collapse

* Recent Posts

"Christ Is King" by Altair
[Today at 01:09:34 am]


Re: Cill Shift Schedule by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:04:57 pm]


Re: Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 11:21:37 pm]


Re: Spring Has Sprung! 2024 Edition by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 10:24:10 pm]


Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by Altair
[March 21, 2024, 02:52:34 pm]

Author Topic: Actual chicken soup for the soul  (Read 11782 times)

Hariti

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Mar 2017
  • Location: Washington
  • *
  • Posts: 942
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 320
  • Kyrie Eleison
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Extremely Eclectic
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/they
Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
« Reply #30 on: January 13, 2019, 12:20:23 pm »
Oh yes video games can be good escapism indeed and I too like a good RPG - I've heard of strategy games, but not Grand Strategy Games; is there a difference?

There are different types of strategy games; TBS = Turn Based Strategy, think old-school stuff like Risk or even Chess; RTS = Real Time Strategy, all players play at the same time in real time, stuff like StarCraft, Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, etc. fall under that category.

GSG, or "Grand Strategy Games," are typically realtime games, but the difference is the scale, hence 'Grand' in the description. Most RTS games take place on a small map, with a handful of players and/or AI opponents, and might last between a few minutes to a few hours depending on the game in question and the skill of the players.

'Grand' Strategy Games, by comparison, are much slower and much larger; space-operas where you conquer an entire galaxy of several thousands stars, filled with dozens of human or AI opponents, or historical simulations with dozens of rulers and hundreds of playable vassals would fall under the umbrella of GSG's, for example. Most "4X" games are classified as GSG's.

A typical GSG run might involve dozens or even hundreds of hours of playtime, not unlike some RPGs. Most people don't actually play to 'win' in these games, they play to tell a story, the story of a particular empire, nation, etc. For example, "Crusader Kings" is a popular historical GSG where you play as a particular dynasty from medieval Eurasia, and try to keep your dynasty, culture, and religion alive for seven centuries, through various historical events including the titular crusades.

GSG's tend to have large role-playing communities and be less competition driven than other types of strategy games.
"The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

PerditaPickle

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Aug 2015
  • Location: UK
  • Posts: 2104
  • Country: england
  • Total likes: 641
  • It's all metta - at least, I believe it should be
    • View Profile
    • Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity
  • Religion: Druid-ish
  • Preferred Pronouns: She/her/hers
Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
« Reply #31 on: January 17, 2019, 07:05:43 pm »


That makes sense, reminds me of the first M in MMORPG.  In terms of games, I prefer hidden object games when I'm not feeling too great (wasn't ever any good at strategy ones).

Going back to reading material, I recalled that I'll do quite a bit of reading & attempted research online - I'm still trying to find the magic bullet that will "fix" my chronic health issues, but although there's not much chance of that (as you can imagine!) it does at least make me feel better to know that I'm not the only one.
“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.” – The Buddha
(From the Metta Sutta)

My Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity blog

Chatelaine

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 773
  • Country: gb
  • Total likes: 93
  • Metaphors be with you.
    • View Profile
    • Are We There Yet?
  • Religion: Eastern Orthodox Christian
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
« Reply #32 on: January 18, 2019, 07:03:55 am »
So my question is, what works of literature do you find are spiritually nourishing for you?

If I'm in actual crisis, I just mainline cat videos. There's no way I can concentrate on reading when my world is crashing down. 'Induce laughter at all costs' is what the triage team ordered.

If I'm in a low-key, long-term funk, I reach for old RPG material. Mage:the Ascension 2nd ed. corebook (sometimes followed by Revised, sometimes not) and Traditions Gathered 2. They were my first contact material, and still evoke those better times so strongly that they help reboot my mind.

And of course, there's always Star Wars/Rogue One fanfiction, especially of the 'angst with a happy ending' variety.

(As an aside, I find Thomas Moore's Dark Nights of the Soul a lot more useful than the Chicken Soup books, but that's me.)
'You created us restless, O Lord, and we find no rest until we rest in You.'
~St Augustine~
Whole blog o' nonsense: Are We There Yet?

ehbowen

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Location: Houston, Texas
  • Posts: 1396
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 286
  • A Ways Around the Bend...
    • View Profile
    • Streamliner Schedules
  • Religion: Southern Baptist
Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
« Reply #33 on: February 11, 2019, 10:16:31 pm »
So my question is, what works of literature do you find are spiritually nourishing for you?

