#I always get too ambitious with projects and end up disappointing myself lol.....

[shimmershy]

I impulsively started an animation for the anniversary, like, a month ago and then never actually worked on it after that so uuuuhhh, it's not much at all, but I thought I might as well post what I had of the sketches. Because I really like the concept and wish I could have finished it on time.

Happy 8th anniversary, Undertale!

[wordsandsound14]

Switchfoot albums ranked (not including interrobang)

I've been thinking about this a lot too recently. Ik I'm late to the party on this one but I don't get on reddit often. Only got on since the band did the ama. I won't include interrobang since it's so new and ranking it seems difficult. (worst to best)

11. Learning to Breathe - While this record has some of the best written songs (Learning to Breathe, The Loser, Love is the Movement), it also has some of my least favorites (Poparazzi, Innocence Again, Living is Simple). I often just find myself bored with this album and disappointed. There are plenty of dipping of toes in ideas and then abandoning them. For instance, the beginning of Erosion is such a cool unique sound and then it's abandoned for the rest of the song. The themes of this album are also really boring to me, even when I was a christian. I just found it wasn't taking a unique perspective or doing anything different with its themes when they have done so before.

10. Where the Light Shines Through - I feel this was the band when they were the most uninspired. It feels like it was trying to sell itself to the CCM crowd and make some waves there since it's been the most consistent place of making waves and it still didn't do that. Don't get me wrong, there are great songs here (If the House Burns Down Tonight, Float, Holy Water). The first half of this album is super good. It's that back half that feels like an axe to the first half. Every song on the back half has something that disappoints me. And I'm fine with christian themes and all but it felt like this album had more just praise songs vs the questioning of faith. Would've been a great EP and it kinda made sense that they went into hiatus after this album. I also feel that the themes of the album didn't really make it to it. Jon talked about how he was in a some struggle and storm before the album and then by the time they got recording it more so became an album after the storm. And I just wonder what was going on. Cause there's only small hints. I can only feel that an album that actually talked about that or coming out of the storm would've worked but we got way after the storm and leaving a lot of good inspiration behind in a ball of mystery that we still don't know about. I don't need to know every information that he went through but the songs got effected by it.

9. New Way to be Human - I think what holds this album down the most is it's lack of direction. I can feel them trying to tackle all of their ideas from folk to pop to indie while maintaining their identity. I just don't feel these ideas get fully fleshed out. But these songs are really well written and the philosophy bleeding into these tracks and ending up being a basis of many future songs can all be tracked back to this album. This album is just a very specific listen so I don't often turn to this album. I do think Something More is the most overlooked song, with Amy's song being a close second. I also think Incomplete is a just a better version of I Turn Everything Over so it feels like a repeat track. But I really appreciate what this record represents in their career and see it as a stepping stone of sorts. (Company Car is one of their best earlier works)

8. Native Tongue - Seems a lot of people have very different feelings about this work. I think the biggest thing that makes Native Tongue feel distinct is that it feels like a Jon Foreman project with Switchfoot. Like Jon was the only one who couldn't stay away from the studio and was calling the other members. They came and were happy to but it was Jon with the initiative. At least, it's how it sounds to me. A lot of these ideas are incomplete. But when they aren't, they hit really well (Native Tongue, Dig New Streams, Oxygen). And the amount of trying different things! Granted a lot of ideas of modern production ideas but I'm glad they happened. But some I'm not too fond of (Joy Invisible, Wonderful Feeling, The Strength To Let Go). I feel this album also really fell short without a good producer. It's not the production value that doesn't work but Switchfoot works best when there is a producer there that works with them and pushes them. I fell they could have been better but it also has some solid songs in here.

7. Legend of Chin - This is one of the most fun Switchfoot records but has such a distinct sound and charm to it. I understand that a lot of songs are about girls that Jon doesn't even know any more but there isn't a bad song on here. It's all just fun from 3 guys jamming in a room. I used to not like the closing track but it's grown on me and I crave that sound more and more. Some standout tracks are Home, Chem 6A, You. With Underwater being a super creative song. I don't have a ton to say other than this is root Switchfoot and their cores are on display here.

6. Fading West - I feel this is their most misunderstood record. The struggle this album went through is tremendous. Take the two best things Switchfoot is known for and strip them away and they still make a record worth listening too imo. It's not their best but it's really ambitious, even if accidental. Originally, they were going to only strip the guitars away but when you listen to the story of Fading West, going on a journey to feel inspired. There are plenty of lines hinting that Jon was having writer's block (blood clot pen). It does mean the lyrics suffered some here but I don't think they suffered a ton. They achieved the california surf music. However, I do think they missed a huge part that I feel the fans were wanting. It's the sound that's on the ep. It's the one we were advertised and didn't receive on the album. I would loved if the album had the sound of Edge of the Earth (the song). But I really appreciate the risk cause it's a huge one. (stand out tracks: Love Alone Is Worth the Fight, BA55, Slipping Away).

5. Vice Verses - This was the best they have ever been as musicians (you could argue this for Oh Gravity too tho). But the amount of pushing their musical talent is very apparent on this album. The bass lines and drum rhythms are amazing. The only songs I'm kinda eh about are Rise Above It (still has great production and energy) and The Original (still has amazing bass and guitar parts). This album does have a weird issue with the lyrics either hitting really deep parts of your heart or being a very vague or simple line. The production is also the best imo and everything is layered super well. The only production that I disagree on is on Where I Belong (the digital claps for why and some parts sounding a little inconsistent with the rest of the album). But the choices in the sounds of the guitars and genre jumps and the grunge. Still lacking in some areas but still a solid record. (Holds my favorite Switchfoot song Thrive)

4. Oh! Gravity. - Oh yes, the golden era as I call it. I pin this album as the core Switchfoot sound. If you want to hear what Switchfoot sounds like, this album nails it. Guitars, fun, great lyrics, and musical variety. I don't have much words like I did for Chin. It's a pretty simple album to digest and it's the quickest made one (from what i'm aware of) and it shows but in the best way possible. It's also only made better by the podcast series they made. The only things that hold this album down a bit is American Dream and Burn Out Bright being repeat tracks of another (American Dream being the better one) and the double edged sword of it being simple when surrounded by high effort long works that are beyond exceptional.

