RMH
@theartofmadeline
will byers stan first human second
shark vs the universe
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Not today Justin
tannertan36
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JBB: An Artblog!
Discoholic šŖ©
ojovivo
almost home
hello vonnie
PR's Tumblrdome
ā
dirt enthusiast
noise dept.
Game of Thrones Daily
#extradirty
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@walkingwanderland
This is the purest, most beautiful thing I have ever seen in the entire world. What a wonderful experience wow honestly what a privilege to be graced with this sweet perfect thing at 4:14 in the morning
This is still so beautiful to meā¦Iām in tears again
Cronch cronch cronch
I really want a science fiction story where aliens come to invade earth and effortlessly wipe out humanity, only to be fought off by the wildlife.
They were expecting military resistance. They werenāt counting on bears.
Imagine coming to a hostile alien world and being attacked by a horde of creatures that can weigh up to 3 tons, run at 30Ā km/h (19Ā mph), and bite with a force of 8,100 newtons (1,800Ā lbf).
By the time you realise that they can traverse water, itās too late. The surviving members of your unit manage to make it back by shedding their excess gear and running for their lives; the slower ones were crushed to death within minutes.
You later describe the creature to one of the humans you captured, wanting to know the name of the monstrosity that will haunt your nightmares for cycles to come.
The human smiles as it speaks a single word, slowly and distinctly, in its barbaric tongue.
āHippopotamus.ā
This is giving me the biggest, creepiest grin I might have ever grinnedĀ
Imagine being the next crew to go down to earth and thinking āitās fine, we got this. We have the weapons and equipment necessary to deal with bears and *shudders* hippopotamuses. Weāll be fine.ā
And at first you are, youāve learned how to dodge. Youāve learned where their territories are. You know how to defend yourself.
But then one night you are sleeping in your shelter. Youāre in a tree covered temperate part of earth. It seems benign. There are been no sightings of the dreaded āhipposā around. Not even any bears. But there is a slight rustle of the undergrowth. You try and ignore it telling yourself it is just the wind.
Then you hear the rustle again. closer this time.
You peer out into the darkness but see nothing amongst the trees.
The rustle again and now you realise you can smell something. Itās musky and slightly foul. Itās the smell of an omen, a warning. But what of? Where is this smell coming from.
You sit up, but itās too late. The foul smelling creature is on you. You are hit with 17kg of coarse fur and vicious bites. Long dark claws tear in to you and you are pinned down white the striped creature tries to bite your throat.
It takes some doing but you manage to wrestle free. Blood drips from your wounds and already they itch with the sign of infection. The creature has a bloodied snout, rust rad, mingling with the black and white hairs. It lets out a terrifying growl from the back of its throat and looks to attack again. Itās between you and your knife, so your only choice is to back away.
Eventually the creature gives up and snuffles off in to the undergrowth, down a hole near your shelter you hadnāt noticed before.
When you make it back to your base you once again consult the captive human.
āBadger.ā they say, with a solemn nod.
One word: Moose
āOur vehicles are far superior to the local human models, in range, speed, armament, and any other metric you care to name! Nothing could possibly-ā
BAMrumblerumblethumpcrash!!!
āThatās called a moose.ā
Wolverines.
Also.. dolphins.
The invasion is going slowly. The humans have caught on and are actively destroying information on the planetās flora and fauna before Intelligence can capture and process it. All that they have are survivorsā accounts. Bears. Hippos. Badgers. Moose. It is becoming obvious this mudball planet is a full-on Death World to the unprepared, and you are so very unprepared.
You lost Jaxurn to a plant. Not even a mobile or carnivorous plant, just one that caused a vicious allergic reaction on contact that killed him in less than a rai'kor. Commander Vura'ko died to an insect bite, a tiny local pest that sucked a tiny bit of her blood and apparently replaced it with a bit of its last meal, which was full of disease. Backwash. She died to bug backwash. And yet you honestly envy them after thatā¦ thing you encounteredā¦
When you got back to base the quarantine officer refused to let you inside. They had to roll a containment tank outside to put you in, because you all knew there would be no chance of eliminating the smell if it got into the shipās air ducts. Smell. You wonder if your nasal slit will ever recover from this stench.
And the smell would. Not. Leave. After incinerating your gear the Q.O. had you use every cleansing agent they could think of, including a few janitorial ones, and still everyone fled the stench if they were downwind of your tank. Desperate to protect everyoneās nasal slits from the smell the quarantine officer interrogated the humans. From them, a glimmer of hope: there was a cure. Somehow the juice of a certain fruit on this mudball was the only thing that could break up the chemicals in the little horrorās spray. Immediately the Q.O. sent a team to recover buckets of the stuff and made you bathe in it. That was hours ago and it didnāt seem to be working, though. All it was doing was turning your blue skin an interesting shade of purple.
Sighing in frustration you wave the med-assist on duty over, who only approaches after checking the wind direction. Annoyed, you flip on the tank`s vox speaker.
āThe humans did say it was āgrapeā juice that removed āskunkā stench, right?ā
Every night.Ā
It came for someone almost every night.Ā
Any soldier alone was a viable target for this native monster that moved unseen by any but the security viewers, usually only spotted in hindsight.Ā They were taken as silently as this earth-monster moved.Ā Sometimes theyād find the remains in the morning taken up a tree and hung there, mostly eaten, as if it were a grisly reminder that the monster was still there, waiting unseen, to strike again.Ā
What little they saw of the monster on the vidfeed showed true horror.Ā Yellow eyes that shone with all the light it could gather.Ā It had fangs as long as his grasping digits.Ā Claws half that size formed curved hooks that allowed it to climb up their fortifications with impunity.Ā And in the underbrush, its spots made it almost impossible to see clearly in the undergrowth, if it could be seen at all.
