A Conversation Across Time

If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?

If I could meet any historical figure, I’d choose someone whose work still shapes the world long after they’re gone—one of those thinkers or explorers who pushed boundaries before anyone realised the map even had edges.

Not to ask big philosophical questions or rewrite history. Just to see what made them keep going when the world around them wasn’t built to support what they were trying to do. That mindset fascinates me—the people who kept pushing forward because stopping wasn’t an option.

It wouldn’t matter which era they came from. I’d just want to hear how they handled uncertainty, how they navigated limits, and how they kept their sense of direction when everything was stacked against them.

That kind of perspective is worth more than any autograph.

🌊 Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 5.5: Racing the Sunbeam

5.5

“Rescue was coming. Naturally, that meant it was time to start a new project instead.”

Platform: Steam Deck
Difficulty: Survival
Recording: Lost due to file corruption — because the ocean clearly wasn’t done messing with me.

Author’s Note: Unfortunately, my recording for this session corrupted before I noticed. So this entry is reconstructed from memory — a cautionary tale for all survivors who trust autosave more than their capture software.

Message from the Heavens

It begins with the crackle of static — another message from the Sunbeam. They’ve located a landing site. They’re on their way. Forty minutes until pickup.

Forty minutes until salvation.

Naturally, I decide to ignore the pending rescue entirely and go chase the final piece of the Mobile Vehicle Bay instead. Priorities.

The Hunt for Titanium and Sanity

I swim toward the Sunbeam’s coordinates, eyes peeled for fragments. Just as I’m starting to lose hope — there it is. The final piece.

I bolt back toward my lifepod like my oxygen tank depends on it (which, to be fair, it always does). The excitement of progress pushes me faster than any propulsion cannon ever could. I check the crafting requirements — Titanium Ingot, Power Cell, a few odds and ends I already have scattered in lockers. Easy enough.

And since I clearly have time before rescue, I think, “Why not go bigger?” Enter: the Seamoth. The personal submersible of my dreams.

Building the Dream

The Mobile Vehicle Bay is first on the list. Titanium gathered, ingot forged, power cell crafted from the remains of old batteries. When it finally deploys and floats proudly on the surface, it feels like progress — real progress.

I climb aboard, ready to build my Seamoth, and immediately realise I’ve made a rookie mistake. No Titanium Ingot. Again. The ocean mocks me with its silence as I swim off once more, scavenging every bit of wreckage I can find.

Eventually, success. The Seamoth blueprint completes, and the little sub rises from the water like a gift from the deep. She’s beautiful — and mine. I climb in, listen to the AI purr, and feel an unfamiliar thing: hope.

There’s still time before the Sunbeam arrives. I point my Seamoth toward the landing site. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll make it in time to see the sky light up with something other than plasma fire.

Next: The Sky Burns

I set course for the island, my Seamoth slicing through the water like it was always meant to be there. The radio says twenty minutes until the Sunbeam arrives. The ocean says otherwise.

Continue the Journey:
Log 5: Waiting for the Sunbeam | Log 6

Instinct Over Analysis

Do you trust your instincts?

Most of the time, yes. Instinct usually shows up before the overthinking does, and it tends to be the part of me that actually knows what it’s talking about. Whether it’s a real-life decision or a split-second call in a survival game, that first gut feeling is usually the one that keeps things steady.

I’m not perfect at listening to it. Sometimes I second-guess myself or try to logic my way around something that already felt wrong. Every time I do that, it turns into a reminder that my instincts were trying to save me a trip down the more painful route.

So I try to follow that internal alarm more often than not. It doesn’t make life easier, but it makes things clearer—and clarity is something you don’t waste when you’re trying to survive anything, digital or otherwise.

Two Months, Two Very Different Vibes

What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?

October and December are easily my favourites, but for completely different reasons.

October feels like the world shifts into the right gear. Cooler weather, early sunsets, and that perfect atmosphere for anything spooky or survival-themed. It’s the one month where the chaos in my games lines up with the chaos outside, and it just… fits.

December is different. It’s colder, quieter, and everything slows down a bit. Even when life is busy, the month itself has this steady rhythm to it. Lights go up, routines soften, and the year winds down in a way that feels controlled instead of overwhelming.

Together, they balance each other out—one full of energy, the other full of calm. Perfect combo.

Where I Actually Feel at Home

What is your favorite place to go in your city?

I don’t really have a favourite place in the city. Nothing against cities, but they’ve never been where I feel most like myself. I’m far more at home on the edges—where the noise drops, the crowds thin out, and you can actually hear the wind instead of traffic.

If I get the choice, I’ll always head for the spots just outside the urban mess. Give me open space, quiet paths, and a bit of wilderness over concrete any day. It’s the same energy that drives my survival games: less chaos from people, more chaos from nature.

That’s where I tend to feel grounded. Not hidden away—just somewhere with room to breathe.

What I Hope People See First

What’s the first impression you want to give people?

I want people to see someone who stays level even when things get messy. Someone who listens, thinks things through, and keeps situations from escalating. A calm, capable first impression helps everything else run smoother. If that’s what comes across, I’m happy with it.

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 2: Chuckya’s Revenge

Platform: Steam Deck
Settings: Vanilla Mario & Music — chaos left entirely intact.

“Gravity and Chuckya joined forces today. I call it a hate crime.”

Fresh off the high of conquering Bowser and the Secret Slide, I decided to revisit Shifting Sand Land. One more star there couldn’t hurt, right? A quick trip across some quicksand later, I added another to the tally and figured it was time to see what lay below the castle.

