I’m not the one you’re responding to, but I have a recent, relevant, non-biased video here that discusses the issue from a mental health standpoint.

For me, rhythm serves the vocals. A great and memorable rhythm can enhance and complement the lyrics. A rhythm without vocals doesn’t really catch my interest.

I almost exclusively listen to lyrical music. I am often greatly affected by the poetry and themes in the songs I enjoy. The sound of music alone does little for me, and I have a particular aversion to heavy beats, bass, and repetition. Put simply, I love ballads, particularly folk, filk, and anything that focuses on storytelling. I can’t stand most pop, rap, hip-hop, and the like.

The reality of life is that we will all die. Some will die quietly, peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. Some will die messily, painfully, alone and afraid. This is the reality we must all live in and accept.

It’s very possible that our species will die out. That is not an inherently bad or evil thing. Countless species have come and gone from Earth. Whether we destroy ourselves through war and ignorance, or we continue to thrive, doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is you.

You describe symptoms of depression and anxiety. You are sad and scared, and this is in part due to feeling powerless to fix the world. However, the only thing you have power over is yourself. Focus on helping yourself before you try to help the world. Try to find peace within yourself before seeking it in the world. The world is not, and has never been, a place of peace.

If you’d like practical advice, then I’d say stay away from weed and THC if it’s making you anxious. Keep away from alcohol as it will just exacerbate your depressed feelings. If you haven’t already, please discuss your feelings with a therapist and see a psychiatrist for mental health diagnoses and treatment. If either of these hasn’t worked for you before, I’d urge you to seek second opinions.

It’s always a day away, isn’t it?

Fascists: “We reject your reality and substitute our own!”

Don’t forget the absurdly bad re-release of Warcraft 3!

I am not familiar with this dish, but that looks amazing! I need to try more French cuisine.

I shot the boughs with my bow and then gave a bow to my beau!

It’s fascinating how authoritarians demand respect, but throw fits over such petty symbols. “Our DIVINELY chosen, absolutely perfect leader’s own son was killed while DEFINITELY NOT cooking with eggs. How dare ANY true citizen take pride in making such a VULGAR dish?! Egg fried rice shakes the very foundations of our flawless, unshakable regime!”

Does Nixon’s head in Futurama count?

West has been confirmed ‘whelmed’ by the intense slamming

All that AND you get to be cute?! Some guys have all the luck.

Right, but then I get overwhelmed with this huge list of tasks!

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. It’s a free, classic-style roguelike that has a massive amount of options. The game takes place in the near-future following an apocalyptic event that has turned most people into zombies. There’s also Lovecraftian horrors, Fallout-esque military installations guarded by robots, the ability to be a furry (like, with a full costume. Or you can get mutagens and transform yourself into an animal hybrid.), vehicle and structure building, and you can even milk cows. It’s updated daily if you want to play the latest test builds, or you can stay with the latest stable build. There are various overhaul mods and loads of single-feature mods. It’s one of my all-time favorite games, and I tend to go back to it every few months.

I don’t have much experience with JRPGs. What’s the gameplay like? Action or strategy, or something of a hybrid? Are they hard to get started with? I see Ys Nordic just released back in September. Would that be a good starting point, or would I be confused from missing prior games in the series?

Right, but my problem is that I hate myself

It’s not quite “naughty” in the traditional sense, but something kind of romantic, new, and outside of my comfort zone: I think I’ve developed a crush on someone!

This is the first time I’ve felt like this towards another person in about 5 years. I’ve been going to weekly therapy for about 2 years now, and rotating a load of medications, but this is the first time I’ve “allowed” myself to start falling in love again.

Unfortunately, my subconscious was quite perturbed and overwhelmed by these feelings such that I’ve been terribly depressed for most of the week. My instincts have been trained to expect nothing but rejection and false promises when I develop a crush. Two steps forward, one step back.

“Must… make… exponential… profit… Line must go up!”

It’s so cute!