Even the native sentients, the humans, had a healthy respect and fear for it.Ā
The earth natives called the monster a leopard.Ā Ā
It was a constant fear that muddied the senses, and let the monster hunt even more effectively as the soldiers were always on edge.Ā Sleep deprived with fear, it made them even better targets for the monster.Ā
But rumor was that there was worse on this planet.Ā Rumors of a monster like a leopard but larger, and bigger in every imaginable sense. Stripped instead of spotted, which leaped from the underbrush with a sound.
A sound that burst eardrums, paralyzed entire units, and let the monster kill with impunity.Ā While the Leopard wrestled soldiers down and ripped their throats out.Ā This other monster, the Tiger, killed with its pounce alone.
āWeāve been through this,ā Group Leader 455 snapped.Ā āThe dissection of an Earth life form will help the scientists make weapons to combat the rest of this planetās hellbeasts.Ā And these are domesticated.Ā Harmless.ā
The troops were not-quite-looking at her in the way troops do when they donāt want to be seen to contradict a ranking officer, but canāt quite muster a correct Expression of Enthusiastic Assent.Ā āThe name of this species,ā she pointed out, āis synonymous with dullness and slowness in the language of the Earth barbarians.āĀ Well, one language out of several thousandāthese creatures needed Imperial guidance more than any other world on recordābut there was no point in confusing the rank and file.
More not-quite-looking.Ā 455 bubbled a sigh and consulted her scanner.Ā āThat one,ā she decided.Ā āAlone in the separate pasture.Ā Scans suggest that itās a male, which means itās probably weaker.Ā Possibly itās kept isolated so that the females donāt eat it before mating season.Ā And yes, I know some of you are here on punishment detail, but youāre still soldiers of the Imperium.Ā This squad is perfectly capable of handling a lone, helpless, pathetic male cow.ā
Iām enjoying this immensely. Wait until the aliens try Australia for sizeā¦
It was a strange creature Tar'van glimpsed at on the vast island known to the humans as āAustraliaā.
āI would warn you not to fuck with us, mate.ā Their forced guide, a prisioner, had warned with a chilling grin upon capture. āIf you think a moose is bad, wait until you tango with a red back.ā To this day Tar'van fears the creature known as the red back, and what horrors it would bring.
The prisioner turned out to be of little help,the stubboness of his people causing them to refuse the danger that the captured human warned of. Tar'van recalls a moment when one of his squad members approached a creature know as a dingo, insistent they had seen these creatures before and they were tame. They barely escaped with 5 of the original 7 members of his squad.
Another moment Tar'van recalls was the brutal mauling they witnessed by the hands of a creature called an āEmuā
āDonāt feel too bad,ā the prisioner mocked. āWe lost a war to the Emuās as well.ā
Now with only 4 members of their squad left, including themself, Tar'van had learned to listen to the prisoner, to be wary of the simplest of creatures. This human was of the sub-species of āZookeeperā after all.
The āZookeeperā looks off to the distance, where the creature is.
āItās a kangaroo, leave it be and youāll be fine.ā Tar'van nods, a human signal of acknowledgement if they are correct. The human smiles a bit.
āThat creature cannot possibly harm us.ā Tar'vanās squadleader protests. āIt is so docile. I will aproach it and bring back itās head to show this human is a fearmongering liar.ā
The human reels back, a look of disgust crosses their face and anger passes through their eyes.
āFucking do it mate, I dare ya.ā The human hisses. The squad leader puffs up their hoinn gland, a sign of pride to their species, and aproached the so called āKangarooā.
āThis will be unpleasant.ā A squadmate mutters as they watch their leader raise their fist and bring it down on the creature. The āKangarooā looks a little stunned by the impact, before it raises itself upon its strong tail and uses its powerful heind legs to launch their squadleader backwards through the air.
Their squadleader lands upon the ground, unmoving with black blooded oozeing from them. It appears Tar'van is the squads leader now.
āI donāt know what they expected.ā the human says, smugness filling their tone. āKangaroos are fucking shreaded. 8-pack and all.ā
Tar'van steps forward to the human, whom inches back in a sign of fear as Tar'van pulls their blade from its holster, and in their first act as leader, frees the human of the bonds around their hands.
āPlease,ā Tar'van bags. āGet us back safely.ā
@kryallaorchid, you guys really lost a war to emus?Ā Why was it necessary?
oh, mate, you never mess with the emus.
(Jesus christ. Dont get us started on kangaroos)
They had faced Emuās. They had lost one in the battle but had experienced them. But this was no emu.
Looking to their guide, they all stare in horror as his face changes from calculating to fear. Pure, heart consuming horror as he stares at the large bird. āCassowaryā¦ā They mimic him in fear. Squawking the horrific name as another joins the first in the mad run towards them.
The only ones to survive was the native guide and Tar'van. The guide was carrying the soldier over his shoulder as they made their way back to the settlement. Tar'van was a wreck. Periodically alternating between rocking in complete silence and whispering broken words in horror. When they consulted the native all he said was āIts springā¦. Magpie seasonā¦ā
āListen up, troops. This armour upgrade has been tested both in the laboratories of the best Imperial military scientists and in the field. We are impervious to the stings of any insect on this hellhole of a planet, striped or not! We can brave the perils of its wildlife, and conquer it at long last! Revenge for our fallen companions! Glory to the Emperor!ā
āExcuse me,ā the native Terran guide speaks up in a tired tone, and the squadās cheers die on their lips. āThis is Japan. You havenāt seen whatāā
āSilence, worm! No sting can penetrate this plating!ā
The guide tries to warn them once again, merely earning a blow that throws them to their knees. The troops set out, morale high, certain in their ability to brave the wildlife now and thirsting for vengeance against the non-sentient native species. One soldier thumps his fist against a tree. A hollow sound follows.