3. The Beautiful Letdown - The Classic Foot album that defined their careers. It's not a joke tho that everything went up a whole level with this album. Something clicked in Jon's head that turned out some of his best lyrics and the song formats and sound just grew a ton. Jerome being an essential new member. And only one song that's a little meh (Redemption) and even the meh song is still catchy. Overexposure might be why it's not higher but I feel I have more reasons being that it does sound dated. Most of the time for better but a little for worse. I also feel that if Drew was a part of this album, it would be up a another level also. There's just a slight amount of incompleteness to this record. Not sure exactly but regardless the songwriting on this album is amazing and the questions and the way they are asked remain timeless.

2. Nothing is Sound - Grunge at its best here. I'm still not certain what Jon was going through here other than what the lyrics mention but whatever he was feeling hits hard. It resonates so much. To this day, these songs hold my throat. Not a bad song on here. It's a really good album that only gets beat by it's production value. Some songs could've been produced better (ironically Jon mentioned that recently too lol). Golden, The Setting Sun, and We Are Young Tonight are the forefront of those. And it's not like they are terribly produced but they are missing a little from what they could be. But literally it. Front to back, this record just rocks while wallowing in despair from the fallen world and the loneliness and helplessness it brings. It also represents a huge decision on what to do after a breakout record and is one of the best records after a band reached public success.

1. Hello Hurricane - The whole sound of this record is the most complete the band has ever sounded to me. The writing on this album is so great. Not one song is a waste and process this album went through is amazing. I get that they can't (prob shouldn't) do this process but damn was it worth it. This project sounds so complete and so organically made, even with two songs that I feel could have been switched out. (Always isn't my favorite but I may having it be a song for a past relationship. But it also does still have a lot of raw emotion in it that I appreciate and can get past my own perceptions. It's the lesser of the offense. Free is the other one only cause it kinda is booty in studio. It's live version makes ya wish it was that way on the record). But i adore these lyrics and I love the sounds they used without washing it up with production but still using production (Sing it Out) as a tool. It's so good and I love this album so much

quick review of interrobang is that it’s a very solid record and I love the sound of it so far. It doesn’t take my top record but it’s an insanely catchy album with a lot of listens in the future. I’d probably rank it as 2 or 3. Not sure if it’s above or below nothing is sound. but really give it a listen. It’s exactly what i’ve been wanting from the band for so long

[otomeonfleek]

Irresistible Mistakes, Shunichiro Tachibana MS Review *limited spoilers

Hit us with that more adult-themed shit Voltage, I see you. Hells yeah. 

I’m down. I’ve been down. As someone that’s played Voltage games for years and have bought many routes (+$400 worth I’m sure), I can say that I am familiar with its themes. Voltage is fairly subtle and indirect with mature content (ie. sex) and so this game hella excited me. 

The only other route that I know of that uses these themes would be Hiroki Eniwa from MLFK. That one hella impressed me and had me shook. Then with this, I am pleased to see Voltage incorporating more adult content. I started playing these games in high school and so I’ve grown with them & these issues they touch upon become more relevant to me as I get older. 

Moving on lol. 

Shunichiro Tachibana is the company’s golden “child”, the likely successor to the ad company b/c of his dozens of achievements, his organization, his ambition, and his ability to inspire emotion in his commercial projects. The MC, you, is younger and had been inspired by one of his earlier commercials featuring a camera to pursue advertising. You both work at the same company with Shunichiro way more experienced and in a role of leadership. 

As the opening and the prologue suggest, you wake up and have to deal with the aftermath as an adult HAHAH I’m sure would. You end up working on a project and are guided by Shunichiro who basically inspires you to grow and offers only encouragement b/c he sees a lot of himself in you. 

I won’t spoil too much b/ you deserve some surprises, but I’ll attest to the emotions and general thoughts I felt while playing this route. 

First, I was pleasantly surprised that Shunichiro was no Eisuke from KBTBB despite the initial vibes (just look at him omg, looking all sophisticated). 

-Personality is consistently gentleman-like, mature, ambitious, and kind 

-He takes control as a leader should and knows what to say

-He doesn’t rag on the MC or consistently insult her as some of our other favorite characters do lol

-It is important to note that he is willing to do whatever to advance his career not b/c of selfish reasons, but b/c of a promise

Second, the previously mentioned aspect of him seeing himself in you is very nostalgic and kinda heart-warming. 

-W/ time, you learn more about what triggered your night w/ him & realize it’s because he’s charmed by how genuine you are and notices your likeness with his younger self

-The mentor/student relationship between you highlights how far he’s come in his career & how far you have yet to go

-It is important to note that Shunichiro wants you to continue growing

Third, there are some cliches regarding drama subplots, but it does not ruin the game. They were kinda necessary & only emphasized that Shunichiro is willing to do whatever for his promise. 

Lastly, the game definitely addresses its main plot of one-night stand aftermaths in their confusion, controversy in morals, and tension.

How do you act around him the morning after? Do you tell your friends about it? Does it become a regular thing? Do hookups make you a bad person? Does this mean you have no self-respect? Was he serious about you? 

 In hindsight, I truly appreciate this game in how it shows that one-night stands do happen & that they do not make you a bad person nor are they always completely shallow relationships. 

This is a taboo subject and while Voltage ofc will not make this too heavy, it helped open my eyes a bit. Hookups or bootycalls admittedly have a negative connotation & those that engage in them are often seen as trash. 

While just a game, it somewhat left an impression because rn I’m a freshman in college and I have a lifetime to make impulsive & shit decisions. I don’t know much & no matter how open-minded I think I am, there are things I find myself very critical towards. My mind is gonna change a lot and as I get older, I’ll further realize that sex is normal & whatever happens I will have to deal w/ the aftermath as an adult would PFFFT HAAHAH oh god. 

Please give this game a try and I def recommend playing Shunichiro because of how mature & on another level he is. The plot kinda makes me think & it’s been a while since I’ve played Voltage b/c college, but I was not disappointed to come back to this. 

