This week’s round-up includes ghost-hunting with Celina Myers, looking forward to seeing My Chemical Romance, reading and learning about pioneering women, and much more.

Television

Now, I love me some paranormal stuff, the creepier the better, but I’m often very sceptical of reality shows that claim to hunt and communicate with ghosts/spirits, as usually they’re outed as fake or generally exaggerated for entertainment. Enter Celina Myers, aka CelinaSpookyBoo, a content creator who, frankly, is so much more than that. I’ve been following her on the ol’ TikkyTokky for a few years, enjoying her sleepwalking videos and general life content. I also watched her movie that she made with fellow TikkyTokkyer Kris Collins, and while it wasn’t the best film ever, it was a fun watch.

So when I heard Celina was putting her clairvoyant skills to use in a mini series that sees her visit haunted locations and communicate with spirits, I was keen to watch it but, in spite of enjoying Celina as a creator of integrity, I was still sceptical. But damn. It was a GOOD show and at no point did I now believe what she and her husband Adam were experiencing. Partly because it was clear there was no acting, but mostly because Celina and Adam were so genuinely themselves, including being as hilarious as they often are on social media in spite of circumstances that would terrify most of us, and they were very respectful and considerate to the spirits they encountered. Also, the equipment they used is very interesting and they explain how it all works.

If you can watch this show, called The Haunted Estate, I highly recommend it. It’s free to watch on Tubi, which is also free to download.

Music

I am VERY excited to say that I will be seeing My Chemical Romance in November in Incheon, South Korea as they embark on their (rescheduled) Southeast Asia leg of The Black Parade tour! When I heard about it I was debating going (tickets for big artists are far from cheap these days y’all!), but then I listened to the full album for the first time in literal years, and when it reached Famous Last Words, I was taken right back to my first year of university (2007/08) and remembered how much that song helped me in my first six months there. That was when I knew I had to see the album, that song particularly, played live, owing it to my 18-year-old emo self. I’ve actually never, in my near-five years of living in Korea, been to a big concert, and this one may be my first and last, but what a first and last!

Literature

I’ve already mentioned a couple of times in previous Dawn Summaries that I’ve been making my through the gargantuan Gone with the Wind, and I am now 34% in according to my Kindle, and not once has the pacing or my interest dropped. Margaret Mitchell was a true literary genius, and so far it’s an absolute 10/10 read. I very much hope this doesn’t change, but I am most enthralled by Mitchell’s ability to convey the American Civil War in the most colourful, depressing, clear way that makes for a tremendous history lesson. I knew next to nothing about the war before reading this, so I feel I am being suitably entertained while receiving a strong education. At the moment I’m a little confused as to why people adore Scarlett O’Hara so much (film or book version), but of course there’s still a long way to go in the story, so perhaps I’ll understand by the end.

Gaming

I finally finished making my way through Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm again and finished (and platinumed!) Life is Strange: Double Exposure. I didn’t hugely enjoy the story as much in DE, but I enjoyed the mechanics of the game. I also found myself agreeing with some characters’ frustrations of Max Caulfield‘s unending nosiness, but I guess there wouldn’t be a game without it! I also caved and purchased Life is Strange: Reunion because I just want to be back in a world that has both Max and Chloe Price. I think Chloe offsets Max’s more annoying traits by being more chill and go-with-the-flow.

I also recently finished the main questline in the beta test of a new upcoming game, Loftia! An MMO game, it promises to be a nice, cosy game with plenty of quests and farming, exploring and crafting, all the things we love about cosy gaming!

Life

I was very pleased to see the amount of seats the Green Party won in England in the UK elections, with Wales (Plaid Cymru) and Scotland (SNP, with some seats gained for the Scottish Green Party) also choosing change over what they’ve been dealing with for… well, ever. I’m pleased to see Labour and the Conservatives losing their power, but very saddened to see Reform UK building momentum. It seems that, with everyone becoming disillusioned with Labour and the Tories, we’re now split even further apart, with the Greens leaning considerably left and Reform disturbingly right. The next three years before the 2029 general election are going to be extremely important, and I’ve made it no secret that I’ve thrown all my support behind the Green Party. The world is changing massively, and we need massive changes in our politics, too.

A Random Thing I Learned This Week

Yesterday I learned about a woman named Nettie Maria Stevens, a woman born in 1861 who grew up to defy societal expectations and discovered how a baby’s gender is determined at conception, with a man’s sperm carrying either a Y or X chromosome. Was she credited correctly for her work? No. Were her ideas stolen and credit/awards given to someone else? Yes. Who did this to her? Why, who else but men. I learned about her, and have learned about many other pioneering, life-sacrificing and -saving women, from an Instagram account called HerWiki, created and run by a woman named Olivia Starling. I highly suggest following the account or at least checking out Olivia’s content. She’s doing important work in raising awarness of the achievements of women, many in spite of overwhelming odds and most silenced by the patriarchy.