#and build these amazing experiences that I’ve personally been apart of
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STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 3 MASHUP 4
Jade Harley (Homestuck) vs Entrapta Princess of Dryl (Netflix She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)
Jade Harley is a Nuclear Physicist, Roboticist, Ectobiologist, and Cosmic Manipulator (warping space and planets)!
Entrapta Princess of Dryl is a Roboticist, Programmer and First Ones' Tech Historian/Archaeologist!
Why you should vote for each contestant:
Jade Harley:
"She's soo fun and silly and her symbol is literally an atom. she regularly irradiates steak to feed her weird dog"
"She and her nuclear powered dog creating a new universe. she's cool"
"Built a modded bass guitar that's only playable when she's in her robot form and has extra arms. Became a doggirl. She also plays the flute :)"
"i think you have enough ramblings about her already but i couldnt NOT submit her, she is so dear to me <3"
"bbg has THREE scientific specialties!! she genetically modifies plants and makes them grow beautifully high just because she can and loves science. in her alpha timeline she’s a tech mogul and creates technology that challenges the evil empress that brought earth to ruin. AND she’s a furry"
"Doggy"
"She plays a silly flute refrain. She's a furry. Literally, she's a doggirl. She's also a god and created the universe. JADE BEST GIRLIE!!!!"
Entrapta Princess of Dryl:
"She builds robots!!! She's curious and inquisitive!! She loves her robots!! She has the coolest hair and also I want to be her bestie. She's an absolute love"
"autism :)"
"Builds robots and computers for fun and companionship. Can take apart and understand almost any tech she is presented with. Autism lever set to max and I love her. Mandatory boob window in all her outfits and I've never related harder to a character."
"autistic icon, amazing inventor and app round excellent character"
"she has prehensile hair it’s literally the best thing i’ve ever seen in my life, it’s never once acknowledged by any of the characters as abnormal or explained in any way i’m literally obsessed with it. also autism queen"
"PIGTAILS!!!! autism"
"Entrapta is very bubbly and positive. She never lets anything like losing her friends or going to the bad side or getting put on a death-sentence island stop her from scientific pursuits! She actually drives a lot of the conflict in the story, as she explains the technological backstory of the world, and helps both sides be better at fighting. She loves data, doing experiments, and the scientific method. She's also in love with space. She is an autistic queen <3"
"phenomenal canon autism representation without being weird & shitty. also she’s so strange & wonderful & relatable in so so many ways. my computer is named Darla bc that’s what she named the AI for the spaceship in s5"
"She is THE science queen because she loves science so much and her love of it is INFECTIOUS. I don’t know anything about science but Entrapta makes it seem like the coolest thing in the universe. I love her"
"She ourple. I luv her"
"She's so passionate about her work. Takes through notes! Figured out how to hack her home planet!!! She's autistic as hell and I like her overalls."
"You won’t get autism like this anywhere else bestie"
"amoral mad scientist who flips between the good guys and bad guys, loves building so many inventions, ends up converting the head bad guy (for most of the series) to good through the power of love"
"She has outfitted her entire castle to be a maze, and installed electronic locks on some. Her staff seems to be mostly robots she has built herself. In good part reverse engineering or adapting ancient tech found on the planet. She's incredible at what she does and personally fixes, invents and builds a wide range of stuff from space ships to portals to a prosthetic exoskeleton to trackers to war machines. She can do it all. Autism win! Girlie has been criticised for being treated childlike or being unable to understand those around her to a ridiculous degree, but I'm honestly just glad she's not a Sheldon Cooper. Her favorite bots have personalities and therefore implied AI (but not the shitty kind), which means she's pretty fucking good at software too. She likes tiny foods."
"So very autistic about technology. Initially believes robots are way better than people, eventually makes human friends but also very much still has robot friends (I love Emily so much). Gets so excited about finding new First One's tech. Also her happy spinning around in a space suit in that one season 5 episode heals my heart every time I watch it"
"She's the planet's leading expert on ancient tech (sci-fi/fantasy universe) and develops most of the tech in the show and is very autistic about it. i love her"
"She is fun and funky. Chaotic neutral. Definitely some autism coding going on, which is very charming. She has a pet robot? It is cute"
"Bc she is ENTRAPTA!! No srsly she is such a well-written character. At times kinda morally grey but always lovable and great and she is truly amazing at what she does!! I'm pretty sure she's already been submitted but I wanted to make sure :)"
#stem sister scuffle#round 3#homestuck#homestuck jade#hs jade#jade harley#netflix she ra#she ra#she ra and the princesses of power#spop#spop entrapta#entrapta
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Hello! A therapist friend of mine is wondering if you have any recommendations for games that have 2 players with a focus on collaboration/teamwork or exploration/socialization. If it's very rules light for their sessions, that would also be super amazing. Thank you!
Theme: Duet Collaborative Games
Hello friend, I’m hoping that I interpreted your request correctly, although I feel like I’ve been able to pull up a good variety of games. I’m also including a link to Lark Brigade’s Itch.io Duet games archive, which you might be able to scroll through for more options.
Lark Brigade’s Archive
Knots in the Sky, by A Smouldering Lighthouse.
Knots in the Sky is a quiet, surreal game about a floating labyrinth and a traveller that have waited a long time to find each other. This tabletop role-playing game is designed to be played in a single hour-long session.
I like that this game has one person playing a traveller and one person playing a location - the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth playbook is very descriptive and focuses on world building, answering questions about its architecture and design. The Traveller is focused on exploring the labyrinth, and discovering what is within. This game definitely has the exploration themes that you’re looking for, and looks to be played easily within a short session.
Spaces Apart, by efarrisgames.
Everything was fine until all at once only the two of you were on the shuttle, all at once only the two of you drifting through endless space, all at once only the two of you unsure of where you'll land if you ever land at all.
This is a GM-less game for two players about astronauts stranded in space. Or perhaps it is a game about asexuality, about queerness, about finding where you belong. Things can be many things.
While the creator made this game as a reflection of their own experiences, I think this game is flexible enough to make it meaningful for whoever plays it. The questions your characters will ask over the course of play might revolve around feelings of guilt, loneliness, regret, companionship and much more. You’ll also meet challenges as a duo, ranging from mechanical failures on the shuttle to negotiating with ghosts on the ship. If you want an intimate experience in the cold darkness of space, this might be the game for you.
shadow / giant by PsychHound.
It don’t matter how you got here. Don’t matter what the destination is. At some point, somehow, against the odds … Shadow felt safe with the Giant. And the Giant, though they mighta sworn off it before … cares for the Shadow. There’ll be threats. Always will be. But, maybe, you can get through. Find safety. Together. As long as it takes to get there.
And through those long days, cold nights … the tears, the fears, the fighting … someone, somewhere … might just mistake you for a family.
Well. Wouldn’t that be somethin.
Shadow / Giant is a duet roleplaying game about finding care, safety, and family amidst a malicious and unaccepting world. In it, one player will play as the Giant – a gruff and jaded adult who thought their care for the world was long gone – and the other will play the Shadow – a child with magical abilities who now relies on them for protection.
The game is asymmetrical: both child and guardian have different rules they play by, and different ways of interacting with the world. They must work together to rise to the challenges of living in a world that doesn’t seem to want them in it. But both can push their mission to the breaking point. All you want to do is find somewhere safe to go.
Even though the rules for each character are different, neither ruleset is very complicated. The Giant has a set of skills they’ve already acquired, and their chances of success depend on what they have at their disposal and whether or not Shadow is willing to go along with the plan. The Shadow, however, is in flux; their skill fluctuates between being eerie and being soft. This is a game about found family, about struggle in a dangerous world, and about reaching a safe destination. I heavily recommend this game.
Horse and Rider, by SmallRedRobin13.
Horse and Rider is a 2-player game about a horse rider taming, and forming a bond with, their horse. One of you plays the horse, the other the rider. This game is inspired heavily by various cultures around horse-riding in Australia, from pony club girls to the modern-day cowboy.
The bond between a horseman and their horse is built on trust. Using trust-building mechanics inspired by real-world horse training techniques, two players will work together to build that bond with each other. The horseman will learn the different methods that go into training a horse while the horse reacts to these attempts and will show its growing (or falling) trust as they train together.
I don’t own this game, so I don’t know exactly what the game covers, but I would expect that you could set up a premise for the game to be something that the horse and rider both need to overcome by learning to trust each-other. The game includes a braiding technique, representing the way a rider might braid their horses’ hair. If you want a game about learning how to interact with another creature, this game might be for you.
Into Blue Midnight, by Kienna Shaw.
The expedition was going so well, but at 3,000 feet below the surface, when the ocean turns from blue to black, everything goes wrong.
Something cracks. Water starts to fill at your feet. The crane at the surface jams. The radio line goes quiet. And now the two of you are alone, only a few layers of steel and a quartz window to keep you from death. You have one hour of oxygen left.
Conserve breath, repair the bathysphere as much as you can, record what you see in the blue midnight of the ocean…and hope that you will see the surface again.
Inspired by the voyage of the bathysphere and the world's first deep sea dive, Into Blue Midnight is a GMless two-player Wretched and Alone game that lets you play out the last hour of two scientists within the bathysphere when everything goes wrong.
This is a game that comes with a lot of warnings, as it covers themes of death, desperation and despair. You are two members of an underwater expedition that is more likely than not going to kill you. Until that happens though, you will see things in the water around you, and take notes about how they make you feel. You’ll answer questions about who you are and what memories you carry. You’ll answer questions about what is both your sanctuary and your prison, and you’ll answer questions about your relationship with your crew-mate.
This game is designed to play within one hour. It’s about connecting with yourself and the person who you’re trapped with, but it’s also about discovery a new (if dangerous) world. If this game sounds promising, it should be introduced with the full knowledge that your characters are more than likely going to die.
Unfamiliar, by Ash Can Games.
You are a magical creature, a magician’s un-bonded familiar. You have been pulled into the underworld as soon as your magician died; you can feel your attachment tugging you forward, prompting you to journey through the underworld. As you travel, the Underworld will reveal your memories that you lost when you started down here, culminating in a question that your magician will have to answer truthfully once you find them again. What will you choose to do?
Unfamiliar is a 1-4 player storytelling game that uses a tarot or other image-based deck to guide your creature's story. The game also includes the option of playing with a personal talisman that you wish to empower with assuredness and confidence.
I listened to the duet version of this game on Party of One, and it was both touching and magical. Memories are recalled by drawing cards from a tarot deck, and interpreting the images you see. I think this game might be an interesting way to navigate confronting someone after reviewing your history with them, or exploring a relationship that you have, while placing the context in a magical and strange location. If that sounds up your alley, then check out Unfamiliar!
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If Portwell gets broken up in the next episode (or the last) over two weeks and extenuating circumstances, that’s bad writing. If season 3 had been a whole semester season (or half a semester, however long the last 2 have been) like the others and we saw the gradual deterioration of their relationship in a way that made sense, then I could roll with it. I don’t think they would break up in those circumstances, because I think they work really well together, but it would be better than breaking them up because EJ can’t spend time with Gina while directing an entire musical in 2 weeks that’s going on a major streaming service for the world to see. You can’t even say this shows how their relationship would go in other stressful circumstances, because first of all from what we saw of them last season the behaviour they’ve shown this season doesn’t even match, but second, they will never be in circumstances like these again. And it certainly won’t be the norm for them.
Are we forgetting that EJ went to this camp specifically wanting to enjoy it with Gina? He’s not choosing this. If he were to say screw it all and hang out with Gina, everything would fall apart. Literally everything. Of course Ricky can afford to be there for Gina and hang out with her because he has significantly less responsibility. It’s not fair to say he’s the better person for Gina when you look at the reason EJ isn’t the one spending all this time with her.
Also, all the people who are making these comments about how they’ll laugh if Portwell breaks up, how Portwells are idiots and “delusional,” etc., why? Why do you feel the need to be so rude about a ship that isn’t even unhealthy? I may not ship R*na, but I don’t think it’s toxic by any means. I have my reasons for not shipping it. I could see it, if the show was giving me better reasons to ship them than him being able to support her at a time when if EJ wasn’t forced into sucky circumstances, he would have been there supporting her and having fun with her the whole season. If Portwell gets broken up, okay. You don’t have to rub it in our faces or be rude about it.
I still have hope, and I’m going to say that knowing people might later make fun of me for it because they have nothing better to do. I have hope because I love Portwell, and some of their scenes together have been the best I’ve seen from romances in general. They’ve had amazing build-up, and I will always cherish my experience with this fandom and the excitement we all had last season as we saw them get together. It’s been a fun time.
#portwell#hsmtmts#high school musical the series#high school musical the musical the series#ej x gina#gina x ej#ej caswell#gina porter#anti rina#really hope if they break up it's just to parallel hsm2 and then they get back together
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kevin talking about his family, his new house and the future:
when asked about how he’s going to be find time to a dad of two, kev said this: “i have many days out of the country. on the other hand, when i'm in denmark, i have a lot of time and then i'm fully there. of course i also have some things i need to do in denmark. i work out every day. but laura is also in daycare, so i feel like i can make up for that a lot by really being there when i'm home. when we get number two, i will give them my full attention and full time. i am not in the office for seven hours a day. when i’m there then i’m there for her all day.”
the journalist asked if a present big enough existed to compensate his wife for the big responsibility she tackles alone when kevin is not there, he said: “i don't think i can make up for it in gifts. i can make up for it by being how i am as a father and husband. after all, we get some fantastic experiences. and as a family we have some amazing opportunities. when i finish driving in formula 1, i don't have to get a job. then i can be a father full time for the rest of my life. it is also a gift in that sense.”
when he is asked about his new house outside his hometown roskilde, kevin explained: “we bought the house to be closer to family and to get a garden. after all, i am a family man and a social person. getting close to family and all our friends, most of whom are in roskilde, is a natural step that we have been waiting to take for many years. i have lived in many places throughout my life. for us, it was natural to come back to roskilde.”
right now they are renovating the villa, but kev insists that he can do more than manage, distribute and drink coffee. “i don't have a tradesman background, apart from having been an apprentice as a welder, but you can't use that for much when building a house. but i have always been around tradesmen in my life as i grew up around a lot of tradesmen. i find it insanely relaxing to do physical labour. many of my other friends have now got houses. when they had to have work done to them then i’ve helped out. i really like helping out, it’s nice to get your head somewhere else. i have been involved in the entire demolition of the house and the structure. and now they are starting to get the renovation going again. i travel a lot, so there are also things i can't attend, but i'm interested in it!”
#kevin magnussen#i've gained access to a few danish articles about kevin and i'll be translating parts of them and sharing them over the next few weeks!
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happy new year and 2022′s follow forever!
I feel I say this every year - but 2022 was the most challenging year for me thus far. From living entirely by myself in a foreign country while studying my ass off to surviving the most critical election that my country has faced since our (very young) re-democratization - it has been a lot. It has been exhausting, daunting and frightening for a myriad of reasons and yet this place (and you guys) have helped me survive it all.
New fandoms, new muses, new connections - 2022 introduced me to some lovely mutuals who have been more than roleplay partners; it solidified older friendships, as well! I couldn’t possibly go on and head into the new year without acknowledging some very special souls who made all the difference during these last months and to whom I credit part of my success of writing this with a smile on my face. :)
@sixthxchairman: YOU. YOU AMAZING HUMAN. I have no words to explain how much I love you and the immensely positive impact you’ve had on my life, Dawn. This time, last year, I was already in awe at how much I had grown to love and care for Daigo and all our plotting; one year later and we have a MULTIVERSE. You are responsible for rekindling my passion for a franchise to the point of picking up Akiyama, you have been the one person I couldn’t go a day without dropping by to say hello, you’ve kept me company during bleak hours and complicated times of my life and all I can say is a huge ‘thank you’. I love the fanart we commissioned, the gifts we exchanged, the movie night experience! It feels like I’ve known you forever and I cannot wait until we finally meet and fangirl in person. <3 Honestly, you’re incredible and I’m grateful for having you every day! A day without my daily Down dose (wohoo alliteration!) is not a happy one.
@cwarscars: Han, my love, the owner of the sexiest voice ever, the best doggo groomer in all of the UK - I am so happy to see you writing for my favorite villain of the FFVII franchise but also for being who you are. You just are so incredible kind, always willing to give everyone a chance and such a blessed brain with all these delightful ideas and well-rounded portrayals that I could go on for hours about. I am thrilled to remain your friend after 3 years, and it feels symbolic that we have returned to Heidegger and Melissa at the closing of 2022 since this is where it all started! I’ll never be able to thank you enough for all the love and support for my OC when she was still a FFVII side piece and giving her space to shine. You rock!
@5judgements: Chelsea - you have given me the GIFT of writing Melissa in one of my favorite verses, as well as allowing me to fully flesh her FFXII persona and build upon the lore of my favorite FF entry. I will never be over the fact you made me soft for all judge magisters (BUT BERGAN, NOT YOU BERGAN) and how much we’ve picked this game apart to make it our own. It’s been an incredible experience and you’re such a talented, amazing writer! I am constantly in awe of everything you do and making grabby hands at your other muses (even if they are not heavily armored, haha) because you are so compelling when writing them. I am very proud to know that my legacy to you is being remembered whenever Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ come on the radio. :D
@kansaisdragon: Atlas, sweetheart - please know I’ll forever cherish the fact we’ll be both going broke over Akiyama together; it’s fun to make bad decisions in good company! :D But also - I am so immensely grateful for the time, interest and incredible writing you have given me during these last months. You have singlehandedly transformed my opinion on Ryuji, amused me with your own take on Akiyama, then watched me struggle with Kuwana and swing like a pendulum where my thoughts about him are concerned. I’m also in awe of how clearly you get their voices - and I’m always happy to see you around. I hope there’s much more for us in 2023!
@iosonostanco: GABE, WE DID IT. WE FINALLY MET EACH OTHER. To think a mere DM over tumblr from 2016 would get us to actually see each other and have real life adventures! I’ll never be able to thank you enough for being such a great friend - online and offline, for all these years. I’m so grateful for all the memories we made and to have your bastard, little shithead of a son back (and I mean this VERY lovingly). It’s easy to forget we met through roleplay given everything we’ve done and talked about - just know that I appreciate you immensely and I hope I can return the gracious hosting you’ve offered me in France one day! :D
@svnsworn: Liiiiiight - you know, I feel I don’t say this very often, but you are incredible. You have always been a consistent source of talent and positivity in the dash, with a jaw-dropping range and always so welcoming and friendly towards every new fandom or experience. I am so happy we have never lost sight of each other since we found each other on the FFVII fandom and I’m incredibly excited to dive head first into the PtN addiction with you. :D I love you lots, you’re in my inner circle of precious moots and I know you say we’re all rockstars but you know what? I play the reverse card on this and call myself your dedicated groupie! :3 I’ll always follow you and your children, no matter how different our fandoms are - you just shine all the way.
@exboost & @healthkits: I’m tagging both these blogs because I want you to read this, Lance - BECAUSE YOU ARE AWESOME. From the first day we really got to talking thanks to my Judgment ramblings, you have been nothing but this super welcoming and cheerful person and listen - I can talk so much and so fast and to have someone not being intimidated by my words-per-minute average is a blessing. I love reading about your takes and opinions and I’m forever screaming at the fact you have welcomed my girl (and Akiyama!) with such open arms into your children’s lives. Besides - I love how we just click, culturally wise. We definitely are close siblings (or cousins) and I love to see it, really!
@gbrnth: Linda! I’ll say that first of all, I’m happy you found your way back here and that we got to trade discords because it’s been so good to chat and watch our kids make bad decisions! It’s like a trainwreck - but of the good kind. I love FFXII immensely and to have been accepted by you & your son with Melissa being her infuriating little self was so good and is so fun! I love that we got to write again and I’m sincerely hoping our work/professional endeavors never fully remove the time to indulge in this hobby of ours. Have a lovely 2023!
@marie-dufresne: Frenchie, I wanted to include you here and give you a shout out because... Girl, you’re such an inspiration. I know we took ages to follow each other but gosh I love how excited you are about Marie, how incredibly talented you are with your hobbies and to know I just have you & Marie as some sort of sister figure to myself & Melissa where allowing our daughters questionable taste in men is concerned (alas, irl you are VASTLY superior to me haha I wish I had your aptitude for so many artistic endeavors!). I have enjoyed reading about Marie and knowing more about her a ton, and I really hope to see more (as chaotic as things can be on your personal side of things with the new kid and everything). I hope you have a great 2023!
@famuran: Cadewyn, my beloved - please know that I’m eternally grateful for all the support you have offered me offline this year. I think very few people have been so outspoken and firmly congratulated me for leaving my country behind and embracing a life-changing move (literally!). You have cheered me up and encouraged me when I faltered and this is so precious to me. And of course - your son will never not be my favorite sky pirate. I’m always happy to see you gracing the dash with your talent and I hope you continue to do so in 2023! :3
@shinrasfirst: You know, Min - maybe I wouldn’t have met the deadline for the applications of my masters if it hadn’t been for you. XD For this - and all the lovely capybara shitposting and mutual support offered in this year, I THANK YOU. You are always a bright, kind and funny presence in my life and I hope it never changes. I’m also determined! To make it! To Viennna! WE ARE SO CLOSE (I mean not right now, but back in February we’ll shift to the same time zone again), I can’t let this chance escape. ;--; No matter where you go fandom wise, I’m sure you’ll rock it. You are epic. YOU ARE INCREDIBLE.
@ivory-paragon: After all these years and you did it. I might have lost your stuff for six months but you did it, you MADE ME SHIP THIS, JAMES. And with a very suitable creepy plot to explain everything and to use as the backdrop to my one-sided novels. ALL JOKES ASIDE - thank you for the good memories and joint plotting this year! :D You’ll never be free of me surging uninvited in your DMs, sir. As a fellow lawyer person, I know things are crazy and busy and I appreciate all the good vibes and positive thoughts you’ve sent my way with my move and everything - I’m hoping you’ll always have success (here and off tumblr, of course!).
@holyguardian & @rebelichor: Muddy, I just wanted to give your girls a shout out (as well as yourself!) because it’s always so good to read you having fun. I know we don’t always interact (but I’m getting there - I AM MAKING A DECENT VERSE OUTLINE FOR ARI) but I just love to see how much passion you have for these two, the range you can get while keeping them so true to their natures and just your overall happy self around. Real life can be hard, but you’ve always bounced back and I just feel that a dash with Muddy is a better dash. It feels like home to have you writing and creating next door, my follow Southern hemisphere friend. May 2023 treat you better! <3
#ooc!#follow forever#yeah I like these#and I did it again this year#please let me love y'all <3#and a happy new year for us all!
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Shiratorizawa’s Spy (Reflection)
I made the first panels of my comic Shiratorizawa’s Spy in January 2022 on a whim, based on doodle requests from my Instagram Story. I didn’t think it would turn into a big project that would take over a year, but I’m glad it did! To finally wrap this all up, I wanted to organize my thoughts about my experience making the series.
🌞 Highlights ━━━━
Shiratorizawa’s Spy-noff + Shiratorizawa’s Spy-noff 2
It was incredible to see art and writing that others created based on the series. I was especially wowed at how several writers were able to capture what I wanted to convey. To see it written out... it’s unreal!
Comic style
I’m really thankful that I drew/colored the initial panels roughly, because this style let me work quickly. If it was full color / rendered... I probably would have burnt out.
Crowd-sourcing ideas
Many plot points and even the character Goshiki Toshiki came from my followers 🙌🏻
Reading comments
This was sooo motivating. Knowing that I made people laugh, or that people felt conflicted because of Oikawa... It made me happy that my work could touch people like that! 🥺
🌚 Lowlights ━━━━
Lack of Seijoh bonding
I totally understand how readers would feel that Oikawa should have stayed at Shiratorizawa in the end, because most of the comic illustrated his relationships there... I should have drawn more interactions between Oikawa and the Seijoh team to build a stronger sense of belonging. I really wish I had introduced Matsukawa and Hanamaki in the beginning. And I probably could have expanded on the Seijoh captain, but I was reluctant to make decisions about that guy...
Losing track of the timeline
I had a bit of a meltdown when I realized InterHigh was quickly approaching in the storyline.
Discovering again that Oikawa has an Android phone in canon
I forgot about this and gave him an iPhone. When I found out again, I was unwilling to change it midway... I don’t stress about this that much though haha
📝 Lessons about making comics ━━━━
Plan ahead
It’s fun to make spontaneous filler episodes, but it’s important to remember the timeline! After my meltdown, I carefully planned the rest of the story. I’m glad I had an outline of each part towards the end.
Comic boxes
I initially drew a new box for each panel. Later, I changed to duplicating & rotating the same box for most panels. This saved a lot of time.
Procreate stuff
My process for making the comic was to duplicate a previous file, keep a few things (series title, some boxes, my signature) and create the new part.
I wish I knew earlier to TURN OFF THE PROCESS RECORDING! As time went on, my files loaded so slowly... eventually I realized it’s because every file was bigger than the last, with ever-increasing video info 💀 thankfully you can purge the time-lapse recordings.
Text
I came to this conclusion before SS, but still wanted to mention it. I much prefer typing text over handwriting it when creating a comic. It saves time, it’s easier to edit, and it’s more legible for readers!
And... that’s it! Shiratorizawa’s Spy is my magnum opus...
✈️ Now some personal updates ━━━━
This year I’ve been making some life changes and want to make even bigger ones. So it works out well that I was able to end Shiratorizawa’s Spy at this time. Next week, I’ll be moving into a friend’s apartment for a few months.
After that, I really hope to move internationally to South Korea for... an unknown amount of time. I am thinking about quitting my job. I’m grateful for my opportunities and experiences thus far, but I feel lost as an adult... I don’t know what I want to do except that I want to try living in another country. I had an amazing vacation in Korea last year, so I think I’ll start there. I’m really anxious because I don’t speak the language though.
I have so much to learn about personal finance, fitness, beauty, growing as a person, etc. I still want to draw and post occasionally, because art is my first love and passion 💖 but not sure about the frequency.
👋🏻 Anyway ━━━━
Was reading Shiratorizawa’s Spy fun? Like, about as fun as buying a coffee from a shop or seeing a movie in a theatre? If so, I would really appreciate a tip on Ko-Fi. How else could a comic artist make money — maybe mostly drawing through Patreon...? 🤔
Thank you for following me through all this. I hope it was interesting!
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Strange How You Never Know
I used to joke that I lost sleep over all the amazing songs I’d never hear. Knowing how they can move us to a different time or a foreign place…new emotions even…I wondered what experience I was missing out on simply through lack of exposure. I’ve discovered songs from no name bands in dive bars along the outskirts of random towns I’ve since listened to a thousand times. Songs that stir something deep within my soul. Emotions drawn from experience. Someone else’s experience.
I once picked a guy up in Indianapolis at what looked something like an old converted military school, but it was probably never any sort of school. It could have been a factory or one of any number of things. I looked it up at the time, and it probably wouldn’t be hard to figure out even now, but the only thing consequential about that part of the story is how sometimes a series of events flow into each other in a way that set a distinguishing tone from the beginning.
As an Uber/Lyft driver, there are sometimes things that shape my perception of a ride before the passenger even gets in my car. The rating is obvious. As drivers, we rate our experiences with a passenger the same way passengers rate their experiences with us. To be fair, this isn’t always an accurate way to judge how a drive is going to go. About the lowest ratings I see on average are around 4.7 out of 5. I’ve had passengers with a 4.5 rating, but it’s rare. Either way, I’d venture to say that as a rule those lower ratings have been positive experiences. I’m almost always pleasantly surprised.
A passenger’s name can often elicit a knee jerk reaction, because sometimes, people will choose something expressive that reflects their personality and interests rather than their actual name. The name is really only necessary and helpful for the driver and passenger to verify they have the right person, but once in a while the passenger apparently wants someone seeing their profile to know something extra about them. The first example that pops into my mind is “JuicyMonkeyBallz.” I may have got the spelling wrong, but you understand what I’m getting at. It’s the same way in the case of the profile picture. Sometimes passengers choose to make a statement with their picture via expression, pose or a filter. In both cases I’ve been misled. JuicyMonkeyBallz was an extremely pleasant and respectful passenger, yet I recently picked up a passenger who had their smiling grandkids on their lap in their profile picture. As soon as I accepted the ride and saw the image, I smiled to myself and even considered telling them when they got in the car how much I enjoyed their picture. I didn’t get the chance. Their tone and demeanor helped me make the decision to keep my mouth shut and just get them where they were going as quickly as possible. Maybe they were just having a bad day.
So back to the place that looked like a converted private school or factory…
When I finally got to the main building, it became readily apparent that it was some sort of apartment building or living quarters. As I parked the car and looked back down at the app, I mused to myself how the passenger’s image looked like a LinkedIn profile picture. It was an extremely polished and professional head shot. Knowing that such things can be deceiving, I waited apprehensively for him to emerge. When he did, he looked exactly like the picture. In a suit and well groomed. He was friendly from the moment he got in, and I was immediately at ease.
Sometimes as rideshare drivers we can’t see our passenger’s destination until we’ve told the app that they are in our car. I believe I picked him up on the Southwest side of the city and was taking him to the Northwest side.
I believe our conversation started with him noting that I had the same name as one of his sons, and shortly thereafter we found ourselves talking about Alaska. I don’t remember how or why we got on that topic, but it isn’t surprising given that I’ll pick my passenger’s brains on travel tips and destinations any chance I get. I love to ask people where they’re from or what their favorite cities are. This gentleman was originally from Alaska and was surprised I’d been there. Beyond asking where they are from, I love to ask passengers that aren’t originally from Indiana how in the world they ended up here of all places. The man began telling me a story that went something like this…
He'd been married with something like 8 to 12 kids, and at some point, his wife had left him to raise them on his own. Work had him traveling occasionally, and eventually he found himself falling in love with an Alaskan Airlines stewardess. She told him that she would marry him and help him raise his kids, but with the stipulation that they had to move with her to her native state of Ohio. With little hesitation, he agreed. While there, he started a roofing company that grew to employ hundreds of people and generate millions of dollars annually. He became rich. Very rich. But with money came temptation and vice, and he failed to repel them. He fell into a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and women, eventually losing both his marriage and his fortune. The next thing he knew, he was living on the street and defecating in a bucket. He was at rock bottom and suicidal until someone encouraged him to start the rebuilding process. He began serving the same kind of people he had become while also working towards being a pastor. As he talked, I deduced that the place I had picked him up must’ve been a communal living space for recovering alcoholics or drug addicts. Eventually I pulled up to a restaurant and we parted ways. Multiple times during that conversation he would start choking up and have to collect himself, telling me at one point that it was “just hard to talk about.” I would reassure him that he didn’t have to continue, but each time he would. And I’m thankful he did.
I know there are parts of that story that I’m forgetting or maybe remembering slightly different. It’s been a few years ago now. Regardless, of the thousands of drives I’ve done, that’s one that sticks out to me. What a story. I wonder how he’s doing. If he’s a pastor now. If he’s fallen off the wagon. I always want more time with those kind of people than their destination allows, and would almost be willing to drive around for another 30 minutes or so unpaid just to hear extra commentary. I wonder how many amazing people and stories I’ve forgotten in the nearly 7,000 drives I’ve done. Like the amazing songs I’ll never hear, I wonder how many amazing passengers will never get in my car.
Between the conversations I have with an extremely diverse clientele and the quiet moments when no one else is in my car, my mind is inundated with thoughts. Thanks for letting me share them and for joining me on this introductory post. Feel free to comment or ask any additional questions about a particular experience, or just my experiences in general.
The UBeerOsopher
And now...a haiku:
the greatest classroom
in which i have ever sat
Is a vehicle
"We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear its ills without being overcome by them." ~ Carl Jung
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Hi Mystic!
I have a personal story to share. It’s not a success story, but rather a realisation.
I finally accepted today that I’ve been neglecting myself and my desires by putting the void state on a pedestal. I’ve been struggling to get into the void state for months. A couple of months ago I quit my job, as it was mentally draining. I didn’t realise at the time how much it affected me, but now after months I can see the difference in my body and in my mind. I have my desired life scripted, or what I thought to be my desired life. You probably know how this goes: desired body and face, apartment, career, friends etc. And I planned to get this all through the void. I think for the past two months I tried to get into the void every single day. And every single day the pressure was getting bigger because I didn’t (and still don’t) have a job. It’s been an exhausting journey of isolation and methods. I’m crying while writing this but it’s for the best. At this point I don’t even want the void anymore. I don’t want to wake up in what I thought to be my desired life. I want to apply the law of assumption to create my life as I explore my mind. It must be such an amazing feat, to learn how we are God and to feel it. I’ve been denying myself that without even realising. I’m honestly scared and confused but I am embarking on a new journey.
Do you have any advice for me Mystic?
I am so proud of you for picking yourself up and deciding to finally step into your power.
It's completely okay to let the tears fall, and I send you so much love. 🖤
This is the start of such a beautiful and empowering journey for you back to your true self as God.
Change your mindset, apply your knowledge, and simply watch yourself easily manifest the most incredible life of your dreams. You never ever needed to experience the void state in order for you to manifest your desires, and I'm glad to hear that you finally came to that realization. It sets you free.
You are unmatchable awareness at the source, and you are the very power of all creation.
Embrace your power, build your confidence in yourself, and unleash the confident manifestor you were destined to be. Accept yourself as the ultimate creator of your reality and sculpt the reality of your dreams.
I truly believe in you, and I know that you will be incredibly amazed by your power.
You are walking power. Have fun with this.
My greatest piece of advice: Have faith in yourself and your own power. This journey is all about *you.*
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Beijing
The past week or so has been spent in Beijing with my best friend from college, Irene. Irene has been living in Beijing since 2019 and teaches English at a high school here. I’ve really enjoyed getting to see her neck of the woods and have been so grateful to have her as a guide because China, especially Beijing, is very overwhelming.
I’ve been to Beijing before, in 2018, but it was just for a day and a half and things have changed a lot since then. Beijing is definitely comparable at least in my experience to Mexico City. It is absolutely enormous and a beast to get around in, but there is so much to see and do and every neighborhood is so interesting and different. After being here a week I’ve barely scratched the surface, but I’ll go through by day.
Day 1, Sunday
We spent most of the day traveling from Macau to Beijing and getting ourselves situated. I was very nervous about flying into Mainland China as they are quite strict at border control and only very recently reopened the border to foreigners. Things only recently opened back up about 3 months ago. I made it through without a problem though and we made our way to the place I’m renting for the week. China does not allow foreigners to stay with residents without going through a long and arduous registration process, so I’m staying in an apartment about 25 minutes away from Irene, which is considered very close by Beijing standards.
Absolutely everything in China is done via apps and QR codes. Everything from riding the bus to ordering food in a restaurant to getting a taxi to paying your water bill; it is all done via apps that are mainly in Chinese. Thank goodness for Irene helping me get all the right apps set up showing me the ropes. After a week here I’ve finally figured out how to do most things by myself. It is certainly very convenient, you don’t need to talk to anyone or even carry around a wallet in most places.
In the evening we did a food tour with Lost Plate tours, it was really cool because they took us around to a lot of off the beaten track restaurants you’d never be able to find on your own and we tried some really amazing dishes.
All of the restaurants were in the Wudaoying Hutong, one of the historic neighborhoods in central Beijing. In total we visited 4 restaurants.
We tried 炸酱面 (zhajiangmian) hand pulled noodles with savory plum sauce and fresh vegetables (my personal favorite), 烤肉(kao rou) old school Mongolian style barbecue cooked with hot briquettes right on your table with a flat grill top. The style originated with soldiers building cook-fires literally inside their helmets, laying their shields on top, and cooking on that. We also had 门钉肉饼 (men ding rou bing) gigantic pork buns, fried on both sides and 春饼 (chun bing) spring pancakes with a variety of fillings. We rode on rickshaws around the hutong to get in between the different restaurants, it was so much fun. By the time we finished at a brewery after the fourth restaurant, we were absolutely stuffed, and made our way back for the night. Beijing is in a heat wave right now, with temperatures ranging from 95-104 degrees every day for the past 2.5 weeks, but in the evening in the hutongs it finally cooled down a bit and it was really lovely to walk around and see the neighborhood.
Day 2, Monday
Today was a lot more laid back. Irene had to work today, that meant that I stayed in my apartment in the air conditioning to rest and recover from the last crazy few days. I ventured out a bit in the afternoon to a nearby mall to find food. Malls in Asia are no joke, they are like small cities with every single kind of store you can think of. In the evening Irene and I walked back to that same mall and ate at a Mexican restaurant, then we walked a bit and explored the Chaoyang area I’m staying in. Even this one small area is enormous, we’ve been averaging about 20,000 steps a day even without doing all that much today. We saw the local river, the Liangma River, and visited another mall. It was very beautiful.
Day 3, Tuesday
Today was another rest day, I did not leave my room until 5pm today. It’s hard feeling like I’m missing out on things when I take rest days; but I’m in China for about 3 more weeks, and know that if I don’t take these rest days I will burn out from exhaustion very quickly. Especially with our trend of walking 8+ miles every day in 90+ degree weather.
In the evening we met up with a former student of Irene’s, Vicki, for Beijing style hot-pot. If you’re not familiar with hot pot it is exactly as it sounds, you’re given a hot pot of broth or hot water and tons of ingredients that you can add in as you choose to cook in the pot and take out as they become ready to eat. Beijing style is a little different because instead of being heated from underneath on a hot plate or stove; a very tall burning hot cylinder is with hot briquettes is placed directly inside the pot, with a little chimney at the top for the smoke to escape. It’s hard to describe, so see the video above to see what it’s like. We ate so much food and were absolutely stuffed.
Later we walked to the Central Business District (known as CBD in Beijing 😆). There were tons of skyscrapers and interesting buildings, its where all the major Chinese corporations have their headquarters. We took photos at a famous building known as the “Pants” building because it looks literally like a pair of pants.
Day 4, Wednesday
Today was my last partial rest day for a while. Irene got off work early today so in the afternoon I met up with her and we went to 798, which is the former industrial area turned trendy artists’ neighborhood. There were a lot of abandoned factories here that have been turned into artists’ residences, studios, and galleries and is near Beijing’s major art colleges. There was a lot of public art that was cool to see. We ate at a giant shaved ice place and ordered way too much food. Who knew ice was so filling 😂
Later I got to visit Irene’s apartment, and then she packed a bag to come stay the night at my place as we had an early start tomorrow. We ordered dim sum delivery and watched dramas which in my book is an excellent evening.
Day 5, Thursday
Today was spent visiting Irene’s school. Back when I was teaching university level English in Mexico City, Irene was able to visit me and spend the day at my school so it was really cool to do it the other way around today.
Irene’s school is absolutely enormous. It is a K-12 private boarding school on the outskirts of Beijing. It reminded me a lot of a US college campus. Most of the students except for the young students and students who come from other provinces live on campus during the week and go home on the weekends. Most of these students plan on attending college abroad at prestigious universities in places like the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia after graduating. They get English instruction from a very young age and are thus very fluent by the time they graduate.
Irene teaches grade 10-12 English, with between 8-20 students per class. I was amazed by how self-sufficient and responsible the majority of the students were (compared to my absolutely feral first graders back home). They were doing a study of the story The Most Dangerous Game and then created characters to role play in a DnD campaign based on the story; which I thought was really cool. Irene’s prep period was right before the lunch break, so we had a full 2.5 hours for lunch. We ate Xinjiang cuisine at a mall nearby the school, Xinjiang is in northwestern China bordering Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan so the cuisine was a unique mix of Middle Eastern and Chinese food; it was really really good. We didn’t realize we were eating there on the Eid holiday though and the restaurant was packed.
Later after teaching 3 classes Irene introduced me to a student of hers that wants to be an elementary school teacher after graduating. I hope I didn’t scare her off too much from the field. It was really cool but weird to talk with someone that age who is considering colleges and careers; I’m 29 and still feel like a kid most of the time, but thinking back to being 16/17 and thinking about how much I’ve learned and grown and experienced since then was very eye opening. Irene and I gave her a lot of advice about college etc. and we remembered being 21 and having all these anxieties about graduating and finding a job and all that and wow it is crazy how time flies and we are able to actually give advice about that stuff, it feels like just yesterday we were stressing about the exact same things she is stressing about.
In the evening we went to one of Irene’s favorite restaurants, The Taco Bar. Way back in 2013 Irene studied abroad in Beijing and was missing the easy access to Mexican cuisine we have in the US (specifically burritos) and went on a legendary search we now refer to as The Burrito Quest where she searched out and tried every single Mexican restaurant in Beijing, which is harder than it sounds. The Taco Bar didn’t have burritos, but it was hands down the winner of best Mexican restaurant in Beijing according to Irene. She has been coming here since 2013 even when their original location closed down, to their new location, and through the pandemic. We had an enormous amount of food and again ended the day extremely stuffed.
We had planned on this being our goodbye dinner, but we had discovered that Irene’s apartment had had a power cut. Rather than spend the night in darkness in 103 degree heat she decided to stay at my place again. But this meant embarking on an odyssey across Beijing to her apartment to get her stuff since she is traveling again this weekend; and then going back to my place for the air conditioning; this journey on Beijing public transport at rush hour during a heat wave was a major feat.
