just yet) and their Enneagram types, plus a short explanation and some quotes about their basic type and wing!

Robin - 4w3 As a basic type of a 4, Robin sees himself as fundamentally different from other people. He isn't sure how to fit into the world, since his dual fae-human nature leaves him feeling on the outside of all of it. He feels broken and incomplete, and keeps trying to create a place that he fits. The 4 tendency to imagine a world where they can belong led him to idealize the hunter world and want to join it like his father, despite his grandfather's warnings against it. The 3 side of his personality is also involved in the effort to fit in, to make himself into an acceptable version that people will like. “Fours feel that they are unlike other human beings, and consequently, that no one can understand them or love them adequately. They often see themselves as uniquely talented, possessing special, one-of-a-kind gifts, but also as uniquely disadvantaged or flawed. More than any other type, Fours are acutely aware of and focused on their personal differences and deficiencies...Healthy Fours are willing to reveal highly personal and potentially shameful things about themselves because they are determined to understand the truth of their experience—so that they can discover who they are and come to terms with their emotional history. This ability also enables Fours to endure suffering with a quiet strength. Their familiarity with their own darker nature makes it easier for them to process painful experiences that might overwhelm other types.” “Threes learn to perform in ways that will garner them praise and positive attention.” John - 6w5 John is deeply tied to his roots, following the family tradition of becoming a hunter with no question of whether or not that was what he wanted to do. To him, duty is the highest thing to seek after, and individual personal goals must always be secondary to what has to be done. the 5 side of his identity comes into play in his work; John feels a sense of pride in working from the shadows, knowing about vampires but hiding that secret from the larger world for its own protection. Like his great-grandfather, he's the sort of person who seeks out a person to be devoted to. Until his brother died, Gabe was the tethering force in John's life. After his death, John drifted away from his home, searching for a new connection, but struggling to find it. “Sixes are the most loyal to their friends and to their beliefs. They will “go down with the ship” and hang on to relationships of all kinds far longer than most other types.”Wanting to feel that there is something solid and clear-cut in their lives, they can become attached to explanations or positions that seem to explain their situation. Once they establish a trustworthy belief, they do not easily question it, nor do they want others to do so. The same is true for individuals in a Six’s life: once Sixes feel they can trust someone, they go to great lengths to maintain connections with the person who acts as a sounding board, a mentor, or a regulator for the Six’s emotional reactions and behavior.” “Investigating "unknown territory"—knowing something that others do not know, or creating something that no one has ever experienced—allows Fives to have a niche for themselves that no one else occupies.” Kira - 5w4 Knowing she would struggle to fit into normal society because of her deafness, Kira seeks to make herself important to others by making discoveries and creating new things. She often called on the 5 tendency to rely on their knowledge and curiosity in her classes, and made a name for herself as the smart girl, not just the Deaf girl. Her passion for strange and new fields of study allowed her to keep an open mind when she first learned of the existence of vampires, and also helped her delve deeply into the lore surrounding them when she became a vigilante hunter. As she's grown, Kira has become more in touch with the 4 side of herself as well, accepting her uniqueness and seeing that as a gift. “Behind Fives’ relentless pursuit of knowledge are deep insecurities about their ability to function successfully in the world.  Fives “take a step back” into their minds where they feel more capable. Their belief is that from the safety of their minds they will eventually figure out how to do things—and one day rejoin the world. Fives are not interested in exploring what is already familiar and well-established; rather, their attention is drawn to the unusual, the overlooked, the secret, the occult, the bizarre, the fantastic, the “unthinkable.” ” “Fours maintain their identity by seeing themselves as fundamentally different from others.” Cody - 2w3 Cody is at heart a giver. He grew up being the friend Robin needed, and that was such a formative part of his identity that when Robin left Rowan House to become a hunter, Cody felt adrift. As the youngest child of his family, he'd relied on his friendship with Robin as an outlet for his need to be useful and needed, since his siblings didn't seem to want the nurturing. Since then, he's channeled that into his work, where he enjoys helping people find the information or books or other help that they need at the library. While he's very selfless, Cody is also ambitious, deeply driven to create stories that he can share with the world. His drive to become a published, successful author is the main evidence of his 3 wing. "Being generous and going out of their way for others makes Twos feel that theirs is the richest, most meaningful way to live. The love and concern they feel—and the genuine good they do—warms their hearts and makes them feel worthwhile. Twos are most interested in what they feel to be the “really, really good” things in life—love, closeness, sharing, family, and friendship. Healthy Twos are the embodiment of “the good parent”: someone who sees [people] as they are, understands them with immense compassion, helps and encourages with infinite patience, and is always willing to lend a hand—while knowing precisely how and when to let go." "Threes are often successful and well liked because, of all the types, they most believe in themselves and in developing their talents and capacities. Threes want to make sure their lives are a success, however that is defined by their family, their culture, and their social sphere. No matter how success is defined, Threes will try to become somebody noteworthy in their family and their community." Maira - 9w8 Maira's basic 9 type has allowed her to navigate her world by finding the paths of lesser resistance. She's wise enough to know when to back down and seek another route to her goal, and this has gotten her far in her world. People respect her shrewd 'chess match' movements, but also like her as a person since she has managed to maintain a reputation of being even-handed, understanding, and willing to seek negotiated solutions. But making the mistake of thinking Maira is a pushover is a dangerous one. Her 8 side is strongest when she encounters an injustice or cruelty. Maira has her breaking point, and woe to the person who pushes her over it. "Peacemakers are the skilled mediators and counsellors in a group of friends or coworkers. They work hard behind the scenes in order to keep the group harmony steady and flowing. As children, they knew how to get along with each classmate, making them a great addition to any group project. They can easily see the many different sides to an issue and tend not to jump to conclusions quickly, if at all. Complacent and humble, Peacemakers are stable and gentle, willing to go the extra mile to avoid rocking the boat. Soft-spoken yet firm in their personal stances, they make an effort to neutralize tension and restore group harmony." "Eights have enormous willpower and vitality, and they feel most alive when they are exercising these capacities in the world. They use their abundant energy to effect changes in their environment—to “leave their mark" on it—but also to keep the environment, and especially other people, from hurting them and those they care about. At an early age, Eights understand that this requires strength, will, persistence, and endurance—qualities that they develop in themselves and which they look for in others." Emma - 5w6 Emma's 5 tendency to acquire esoteric knowledge is one of the reasons she's risen so rapidly in vampire society since her turning. She's learned a great deal about herself and her fellow vampires, and she uses that knowledge to her advantage. She's well known for being not only on the cutting edge of knowing what's happening in the city, but for being able to analyze that information and interpret what it will mean for the vampire community and the wider city population. Her 6 side is evident in her formation of a coven that accepts vampires who were not turned by its own members, giving outcasts or vampires who broke free from their sires like her a place of safety. "Fives think, “I am going to find something that I can do really well, and then I will be able to meet the challenges of life.” They therefore develop an intense focus on whatever they can master and feel secure about. Depending on their intelligence and the resources available to them, they focus intensely on mastering something that has captured their interest. Much of their time gets spent "collecting" and developing ideas and skills they believe will make them feel confident and prepared. They want to retain everything that they have learned and “carry it around in their heads.” " "Sixes rely on structures, allies, beliefs, and supports outside themselves for guidance to survive. If suitable structures do not exist, they will help create and maintain them." Arion - 7w8 Arion is perhaps the poster child of the dangerous side of the 7 type. A hedonistic pleasure seeker, he's driven by filling his life with whatever he enjoys. He has acquired a wide range of talents and interests. But his vampire bloodthirst is his most intense drive. Unlike some vampires who control and manage their impulses, Arion embraces them. He revels in the pleasure of drinking real blood, and sees nothing wrong with seeking it out. His 8 side makes him truly dangerous, because in addition to his craving for a life of comfort and ease, he has a powerful drive to do whatever it takes to attain that goal. While he is fully capable of luxuriating in his pleasures, he is also willing to temporarily put them aside in pursuit of one he believes will be even greater." "Sevens are enthusiastic about almost everything that catches their attention. They approach life with curiosity, optimism, and a sense of adventure, like “kids in a candy store” who look at the world in wide-eyed, rapt anticipation of all the good things they are about to experience. They are bold and vivacious, pursuing what they want in life with a cheerful determination. Sevens are compelled to stay on the go, moving from one experience to the next, searching for more stimulation." "Eights do not want to be controlled or to allow others to have power over them. Much of their behavior is involved with making sure that they retain and increase whatever power they have for as long as possible. They often refuse to “give in” to social convention, and they can defy fear, shame, and concern about the consequences of their actions. Although they are usually aware of what people think of them, they do not let the opinions of others sway them. They go about their business with a steely determination that can be awe inspiring, even intimidating to others."

