#world suicide prevention day 2024

[thehansindiaseo]

India Urged to Broaden Suicide Prevention Beyond Mental Health

On World Suicide Prevention Day, experts call for a broader approach to suicide prevention in India, focusing on socio-economic and community-based factors.

[originallandlockedmariner]

World Suicide Prevention Day 2024

[underratedbitch-number13]

Part 3 : Elpis

A/N: I know that I have been gone for very long and almost abandoned these series. But I have exams going, and yesterday's paper was one of the shittiest ones I've ever written and I was feeling super down. So I came back to finish the angst, lol.

Anyways, I think it's lowkey rushed, but I hope everyone likes it :)

Also It felt so weird writing this chapters because I kept getting new ideas and I wanted to keep writing, but I didn't want to make it tooo long, though it's still pretty lengthy.

Repeating for clarity, MC DID NOT KNOW Mammon at all. She's a complete random stranger who happened to be there.

This part is going to be pretty heavy, so please proceed with caution.

Part 3 : Elpis

(Mammon x F!MC)

Warnings: Suicidal thoughts, Mammon is almost about to attempt suicide, bullying, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse, blood, self harm, nightmares.

A LOT OF ANGST!!!

If you are sensitive to any of these, please do not read. This could be triggering.

Written in Third Person POV. Also, If there are any grammatical errors, please feel free to correct them.

Number of words : 2.5k

|| ☞ Part 1 || ☞ Part 2 || ☞ Part 4(coming end of April 2024) ||

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Simeon woke up with a gasp.

Beads of sweat lined his forehead as he desperately tried to calm his erratic breathing. It was the 6th time in a row.

He had another vision.

Simeon and Luke had temporarily returned to Celestial Realm after Luke fell seriously ill. Luke had almost recovered, but he needed a few more days to heal completely before they returned for the exchange program.

Simeon and Luke weren't aware of anything that had transpired back in Devildom in their absence, because they had left before the video was released.

But since the past few days, Simeon has been seeing terrible visions.

Visions of Mammon's death followed by utter chaos among his brothers, then a war with the human world. He vividly remembers seeing the Sorcerer's Society up in arms against the 6 brothers.

Solomon was there too, fighting against the brothers.

Simeon felt shivers when recalled how brutally Solomon ended Asmodeus's life after using their pact to his advantage. The entire war was a bloody mess with many dead, including Belphegor, Asmodeus, and Leviathan.

His visions never showed him the end of the war, so he never knew who won.

Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand Simeon decided it was time to talk to Michael. He needed to inform him about the visions and apologize for not telling sooner.

Getting out of his bed, Simeon got ready to visit Michael.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Michael appeared perplexed when Simeon told him about his visions.

Visions were not a part of Simeon's powers. Now he was seeing a recurring vision, that too one about a war between humans and demons?

Michael sent Simeon back after reassuring him that he'd get in touch with him about this matter soon. Unsatisfied with Michael's answer Simeon reluctantly headed back to his place.

He had a sinking feeling in his stomach and he couldn't shake it off.

He cared about Solomon and the brothers, and he had grown very attached to them. These visions were like nightmares to him, and he felt helpless. He really wanted to do something to prevent all of this.

The thing that perplexed him the most was Mammon's death.

He did not know the cause of his death, he only knew that his body was found in the human realm with his heart ripped out.

Seeing his brother's body in that condition had incurred Lucifer's wrath, equivalent to what he had seen during the war before his fall.

The brothers had concluded that humans were somehow responsible for Mammon's death and bathed the human world in blood. Simeon's head hurt just thinking about it.

"Father," he prayed. "Please protect everyone."

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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Barbatos and Diavolo had known. 

They were aware of the tragedy that was about to occur, after all, Barbatos had already checked every timeline.

Unfortunately, all of them only had one outcome, Mammon's death.

Diavolo was devastated upon learning this. He had failed! He failed as the future King! How could he not protect his subject, his dear friend Mammon?

Barbatos himself felt a little lost, his stoic persona wavered as remembered what he what he saw. Although he never openly showed his affection for Mammon, he cared. He cared more than anyone would believe.

It was hard for either of them to digest the fact

The panic slowly started to set in.

Diavolo insisted on talking to Mammon immediately, but he was stopped by Barbatos, who informed him of how every effort made by them in other timelines had done more damage than help.

In one timeline, when they tried talking to Mammon about his mental health, he denied everything. He laughed it off and replied with a "Nobody can hurt the Great Mammon!"

In other timelines, if they punished the students for bullying him, they would isolate themselves even further from him and would call him a snitch or a baby. And if they tried to stop Asmodeus from releasing the video by going to the past, another video of Mammon would always surface.

In the end, they couldn't change the future.

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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The winds picked up as Barbatos chanted mantras to invoke his most powerful magic.

Diavolo stood not far away, looking at the figure at a distance with a grave look on his face, his demon form emerging as Mammon stepped closer to the edge.

