Untitled

[elf-bot]

my MAN

[apeekatthestars]

I think the Bible verse saying that Christians are in this world but not of this world is responsible for a lot of pain and suffering over the history of humanity. Or rather, the popular interpretation of it is.

What people understand to be the defining characteristic of Christianity is that believers have a set of beliefs and rules about what's right and wrong, and that's what sets Christians apart from non-Christians. That's why Christians pray before meals, and go to church on Sundays, and tithe 10%, and read the Bible, etc - that is what they think is the right thing to do. It would be an entirely different story if the defining characteristic were embodying Christ's love, but I digress. There is a strong emphasis on their idea of what's right and wrong.

But I really think that the concept of "right" and "wrong" is vastly overrated. I understand that's not what people want to hear from a lawyer. But it is precisely because I am a lawyer and I spend my days parsing the law and advising banks and insurance companies and government departments on how to apply the law that I feel so keenly the gaping inadequacies in the law. Oftentimes, the law not only fails to solve the problem, it actually makes the problem ten times worse. That's because what people need most of the time is not someone telling them that they are on the wrong side of the law - instead, they need a job, or therapy, or better friends who won't trick them into signing personal guarantees for someone else's loan. In a perfect world, instead of having judges decide whether someone is right or wrong, should be imprisoned or merely fined, we would have a social worker speak to each problematic citizen to figure out what they really need to solve their problems and then try to get that for them. However, no society has the time or resources for that, and there are way too many conflicts of interest in a society, so we have to rely on the most bare minimum, least objectionable method that will allow settlement of most disputes - a law, agreed upon by a majority of the people to be the least objectionable form of a societal contract, allowing or disallowing individuals from continuing to participate in society. It is crude and cruel in its willful ignorance of what is needed to solve people's problems, but that is all we can afford on a societal level, in order for us to continue having a society - and it is for this reason alone that we continue to abide by it.

However, when you bring the same idea down to an individual level and apply it to how you view the actions and beliefs of those around you, the cruelty is magnified a hundred times over. As an individual, you don't have the same resource allocation issues that a society does - you can actually afford to spend time listening to those around you and figuring out what they really need. To be able to do that, but still choose to rely on the blunt and crude tool of "right/wrong" to determine your actions, requires a huge amount of ego and antipathy towards those immediately around you. I'm not saying you should forego notions of right and wrong altogether - you should only do what you think is right - but oftentimes, people don't need you to decide whether what they're doing or saying or believing is right or wrong. They have a problem, and they could really use some compassion and sincere help. Sure, you can have your own thoughts about whether you would or would not do what they have done, but the answer to that question is often not relevant and does not need to be stated, especially when it worsens the problem or the stress that the other person is feeling.

[apeekatthestars]

ok i'm in the middle of watching devils plan s2 ep10, and boy do i have some THOUGHTS. I've been watching everyone dogpile on kyuhyun and sohee on this sub since the finale aired, and i haven't watched what sohee/hyungyu do in the finale.

but for kyuhyun, i think he did decently well for himself. just think about what the prison gang was asking of him. i get that hyungyu's manipulations were fucked up, and that his behavior was highlighted by the editing/creepy bgm. but...

- from kyuhyun's pov, this was his friend. he played with him, lived with him, ate with him, etc for 5 days straight. that is long enough to build an emotional bond - and that's clear by how hard the prison gang members themselves cried when their own allies got eliminated earlier on. the game is fake, but the emotions people feel during the game are extremely valid. people who want to disregard the emotional aspect of the game have an unrealistic expectation of human nature, and honestly, come off like T bastards (to use kyuhyun's words).

- kyuhyun and sohee are both clever people. you see BOTH of them whispering to their team members and figuring out strategies in every game. and although them contributing to their team's wins do have the consequence where someone is eliminated from the game (due to the game rules, which they didn't set), their focus was on winning the games for their team. the consequence didn't occur directly because of them. they saw how hard the prison gang had it, and they felt for the others (even brought them food/requested amenities before every main match), but they didn't want to be placed in that position, and they weren't, because of their abilities/how unbalanced the game was. it's like how the rich people in parasite didn't do anything wrong, per se, but they enjoyed their privilege and felt thankful they weren't poor. not likeable, but not wrong, per se. the real villain is the unbalanced and unfair game system - kyuhyun/sohee didn't cause the unfairness.