In an instant, the soldier is the centre of a storm of the striped insects. At first, no one pays it any mind. Their little stings cannot penetrate the new plating, after all.
But then the soldier falls to his knees, and the squad stares in horror as the insects enclose him in layer upon layer of their own bodies, all moving. The squadās medic yells a warning at everyone to stay back, watching the readouts of the unfortunate soldierās armour on their diagnostic screen with undisguised horror. The insects arenāt even stinging. They simply keep moving, one atop the other, and the soldierās body temperature is slowly rising until he drops to the ground, quite literally cooked alive. The insect swarm takes off, unharmed save for the ones that were crushed when the trooper fell.
Finally asked about what happened, the human sighs. āJapanese honeybees. They do this to wasps, too.ā
āHow?ā You ask.Ā āHow has your species dominated this planet?āĀ
The human bares its teeth. A smile, they call it. Something humans do when they are happy. Yet you canāt help but think of all the creatures with the their large fangs and sharp teeth.Ā (What kind of species uses a threat signal as a sign of happiness?)
āPersistence and ingenuity.ā The human answers, still smiling.Ā
It doesnāt matter that this one is your prisoner. Humans, you decide, are as terrifying as their planet. Ā
āAnd scattered about it ā¦ were the Martiansādead!āslain by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared; slain as the red weed was being slain; slain, after all manās devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, had put upon this earth.āĀ
ā HG Wells, The War of the Worlds,1898
Iām picturing aliens going up against a hoard of Canadian geese, or a swan.
I think at that point theyād just give up.
Or fire ants
No one even MENTIONED snakes yetā¦
This thing gets better EVERY FUCKING TIME I SEE IT.
āLet us try the creatures that the humans keep for domestic companionshipā
āIs that a miniature tiger?ā
āWhy does this human own a small pack of wolves?ā
The aliens ask their human captive why small wolves live with them.Ā
āOh, you mean dogs? Yeah, theyāre the only animals that can keep up with us.ā
The aliens look at each other in fear.Ā āWhat do you mean?ā
āOh well thatās why you guysĀ āwonā is because humans arenāt super fast or strong. I think my middle school biology teacher called us pursuit predators? It means we evolved to hunt things by following them at walking pace until they had to stop to sleep and then catching up to them then. Dogs are the only animals that can keep up with us. Did you know one time a pack of wolves tailed a herd of caribou for three days straight?ā
āUhā¦ okay, what about these small round things with big teeth?ā
āOmg dude no if you give a hamster enought time that little fucker can chew through concrete :)ā
The aliens wonder if the surrender of humanity was a trap.
Somebody do sharks or sea creatures next. Giant squids would wreak havoc on their ships.
The aliens have sophisticated technology which pretty much allows them to live underwater, which is something even the inventive humans have never managed. Submarines have nothing on alien submersion pods, which can withstand the crushing pressures of even the darkest depths of the oceans and seas.Ā
The aliens arenāt expecting any difficulties with their underwater expeditions. Of course, thatās when four of the life signs on the central screen simply vanish, like theyād never been there.Ā
Alpha turns on the direct communication lines to the remaining submersion pods, and the only thing they hear through the tinny speakers is screaming.Ā
Alpha resists the urge to turn and stare at the shackled human standing behind them, but Beta, Gamma and Theta have no such compunctions.Ā
The human shrugs.Ā āI mean, weāve never really been down there so weāre not entire sure, but weāve heard stories of giant squids and stuff. No smoke without fire, and all that.āĀ
āThere can be neither smoke nor fire underwater, human, cease your prattling.āĀ
The human snorts.Ā āItās a phrase. A metaphor? Man, I donāt know, I studied marine biology, not literature.āĀ
The human is unable to tell them anything useful about what might have happened to the submersion pods, but retrieved footage later shows tentacled behemoths snaking out of the depths of disturbed silt and cold water, and crushing the submersion pods effortlessly, in full view of the outer-hull cameras. The monsters have giant beaks which rip through the organic alloy sheets, and into the bodies of the pod pilots within.Ā
The outer-hull cameras register the blue of fresh spilled blood and gore, at the same time the on-board cameras register screaming and the red glow of critical power failure.Ā
The last thing the aliens can see on the retrieved footage is thin, long, snakelike creatures appearing out of the darkness and gloom, creating their own light and descending upon the remains of their brethren. They are accompanied by creatures that look like plastic bags, but which feed upon the toxic remains of the organic alloy of which the pods were made.
The human appears completely nonchalant - there is no love lost between slave and master.Ā āWait till you see sharks.āĀ
Iāve seen this post go around a few times, but this time I have some thoughts: 1) This is more or less the plot of Animorphs.
2) Earth has Poison Dart Frogs, weāre clearly a Death World.
3) Iām now imagining them deciding to set up a base on the poles, because life on this planet is clearly dependant on plants. So, that frozen wasteland should be safe of any dangerous megafauna. Cue Polar Bear out of nowhere.
GIANT SQUID.Ā
OH GOD. This is brilliant.
@words-writ-in-starlight ik youāve reblogged various versions of this but this one has so many moreā¦
MY FUCKING FAVORITE THING OKAY
Of course the aliens are not dumb. So eventually they put their head of operations in some urban area somewhere in western europe, because the humans have long ago killed all the dangerous beasts who used to live there, like bears and wolfs. But then an entire team gets murdered by a grey monstrosity the humans call āelephantā and then one of the dreaded tigers shows up and rippes the head off the consuls body. The vice consul (now new consul, apparently) runs to the human prisoneres in a rage. āYou said those monsters do not live here.ā āI donāt know manā, one of the humans sais. āThey arenāt supposed to be here. Maybe they broke out of the zoo.ā And to his horror, the new consul finds out that the humans have brought animals all over the world for fun, and apparently a tiger can sneak up on you anywhere on this god forsaken planet.
Actual real workshop songs
That time I had to attend a mandatory orientation for transfers or in other words mornings are not my hours of operation
This is art.
Ā W Ā H Ā E Ā E Ā Z Ā E
HELP I CANT STOP LAUGHING
My favourite person on snapchat
THIS IS SO IMPORTANT
its kinda scary how your whole life depends on how well you do as a teenagerĀ
oh my god No it doesnāt donāt put this kind of pressure on people?? you can absolutely fuck up in your teen years and continue on to a good life just fine. you can drop out of school, get a GED, still go to college and finish your degree as late as you want. i know people in my school who still havenāt graduated and theyāre 26. some older. you can always transfer someplace else, always build yourself up from the ground. after a certain amount of college credits, a lot of schools really donāt care about your high school GED or your SAT scores anymore. if you fuck up in your teenage years you are not a failure!! you can ALWAYS re-invent yourself, always start over. there is always a second chance.
Reblogging this for my followers freaking out over art school/college. I dropped out of high school and never thought Iād get into college as easily as I did. You will be fine!
Fun story my biology professor just told us: Ā When he was 23 he was married to his wife and worked two jobs to support them since she was in college: gas station attendant and construction worker. Ā He worked these two jobs because that was the only work he could get since he was at the reading level of a third grader. Ā
One night he was writing something and his wife noticed he was writing from right to left. Ā Since she was studying occupational therapy she realized he had a learning disability and started working with him. Ā He slowly began to learn to read, and at 26 got his GED and went to college.
His first year of college he took the lowest level math course he could take, 001. Ā Over the years he worked on learning what he needed to, ended up graduating with a biology degree. Ā He then went on to get his masters and PhD, graduating at the top of his class. Ā He is now an extremely accomplished biologist and professor.
So donāt let anyone tell you that youāre future is based on your choices as a teenager.
Seriously. Ā Do not believe this. Ā You arenāt even stuck with your choices you make in your 20s. Ā I didnāt start working in my current field until just after my 30th birthday. Ā It has nothing to do with what I went to school for in my 20s. Ā My husband has a political science degree, and heās a sports journalist.
You are not tied to anything. Ā Go. Ā Be.
My day job did not exist when I was a teenager. And the idea of trying to be an author was a distant thing on my radar. I thought I was going to be an English teacher. And then I thought I was going to be a music teacher. And then I thought I was going to be a drama teacher.
Also in there: therapist, early childhood educator, then finally: web developerābecause by then it was an actual thing that existed. I didnāt actually figure out what IĀ āwanted to do when I grew upā until about eight years ago, when I was 36. I tried pursuing writing when I was 30, stopped, then started pursuing it seriously again when I was 40.Ā
There is always time to change. And donāt let anyone tell you that high school isĀ āthe best time of your lifeā either, because thatās bullshit too.
Reblogging for my followers. My high school teachers didnāt know what to do with me, and I failed everything but a low photography grade. I thought university wasnāt for me, and settled for marrying a mediocre man who spent all day on Warcraft. Then I went to community college. Now Iām in uni doing a double English and philosophy degree, just back from America. I am also single.
Also important: College is not the only option. Donāt let anyone try to tell you it is. If youāre not academically inclined, the trades are an option and they are a good optionā if the only thing you think youāre good at is make-up do that. There are people who can live comfortably just doing make-up. We have this idea planted in our heads as teenagers (and younger) that not fitting into an academic mould of some sort means youāre failing at life and this is bullshit. Thereās no reason to feel like youāre āfailing at lifeā because you donāt like school or were never good at it. We need skilled workers in the world, and the thing they donāt tell you is all work is skilled work. If itās work, it takes skill. Yes, this encompasses āserviceā jobs, it encompasses all jobs. Please donāt think that what you do, or what you have an interest in doing is of less value than something that requires a college education. This coming from the college-educated white girl who is a seamstress because itās what I enjoy. If college isnāt going to get you where you want to go, than you donāt need to go! Itās that simple. Take whatever path you need to get to where you are happy and comfortable and fufilled. If youāre doing what you love you are sucessful.
i didnāt graduate with my bachelorās until i was 26 and life took a few turns along the way but now, at 37, i have a job that makes me genuinely happy. and itās got nothing to do with how well i did in high school.
This! This make me cryā¦ Iām 23 and I really donāt know where Iām going, so reading this kinds of storys makes me feel hope!
I love all this support and inspiring stories, but what I think op was getting at was that our teachers/parents/elders ingrain this idea in us that if we fuck up in our teens, we fuck up everything. So donāt ever let adults make you feel less for needing/spending more time to achieve your goals. Youāre still amazing if you get a degree at 24 or 44 or even not at all
for everyone needing this as much as i do right now
CANāT STOP THE JAM (the entire saga thus far)
THE JAM GETS LOUDER WITH EVERY VIDEO.
HAHAH THAT WASNāT EVEN INTENTIONALā¦ā¦. or was it
this video saved my life
@sashayed Here, have some joy
Ryan Lochte: My philosophy is if youāre a man at night, you gotta be a man in the morning. Soā¦
Sheinelle Jones: Ooh.
RL: ā¦if I go out all night, and I go dancing and Iām drinking, you know what, I still have a job to do and I ha ā still have a goal to do.