The Prince of Hell had never imagined that a day like this would ever come. The guilt in his heart was immeasurable knowing he had failed his dear subject, and he had almost been too late to realize that.

Now they had no option but to do this. Barbatos was going to freeze the time on Earth for a couple of hours until the full moon ended and then erase his memories from the past few months.

The next moon full as powerful as this one was three months away and that should give them more time to do something.

His eyes turned to Barbatos on his left as he stood in a trance-like state with his eyes closed, a dark aura emitting from him. He was almost done with the process.

"δεθιλΠγπξΨυΣἀἧΪΏ"

Barbatos began chanting louder, and his eyes slowly started opening to release his powers.

Diavolo turned his attention back to Mammon to check on him, and his eyes widened at what he saw. “Barbatos stop!” He yelled and grabbed the butler’s arm to break his concentration.

Barbatos fell on his knees, eyes opened wide and bloodshot, tears pouring out of them. "My Lord," Barbatos gasped, completely out of breath. "Why?"

Diavolo winced at Barbatos' state."Barbatos, I apologize. But we don't need to intervene anymore. He already has."

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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Silver butterflies.

They were a sign of God’s presence.

Diavolo, Barbatos, and Lucifer were the only demons who knew about those butterflies. They are usually seen when someone about to die is about to ascend to heaven OR it means that God was around.

Mammon, who was surrounded, couldn’t see the silver butterflies dancing around him.

They formed a line that was going in a particular direction. Almost like it was linking Mammon with something.

Or someone.

A human girl?

Diavolo and Barbatos watched from a distance, as the girl approached the bridge. She too was surrounded by the silver butterflies.

And she could see them.

There was awe on her face as she stared at those beautiful miracles fluttering around her. The bright full moon, the silver butterflies, and the gentle cool winds made the scene look magical.

Diavolo and Barbatos watched as the girl followed the butterflies giggling, not noticing Mammon.

Until she did. Her eyes fell on Mammon's figure, still in his human form, standing on the ledge with a painfully serene look on his face. The silver butterflies long forgotten, she ran towards Mammon with wide eyes and a panicked expression.

"No," she gasped, grabbing Mammon and pulling him down. “Please, please don’t do it.”

"What da hell?" Mammon cursed. "Who are ya?"

The human who was smiling and giggling just a few moments ago now had heavy tears flowing down her face.

"Please don't do this."

"What is it to ya?" Mammon yanked his hand out of the human's hands.

"It's not worth it, please. Don't do it," she repeated.

Mammon sighed irritatedly. "Look human, ya should go back. Ya don't know me and it's not yer place to tell me what to do."

"Please, it will hurt your loved ones--"

"I DON'T HAVE LOVED ONES." Mammon roared. "I am a scumbag, I don't deserve to live or be loved."

"That's not true!"

"What do ya know?!"

"Yes, I don't anything!! But what I do know is that nothing in this world is worth more than your life. It doesn't matter who loves whom. It's never going to be worth more than you!"

Mammon stayed silent.

"Why should you die for their sins? Why should you suffer because they aren't good people? I'm sorry you had to go through whatever you did, I'm sorry you don't think you deserve to be loved, and I'm really sorry that you find solace in the idea of dying. But please please please for the love of God, please don't do this"

Mammon wanted to scoff at the human. For the love of God? His father whom he betrayed for his wretched brother who has abandoned him now?

Karma, it's probably Karma, Mammon thinks.

He didn't want to listen to the human in front of him, after all, she was speaking the truth. He shouldn't have to suffer for his brothers.

But he was tired. Mammon didn't feel like he had enough strength to be strong another day. He had forgotten how to love himself, and without love, he knew he would shrivel.

Death was really the only option left.

Mammon realized that he shouldn't waste his time any further talking to this human. She was too nice for him and it's pretty late for a human girl to be out anyways.

"Look, I get what ya tryin' to say-"

"No," she stopped him from speaking, taking hold of his arm again. " I am not going to let you do it. You better be prepared to kill me if you want me to let go of you."

"Have ya lost yer mind?" Mammon looked at her with disbelief.

"No, I have not. But I will lose my mind because of guilt if I ignore this and let you do it."

Why? Why was this human going so far for him? Pity? Guilt?

"I will be there for you. We can be friends."

Mammon scoffed. What an arrogant human.

"Yer as stupid as ya look. Ya think I won't kill ya? And what makes ya think yer sob speech is enough to not make me jump? Ya only wanna be ma friend outta pity and I don't want any of that. Ya don't havta feel guilty or anythin. The world is not yer child an yer not responsible for it. Go home."

Mammon forced himself out of the human's grip and stood up. He looked at her, as she stared blankly at the ground.

He felt bad for being rude to her, but he had no choice. Mammon didn't like pity. After giving her one last look and climbed the edge again. He was about to switch to his demon form when a thought crossed his mind

Won't the human get terrified if she sees his demon form? What if she has nightmares?

"Give me one minute," she spoke interrupting Mammon's train of thoughts. She whipped out her phone and began typing furiously.