- when hyunjoon ditched hyungyu (and honestly, good for him, because hyungyu was being toxic as all hell that game. like jfc, does he not hear how villainous he sounds.) for kyuhyun and sohee, the entire situation became an entirely different beast altogether. they were being asked to help stab their friend, in a 6 on 1 situation. it was a cruel eventuality that people get eliminated, but the manner this ploy had clearly been carefully arranged (for hyungyu to lose all of his allies, to lose the game, to get sent to prison, to lose in a rigged prison game) was probably beyond the pale for them, who still considered hyungyu their friend. when the others got eliminated, they lost the games fair and square. Lee sedol and Justin simply didn't pick up how the games they lost in worked, at all. kh even tried to help justin.

- if we're being honest, how many contestants would have agreed to that? if eliminating harin so cruelly made game sense, would eunyu have helped kill her off? or if eliminating justin made game sense, would 7high or jiyeong have helped kill him off? justin wasn't even technically a part of the prison gang alliance (he was still a self-professed lone wolf), and the prison gang tried so hard to save him. the fact that kyuhyun and sohee felt they could not bring themselves to help off hyungyu, who was a part of their key alliance from day 1, is very understandable.

- this game is about social strategy as well as mental fortitude. the fact that 7high and the prison gang could not see how unreasonable and unrealistic their ask was, even if this was "just a game", is incredibly stupid on their part. what was supposed to be kyuhyun and sohee's reason to help stab their friend? because they'd "agreed" to help the prison gang for that one game? they'd agreed under the understanding that hyungyu would have a fighting chance and that this would be a fair game. helping their friend who was being ganged up on would obviously take priority over some "agreement" for a single game. or because it made game sense that hyungyu should be eliminated before the final? competition is one thing, but many players have lines that they won't cross even for the game, and ganging up on and stabbing your friend (even if it's for good game reasons) is a very reasonable and normal line. not clocking this was a major oversight by the prison gang - hinging their whole goddamn strategy on kyuhyun and sohee not feeling bad for their ally and friend was insane.

- what's more, it sounds like 7high really rubbed sohee the wrong way, with his bullshit "i don't even really care about winning, i want you to win". she's naive but not that naive, and his disingenuity lost him a lot of potential trust. that kind of dishonesty just makes him unappealing to be around. she must have known that if she and kyuhyun allied with the prison gang like that, 7high could not be trusted and there was a real possibility he would just pick off her and kyuhyun immediately.

- perhaps the worst part of 7high's strategy was he didn't clue in kyuhyun and sohee from the very start. they clearly felt just as blindsided as hyungyu did when hyunjoon ditched him. as a result, they didn't have time to process or properly consider what this new situation would mean or what they might want to do, rationally or emotionally. when people are blindsided like this, they usually stick with their gut emotional reaction - and in this case, it was to help out their friend. also, the fact that their new allies placed them in a very difficult spot as well, where they had to quickly decide whether they could be ok with following the prison gang's clear plan to off their friend in such a cruel way. i also want to point out that this was incredibly disrespectful to kyuhyun and sohee - the fact that their "new allies" just did this to them probably highlighted just how insignificant they were to their new allies and how untrustworthy their new allies were.

- in the face of all this, kyuhyun stood up for his and sohee's line. sohee can't do confrontation, so kyuhyun did it for her too - he fended off the prison gang, defended his own playing style and emotions, and he took his own elimination on the chin.

- but at the end of the day, i think it was not as much about hyungyu and protecting him, as it was about kyuhyun sticking to his own line. he didn't want to play like that, and it was very understandable. his friend was being ganged up on and expressed that he was having a difficult time (even if he knew his friend was fine in terms of the game, the emotions are still real). he chose to help his friend and refused to participate in offing his friend. that was his line. tbh, it was probably a line that most of the other contestants would have stuck to as well, with respect to their own allies/friends.