Xerxes turned to his harem. Scrooge McDuck turned to his vault. I turn to my six volumes of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, augmented by some Twila Paris music or perhaps The Seekers or Crystal Gayle when I'm in a more secular mood.
--------Eric H. Bowen
Where's the KABOOM? There was supposed to have been an Earth-shattering KABOOM!
Computers are like air conditioning. They become useless when you open Windows—Linus Torvalds.

Starlight

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Aug 2016
  • Location: Western Australia
  • Posts: 191
  • Country: au
  • Total likes: 25
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Contemplative/Christian/Eclectic
Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
« Reply #34 on: February 18, 2019, 04:55:16 am »
I'm sure everyone in North America is familiar with the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books - those collections of generically nice anecdotes that IMO are more like spiritual ramen flavor-packets than actual soup. So my question is, what works of literature do you find are spiritually nourishing for you?


  • Anything by Juliet Marillier - esp her Blackthorn and Grim series; the series set in Transylvania (Wildwood Dancing, Cybele's Secret); and the standalone Heartsblood.
  • Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books. Also Going Postal - it was hilarious.
  • Anything by Agatha Christie, but esp the Poirot books.
  • Robin LaFevers Fair Assassin books.
  • I'm reading Lauren DeStafano atm, and I'm enjoying her Internment series. I like a book where you want to keep reading, even when you're tired! :)

What you seek is seeking you. - Rumi

The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are. - CG Jung

Sefiru

  • Senior Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Nov 2013
  • Location: In the walls
  • Posts: 2569
  • Country: ca
  • Total likes: 891
    • View Profile
Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
« Reply #35 on: February 19, 2019, 06:55:07 pm »
    [li$i]Anything by Agatha Christie, but esp the Poirot books.[/li][/list]

    Ah, yes. I generally read scifi/fantasy, but sometimes, a good classic murder mystery really hits the spot.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Me on AO3 & Deviantart

    Nothingness

    • Apprentice
    • ***
    • Join Date: Aug 2015
    • Location: In the Cold Lands of Canada
    • Posts: 42
    • Country: 00
    • Total likes: 5
      • View Profile
      • My Blog
    • Religion: Celtic Shamanic Wicca, currently studing Druidry and I'm in OBOD.
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #36 on: February 27, 2019, 07:39:21 pm »

    I tend to read whatever I can get my hands on but when I'm feeling especially down/overwhelmed/anxious I tend to reach for:

    - the Fitz & Fool books by Robin Hobb (respectively: The Farseer Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, and The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy.) These can be a bit "slow moving" at times but they really let you just sink in and luxuriate in the characters and their lives. Plus, the Fool has held the dubious honor of "Most Favorite Literary Character" against all comers since I finished Assassin's Apprentice for the first time in 2004.
    - The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.
    - Both the Anita Blake and the Merry Gentry books by Laurell K Hamilton
    - any of the Kushiel's Legacy books by Jacqueline Carey
    - American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
    - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
    - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    - Macbeth, King Lear, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
    - The Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings
    - The Troy Game series by Sara Douglass
    - any books by Juliet Marillier
    - The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
    - assorted trashy romance novels selected at random by whatever is available at my library's online service
    - fanfiction across a variety of fandoms. Between fanfic and trashy romance novels I usually have a half dozen tabs open on my computer/tablet at any given time. It's my "in passing while I'm doing chores" and "the baby fell asleep in my lap again" reading.
    - assorted sewing, soaping, and pagan blogs

    The Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings for me for fiction.  The two series the characters have a dark sense of humor, and Silk is my favorite character, the funniest of the bunch, they crack me up of laughter.  Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore I also like, though I'm unaware he has a book called Dark Night of the Soul, I should check it out.  And I also like to play videogames and MMORPGs to cheer myself up as well.

    Aetherwinds

    • Sr. Newbie
    • **
    • Join Date: Feb 2019
    • Location: Quebec
    • Posts: 16
    • Country: ca
    • Total likes: 8
    • M = GL (1- A) (1-R)
      • View Profile
    • Religion: it's complicated
    • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #37 on: February 28, 2019, 08:36:29 pm »
    So my question is, what works of literature do you find are spiritually nourishing for you?