Is she calling for help? Will I have to deal with more annoying humans?

"Done," she declared and tossed her phone to the side of the bridge. It landed sideways and you could hear it crack.

What the--?

"Can you move a little and make some space for me? " She asked Mammon, coming over to where he was standing.

Mammon stood on a small ledge at the end of the bridge. It was the darkest corner and that's why he chose it. Although it was small, it could still hold two people.

"What are ya doing?" Mammon questioned, as the human struggled to get on the ledge.

"Joining you."

"What? Why? Human, have ya seriously lost yer mind?"

"No."

"Then what hell is yer problem ?! Why can't ya just leave me alone? Was that irritating speech of yours jus' empty words? Does the same logic not apply to ya?"

"My brother committed suicide six months ago."

What--??

"I was the one who found his body. It was dark when I entered his room and his legs hit my face. He was hanging from the ceiling."

Mammon was left speechless at this sudden confession.

"I often wondered you know, why did he do it. He didn't leave a letter, a note, or even give a proper goodbye. He was my only family. I haven't moved on from his death yet. What if I had paid attention, would I have noticed that my always happy and smiling older brother was actually struggling? Did I ever notice how tired he looked or how lifeless his eyes were? If I had, maybe he would still be here."

There was a pause, as she struggled to continue.

"Maybe if I was a better sister, maybe if I wasn't such a burden, then he wouldn't have died. I feel so pathetic you know. So useless. If anything he deserved to live more than I do. He worked so many jobs to ensure we both had a roof over our heads and food on our plates. He sacrificed most of his life to make sure that my life was good, and what did I do for him? Nothing."

"Hey stop. Yer not to blame for anything that happened, and ya don't havta to tell me if it's so painful--"

"No, I am telling you all of this because I want you know to that I don't have a reason to live either. I had lost my will to live the day my brother died, but I kept going because everyone told me that my brother would've wanted me to be happy. I tried, I tried so hard to be happy but I couldn't. And today when I saw you on the ledge with the same expression as my brother on the day he killed himself, I felt the world slip under my feet. If I can't stop you from killing yourself, it's going to destroy me. So why not join you? I always feared dying alone anyway."

She had successfully climbed up and now stood beside Mammon.

"If you don't mind, can I request something? Can we hold hands when we jump?"

Mammon could tell she was trembling, he could sense her fear.

Humans truly are the most annoying species in the whole universe.

"Tch, stupid human," Mammon grumbled and picked up the human in bridal style. He got down from the ledge and walked away from the corner, still holding her in his arms.

"What are you doing?"

"Shuddup, I'm taking ya to the mental hospital. Ya need some serious help."

"Do you know the address to one?"

"No, but ya will tell me. I know ya know."

"Fine, I'll tell you. But can we please stop at my place for a bit? I have to pick up a couple of things."

"Tch tch, Annoying little human."

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♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎ ♣︎

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ALSO GUYS I AM SO SORRY FOR ABANDONING THIS. I WILL FINISH THIS SERIES BY THE END OF THIS MONTH, I PROMISE.

And also thank you to everyone who took their time to read so far. I really really appreciate it.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated. Please let me know your thoughts on how you feel about this.

If You Want To Be Tagged For The Next Part, You Can Comment Below

TAG LIST:

@vera-deville @obeythebutler @macherise @kimpsuwuw @beels-burger-babe @angeladore @rose-lord-of-simps @randomperson46 @depressedsilverloser @ilysia @mammonsturtle @anni1600 @devildomsgod @devilfemdom @leviathans-watching @asmosmainhoe @eternallydaydreaming2015 @gallantys @macherise @unnecessaryshenanigan @mythsofkairos @fandumshippr @keqingsfavbestie @siniy606@nightshadeheart11 @luckyauthorlampknight @gaylords-posts @mmeowxd @of-thegreedgod @veras-fanfic-reblogs @undeaddevildom @scxrletss @devildombimbo @i-passionately-love-angst @marisely03

[world-of-wales]

Happy International Women’s Day! Celebrating the impact of amazing women today, and every day. Here are just a few of the brilliant women we’ve been inspired by over the past 12 months. #IWD2024

After her daughter Brodie's death by suicide in 2020, Emma Webb launched a suicide prevention campaign. Brodie was a talented equestrian, which is what inspired @thewebstermwebb’s challenge pulling a life-size resin horse 160 miles from Chepstow to London.

Sarah Goldson has directed the @Wimbledon Ball Boy and Girl training since the 2012 Championships. The training helps develop life skills among young people, with 280 BBGs selected from local schools.

Vaitea Cowan is a co-founder of @Enapter, a company aiming to account for 10% of the world's green hydrogen by 2050. Enapter won the Fix Our Climate category at the 2021 Earthshot Prize and continues to thrive.

Bianca Sakol is the founder and CEO of @Sebbys_Corner, a shop-style baby bank which believes no child should go without the basic essentials they need to thrive. They provide a warm, welcoming environment and gives families choice and dignity to choose the items they need.