Taglist: @nade2308 @cmvorra @bands-space-and-monsters-oh-my @catwingsathena @asloudasalone @anguishmacgyver @flowing-river24 @myhusbandsasemni @floh673 @teddythecat1234 @bkworm4life4 @viawrites-andacts @amarilloskies

If you want to be added to or removed from my taglist for Magic & Silver stuff, just let me know! (Type description references taken from https://www.enneagraminstitute.com and https://www.truity.com/enneagram/9-types-enneagram) 

#magic & silver #my ocs #robin #angus robinson #john stoker #kira burke #maira lawson #cody dayton #emma cole #arion #enneagram

[ofcloudsandstars]

Celestial Forecast

Week May 11-17

Highlights:

On Monday the 11th Mercury enters Gemini

On Wednesday the 13th Venus retrogrades in Gemini and Mars enters Pisces

On Thursday the 14th is the Last Quarter Moon in Aquarius and Jupiter retrogrades in Capricorn

On Friday the 15th, there will be powerful aspects with the sun and planets in Pisces causing us intense inner transformation all weekend long.

Wow... This week is just one long aftermath of the Full Moon in Scorpio. That moon made us review what was no longer serving us in life and forced us to let some things go. With Pluto in retrograde we will begin a journey collectively witnessing sudden ends in society and transforming together yet also individually we will go through personal transformations. These will all be amplified by Jupiter in retrograde this week asking us to grow within and work on our personal philosophies, Venus in retrograde asking us to review our relationships and values and Saturn in retrograde which is asking us to review our responsibilities and goals we set for ourselves. With all of the intense aspects to come this week, it's time for us to change ourselves for the better and shed away the old to hopefully usher in a new beneficial reality in the long term.

Note: time is set to GMT. 

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11th

Mercury in Taurus squares Mars in Aquarius Mercury enters Gemini ☾♑  Moon Squares Eros in Aries ☾♑  Moon Trines Sun in Taurus ☾♑  Moon Sextiles Neptune in Pisces

Energy: Mercury returns to it's home sign in Gemini! Our minds will feel open to learning new things, information can flow easily and we will feel very mentally active for these few weeks. However before Mercury returns home, it will square Mars in Aquarius while it's still in Taurus. This square will create tension that can lead to rushed thinking, short tempers and frustration. But once Mercury transitions it will be like a light bulb going off and clearing the path of the stress the square can make. The tension can be a point you can focus on overcoming once the shift is made as often negative feelings are like smoke detectors for things we need to pay attention to.

The energy will feel very determined and heightened today as the Moon in Capricorn will square Eros in Aries giving us the hostile drive to pursue our desires no matter the cost. This inner drive will help us accomplish overcoming whatever obstacle the Mercury x Mars square could bring up, but make sure to not get too rash with the Eros energy cause it can lead easily to built up frustration and blow outs. Alternatively the Eros square can make us feel sexually frustrated. Communicate with your partner what you need or take some time to treat yourself. The moon will trine the Sun in Taurus that will help mellow out the tone of the day. Though you can face obstacles you will be aligned in both heart and soul to take on whatever comes your way. This will also make the home life more balanced and harmonious. This beneficial trine will make sure a lot of things go smoothly. Lastly the moon will sextile the dreamy Neptune in Pisces heightening our psychic abilities and adding more depth to our dreams. This is a great day for creativity, divination, listening to your intuition and working on your psychic abilities.

Recommendations: divination, channeling energy into art or creative projects, dream oracling, sex magic, mercurial magic, manifestation

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12th

Mercury in Gemini Trines Saturn rx in Aquarius

☾♑  Moon Conjuncts with Jupiter and Pluto rx in Capricorn ☾ VOC 11:29AM-6:38AM ☾♒ Moon enters Aquarius ☾♒ Moon Conjuncts Saturn rx in Aquarius ☾♒ Moon Trines Mercury in Gemini

Energy: The good mental flow will continue today as Mercury will trine Saturn rx in Aquarius. With Saturn retrograding this trine will be beneficial for catching up on unfinished work that is neglected or procrastinated. This will also be good energy to review on any work you want to personally improve on as Saturn retrograde helps with self work. Whatever efforts you put your mental abilities on today can bring positive permanent lasting results and achievements. This will also be great energy for looking to history and elders for advice or inspiration as you can find unexpected answers there!

The moon will wrap up it's transit in Capricorn by conjuncting both Pluto rx and then Jupiter in Capricorn. The energies fused can bring up intense emotions and soul connection that will be expanded and hard to ignore. With this energy we may review things we need to let go or deep ideas attached to our ego we need to transform. The void of course will give us a great period of reflection to process the previous transits. After the moon in Aquarius will trine Mercury in Gemini and conjuct Saturn rx in Aquarius bringing up a focused mood centering around self improvement, our responsibilities and which are worthwhile and our personal works. We will have the mental boost to take on these questions, introspection and work with the positive Moon x Mercury trine. If this energy is a bit overwhelming look to Vesta (an asteroid helpful to personal work) which is in 20 degrees Gemini which can help boost your dedication to your work. (Also look where Vesta is in your chart and compare the aspects happening).

Recommendations: Shadow Work, Grounding, Focus spells, drinking potions for focus and dedication (Ginko Leaf, Wormwood, Caffeine etc.), Ancestor work, Researching magic, working on yourself, journaling.  electricity based magic, chord cutting, chaos magic, air magic, crown opening meditation

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13th

Venus retrogrades in Gemini Mars enters Pisces ☾♒ Moon Square Uranus in Taurus ☾♒ Moon Trines Juno rx in Libra ☾♒ Moon Sextile Eros in Aries

Energy: Today is going to feel moody as Venus enters retrograde in Gemini and Mars enters Pisces. It will be a great window of opportunity for self work and self love, however with the SHENANIGANS that 2020 has pulled so far, Venus retrograde can be the last straw for already disharmonious couples locked up together for months to figure out their status. This retrograde has big 'we need to talk' energy. Whichever relationship with family, friends, flatmates or romantic affairs will be on your mind with Venus rx in mental Gemini. However with Mars in compassionate Pisces, talking it out can be pretty beneficial. Mars's determination here is for understanding, empathy and idealism. Really taking Venus's retrograde as a way to analyze how you feel about yourself, your values and making positive changes to close relationships can bring lasting results to greatly improve your self. Mars in Pisces is not the most harmonious energy for fiery Mars yet it's great for artists that need a creative drive or witches that want to pour more energy into growing their craft. Mars in Pisces is wonderful for pursuing spiritual or emotional drives during this cycle. It's a good time to refresh your BoS pages and experiment with creative crafts that have caught your eye (like learn how to make spell candles! Learning how to wirewrap crystal necklaces! Learning Tarot! etc.)

