👢These Reboots Were Made For Walking 🥾
🥺🥺🥺 plz come and support the work we do at SYSCA!! You're the reason we can do this every day 🥺🥺🥺
support here (I'm obsessed with every single one of you - i see u all!)
First of all, newsy reader Olivia sent me some more gorgeous cat + technology images and I HAVE to show you. The kitty is called Raider Dave and he’s everything:
Unrelated: I also felt like you should see my all time fave mug from the office (warning, NSFW):
Oooh and a switch update!! I'm adoring Animal Crossing and how slow paced and low stakes it is - a bunch of you also recommended Cozy Grove and Stardew Valley so when I'm feeling frisky I'll move over to them (I know I'm late to the Switch party but let me be excited 🥺🥺)
Love you all! Smash today!
Bel Chimes In: On How To Stave Of A Menty B
These Reboots were made for walking
Netflix is Sweating
Life in plastic... it's not fantastic
Let’s talk about periods for a whole week
Do you have Bereal?
Bel Chimes In: On How to stave off a Menty B
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. You should check out more of her beautiful words here.
Hello!! So nice to see you back here, and I'm still smiling about all the ‘omg I get it’ emails that came through about the name ‘Bel Chimes In.’ That's Luce’s magic, not mine, but happy to shine in it, and now wishing my last name was Chime (then I would be a successful pop star and not a simple millennial struggling in the bear market, alas). Writing to you each week is a true joy and I love nothing more than dreaming up what we think you might like to hear about. Thanks for existing!
This week is all about the (not so) humble Menty B and how to keep them at bay. Before I start, I NEED TO BE CLEAR HERE I’M NOT CONFLATING THIS WITH ACTUAL MENTAL ILLNESS! Which is a deep and serious thing (one that I have a lot of experience with, which I may write about for you one day) and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
I am, however, referring to the somewhat affectionate term coined to refer to a light mental melt/breakdown, often driven by burnout, malaise, languishing, spiralling and other jolts in the road we’re all familiar with. Some hot tips:
Go somewhere new
Last weekend two great friends bundled me up into their car for a Worn Out Women's Retreat, and we drove two hours south to get out of the goddam city and into the sea air. A luxury, I know, of living on an island, but being able to escape to nature and wear ill-fitting clothes with no social obligations was the best gift ever. Do as often as possible.
Fall off the face of the earth
Luce mentioned this on Monday and inspired by the above, a true gift when you're melting is turning your phone off and imagining you’re a pioneering woman before internet was invented, or Julia Roberts when she can’t talk in Eat Pray Love, and doing slow things like making something, doing something analogue, or mincing around in the safety of your own room/house/space.
Cocooning
Best done with what I like to call ‘bone friends’ or people who you feel like you can be your true self with. Requires doing something that makes you feel either fucking free or relaxed. This may be hooning a block of creamy milk in bed watching movie trailers (random example, no idea) or sitting up for hours soft therapising each other or driving somewhere not speaking much and listening to music from a time you felt more alive.
Boundaries
A hot word at the moment but for a good reason. Basically, say no to lots of things, protect your own energy, pare back on commitments and stop feeling bad about feeling bad. You are your own universe at the end of every day! (especially my solo flying friends atm – love u, lean in).
Remember what work is
I think of this often when things get a lot: work is not who you are, it’s just a part of what you do. Just thought I’d leave that there til it swirls around, sinks in and feels right.
My lasting piece of advice comes from an original meditation guru (Swami Brahmananda Saraswati), which is to do what you’re not doing. How do you feel? What do you need? Do that. Try for an hour. A night. A day. A week. See what happens.
Hopefully, that helps. xx
These Reboots were made for walking
Sorry, but can we just acknowledge that heading. Sometimes I really do think that this is quite literally the only job I could ever do, because if anyone else was editing me, a cringe AF title like that (which doesn’t even have ANY relevance to the reboots we’re about to talk about), would be vetoed straight away. Luckily (is it tho??), you get the full, uncensored, intrusive and impulsive Luce each morning. And today we love her for this title. Anyway, enough gassing myself up, let’s talk about some reboots, shall we???
First of all the Powerpuff Girls
“Sugar, spice, and trying things thrice.” I didn’t think of that - Charles Pulliam-Moore from The Verge did (ok so maybe they’ll hire me if things don’t work out here.) Anyway, the Powerpuff Girls are coming back for the THIRD time (I didn’t even realise there was a second time??) Apparently, there was meant to be a live-action series, but that may not ever see the light of day, so instead, we’re getting another animated one, made by OG creator Craig McCracken and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. I’m excited to see the OG girlbosses girlbossing their way around Townsville again. Oh, and they’re also going to make a reboot of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends!!
Beavis and Butt-Head are coming back too!
Yep, these two are coming to Paramount+ in August. I think I share a similar feeling to a lot of people when I say I know exactly who these two knuckleheads are just because of their iconic animation style/ personalities, despite never having watched an episode in my life. Here’s what we can apparently expect:
“The series will see Beavis and Butt-Head enter a “whole new Gen Z universe,” with meta-themes relatable to both new and old fans alike.”
Keen to see what a Gen Z Beavis and Butt-Head looks like (not that I have Paramout+)
Speaking of streaming services, Netflix is sweating
Just like most of Europe then I guess. Kidding! This is no time to be making jokes! Netflix is no longer thriving! In fact, between April and July they lost almost one million subscribers. Not even Stranger Things can stop their numbers from heading to the Upside Down (that one sucked.)
New poddy: Life In Plastic, It’s Not Fantastic
Ok, besties - one of me and Liv’s New Year's resolutions was to be more environmentally conscious - and that means limiting our plastic intake. Why? Because plastic is so shit for the planet. In this special bonus episode we go through a history of plastic (it's super interesting I promise) and then some fast (and not fun) facts, before giving some solutions about how each and every one of us can cut down on our usage!!!
This bonus podcast episode was made possible by the angels at Ethique who make the BEST plastic-free beauty products, from shampoo bars to facewash!
AND they’ve even given us a spesh discount code which gives you 25% off all full-price items for the month of July - just type in PLASTICISSHIT at the checkout and you’re away!
Shall we talk about bleeding for a whole week???
I do... every time I get my period!!! Our besties at The Spinoff are doing a whole damn week dedicated to the magic/mystery/misery of periods and it's just the coolest shit ever to see a publication dedicate a week of effort and love to 🩸bleeding.🩸They cover everything from tampons and tramping, to period discs (the superior and more sustainable alt to tampons by our besties at Hello Period), and of course, they've gathered up some horror stories of their own (I don't we're ever gonna run out of them.)
I think it's so 🥺🥺🥺 to see so much dedicated coverage towards something we were made to feel so embarrassed about when we were kids, so u should go have a read!!
Do you have BeReal?
This was yesterday's mundane poll, because I was genuinely curious! I do - and a bunch of my pals do but only 26% of you do!! PS this is quite a good piece about it by Casey Newton for Platformer.
How ‘Stranger Things’ is fueling an obsession with the 1980s—and why this nostalgia is unique (FastCompany)
How to Drop Out of College (The New York Times)
The Curious Men Who Use Erotic Hypnosis To Have ‘Female Orgasms’ (Mel)
We’re sipping on Part Time Rangers (and saving wildlife at the same time!) (Our partnership with Part Time Rangers)
The Dark History Behind Where The Crawdads Sing (Culture Vulture)
Our Love Island Debrief (Culture Vulture)
Life In Plastic, It’s Not Fantastic (The Shit Show)
SYSCA playlist (✨Supporters only✨)
Our HUGE SYSCA reading list! (✨Supporters only✨)