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digitalhovel · 2 years

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Games as Meditation

A lot has changed in the last month for me. I quit my job due to workplace conditions and harassment. I got a new job. I drove 1000 miles. I ended the longest relationship I’ve ever had. I completed my first proper theatrical work and got paid to do it. I grew tits.

In the midst of all this, I have felt many things. I have felt excited and sad and bewildered and mortified and angry, all without an incredible amount of time to process those feelings. It’s an oversimplification, of course. I have processed things in the wee hours of the morning and in dreams and at work and during the slow parts of the day when the mind wanders. I have picked through my emotions in therapy and worked to give them credence and space in at least that hour every week. But mostly I have felt exhausted. And in that exhaustion, I have struggled to move ahead, to decide the next steps, to push into the brave, terrifying unknowns I face.

So I played some games.

I have always been bad at meditating. I can write, I can hum, I can listen to music or podcasts or the birds for endless hours, but I find it remarkably difficult to quiet my mind for any length of time. I thought a few small games might help with that. So, this is my review of: Donut County, Far from Noise, and Florence.

I was looking for distraction and catharsis. I’m not entirely sure yet what I’ve walked away with, but I’ve certainly gotten both from these games. Donut County is by far the most humorous and tonally simple of the bunch. You play a raccoon who has doomed Donut County by… swallowing everyone and everything into a giant pit, a la Katamari Damacy. The writing is funny, the game is short and sweet, and it doesn’t outstay itself. I found myself laughing for the first time in a week, genuinely enjoying the silliness of the premise and the simple joy of making objects disappear into a pit. It gave me a relief from the cycles my brain had been stuck in, and the catharsis from making things vanish was incredible. Of course, all the things that fell in the pit had to be rescued, just as all the thoughts pushed into the corners of my mind had to be addressed eventually. But for the time being, there was a pit, and by Jove I was going to swallow everything with it.

Far from Noise feels like something someone would tell me to play. An unnamed character, trapped in a car teetering on the edge of a cliff, with no company except a few animals, their own thoughts, and a talking Deer. A very philosophical deer. Conversations range from college studies to the meaning(lessness) of existence, landing, at least in my experience, on some genuinely touching notes about nature and our place in the cosmos. It is not a game I’d recommend lightly, as it actively discusses death and hopelessness in a very real way, but the visuals are gorgeous, and the dialogue is entertaining enough to keep you hooked in for the hour-and-a-half ride. There are moments it feels the game is making a concerted effort at profundity, and moments when the game is genuinely profound. When everything seems inescapable, and when there is truly an ocean of possibilities ahead, it is nice to remember one’s transience. The game roots itself firmly in nature, keeping the experience grounded and connected with a wider world that pulls you in and forces you to reckon with silence and beauty and the opportunities of being alone in thought. No matter the ending, the decision to be and the choices made along the way, will carry us to cliffs, rivers, and oceans, all of which are to be appreciated in their own right. It was a piece of meditation I appreciated, if only to follow some guided existentialism instead of spinning wildly on my own wheels.

Finally, I played Florence. Now, before I jump in, I will note that former employees of Mountains, the game’s developer, have come forward with allegations of workplace abuse by studio lead Ken Wong. Still, the game was incredibly well reviewed, and due to Nintendo’s points system, I got it for free. So, as ethically as I could, in the moment.

If you know Florence’s story, you probably can guess why I thought it would be good for me to play it. For those who don’t, the game is a short, interactive (originally built for mobile devices) game exploring a relationship between the titular character Florence, and her boyfriend Krish. I can’t talk about the game without spoiling it, so a spoiler-free review: the design of the interaction feels incredibly intentional in a very satisfying and interesting way, the story is impactful, but I have slight quibbles with some of the meanings you could take from it. It feels like it could be read as a message about independence and monogamy instead of a message of self-reliance or self-actualization, which is what I would want to pull from it, at least.

One of the moments that really stuck with me was the ‘Groceries’ chapter. It’s approximately in the middle of the story and is the first indication Florence and Krish’s relationship isn’t perfect. As they shop, they get into an argument, and the player must build speech bubbles on the fly to respond to Krish’s comments. The pieces making the bubbles change shape each time, a magically simple way to indicate she is trying to communicate different ideas, or in different ways, and none of them are working. The game also gives Krish a hand up because he responds automatically in the same style, making the player feel incredibly disadvantaged in the argument. The result is an honest portrayal of a difficult, painful situation not uncommon in relationships. And the game doesn’t stop there. We follow Florence as she grows from being somewhat stuck in her job, to following her relationship with Krish, to the melancholic end of that relationship and the developments her life takes afterwards.