[vulcan-highblood]

((lol does dumb flirting count as being dicks or not being dicks either way I hope u like…))

Querl hated to share. He was never taught how, never really had a reason to share. Being raised by cold and unfeeling robots, your earliest memory the realization that your entire value lies in an IQuA test score, rather sets you up to be cold and unfeeling yourself. Realizing that you’re not right, that you’ve turned out to be every bit the disappointment that every other Dox before you had been… well, it wasn’t hard to not share when there was no one who wanted to share a space with you.

Even at the Time Institute, Querl remembered, he’d had entire wings to himself, and sometimes weeks would pass without him so much as laying eyes on a single soul. It wasn’t anything that Querl did that made him unapproachable, it was who he was. On Colu, he was too emotional, too interested in actually performing experiments, of moving beyond the mental gymnastics of contemplation and actually testing his hypotheses. It was unnatural, the others would whisper. How like a Dox, they would sometimes add.

That’s why Querl had been (rightfully, or so he thought) pissed when RJ Brande sent him off to join a ragtag team of high-minded, overly ambitious do-gooders he would eventually learn to call friends. He’d learned to fight alongside them to rid the universe of some of its greatest threats, and made a few mistakes along the way. Querl could readily admit that being brilliant did not erase one’s flaws, and he was no exception. Despite his shortcomings, Querl learned to help, learned to fight, learned to be a hero.

The one thing he had apparently not learned was how to share, a fact that was only now coming to light as he stood in the doorway of his lab, a lab he had heretofore considered a “private” lab. But now, there was some… person, an individual wearing his lab coat and goggles, back turned, using Querl’s equipment. Was he even using it properly? Would he remember where to return the tools? How badly had this stranger rearranged and reorganized his lab? (It wasn’t his lab, it was the Legion’s lab, but weren’t the two terms basically synonymous? No one had ever shown interest in his lab before–!)

Querl cleared his throat, and the young man spun around guiltily. His brown eyes, ringed by thick, dark lashes, widened in recognition as he pushed soft waves of brown hair away from his eyes. “Grife,” he said almost breathlessly, “It really is you!”

Querl found himself looking closely too. “Lyle Norg?” he exclaimed then, surprised, still miffed at having his privacy violated.

“Q!” Lyle exclaimed. “Or do you go by B now?”

“I go by Brainiac Five,” Querl answered with a hint of annoyance.

“I heard some people call you Brainy, can I call you that?” Norg was grinning in a half-teasing way that meant he was probably serious but would play it off as a joke were Querl to unequivocally refuse.

With a sigh, Querl admitted, “I do answer to Brainy.”

Norg nodded. “You’ve got some interesting things going on down here,” he told Querl approvingly, “What’s this weird floaty stuff you made?” he hefted a small piece of a strange substance Querl had inadvertently created earlier.

Querl glanced at the material in question. “It’s an alloy that seems to have a pliable anti-gravity field,” he said slowly, “It’s a by-product of an earlier project I was working on. I hadn’t had time to properly dispose of it is all.” You don’t need to clean my messes or touch my equipment, Querl thought, but did not vocalize, feeling something akin to anxiety.

Norg shrugged, tossing the alloy back onto the bench, though it didn’t actually land on the table, but rather hovered a few inches above the surface of the lab table. Querl found himself wincing at the gesture nonetheless.

“It’s been so long, Brainy,” Norg said, almost sadly. “Why did you leave the Time Institute?”

My Patron insisted, Querl thought sourly. “I can make a difference here,” he answered haltingly, like he didn’t quite believe his own words. He could make a difference anywhere, with a mind like his. The Legion’s labs were insufficient to his needs, but he’d always made it work…until now. Querl wasn’t good at sharing. He didn’t like this. Why was Norg here? And why did it have to be him, of all people, to steal his lab right out from under him? “Why are you here, Norg?”

“I’m uh, going by Invisible Kid, now,” Norg said hesitantly, tinkering with something at the lab bench. Something dropped to the floor with a clatter. Querl winced. Norg bent to pick it up. “Sorry,” he apologized, then turned to Querl, a concerned look on his face. “Hey, you alright? You aren’t saying much.”

How was Querl supposed to answer that rationally when his whole body was screaming for Norg to get out? He couldn’t focus like this. He would use his other lab. It wasn’t as big, but it would suffice, for the moment, and it was blessedly free of intruders. “Welcome to the Legion,” Querl said stiffly, glancing at Norg’s communicator ring.

Lyle smiled, his grin shining like the sun breaking through the clouds. “Thanks,” he said happily.

If Norg’s expression was the sun, Querl’s was the storm clouds. “I need to go check on a project,” he said haltingly, almost awkwardly, gracelessly excusing himself and fleeing the lab - the lab that was rightfully his, Brande had promised him top of the line facilities and he’d barely followed through in the first place and now there was someone else in his lab, and not just any someone else, it was sprocking Norg.

Querl wasn’t sure when he’d started seeing the human as a rival - perhaps it was when his research proposal managed to win funding that Querl felt rightfully belonged to his project. It may have been when the young man’s research developed into new, revolutionary technology that was quickly adopted into common practice, winning him accolades, speaking engagements, awards… Perhaps it was the uncomfortable knowledge that Norg had become the face of the Time Institute because, unlike Querl, he was brilliant and personable, passionate and engaging, interesting, attractive, and a genius. Not like Querl, though. He was a real genius, a prodigy. It was a shock to the denizens of Earth when Norg’s IQuA score came back with an 11, a near-perfect score. They were proud of him, the universe rallied around the idea of a budding genius, the idea that anyone could be brilliant.

Everyone expected Querl to be a genius, because he was Coluan, and not just Coluan, but a Dox. His intellect was no surprise, it didn’t make him special in any way to receive a perfect 12 on his IQuA, it was just an expectation he was fortunate enough to meet. One of the few expectations he’d ever managed to meet. It stung, somehow, to realize that because he was expected to be smart, no one would ever think of his work as an accomplishment, but rather a given. And so, though Querl churned out invention after invention, new theories, new technology, and groundbreaking research decades, possibly centuries ahead of its time, his name was nonetheless relegated to a footnote in the annals of history while Norg took the spotlight.

