๐ฅ๐ Happy Lunar New Year of the Fire Horse ๐ฅน Crossy Road fanart ๐ + ๐ starting the March Hotel challenge

Fire (uni)Horse character; much credit to artist Ruby!
It was the last day for this Crossy character yesterday!
Art timelapse will happen when there’s enough for a video compilation!
Also considering not making youtube videos in a few months. Maybe youtube study streams instead…nah.
I’m too anxious for streaming…I keep flip flopping because editing videos take time too.
Sometimes I hope that muted streaming will allow me to not have to edit videos…
I just remember to not take youtube too seriously because I don’t want it to be a thing that stresses me out.

March Hotel daily art challenge 1/31
#marchhotel26 1/31
Trying to get used to this again / get into a study habit with my limited timeI’ll probably do summary blog posts after some time like last year.
I am not bothered posting these individually outside of discord (maybe cara is an exception?) ;P
Bsky: I’m not logged into bsky until I post my blog posts so I’m posting this while I’m here ;P
I’m more active at my blog, discord server, March Hotel’s server and youtube and maybe cara!
Kimo-esque March Hotel daily art challenge starts!!
Post any visual medium and 10min + art progress each day!
Video intro about it here, start anytime in March but once March is over it lies dormant!
I feel like the MH team made their version of kimo more streamlined and with clearer boundaries with rules with boundless patience – I mean this is so far! I don’t know for sure! The March Hotel server has over 4.5k artists and it’s overwhelming and noisy with all the voice channels, marketplace and shenanigans.
I’m ignoring most of it for my peace of mind :’D Also almost all the events are happening when I’m sleeping (as I’m from Australia) so I miss out on most of the drawing sessions anyway ๐
I am addicted to fishing for the fake MH currency (a bot fishing thing) and doing the art quests though! I keep getting no fish…and yes I got the cheapskate role because I fished where I wasn’t supposed to ;P
Hey I’m making sure I have enough to pay daily rent to stay in the challenge and to see how much I can get!! :’D

