October Stream Updates

     October is not just my favorite month because of Halloween, it's also the month of mine and the twins' birthdays, the leaves change color, fall truly is in full swing, you start bringing out the sweatshirts and blankets and the experience is just a "comfy-cozy" time as we say in our household.

     First let me share with you the schedule for this month:

      We'll finish out the month of September with one last DooM stream, and then on Tuesday, I'm off of work and we'll check out Destiny: Shadowkeep together.

     -Side Note- Destiny happens to be one of the games I feel the most comfortable streaming because talking to chat, while playing, comes easier than other games, given my love of the game and hundreds of hours played. I know that MMO grinding is not always the most enjoyable thing to watch, so I won't bore everyone to death every night with that type of content because I want us all to enjoy the stream -End of Side Note-

     I will continue to play Destiny on Saturdays while content is new, but that might change with Modern Warfare coming out and depending on the response of the community with Destiny, but I'm cool with whatever as I want the stream to be enjoyable for you all as well. As you'll notice, we'll be continuing the recent traditions of Twin Takeover, where my toddlers stream with me. We're trying to figure out more games besides Mario Kart and Smash that we can play together, so if you have any suggestions,let me know on Discord.

The twins, hamming it up

     I also figured because it's Halloween this month, we should play a scary game. I hate them, haha, but honestly I think it will be good fun. We'll also be celebrating Halloween early. During that stream we'll be doing something fun, tricks and treats alike, mostly good tricks ;) I'll share more details midway through the month, but take it from me, it will be really fun! Speaking of which, I'd love to celebrate my birthday with you all on the 11th, I don't care about subs, donations, or any of that, just come and hang out and let's have a fun community night together.

     Now for the new additions! Once a month, we'll be spending some time to recognize and show our support for mental health. I want the stream to be a safe place for everyone to relax and get away from the stresses of the world, work, and all the dumb stuff out there. So on the second Monday of every month, we'll wrap ourselves in blankets, get out our comfort foods, and have a "comfy-cozy" stream.

     The format of these streams will change as I hope to be able to get guests on the stream who have experience with mental health and share their experiences. If any of you are interested in sharing your stories, I'm going to do a segment at the end of the stream where I read community comments and stories, so I'll create a place for you to submit those and you'll be able to do that anonymously if you choose. For this month, we'll be giving away care packages with goodies during the mental health stream.

     Lastly on the last Monday of the month, I'll be getting a developer on the stream and play a game with them, while answering community questions. I'll have more details on that next week as well. I feel like there is a lot of toxicity and lack of empathy for what developers do in their jobs in the gaming community. I feel like this will be a good way to hear from the other side and gain an appreciation and understanding for what developers do and have to deal with. I really hope it takes off like Hot Ones has on YouTube and I think it has the ability to do so. I'm really excited to see this progress.

     Well we're at the end of the long update and yet there is a little bit more. I am developing a website for my community and channel that should streamline all of this new stuff. I plan on trying to be more active and give more lead time to streams, cancellations, and

changes in general. I know that ideally, I would always stick to my schedule 100% of the time. However, I feel like it would be dishonest of me to say that I every month. Stuff happens, plans change, mental health gets in the way, I get burnt-out from work, etc. The point is, I appreciate all of you for sticking with me on this journey. I know it isn't easy to rally behind, but I really feel the love from all of you and appreciate your kind words and support thus far. Since I am in a much better place physically, mentally, and emotionally, I feel like the times of missing a stream, depression spells, etc, will likely be less.

     My wife and I have learned to make concentrated and conscious efforts of being proactive, with regards to taking care of my well-being. I know that many good times, jubilant laughter, and tears of joy to be had are ahead. I hope you will continue to stay for the journey and always feel welcome.

-Until next stream, be good to each other-

Sincerely, Commodore JNorrington aka Josh