When I got this game from the Nintendo store, I felt numb. It had been a few weeks since my own breakup, and I’d had little time to truly sit with my own thoughts, despite my efforts to do so. There were always more occupying factors at hand. So, I used this game as a proxy. It is not 1:1, by any stretch. It’s not even close. But for some reason, I was able to grieve for Florence’s relationship in way I had not been allowing myself to grieve my own. I cried and I felt a small weight lift off my shoulders because some of the tears trapped behind my eyes had finally escaped. The game attaches you to these characters, to the life and love springing between them, and them gently forces you to let it go. You can do so in your own time, but you do have to let go. It was an action I have a hard time practicing in life, and the opportunity to do so consciously eased some of the anxieties I was stuck in.

Games are not a stand-in for emotional development, for therapy, or for self-reflection. But they can be a tool to help those processes along. Games, as art, have as much experiential validity as someone’s break-up playlist or anniversary movie night. These are activities we do to mark the occasion of momentous shifts, to pass the time while our brains sort through the clusters of new and old information and how we may process them. I would recommend these games as experiences. They’re good experiences to have. And I’m glad I chose to have them now, when I needed just a bit of fun, a bit of space, and a different mindset while things ticked on around me.

#thedigitalhovel #digitalhovel #florence #far from noise #videogames #meditation #breakup #processing #a human with real human emotions #donut county

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that-one-theatre-ghost · 2 years

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me desperately trying to keep up as my faves releases albums in 2022. Plus Charlie Puth's Album isn't even out yet 😭

#superache #Special #Dance Fever #Emails I Can't Send #renaissance act i #viva las vengeance #Who Cares?#After Dinner We Talk Dreams #MICHELLE #rex orange county #Beyoncé #Panic! At The Disco #Sabrina Carpenter #Florence + The Machine #Lizzo #Conan Gray

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pilgrim1975 · 7 days

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Earl Gardner, last to hang in Arizona.

Arizona, long a part of the old and wild West, has a somewhat chequered history for both law-breaking and law-enforcement. Home to Tombstone, the OK Corral, Bisbee, Prescott and a few other Wild West landmarks, it immeditely conjures images of rattlesnakes, arid deserts, epic shoot-outs and outlaws twisting at the end of a rope. Earl Gardner was no Old West outlaw, but he was the last oportunity…

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dweeeeeb · 10 months

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Adventure Safety - Florence Alabama - Colbert County Alabama

#Adventure Safety #Florence Alabama #Colbert County #Alabama #EmAlaOw76

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middleland · 1 year

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cypress tree seed pods by Kim Spanulo

#schoepfle garden #birmingham ohio #florence ohio #erie county #death of summer

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lollobarcollomanonmollo · 4 months

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women artists that you should know about!!

-Judith Leyster (Dutch, 1609-1660)

During her life her works were highly recognized, but she got forgotten after her death and rediscovered in the 19th century. In her paintings could be identified the acronym "JL", asually followed by a star, she was the first woman to be inserted in the Guild of St. Luke, the guild Haarlem's artists.

-Artemisia Gentileschi (Italian, 1593-1656)

"... Si è talmente appraticata che posso osar de dire che hoggi non ci sia pare a lei, havendo fatto opere che forse i principali maestri di questa professione non arrivano al suo sapere". This is how the father Orazio talked about his nineteen year old daughter to the Medici's court in Florence.

In 1611, Artemisia got raped, and she had to Undergo a humiliating trial, just to marry so that she could "Restore one's reputation" , according to the morality of the time. Only after a few years Artemisia managed to regain her value, in Florence, in Rome, in Naples and even in England, her oldest surviving work is "Susanna and the elders".

-Elisabeth Louise Vigèe Le Brun (French, 1755-1842)

She was a potrait artists who created herself a name during the Ancien Règime, serving as the potrait painting of the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, she painted 600 portraits and 200 landscapes in the course of her life.

