Snowflake Challenge #4

[eller]

This is Snowflake Challenge #4, "In your own space, create some goals." Sure. I have some personal goals for 2021 (beyond the professional ones, which I'm not going to talk about here)! None of these plans are new, precisely, but it's the first time I compile them like this.

- Raise my online chess rating by at least 150 points. That one is going to be hard because I'm already at a level where the progress of gaining playing strength goes sloooooooowly, but hey, I'm still stuck at home, so it's not as if I'd ever get a better opportunity to do some ambitious training. Also, once tournaments start again, I want to raise my real-life rating... As soon as I get the opportunity.

- Survive Chocolate Box. XD I'm still a bit nervous about that - but haven't deleted my signup. I'm being very brave, ahahahaha! Also, there are at least two prompts I desperately want to write whether I match to the prompters in question or not.

- Find a way to make shadow theater videos that don't look too crappy. (My first attempts were too horrible to show anywhere.)

- Get myself a new Celtic harp so I can play again. Also: play the piano more often. I've neglected my music a bit, but I miss it.

- Do proper High German (and maybe also English) translations of some folk songs that are originally in Platt (Low German) - I know no one cares, but hey, I feel someone should do it.

- Render at least one of my stories from my project-thingy as a coherent comic. If that fails: at least do more proper illustrations.

Comments

[tiny_ninja]

Chocolate Box is a lot of fun! I hope you enjoy writing your assignment - and it's always hard to resist writing a treat or two! I'm doing Chocolate Box as well and I have my eye on a few pairings already, lol.

[eller]

Thanks! I have... kind of already started drafting two stories? XD

[kingstoken]

Chocolate Box is a really fun exchange, the word count is very low and there is not a lot of pressure.

[eller]

I'm looking forward to it! :) Kind of, anyway.

[mekare]

Excellent goals, good luck!

[eller]

Thank you! :)

[nagi_schwarz]

The Celtic harp sounds so cool! That is awesome. I'm with you on playing piano more often.

[eller]

Music is cool either way! I'm also interested in having my own zither one day.

[seal_girl]

I've always wanted a go at the theremin.

Your goals sound fun - and good luck with the Chocolate Box!

[eller]

Ahahaha, the theremin... I was actually allowed to test one, in school, but wouldn't want my own, no matter how cool the concept is. The wailing grates on the nerves...

[corvidology]

I think Chocolate Box is the most relaxed well-known challenge of the year so I'm sure it'll go fine for you.

[eller]

Thanks! :3 It's still a challenge to write fic in a foreign language, but I'll do my best.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

w00t!

I'm interested in the Platt folksongs, since I could osmosis directions in whichever Lowland announcement but my German is Broken, 404 Not Found.

[eller]

...whereas, to my horror, I seem to have become an expert on rare German dialects. XD Yeah, I might do one or two of my favorites soon.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Well, eventually everyone becomes an expert on something that once was common knowledge (those that die young are absolved of that notorious distinction.

Or, one as a much younger person doesn't know to leverage a knowledge they think was common enough but Yeah, no, that's not standard equip. (Amazingly, or not really, China didn't take note that Marco Polo's account was written.)

[eller]

I'm entirely too young for that! ;__; ;___; ;_____;

[tsuki_no_bara]

i had to google shadow theater and it was exactly what i thought it was. i love that stuff - it always makes me think of lotte reiniger. the more videos you make, the more practice you'll have, the better they'll be. :D also, the style is just super cool.

[eller]

I love Lotte Reiniger! :D ...there are completely different styles of shadow theater, of course. Like, I also happily watched wayang kulit performances as a child. XD

I like all forms of shadow play, and I don't follow a particular form, just du my own thing... I used to perform at conventions and the like, but, uh, those are not a thing anymore... So I'm trying to figure out how to do videos. It's proving difficult.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

There's got to be a way to do it, since I've seen Indonesian types in ethnographic films, and 'mere' handwork shows via educational tv/audiovisual.

Might want to check National Geographic and see if they've got any tips.

[eller]

Oh, I'm sure there is a way - just that bedsheet-screen and laptop-camera are not it... The thing is, I didn't wand to spend big money on professional equipment. Real-life shadow theater is very low-tech, it just doesn't translate well.

And, of course, there's always the dimensional loss. Lighting effects that include the room and the audience are not possible in a vid, which is too bad.

[eve11]

These are a great set of goals.

My dad taught me and my sister how to play chess when we were little. But not much on strategy. And honestly, we mostly took the pieces off the board and played "chess people" with them, lol. I'm terrible at chess now.

[eller]

Hahahaha, "chess people" is a perfectly legitimate game! :D

[margaret_r]

A lovely set of goals, I'll look forward to hearing that you've achieved them:)

[silverink]

Ooh, I'm signed up for Chocolate Box too! I've been looking through the signups and finding a bunch of prompts I want to write too - there are so many good ones.

Also that's awesome that you're so serious about chess! I've only played casually, but I kinda want to do it more often now since I've gotten inspired watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix XD

[eller]

I'm soooo nervous about Chocolate Box assignments! But also looking forward to it!

What can I say, I'm just a massive chess nerd. I grew up with it (full story here: https://eller.dreamwidth.org/61832.html ) and... okay, growing up in a chess club does funny things to people. XD