The moon in Aquarius will help facilitate these changes and review our relationships with adding a mood to it that we are in need of our personal freedom. Moon squaring Uranus will bring up sudden changes in the home and sudden surprising behaviors from people you live with or even yourself. This could be the short transit that could bring up the need to have a discussion. If this won't impact others you live with, this transit could be the sudden spark that makes you want to change something drastically within yourself. With the moon trining Juno rx in Libra we will feel devoted to our needs and readily review our relationships and values under it. Lastly the moon will sextile Eros giving us that energy to go after our desires. If it's time for you to break up or make personal changes that you always wanted to do, the energy will be peaked today for you to talk it out and go on your individual way.

Recommendations: vision boards, self love magic, clearing and cleansing, creating art, chord cutting, protection magic

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14th

Jupiter retrogrades in Capricorn ☾♒ Last Quarter Moon ☾♒ Moon Squares Sun in Taurus ☾♒ Moon Trines Venus rx in Gemini ☾ VOC 3:02PM-2:24AM

Energy: The last quarter moon will amplify the need of letting things go (I mean with all of the retrogrades following Scorpio's full moon, this is definitely a time of letting go and transformation). This will be positive energy for making changes in your life to benefit your future and letting go of anything not serving you. The energy will be amplified with the moon squaring the Sun in Taurus which can add tension and stress in the home or with close relationships. You can feel emotional pressures that may push you to make changes. With the moon trining Venus rx in Gemini there will be a big mood of reviewing our values and what brings us pleasure. Often this introspection (along with the Sun x Moon square) can also promote us to have conversations with friends, family or lovers about the status of our relationships. This isn't a time to ask for someone back in your life even if you miss them but if you do want to try you have to work out the argument that made you separate in the first place as the last quarter moon will help you undo that energy and vanquish it. Alternatively if someone is toxic this is a good time to bid them farewell as the final quarter moon will help wash them away from your life.  

Lastly today will be notable with Jupiter joining the retrograde gang (now with Saturn, Venus and Pluto- and there will be more to come!) It's going to be a spiritual journey aided by Mars's journey through Pisces as we are tasks with expanding within. This is a good time to save money and not spend it on SHIT with both Venus and Jupiter on retrograde. Your bank account better have that chastity belt on like Lady Marian in Robin Hood 1993. However with Jupiter rx and Mars in Pisces it would be a great time to reflect on life from a spiritual perspective and reflect on your craft. Jupiter rx likes to shine a spotlight on any philosophies which aren't serving your or that is not genuine. If you have going about your craft or personal philosophies in a way that's not beneficial, this is a good time to review that and try something new!

Recommendations: Trance Meditation, Money Protection Magic, Chord Cutting, Protection Magic, Shadow Work, Banishing, Warding

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15th

Sun in Taurus trines Pluto rx in Capricorn ☾♓ Moon enters Pisces ☾♓ Moon Conjuncts with Mars and Ceres in Pisces ☾♓ Moon Sextiles Uranus in Taurus

Energy: Today will be a day of inner transformation, death of the old self and new beginnings as the Sun will trine with Pluto rx bringing intense and deep experiences, potentials for inner transformation and sudden (yet positive) elimantions and endings. This energy will only be amplified by the moon entering sensitive and psychic Pisces amplifying our intuition and spiritual insight. The desire to make changes spiritually will be amplified with Mars and Ceres conjunct the moon. Mars will give us the push to make the change. Ceres conjunct the moon will be ideal to help us feel nurtured while we go through the process. If Ceres's conjunction brings up bitterness coming from neglect, don't ignore that feeling, yet transform it into a drive to take care of yourself. The moon will also sextile Uranus in Taurus helping us facilitate positive changes within ourselves and our home.

Recommendations: self love magic, chord cutting, vision boards, bath magic (for renewal and self love), shadow work, divination

________________________

16th

Sun conjunct Sedna in Taurus ☾♓ Moon Conjuncts Neptune in Pisces ☾♓ Moon Squares Mercury in Gemini

Energy: Today the sun will be aligned with Sedna in Taurus which can bring up themes of finding light in the darkness and creating opportunities from the aftermath of sudden endings. This theme can be applied on a global scale as Sedna is a TNO and often reflects humanity's spiritual progress. However if you are connected to the collective spiritual mood today (I mean most likely you will be with the moon in Pisces conjunct Neptune) you can feel this theme. On an individual level we may negatively embody this by feeling like a victim of circumstance, trapped in the strange hell of this planet, or we can envision new realities for society and solutions to rise out of this mess. There are a lot of witches that like to do magic to help heal the collective or bring about positivity and today would be a good day to do so. The moon will conjunct Neptune in Pisces, thinning the veil and amplifying our connections to each other and the theme of the Sun and Sedna's alignment. With this powerful Piscean energy (also with Mars's drive in the mix) we will collectively feel the need to find new solutions or light in the darkness of this chapter. However the Moon will be squaring Mercury in Gemini which can misalign the head with the heart. There can be a number of disagreements with the collective of what we need to do to move forward. A lot of opinions can be had and lead to arguments that go no where. Emotions will rule over the mind and create biases. It's best to use this time to self reflect however if you get called to present your vision, be prepared for a debate.