- and now, i'm in the middle of ep 10, and sohee is clearly feeling very bereft. probably feeling guilty for stepping away from hyungyu and for helping in the plan that ended up with kyuhyun eliminated. she was not a very secure person to begin with, so her eventual decision to help hyungyu to the very end to make all this have some kind of meaning makes sense to me.

[starcamus]

i hope i never stop learning. i want to always be studying. the goal is to attain a level of disgustingly educated.

[whyenn-reader]

Not to go "if you have ADHD just go for a run" or anything, but I am so serious if you have ADHD you should regularly go outside, no headphones no phone no nothing and just stand and observe for a while until you've had enough. Not until you get bored, until you've had enough. Drink your coffee without watching tiktok. Have a bath without music. Turn down the volume in your headphones. I cannot overstate how much learning to be bored is cruicial with ADHD. Life is not just about pleasure, no matter what your dysregulated dopamine system thinks, and when you teach your brain to be okay with being bored, then boring tasks stop feeling like torture. By letting yourself be bored you are yoinking your system out of the high/low binary and allow for the highs to feel like actual highs and not just anything that isn't low. I am so serious go literally touch grass. Listen to the sounds in your flat. Stimulate your body the way it was designed. It lowers anxiety and makes you feel like you're real and best of all it's completely free

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

I really wish more ADHD mental health care told you WHY things like this matter to our quality of life.

The Hyperactivity in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is NOT about being physically hyperactive, it's about having a "hyperactive central nervous system" because it's a form of inheritable dysautonomia. The problem with disautonomia, especially the ADHD kind, is that it makes boredom flag to your nervous system as a THREAT, triggering hyperactive and maladaptive central nervous system processes like fight or flight.

But dysautonomia kills you that way. Literally, part of the reason our average life spand increase on stimulents is that it helps manage risk-taking impulsivity that can get us killed by accident, but the other part is that stimulents can regulate a hyperactive CNS such that it is functionally (while impacted by the stimulent) NOT dysregulated anymore. And PHYSIOLOGICALLY that is essential because the physical outcomes of dysautonomia can reduce your life span by YEARS if not decades through self-perpetuating hypervigelence, endocrine disruption, and adrenal fatigue.

So when the ADHD brain goes stimulation-seeking and a doctor tells you to practice mindfulness, it feels like being told "hey go stand in a functioning boiler until you can stop thinking" rather than WHAT IT IS which is the process of re-teaching your body what is and isn't safe.

Standing outside making mindful, non-interpretive/moralized observation of the world helps your brain and body re-acclimate to the idea that absence of that frantic "busy" feeling isn't a threat or a risk to your safety, and gradually reduces the level of distress that just hanging out somewhere triggers for you.

Learning WHY this stuff was being suggested and understanding what it was actually supposed to do went a long way towards changing my relationship with my ADHD. I am FAR more functional now, far less prone to shame spirals and rejection sensitivity, hell, I can **sit physically still for near on an hour at a time** now without feeling like I'm going to crawl out of my skin.

So yeah. Go outside. Let the world narrow around you and take deep breaths until it stops feeling claustrophobic or like you need to climb walls. Learn how to let little sensations become big ones like the way the heat of the sun on your skin starts as a gentle warming and be omes a unique collection of sensory moments depending on how it lands on you. Listen for sounds under sounds and let them fade in and out as you move your focus from one sound to the next. Enjoy. Move on. Rinse and repeat.

When you no longer feel like the world is actively killing you, it's a lot easier to navigate it.

[whyenn-reader]

S++ tier addition to the post, thank you tumblr user butts bouncing on the beltway

[daily-spooky]

Flower Lamps

[writing-prompt-s]

"GO AWAY!" bellowed the dragon to the man currently pinned beneath one of their paws. "I've done NOTHING WRONG!" "You lie! You've slain dozens of noble knights over the centuries-" "In self-defense, because YOU ALL KEEP TRYING TO KILL ME!!!"

[writing-prompt-s]

As a joke you had always said "I dedicate this to Hades" as you threw away food scraps from your cooking and cleaning your plates. When you die you find yourself in front of Charon's boat with Hades sitting in it, seemingly very excited to see his most devoted follower in recent times.