Querl found his way to the lab purely by instinct, his mind a whirl of frustration and dismay. He didn’t like this, though he couldn’t explain why. The Legion is mine, Querl thought desperately, It’s the one place I have left to try and make a name for myself. Will you overshadow me here as well? Norg always made him feel so small. A scowl crossed Querl’s features then, a sort of bitter stubbornness rooting itself in his bones. Sprock Norg, or Invisible Kid, hah! As if Querl wasn’t really the invisible one, his entire identity rooted in that of his ancestors, his accomplishments dismissed, his very perception of self desperately tied to his intellect, gradually realizing that his mind, like everything else in his life up to this point, would invariably fail him.

Sprock Norg. The lab was his.

When Lyle stepped into the lab the next morning, Querl was already hard at work, supplies spread across the benches, formulae scribbled on the screens around the room, on the omnicoms, essentially any flat surface. The whole room had an atmosphere of ‘pointedly occupied’ that almost brought a fond, nostalgic smile to his face. Except he thought that Querl was older now, more mature. Lyle knew he’d certainly matured from his time as a scrappy thirteen-year-old with something to prove. Somehow, it felt like Querl hadn’t, that he was still desperate to prove…something, though Lyle wasn’t sure what, exactly.

As he glanced around the lab, looking for an open spot - or at least a less-occupied-looking area - Lyle didn’t miss that Querl had taken the opportunity to “correct” a few of the things he’d been working on yesterday, mistakes slashed through in bright red with phrases like ‘mind-numbingly linear thinking’, ‘asinine in the extreme’, ‘what the sprock even is this nassery’ written boldly across them in Querl’s blocky interlac.

“Morning, Brainy,” Lyle said, trying to sound more cheerful than he felt after seeing the way Querl had reamed the work he’d been doing. “Thanks for the feedback,” he added mildly.

Querl made a small noise, though one could hardly count it as words. It barely qualified as a grunt.

Lyle gathered up the files he’d been working on and sat down.

“Not there,” Querl said sharply, not bothering to look up, “that’s too close to the velonimite infusion, it’s unstable.”

Lyle scooted over a bit.

“That’s the micro-tarsec flux dampening system,” Querl spoke again, “It can’t have any vibrations in the vicinity or I’ll need to start the whole experiment all over again.”

Lyle tried to sit in five other places, only for Querl to coldly inform him each time that the area was off-limits for some reason or another. Finally, Invisible Kid decided he’d had enough. “Is there anywhere for me to sit?” he demanded irritably.

Querl coldly responded, “No.”

Lyle couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “There’s nowhere?” he said disbelievingly, “in this whole lab?”

Querl whirled around, his eyes burning into Lyle’s like twin stars. “No.” Get out, was not spoken, but implied.

Lyle felt a bit like he’d been punched in the gut. He’d been warmly welcomed to the team by everyone. Everyone, that is, except his former colleague? It wasn’t fair, Lyle thought bitterly. He and Querl had always had a bit of a rocky relationship, but he’d written it off as misplaced aggression for their respective terrible childhoods. Lyle was seventeen now, Querl sixteen. He had hoped that they would be able to move on to something more… friendly, at least. Especially considering Lyle’s feelings hadn’t faded over time.

Something about the green-skinned blonde - his drive, his passion, his quiet diligence, his awkward attempts at socializing… as a pre-teen, Lyle had found himself growing strangely fond of the Coluan. He wouldn’t call it love, barely even a crush, but as he’d raked his eyes down the Coluan’s lithe, sinuous body yesterday, Lyle had felt a stirring of attraction, different from his childhood crush, but no less potent. Mentally, Brainy may not have aged, but physically…

Unconsciously, Lyle wetted his lips, thinking of those slim, not-quite-broad shoulders, his slender waist and delicate hands… He shook his head abruptly. It was useless to fantasize when the Coluan apparently couldn’t even stand the idea of being in the same room with him. But Lyle was stubborn. Rather than leave, he plunked himself down in the middle of the floor, spreading his work out to look at it pensively. Sprocking grife, Brainy was right. He had made a few dumb mistakes in his work yesterday, and Querl had picked them out in no time flat. Lyle knew if he looked over Querl’s work it would take him hours to even follow along, much less critique the process. He knew the fact that he could follow the Coluan’s process at all was something of a miracle, but the speed and precision with which the younger man worked was still leaps and bounds ahead of Lyle’s own skill.

He fingered the strange metallic alloy from yesterday contemplatively. Brainy had considered it a useless substance, but Lyle was taken with it. He wondered if it might behoove him to run a few tests on the strange substance. After all, it might come in handy.

Querl stiffened when Lyle walked across the room and began dividing out samples of the material. Lyle was trying his best to be unobtrusive, but… it seemed like any movement at all was sufficiently obtrusive to irritate Brainy. He decided he couldn’t spend his entire Legion career walking on eggshells around the moody Coluan, so Querl would just need to learn to put up with him. Lyle could be stubborn too.

Querl could feel his patience rapidly evaporating as Lyle continued to move around the lab. Querl was usually able to lose himself in his work, all twelve thought-tracks processing in tandem, sharing ideas and solving dilemmas as they arose. Instead, at any given time, at least one of his thought-tracks was preoccupied with tracking Lyle as the dark-haired human moved around the lab, taking samples, scratching down notes, humming interestedly, wrinkling his nose when something didn’t make sense to him. There was an intensity in his eyes that Querl couldn’t seem to ignore, and the young human was poring over the details of Querl’s experiment that had produced the unusual alloy. Before he’d quite realized it, he wasn’t even looking at his work anymore, his gaze instead trailing down the human’s thin shoulders, slumped tiredly, taking in the curve of his back as he sat cross-legged on the floor, chin perched on one hand, the other dragging across a omnicom.

Lyle looked up then, catching Querl staring. “What?” he demanded irritably. “Something the matter?” his eyes snapped with an inner fire. For a moment, the Coluan was lost in those deep, warm brown eyes. Lyle’s forehead crinkled a little as he glared at Querl. The human bit his lip then, ducking his head to hide a spreading flush. He was still not good at confrontation, whereas Querl cared very little for others’ opinions of him and thus had little problem with being pushy or even confrontational should the need arise.

Lyle cleared his throat awkwardly, running a hand through his hair, rubbing at the back of his scalp. His eyes flitted between the omnicom and Querl’s face several times, his mouth dropping open ever-so-slightly.