-Augusta Savage (Afro-American, 1892-1962)

Augusta started making figures when she was a child, which most of them were small animals made out of red clay of her hometown, she kept model claying, and during 1919, at the Palm Beach County Fair, she won $25 prize and ribbon for most original exhibit. After completing her studies, Savage worked in Manhattan steam laundries to support her family along with herself. After a violent stalking made by Joe Gould that lasted for two decades, the stalker died in 1957 after getting lobotomized. In 2004, a public high school, Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts, in Baltimore, opened.

-Marie Ellenrieder (German,1791-1863)

She was known for her portraits and religious paintings. During a two years long stay in Rome, she met some Nazarenes (group of early 19th century German romantic painters who wanted to revive spirituality in art),after becoming a student of Friedrich Overbeck and after being heavily influenced by a friend, she began painting religious image, getting heavily inspired by the Italian renaissance, more specifically by the artist Raphael. In 1829, she became a court painter to Grand Duchess Sophie of Baden.

-Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (French,1841-1893)

Morisot studied at the Louvre, where she met Edouard Manet, which became her friend and professor. During 1874 she participated at her first Impressionist exhibition, and in 1892 sets up her own solo exhibition.

-Edmonia Lewis or also called "wildfire" (mixed African-American and Native American 1844-1907)

Edmonia was born in Upstate New York but she worked for most of her career in Rome, Italy. She was the first ever African American and Native American sculptor to achieve national and international fame, she began to gain prominence in the USA during the Civil Ware. She was the first black woman artist who has participated and has been recognized to any extent by the American artistic mainstream. She Also in on Molefi Kete Asante's list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

-Marie Gulliemine Benoist (French, 1768-1826)

Daughter of a civil servant, Marie was A pupil of Jaques-Louis David, whose she shared the revolutionary ideas with, painting innovative works that have caused whose revolutionary ideals he shared, painting innovative works that caused discussion. She opened a school for young girl artists, but the marriage with the banker Benoist and the political career Of the husband had slowly had effect on her artistic career, forcing her to stop painting. Her most famous work is Potrait of Madeline, which six years before slavery was abolished, so that painting became a simbol for women's emancipation and black people's rights.

-Lavinia Fontana (Italian, 1552-1614)

She is remembered for being the first woman artist to paint an altarpiece and for painting the first female nude by a woman (Minerva in the act of dressing), commissioned by Scipione Borghese.

-Elisabetta Sirani. (Italian, 1698-1665)

Her admirable artistic skills, that would vary from painting, drawing and engraving, permitted her, in 1660, to enter in the National Academy of S. Luca, making her work as s professor. After two years she replaced her father in his work of his Artistic workshop, turning it into an art schools for girls, becoming the first woman in Europe to have a girls' school of painting, like Artemisia Gentileschi, she represent female characters as strong and proud, mainly drawn from Greek and Roman stories. (ex. Timoclea Kills The Captain of Alexander the Great, 1659).

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thedailycounternews · 2 years

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11 Year Old Dies Due to Gunshot Wounds in Florence

The Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the Florence County Coroner’s Office are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred earlier this morning on Glendale School Road near Scranton, SC. According to Investigators, an 11-year-old died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained during the incident. Currently, Investigators have two individuals in custody although no formal charges have been made…

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#child #florence #florence county #Florence County Sheriff #Glendale School road #Scranton #Shooting #South CArolina

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newschurn · 2 years

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Arrest warrant issued for Vicky White, Casey Cole White from Lauderdale County Detention Centre in Florence

They have not been seen since, although the patrol vehicle the pair, who are not related, used when leaving the detention centre was found at a nearby shopping centre parking lot after their absence was discovered. It is not known if this was an assisted escape or if Vicky White was perhaps overpowered and kidnapped. Investigators are trying determine whether there a relationship between the…

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#arrest #breaking news #Casey #Centre #Cole #County #Detention #Florence #global news #issued #Latest news #latest news and updates #Lauderdale #News Churn #Vicky #warrant #White

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intheholler · 3 months

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Appalachia & Southeastern USA LGBTQ+ Resource Masterpost

Under the cut, you'll find queer-focused resources sorted by state.

I have a sister post with donation links for those outside of the region who'd like to help us grow.

If you aren't from the region, I encourage you to find the organization that speaks to you the most, put your money where your mouth is and help us be better.

If you are from the region, I sincerely hope this can help you or someone you know in some way.

This list is inexhaustive as Tumblr is only permitting 100 links (which is also what necessitates the sister post and is why you may not see your contribution unfortunately).