Recommendations: Blessings for the Earth, visualizing a positive future, divining, community service, dream oracling (dreams will be WILD today), astral projection, psychic work

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17th

Sun in Taurus trines Jupiter rx in Capricorn ☾♓ Moon squares with Venus rx in Gemini ☾♓ Moon sextiles Pluto rx and Jupiter rx in Capricorn ☾ VOC 8:59AM-2:35PM ☾♈ Moon enters Aries ☾♈ Moon Sextiles Saturn rx in Aquarius

Energy: Today is another day for self evaluation, self transformation and understanding one's truth as the Sun in Taurus will trine with Jupiter rx in Capricorn. This is a great opportunity for inner growth. Take the time to explore your values and philosophy and reflect on your spiritual path. The moon in Pisces will square with Venus rx in Gemini bringing up needs for companionship or negative feelings about relationships, however take these moods as a sign that you should work on yourself and your values. The moon will also sextile Pluto and Jupiter rx in Capricorn which will help you understand other's views of you and also help with revealing the truth. This transit will also motivate you to do some self transformation, cut chords and expand within. (For some of us that are Europe-based this will happen early morning so your dreams may carry these themes.) With aspects involving Jupiter and Venus today would be a great day to show yourself some self love and treat yourself to a nurturing bath or your favorite snack. Be kind to yourself as you go through these intense ego-altering changes. The mood will shift midday as the moon will move into Aries boosting our mood to take charge in these shifts. When the moon sextiles Saturn rx in Aquarius we will acquire the responsibly needed to do the self work and take on our transformations maturely.

Recommendations: self love, bath magic, shadow work, meditation, energy work, dream oracling

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#transits #astrology #celestial witch #celestial witchcraft #celestial forecasts #saturn retrograde #venus retrograde #jupiter retrograde

[crystalelemental]

hell yeah. fellow Naesala enjoyer. I really, REALLY love that guy, he's in my top 3 fire emblem characters, for sure. and there lies the problem. braves are just around the corner, and I was thinking of sparking once on that banner. but I also really want to get a couple Naesalas.

do I save orbs for CYL, and pull for Naesala when his double special heroes drop, and risk fuckery by the gacha, or pull for Naesala now and skip the spark on CYL?

I'm at a big dillema here. on one hand, sparking on the braves gives me one more celestial stone, which puts me to 2 and I will only need 1 more for the forma. but on the other. Naesala.

ah, FEH problems. I'll wait until the braves channel drops and I'll decide then, most likely.

Naesala's so cool, I love that shithead. But yeah, same issue on my end.

The Braves are right around the corner and Eirika's gonna be there. So like...there's that. In my case, I don't think I can try all that hard for him. Also, if I'm being perfectly honest, he's a grail consideration when they get to him, and Vika. I adore her Pirate design, it's so cute, and her base outfit is not my favorite by any means, so like...I almost have to. Except for the Braves and whoever she's paired with on DSH.

On your end, I'd honestly say go Naesala. It sounds like your in CYL more for the Celestial Stone than the Braves themselves, and if you don't want the characters, I'd honestly say don't pull, you can get the stone on any sparkable banner. There's tons of those. Meanwhile, Naesala has one appearance a year, with one additional appearance on a banner with the worst rates in the game. Also, while we don't know for sure, I'd project him to appear with Freyr or the next Red out, so how much do you want Freyr, and how much are you willing to take a chance on the dancer alts giving a nice Red?

I think it's also worth noting that Naesala's kit is fucking stacked, so you really only need one copy of him to be worthwhile, two if you really want to get rid of a bane and not worry about trait fruits. Though two copies puts the average orb cost at around 280, so like...maybe not worth it.

All that to say, if it's a battle between a favorite and a resource you can get elsewhere, I always advocate playing to your favorites. It's a better way to enjoy the game that I need to follow myself. But waiting until the Brave banner to see what goodies they have is very a good idea overall.

#twofacedangels

[mrsrcbinscn]

Franny Robinson HC Infodump #7: More Music Stuff

tw: mentions of psychedelic use (it’s clear it is in moderation but)

Cover Contributions To Tribute or Charity Albums (and other notable covers):

King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller - Franny recorded a cover of The Moon Is High (And So Am I) for the album. There’s a really cute video uploaded on her YouTube channel of her recording the song and she’s playing acoustic guitar and dancing around in place as she sings in several takes. It’s one of the few internet videos where her husband is seen, because sometimes the camera pans to the sound engineer booth when he’s sitting next to Serghei, her go-to sound guy.

She participated on the charity album BBC Children In Need: Got It Covered, since England’s been her home from nearly twenty years now. She sang a slowed down, gentler version of Pat Benatar’s Shadows Of The Night. (inspired by that being a song I vividly remember my mom singing to my siblings and I lmao)

For the album The Music Is You: A John Denver Tribute, Franny sang Rhymes and Reasons.

On a John Prine tribute album released in 2017, Franny and the other half of the duo Dara & Danny, Daniel Maitland, recorded In Spite Of Ourselves for the album.