[iphysalian]

Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:

A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin

A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans

A clock that isn’t 24-hours

More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know

Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain

Multiple moons/no moon

Planetary rings

A northern lights effect, but near the equator

Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks

Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals

Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands

The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage

No concept of virginity or bastardry

More than 2 genders/no concept of gender

Monotheism, but not creationism

Gods that don’t look like people

Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats

Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot

Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom

“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls

A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language

A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)

I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.

[sone-elf-exol]

today is one of those days when i just want to lie in bed for hours and fill my eardrums with music, let the gliding and dipping of the notes lead my soul in a waltz and twirl me up into the infinite stratosphere, far far away from the grasping fingers of reality.  i want to bathe in a sprinkling shower of tripping melodies and intricate rhythms and watch the sunlight bounce off of the passion behind each glimmering note.  i want to breathe in the aroma of freedom and just smile at the world, arms spread-eagled to take the whole world, rich with its dreams and promises, into my eager embrace.  i want to sing, i want to dance, i want to soar through the clouds.  icarus be damned, i want to leap off an arpeggio and unfurl my wings alongside a descant; i want to see the earth in its entirety and prick my finger on the tip of the north star, even if i must pay for my insolence with blood.  

freedom…

[writing-prompt-s]

If you would’ve known that that stupid river was the fountain of youth, you never would’ve drank from it. That was 300 years ago. You’re permanently stuck at age 26. The only one you really have left in your life is your horse, who also made the mistake of drinking from it.

[apeekatthestars]

22 April 2024

Hi, it's me again. I'm back from talking to you just now, but you didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. You don't seem to be in the mood to talk much these days. I'm guessing that you're starting to feel the pressure from your work and maybe you're not being as productive anymore, and therapy is no longer as potent a tool as it once was when you first started. I can see you avert your eyes and struggle to find the perfect words to deflect my questions when I ask you about your day. And I don't want to push you or make you feel uncomfortable in any way, so I lightly made a joke and left you alone to your own devices (literally, haha). I never want you to feel uncomfortable.

But if I could, there is so much I want to tell you. I want to tell you that you're perfect, you're doing just fine, backsliding and struggles and all. Life will never be perfect, and while that may be disappointing, the bright side is that you don't have to be perfect either. It's fine to struggle and to not meet people's expectations every time. The first step is loving yourself for your imperfections. I'm sure you have many imperfections, but I think the one that haunts you the most is the fear that you will disappoint and let down those around you, so you cling onto an unrealistic perfectionism in blind terror. However, I really wish you could see that your death grip onto your perfectionism grew out of your childhood need to assure your parents that they were doing the right thing by holding on so tightly to the rod and their religion. Your perfectionism grew out of a baby's insecurity for his parents' love and approval. It was a powerful weapon that pushed you to do the right things for the first two decades of your life, always appear to be the perfect child, always deserving of love and praise. It was a powerful weapon in a stacked arsenal - for a child in your specific circumstances. However, I can only imagine that growing up as the golden child came with its own stark terrors, and that from your earliest memories, you've been plagued by the nightmare that one day you may not live up to expectations anymore, so much so that you've become completely paralyzed by that same terror and can only live in denial now that the worst has come to pass. You're no longer a child in the arena fighting for your parents' love and attention. You're in the wilderness of adulthood now, and your armor, which had been so specially designed to protect you from close blows in the arena, have instead become a hindrance. Your blind grip on perfectionism used to guide you to the perfect actions, thoughts, words to prompt praise, but now it's paralyzing you, weighing you down.

So what is there to do? Drop. That. Armor. You don't need it anymore. It's holding you back. Without that armor, you can actually move your arms and legs and run and jump and swing from tree to tree. You're no longer restricted to the armor's range of movement - you can finally stretch and feel your joints again. And you know what? Even without that armor, you can still protect yourself - you can hide, you can run, you can climb. You couldn't do all that with the armor on. But now, you don't need that armor to protect yourself and survive anymore.

If you take away the perfectionism, what's left of Godfrey? All the best parts, that's what. He is so sharp and logical and quick on his mental feet. He has a strong sense of what's good and right. He'll do anything to help out his loved ones and meet their expectations. He loves books and fantasies and stories and has a vivid imagination. He has such a way with words - he can pinpoint the exact word to fit in any situation. He has a curious, open mind and is often up for new experiences. He is so good with making administrative plans. He puts people around him at ease with his easygoing laugh. He has a certain skill with musical instruments.

