Wedged between the branches of the tree, you hear the parrot-guy call out to you,“Car blue oblay?", you see him hanging by a precariously by a rope over the side of a docked boat, surrounded by angry seagulls.
For me it took getting into therapy and realizing why I would lose control and drink to excess. I understand now that, for me, excessive drinking is a physical manifestation of an underlying problem I'm not confronting. If I drink when I'm not in pain or emotionally distraught, I drink responsibly, but when I am angry/sad/depressed I'll drink uncontrollably. I liken it to taking hallucinogens, specifically mushrooms, if I take mushrooms when I am already feeling bad emotionally, I will have a bad trip, if I take them when I am already happy and in a good mood, I'll have a good trip. It's about being mindful about your state of mind and what you put in your body that can effect that state of mind.
I appreciate the kindness, take care too ;)
Thanks for the kind words!
Yes, I did get into SMART for a time. I found that it was easier to just go to AA since I didn't feel like going through the hassle of maintaining a digital form and having to print it out every time I had to show it to my probation officer.
There have been a lot of successful lawsuits contesting the legality of mandating AA through the courts, in fact, no lawsuit has lost to date. I would have loved to contest it as well, but honestly I live in a small town and the police and courts here are the type to hold a grudge, so I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. But yeah, it is most definitely a religious organization, no matter how much they try to maintain they aren't.
I had a similar experience myself, I was desperate and was looking for a way out. I initially joined before being mandated by the court, and for a little while I was on board, but after a year or so I got fed up with the methodology and rhetoric of AA. About six months before the mandate I was pretty much through with AA, and then I got a DUI and was forced to go. Which just further brought out my distaste for AA.
Luckily I'm just about finished with the court requirements. I only have a few more weeks of outpatient, and was told by my PO that once I completed the outpatient I'd be off of probation. So, very happy it'll be over soon.
The positive thing was that I did take a break from abusing alcohol and resassessed my relationship with alcohol. I don't intend to stay abstinent, but I do plan on having a healthier relationship with drinking and being mindful of when and how much I do.
Oh man, this is the fucking truth. I'm court mandated to go to AA, and it's driving me up the wall. The steps are ridiculous and the true believers will endlessly drone on about how amazing and effective they are. It's literally just religious fundamentalist ideology (AA itself was created by Bill Wilson, who was part of a religious organization called the Oxford Group, and used their existing principles to create the 12 Steps). The organization is definitely a cult, the largest operating and hiding in plain sight cult in the world. It's crazy how prolific it is and most people don't realize it is a Christian temperance cult.
That does sound equally as torturous.
What?! Doesn't everybody do that?
That's exactly how I felt by Kafka on the Shore. I thought it was a really dreamy, surreal journey. Very unique kind of feel. I remember really liking it, to the extent that I thought he might be my new favorite author. But subsequent works I've tried to get into haven't roped me in like that book unfortunately.
Kafka did, but after that I've had trouble getting over that default setting time and time again. I still have Sputnik from the library, so I might push ahead and see if it lures me in, but I'm still annoyed by the repetitive use of the same motifs.
For sure! Kick ass score! Trying to show me up, eh? :P
Good stuff. Take a look at Ultimate Success next if you end up enjoying that album. Really anything by them is great, but Ultimate Success is their newest, I believe, so you can see where they are at musically now.
I can understand the occasional reference, or encounter with a character who has those qualities. But almost every book with every main or supporting character gets to be ridiculous. "Meet Amami Tutsudo, she's the owner of the local bakery known for her undying love for Chopin, her mind soars with his transcendent movements, which she plays while baking her acclaimed loaves of bread."
Zip is the best. Bill Griffith is one of my favorite cartoonists.
Oh, that's awesome. I didn't know they were. I'm excited ;D
Not surprising at all. He has the vibe of a 8 year old telling me,"by the way, did I ever tell you about how much I love MINECRAFT!," over and over again. I suppose the thing that gets me is that I've never seen an author inject a personal interest in something in their work to this degree. I've read a few authors where you can kind of get a feel for certain things they like, but they usually aren't so obvious and overt about putting those interests on blast. It's just jarring to me.