Mike Jerrick: [clears throat]
SJ: I like that. I ā I have a feeling my cohost ā thatās what you live by, right? [barely holding it together] If youāre a man at night, then you gotta be a man in the morning ā
MJ: OK. Ryan, good luck to you. Weāll be watching.
RL: Uhh, thank you.
MJ & SJ: [slowly vibrating into silent hysteria]
MJ: [waves, like to a baby]
MJ & SJ: [shrieks of laughter]
SJ: [incomprehensible] ohmygod I canātdoit I ca ā ooo
MJ: Seriously, how are they going to get enough material ā¦ What was the question that stumped him?
SJ: You asked ā what ā what ā what ā what a woman can say ā¦. what a woman can s ā [loses it]
MJ: I guess silence, uh, im ā impresses him.
SJ: You canāt ā no, itās just a woman couldnāt say anything. [sniffs] He is good-looking.
MJ: I need to eat some oatmeal on that.
SJ: [fully collapsing] We are so gonna get in trouble.
MJ: Whā¦seriously, how are they gonna g ā put together like 22, 13 weeks of programming? [cackling]
SJ: [weeping] Heās so cute.
MJ: Oh. He is cute.
SJ: Did you see the plaid?
MJ: Yeah.
SJ: And y ā wh ā you should loosen your tie like that, cause thatās ā sexy. It really is. Whoo. Whatād he say, āIām a man at night āā What is it?
MJ: āYou know Iām a man at night ā¦ and a man in the morning.ā
SJ: į“¼Ź° į“³įµįµ ā»ā» į“µ į¶įµ ā»ā»
[cackling]
SJ: į“µ į¶įµį¶°'įµ įµoit. My lash is gonna come off, sorry ā
MJ: Look out, we got a ā we got a lash. We got a lash off. [clears throat]
SJ: Oh my God.
MJ: Let me tell you about this, Sheinelle ā
SJ: Ohh Iām snorting.
I hope he sees this
So I was drunk on snapchat last night crying
Good psychological games masterpost?
No One Has To Die: Talking will spoil it from the start. Amazing concept and brilliant ending. Takes about 20 minutes to complete, browser game.
Off: Youāve probably already seen bits all over tumblr from this (as well as bits, if you know what I mean ;]); French game that starts with a strange man āpurifyingā ghosts from a world with weird rules and elements; quickly becomes a twisted, confusing ride. At least worth a play, and you should probably check out an LP afterwards (I sure did). Takes a few hours.
The Grey Rainbow: Donāt be thrown by the art - this game may start off in a fairly usual RPG manner, but the story, though short, will draw you in and may even make you cry. Make sure to check all flavor text. Takes about an hour.
The Color Tuesday RPG (TCT): Starts off with kids randomly chosen to save the world/town/whatever, like many RPGs, but actually takes a look at the burden placed on the protagonists. Interesting if sometimes frustrating combat system, a compelling story, and an almost laughable but actually rather tragic spin on the weird rules of many RPG worlds. Beautiful in every sense and left me wanting more. Takes a few hours - LOTS OF FLASHING, epileptics take care! Make sure to play with the sound on.
Bastion: If you havenāt played this yet, Iām already judging you. But seriously, itās an incredibly beautiful and heart-wrenching game with wonderful sound, graphics, and story. Most definitely play with the sound on, and buy the damn soundtrack. The only non-free game on this list, but well worth it. Takes a few hours, very streamlined story.
EDIT: Feel free to add your own!
Coma:Ā To be honest Iām not 100% sure it fits with the rest of the list as itās been ages since I played it, but itās a beautiful game with an amazing atmosphere and everyone should play it at least once. Wonāt take very long at all!
Loved:Ā A really short game, but it has a lot of replay value in my opinion.
I love psychological games, especially the ones that spur discussions due to their ambiguous nature and the ones with gameplay that reflects the gameās message. Looking up other peopleās interpretations to those games is always the most rewarding thing.
Adding:
Donāt Look Back:Ā A short browser platformer thatās a modern interpretation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Depending on interpretation, the ending can be regarded as either positive or negative, just as many other games on this list.
Braid:Ā Just like Bastion, it isnāt free, and while I havenāt been able to finish it yet, it most certainly meets the criteria mentioned above.
Edit:Ā I realize Donāt Look Back might not actually be fun to play though; I added it mainly for all the interesting interpretations that are made of the ending.
Since there are a lot of people reblogging thisā¦ Adding:
Thomas Was Alone:Ā Itās a puzzle platformer with short levels where every character is a polygon shape, each with their own distinct colour, personality, issues (inner battles) and unique abilities that accompany their distinct shape. Though they may not be fond of each other at first, be it because they feel inferior or superior, ultimately, they need to work together to overcome the obstacles in each level. Its minimalistic design coupled with the development of the polygons and their relationships make the game a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Little Inferno:Ā From the makers of World of Goo, as you might be able to tell from the design! You sit in front of a fireplace and burn toys to keep the fire alive, continuously gaining money to buy more toys to burn. The extremely appealing visuals and effects compel you to keep burning toys (more toys are unlocked from a shopping catalogue as you purchase them, andĀ simultaneouslyĀ burning toys that are part of special themed combos gets you additional rewards) - until you suddenly realizeā¦ (whisper whisper)
Both games are arenāt free, but theyāre occasionally on sale (as part of Steam or Humble Bundle sales).Ā
Iām going to add some as well, since thereās been a lot of very interesting games exploring very meta and psychological aspects of video games recently.Ā
Papers Please: I cannot recommend this game enough. If you want a game truly about moral choice, look no further than this game. There is no binary moral choice here, no moral choice indicator, nothing video gamey about the moral choice here. Instead, it merely asks questions and lets you answer them according to your own morals. I have learned things about myself from this game. Not to mention, it does not sacrifice engagement for moral choice or narrative. Unlike Cart life, which is the closest comparison I can make, this game is not a slog through the mud.The design is tight, fast-paced, intense, stressful, and somehow fun all at one time. Ā Ā
Spec Ops: The Line: While this game is a bit on the expensive side, (about a 6 hour game for $30) There has been a book written and published analyzing this game. That in itself should tell you how important this game is. It is all about the modern shooter and everything wrong with it, told not only through the narrative, but through EVERYTHING. The presentation, gameplay, and narrative. This game is incredibly psychological and makes you feel like a horrible person despite the fact that the game never really gives you a choice. I canāt say much else without spoiling it, but get this game. Get this game.It was the most important game of 2012.Ā
Antichamber: Letās move away from the āgames that make you feel like a horrible personā into a psychological game that is more interested in fucking your mind and defying all your pre-built conceptions and everything youāve ever learned playing video games. Think Portal in an Escher like maze, no game has made me gasp in pure surprise and delight as this game has. If you are into design, it is a must-play because of all the systems at work and how this game can surprise you without being RANDOM. This game has a logic, itās just not a logic that we are used to.Ā
Seconding Off!, Thomas Was Alone, and Papers, Please.Ā Also enjoyed Braid and Bastion, although not quite as much.
