#pastebintuesday

Pastebin-not-Monday-update:

Stream:

Hasn't been that much since I've been back. I'm struggling to find a niche, and feeling a bit unmotivated to start working on any specific projects. I've been trying Diablo II a bit, trying to get a good Sorceress run going, and I've definitely improved at the base mechanics, so I'll probably give it another few goes. It's not going to be something I work on too seriously, though. I've also enjoyed playing SMB3, but I don't think it's likely I'll start putting work into that either. I see it more of a "hey, whatever else I was doing died - let's just play Mario 3!" kind of thing.

SMRPG and the NES Mega Man games are still on my radar, but I don't want to do those until I feel like I can practice them. I'd have to get an NES Everdrive to practice the latter, and I heard a rumor that they're working on SA1 support for SD2SNES? So I'd want to wait for that to practice the former.

I may do a super-rust DKC Trilogy run some time soon. That sounds fun. But it won't be a regular thing.

So what I need is a project. Something that can motivate me, pull me into stream, get the audience involved a bit, and just have something that I really feel like I can work on and make progress towards it.

I might know just the thing.... Maybe Zidane and friends are calling my name after all.....

--

Octopath:

Finally got through all the chapter ones. Still a bit mixed on this game - not loving it as much as I expected to. I certainly *like* it. But it just feels a bit slow going. Cyrus, however, was the final character I got, with Ophilia right before him - and I LOVE the mass-damage/healing they can do. So maybe it will start to pick up a bit with them. I think the battle system is starting to click. I get like an hour or two a night, so very little time invested, overall.

--

I tweeted a verse of scripture that's been on my heart lately, and it got a lot more interaction than I expected it to. In the past, I've tended *not* to share Bible quotes directly, because I've sort of just been operating on the assumption that "people don't want to see that" or "they'll think you're too pushy with religion." But this verse (and indeed, the entire Psalm) is one that's spoken to me much, over the years, so I decided to share:

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, For I will yet praise him, My Savior and my God.” (Psalm 43:10)

It's spoken to me a lot because, given my anxiety problems and obsessive-compulsive disorder, my soul gets downcast a lot. I like this verse on several levels - it looks inward and asks gets real, fast. There's no reason to be downcast, or distrubed - but I am all the same. Everything is great, but something in my soul just feels dark. This verse acknowledges that reality, and it immediately takes that and turns to hope. Turn to God, it says, put your hope in him. But it doesn't stop there. This isn't some quick fix that says "just hope in God and everything will be better!" It says for I will *yet* praise Him. Not now. Now I'm downcast. But there will come a day again when he will shine forth as my Savior and my God. We can't know when *yet* will be, but that *yet* is out there, and God holds it.

I think there are probably a lot of people that can resonate with this feeling. So I extend that to you - if you're downcast. If your soul is disturbed within you. There is a God of hope. And he does indeed offer a hope and a future. So maybe I won't hesitate to share verses on my heart, if there really are other folks they could be an encouragement to.