Querl didn’t quite understand the sensation that rolled his stomach then, couldn’t account for the heating of his cheeks. He knew, colloquially speaking, that he was blushing, that he was hyper aware of Lyle in a way he was not aware of any other Legionnaire. He also had no idea what to do with this information.

Lyle ducked his head again, turning his attention back to the omnicom before innocently commenting, eyes still locked on the screen, “What If we used this alloy as a substitute for the anti-grav belts and jet packs?”

Querl blinked. “Pardon?” He couldn’t have heard that correctly.

Lyle looked up then. “It seems to have psychokinetic properties, and given the proper technology and functional access routes…” he shrugged weakly. “Thoughts?”

Querl considered the idea. “It has…merit,” he managed finally, not liking to admit that the human had once again come out on top when it came to creativity. Querl knew he could be short-sighted, that his intense focus had the unfortunate drawback of blinding him to potential alternatives. Again, Lyle was throwing Querl’s failure in his face, all with a hesitant, hopeful smile that felt more like a slap in the face than an attempt to diffuse the tension between them.

He knew that wasn’t the intent, he wasn’t so emotionally stunted that he actually thought Lyle was mocking him. But it felt that way, and so it was with great effort that Querl forced aside his wounded pride, walking across the lab and crouching next to Lyle, picking his way around the scattered omnicoms and other various bits of equipment. He leaned in a bit closer, trying to get a clear view of the data on Lyle’s omnicom, accidentally bumping the other’s shoulder with his own. The human made a small sound, not quite pain, but not exactly pleased. Querl could have apologized, but he was still feeling vindictive and so he chose not to, though he did glance at Lyle to make sure he hadn’t actually injured him. The human was blushing furiously. He seemed otherwise unharmed. As Querl could see no reason for the flush dusting the young man’s cheeks, he brushed the detail aside, considering it statistically irrelevant, though it bore mentioning that he found he rather liked the way Lyle’s cheeks pinked, especially when he hummed lowly, commenting in a dry tone, “It looks promising.” Querl glanced at Lyle then, enjoying how the human seemed to struggle to meet his gaze. “Have you considered the conversion method?”

“Physical contact is the best bet for activating psychokinetic properties in otherwise inert substances,” Lyle suggested, his warm eyes gazing at Querl from beneath thick, dark lashes.

“I agree,” Querl said lowly, observing the way his voice sent a shiver down Lyle’s spine with some enjoyment. “Embed it in the suit?”

Lyle frowned a little. “I feel like flexibility might end up being an issue.”

Brainy considered this, a look of smug satisfaction settling across his features as an idea took hold. “Why not combine it with the communicator ring?” he asked. “All Legionnaires are already required to wear one, and the internal circuitry would only require minor adjustments to accommodate the alloy.”

Lyle twisted the ring on his hand thoughtfully. “Do you think the surface area will be sufficient for what we have in mind?”

Something in Brainiac Five thrummed excitedly at the phrase “we”. This was a joint project, wasn’t it? Not another chance for Querl to prove himself, or worse, lose to Norg yet again. This was a joining of ideas, cooperation… sharing.

Querl glanced suddenly at Lyle. “I’m sure if a problem comes up, between the two of us, we’ll be able to solve it.”

Lyle ducked his head, blushing furiously. “Yeah?” he managed weakly, his voice cracking a little. “That’s, uh, great.”

Querl stood then, leaving Lyle on the floor staring up at him dizzily. “For now, I think we’d better move this - our project - to one of the benches,” he said. “We wouldn’t want to leave the room a mess.”

“No, just blow it up later,” Lyle smirked as he also stood, groaning and stretching his back out. Querl did nothing to hide his enjoyment as he ran his eyes along the curve of Lyle’s spine.

Lyle glanced at him, a sly smile crawling across his features. “Like what you see?” he purred.

Querl raised one eyebrow. He might appreciate a nice view, but he wasn’t one to be fast and loose with his compliments. “Adequate,” he answered dryly, bending over to gather an armload of omnicoms, feeling the other’s gaze on him as he did so. He straightened slowly, turning to look at Norg and raising his brow again. “If you’re quite done, Invisible Kid,” he said, noting with some satisfaction the way Norg’s eyes widened at the use of his codename, “I believe we have work to attend to.”

Lyle gathered up the remaining omnicoms, glancing at Querl. “Lead the way, Brainy.”

Querl decided his nano-symniotic conversion complex could wait a day or two, clearing the area to make room for his - and Invisible Kid’s - project. He glanced at Lyle, who was practically glowing with pride.

“I can’t believe you liked my idea,” he breathed, depositing the remaining data. He pulled out one of the lab stools, glancing at Brainy.

Querl took this as his cue to take a stool as well, the two of them sliding onto their respective seats, once again bumping shoulders. This time it was Querl’s breath that hitched, as he had a surprising revelation. He didn’t mind sharing space with Lyle. In fact, he thought, as the other’s fingers gently brushed his, reaching for an omnicom, he rather thought he liked it.

Fascinating.

[fesahaawit]

The One Good Thing About Being Busy

Anyone who knows me in real life (and that includes those of you who read this blog regularly) knows I hate being busy. There’s no better or more eloquent way to say it. I just hate it. I hate trying to manage multiple projects with multiple deadlines and I hate having a full calendar. Not having enough downtime in my schedule to relax and enjoy life fills me with anxiety, hurts my sleep habits and even affects what I eat/consume. That’s the reason I started this year of slow living experiments, and especially the slow work experiment: because I felt anxious just knowing how busy parts of 2017 were going to be.

You might be surprised then when I tell you how being busy actually helped me this month. Because it was an extremely busy month. Aside from the few months where I was finishing writing the book, editing the book, etc., October felt like one of the busiest months of the year. I had a little bit of anxiety and I didn’t sleep much for the last week of it. My eating/consumption habits were pretty healthy, but every time I felt my anxiety creep back in, I knew I had to make a decision. And that’s exactly what being busy helped me do this month: make decisions.

I know I am not unique in the fact that I like to dream big and hope I can get a lot done in a little amount of time. It’s actually a pretty classic move: assuming we can get a lot done, that is. So, we over-promise, over-commit and fill our calendars with an overwhelming number of deadlines. And then the anxiety, stress, and gloom and doom attitude sets in. If we let this go on and continue to repeat this pattern, we either start resenting our bosses or clients OR we start doing a bad job of everything.