After 19,000 steps and a 2.5 hour trek we finally collapsed back at my place to sleep.
Day 6 Friday
Early in the morning I said goodbye to Irene as she headed off to work, she is traveling this weekend so she was going to the airport straight from work. I’ll really miss traveling with her, although I love solo travel, the best way to travel I think is with a close friend.
Today was my sightseeing day. I’ve been to Beijing before and have seen The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall before; and given the heat had no desire to confront the crowds there again.
So on Irene’s recommendation today I visited the Summer Palace. It is an enormous complex where the emperor would visit in the summer months in northern Beijing. It is much smaller than the main palace at the Forbidden City in central Beijing, but even so it was enormous. The emperor had it constructed when the capital of China was moved to Beijing in the 1300’s and many elements of the palace were modeled after areas in other places in China that the emperor liked.
There was a shopping street modeled after a town in southern China that I’m visiting later on in this trip. It is famous for being built on the water and it was my favorite area in the palace. There was an enormous manmade lake that was built to be Beijing’s emergency water supply and modeled after a famous lake in Kunming and was used to train naval officers. It was truly enormous. The land excavated from building the lake was used to create a 200ft tall hill upon which the palace itself was constructed. There were also literally thousands of smaller structures built throughout the massive forest grounds. I sat next to an old man on a bench for about 40 minutes while I ate a snack and did some people watching. Everyone else was moving so much and there were so many people but me and that old man were just vibing.
Most of the palace was looted by the British in the late 1800s, but the buildings themselves and natural structures were in amazing condition and it was really cool to see, albeit the heat.
Then I headed over to Nanluoguxiang hutong, another historic neighborhood in central Beijing. This is considered to be rather touristy, most of the original buildings were destroyed in renovations of the city, but were reconstructed to look like traditional neighborhoods in Imperial China, called hutongs. It is a very beautiful area, with streams and lots of people walking about. I visited here in 2018 and it was my favorite area of Beijing to just walk around in. I had some lunch and explored for a while and did some shopping.
My final stop of the day was Baiyunguan, the White Cloud Temple in southern Beijing. It is one of the oldest Taoist temples in China and is nearby a famous Taoist College. By this point in the day I was pretty exhausted from the 103 degree heat and having spent about 6 hours on public transportation and walking in crowded tourist sites. It was incredible to walk into the temple from the loud crowded street and immediately felt how calm and quiet it was. It was literally completely silent except for the wind and the birds.
I walked around the temple for a while. Taoism is one of several traditional Chinese religions, which work in synch with each other. Many Chinese people practice elements of Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and animism. Taoism is all about finding balance and peace in the natural world. The temples themselves are actually called 观 (guan) which translates to look at or observe. This comes from the Taoist belief that understanding comes from looking at or observing the natural world, so the temples are places to look and observe. There were lots of very beautiful areas, some statues of deities people offered incense to, and lots of displays of art and calligraphy. It was very peaceful and a nice way to end the day.
I made my way back and collapsed for the rest of the day.
That’s it for Beijing, I’m amazed if you made it all the way through this very long post. It was great to spend time here. I am writing this post on a plane ride to my next stop, Zhangjiajie in Hunan province in south central China. Stay tuned!
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1687
Have you ever seen a fox in person?
I have not.
Would you say you have a quiet mind or do you have a lot of thoughts?
I dunno how to answer this...I feel like it’s always either one or the other. My mind can definitely race, but I can zone out quite often, too. I guess it depends on my disposition for the day. Heavier anxiety = busier thoughts.
When did you last do something brave?
Earlier, I guess? I’m in Malaysia right now and I tried to venture out earlier all alone beyond the mall that we’ve been visiting the past two days...and doing that felt pretty brave. I circled back though once I realized there was nothing to discover anyway.
Have you ever seen a magician?
Well, yes. Idk about other cultures but booking magicians is common in children’s birthday parties here, so I’ve seen my fair share of them.
What's something you remember from your childhood that you wish you could experience again?
Falling asleep on any non-bed surface and being carried to your actual bed.
Do you believe in karma? Why or why not?
I mean I don’t have a strong, spiritual dependency on it, but it’s always nice when people get their ass bitten back after they’ve been a horrible person.
Do you have a tiktok account?
I do, but I rarely go on TikTok. Too Gen Z for my taste and I only keep the app for work purposes.
Do you prefer the scent or color of lavender?
Scent.
Would you rather live in a castle or a cottage?
I would pick the castle. I feel like previous versions of me would prefer the quietness of a cottage, but at this point in my life I feel like the silence would drive me crazy within the days.
What type of music do you listen to the least and why?
Country and techno, if anything. They’re just not my type of music, especially country.
When did you last visit a library?
I’m not sure. I was definitely in school, and it was before the pandemic...so anywhere around 2019 to super early 2020.
What's one of your favorite memories from staying up late?
When I was active in the wrestling fandom 10 years ago, EVERYBOdy else was either from the US or UK; this meant I was the one who had to adjust for the most part to be able to keep up with the community and with news. That also meant stocking up and chugging cups of coffee from 10-11 PM to be able to be awake for my friends through the night...it was always worth it though. I was able to find an amazing group of friends at the time who waited til I got home from school (the same way I’d stay up for them) until the wrestlers that we stanned resigned/left WWE and we all kind of grew apart from there.
Have or would you ever wear a necklace with someone's initial on it?
I don’t think I have, but it’s something I’m willing to do. Initials to me aren’t as bad as, like, a full name or self-portrait.
What last made you laugh out loud?
I’m watching Run BTS while taking this.
Do you usually keep water by your bedside at night?
I used to, but I grew out of the habit.
What's an interesting fact about yourself?
I have not seen most Disney movies. Like I’m pretty sure the entirety of my Disney watch history has only been Pixar films; most else I haven’t seen.
What did you last heat up in a microwave?
Some cheesy chicken dish my dad made a couple of weeks ago.
Would you consider yourself lucky?
In very few aspects. It’s rarely a word I would use to describe my experiences.
What kind of pizza did you eat last?
The iconic cheese pizza from Habanero, which was worth every single hype post I ever saw talk about it. I still dream about that damned pizza to this day.
What kind of shampoo do you use?
I use Dove usually, but currently I have a Palmolive bottle just because they have a BT21 collaboration and I wanted to try it hahahaha.
How many blue objects are in the room you're in?
My luggage is blue.
Would you rather visit an art museum or an aquarium?
Museum.
Do you prefer sweeter cereal over unsweetened?
Sweeter.
If you could build a 5 artist/band lineup to your dream music festival.. which ones would you choose?
BTS, Twice, Seventeen, Lee Youngji, Epik High.
What's a habit you have broken or are currently trying to break?
I’ve been trying not to stay up until 2-3 AM before a workday.
Have you ever volunteered at an animal shelter?
I haven’t but that’s been on my mind for years now. I’ve just been too busy... :(
Is there anything currently bothering you?
Yeah...I’ve been on leave for like virtually two weeks now, and the amount of workload I’ve been leaving behind is stressful. This is on top of the fact that I have a new associate under me who’s been pretty clueless about what to do, so I’ve had to take portions of my leave to walk her hand through certain tasks; and then there’s also the anxiety of not being sure if she’s able to do the job right. Idk. It sucks. I’m in a sucky place mental-wise. I am extremely grateful for this leave and the two vacations I have taken (my first in seven years), but I also can’t wait for it to be OVER so I can finally be back on track and get rid of that exhausting catching-up feeling.
How many stuffed animals do you have on your bed?
Do the BT21 ones count as stuffed animals? I’ve got two - one Tata, one Koya.
How much is too much to spend on a pair of shoes?
I would probably stop at anywhere over ₱30,000.
What's the strangest thing that you've ever seen someone collect?
There are stranger collections I’m sure, but my mom likes to collect tissue papers from different establishments. They’re all unused ok so she’s not gross HAHA, but I think it’s both unique and endearing that she keeps a stash of tissues from like McDonald’s and Jollibee and Shakey’s and where-fucking-ever in the car.
Have you recently been to a concert?
ARE YOU KIDDING. I went to see AGUST FUCKING D last Sunday in Bangkok. Bit of a nosebleed seat, but I COULD NOT CARE LESS. I was with Yoongi that night; and it was the one promise I made myself when I decided not to go the unaliving route when I discovered BTS two years ago. I sang and screamed and cheered like my life depended on it and between you and me I still feel like floating on air; I can’t believe my friends and I managed to make it happen.