Gone Home: You come home from a trip abroad to find the new house your family moved into while you were away empty and a cryptic note on the door from your sister.Ā You explore an unfamiliar house in the middle of a stormy night, rummaging through drawers and slowly putting together details about the people who live there.Ā If youāre me and my brothers, watching over each otherās shoulders as we took turns you get yourselves thoroughly unsettled by extremely innocuous events in exactly the same way you might while exploring a normal house and you TURN ON AS MANY LIGHTS AS POSSIBLE.Ā Also the story is fascinating.
The Stanley Parable:Ā A game about game mechanics that may be the most meta experience you will ever have.Ā You are in an office.Ā A voice narrates.Ā You do what the voice saysā¦ or you donāt.Ā You play the game over and over again and things change.Ā It blows your mind.
The Stanley Parable Demo:Ā YOU CAN PLAY THIS FOR FREE.Ā This is like a whole mini game designed around the concept of game demos.Ā It is hilarious and mind-bending.
Of this list, Iāve played Bastion, Thomas Was Alone, Papers Please, some of Spec Ops: The Line (for obvious reasons, I had to take a break on that one), Gone Home, and The Stanley Parable. Theyāre all marvelous and I highly recommend them.
In the same vein (but healthier!) as diet plans that mix up your caloric goals, hereās a 7-day plan that gets harder as it goes along. Start on Day One, follow the plan for a week, then repeat. Yes, itāll seem ridiculously easy going from Day Seven back to Day One, but this will keep your body challenged and will give you a bit of a break every time you restart. Feel free to make this an eight-day plan and add in a rest day on Day Eight.
My name is Philip, I am a poet.
Hamilton: Take A Break
Lapis Lazuli is the most important character in SU
Iāve mentioned before that I think Lapis Lazuli was intended as an explorer or scout for homeworld. I believe this for two reasons:
One: Lapisās weapon, her water wings, allow her to travel through space at superluminal speeds, something thatās incredibly important for finding new planets to colonize, and only useful if youāre traveling to places that donāt yet have a galaxy warp or wailing stones
Two: The first thing she did upon being freed was draw the 8-pointed start of Blue Diamond, which is basically saying āI am Blue Diamondās representative, donāt fuck with meāĀ
Basically Lapis is Steven Universeās version of the Silver Surfer: a being who searches the stars looking for planets for homeworld to colonize and consume. This is fucked up enough on itās own, but then you remember this quote
Lapis Lazuli: Donāt you know anything, Steven? Your friends, they donāt really care about other Gems. All they care about is the Earth. But I never believed in this placeā¦
and the fact that Lapis was here since the beginning
And you realize that at some point about 6000 years ago, Lapis Lazuli discovered earthĀ and declared it uninhabited by intelligent life.
Lapis Lazuli is responsible for the entire plot of Steven Universe. She brought Homeworld to our doorstep, and that is why she was sealed in the mirror!
oooh
tfw you start making pancakes and then realize you donāt have any eggs and your life is ruined as a resultĀ
You can use bananas as an egg substitute in pancakes Iām pretty sure itās half a banana for each egg or something
You can also use blood but I wouldnāt recommend that tbh.
Does this help ?
DAMN LĆ BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE GREAT RESOURCES.
Applesauce is the best for baked goods bc itās still fluffy ^_^ the flax seed egg tends to be a lil tough
So a Chinese professor included Joong Ki in his lectureā¦ (A GUIDE ON HOW TO GET GIRLS!)Ā
-I swear if my Professor included this in his lectures I would ACE all exams
hi, i saw on a post that you have depression, yet have great af grades. do you have any tips for someone who also battles depression?
Hi there! Both of those things are correct, yes. I will say that my depression is pretty mild comparatively speaking, so things might be different if your illness is more severe than mine, and at the risk of sounding like Iām bragging again Iāve never had to work too hard to keep my grades up (my mom blessed me with an amazing brain, I guess). But I do still struggle, so here are some things I try to do to tip the scale in my favor (Iād like to publish this publicly if thatās okay):
Go to bed early and consistently. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. Staying up late was probably the worst thing I did for my health, because Iād want to sleep all day and that will cut in on your study time, which will stress you out and just generally snowball into general awfulness. You donāt have to be in bed by like, 8, but try to shoot for 10 or 11. I found 10 works best for me. Try to wake up at the same time every day, too, depending on how many hours of sleep you need. This will vary from person to person. My best friend only needs like 5 hours of sleep to function fine. I need more like 8 or 9. Thatās okay. Donāt let yourself feel bad for needing more sleep.