Mother and daughter, Jennifer and Emilia Clarke, were awarded MBEs for their brain injury charity work. They are co-founders of @SameYouOrg, a charity which develops better mental health recovery treatment for survivors and raises awareness around rehabilitation.

Dr. Gubby Ayida has been the CEO of @EvelinaLondon since May 2023 and oversaw its opening of the new Children’s Day Surgery Unit last year.

Wendy Simm was born and raised in Moss Side, Manchester and founded ‘Keeping It Real 24/7.’ The food bank focuses on delivering culturally important foods to those in need, such as yams and sweet potatoes, which generally are not provided by other food banks.

Captain Preet Chandi is a British Army Captain who holds three world records for polar trekking, most recently in December 2023 for becoming the world's fastest woman to complete a solo South Pole ski expedition.

Barbara Smith is a psychotherapist who has served over 16 years with @BritishRedCross, offering psychosocial support in disaster and war zones, aiding those in trauma.

Sarina Weigman began her role as England Women’s Head Coach in September 2021, leading The @Lionesses to Euro 2022 victory. She was presented with an Honorary CBE in June last year.

Renee Salt is a Holocaust survivor who was born in Zdunska Wola, Poland in 1929. She survived both Auschwitz and Belsen, but her family did not. Renee has spoken to thousands of young people as part of @HolocaustUK's programmes.

Professor Uzo Iwobi founded @rcccymru to boost art, heritage, and culture for minority groups in Wales. She empowers African Caribbean elders through learning initiatives and mentors young people to fulfil their aspirations.

In 2024, @hmsoardacious will be represented by Team Valkyrie, the first all-serving women's military team to row across the Atlantic. The @toughestrow challenge raises money for military charities and organisations that support veterans and their families.

- The Prince and Princess of Wales

[forbidden-salt]

Breaking the Silence; My Mental Health Story for Worldwide Suicide Prevention Day

By ForbiddenSalt

9/10/2024

Trigger Warning: This blog post discusses suicidal ideation, depression, and mental health struggles. If you are in a vulnerable state, please read with caution, and know that support is available through resources like 988, friends, and loved ones.

Resources and helpful tools for self and loved ones provided below the fold.

My Story:

Suicide Awareness Day holds a deeply personal meaning for me. For years, I struggled silently with suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety, unsure of how to ask for help or whether I deserved it. Sharing my story now is not just about raising awareness, but about offering hope to anyone who feels the same weight I once carried.

At the age of 13, I began to experience something many people are hesitant to talk about—suicidal ideation. But it wasn’t until I was in college that I truly realized how dangerous those thoughts had become.

I remember one day when I was walking across campus from class to my dorm, lost in thought, and accidentally stepped off the curb without looking. A car was coming toward me. Instinctively, I jumped back, avoiding an accident. But what happened next startled me more than the near-miss. As I stood on the sidewalk, tears welled up, not because I was relieved, not because I was scared—I was upset that my instincts had saved me. I realized I wasn’t crying because I had narrowly avoided getting hit by a car; I was crying because, in that moment, I wanted to be hit. It would have been an "accident"—a way out without me having to act intentionally.

It dawned on me that this was something much more serious than I had admitted to myself.

This wasn’t the first time I had experienced suicidal thoughts, but it was one of the most shocking moments. I knew I needed help. I sought out a counselor at the campus health center and, for a time, tried therapy. When I went home for a break, I spoke to my doctor, and she prescribed me an SSRI. I confided in my family and was met with mixed reactions—some were supportive, while others expressed concerns about the medication, urging me to stop taking it as quickly as possible. This set up an internal battle for me; I began starting and stopping my medication over the next few months, caught between fear and shame; and eventually quit all together.

Suicidal ideation lingered in the back of my mind for years. I wished for a pause button, a way to make the world stop so I could catch my breath and somehow not fall behind. I dreamed of getting hurt or sick enough to be hospitalized, just so I could take a break from life’s demands. But I never let myself act on those thoughts.

It wasn’t until my mid-20s that things got so bad I returned to therapy. This time, it was different. My new therapist helped me understand that I wasn’t “crazy”—I was carrying the weight of childhood trauma and years of struggling to survive. She diagnosed me with complex PTSD, and for the first time, I felt understood. Her support gave me the strength to make significant changes in my life, including moving to a new state.

There, I found another therapist who continued to guide me through the ups and downs. I started back on an SSRI and have stayed on it ever since. Through this process, I realized that what I had been dealing with wasn’t just emotional—it was also biological. My body wasn’t producing enough serotonin, and my chronic illnesses, were compounding these mental health struggles by denying my body the tools to make its own serotonin and through the weight of the symptoms. Especially for a while before there was any answer or treatment plan in sight.

I went through EMDR therapy, talk therapy, and put in the hard work to heal. I focused on my physical and mental health, fighting for answers and for my life. Slowly, I began to reclaim control. I started to recognize the warning signs of passive suicidal ideation and created an action plan for when those thoughts creep in. I don’t go to therapy as often now, but I still have touch-base appointments in case something changes.