Yeah, I dabbled a bit with the full game since I own it through itch.io. But never played past the third stage. I'm no stranger towards brutal platformers though, so maybe that gave me a little bit of a boost. I can hold my own with fairly difficult games and have even tried my hand at some Mario Kaizo hacks. That said, I still felt like I was doing a lot worse than I was apparently. It's also been quite some time since I really took on a challenge of this difficulty, as I have been mostly been playing cozy stuff like TOEM and GNOG lately. I'm really enjoying the change of pace though, it feels good to beat a good challenge like this again. I'm playing through Celeste Classic 2 now, and I'll be playing the full Celeste soon as well.
Murakami: An Observation After Three Books
I read and enjoyed Kafka on the Shore years ago (although I could barely tell you what it was about now). After enjoying Kafka I've tried a few times to read some of his other stuff and inevitably end up stalling out. This has happened with IQ84, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and now with Sputnik Sweetheart. It's always during the first chapter that I get bogged down in this miasma of being bored, and the reoccurring theme of one of the characters going on and on about some classical composer and the sublimity of their works (blah blah blah). It starts to grate on me as pretentious, boring and droll. Does anyone else feel this way? I was honestly kind of surprised that he has consistently used this same device in multiple stories I've read, to the point that now it just feels silly that there's always some character right from the get go that is this BIG classical music aficionado. It might seem to be a weird thing to key on, but it just bores me to encounter it over and over, right from the
Haha, and here I was thinking that I did horribly. I saw someone on a random reddit thread say they did it in 400 and something.
As I was typing this out I rechecked the thread and they we're playing the full PC version with assist mode on. Apparently the PC version has the original playable within the game at some point. A quick Google search put the average at 1000-1200 or more deaths for the Pico-8 version.
So, damn. That makes me feel pretty awesome lol. Thanks for the kind words, you made my day!
A gruff, one-eyed, one-legged seagull looks at you and the crumbled fiver with unreserved scorn. He caws loudly at the assembled seagulls on the railings and decks of nearby boats,"Hey guys, getta load of this schmoe treatin' us like we's a bunch of knuckle draggin' apes, wadda we gonna do wit that ass-wipe?! And you come 'round 'ere actin' like youse one-a us!! Get 'em boys, we don' need no polly poser on our territory, 'specially when they ain' got no food to gives us!
A huge mass of seagulls start furiously dive-bombing you, pecking at swiping at you with their feet. Dozens and dozens of angry gulls swarm about you, as you try and bat them away, your foot slips into a pile or rope left on the deck, tripping you, causing you to stumble overboard! The rope winds itself around you leg, preventing you from fulling into the harbor, but you know dangle helplessly from the side of the boat like a colorful pinata. The birds continue to swarm, taking turns carrying nearby trash and dropping it on you. You hang upside down, covered with egg shells, burger wrappers and half eaten corndogs.
Nearby the robot is struggling to get up, it slams it's fist on the ground angrily, like some sleep-deprived toddler throwing a tantrum. Just behind him, wedged into the branches of a tree and looking like a large dustbunny, is Wattage Woman, struggling to dislodge herself.
Got a Crazy Deal on the First Pressing of Relatives in Descent by Protomartyr
Found Protomartyr's Relatives in Descent on vinyl at the local antique store for $15. Turns out it was the first pressing. Looked it up on Discogs and it's going for ~$80. Not that I care about online resale value, it's just cool that it's a semi-rare piece.
I just started buying vinyl, so this was a really nice surprise to get out of the blue. Great album by the way, Night-Blooming Cereus is my favorite track right now. If you've never got a chance to check out anything by Protomartyr I highly recommend them. I believe their newest album is Ultimate Success which is a banger as well.
I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that independent comic creators are spread out over multiple publishing companies and not just a few independent imprints. You have Drawn and Quarterly, Fantagraphics and a whole host of others that publish smaller, indie graphic novels. There are also a lot of traditional book publishers that publish graphic novels now too. There's a lot out there, but it's not under any one umbrella like it was back in the 80s/90s.
Finally Summited on Celeste Classic and I didn't Throw my Laptop Out of the Window!
Been working on trying to beat this damn game for months. I was stalling out on 2300m for a long while, and finally just gave in and looked up a hint online. I avoid walkthroughs as much as I can, but I just had to suck it up this time because I was about ready to just throw in the towel. Glad I did, since once I got past 2300m the rest was a cinch. I have to say that 2300m was still the most difficult stage, everything past that point was hard but not quite as hard as getting past that one. All it took was almost 800 deaths (눈_눈)
I'll probably go back and grab all the strawberries on another playthrough sometime soon, but for now I'm taking a breather. Great game though, looking forward to playing the full fledged version. I have it on itch.io through a bundle, so I'll be grabbing it this weekend. Time to get ready to die hundreds and hundreds more times :D
Right on, that's good on them. I was honestly disappointed to learn that they were deniers years ago, which definitely effected my ability to watch the show afterwards. I'll have to check out the episode when I can.
EVERY POST IS AN RPG - Each Post is a Quick, Improv RPG. First RPG is up: Stuperheroes! A parody of the superhero genre inspired by comics like The Tick and Megaton Man.
Each separate post is a whole RPG world to itself. Consider each thread like a one-shot RPG. Post a premise, some (preferably quick) rules and supply a prompt and then play! Experiment with weird, quirky, non-traditional RPG designs, do freeform and crazy non-sequitur improv. But above all else: HAV...
I am a longtime GM, and have been looking to stretch my improv muscles for a long time. I've had this idea percolating for awhile about making quick, micro-rpgs that get resolved in a week or so. If that sounds like your cup of tea, join in! I'll be creating the initial games, but anyone that wants to create and GM a game is most welcome!
The first game is already up and is based on superhero parodies like The Tick. I call it: Stuperheroes!
Here's a direct link to the game: Stuperheroes
And here's a link to the community itself: !Every_Post_Is_An_RPG@Lemmy.ml
Just created a new community: Every Post is an RPG. For playing quickplay micro-rpgs. Join up if you want to have some quick, silly fun!
Each separate post is a whole RPG world to itself. Consider each thread like a one-shot RPG. Post a premise, some (preferably quick) rules and supply a prompt and then play! Experiment with weird, quirky, non-traditional RPG designs, do freeform and crazy non-sequitur improv. But above all else: HAV...
I am a longtime GM, and have been looking to stretch my improv muscles for a long time. I’ve had this idea percolating for awhile about making quick, micro-rpgs that get resolved in a week or so. If that sounds like your cup of tea, join in! I’ll be creating the initial games, but anyone that wants to create and GM a game is most welcome!
The first game is already up and is based on superhero parodies like The Tick. I call it: Stuperheroes!
Let’s have some fun :D
EVERY POST IS AN RPG - Each Post is a Quick, Improv RPG. First RPG is up: Stuperheroes! A parody of the superhero genre inspired by comics like The Tick and Megaton Man.
Each separate post is a whole RPG world to itself. Consider each thread like a one-shot RPG. Post a premise, some (preferably quick) rules and supply a prompt and then play! Experiment with weird, quirky, non-traditional RPG designs, do freeform and crazy non-sequitur improv. But above all else: HAV...
I am a longtime GM, and have been looking to stretch my improv muscles for a long time. I've had this idea percolating for awhile about making quick, micro-rpgs that get resolved in a week or so. If that sounds like your cup of tea, join in! I'll be creating the initial games, but anyone that wants to create and GM a game is most welcome!
The first game is already up and is based on superhero parodies like The Tick. I call it: Stuperheroes!
Let's have some fun :D
Quick Improv Game Using GS Howitt's RP6 ****
This is a swashbuckling superhero comedy scfi adventure.
Inspiration: The Tick, Megaton Man, Any other superhero parody
In this world:
**You are a team of stupid superheroes seeking to stop The Big
Working Class Perspectives in Works of Art and Entertainment?
So, it dawned on me while watching a documentary directed by an obviously well-to do upper-middle class guy, that most media is slanted towards upper-class sensibilities and perspectives more often than not. This is especially prevalent in movies and tv where the main characters are typically upper-class or even rich. I'd always had an aversion to these depictions, but I've never fully articulated my disillusionment with it. The problem is that these depictions of "average" families are woefully unrepresentative of your average person.
My question is: what is some media, in any format, that is informed by a working-class perspective?
I've found a few obvious authors out there, like Steinbeck, Bukowski and Irvine. But am interested in not only authors, but artists of all kinds and different mediums. Alternative comix and independent cinema, and things like zines spring to mind as mediums that might have more representation along those lines. Are there any specifically worker derived
Quebec at Angoulême 2025 - Excellent Article About Québécois Comics at the French Comic Festival
Photographer (and translator) Marc Tessier and writer Jean-Dominic Leduc went to this year's Angouleme Festival and came back with this report, which casts a close eye on Quebec's place within it.
Great article about Quebec comics at Angouleme and a good look at the festival in general. Lots of discussion about the current state of the festival and some of the internal divisions of the fest between the organizers and artists. There's been some controversy regarding 9e, who organize the festival, and the creators that attend over the committee's refocusing on a more commercial outlook for the event, and more disgusting developments such as the rape of Chloe, a former employee that had her employment terminated after the horrific incident. This has caused many publishers to create a counter event in protest, with some publishers looking to avoid the festival for the foreseeable future.
A very interesting and informative article. I'm still quite new to the BD scene, and had only hard about the festival in Angouleme vaguely, so it was an intriguing look into the preeminent BD comic festival. I also discovered some new publishers to check out such as Le Monte-en-l'air, La Pasteque a
Interview with Olivier Schrauwen on Making his Brilliant Comic "Sunday"
One of the standout comics of 2023 is the fourth and final installment of Olivier Schrauwen's Sunday, a 468-page depiction of one day in the life and mind of a self-centered man. Matt Seneca questions the artist on the making of this proudly unextraordinary epic.
Sunday by Olivier Schrauwen tells about a day in the life of a fictional version of Olivier's cousin. The entirety of the over four hundred page comic is contained in a single Sunday in the life of Thibault, centering mostly on his internal thoughts and mundane doings on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
It's an excellent exercise in turning the mundane into an interesting and humorous piece of story art. Funnily enough, I didn't intentionally do it at the time, but fittingly read it over the whole course of my own lazy Sunday.
This is an interview by Matt Seneca of the Comics Journal probing Schrauwen on the creation of Sunday. I highly recommend reading Sunday whenever you have a lazy Sunday of your own ;)
Video of Ana Miralles Creating the Gorgeous Art for her Series Djinn Written by Jean Defaux
Djinn tells the story of a young woman looking into her long lost grandmother's past as a concubine in a harem in the 19th century. The series is beautifully illustrated by Ana Miralles and written by Jean Defaux. This video shows her working her magic, creating the beautiful watercolor art for the comic in her studio. Enjoy ;)
Mario Bros and I Were Born in '85, This is What I Bought For Our 40th B-Day This Year
Been wanting a NES for a minute. Decided on buying myself a toploading unit for my 40th birthday this year. The American NES toploaders were too pricey, but the Famicom AV was much more affordable and with the bonus of AV instead of RF only like the US model. Just by coincidence I bought Mario Bros as my first Famicom game since that was the cheapest, best quality game I could afford and it just seemed right to make it the first Famicom game I owned. But after I purchased it it dawned on me that it was delightfully appropriate to buy Mario Bros on it's 40th anniversary as my 40th birthday present this year :D
Looking forward to grabbing an Everdrive when I have the cash and really getting down and dirty with it. I have a whole bunch of homebrew and hacks I'm itching to play.
Bleu à la lumière du jour by Borja Gonzalez Art is Utterly Breathtaking
Bleu à la lumière du jour has a very haunting, noir-ish feel to the art. The dialogue is sparse, making the big, silent panels even more exaggerated in their quietude. I am still learning French, so I am slowly reading/translating it piece by piece, as sparse as the dialogue is, but am relishing soaking in the sumptuous atmosphere that Gonzalez has sculpted in these panels. Definitely highly recommended.
Recommendations for VoIP Provider?
I decided I want to ditch my cell plan and rely primarily on a VoIP service for calling. To anybody here have any experience with VoIP: what providers would you recommend?
So far the two that I see recommended the most online are JMP and VoIP.ms. I setup an account with VoIP.ms, but am hesitant to pull the trigger until I have done a little more research. Any insight and info would be most welcome.