Budget your time wisely. One thing I like to do at the start of every semester is bust open Google Calendar and enter all my classes and my work schedules (this can also be done in Excel, just fill in the days and hours as your first row and column). Then I look at all the blank space. Those blank spaces are going to be my critical study periods. If you use Google Calendar and have a smartphone, you also have the benefit of setting up alarms so you know when and where you need to be at any given moment. I donāt even bother remembering where I need to go anymore; I just make my phone tell me.
Start assignments the second you get them. Even if itās just printing things that you need out or writing your name at the top of the worksheet or whatever. Do something with your homework. The hardest part of any assignment is getting started, but once you do you might find yourself building a little momentum. If you donāt, donāt force it if you donāt have to. Some days you might, especially on time-sensitive work.
Plan. Everything. It doesnāt matter how. Buy a planner. Use an online planner or app or something. I actually use two things: A physical planner (right now Iām trying Passion Planner), and Any.Do. For Any.Do, I have folders for every class Iām taking, and I entered all the important tasks and due dates for each class in (exams, project due dates, anything big, set-in-stone events you can find in the syllabus). I also have it set up to remind me a day in advance, so Iām never surprised. My physical planner is used for homework and day-to-day, smaller assignments. This system works really well for me, but it might not for you. There will probably be a trial and error period where you find your groove.
Do as much work on campus/at school as humanly possible. I know some people are more productive at home. I am not one of those people. When I go home, I am done for the day. I might work a little bit if I couldnāt finish everything I wanted to on campus, or if Iām just sick of campus and wearing pants, but for the most part I try to get as much done on campus as I possibly can. I find it to be a much more productive environment for me; I donāt screw around nearly as much.
Eat. It might sound kind of silly, but seriously. Eat. Eat breakfast. Eat lunch. Eat dinner. Eat snacks. And buy foods you know youāre going to eat: I have a very sensitive stomach in the morning (I always wake up nauseous), but I know there are certain foods I can choke down in the morning, like bagels and granola bars. I keep my pantry stocked with those things. Theyāre quick to eat, easy to prepare, and I can have a hot breakfast if I want or not. Sometimes a hot meal can make all the difference. And definitely on high spoon days make as much food as you can. Low-spoon you will thank high-spoon you for the leftovers. Also try to sneak in as many fruits and vegetables as you possibly can, even if you donāt like them. I love vegetables, so itās not a problem for me to eat them, but I hateā¦HATEā¦HATEfruit. Passionately. But I can tolerate likeā¦banana-chocolate smoothies (I make them with chocolate flavored Carnation Instant Breakfast for a vitamin boost), or likeā¦apples and cinnamon in oatmeal. If youāre anti-veggie (how dare you) (jk), sneak them into meals by adding them into pasta dishes. Add salsa to tacos. Wilt some spinach or mix some broccoli into your fettucini alfredo. But definitely try to get in some fruits and veggies. Your health should always come first.
Make a good study playlist. Peopleās tastes tend to vary, but having music or at the very least white noise can make or break a study session. I personally like the ambient channel on Pandora; itās got soft, relaxing music without words so I donāt get distracted and try to sing along. But sometimes even thatās too much, and Iāll use Simply Noise (a free white noise generator) to just have some kind of sound running in the background. I get distracted very easily by people speaking, or miscellaneous noises happening around me, so I need to drown those out. I actually prefer the brown noise over the white noise though; the pitch is a lot lower, and doesnāt hurt my ears.
Take care of yourself as much as you can on the weekends. I use the weekends probably about 80% for self-care and 20% for homework and studying. I let myself sleep in an extra hour, do fun and relaxing things, take a bath, whatever you like to do. If you budget your time wisely (your planner will come in handy for that), you can fudge it so you have more spare time on the weekends. Sometimes it wonāt work out that way, and youāll have to dedicate full weekends to working. Thatās okay. Just try to be a little more gentle on yourself throughout the week.
Take a daily vitamin. If you forget to eat or just canāt bear the idea of making something (which I totally get), at least make sure youāre getting the basic vitamins and minerals your body needs. B-vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin D are the top three most important that come to mind for me. I also recommend finding vitamins with iron, but mostly because I have trouble with anemia. Vitamins with iron can be tricky to find though, especially if you have difficulty swallowing pills (I have yet to find a gummy vitamin that contains iron, even for adults). But gummies are totally an option and I highly recommend them! Itās like starting your day off with candy. :D
Speak to a guidance counselor or see if your university has a disability services you could register with to receive accommodations for your illness. This is probably one of those things most people donāt think of, but itās so amazingly helpful during bad times. My university has a department called Disability Services, and if you have a documented illness that affects your performance in school (my university considers depression and mental illness a disability), you can register with them and receive certain accommodations to help sort of even the playing field between you and healthy students, and it is COMPLETELY confidential. I, for example, am allotted a few extra excused absences, and a few extra minutes to get to classes or take exams. I have so far only used these services once or twice, but the fact that I have them is a huge weight off my mind. See if your school does something similar.
Try to get some gentle exercise in a few times a week. This is kind of hypocritical for me to say because I have the most horrible relationship with exercise youāve ever seen, but it really can make a difference. Go for a gentle walk, or do some stretches, or dance around your room in your underwear while passionately singing into your hairbrush (ā¦not that I do that or anything). Just get up and move a little. Personally, I consider my hikes to and from classes enough exercise, but this semester Iām trekking back and forth across campus a LOT. I am trying to get back into yoga though.