Through this journey, I’ve learned so much about myself and the nature of mental illness. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD were not signs that I was lazy or difficult, though I was often labeled as such. They were symptoms of a much deeper issue. I wish people could see that depression isn’t a mindset or mood and suicidal thoughts are not selfish—they are the final, fatal symptom of a disease.

It took a long time for me to accept that what I went through wasn’t my fault. I wasn’t to blame for the trauma I endured or the way my brain and body responded to it. And if you’re reading this and find yourself in a dark place, I want you to know you are not alone. I know what it’s like to stand in the darkness for so long that it starts to feel like home. But I also know that it is possible to fight back, to heal, and to find hope again.

If you can’t fight for yourself right now, I encourage you to reach out to someone—anyone—who can sit with you in your pain. Let them help you find a therapist, a doctor, or simply help with daily tasks. It might not be the person you expect. For me, one if my company leaders had noticed my depression and helped me find a therapist. I had a best friend who sat with me over the phone while I sobbed broken hearted, encouraging me to seek help if I needed it. That going to the hospital if I needed it wasn’t shameful or weak but brave and admirable. It was my grandmother, who spoke to me daily, reminding me of my faith and offering love when I couldn’t love myself and felt those I loved most didn’t love me.

Faith also played a huge role in my healing. I’ve had my share of questions and anger, but my belief that God could handle my questions and my rage helped me through some of the darkest times. I questioned why my life was going the way it was, why I was feeling the way I did, if He knows everything before it happens, if he’s all powerful why didn’t he step in to change the course of my life away from this. My questions turned to anger and I had to keep reminding myself that God had shoulders big enough for my anger, my tears, my pain. That I could toss all of it at him and he’d still see me still, love me. I never doubted his existence, and honestly to this day I still don’t have all the answers but I’m sure one day I’ll understand and I’ve realized I was still loved even when I couldn’t see it.

My family eventually came around too. Even my dad, who I had thought didn’t believe me, recently admitted how scared he had been for me after he had kept his fears hidden for years since it had gotten bad. We were able to talk and he listened, shared his point of view, and made the effort to understand. He allowed me to assure him I was safe now, I was doing better, and it’s changed our relationship for the better. While I had found my way to stability without knowing if my family believed or supported me, learning my family did care enough to worry, cared enough to learn, and loved me enough to listen even if what I said was hard to hear meant the world to me.

If you’re struggling, know that there is help out there. Call 988 for support, reach out to friends, hug your dog or cat, cling to your faith—whatever gets you through the next moment. Each day is a step, and that’s enough. It doesn’t have to be a leap—it just has to be forward.

Resources for support below:

Here are some coping strategies:

1. Box Breathing: This simple technique can help reduce anxiety. Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and pause for four. Repeat until your heart rate slows and you feel more grounded. You can do this while on a video call too just let your eyes glide along the edges of the screen while you hold and breathe.

2. Straw Breathing: Another great calming tool—take a deep breath in, and then slowly exhale like you’re blowing through a straw. It mimics the relaxing response of the parasympathetic nervous system and helps you focus.

3. Journaling: I started journaling, reminding myself it didn’t have to be perfect. It was just for me. I stopped feeling guilty if I skipped days or weeks and let the words flow when I needed them. If you struggle with journaling, try creating an anonymous blog where you can rant and vent without worrying about dates or continuity. I have a separate Tumblr just for this—a void I can yell into when I need to.

4. Bilateral Stimulation: Butterfly taps—crossing your arms and tapping on opposite shoulders—helped calm me during moments of stress. This was especially useful during EMDR therapy, which became one of my strongest tools.

5. Creating a Routine: I used to go to the gym to cope before my chronic illness made it harder, so I shifted to art as a form of expression. Creating anything—whether it’s a routine or a creative outlet—can make a difference.

6. Boundaries and Emotions: Learning boundaries and reconnecting with my emotions was vital. One book that really changed my perspective was Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly, which helped me embrace my anger as a valid emotion. Learn how to advocate for yourself and establish boundaries. This takes time, but it’s one of the most empowering things you can do for your mental health.

7. Prioritize Yourself: Make time for what you need—therapy, the gym, a bath, or a doctor’s appointment. And allow yourself to rest. Your mind and body will force you to stop if you keep ignoring the warning signs.

8. Taking Shortcuts: Too tired to make a proper meal? That’s okay. Eat food however it comes—deconstructed meals are all the rage anyway. I’ve had moments where lunch was just handfuls of cheese and lunch meat. The goal is to nourish yourself, and sometimes that means being kind to yourself about how you do it.

10. Create Safety Nets: If you're heading somewhere that could be triggering, plan for it. What’s your exit strategy? Can you bring a comfort item, like a fidget toy, a blanket, or a stuffed animal? Having a plan can give you a sense of control.

11. Redirecting Negative Thoughts: When I get caught in negative thoughts, I ask myself if these thoughts are helping me process emotions or if they're just hurting me. If I’m not ready to process them, I work on redirecting my focus to something more helpful.