Disclaimer: I do not (necessarily) personally endorse these organizations, nor have I vetted them thoroughly. If I have included anything you know to be detrimental or harmful in any way, please DM immediately me so I can rectify it.

General Regional Resources

Appalachian Outreach organizes events and provides access to resources for the queer community all across Appalachia.

STAY (Central Appalachia) is a youth-led activist organization in central Appalachia.

Trans in the South is a directory for gender-affirming healthcare in the south.

Southerners on New Ground (SONG) is a queer liberation group funding projects, protests, and campaigns to build a queer-friendly south.

Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project (STYEP) connects trans youth affected by anti-trans legislation with gender-affirming healthcare providers in the southeast; they offer grants up to $500 to individuals for emergency support.

Trans Health Project helps trans folks understand, access and utilize their medical insurance. They provide grants for gender-affirming surgeries.

Campaign for Southern Equality provides funding, training and resources for/to queer individuals and activists.

Not region specific, but important all the same: Help suspected transgender John and Jane Does regain their identities.

Resources by State

Alabama

AIDS Alabama helps provide housing to vulnerable individual and families, including helping queer youth find housing.

ALTGO’s list of local resources for gender-affirming care, legal services and generally queer-friendly physical/mental healthcare.

The Knights & Orchids Society provides housing, healthcare, and general support to the Black queer community.

Based in Birmingham, Magic City Acceptance Center offers supportive safe spaces and direct support to 52 counties in Alabama.

Medical Advocacy and Outreach in southern Alabama provides HIV+ care, as well as HIV & hepatitis C testing.

Prism United funds free therapy and hosts gatherings for queer individuals along the Gulf Coast.

Shoals Diversity Center is a Florence-based group that offers mental health services, support groups and other resources for the queer community in the Shoals area.

T.A.K.E. Resource Center provides direct support, grants, housing advocacy and other services for trans women of color in Alabama.

Thrive Alabama facilitates access to queer-focused healthcare services in North Alabama.

Georgia

Carollton Rainbow organizes queer-focused social events in West Georgia and provides tools for advocacy in the community.

Emmaus House is a soup kitchen in Savannah also providing laundry and shower facilities.

Emory is an Atlanta-based, queer-focused law firm.

Feminist Women’s Health Center (I know the name isn’t necessarily ideal, sorry) in Atlanta offers trans-inclusive, affordable medical care. They also provide access to abortions.

First City Network in Savannah provides referral services for healthcare, advocacy, education and mutual aid for queer Georgians.

List of housing assistance in the Savannah area

Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia serves the queer community’s legal needs in Georgia.

Kentucky

AIDS Volunteers of Lexington (AVOL) provides housing and assistance to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.

Arbor Youth Services provides emergency shelter to queer youth in Louisville, up to age 24.

Berea Human Rights Commission offers free investigations into claims of housing or employment discrimination with a focus on queer folks.

Kentucky Health Justice Network provides referrals to gender-affirming providers, as well as financial assistance for trans healthcare and abortions.

Kentucky Youth Law Project provides free representation to queer youth.

Massive Kentuckian LGBTQ resource list provided by Lexington Pride Center, broken down into easy-to-browse categories.

Louisville Youth Group strives to give queer youth the tools and skills they need to grow personally and facilitate positive change in their communities.

Sweet Evening Breeze helps queer young adults in Kentucky between the ages of 18-24 obtain emergency housing.

Trans Kentucky’s list of gender-affirming healthcare providers across the state

Guide on changing your name following gender-affirming surgeries in Kentucky, and a tool to help you do so.

Louisiana

AcadianaCares supports folks living with HIV/AIDS while providing support to houseless and impoverished individuals.

ACLU Louisiana website.

Community resources in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette (much of it only provides addresses and emails, so it’s hard to link individually here).

Directory of trans-focused healthcare providers

List of in-person and online queer support groups. In-person groups are based in Monroe, Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

Mutual aid in Shreveport

Out of the Closet provides clothing for the queer community with multiple locations throughout the state.

OUTnorthla is a queer film-festival hosted by PACE Louisiana.

Queer-forward healthcare in Louisiana.

QUEERPORT is a grassroots org offering a platform for queer creatives.

Tulane Drop-In Clinic provides free medical and social services to runaway and otherwise houseless youth.

Guides for legal name changes in Louisiana.

Mississippi

Capital City Pride hosts pride events, meet-ups and book clubs for the queer community around Jackson.