I had some really big and ambitious dreams for what I could accomplish in the last two months of this year. And for what it’s worth, if it was any other year, I do think I could have done it all. But it’s not any other year. In a little over two months, my first book is coming out. (!!!) And because it’s my first book, I had no idea how much work would go into promoting and launching it. So, I had all these deadlines laid out for other projects I wanted to do, and it all looked like it could come together pretty easily. And then my publicist told me I would start doing interviews at the end of October, and my beautiful colour-coded calendar blew up in my face.

That conversation took place a few weeks ago, but I continued to spend most of October thinking I could bring at least one of my new projects to life before the new year. I kept working on it, sent some files to my designer and felt ok about the progress I was making. But I didn’t feel great about it. I knew I could do better, if I had more time. After tracking my hours, I knew I was already working 35-40 (productive) hours/week and my brain couldn’t seem to handle much more. The only way to get more time would’ve been to sleep less, and that’s not better for anyone. So, instead, I had to make some executive decisions.

PS: For anyone who is considering tracking their time, I can’t write a how-to post about that because I just made a scribbly mess in my planner! But here are two posts that might help you: ways to do it + how it helps you.

I could list all the new projects I was going to work on and explain the number of executive decisions I made, but it could all be summed up in one sentence: I decided to do what I already do well, just a little bit better. And since you now know I’m not a huge fan of things like sales funnels, and will always put people over profit, I thought I’d do something a little different. Rather than write content that could try to sell you on these things, I’m going to tell you exactly when they will be available. I know each of these things isn’t for everyone, but they might be for you. So here are the details:

RIGHT NOW: Simple Year 2018 is Open for Early Reg!

When Courtney Carver asked if I wanted to contribute to Simple Year 2016, my first thought was: ME!?!? A group of the minimalism + simple living bloggers I looked up to had come together and created a course that could help people simplify their lives, and I was being invited to join them? I couldn’t believe it. And when I talked to Courtney on the phone for the first time, I honestly felt like I was talking to a celebrity. Two years later, I feel extremely grateful to call her my friend, along with many of the other course contributors. I can also tell you that the lessons in Simple Year have changed my life for the better (particularly the ones on digital + relationships).

I’ve also received some amazing feedback about my content, which I teach every July:

If this feels like a course you’d want to invest in for yourself, early registration is open right now until November 14th at 12pm (noon) EST. It’s $199 USD (less than $17/month) right now, and will go up to $249 USD in January.

NOVEMBER 20: The Year of Less + Book Tour

In a few weeks, I’ll be sharing some exciting news about my book! I would also love to do a mini book tour, but I will need your help to make it happen. If you would be interested in helping me come to your city next year, please stay tuned! This is the project I am most excited about. <3

NOVEMBER 27: Mindful Budgeting 2018 Planners

I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t going to create 2018 planners. The list of reasons for this was long. I was worried that it would be too much to promote these + the book at the same time. I was worried that some people might confuse the planners with the book, and order it thinking it was going to be a memoir and then be horribly disappointed to have a planner show up at their door instead. (Did my anxiety make these stories up? That’s a topic for another day, lol.) I also couldn’t find a printer in North America who could use double-loop wire binding and make them even more helpful. That didn’t happen in time, so I wasn’t going to create new planners.

When I shared this news with the existing Mindful Budgeting Facebook group, the reaction can only be described as: supportively-disappointed. You were so understanding of my reasons, but also said you didn’t care what it looked like and just wanted a new planner for next year. So, I’m making that for you! It’ll look/feel the same but, with the help and suggestions from current users, I am adding a few new templates that will make it just a little bit better. Thank you for this feedback, friends. It’s another example of why we’re better when we work together.

If it looks like November is going to be another “busy” month, you’re right—in a sense. But by giving myself permission to push my big ideas aside until next year, I am now able to put my time and energy into projects I already do well, just a little bit better. Q4 is always my busiest season, and you guys have come to know that about me. If I was a “smarter” business owner, I would space these things out, so it doesn’t feel like I’m telling you about so many things at the same time. But that’s just not how my business works! I love a new calendar year, and I love working on projects that revolve around a year—and heck, I even wrote a book about a year of my life, haha. So, this is it. It all comes at once, and then we can spend the rest of the year talking about real life. :)

Delaying some of these projects will affect my income and my finances. I had done some projections for how much I could earn in Q4, and those numbers will be much lower than I had expected. But that’s ok right now! I would rather do a few things well and still have time to enjoy life than push myself to reach unrealistic deadlines and goals. I know the work will be better for it, and I will definitely be better for it. So, all-in-all, I feel like this slow living experiment was a HUGE success.

Experiment #8: Slow Work

track how many hours I work every day (and how many per project) – done!

set realistic expectations of what I can get done (with timelines) – done!

explore other creative outlets (this could be fun – stay tuned!) – no time (yet)

share how I slowly grew my blog (incl. dollars + blog stats) – done!

share plans for what’s next – done! :)

Thank you for an incredible month, friends! I don’t ever plan on turning this into a blog about blogging/working for yourself, but it was extremely helpful for me to share all of these things with you.

Oh, and if you have any questions about Simple Year, Courtney is hosting a webinar tomorrow at 8pm EST where she will be doing a live Q&A! xoxo

The One Good Thing About Being Busy posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ

[fesahaawit]

The One Good Thing About Being Busy

Anyone who knows me in real life (and that includes those of you who read this blog regularly) knows I hate being busy. There’s no better or more eloquent way to say it. I just hate it. I hate trying to manage multiple projects with multiple deadlines and I hate having a full calendar. Not having enough downtime in my schedule to relax and enjoy life fills me with anxiety, hurts my sleep habits and even affects what I eat/consume. That’s the reason I started this year of slow living experiments, and especially the slow work experiment: because I felt anxious just knowing how busy parts of 2017 were going to be.

You might be surprised then when I tell you how being busy actually helped me this month. Because it was an extremely busy month. Aside from the few months where I was finishing writing the book, editing the book, etc., October felt like one of the busiest months of the year. I had a little bit of anxiety and I didn’t sleep much for the last week of it. My eating/consumption habits were pretty healthy, but every time I felt my anxiety creep back in, I knew I had to make a decision. And that’s exactly what being busy helped me do this month: make decisions.