13. Emotional Support Animals: If you can, get an emotional support animal. My mini schnauzer has helped me through so much, even though she doesn’t know it.

How can I help a loved one:

1. Listen First: Before jumping to solutions, take time to listen. Validate the person's feelings, and let them process before suggesting how to fix things. Most of the time, they already know the solution; they just need space to work through it.

2. Stop Shaming Mental Health: Be mindful of how you talk about mental health. I’ve overheard loved ones shaming people for being "selfish" or "foolish" for being depressed, anxious, suicidal and even those that did commit suicide not knowing how often it was on my mind. Those words made it even harder to speak up and ask for help.

3. Fear and Guilt Are Not Helpful Tools: Fear and guilt are not effective motivators when it comes to mental health. I once told someone close to me that I didn’t believe people who commit suicide go to hell. Just as someone who passes from cancer doesn’t go to hell for how they died, I believe the same for depression—it’s an illness. They responded that they hoped fear of hell would keep me from acting on those thoughts. I explained that, by the time someone is ready to act, they likely don’t care anymore. The weight of the pain is overwhelming, and fear or guilt won’t pull them back.

4. Recognize the Signs: Suicidal ideation, passive suicidal ideation, and suicidal plans are all dangerous and need treatment and support. It may begin with passive thoughts like, “I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t wake up tomorrow,” but those can shift into active planning if left unchecked. Just because someone hasn’t acted on it doesn’t mean they don’t need help. Depression doesn't always look the same for everyone. It could be messy rooms, low energy, or a lack of interest in things that once brought joy. It could also look like reckless behavior, withdrawing, or joking about death. These subtle signs shouldn’t be brushed off—they’re as important as overt cries for help and worth a check as little as “hey you keep making these jokes, I just want to make sure you really are okay?” If someone is talking about feeling hopeless, giving away possessions, withdrawing from loved ones, or engaging in risky behavior, these are red flags.

5. Offer practical support: Whether it’s helping with daily tasks, providing a ride to a therapy appointment, or just sitting quietly with them, practical support can be a lifeline.

6: Encourage professional help: Gently suggest therapy, medical care, or other professional help if the person hasn’t already sought it. Be patient and compassionate, understanding that reaching out can be terrifying for them.

7. Be present: Sometimes the best thing you can do is just be there. Your physical and emotional presence can provide comfort, even when there are no words.

If you have a loved one who you worry is going through something, or has confided in you and you are worried for them. Don’t wait. Speak to them. Ask them how you can help, what’s going on, listen. If you’re afraid for them, even after they have gotten to the other side, don’t let your fears tear at you for months, tell them then listen and trust that when they say they are good, have come out the other side have an action plan for when they notice the signs - belive them. If you can’t let it go still, seek your own support. The fear of loosing someone you care about is worthy of attention. If you’re reading this because someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, thank you for caring. Supporting someone with suicidal ideation can be incredibly difficult, but your presence matters more than you might realize.

If you or someone you love is struggling, find Resources for Support:

1. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Dial 988 for immediate help in the U.S. Available 24/7.

2. Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

3. The Trevor Project: Focused on supporting LGBTQ+ youth, The Trevor Project offers crisis intervention and suicide prevention services. Text START to 678678 or visit their website.

4. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): NAMI provides free, confidential support for mental health concerns. Call the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI or text NAMI to 741741.

5. The Jed Foundation: Focused on mental health support for teens and young adults, the Jed Foundation works to protect emotional health and prevent suicide. Visit jedfoundation.org for more information.

6. The Veterans Crisis Line: Veterans and their loved ones can call 988 and press 1 or text 838255 for confidential support. Available 24/7.

Suggestions for Keeping Yourself Safe:

1. Create a safety plan: Write down a plan for when suicidal thoughts occur. This could include calling a trusted friend, therapist, family, distracting yourself with an activity you enjoy, or going to a safe place where you can feel grounded and making an appointment with your doctor.

2. Reach out to a support network: Whether it’s friends, family, or a therapist, let someone know how you’re feeling. It’s important not to isolate yourself when you’re struggling.

3. Remove means: If you’re feeling unsafe, remove items that could be harmful or ask someone you trust to hold onto them temporarily. There is no shame in this ever.

4. Practice grounding techniques: When suicidal thoughts take over, try grounding yourself with techniques like deep breathing, focusing on your senses, or engaging in mindfulness exercises. These can help bring you back to the present moment. Call on your faith if you need to to get by, play with your pet anything to help you get grounded and move through the feeling

5. Remember that feelings pass: In the heat of the moment, it can feel like the pain will last forever. But emotions are temporary, and feelings—even the darkest ones—eventually pass. That feelings are normal and natural and have no moral judgement, feel it, acknowledge it, and let it move through knowing another feeling will come your way take its place.

Recovery isn’t pretty, and life isn’t perfect; but you are worth fighting for.