For a Connie Francis tribute album, Franny sang Where The Boys Are

Franny, along with black country singer Erica James, curated a Charley Pride tribute album, featuring solely country or country-adjacent singers of color. “Charley Pride, when I discovered a black country artist, as an Asian-American growing up in the 80s, that was amazing to me. Because little Cambodian me was like, ‘wow, so you don’t gotta look like Dolly or Willie to love this music.’ Everyone thinks country and bluegrass music is white people shit, but it ain’t. It was always a mix of folks influencin’ it. DeFord Bailey paved the way for Charley Pride, who paved the way for Darius Rucker, who paved the way for Jimmie Allen, Willie Jones, Mickey Guyton, Erica right here, and non-black POC like myself and Dan(iel Maitland). It was such an honor to get to curate this album with Erica. Amazing.” Franny recorded Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger for the album.

On the Tracy Lawrence tribute album Good Ole Days, she recorded As Any Fool Can See with him

She was featured on Brooks & Dunn’s Reboot, recording She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind

During a SiriusXM session, she sang Gretchen Wilson’s When I Think About Cheatin’, and the performance w/ent viral

On a Leonard Cohen tribute album, she recorded A Thousand Kisses Deep and that cover also became popular

During a Spotify Sessions recording with Seoul Hanoi’d, Franny recorded a cover of Marcy Playground’s Sex & Candy, which also blew up, prompting Seoul Hanoi’d to officially release it on their 2018 album. It was the second of five singles off of the album, and Franny in the music video was Hot ™

During a Spotify Sessions recording as a solo artist, Franny recorded a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s From The Bottle To The Bottom

Khmer Music:

Franny, for the most part, does not record or perform pop music. However, she’s collaborated on tracks with Cambodian pop singers

She writes a lot of songs used in the soundtracks of Khmer tv dramas, and sings a lot of them as well

She’s known as The Soundtrack Queen in Cambodia

In addition to a lot of songs for film and tv, she’s released three albums entirely in Khmer. A jazz album comprised of original songs and Khmer language versions of classic jazz songs; and two in the indie/alternative style of music similar to Seoul Hanoi’d

And she’s recorded Khmer versions of several of her most famous songs

With other Cambodian diaspora musicians, she regularly collaborates on special covers of iconic Khmer 60s and 70s songs

Songwriting

Franny’s even more active as a songwriter than a recording artist. She’s got over 1,000 songwriting credits to her name.

She began writing songs “when I was 11, but they were atrocious, unsalvageable things. The first song I wrote that ever saw the light of day even after heavy edits was first thought up when I was thirteen.”

Franny is openly bisexual and explores that in her songwriting-- however, most of her songs about women or her sexuality that she wrote “pre-2009-ish” she’s scrapped or sold to other artists. Why? “Look, I’ve been married to my husband for almost twenty years now. And that doesn’t make me any less bisexual. But a lot of the songs I’ve written about women are from the perspective of a thirteen through twenty year old me, and at forty, I’m not the best narrator for those stories anymore.They are my lived experiences and my lived feelings, but I want to see how someone actually going through that will take it and interpret it. The songs I write about women loving women now are about characters I make up for the purpose of storytelling so they’re about women closer to my age, it’s about big girl love, not adolescent love.”

Common themes in Franny Sor Robinson songwriting: geography, vivid imagery like she’s showing you a picture of what she’s singing about, Buddhist themes, Christrianity (she’s a Buddhist but grew up in the Bible Belt so she’s very familiar with Christian themes), alliteration

Franny came under a degree of controversy in 2014 with the release of a song called “The Sabbath” because it was a tasteful song about how much she likes sex with her husband after they’ve been apart for a while, and Franny was like “you know you’d think the pearl-clutchin’ folks would be glad I practically worship my husband, but I forgot women ain’t supposed to actually enjoy sex.”

She's written another really sweet song about making love with her husband that did Not get hate because it was Acceptable TM and pretty romantic actually. Think along the lines of Josh Turner's Your Man or Dierks Bentley's Come A Little Closer. Songs deff about how they wanna get down but sweet.

After Franny retweet a clip of that Tyler Childers song in 2019 with the caption “big relate”, she was asked in a tweet if a follow up to The Sabbath was in the cards. Franny replied with “there’s a demo recorded for a song I wrote about six years back and that’s that on that.” Yes, Franny Sor Robinson indeed has written a song about masturbation. She’s performed the song live a few times, however, it is still unreleased officially

Franny’s written songs with lyrics alluding to her family’s experiences under the Khmer Rouge and escaping and resettling around the world, she cleverly hides them among her albums so people accidentally digest some education

Cornelius is the well-documented muse for “every love song I’ve written that I don’t specify in the album notes or an interview is written about a character. My husband is the love of my life and had given me twenty years and counting of great material to write about.”,

Franny’s been on both ends of this story. In 2019, a song Franny wrote but didn’t record became a smash pop hit after she and her producer sent it around to other producers. They recorded Franny’s demo in mid-2017 and they and the bigger pop producer that worked on the song with them listened to over 20 demos of the song until they found the right person to sing it.

And in 2013, Franny got a huge boost to her fame when she was the featured vocalist on a pop song that became a global smash hit. Franny doesn’t typically do like...super top 40 pop type music, but she liked the song so when her agent suggested she record a demo for it and send it back to the producer looking, she was like “sure, okay” and then was absolutely surprised that they chose her over some of the names she knew also recorded demos for the song.