That’s when I wandered into the Boo garden — home to ghostly giggles, hidden secrets, and one particularly smug Boo concealing a course entrance. I gave chase, stomped the spook, and jumped straight into the portal. The result? Tall, Tall Mountain. Great name. Terrible welcome.

Watch Log 2:

Thrown Off the Deep End

My very first spawn placed me in arm’s reach of a Chuckya. Before I could even process what I was looking at, the purple menace grabbed me and threw me off the mountain. Ten seconds in, one life down, ego shattered. I went back in for a rematch because apparently I enjoy suffering.

Round two went much better. I methodically climbed the slopes, dodged monkey theft, narrowly avoided falling logs, and picked up six of the seven available stars. Not bad for a course that literally tried to throw me away on entry.

The lone survivor is the 100 Coin Star, which I’ll tackle next time—assuming I can convince myself that collecting loose change while balancing on ledges is “fun.”

Log 2 Summary

  • Stars Collected: 13
  • Stars Remaining: 107
  • Lives: 8

After the sandstorms and the mountain’s murderous intent, I’m learning that no amount of preparation can outmatch the randomizer’s sense of humour. Still, progress is progress—and at least this time I didn’t get flung into the void twice in a row.

Lessons from Log 2

  • Chuckya exists solely to ruin your day.
  • Always expect ledges to betray you.
  • Boos are pranksters, not friends.
  • Six stars and a grudge is still a win.
Continue the journey:
Log 1 |
Log 2 (You Are Here) |
Log 3

A Place That Feels Like Breathing Room

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

If I could live anywhere in the world, I’d pick somewhere quiet.
Somewhere with space, trees, and a view that doesn’t fight for attention.

Not a famous city or a landmark people collect postcards of — just a calm, steady place where you can hear yourself think. The kind of place where stepping outside feels like hitting a soft reset button.

I don’t need the perfect climate or a big skyline. Just room to breathe, a bit of nature, and the feeling that the world isn’t rushing past at full sprint.

Wherever that is, that’s home enough for me.

The Small Things That Stay With You

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found (and kept)?

The coolest thing I’ve ever kept wasn’t rare, valuable, or even particularly useful. It was a small item I stumbled across while exploring a game world during a rough patch in real life.

It didn’t boost stats, unlock anything, or change the story. But it made me pause. For a moment, it reminded me that even in the middle of chaos—virtual or otherwise—you can still stumble across something that gives you a bit of breathing room.

Most items get scrapped or sold the minute storage gets tight. This one didn’t. It stayed in my inventory far longer than it needed to, not because I had a plan for it, but because it marked the moment I felt just a little more grounded.

Sometimes the coolest things you keep aren’t the rare finds. They’re the ones that found you at the right time.

🌊 Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 5: Scanners, Stalkers, and the Elusive Bay

“Sometimes survival means chasing blueprints you’ll never find and pretending the ocean isn’t full of things that want to hypnotise you.”

Platform: Steam Deck
Objective: Wait for the Sunbeam transmission and maybe, just maybe, build something that floats.

Exploration (a.k.a. Avoiding Impatience)

With nothing to do but wait for the Sunbeam’s next message, I decide to make the most of my surface time. I remember having another lifepod distress signal stored, so I tag it on my HUD and head out exploring. At first, the ocean feels empty — just me, the waves, and a slowly draining battery supply — but that doesn’t last long.

After a bit of aimless swimming, I finally stumble upon the final fragment for the Laser Cutter. I can practically hear the sound of sealed Aurora doors opening already. Victory, thy name is “I can finally cut stuff.”

In the midst of my excitement, I make the questionable decision to scan a Stalker. It could’ve gone wrong in a hurry, but apparently it was too busy minding its own business to care. A rare win for curiosity over self-preservation.

The Hunt for the Mobile Vehicle Bay

With the Laser Cutter blueprints ready, I set my sights on something even more crucial: the Mobile Vehicle Bay. I want my Seamoth — freedom in miniature submarine form. I head toward Lifepod 17 again, the same one that’s been testing my patience since last time.

Luck strikes early — I find two out of three pieces for the Bay in fairly quick succession. Naturally, that’s where the good fortune ends. The third? Nowhere to be seen. I comb the seabed, check every wreck, and even chase shadows thinking they might be fragments. Spoiler: they weren’t.

In true Subnautica fashion, my HUD decides to stop showing the lifepod marker mid-journey. A quick reset fixes it, but it doesn’t help my sense of direction — or my growing frustration. Ten to fifteen minutes later, I’m still empty-handed.

Strange Fish and Stranger Plants

To add to the ambience, I discover a few plants with anger issues and meet a Mesmer — a deceptively pretty fish that freezes you mid-swim while whispering sweet nonsense. The first time it happened, I couldn’t move, couldn’t think, and then suddenly — WHAM. Out of the trance, face-to-face with a glowing fish that definitely wanted me gone.

Thankfully, the Propulsion Cannon was in my hands. A single blast later, and the Mesmer was forcibly introduced to the local wall. Justice served.

Calling It a Night (Reluctantly)

As darkness falls, I decide to call it a day. Nighttime on this planet is truly pitch black, and I’m not wasting my last batteries trying to play deep-sea Marco Polo with blueprints. Still, it wasn’t a wasted trip — I unlocked a few new crafting recipes and gathered plenty of scan data for the databank. Just not the one blueprint I actually wanted.

Tomorrow, the ocean and I will have words. Preferably near the wrecks that have Mobile Vehicle Bay fragments.

Video Log

Continue the Journey

⟵ Log 4: The Cannon and the Leviathan |
Log 5.5: The Sunbeam’s Shadow ⟶

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