[themimicbird]

Currently Free Films & Series on YouTube

Version From: September 6, 2024

💋 Disclaimer: I will attempt to update this list as needed. To ensure you're viewing the most up to date list, click the link in my pin post. The following are not listed in any order. Films & Series are added based on YouTube monetary status, genre, content, wardrobe, or having a storyline within the industries/themes related to my blog. Feel free to suggest things to add!

Ballet Shoes (2007)

Adopted by an eccentric explorer, three orphans struggle to fulfill their ambitious dreams of being an actor, pilot, and ballet dancer. Being poor themselves they accept the offer of an free dance education and stage roles. The three sisters attempt to chance their dreams and make enough money to make ends meet.

Penelope (2008)

Born with the snout of a pig, young Penelope Wilhern spends life as a virtual prisoner in her home. Believing that the only way to break the curse is to marry one of her own kind, that of a high status, she meets a number of suitors but all reject her. Two devious men, one with a grudge against the family, hire a man to pose as a suitor, but complications arise when he begins to fall in love with Penelope, and she makes a bid for freedom.

Sparkle (2012)

In the tradition of "dreamgirls" comes this Cinderella based story. Three sisters from Harlem form a singing group and try to make it big which leads them to take a path of romance, tragedy, and finally triumph.

The Magic of Ordinary Days (1995)

Set during World War II, the poignant love story is about an unwed pregnant woman who is sent to a small Colorado town to marry a lonely farmer who agrees to raise her child as his own. Livy Dunne dreams of a career as an archaeologist until she becomes pregnant by a dashing soldier who leaves her behind.

Bring it on (2000)

The Toro cheerleading squad from Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has got sass and a killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship trophy for the 6th year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain Torrance, the Toros' road to total cheer glory takes a shady turn when she discovers that their perfectly-choreographed routines were in fact stolen from the Clovers, a hip-hop squad from East Compton, by the Toro's former captain.

Heathers (1988)

Veronica is part of the most popular clique at her high school, but she disapproves of the other girls' cruel behavior. When Veronica and her new boyfriend, J.D., confront clique leader Heather Chandler and accidentally poison her, they make it appear a suicide. Soon Veronica realizes that J.D. is intentionally killing students he does not like. She races to stop J.D. while also clashing with the clique's new leader, Heather Duke.

Just my Luck (2006)

As the luckiest woman in the world, Ashley has a wonderful life, which all changes after she kisses a stranger at a costume party. She sees everything turn into a living hell, as she realizes that she has unwittingly exchanged her good fortune for the stranger's bad luck.

October Sky (1999)

John Hickam is a West Virginia coal miner who loves his job and expects his sons, Jim and Homer, to follow in his footsteps. But Jim gets a football scholarship, and Homer becomes interested in rocket science after seeing Sputnik 1 crossing the sky. John disapproves of his son's new mania, but Homer begins building rockets with the help of friends and a sympathetic teacher. Rocketry, he hopes, will prove his ticket to a better life.

Free Birds (2013)

Pardoned by the president, a lucky turkey named Reggie gets to live a carefree lifestyle, until fellow fowl Jake recruits him for a history-changing mission. Jake and Reggie travel back in time to the year 1621, just before the first Thanksgiving. The plan: Prevent all turkeys from ever becoming holiday dinners. Unfortunately, the two birds encounter colonist Myles Standish, out to capture feathered friends for all the hungry Pilgrims.

The Last Unicorn (1982)

In this animated musical, the villainous King Haggard plots to destroy all the world's unicorns. When a young unicorn learns that she's in danger and that she may soon be the last of her kind, she leaves the safety of her protected forest and enlists the help of Schmendrick, a gentle, albeit clumsy, sorcerer. Together, they embark on a long and dangerous journey with one goal: to defeat Haggard and save the unicorns from extinction.

That Girl (1969) | 3 Seasons

From the small town of Brewster in upstate New York, Ann Marie has just moved to New York City on her own to pursue an acting career, much to the chagrin of her overprotective parents, Lew and Helen Marie, who see both Ann's chosen career and New York City as no place a young woman should navigate on her own. As Ann goes on one audition after another, she has to decide if any acting role is worth it in the long term of the serious actress she sees herself as being. In living her New York City life, Ann meets Donald Hollinger, a magazine writer, the two who fall for each other. Don is another aspect of New York that Lew in particular doesn't like, as although he knows deep down that Don is a good guy, no man is good enough in Lew's eyes for his daughter.

The Dick Van Dyke Show (1965) | 5 Seasons

Considered to be one of television's classics, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" centers on the personal and professional lives Rob Petrie, a writer on the fictional Alan Brady Show. He's happily married to former dancer Laura, and they have a young son, Ritchie. The plots generally revolve around problems at work -- where Rob got into various comedic jams with fellow writers Buddy Sorrell, Sally Rogers and producer Mel Cooley -- or at home.