And you know what's the worst part of this? Sometimes it feels like you don't see all that. It feels like you've choked up your vision with shame at your own faults, and you don't understand that your paralyzing perfectionism only evolved to help a young child survive a harsh religious parenting but it is not native to your spirit. It's served its purpose, but now it's time to put it down. Instead of seeing only people's expectations and the pressure to meet them, I really wish you could see what an awesome person you are, and all the things there are to love about you and the way you touch the world around you. If you focus on your passions instead of your shame, there are so many young sprouting interests and hobbies and talents just peeking out of the soil, ready to meet the sunlight. Learn to love yourself even with your halting growth and to use your analytical mind to properly parent your inner child this time, replacing shame with acceptance and love. Accommodate your weaknesses instead of hiding them away.

So what if you can't get yourself to work every day? Figure out what triggers put you in the mood to work and when you never have the motivation to work, and plan out your working schedule around your own energy at different parts of the day or circumstances. You can't eat on time? Make a list of your favorite resturants for different moods, and then set a reminder to pick something off your prescribed list quickly. You can't fall asleep on time? Consider sleeping pills or drowsy soothing drinks.

You have to love and accept yourself, flaws and all. Changes based on love and acceptance stick around a lot longer than ones based on shame and self-hatred.

So it's ok if your mind back-slides a bit. Take this opportunity to test out what motivates you and find your triggers. But most importantly of all, I hope you love yourself, because loving you is such a non-brainer to me and it's honestly ridiculous that you can't see how wonderful you are and that you would allow shame to smoke up your vision like that.

[apeekatthestars]

https://x.com/FormerlyIr/status/1780963402996933007?s=09

[apeekatthestars]

rocks are fascinating. Did you know there is a rock called the acasta gneiss which is 4 BILLION YEARS OLD? the earth itself is approximately 4.5 billion years old - so that piece of rock has been around to see the earth through almost 90% of its entire history. that's mindblowing. who said rocks are boring? that couldn't be further from the truth!

[apeekatthestars]

Okay, so this feels long overdue. It's been way too long since I last journaled, work has been too hectic, and I've just had a long cry last night. Ever since Charlotte quit, it's been starting to feel like I don't have enough hands - like my mind is just listing out things I need to do after I finish the task at hand, while my hands are still doing said task. It's been...a lot. To be fair, while the assigned tasks are insane, a major part of the stress has been this skeleton submission for Stephen Ng's case. I'm honestly very hopeful that the matter will get wrapped up before the hearing, but we do still need to lodge the written submission. I'm on the 4th draft, and Mike keeps telling me my drafts are wrong - which is fine, which is normal, and so I have just been churning out more and more drafts, each one 20 to 30 pages long, in an attempt to finally get it right. I've stayed up working on drafts until 2am twice already, on top of an insane workload on all my other files. The straw that broke the camel's back was yesterday - I literally just did what he told me to do, and it was still fucking wrong. I think the problem is that he says things like "Quote their Defence" and assumes I know what he means - but there are a lot of ways to quote things, and I've never seen a skeleton submission that looks like what it appears he wants, so that's a lot of very costly trial and error. I just...feel very broken and tired, and I want to just walk away from this whole career. I'm clearly not made out for a career in law. My mind simply isn't adept enough. I can't process things on the spot. That rules out oral advocacy and legal discussions. And nobody's mind seems to work like my mind, so people say things and I don't understand them on the spot until I've had time to transcribe recordings of our conversations and read them back. And I don't know the law, and it feels like it's too late to rectify such a fundamental thing.

Alright, that's enough feeling sorry for myself. I have my limitations, that much is certain. However, that doesn't mean I'm giving up without a fight. If I can finally figure out what a "proper" skeleton submission is supposed to look like, I can create a list of questions and a protocol, so that I know the tone I'm supposed to strike in future. This will be a massive win in terms of my career. I'm so close to it - maybe the next draft will be a winner, now that (hopefully) Mike has finally expressed what changes should be made. We can do this. Stupidity isn't a sin - we can work around it and still get what we deserve.