I know I am not unique in the fact that I like to dream big and hope I can get a lot done in a little amount of time. It’s actually a pretty classic move: assuming we can get a lot done, that is. So, we over-promise, over-commit and fill our calendars with an overwhelming number of deadlines. And then the anxiety, stress, and gloom and doom attitude sets in. If we let this go on and continue to repeat this pattern, we either start resenting our bosses or clients OR we start doing a bad job of everything.

I had some really big and ambitious dreams for what I could accomplish in the last two months of this year. And for what it’s worth, if it was any other year, I do think I could have done it all. But it’s not any other year. In a little over two months, my first book is coming out. (!!!) And because it’s my first book, I had no idea how much work would go into promoting and launching it. So, I had all these deadlines laid out for other projects I wanted to do, and it all looked like it could come together pretty easily. And then my publicist told me I would start doing interviews at the end of October, and my beautiful colour-coded calendar blew up in my face.

That conversation took place a few weeks ago, but I continued to spend most of October thinking I could bring at least one of my new projects to life before the new year. I kept working on it, sent some files to my designer and felt ok about the progress I was making. But I didn’t feel great about it. I knew I could do better, if I had more time. After tracking my hours, I knew I was already working 35-40 (productive) hours/week and my brain couldn’t seem to handle much more. The only way to get more time would’ve been to sleep less, and that’s not better for anyone. So, instead, I had to make some executive decisions.

PS: For anyone who is considering tracking their time, I can’t write a how-to post about that because I just made a scribbly mess in my planner! But here are two posts that might help you: ways to do it + how it helps you.

I could list all the new projects I was going to work on and explain the number of executive decisions I made, but it could all be summed up in one sentence: I decided to do what I already do well, just a little bit better. And since you now know I’m not a huge fan of things like sales funnels, and will always put people over profit, I thought I’d do something a little different. Rather than write content that could try to sell you on these things, I’m going to tell you exactly when they will be available. I know each of these things isn’t for everyone, but they might be for you. So here are the details:

RIGHT NOW: Simple Year 2018 is Open for Early Reg!

When Courtney Carver asked if I wanted to contribute to Simple Year 2016, my first thought was: ME!?!? A group of the minimalism + simple living bloggers I looked up to had come together and created a course that could help people simplify their lives, and I was being invited to join them? I couldn’t believe it. And when I talked to Courtney on the phone for the first time, I honestly felt like I was talking to a celebrity. Two years later, I feel extremely grateful to call her my friend, along with many of the other course contributors. I can also tell you that the lessons in Simple Year have changed my life for the better (particularly the ones on digital + relationships).

I’ve also received some amazing feedback about my content, which I teach every July:

If this feels like a course you’d want to invest in for yourself, early registration is open right now until November 14th at 12pm (noon) EST. It’s $199 USD (less than $17/month) right now, and will go up to $249 USD in January.

NOVEMBER 20: The Year of Less + Book Tour

In a few weeks, I’ll be sharing some exciting news about my book! I would also love to do a mini book tour, but I will need your help to make it happen. If you would be interested in helping me come to your city next year, please stay tuned! This is the project I am most excited about. <3

NOVEMBER 27: Mindful Budgeting 2018 Planners

I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t going to create 2018 planners. The list of reasons for this was long. I was worried that it would be too much to promote these + the book at the same time. I was worried that some people might confuse the planners with the book, and order it thinking it was going to be a memoir and then be horribly disappointed to have a planner show up at their door instead. (Did my anxiety make these stories up? That’s a topic for another day, lol.) I also couldn’t find a printer in North America who could use double-loop wire binding and make them even more helpful. That didn’t happen in time, so I wasn’t going to create new planners.

When I shared this news with the existing Mindful Budgeting Facebook group, the reaction can only be described as: supportively-disappointed. You were so understanding of my reasons, but also said you didn’t care what it looked like and just wanted a new planner for next year. So, I’m making that for you! It’ll look/feel the same but, with the help and suggestions from current users, I am adding a few new templates that will make it just a little bit better. Thank you for this feedback, friends. It’s another example of why we’re better when we work together.

If it looks like November is going to be another “busy” month, you’re right—in a sense. But by giving myself permission to push my big ideas aside until next year, I am now able to put my time and energy into projects I already do well, just a little bit better. Q4 is always my busiest season, and you guys have come to know that about me. If I was a “smarter” business owner, I would space these things out, so it doesn’t feel like I’m telling you about so many things at the same time. But that’s just not how my business works! I love a new calendar year, and I love working on projects that revolve around a year—and heck, I even wrote a book about a year of my life, haha. So, this is it. It all comes at once, and then we can spend the rest of the year talking about real life. :)

Delaying some of these projects will affect my income and my finances. I had done some projections for how much I could earn in Q4, and those numbers will be much lower than I had expected. But that’s ok right now! I would rather do a few things well and still have time to enjoy life than push myself to reach unrealistic deadlines and goals. I know the work will be better for it, and I will definitely be better for it. So, all-in-all, I feel like this slow living experiment was a HUGE success.

Experiment #8: Slow Work

track how many hours I work every day (and how many per project) – done!

set realistic expectations of what I can get done (with timelines) – done!

explore other creative outlets (this could be fun – stay tuned!) – no time (yet)

share how I slowly grew my blog (incl. dollars + blog stats) – done!

share plans for what’s next – done! :)

Thank you for an incredible month, friends! I don’t ever plan on turning this into a blog about blogging/working for yourself, but it was extremely helpful for me to share all of these things with you.

Oh, and if you have any questions about Simple Year, Courtney is hosting a webinar tomorrow at 8pm EST where she will be doing a live Q&A! xoxo

The One Good Thing About Being Busy posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ

[fesahaawit]

The One Good Thing About Being Busy

Anyone who knows me in real life (and that includes those of you who read this blog regularly) knows I hate being busy. There’s no better or more eloquent way to say it. I just hate it. I hate trying to manage multiple projects with multiple deadlines and I hate having a full calendar. Not having enough downtime in my schedule to relax and enjoy life fills me with anxiety, hurts my sleep habits and even affects what I eat/consume. That’s the reason I started this year of slow living experiments, and especially the slow work experiment: because I felt anxious just knowing how busy parts of 2017 were going to be.