    The Kindly Ones - Neil Gaiman. Very esoteric journey and leaves you with a lot of introspection and questioning.
    Complete fiction of H.P. Lovecraft. Because as a Kaos mage I did worked with chthonians many years ago and... got tangible material results, confirmed by a witness none the least. So Lovecraftian novels have a way to put me in the mood before Kaos meditation.
    Mirror of the Soul - for Aleister Crowley's Thoth tarot. Meditating with the arcanas and questions can balance someone and push to depths we often willingly close our eyes on.
    Stephen Hawking (pretty much anything he wrote) cosmology puts me in the right mindset to doubt everything and believe anything possible at the same time, love that feeling.
    Les Fleurs du Mal - Beaudelaire. French poetry exploring the darker side of humanity and beauty in ugliness.
    Poésies Complètes - Emile Nelligan. French-Canadian lyric poet. His poems deeply touch me, nostalgia and depression can be very hard but it's a little death with it's own beauty when you can turn the pain and feelings into verses. When I feel horrible I dive as deep as needed to fully live it and shed many tears and wails then I feel like my inner specter is sated and I can be reborn once more :) Some watch something comic to uplift them it's only a bandaid for me, deep healing means deep suffering for me or it always comes back too quickly.

    For game Hellblade:Senua's Sacrifice is freakin awesome and I loved pretty much all Silent Hills too. Games are my get away from reality when I get bored from it. I love mmorpg's, been playing since Everquest in 1999 but the last few years I've been pushing away slowly from them, always something not satisfying since story based roleplaying has died to only tavern talk and flirting.

    Hariti

    • Sr. Master Member
    • *******
    • Join Date: Mar 2017
    • Location: Washington
    • *
    • Posts: 942
    • Country: us
    • Total likes: 320
    • Kyrie Eleison
      • View Profile
    • Religion: Extremely Eclectic
    • Preferred Pronouns: she/they
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #38 on: March 01, 2019, 03:16:59 am »
    but the last few years I've been pushing away slowly from them, always something not satisfying since story based roleplaying has died to only tavern talk and flirting.

    I've noticed that WoW has that problem as well; nobody RPs anymore, even on RP servers, and the few folks who do tend to do it out-of-client or in close-knit invite only groups that have been around for years and don't take new members. The public, in-game RP scene is long, long dead.
    "The worshippers of the gods go to them; to the manes go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Deities who preside over the elements go their worshippers; My devotees come to Me." ... "Whichever devotee desires to adore whatever such Deity with faith, in all such votaries I make that particular faith unshakable. Endowed with that faith, a votary performs the worship of that particular deity and obtains the fruits thereof, these being granted by Me alone." - Sri Krishna

    Sefiru

    • Senior Staff
    • *
    • Join Date: Nov 2013
    • Location: In the walls
    • Posts: 2569
    • Country: ca
    • Total likes: 891
      • View Profile
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #39 on: March 01, 2019, 07:03:19 pm »
    The Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings for me for fiction. 

    I remember those ... though I have to admit, I liked the sister series Elenium/Tamuli better. Not sure why as they're the same core story.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Me on AO3 & Deviantart

    Sefiru

    • Senior Staff
    • *
    • Join Date: Nov 2013
    • Location: In the walls
    • Posts: 2569
    • Country: ca
    • Total likes: 891
      • View Profile
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #40 on: March 01, 2019, 07:18:05 pm »
    The Kindly Ones - Neil Gaiman. Very esoteric journey and leaves you with a lot of introspection and questioning.

    It's been a while since I read any Sandman - I have to be in the right headspace to read it, but I agree about the introspection.

    Quote
    Poésies Complètes - Emile Nelligan. French-Canadian lyric poet. His poems deeply touch me, nostalgia and depression can be very hard but it's a little death with it's own beauty when you can turn the pain and feelings into verses.

    I'm unfamiliar with his work, but your description sort of reminds me of the music of Roch Voisine, another French-Canadian artist.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Me on AO3 & Deviantart

    Scales

    • Master Member
    • ******
    • Join Date: Nov 2013
    • Location: BC
    • Posts: 391
    • Country: ca
    • Total likes: 17
      • View Profile
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #41 on: March 30, 2019, 05:24:02 am »
    OP

    I'll add a list when I'm more awake, but does anyone else get the problem where something's really comforting for a while, but then a few years pass, and then that thing only reminds you of the time in which it was comforting, giving you sad nostalgia instead of comforting you when you return to it?