Who did you last have a phone conversation with?
Idk I don’t talk on the phone a lot.
What's the most dominant personality trait you have?
I am sensitive.
Do you ever watch sports?
Eh, just wrestling.
What's had the biggest impact on your day?
The dude who hit on me while I was sitting at the park. That was a nice ego boost because nobody ever approaches me back in the Philippines LOL, but I wish it didn’t happen while I genuinely wanted to be alone. We don’t have any parks in the Philippines so I was Actually savoring my time there, so to that guy I shot down in record time, I’m sorry. Thank you for being nice about it though.
What's your least favorite cheese?
I don’t think I’ve ever found a least favorite cheese.
What did you last have as a snack?
Some 7-Eleven sushi.
What's your favorite decoration in your place of residence?
It’s more than just decoration, but seeing Kimi’s memorial box in the living room makes me smile every single day. I like that we have a way to keep him around.
Would you rather read a book or watch a movie?
I’d pick the movie mostly because I am a lot pickier with books.
What's your plans for the upcoming week?
Finish out my vacation here in Malaysia, then catch up on work starting Wednesday.
When did you last feel rushed?
Last Sunday, after the concert. Bangkok concert culture is a bit different from Manila’s and security will clear out the inside and outside of the arena *as soon* as the artist walks off, so after Yoongi left the stage everything was pretty much a blur. We were being asked to leave every 10 seconds even though we were clearly rushing out, lol.
What was the last thing to scare you?
I felt like some guy was following me earlier back at the mall, so I felt off and walked as briskly as I can.
Have you drank enough water today?
Eh, probably not.
What's your top 3 favorite fruits?
Avocado, and that’s it really.
What season do you think is the most comfortable?
Neither.
What lie do you say the most?
That I’m doing fine. It’s also the safest lie to go with so it’s whatever.
What website do you frequent often besides Bzoink?
Twitter, YouTube, Facebook.
Do you have anything due soon?
Nopes.
What did you last consume that you thought was nasty?
I haven’t had anything bad in a while, actually!
What's a song you feel describes your mood most right now?
Hectic by RM and Colde.
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IT’S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!! we survived lol and the kids were SO good. in prepping for the event I talked with them about how we’d spent this whole year exploring alternatives to traditional/colonial/etc modes of academic research, so to hold a really stiff, formal academic conference at the end would be like, kinda selling out the values we were trying to practice in our scholarship. so we spent a lot of time brainstorming ways to make the event a warm, relaxed environment without high barriers to entry for the people who were joining us (many of whom aren’t academics). and they did SUCH a good job!!! just so much laughter and playfully engaging with the audience and making it feel like a really celebratory happy space. and one student made these delicious popular african desserts and served them to the whole audience during her talk, which was partly about how immigrants living in the diaspora use food to build community and feel emotionally connected to home 😭😭
and they just were SO thoughtful about how they presented the work too. like in preparing for the event this week a lot of them independently came to the conclusion that it didn’t feel ethically right to take participants’ stories out of the context in which they’d been shared and present them to an audience of strangers (“like people’s lives are just a movie you could show on Netflix,” in the words of one kid). they developed SUCH creative ways of sharing their work and engaging the audience in thinking through their core questions while still really respecting those relationships of trust they’d built. idk how to phrase this exactly but I think one of my huge learning goals for them (in the fellowship year as a whole) is that it simply does not matter what you say your values are… what matters (and what people notice & remember) are the concrete choices you make and the way you live out (or fail to live out) those stated values in your practice. we’ve spent so much time taking apart these model projects and mapping out how a stated value -> a concrete choice the researcher makes. it’s just SO cool and SO rewarding as a teacher to see demonstrable evidence that they’ve really internalized that idea and are independently applying it to their own projects and making these conscious ethical choices about how to share their work.
idk it was just so moving (people cried in the Q&A after one of the panels!) and so good and they are SUCH smart thoughtful human beings who have worked so hard on these projects. and I think sometimes I underestimate how important these kinds of year-end “closure” activities are for me too, you know? like in planning them my focus is very much on “they need this kind of event to celebrate the year and to feel like all of this hard work they’ve done is culminating in something,” but I kinda forget that these events are also just an amazing opportunity for me to step back from that day-to-day advising perspective to really look at the full picture and see how far the kids have come this year. they’ve just grown by leaps and bounds in their confidence in themselves as researchers and they’ve successfully executed these incredibly complex projects that many of them were super intimidated by at the beginning of the year. I know we’re not supposed to say “I’m proud of you” to kids because it takes away from their work/accomplishment and refocuses it on our feelings or whatever, but I’m really proud of them!!!! and I’m really proud of myself too lol I can see how much I’ve grown as a teacher/advisor in this field and how much that personal growth has positively impacted the learning experience for them. anyway I’m feeling really happy about the day and really good about the year as a whole. truly love this job and if this is our last hurrah at least it was a really good one.
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heyy love! hope ur doing well :) just wanted to kinda rant here because i consider your blog to be an extremely safe space
so im losing all friends :( well, kinda.. ive made a few new ones too.. but these girls ive known them since 3rd grade and we used to be so close and do everything together and then the pandemic happened and i kinda lost touch with them since none of us really had phones yet back then.. but they still stayed in touch and now since everything has gone back to normal they're all still best of friends and im just kinda there.. but the fact that hurts me the most is that its not only that things have gotten awkward because we haven't really spoken but that they don't seem interested in "having me back" and idk im not able to accept these changes like my heart aches everytime i see them together. i don't even really try to approach them either because its awkward and they don't try to include me in things even when im around :(
btw pls feel free to take ur time to reply to this or not reply at all! i understand and just typing it all out helped a little so you're good <3
hi luv! it really makes me so happy that you consider this a safe space. <3
i’m so sorry that you are currently going through all of this. i know how hard it can be to lose some of your closest friends. from my own personal experience i can say your heart is going to hurt for some time and that’s okay, give it the time it needs to heal. i will say though during that time try not focus on them and keep up with everything they’re doing. (i’ve made that mistake of constantly checking ex-bestfriend’s pages & watching their stories, and it only upset myself further). instead i recommend devoting your time to yourself (do a little self care, treat yourself bby! you deserve it!), focus on your hobbies or maybe try out new ones! spend time with your family & nourishing other (or building new) relationships. and soon enough, you’ll realize you forgot all about them. it’s crazy how abruptly it’ll happen too. at least speaking from my own experience, it was like i was hurting day after day, constantly thinking about how it could’ve been or how i could make things different, and then one day i woke up & i didn’t cry! their names didn’t even cross my mind! and i will be honest, i think a bit part of what helped that to happen was closure. (i know so cliche and what everyone says) but bc i was always thinking about how things could’ve been different or what would happen if i messaged them/what i would say/how they would respond, etc. etc. once i finally did just that, they slowly started to fade from my mind. i was able to move on.
i am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. the universe has a plan for us and even with some of the worst things that have happened to us, they have led us to exactly who & where we are today, exactly where we’re meant to be.
a big part of growing up, as hard as it is at the time, is losing old friendships and making new ones. some people aren’t meant to be apart of your life forever. and especially when you growing up itll happen more than you might would like it to. as you grow up, you grow out of some people and that’s okay. it only means your making room for better ones to come! youre growing & changing, and that’s a good thing! i know sometimes it’s easier to stick with people who you’ve known for so long because there’s a sort of comfort in it; but it’s also okay to let go of those relationships if they don’t serve you any longer. and especially if those people aren’t making an effort to even include you, they don’t deserve your time and energy. screw them for not realizing how amazing you are! but trust me when i say eventually you will find those incredible friends that are going to include you in everything because they want you there, & they will treat you how you deserve & you’re going to have so much fun with them! these old friends will soon become a distant memory.
and who knows, maybe some time in the future you’ll reunite with those friends. it’s happened to me before! i had best friend that i had a falling out with when i was thirteen years old. she eventually apologized, and we would occasionally chat but nothing more than that. now six (almost seven) years later she hit me up, we went for coffee and now we’re friends again! i never would have thought we would be friends, let alone hang out again, but yet here we are! life’s always brings us the unexpected like that. and even though we’re friends again now, and i’m so extremely happy we are, i don’t doubt for a second that all those years apart were necessary for us to grow, become who we are today, and allow us to be better friends to each other now that we might not have been able to be earlier.
anyway… ill stop myself before i write a whole essay (might be too late tho). i hope some of that made sense, i’m realizing now i much i rambled, i apologize. but i hope this helps you in any way. i honestly might not have given any actual good advice, but i hope some of it helps you. just know, you are not alone. so many (including me) have gone thru similar experiences. you will get thru this, my dear! i love you.
if you ever want to chat or rant or anything, just know you have a friend right here <3 never hesitate to send an ask or direct message if you’d prefer that. i will always, always answer. all my love <3
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The thing that drew me to early retirement is freedom, and that’s still the best part of it.