You might be surprised then when I tell you how being busy actually helped me this month. Because it was an extremely busy month. Aside from the few months where I was finishing writing the book, editing the book, etc., October felt like one of the busiest months of the year. I had a little bit of anxiety and I didn’t sleep much for the last week of it. My eating/consumption habits were pretty healthy, but every time I felt my anxiety creep back in, I knew I had to make a decision. And that’s exactly what being busy helped me do this month: make decisions.

I know I am not unique in the fact that I like to dream big and hope I can get a lot done in a little amount of time. It’s actually a pretty classic move: assuming we can get a lot done, that is. So, we over-promise, over-commit and fill our calendars with an overwhelming number of deadlines. And then the anxiety, stress, and gloom and doom attitude sets in. If we let this go on and continue to repeat this pattern, we either start resenting our bosses or clients OR we start doing a bad job of everything.

I had some really big and ambitious dreams for what I could accomplish in the last two months of this year. And for what it’s worth, if it was any other year, I do think I could have done it all. But it’s not any other year. In a little over two months, my first book is coming out. (!!!) And because it’s my first book, I had no idea how much work would go into promoting and launching it. So, I had all these deadlines laid out for other projects I wanted to do, and it all looked like it could come together pretty easily. And then my publicist told me I would start doing interviews at the end of October, and my beautiful colour-coded calendar blew up in my face.

That conversation took place a few weeks ago, but I continued to spend most of October thinking I could bring at least one of my new projects to life before the new year. I kept working on it, sent some files to my designer and felt ok about the progress I was making. But I didn’t feel great about it. I knew I could do better, if I had more time. After tracking my hours, I knew I was already working 35-40 (productive) hours/week and my brain couldn’t seem to handle much more. The only way to get more time would’ve been to sleep less, and that’s not better for anyone. So, instead, I had to make some executive decisions.

PS: For anyone who is considering tracking their time, I can’t write a how-to post about that because I just made a scribbly mess in my planner! But here are two posts that might help you: ways to do it + how it helps you.

I could list all the new projects I was going to work on and explain the number of executive decisions I made, but it could all be summed up in one sentence: I decided to do what I already do well, just a little bit better. And since you now know I’m not a huge fan of things like sales funnels, and will always put people over profit, I thought I’d do something a little different. Rather than write content that could try to sell you on these things, I’m going to tell you exactly when they will be available. I know each of these things isn’t for everyone, but they might be for you. So here are the details:

RIGHT NOW: Simple Year 2018 is Open for Early Reg!

When Courtney Carver asked if I wanted to contribute to Simple Year 2016, my first thought was: ME!?!? A group of the minimalism + simple living bloggers I looked up to had come together and created a course that could help people simplify their lives, and I was being invited to join them? I couldn’t believe it. And when I talked to Courtney on the phone for the first time, I honestly felt like I was talking to a celebrity. Two years later, I feel extremely grateful to call her my friend, along with many of the other course contributors. I can also tell you that the lessons in Simple Year have changed my life for the better (particularly the ones on digital + relationships).

I’ve also received some amazing feedback about my content, which I teach every July:

If this feels like a course you’d want to invest in for yourself, early registration is open right now until November 14th at 12pm (noon) EST. It’s $199 USD (less than $17/month) right now, and will go up to $249 USD in January.

NOVEMBER 20: The Year of Less + Book Tour

In a few weeks, I’ll be sharing some exciting news about my book! I would also love to do a mini book tour, but I will need your help to make it happen. If you would be interested in helping me come to your city next year, please stay tuned! This is the project I am most excited about. <3

NOVEMBER 27: Mindful Budgeting 2018 Planners

I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t going to create 2018 planners. The list of reasons for this was long. I was worried that it would be too much to promote these + the book at the same time. I was worried that some people might confuse the planners with the book, and order it thinking it was going to be a memoir and then be horribly disappointed to have a planner show up at their door instead. (Did my anxiety make these stories up? That’s a topic for another day, lol.) I also couldn’t find a printer in North America who could use double-loop wire binding and make them even more helpful. That didn’t happen in time, so I wasn’t going to create new planners.

When I shared this news with the existing Mindful Budgeting Facebook group, the reaction can only be described as: supportively-disappointed. You were so understanding of my reasons, but also said you didn’t care what it looked like and just wanted a new planner for next year. So, I’m making that for you! It’ll look/feel the same but, with the help and suggestions from current users, I am adding a few new templates that will make it just a little bit better. Thank you for this feedback, friends. It’s another example of why we’re better when we work together.

If it looks like November is going to be another “busy” month, you’re right—in a sense. But by giving myself permission to push my big ideas aside until next year, I am now able to put my time and energy into projects I already do well, just a little bit better. Q4 is always my busiest season, and you guys have come to know that about me. If I was a “smarter” business owner, I would space these things out, so it doesn’t feel like I’m telling you about so many things at the same time. But that’s just not how my business works! I love a new calendar year, and I love working on projects that revolve around a year—and heck, I even wrote a book about a year of my life, haha. So, this is it. It all comes at once, and then we can spend the rest of the year talking about real life. :)

Delaying some of these projects will affect my income and my finances. I had done some projections for how much I could earn in Q4, and those numbers will be much lower than I had expected. But that’s ok right now! I would rather do a few things well and still have time to enjoy life than push myself to reach unrealistic deadlines and goals. I know the work will be better for it, and I will definitely be better for it. So, all-in-all, I feel like this slow living experiment was a HUGE success.

Experiment #8: Slow Work

track how many hours I work every day (and how many per project) – done!

set realistic expectations of what I can get done (with timelines) – done!

explore other creative outlets (this could be fun – stay tuned!) – no time (yet)

share how I slowly grew my blog (incl. dollars + blog stats) – done!

share plans for what’s next – done! :)

Thank you for an incredible month, friends! I don’t ever plan on turning this into a blog about blogging/working for yourself, but it was extremely helpful for me to share all of these things with you.

Oh, and if you have any questions about Simple Year, Courtney is hosting a webinar tomorrow at 8pm EST where she will be doing a live Q&A! xoxo

The One Good Thing About Being Busy posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