"Wearing boots? What did that have to do with Nashville? I don’t wear boots now. My location wasn’t going to change that. And I sure as hell wasn’t ever going to carry a Rebel flag..."
Read the #microessay at the #MockingOwlRoost - Writing Memories.
https://shorturl.at/o32Zp
@stevencudahy #WritingCommunity #CreativeWriting #MastoPrompt #Essay #MicroEssay
#Anxiety #MentalHealth #Stoic #Stoicism #StoicPhilosophy
#Prompt: #Worrisome
As a sufferer of anxiety, I would like to share some concepts that helps me. I fully accept that everyone is different, so what helps me may not necessarily help you. However, if it brings even a modicum of help to one person then it will be worthwhile.
1/N
This evening at our neighborhood movie night I noticed the smell of decay, close to the screen. I found two dead bluebirds on the mulch by some bushes nearby. So strange: their feathers were still bright blue and beautiful, fragments of sky, not #pallid death. Their discovery seemed #freighted with meaning, but what meaning? This I still can't figure out.
I got a shovel and moved them elsewhere so that the smell of death didn't haunt the film.
Only 4 days left to enter haiku/tanka/flash fiction/micro-essay writing contest at The MockingOwl Roost!
THEME: mythology & fairy tales
CATEGORIES: flash fiction OR micro essay (500 words or less) OR haiku/tank sequences (3-7 stanzas)
1 entry per person
FREE TO SUBMIT
Find guidelines and submission form on our website:
https://www.mockingowlroost.com/writing-contest-2024/
writingcontest #fairytales #mythology #flashfiction #haiku #tankapoetry #microessay
Feel like being ~ ~ shallow ~ ~ today? It's Wandering Shop Stories' prompt word for the day.
If you feel like writing a li'l #microfiction (or #micropoem or #microessay or #micromanifesto or #microapologia or ... well you get the idea) using the word "shallow," just tag it with #wss366 so we can all enjoy it!
The more I engage with game design, the more I notice some disastrous ideas that keep turning games with great potential into "great idea, poor gameplay" for decades.
Today's highlights include:
1. Potions and buffs, which are ways to reset and/or replace game state by consuming other resources, sometimes repeatedly. The #EvilIslands and #NWN suffer significantly from this issue. The primary reason I stopped participating in otherwise amazing story-focused modern #NWN community #EFU is this mechanic. Also having a life and a job. But mostly potions and buffs.
2. Dramatic progression, where end-game characters have quantifiably greater capabilities than early game ones. Scaling up both enemies and characters creates artificial barriers for creative gameplay. I appreciate #JaggedAlliance's progression, which features only a 15% difference in crucial stats between the end-game and the first day of your first mission.
Unfortunately, both issues have deeply infiltrated #TTRPG game design, including the most popular TTRPG, which shall remain unnamed.
Another abstract game design mistake is forcing players to make decisions without clearly explaining the rules.
This problem worsens in games with dramatic progression. Players must create "a build" to avoid irrelevance due to dramatic progression, relying on vague descriptions of decision outcomes. #Fallout suffers immensely from this issue.
This problem can also apply to narrative games. The reason I didn't enjoy #BrokenSword as much as anticipated and am close to dropping #BeneathTheSteelSky is that these games' premises break during play.
Broken Sword starts as noir detective with bombs, evolving into a wishy-washy modern fantasy with spells and rituals. "Steel Sky" starts as dystopian drama but devolves into cringe comedy. Sherlock Holmes games feature mysticism, and don't get me started on the TTRPG offenders: the likes of #DeltaGreen and other #Cthulhu-adjacent games. Imagine having omnipotent entities as villains, while mortals are trying to solve crimes... Spoiler: the killer is a Cthulhu.
50-Word Micro Essay 13: Trans Rage
Just as I revel in my people’s joy and pride, I am here for—and because of—trans rage. I did not get a choice in the politicization of my own life. So, here I am, wielding my power with my own two hands. Am I making you uncomfortable yet?
#Trans #Transgender #TransMasc #TransIsBeautiful #Queer #LGBTQ #CreativeWriting #MicroEssay #Essay #Writer #Writing #50Words #Poetry #Pride
50-Word Micro Essay 10: Sensitivity
My emotions have been called disproportionate. My nervous system, overactive. I am riled up by the smallest wrinkle in the fabric of my shirt. My flesh often feels too tight for comfort. I ride it out, rinse, and repeat. I live with thin skin and a brain made of glass.
#MadThought #MadMastodon #MadStudies #Madness #MentalHealth #ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #CreativeWriting #MicroEssay #Essay #Writer #Writing #50Words #Poetry
50-Word Micro Essay 6: Good Future
Every now and then when the light is just right, I see a good future shining up ahead. This fog is dense and drowning, but I reach for the glimmers. I blow gently on the sparks. I tend the flames with affection. Someday, I will bask in warmth. Someday soon.
#MadThought #MadMastodon #MadStudies #Madness #MentalHealth #Depression #Hope #CreativeWriting #MicroEssay #Essay #Writer #Writing #50Words #Poetry
50-Word Micro Essay 4: Anticipation
Today my doctor told me there is a “decent possibility,” and so again, I wait. I wait for insurance approvals, hospital appointments, each and every test result. I’m no stranger to wishing for whichever words are the right ones. Days, months, years tick by, and I wait for more waiting.
#Spoonie #NEISvoid #ChronicIllness #ChronicallyIll #CreativeWriting #CreativeNonfiction #Essay #Writing #Writer #MicroBlog #MicroEssay #50Words
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