Misc. Music facts

In 2019, a group of NYU students (where she did her undergrad) made a Franny Sor Robinson tribute album project; the majority of the students were Asian students in the university’s music programs who cite her as a big inspiration for them pursuing music. She 100% cried

For the Netflix show Just Trust Me that she co executive-produces, Franny is also one of the people who soundtrack the show

In 2020, to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of her biggest solo album’s release, she pulled a The Story And Cover Stories (we stan Brandi Carlile) where it was re-released along with cover versions of each song by other artists including some of Franny’s biggest living musical influences. All proceeds for the album were donated to Cambodian Living Arts.

Franny has openly admitted in interviews to using mushrooms, LSD, and DMT before in songwriting sessions. Her stance is Kacey Musgraves’ stance. Franny quote from 2019, “Used responsibly, I think psychedelics are a worthwhile experience to have. But safety and education are key. I truly don’t believe they are party drugs. Psychedelics aren’t a party, they’re a deeply spiritual and philosophical journey.”

#&&...hc #i should have slept but it is 6:15 am and here i am

[virtchandmoir]

Tessa Virtue steps off the ice and into kinky boots, among other worthwhile endeavours

November 16, 2019

There’s Tessa Virtue. And whoa, gobsmacking, there’s Vicky Vice.

The alter ego will come as a shock to many who have watched Canada’s ice dancing sweetheart transform over the years. From the demure Tessa of Gibson Girl days — her debut silver medal at the 2008 worlds in Gothenburg with Scott Moir, a feathery rendition of “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” that knocked judges for a loop — to the dynamically athletic Tessa of Vancouver Olympics gold (The Goose lift), to the mature and sensuous Tessa of “Roxanne” and “Carmen” and finally “Moulin Rouge’’ — Games gold times two in Pyeongchang.

But wet-look black latex pencil skirt, cleavage-squeezing bustier, leather gloves and ankle boots, with drag queen makeup, pulling on a rope, suggestive of a dominatrix — that’s breaking kinky new ground.

With a simple “Hold on tight’’ caption, the spread sprang from the imagination of Toronto-based photographer Nikki Ormerod.

The new and emboldened Tessa‚ unshackled as her skating career winds to a close on Rock the Rink, a 27-city cross-Canadian tour with Moir — was game.

“I was thinking about the opposite of virtue,” Virtue explains down the phone line. “Sometimes when we were performing, I’d channel her. You know, how Beyoncé has Sasha Fierce?”

While there is poignancy to this stage in Virtue’s career — she and Moir have announced that’s it, not even any more shows after the tour concludes in St. John’s on Nov. 23 (“though never say never”) — she’s also excited about whatever comes next. The possibilities are endless.

Since the couple retired from competition, Virtue has been everywhere: magazine covers, talk shows, TV commercials promoting this product and that. Which is as it should be, translating on-ice success — three Olympic medals, four world championship golds (one junior), eight senior Canadian titles, 55 international medals — to off-ice fortune.

At 30 years old, she’s earned it. Although, it’s unsettling that Virtue will now be forever partitioned from Moir. Twenty-two years together, most decorated Olympics figure skaters in history.

We all pined for the romance they invoked on the ice to be real. Lord knows they faked it good, that deep, intimate connection, if always making it clear that no, they weren’t a couple away from the rink. Moir, in fact, is engaged to marry next summer. But what will they be to each other now and in the future unfolding?

“The more important factor that will shift for us is just the fact that we won’t be skating together,” Virtue explains. “We’ve been through everything together, partners included. But it’s a really neat time for us. After this long, sharing such a singular focus and common goal, it’s fun to support one another as we launch ourselves forward and into other projects that are closely aligned with our values and close to our hearts, respectively.

“I can’t wait to watch him flourish in whatever he takes on next. We’ll always be there for each other. We’ll always be a part of each other’s lives. I think it will just be a natural evolution of a beautiful friendship. Taking the skating element out of it will allow some freedom for us to relish the beautiful friendship we’ve created. Now we get to reap those benefits of really just being in one another’s corner, supporting each other from the sidelines every step of the way.’’

Virtue is picking her projects carefully. This past week, it was announced that she and Benoit Huot have signed on to a joint partnership between the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic and Classroom Champions. Teach Canada Champion Chats, in the 2019-20 school year, is a nationwide program designed to empower students, with a focus on mentoring, achieving goals, embracing challenges — in or out of sports — mental wellness, diversity and inclusion, via virtual live chats.

“What’s so beautiful about this is, it’s taking the lessons we’ve learned in sport as athletes and really creating a personal connection with students who wouldn’t otherwise get to learn about those experiences, and help them apply it to their lives,’’ says Virtue. “It’s so cool … We’ve been able to learn so many unique things that are so applicable to every facet of life, especially when it comes to kids who just don’t have access to those kinds of resources, physical activity and sport.”

So many hours to fill that used to be spent at the rink, training daily or rehabbing from injury, which has been a theme for Virtue more than Moir, including surgery to her shins and calves.

And she’s still coming to terms with the absence of competition, the thrill and stress of performing for judges.

“We’re competitors by nature,’’ says Virtue, of herself and Moir. “We inherently miss that fire that comes with striving to be the best. The biggest challenge has been taking off that perfectionist hat and putting on an entertainer hat. Realizing that entertainment, in a broad view, is so different than what we’d been striving for, for 22 years, which was perfection in four minutes. Which doesn’t exist anyway.’’

The tour has been a farewell and a mutual thank you for all the skates, all the medals, all the adoring audiences. “Letting that percolate, digesting it, that this is the end of something really beautiful and we’re able to savour it every single night. I just feel so fortunate. Every night, I’m very cognizant of the fact that we’re able to walk away exactly on our own terms. The programs that we want to do in the way that we’ve dreamed of doing, and in a way that really feels like it does justice to the career and the partnership that we’ve had.”

Without the fussy rules that have historically stifled ice dancing. Though Moir and Virtue, with their signature athleticism and artistry, always found a way to punch through boundaries.

Without Moir and Virtue, without Patrick Chan, without Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, without Kaetlyn Osmond — all formally retired from the sport since Pyeongchang — the figure skating landscape looks rather bleak in Canada. They dominated for so long.

“It will be tough to follow this generation,” Virtue reluctantly admits. “But if we’ve done our jobs, then it won’t be too long until there are some shining superstars in Canada. But yeah, it’s a tough changing of the guard.”

Unlike Moir, Virtue has no interest in coaching, at least not yet. With a psychology degree under his belt, she plans to pursue an MBA at Queen’s University starting next fall. She’s also keenly drawn to an entrepreneurial career. Virtue is already quite the businesswoman, working with sponsors since the Vancouver Games. “I’ve always had a passion for business. I’ve been fortunate to have been exposed to so many facets of the business world. And I’m used to being my own boss as an athlete.

“We were sort of CEOs of our career.”

—The Star

#tessa #off ice #tour #rtr 2019 #interview: the star #one #never say never #smartest answer imo #two #at least not yet #what tessa said versus what the journalist interpreted #kind of important here #(but we'll never know)

[kingsleyuche]

3 Ways To Get Over Failure And Depression

Failure or downfall is something that just happens, it could be on something we most cherished or needed. Consequently, it brings about regret, depression, shame, guilt, self-pity and tears. One get downtime after such an unfortunate incident, it's a heavy blow on the face, that's life, the more we live the more we learn

For instance, I had an ugly experience 2 days ago, as a writer, a blogger in the UK responded to my content writing pitch to write for her blog, you could imagine how excited I was. We communicated for some few hours to seal the deal officially, I conveyed some writing project topic ideas to her through our communication channel which was an email for her to select and give me a go-ahead node to start writing.

She did select and we settled on €150 pounds for my writing payment which she accepted to pay me through PayPal or BACs, I didn't have a fund receiving PayPal so I hurriedly created Dubai PayPal account which I know can receive fund anywhere in the world and transfer directly to Nigeria bank account.

As someone that has had experiences, I wrote the article flexibly and swiftly like an expert, it was fun knowing that I will be paid after the writing journey. I finished on time and wrote to her that I'm done, that it was excellent, she replied that she couldn't wait to take a look at it, as fast as she always responded I thought everything was going as intended. It came to my mind that I should ask for payment or send half-copy then get paid before sending the full article, I brushed off the thought because I never wanted to sound pushy or desperate.

Unfortunately, I sent the full copy alongside my PayPal funding account and she never responded again, I lost all, I gave her some time to get her to respond but she never did, checked my emails a million times but no new mail, time passed still no contact, checked PayPal account nothing, It's a depressing ugly experience that can make go mad but I contained my feelings, though I'm still broke.

Why I'm writing this is to tell readers that I have been there countlessly even worse, sometimes at the expense of my life. It's an article of love, motivation and encouragement in times of depressing downfall.

3 Ways To Get Over Failure And Depression

Now, I'm writing 3 sure ways I used to fight any form of failure occurrence, so as to keep my mental wellness intactt and to avoid being depressed.

1) Distraction:

When bad things happen, we are stuck with ourselves, lying helplessly on the bed or couch, hurtfully thinking and rethinking about what happened, why did it happen, what one did wrong or right, etc. These may seem right, it's a good way to ponder and learn from the situation but one shouldn't overdo it. It can be very detrimental to one's mental and physical health by allowing negative thoughts, emotions or behavior to engross us. One should quickly rise and distract itself with something worthwhile like watching television, movies, reading, hobbies or even hanging out with a loved one against overthinking.

2) Communication

Communication is a positive energy, it's something we need in such time, it's a mental release, it's a therapy. When one experience defeat or failure, it's very much advisable to talk to someone, it could be a loved one, a friend or an expert to get opinions, suggestions, and comfort.

3) Focus

One shouldn't feel lost or give-up due to failure or doubts, concerns of self-worth are very common in such an ugly experience, one starts questioning its capacity to perform effectively thereby losing focus on what's important which gives room for depression and self-doubt. Do you know that we don't lose, we learn?. In as much as we are battered or had lost big time we shouldn't lose focus on our set goals, one should keep trying after a downfall, believing that Mr jackpot it's near.

From

Kingsley Uche

Mental Health Writer

#Depression #anxiety #Mental #Health #Wellness