Am I doing something wrong? No, we're not. We are learning as best we can. Draft 1 was very different from Draft 4. Next time we have to do a skeleton submission, we can skip directly to Draft 5. That is learning, right there. There is no need to feel ashamed, and there is no need to feel guilty for not being faster. Your mind is about to crack. You need a break, and you are going to get one.

It just...feels like there are so many things piled up on my plate, that it's unconscionable to not use any part of my long weekend to clear up some of the backlog, particularly when a lot of the backlog was due yesterday. And I should not have made the mistakes I made - I know better. I owe it to my bosses to put in the extra work when I've not been helpful. But if that's the logic, then you'll literally never get a break. Work will always be this urgent. Always. And you're still learning, so you'll just be doing trial and error for like a decent chunk of your time. Your inability to do all the work on time is not a failing on your part - you always just do your best, after all. The fact that the work can't be done on the spot is about lack of manpower. No matter how hardworking you are, your efforts will just keep crashing against the towering demand. So you have to take the time to take care of yourself, to keep yourself from crashing and burning out. You are already in the right place - you are learning and working as hard as you can. Take a deep breath and feel proud of how far you've come. Take a good long rest. Look at the sunshine and the trees and all the beauty and love in this world beyond the narrow scope of your career. Life is long. You are smart and hardworking, yes, but you are also bright and happy and curious about the world. Estella alone cannot make progress on the part of the entire Elsandria - everyone needs to grow in order for Elsandria to become stronger.

It's been a long while, but how is everyone else doing? Joey was depressed and starved for a while back there, but now that we're re-reading the Belgariad and playing Stardew Valley, things are not so bad. But it would not hurt to find new things to get into. Maybe we can re-learn Spirit Island, or Root, or another digital board game. But it's hard to magic a new interest - these things are supposed to just happen, after all. We can create a list of shows and books that we can get into?

Yumi has been completely thrown to the side in Estella's mad rush, but we can restart the skincare and the teeth brushing. With Admira, I've discovered that waking up on time comes a lot easier when I've had sufficient rest. Work permitting, I do want to be in bed, listening to a bedtime story by 11:30pm on Monday and Thursday nights, and I want at least half a weekend day actually doing something fun. These are structures we need to enforce. As for journaling? It really should be a lot more regular, but it's hard to make time for that when life is just go, go, go. I guess it's just going to have to be whenever I feel the need to journal.

And Kalyra? It's hard for Kalyra to do much of anything when I can't put together the time to go explore the city. But she's an integral part of our personality - she brings the wonder and the magic. God forbid the day when her light dims. It's a long weekend. If you don't let her out now, when will you? This is about your dedication to yourself and Kalyra - take care of her now.

We have to go explore the city this long weekend.

And play Stardew Valley, of course. Maybe try the Avatar books.

The world is a vast place. There is beauty hidden in every nook and cranny. Go find it.

[simplestudentplanning]

100 Things To Do Instead Of Doom-Scrolling Through Social Media

Read a book.

Write in a journal.

Learn to cook a new recipe.

Practice a musical instrument.

Start a DIY project.

Draw or paint.

Learn a new language.

Do a puzzle.

Exercise or do yoga.

Listen to a podcast.

Watch a documentary.

Play a board game.

Try a new workout routine.

Meditate.

Start a garden.

Plan a future trip.

Volunteer online.

Write a letter to a friend or family member.

Learn to knit or crochet.

Take online courses.

Practice photography.

Organize your closet.

Play video games.

Learn a magic trick.

Write a short story.

Create a vision board.

Make a playlist of your favorite songs.

Try a new hairstyle.

Experiment with makeup.

Learn to juggle.

Play a card game.

Do a home workout challenge.

Explore virtual museums or art galleries.

Do a digital detox day.

Learn calligraphy.

Rearrange your furniture.

Create a scrapbook.

Learn to play chess.

Write and perform a song.

Practice mindfulness.

Learn origami.

Plan a themed dinner night.

Do a home spa day.

Learn to code.

Play a musical instrument.

Build a blanket fort.

Take online dance lessons.

Research and try a new type of tea.

Learn about astronomy and stargaze.

Try a new board game.

Create a podcast.

Learn to solve a Rubik's Cube.

Start a blog.

Make homemade candles.

Research your family tree.

Practice a new type of art (e.g., watercolor, sculpture).

Learn to speed-read.

Write a poem.

Make a list of personal goals.

Learn to play a new card game.

Create a budget.

Build a puzzle or Lego set.

Learn to identify constellations.

Try a new fitness class online.

Make homemade pizza.

Experiment with DIY face masks.

Learn about a historical event.

Create a bucket list.

Learn to tie different knots.

Try a new type of workout (e.g., Pilates, kickboxing).

Create digital art.

Plan a themed movie marathon.

Learn to juggle.

Explore a new genre of music.

Write a letter to your future self.

Take up a new hobby (e.g., birdwatching, geocaching).

Research and try a new type of cuisine.

Make homemade ice cream.

Practice deep breathing exercises.

Create a photo album.

Try a new type of dance.

Write and perform a short play.

Learn to play a new board game.

Take a virtual tour of a historical site.

Make a time capsule.

Learn about different types of architecture.

Plan a virtual game night with friends.

Write and illustrate a children's book.

Try a new form of exercise (e.g., HIIT, Zumba).

Learn about different types of plants.

Create a DIY home decor project.

Plan a themed picnic at home.

Research and try a new type of dessert.

Practice positive affirmations.

Try a new type of puzzle (e.g., crosswords, Sudoku).

Learn about different types of birds.

Experiment with DIY skincare products.

Take up a new form of art (e.g., pottery, glassblowing).

Create a list of things you're grateful for.

Learn about a new culture.

[kleefkruid]

Every fun post on here that encourages people to have hobbies/be creative always gets an avalanche of "Some people are poor Karen" type reactions and respectfully, you're all super annoying. I've never lived above the poverty line and this is a list of hobbies I have that were cheap or entirely free:

Read books: Go to the library, lend a book from a friend

knitting, crochet, embroidery: Get some needles from the bargan store and ask around, people have leftovers from projects they'll happily give you. Thrift stores also often carry leftover fabric and other supplies. And talk about your hobby loud enough and an old lady will show up and gift you their whole collection, because there are way more old ladies with a closet full of wool than there are grandchildren who want to take up the hobby.

Origami/paper crafts: get some scrap paper and scissors, watch a youtube tutorial

walking: put on shoes open door

pilates/yoga/etc: get a mat or just use your carpet, watch a youtube tutorial

Houseplants: look online for people that swap plant cuttings. There are always people giving out stuff for free to get you started. If you're nice enough you'll probably get extra

gardening: You're gonna need some space for this one of course but you can just play around with seeds and cuttings from your grocery vegetables.

aquarium keeping is a bit of an obscure one but I got most of my stuff second hand for cheap or free and now I have a few thousand euro worth of material and plants.

drawing/art: You get very far just playing with bargan store materials. I did my entire art degree with mostly those.

writing: Rotate a cow in your head for free

cooking: again one you can make very expensive, but there are many budget recipes online for free. Look for African or Asian shops to get good rice and cheap spices.

Join a non-profit: Cities will have creative organisations who let you use woodworking machines or screen presses or laser cutters or 3D printers etc etc etc for a small fee. Some libraries also lend out materials.

candle making: You need some molds (cheap), wick, two old cooking pots for au bain marie melting and a ton of scrap candles, ask people to keep them aside for you.

a herbarium, flower pressing: Leaves are free, wildflowers too, ask if you can take from peoples gardens.

puzzles: thrift stores, your grandma probably

Citizen science: look for projects in your area or get the iNaturalist app

And lastly and most importantly: Share! Share your supllies, share your knowledge. Surround yourself with other creative people and before you know it someone will give you a pot of homemade jam and when you want to paint your kabinet someone will have leftover paint in just the right color and you can give them a homemade candle in return and everyone is having fun and building skills and friendships and not a cent is exchanged. We have always lived like this, it's what humans are build to do.

And all of it sure beats sitting behind a computer going "No stranger, I refuse to let myself have a good time."

Anyway I'm logging off bc I'm making some badges for a friend who cooked for me and then I'm going to fix some holes in everyones clothes.