    PerditaPickle

    • Staff
    • *
    • Join Date: Aug 2015
    • Location: UK
    • Posts: 2104
    • Country: england
    • Total likes: 641
    • It's all metta - at least, I believe it should be
      • View Profile
      • Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity
    • Religion: Druid-ish
    • Preferred Pronouns: She/her/hers
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #42 on: March 30, 2019, 09:23:15 am »
    I'll add a list when I'm more awake, but does anyone else get the problem where something's really comforting for a while, but then a few years pass, and then that thing only reminds you of the time in which it was comforting, giving you sad nostalgia instead of comforting you when you return to it?

    I've experienced that at least once - I actually very rarely re-read Small Gods because of this (the only Discworld book I don't re-read frequently).

    I kind of get almost the opposite as well though - I frequently get nostalgic for things it makes no sense to be nostalgic for (for example, the time I had to attend the dermatology unit at the hospital across town three mornings a week at 7am, before work, for three months...!)

    The other way around seems more ...logical, though (if anything in psychology can really be called such - I think I've more than a little a touch of neuroses, here).  Not sure how to combat it, though, so no suggestions there I'm afraid.
    “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.” – The Buddha
    (From the Metta Sutta)

    My Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity blog

    Zlote Jablko

    • Journeyman
    • *****
    • Join Date: Oct 2018
    • Location: Texas
    • Posts: 168
    • Country: us
    • Total likes: 90
      • View Profile
    • Religion: Slavic/ PIE Recon
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #43 on: March 31, 2019, 06:02:08 am »
    I've experienced that at least once - I actually very rarely re-read Small Gods because of this (the only Discworld book I don't re-read frequently).

    I kind of get almost the opposite as well though - I frequently get nostalgic for things it makes no sense to be nostalgic for (for example, the time I had to attend the dermatology unit at the hospital across town three mornings a week at 7am, before work, for three months...!)

    The other way around seems more ...logical, though (if anything in psychology can really be called such - I think I've more than a little a touch of neuroses, here).  Not sure how to combat it, though, so no suggestions there I'm afraid.

    I visited my old university campus today and I honestly don’t know how to feel about it. I found myself asking, “was it really such a great time here? Or am I just remembering the great times?”

    It’s comforting in a way, because it shows that life goes on. Everything will change. But it’s also a bit sad.

    Sefiru

    • Senior Staff
    • *
    • Join Date: Nov 2013
    • Location: In the walls
    • Posts: 2569
    • Country: ca
    • Total likes: 891
      • View Profile
    Re: Actual chicken soup for the soul
    « Reply #44 on: April 01, 2019, 06:19:49 pm »
    I'll add a list when I'm more awake, but does anyone else get the problem where something's really comforting for a while, but then a few years pass, and then that thing only reminds you of the time in which it was comforting, giving you sad nostalgia instead of comforting you when you return to it?

    I'm not much of a nostalgic person, but I do have a thing where, if I read something that I like a lot, I'll reread it less than something so-so, so that the impact doesn't wear off. I'm not sure if it actually works that well though.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Me on AO3 & Deviantart

    Tags:
     

    Related Topics

      Subject / Started by Replies Last post
    2 Replies
    2220 Views
    Last post July 27, 2011, 09:43:01 pm
    by sailor
    1 Replies
    2315 Views
    Last post October 09, 2011, 01:33:39 am
    by victoreia
    11 Replies
    2842 Views
    Last post April 03, 2012, 01:38:13 am
    by Martin
    21 Replies
    6185 Views
    Last post December 20, 2014, 12:30:08 pm
    by moongate
    2 Replies
    1639 Views
    Last post April 22, 2018, 01:09:54 pm
    by ehbowen

    * Who's Online

    • Dot Guests: 241
    • Dot Hidden: 0
    • Dot Users: 0

    There aren't any users online.

    * Please Donate!

    The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

    * Shop & Support TC

    The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

    * In Memoriam

    Chavi (2006)
    Elspeth (2010)
    Marilyn (2013)

    * Cauldron Staff

    Host:
    Sunflower

    Message Board Staff
    Board Coordinator:
    Darkhawk

    Assistant Board Coordinator:
    Aster Breo

    Senior Staff:
    Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

    Staff:
    Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

    Discord Chat Staff
    Chat Coordinator:
    Morag

    'Up All Night' Coordinator:
    Altair

    Cauldron Council:
    Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

    Site Administrator:
    Randall

    SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal