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https://www.essence.com/beauty/beauty-influencer-holiday-self-care-guide/

Instagram By Celeste Polanco ·Updated November 22, 2024

The holidays are a time for us to become closer to our loved ones. They are also a time for women to be overburdened by the season. We are expected to cook, clean, decorate, get the children dressed, and attend Thanksgiving dinner as if we didn’t run on anxiety the whole day. 

Still, we sit at the table enjoying our prepared meal while catching the shade our family member threw us. Deeply exhausted, we suck it up for the sake of “getting along.” Meanwhile, we are drained beyond belief and counting down the hours for our guests to leave so we can release ourselves from the shackles of our makeup, bra, and wardrobe. 

Dear women, it is okay not to do it all this holiday season. Permit yourself to say no to the party or cook for a guest list of 20. Fight the urge to be the “strong woman” when someone says, “But you always make the turkey; you’re so good at it.” It’s okay to choose to be good to yourself instead. 

Self-care is a surface-level term that receives pushback for being mainly material. But it’s not just about the face masks. It’s about taking the time to exhale the stresses of being a woman and inhale everything that makes us feel aligned. It’s also our greatest survival tool when life becomes a bit overwhelming. 

One of the most remarkable healing tools we can give ourselves during this time is to lean on other women. The women in our village can serve as a guiding light. The women we follow on social media can comfort us sometimes, too—giving us tips and tricks that relieve us. 

In that spirit, we’ve chatted with a few influential women about how they care for themselves during the holidays. Their stories below. 

Tina Meeks  View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tina Meeks (@herlifesparkles)

Time is scarce for Tina Meeks. She spends it caring for her four children, creating content, hosting holiday parties, and organizing charity events. She describes this time as “mental gymnastics,” as she balances the joys of pregnancy and life’s obstacles. “Our family calendar is nuts during this time of year, so for me, it’s a busy time,” Meeks expresses. Her survival kit for this season has been having the strength to say no and not compromise her boundaries. 

Meeks centers herself by marking days “off” on her calendar. This allows her to do nothing at all or the freedom to do what brings her joy. It is a moment of pause that gives Meeks the strength to continue. “I’ve learned that if I’m not centered, neither is my family because my kids will feed off my energy. Therefore, I must protect my peace when I have too many things on my plate.” 

Kay Davenport View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kay Davenport•DMV >

Anxiety is something Kay Davenport knows all too well during the holidays. Balancing a household, career, and hosting two families during the holidays can be overwhelming for anyone. “Just the thought of planning and prepping can easily make me anxious,” says Davenport. 

Despite this, preparation is also a way of bringing her a sense of ease. She believes staying two steps ahead can minimize stress. “Preparing helps me prioritize my calm during a season that can bring excitement and other emotions.”

Davenport sees preparation as a way of regaining her power. It is her secret weapon for controlling her emotions. She also advocates for taking time to breathe. “My husband and I tap out and find a quiet place to breathe and simply take a break while we are hosting.”

Dr. Robin Barrett  View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dr. Robin Barrett, Pharm D., NASM-CPT (@dr.robinb)

As an entrepreneur, Dr. Robin Barrett is always on the go. Between balancing work, family, and her fitness goals, time is limited. Still, she finds a moment to spend with her loved ones during the holidays. Family time target="_blank"> View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Oyin Edogi (@sweetlikeoyin)

This time of year, Oyin Edogi feels the pressure of perfectionism. She strives to provide the perfect holiday dinner, travel, and overall experiences. Naturally, living up to this standard can feel overwhelming and as if time is against her. Just when it all becomes too much, Edogi reminds herself of the simple aspect that brings her joy during the holidays—her family. She inhales this truth and exhales the unnecessary pressure she placed upon herself. 

In addition to family time, Edogi also finds it essential to make time for herself. “Whether it’s reading a book, taking a warm bath, or simply enjoying myself in silence, these moments allow me to recharge and find peace,” says Edogi. Implementing these practices has decreased her stress levels.

As a woman living with anxiety, she is aware of the importance of calming the voices that carry with her throughout the day. “Taking care of yourself first is the most important thing because you can’t pour into others if your cup is empty. Remember, it’s important to protect your peace and create boundaries to prevent burnout and enjoy the holidays to the fullest.”

TOPICS:  holiday self-care wellness

The post These Beauty Influencers Share How They Keep Stress Down During The Holidays appeared first on Essence.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/beastieball-early-access-review/

I was browsing my BlueSky timeline when I saw my friend, Josh Boykin over at Intelligame (go check him out) had reposted a series of Steam reviews from an account for Beastieball.

Curious, I went to the account and saw that Beastieball was in fact a turn-based volleyball RPG where you coach monsters and that it was in Early Access. At which point, I dropped everything I was doing, spent $25, and immediately found myself in a surprisingly robust character creator that let me select my pronouns which I loved and is more than I will ever expect from a Pokémon game, but that’s neither here nor there.

What is on the table is the fact that neither in my wildest dreams would have I wished for what is essentially Pokémon x Haikyu. Now that I have it in my hands, anything feels possible and nothing will ever be too niche to find a surprisingly large audience.

You start Beastieball in the Rustile Nature Preserve where Beasties are out roaming and playing volleyball with ball mushrooms and meet your friend Riley. You find your starters and learn the basics of the game’s combat. Then, there’s a time skip that takes you to the main story where your nature preserve is about to get demolished to make way for a new stadium. At its core, the game knows that it is in fact a sports anime (even going so far to ask you if you have ever seen a sports anime during this tutorial) before giving you some jerseys to recruit some Beasties and set out to become the number 1 ranked coach in the world and maybe stop capitalism from displacing the local beasties.

The bones of Beastieball most closely resemble Galar of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Not quite the open world of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Paldea region, but not quite as strictly linear as Red & Blue. You start out with the ability to sprint as well as jump over ledges and onto small extrusions as well as toss balls all of which end up being used to solve a variety of overworld puzzles to progress throughout the game. But ultimately, if you’re played a “mon” game, you know how this works: travel regions, make friends, challenge other teams, work your way to the top and get stronger. Whereas the skeleton may be the same, the beating heart of the game is very different.

While there are three starters that introduce the typing (physical, soul, and mind), these three are in fact the only typings in the game and Beasties design is wildly varied as a result. There is a very clear visual dictionary that is easy to pick up after interacting with a few different Beasties, and rather than having strict type advantage, the system is oriented around a streamline power/defense system. Individual beasties have their own baseline stats that can be influenced with training and playing games with other beasties, not unlike the individual and effort values found in Pokémon. This does mean that while you still need a variety of Beasties, you’re not quite as beholden to finding a ringer for a particular gym.

The capture mechanic is also completely deterministic. As you play matches against unteamed Beasties you will complete research. After enough back and forth, you are told the recruitment condition and if you satisfy it, you can offer them a journey and a spot on the team. Your team consists of five Beasties, and the rest of your menagerie can either join an away team to get experience, or otherwise vibe in their home habitat. You can even have practice matches with them in the overworld.

The battle mechanics are easy to learn, difficult to master. While most times you will probably find yourself doing the conventional “get the health bar to zero,” you can also score points by carefully aiming the ball in undefended areas of the court which allows you to out strategize opponents who may have otherwise put you in difficult positions. If you’ve played any sort of Pokémon game in recent memory, you’d recognize clear design inspirations. There’s a move that’s essentially Close Combat. One is clearly Spikes. One ability will resemble Protean, and another resembles Mummy. But because there is a positional element, some of the moves don’t have quite as clear counterparts. It also leads to situations where you have some basic actions (move, free ball, volley) that are shared across all move sets. This leaves you only three different moves to work with and learning how to mix and match offensive tactics, defensive maneuvers, and support coaching has just the right level of depth.

The game also encourages you to stick with the same team once you find a configuration you like by having your Beasties bond with each other. They can be rivals, partners, besties, or sweethearts. These dynamics have gameplay benefits while also adding some sports anime scenes as you progress.

Beastie stamina is also normalized, although the relative power isn’t. If you find yourself revisiting an earlier route with higher level Beasties, you’ll see egregiously high damage numbers as a result. And as you progress, you’ll find that the game takes great effort to introduce several varieties of battling to the game. Some are super gimmicky, but some are interesting pivots that basically change up one key element and force you to adapt.

The game has several great quality-of-life features including the ability to see all available information on opponents as desired, an auto-battle option if you want to turn off your brain a little and trust the surprisingly competent AI, and the ability to adjust your moveset on the fly. It’s great that you’re able to adjust the level of engagement so easily.

So, now that we’ve sufficiently gone over the bread and butter of the monster centric RPGs systems, let’s talk some gravy. The artistic style is great, striking pastels with strong contrasts, good environmental design, and cute animations. Characters are varied, and the music is absolutely enchanting. The story takes the stock standard cues from any other piece of sports media, but it manages to execute these cues well at every turn and takes the time to subvert a couple expectations here and there (namely, a clever environmentalist bent seeded in the beginning).

It feels like a lived world. It’s one where Beastieball is integral to life, but there are several characters who have unrelated hobbies and interests that you get to engage with in various degrees. The social link system runs on a cute social battery system, and while not every social link is fully fleshed out, the events are sweet moments and I bonded with several characters.

The early access took roughly 13 hours to beat the main campaign at a reasonably brisk pace. I didn’t delve into every single nook and cranny and definitely stopped worrying about recruiting Beasties for a good chunk of the midgame once I discovered my core players. The post-campaign had a couple fun reveals, and I look forward to revisiting the game when more content gets added. It’s not without fault. Some of the overworld puzzles were a little tedious, some of the pathfinding was a little hard to understand, there was a degree of wild logic that for certain sections didn’t quite map to any semblance of sense, but these are minor gripes.

Beastieball was exactly what I needed. A breath of fresh air that takes the familiar and remixes it into something that feels new and fun. It’s a tribute to my favorite things and I’m excited to see where it goes. If this is the approach, I can’t wait to see the view from the top.

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The post ‘Beastieball’ is ‘Pokémon’ Meets ‘Haikyu’ and a Prime Example of Why I Love Indie Games appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/is-longlegs-an-actual-contender-for-an-oscar-win-in-2025/

Neon, an independent film production and distribution company, has launched a full-blown Oscar campaign for one of its biggest hits that graced the theaters this year. Of course, we’re talking about Longlegs, a serial killer horror/thriller movie written and directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe. The movie was a massive and somewhat surprising success both critically and commercially, and the studio is now funding an Awards season campaign in all the major categories. But we’re left wondering: Is Longlegs an actual contender for an Oscar win in 2025?

To be entirely honest, this is a rather tricky question, and answering it requires taking several different factors — such as the genre, story quality, critical acclaim, and star power — into consideration. Oh, and the competition is also a very important factor. The list of next year’s contenders contains some pretty notable titles, including the recently released Gladiator II, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, Malcolm Washington’s The Piano Lesson, and a bunch of other titles Longlegs has to compete against.

For those who haven’t seen the movie, Longlegs follows an FBI agent, Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), who’s tasked with tracking down Longlegs, an elusive occult serial killer responsible for murdering multiple families throughout Oregon. Each of the families had a nine-year-old daughter born on the 14th of the month, and each of them was done in a way that would suggest a murder-suicide in which a father kills his family and then himself. It’s an interesting story if you’re into serial killer horror films.

Normally, horror movies aren’t looked on as Oscar contenders too favorably, regardless of their popularity. There are many reasons as to why that is; the Academy tends to favor dramas, historical films, and biopics rather than horror movies since the latter typically appeals to niche audiences and might not have the broad appeal needed to sway a wide range of voters. There’s also an issue with modern horror movies often prioritizing jump-scares over storytelling, character development, or artistic merit, which affects their chances of being considered for major awards.

Of course, there have been exceptions, like Silence of the Lambs, which won Best Picture and four other Oscars. William Friedkin’s The Exorcist also fared well at the Oscars, with ten nominations and two wins, despite it being a horror film. But those are exceptions and not the rule. Fortunately, Longlegs can be considered an exception among horror, as it features a fantastic story that has been compared positively to the aforementioned The Silence of the Lambs and even 1995’s Se7en — though neither is strictly horror, but psychological crime thrillers with horror elements.

The story quality is reflected in the film’s box office performance. Longlegs became Neon’s highest-grossing movie ever, surpassing the $53 million domestic gross for Bong Joon Ho‘s Best Picture Oscar-winning Parasite. It earned $74 million domestically and another $52 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $126 million. That might not sound as impressive, considering that blockbusters make billions now, but unlike the majority of blockbuster titles, Longlegs earned the aforementioned $126 million against its production budget of $10 million before printing and marketing.

And lastly, let’s discuss star power. It’s been quite a while since we’ve last seen one of Nicolas Cage’s movies earn an Oscar nod — more than two decades, to be more specific. However, the actor himself certainly isn’t a stranger when it comes to earning the prestigious award, having earned an Oscar for his performance as a suicidal alcoholic in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas. Although Cage’s role in Longlegs isn’t as big, his portrayal of the maniacal killer and his peek-a-boo-styled appearances are borderline unforgettable and bone-chilling.

Perhaps unforgettable enough to earn him a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor category? Well, that’s also subject to further discussion. Though he had been called the planet’s most unmistakable actor (and he is great at what he does), Cage is no longer enjoying the same level of fame he did during the ‘90s and early 2000s. With that said, his more recent films — such as Dream Scenario, Adaptation, and Pig — were all positively reviewed and praised. Maika Monroe will compete in the Best Actress category, while Osgood Perkins will compete for the Best Director award.

In the end, campaigning is among the most important deciding factors when it comes to Academy Awards. In fact, this is common practice, as studios and filmmakers invest significant resources in promotional efforts to ensure their movies stay on the voters’ minds. Campaigns often include screenings and Q&A sessions, as well as advertising, touring, press releases, and FYC (For Your Consideration) campaigns — the latter of which is aimed directly at Academy members.

Given the story quality, the critical reception, and Cage’s memorable performance, Longlegs might enter an Oscars race. However, to win over Academy voters and show them why this movie is worthy of an Academy Award, Neon would have to get Cage to make more promotional appearances as the ceremony approaches.

The post Is ‘Longlegs’ an Actual Contender for an Oscar Win in 2025? appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/must-watch-films-for-thanksgiving-chaos-and-comedy/

Thanksgiving is a day for food, family, and films that make you grateful for your own life, no matter how messy it gets. These movies serve up drama, comedy, and heart, all centered around the quirkiest and most chaotic holiday of the year. Grab some sweet potato pie (or a second helping of stuffing) and check out these Thanksgiving classics.

Soul Food

In the movie Soul Food, food is love, even when family is messy.

This iconic drama showcases a Black family navigating their relationships after the matriarch falls ill. Centered around Sunday dinners that feel like Thanksgiving every week, this film beautifully captures how food brings families together — even when things fall apart. Critically acclaimed for its relatable storytelling and strong performances, Soul Food is a poignant reminder of the importance of family, making it a perfect watch during Thanksgiving or any time of the year. The movie inspired a successful TV series of the same name, extending its legacy of celebrating family bonds. And who can forget the Boyz II Men “Mama” track?

Black Friday

Black Friday is a horror-comedy that cleverly blends the chaos of holiday shopping with a zombie apocalypse. Directed by Casey Tebo, the film stars Devon Sawa, Bruce Campbell, and Michael Jai White. It follows a group of overworked toy store employees who must fend off hordes of shoppers transformed into parasitic monsters during the titular shopping event.  The film delivers a chaotic blend of holiday satire and campy horror mixed with comedy, making it an entertaining choice for fans of genre mashups.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Prepare for the ultimate travel nightmare in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Steve Martin and John Candy give us the funniest road trip of all time, as an uptight businessman and an overly friendly shower-ring salesman try to make it home for Thanksgiving. Cue misadventures, hilariously bad luck, and a surprisingly heartfelt ending. It’s like Thanksgiving dinner: frustrating, exhausting, and ultimately worth it. The movie chronicles their misadventures as they try to get Neal (Martin) home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving.

What starts as a straightforward journey devolves into a chaotic series of mishaps involving canceled flights, wrecked rental cars, and awkward hotel stays. The comedic clashes between Martin’s straight-laced demeanor and Candy’s larger-than-life personality create unforgettable moments, from the iconic “those aren’t pillows!” scene to Del’s hilariously upbeat monologues.

Why Did I Get Married?

Secrets, sex and a little dinner party drama are revealed in Why Did I Get Married?

Tyler Perry’s romantic comedy doesn’t take place on Thanksgiving per se, but with a Thanksgiving storyline of family gathering, contemplation and reunion, it’s a perfect holiday movie. And then there are the cabin retreat moments which just sounds like a family Thanksgiving break scene. One of the movie’s major points is about the necessity of candor and openness in maintaining love. Why Did I Get Married? is a well-done emotional piece mixed with good fun humor which is easy to enjoy for everyone. The film was successful at the box office and launched the sequel Why Did I Get Married Too? Which continued the stories of the characters.

Home For The Holidays

Family dysfunction with an all-star cast is what Home For The Holidays brings to the table.

It’s a Jodie Foster dramedy with Holly Hunter as a widowed woman fighting her family to survive Thanksgiving. This one, with Robert Downey Jr. as her pompous, messianic brother, hits the comedy and awkwardness of family reunions. It isn’t necessarily a Thanksgiving movie but it is family-centric, romantic, and hilarious, so this is a great film to watch around the holidays. Home for the Holidays has a reputation for having great lines, good acting, and its balance between humor and drama.

The Oath

There’s no talk of politics and pie in the wacky comedy The Oath.

Dark comedy about family drama, The Oath shows what happens when Thanksgiving becomes political. It stars Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish and it’s an icky comedy – and painfully relatable one. The movie takes place in a near-future America in which all citizens sign a government loyalty oath and Chris (Barinholtz) is coerced into doing so even though he believes the government to be highly corrupt. During the festive dinner, which is being held between his extended family, it becomes a theater of political conflict, a spectacle of absurd and perilous madness.

Addams Family Values

Addams Family Values is indeed a Thanksgiving film. Turkey Day, meets Wednesday Addams, here.

The Addams Family fawns over Thanksgiving during a hilariously gory rendition of “The First Thanksgiving” at summer camp. The dark comedy is the sequel to the 1989 smash The Addams Family. This movie picks up where Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Anjelica Huston) left off with their eccentric kids, Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman). A Thanksgiving story, Addams Family Values is a Christmas satire. The movie plays a joke between the conventional, clean, Thanksgiving society and the Addams family and their wacky, unconventional lifestyle.

Get your family together this holiday season, get out some leftovers, and put one (or more) of these Thanksgiving specials on the table for an epic movie feast. Remember to watch the classic cable programming year-round shows such as the Macy’s Day Parade and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I cannot go a day without watching at least one of those shows! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The post Must-Watch Films for Thanksgiving Chaos and Comedy appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.