#marchhotel26 day 2/31
I took too much time than I would have liked haha
I only had these references because I’m age restricted from the other two.
I got too much in the zone trying to figure it out ;D
Well I got more to do tonight ahhhh busybusybusy
I’ll post March Hotel things daily at my discord.
Then weekly update here and at cara and bsky because I don’t want to log into social media platforms too much ;P
It feels nice sometimes and feeling less alone trying to study art with other artists while doing my own thing. Maybe I’ll be able to make the habit stick by not going too ham on things?? And not make it daily after this is over but keep it every other day perhaps?
All the same, I need to pace myself with March Hotel unlike last year’s kimo. I was super sleep deprived…
REMEMBER LEONIE.
I need to manage how I tend to get carried away with studies…though easier said than done…
Leonie rambles about…
- Learning about wearing sunscreen indoors as a newbie – if you are near windows often and wearing skin products that make you UV sensitive you do need sunscreen. Otherwise, there’s no need!
- no the face serums I have are this!!
- I was struggling with sunscreen indoors and had enough
- sunscreen on my face too long makes me icky and breakouts happen too
- I got really paranoid around windows facing the morning sun, even though I put UV window film over them
- I feel like I need to get used to it…
- I don’t want to waste what I bought either…I just have to be careful
- UGH skin care is a lot for me to learn right now
- I learned that a fitzpatrick scale for UV sensitivity for different skin tones exist
- watched Lil Gator Game DLC in the background
- it was a super cute and predictable story (wholesome lesson for kids haha)
- watched Crisol: Theatre of Idols and the art and design is wonderful
- the story really lacked in many ways with plot holes
- ending didn’t make sense and didn’t do it for me
- felt dragged on for too long too
- should have stuck with Spanish voice acting because some of the English voice acting took me out of it as well from the culture the game is drenched in
- watched some other Next Fest demos being played – it’s interesting
- played the demo for Denshattack!
- it was too fast paced for my slow reaction brain :’D
- also I am just bungling with the fighting game esque trick controls with the analog stick
- other than that, the game is wonderful, bombastic, fun and stylish and full of heart
- keen to watch someone better at the game play this instead
- work is intense and March Hotel is distracting and overwhelming ahhh
Sensory Overload At Work: Why You Can’t Just “Ignore It” (HSP Career Guide)
- I have this sensory sensitivity!! UGH
- I deep process, get overstimulated by open offices, I care too much and am sensory sensitive
- my nervous system is doing its best as I fight to protect my limited energy
- indeed I get tired more from processing more, and the threshold is smaller
- I only shine when the environment supports my sensitivity
- and usually it doesn’t – the ear plug loops do help when I remember to wear them…
- I can’t “be like others” when it’s draining and I’m not caring for myself
- embracing and managing my sensitivity with feelings and life
- my deadpan exterior and expression shields me in some ways
- unless I’m expressing strong feelings outright
- workwise –
- too much interruptions are no good for deep work
- it’s stressful when you’re waiting and working around meetings
- and context switching too much
- I can’t do live brainstorming stuff and come up with ideas verbally on the spot
- I need the brief early so I can process it alone and can brainstorm at my own pace
- I tend to quietly write stuff on boards instead haha
- I do ramble and recap things (if I feel safe/comfortable to) instead
- transitioning between modes
- I do need to decompress between different things like social, conflict, work, chaos, noise, etc
- predictable things like agendas, schedules, updates helps!
- too much interruptions are no good for deep work
- focus blocks are so important!!
- but this is not in my control when focus time is not always for me to block out
- need noise cancelling headphones (not cheap)
- I got some cheap ear phones but they were broken and hoping for replacements
- work desk to be at the wall so you’re not surrounded and watched
- (this didn’t happen for me at the office)
- physical place to recover – there’s nowhere
- the restroom suffices for me for minimising stimulation
- allowing my body and mind to not always be in alert mode
- away from interactions, people
- get water, breathe and walk
- outside is a lot of stimulation too as much as I zone it all out
- I want just quiet and isolation to recover…
- become your own gardener of your workplace experience the video says!
Why You Cry When You Are Angry, Not Just Sad (And How to Stop) ๐ญ
- oof when I get frustrated and care too much
- I don’t know why I angry cry – now I understand
- I’m not sad after all!! Just angry and stressed/overwhelmed
- caused by the body and nervous system overheating and needing to cool down
- (emotional overload regulation)
- diffuse the situation out of survival
- signalling people to stop being aggressive
- there’s tips on how to manage it in this video
- I don’t know if I can remember to do math when I’m heating up with intense feelings though
- I didn’t know swallowing (water) helps the throat to relax so you could speak again
- be clear with people that it’s tears of frustration and not sadness and stay in charge
- I guess I’m too sensitive and I can’t control how my body copes with feelings ;P
- it’s not manipulation, it’s not being weak, it’s not guilt tripping, it’s not being in the wrong
- just a physiological reaction that some people have
- I’m just tired of explaining and defending myself when people misunderstand, believe the worst or assume things in general though ๐
- stop assuming I like something when I didn’t actually say it either :<
- sometimes I share things because it was “huh interesting” and not because I actually like it
Finally finished Donkey Kong Bananza *not to completion & no DLC* [spoiler thoughts]
- I started this game last year and finally finished it!!
- it’s a super great game where I couldn’t help but smash things and smash the gold I can find
- turns out there’s always more gold you need because some characters like Grumpy Kong and some of the hostile Fractones need so much of your gold for things
- they’re stealing my gold!!
- it felt like a long game to me because I struggle to carve time to play games :’)
- I didn’t enjoy laying the Snake nor Zebra Bananzas so I didn’t enjoy the challenge levels for them
- it’s frustrating to move as the Snake especially!!
- SLOW and the time freeze was annoying
- I only liked the Kong, Elephant and maybe Ostrich bananzas
- so I did not bother with Pauline’s performance / Elder challenges and watched it instead
- it’s frustrating to move as the Snake especially!!
- I don’t care for DK bananza challenges, speedruns
- just skipped if it’s too frustrating and not fun for me anymore
- I nodded with amusement when King K. Rool’s fake credits
- he came in as the real final boss and had his own layer and his city – the video footage was so good
- seems like he killed a lot of humans in New Donk City with all the rotten banana lava???
- with the ending it was really long with the core layer levels
- a great journey plus the boss battles with him felt like a workout haha
- it’s cool that K. Rool has an excuse for not being around for all these years
- because he was sealed by the banana root all this time wow
- I was super confused though – why is a crocodile obsessed with rotten banana????
- King of Banana Rot and he wants eat it after everything is covered by it???
- But why??? He was not characterised like this – he just wanted power apparently in the past??
- I don’t think he’s a banana loving crocodile….
- his King of Rot design looks cool though
- I kept falling off the terrain to get more of the gold banana roots ;P
- gotta use the balloons for something
- the lesson of letting DK enjoy his never ending pursuit for bananas
- and Pauline to keep following her dreams to be a singer
- the short lived moment where DK got turned into a rock
- the emotional moment wasn’t there because we knew he wouldn’t stay like that because then there’s no progress
- it really is the story of Pauline building her confidence and having adventures with DK
- Uh I don’t know if DK had a character arc
- he made a life long friend with Pauline
- he did get indecisive with his priorities with Pauline vs bananas
- I wish Pauline stick to one language in her songs though and not gibberish
- they really made Void some greedy, manipulative, selfish butthole
- I don’t get why those two worked under him
- he took SO much time making making posters and sculptures advertising himself ;P
- why is Cranky Kong so verbally abusive with the same dialogue every time I see him
- will never know if he’s ranting about him chasing Void or K. Rool
- yes I know he’s the original Kong
- with the main ending,
- it’s impressive that Pauline went from busking to singing in town hall
- it felt like the payoff was not there though
- it was great until the epilogue ending was just an illustration (with variations) ๐
- we don’t even get to see her performance with a cutscene!! WHY ๐
- I want to play in New Donk City, smash a different new world or something!!
- I want to PLAY the epilogue and cause chaos at the performance…
- it felt like it got cut short
- didn’t want to do post game and didn’t bother with DLC
- it should have been part of the game
- I don’t want to grind for MORE things either
- it’s my first DK game and I enjoyed it overall!
Thank you for reading my little blog!
I got some art to finish for March Hotel ahhhhhhhh
Hope this rambling makes sense! I just proofread this 1-2 times…
Catch you around and please take care of yourself <3
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