Back in 2005, the primary reason for this freedom-seeking was being able to devote my best hours to being a dad. I had a feeling my career in tech would be too demanding to sustain once the full-time job of raising children kicked in.
Eighteen years later, wow, has that guess ever turned out to be right? Early retirement has proved to be the most amazing and worthwhile adventure, and it’s still just getting started. I wrote to you an amazing thirteen years ago, when Little MM was just starting kindergarten. Now, he has graduated from high school.
I have been able to take advantage of a lot of new experiences, work hard and play hard when needed, and slow down when needed to overcome some true challenges and develop as a person.
ow, with that chNow that the parenting phase is finally almost over, I am using some of those Freedom Chips to make a really big change: I am spending the winter in a warm, sunny place to try out a new life in Culdesac Tempe, the walkable, bikeable, car-free community you have probably heard me talk about a
lot in the past.r, I’So, on December 1st, I will be loading up the Model Y with my best mountain bike and all the necessities for the incredible road trip across the mountains, along with tools and gadgets. ming Colorado winter. And my son will be joining me for the trip!
Looking for updates? I have added a separate tracker page here.
Heading West…
We’ve booked ourselves a spacious two-bedroom apartment there for four full months. Little MM will be roughly alternating his months between Arizona and Colorado so he can still have time with both parents, while I’ll be there the whole time.
A big part of the fun is that this will force me to invent a whole new life for myself, away from the easy comforts of the big community and plentiful construction sites that keep me so busy here. It will be both a big change and a significant challenge, which is exactly what all of us need on a regular basis to keep life full of meaning and joy.
So, what are you going to do in Arizona?
I look forward to replacing this with a real Arizona mountain biking picture I will be taking soon.
The exact details are still in the works, and I’d love to hear your ideas and feedback (see the “get in touch” note below). But here’s what I’ve got so far:
Meet as many new people as possible and answer the burning question we all have: what kind of people choose to move to a car-free neighborhood in the center of a super-car-based metropolis?
And, of course, hang out with existing friends who live in the area. Did you know our own Coverage Critic (aka Chris Smith) already lives in Culdesac?
Share some of the experiences, whether good or bad, here on MMM and on places like Twitter and Instagram so you can live vicariously through this experience.
Use my newly liberated extra free time to visit their kickass on-site gym to get in extra good shape.
Use more of that free time to write more blog posts and sweep some of the cobwebs off of this neglected online persona of mine.
Look at the weather app on my phone periodically to cackle at the blizzards I’m missing in Colorado and celebrate my good fortune in comparison (the typical “winter” day in Tempe is typically in the mid-70s, which means sandals and palm trees and outdoor dining the whole time)
Host a few meetups in Culdesac’s outdoor plazas, like we did last March
Start a quirky free handyman business where I help new residents set up their IKEA furniture, move heavy stuff, and hang paintings, as a combo of meeting people, being useful, and exercising my compulsion to build stuff.
Ride bikes! A lot. Explore the distant corners of the Phoenix metro area and the surrounding desert valley and mountain trails on mountain bikes, regular bikes, and the e-bike that comes included with the first 200 Culdesac apartments.
And perhaps most importantly, help my almost-adult son get all sorts
of new experiences during his visits by living in a brand new city for the first time since he was born, way back in the same era as my own early retirement.
One of Culdesac’s main “parking lots”, adjoining a restaurant patio
My future gym (sAlright, you have caugThis is another instance where
There is a reason other than simply
journaling my personal life that I am going to go to the trouble of typing shit into the computer and sharing it with you.other than just journaling my own personal life, and this is another one of those cases.
First of all, there are the first-layer selfish goals: I want to have the best winter ever, meet a bunch of smart new people, and I also want Culdesac to be a huge success so they will build more neighborhoods like this around the country and set an example that permanently improves the way US cities build and expand themselves in the future.
Much Better than Parking Lots
But even if you don’t care about all that, I also want to use this as a little statement about trying to make deliberate life changes.
By throwing myself into a new community that aligns so nicely with my own values, I hope to serve as a reminder that maybe you might want to try the same thing. Or just try anything new.
In a comfortable, prosperous country like ours, some of the built-in tendencies of Human nature tend to work against us, saying,
“Hey – I’ve noticed we have plenty of food and reasonable shelter, and that’s good enough. So let’s just double down on Netflix, comfort foods, and occasional luxury purchases, and that will keep us safe.”
Instead, I want you to set your life treadmill to just a bit of a steeper, healthier incline setting.
That means questioning the status quo and doing your best to keep at least one little experiment on the go in the background. Maybe that means forcing yourself to move to a better place or taking steps towards getting a new job that gives you a better work-life balance.
The biggest move I ever made was leaving family and friends and my old job behind to move to the US alone, at age 24. Looking back, I’m shocked I had the courage (and the organizational skills) to pull that off back then. I’ve become older, a bit slower, and so comfortable that it’s hard to imagine doing something so bold now.
But even today, 24 years later, I thank my past self every single day for doing it. My present life is an incredibly different and better thing because of that past bit of courage.
The spirit of positive experimentation might also mean starting to challenge your body more regularly, giving it harder work, and exposing it to a wider swath of temperatures and movements. Or joining new Meetup groups to expand your circle of friends and experiences.
It doesn’t really matter exactly what you do, as long as you point your feet in what feels like a good direction and just start moving. Create some purposeful change, which will surely feel a bit difficult simply because change is hard. And hard things are good.
Future Arizona Neighbors: I’ll see you in four weeks!
Further reading: I’ve been reading books, doing life experiments, and writing about the value of strategic hardship for a while now. But the latest is a book called Dopamine Nation by a talented psychiatrist and author named Dr. Anna Lembke.
To summarize, your brain creates a baseline for happiness based on the hardest thing you do and then compares everything else to that. So if you do hard things, life in general seems fantastic because of this perspective. If you eliminate all hardship, suddenly even the pleasures of life seem bland, and you live a spoiled and unmotivated life.
To get in touch, send me a DM on Instagram or use the email address “newsletter” at the domain of this website. (Newsletter subscribers can also just reply to this post if you received it via email.)
Interested in stopping by for your own mini-Culdesac experiment? They have a few short-term rentals available at rather reasonable rates (less than nearby hotels); check em out at book.culdesac.com
What will you do with your car?
I’m bringing the car as a convenient electric moving truck to carry two people and four months of living supplies. Once I get there, I’ll find a safe place to park it offsite and live the full car-free lifestyle of Culdesac, much like I do when I’m here at home. I typically only use cars to carry really heavy stuff or for trips to other cities and states, but it’s even easier to accomplish this in Tempe with its location right on the light rail and with their onsite bike, scooter, and even car sharing lots.
What about your house?
My place in Colorado is currently set up as a two-bedroom house on the main floor plus an apartment with a separate entrance on the walkout lower level. When I’m at home, I use the whole thing as one home—the apartment just makes a great place to host a fairly constant stream of visiting friends. But for the winter, I’m hoping to rent out one of these spaces to a friend or trusted acquaintance who will take good care of everything, while I leave the other section free for the occasional visits I’ll be paying to this area over the winter. Aside from keeping an eye on the place, it will be a great way to practice the age-old Mustachian technique of making money while taking vacations!
What Happens at the End of March?
As it stands, I have no plans beyond this point. I’ll head back to Colorado for my home base, but with this being a new phase of life, I’ll be layering on new adventures. Aside from the two mountain properties that I’ve been helping to build out, I just teamed up with a friend to help him create an intentional (and somewhat experimental!) living community in Denver called Wild Life Ranch.
We’ll have to cover more of that in a future article, but the basic idea is that he is converting a 13-acre former horse ranch in a relatively prime part of the Denver area into a future village of higher-end tiny houses and other dwellings. These will be arranged around nice common amenities with a big emphasis on people actually enjoying the process of living together, as opposed to just living side-by-side as we tend to do in normal neighborhoods.
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