Go to your professorās office hours. I used to hate asking questions in class, to the point where Iād panic and have to sneak away to the bathroom to calm down at the very thought of it. Iām a lot better about it now (it takes a lot of practice and I had to realize thatā¦well, damn it, Iām paying thousands of dollars to be here. I have the right to ask questions, no matter how stupid they are, because Iām the reasons these bitches get paid every week and they owe it to me to cater to my every whim), but if itās something that still freaks you out, write your questions down. Ask them after class. And definitely, definitely go see your professors during their office hours. Not only is it a great way to get to know them better (networking! and even friendship; one of my best friends is my old Italian professor!), but it also shows them that youāre really putting in the effort to do well, and theyāll remember it. You specifically chased them down for help; professors notice that, and they like it. Theyāll bend over backwards for you if they know youāre trying. Even my meanest professors were amazingly kind the second I made an appointment to see them during their office hours, because not a lot of people do it.
Look into tutoring services. My university offers free tutoring, which is great if you need extra help. But even if you donāt, schedule a tutoring appointment anyway. That way, youāll have a set period of time once a week where youāre studying that subject, so you arenāt as likely to put it off. Plus, youāll have someone helping you in case you get stuck, or just need to reinforce some things.
Learn it. Do it. Teach it. When I was a Girl Scout, my mom (our troop leader), set forth three rules in order for us to earn badges. First, we had to learn how to do something; be it tying knots or starting a fire. Then, we had to do it to prove that we could. Then, we had to teach someone else how to do it, usually in a workshop our troop would host. By doing those three things, we really solidified that knowledge into our brains, and honestly? I graduated Girl Scouts almost six years ago, and I still know how to make a bandanna bandage and how to build a lean-to style fire. So if youāre having trouble remembering things, use this method. And if the idea of teaching someone something is scary, teach your pet. Teach your stuffed animal. Hell, teach your wall. Itāll be better if you have like an actual person so you can see if theyāre understanding it as well as you need to, but if someoneās not available, screw it. I used to teach my sister everything I learned in Italian when I was studying it in high school. She was like four. The child barely had a good grasp on English. Didnāt matter to me. Still doesnāt.
Donāt be afraid or ashamed of taking care of yourself. This is probably the hardest habit to adapt for anyone struggling with depression, because our whole mindset is based around shame. Nobody likes having to take a day off because they canāt keep up with ānormalā people (and I say ānormalā with THE BIGGEST AIR QUOTES EVER). But you know what? Sometimes you have to. If youāre up at three in the morning sobbing your brains out because you donāt think you can keep going anymore and the whole world feels like itās closing in on you, then holy shit step back for a moment. Take some breaths. Hug a stuffed animal. Then email your professors to let them know youāre not coming in tomorrow, call off work if you have to (tell them you have a cold, fuck it, you as a person is more important than you as an employee), and go to bed. Then use the next day to take care of yourself. Work on stuff if you feel up to it, but donāt if you donāt. Person-You should always be top priority. Not Student-You, not Employee-You, not Any-Other-Category-You, nothing. You are always a human first, and sometimes you need a mental health day. It happens.
Reach out.Ā If youāre having a bad day, talk to someone. Vent to a friend or a family member. Talk to a counselor, be it on-campus or off. You donāt have to spill your guts and explain every negative thought youāre having (I personally feel really uncomfortable doing that), but you can still voice little annoyances you had during the day and youāll feel better. For example, if Iām having a really bad day emotionally, Iāll talk to my mom or my best friend and likeā¦complain about the parking situation on campus, or some other minor annoyance that happened to me. Then theyāll complain too, and before we both know it weāre cracking jokes about the horrible parking situation or how unbelievably bad it smells in the math building and weāre both laughing and I feel much better. Even if Iām not addressing the exact problem, Iāve still managed to boost my mood enough that maybe I feel brave enough to talk about those problems, or just address them on my own time, or even just realize that things arenāt as bad as they felt a few hours ago. My communications professor (and friend of mine) always says this: A positive attitude can and will make all the difference. Sheās right.
Use the pomodoro method of studying. A lot of people recommend it to prevent burnout, but I think itās doubly important for people who get overwhelmed easily. I canāt focus on things for more than half an hour. The pomodoro method says to study for twenty-five minutes, then take a five-minute break. I find this works very well for me. You might need to tweak the times to fit your needs better, but generally speaking itās best to study in smaller clumps with frequent breaks in between than it is to cram everything into six solid hours.
Stay hydrated. Drink water! Itās good for your brain and your body. Donāt like water? Flavor it! My mom hates water but knows she needs to drink more, so she adds grape flavored Propel powder to her water, and I think thatās a fair compromise (she calls it her āpurple waterā (ā: ). Green tea is also acceptable; I like mine iced with a little Splenda and some lemon, but lately Iāve been on a huge water kick. Try to carry a bottle with you to your classes and stuff, too. I just use an old 16-ounce Dasani bottle I bought ages ago (if you do use old plastic bottles like this, try to recycle it after a few uses cuz the plastic will start to disintegrate).
Be proud of yourself. What youāre doing is not easy. Going to school and getting good grades comes easier to some than others, but it is not in and of itself āeasyā. Itās even harder when youāre mentally unwell. Youāre amazing, and donāt ever forget that. Praise yourself often, because like L'Oreal says, youāre WORTH IT! GOOD JOB YOU.
Thatās about all I can think of right now, but I hope it gave you some good ideas, or inspired you to deal with things in your own way. If nothing else, I hope it helps to know that youāre not alone. Mentally ill people all over the place are going to school and succeeding. Some have to work harder than others, but we all know how the challenge feels, and if you have nobody else youāll always have a support system here. I believe in you. It is possible to be successful in school, mental illness be damned.
Iām rootinā for you. If you ever need anything, please shoot me another message.
Best of luck to you!