Gulf Coast Equality hosts drag shows, food drives and other events for the Gulf Coast area.

The Spectrum Center in Hattiesburg offers a community closet, short-term emergency housing, free HIV testing and scheduled support groups/events for the queer community in Hattiesburg.

Violet Valley Bookstore is a queer feminist bookshop owned by a published lesbian author in Water Valley.

Guide for name changes in Mississippi.

North Carolina

Charlotte Transgender Healthcare Group (CTHCG) connects trans folks with gender-affirming care.

Down Home NC helps rural working class communities organize to advocate for their rights.

Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center provides financial support to queer nonprofits and activist groups in NC to fight anti-queer legislation.

Ladies of the T is provides resources and support to trans and gender non-conforming women of color in the Tri-City area. .

North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Attorneys (NCPMB) provides attorney referrals, visibility, and support for the queer community.

Pitt County Aids Service Organization (PICASO) provides HIV prevention and testing services in Eastern NC, as well as support for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Asheville-based Tranzmission’s compilation of trans-focused medical, social and legal resources in WNC.

Triad Health Project provides free HIV testing, contraceptives, prevention outreach, daycare and access to their food pantry in Guilford County.

Durham-based Triangle Empowerment Center provides the queer community with emergency housing, access to PrEP, as well as support groups and other events.

South Carolina

Harriet Hancock Center is a community center offering social support for queer individuals in the Midlands area.

Free gender-affirming gear to South Carolinians!!!

Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), a queer-focused social justice group

List of queer-friendly medical providers across the state

Uplift Outreach provides safe spaces for queer youth in Spartanburg.

Charleston Black Pride serves the queer POC community in the low country area.

We are Family Charleston’s community center hosts support groups and provides direct support to the queer community around Charleston. They offer microgrants to trans individuals in the state as well as in-person support groups and aforementioned free stuff for trans folks.

Closet Case is a thrift store by and for queer individuals, operated by We Are family, offering safe and affordable clothes shopping.

T-Time holds support groups for trans individuals, based in Myrtle Beach.

Palmetto Community Care provides confidential HIV testing and support as well as free contraceptives.

South Carolina based community support network for the trans community

Legal assistance in Columbia, SC/Midlands area

Guide on changing your name in South Carolina

List of queer-safe, gender-affirming care providers in Columbia, SC

Tennessee

CHOICES provides low-cost LGBTQ healthcare, among other services, such as abortions.

Emergency housing in Tennessee for those living with AIDS

Launch Pad helps queer youth among others obtain emergency shelter in the Nashville area.

Metamorphosis provides transitional housing and other emergency support for queer youth between 18 - 24.

Mountain Access Brigade provides abortion funding across the state.

My Sistah’s House in Memphis provides emergency housing and support for queer people of color, as well as access to health services for sex workers.

The Seed Theatre in Chattanooga provides free resources such as binders for the trans community and hosts safe, social spaces.

Tennessee HIV Prevention & Care

Trans Empowerment Project provides support to trans and gender-nonconforming folks around Knoxville.

Youth Villages provides emergency housing for youth under 18.

List of trans-focused healthcare providers across the state.

Virginia

Counseling, free hygiene products, temporary housing and more provided by Side by Side VA

Virginia Home for Boys and Girls partners with Pride Place to provide temporary housing for queer young adults (18-25).

Side by Side VA provides temporary housing for queer youth for up to 6 months.

Nationz, based in Henrico, provides free STI/HIV testing, food pantry, PrEP, and notary services for the queer community.

Justice 4 All provides legal aid for low-income Virginians.

Virginia Rural health Association’s list of gender-affirming healthcare providers

General rural healthcare resources in Virginia

West Virginia

Dr. Rainbow connects folks with queer-friendly care in the state.

Fairness West Virginia’s list of gender-affirming care providers.

Harmony House West Virginia provides queer-friendly shelter for houseless people.

Holler Health Justice is a queer- and POC-led mutual aid organization based in WV, though they seem open to serving all Appalachians.

Holler Health Justice also provides financial/logistic support to West Virginians seeking abortions.

WVFREE connects West Virginians with birth control providers.

Nearby gender-affirming care for trans youth at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Transgender Health Center.

#appalachia #appalachian #anti-fascist south #queer #queer resources #alabama #georgia #kentucky #louisiana #mississippi #north carolina #south carolina #tennessee #virginia #west virginia

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