Bridezillas (2012) | 8 Seasons

Godzilla has nothing on a bride-to-be planning her dream wedding, as evidenced by the aptly named `Bridezillas'. The docu-series follows women who were perfectly normal before wedding planning took over her life. Grimly determined to realize their `dream wedding' at all costs, these out-of-control brides make the time leading up to their day of days an utter nightmare for everyone around them. In the end, they hope all the stress and meltdowns are worth it and they have the perfect wedding they've been dreaming of since they were little.

Merlin (2012) | 4 Seasons

This action-packed fantasy-drama revisits the saga of King Arthur and his wizard, Merlin, by focusing on the two characters when they were ambitious young men struggling to understand their destinies. In this telling, Prince Arthur is known to be the heir to the throne (no sword from the stone here). And he is acquainted with all those who will one day form the legend of Camelot, including Lancelot, Guinevere, and Morgana. Merlin is also forced to deal with King Uther's Great Purge, which bans all use of magic.

A Perfect 14 (2020)

Exploring the fascinating world of plus-size modelling and the women involved who are fighting to reshape fashion and the standards of society.

[lipstickmag]

Liam Payne, One Direction, and Fame

💋 Lipstick Magazine Issue 1 -- Oct 20, 2024 💋

⚠️ Reader discretion advised ⚠️

On October 16th, 2024 Liam Payne, former member of the famed boyband One Direction, died from a fall out of his hotel balcony in Argentina. Speculation and rumors have followed, but what does this loss and the events preceding tell us about the impact of fame on the mind?

One Direction

One Direction, or 1D, was formed in 2010 with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and of course, Liam Payne. Though the band was only complete in its members for five years, it quickly rose to popularity and became one of the biggest pop boybands in the world. In 2015, Zayn Malik departed, stating he wanted "to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight". In 2016, the group announced their indefinite hiatus.

Fame & Mental Health

In an interview with Men's Health Australia, Liam Payne said he began drinking to cope with fame. He went on to divulge his habit of getting drunk before going onstage, adding that he felt there was no other way to cope with it. His dependence on alcohol only worsened throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Payne also told Esquire Middle East that after One Direction's success, he developed severe social anxiety and almost never left his home.

The effect of fame on Payne's mental health was not exclusively benign. His ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, has consistently spoken up about the abuse and stalking she endured at his hand.

Death & Final Days

On October 2nd, Payne arrived in Argentina with his current girlfriend and his 6-year-old son, Bear. His girlfriend, Cassidy, left 12 days later while Payne stayed alone, telling social media that they were 'only supposed to be there for five days'. On October 16th, hotel staff made a call to authorities concerned by a guest confirmed to be Payne 'drunk with drugs and alcohol'. The caller described Payne trashing the hotel and destroying things. Pictures later released show the destroyed room and a significant amount of drugs littered about inside. He found dead an hour later, having fallen forty-five feet from his hotel balcony.

Final Thoughts

Many are lost on how to cope with and discuss these events, torn between the rightful acknowledgement of his conduct in life, and the sensitivity of the topic of alcoholism and potential suicide. The conclusion must be a healthy middle-- we can do both at once. In the meantime, it's important to discuss how this could have been prevented: would this never have happened if Liam Payne had never been a star in the first place? And what in 2000s-2010s Hollywood had such a dramatic effect on its stars?

If you liked this issue, please consider following for regular updates about all things pop culture. Reblogs, likes, and comments appreciated. 💋

[sylpheedz]

In Memory of Jeysen Perez Lyons (1996-2022) & Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)

    This is actually quite late, but I'd like to take a minute to pour one out for a very good friend of mine who took his own life two years ago now, and a man who's creativity touched countless young lives all over the world.

Eulogy below, puttin' it under a Read More. Warning, it does talk about s**c*de and if you're not going to be okay after reading about it, probably don't read it then.

I'd like to start with Toriyama-sensei (right). 

    Akira Toriyama captured hearts of millions every with stories of friendship, growth, and gloriously, ridiculously intense anime action since 1984. He was the man behind art of the Dragon Quest games, and most notably, Goku, the character that would inspire countless to always surpass their limits and giving their very best...or something like that. 

    I'll admit, I was never really a DBZ fan myself. Never did get with the hype. I'd catch it a few times on old Toonami, but it just never really captured my attention the way it did for so many others. Never even really made the discrepancy that it was anime, it was just another cartoon to me as a kid. 

    But the funny thing is, you don't even really have to be a DBZ fan to still be affected by it. While I never really watched the show itself, I was exposed to it by the animations by fans it inspired, specifically Super Mario Bros. Z, a fanfiction sprite animation series by one Alvin Earthworm where Sonic and Shadow team up with the Mario Bros. to fight Mecha Sonic for the chaos emeralds and prevent him from destroying any more worlds. There was that and Nazo Unleashed, which was a flash animation that used frames of the show for its fight scenes, which was the rawest shit ever to me as an adolescent. These animationss' fight scenes, which were very heavily inspired by Dragon Ball Z, are what inspired me to practice my art and work my way up towards animating.

    So while there may have been a few middle men involved, but even my creative mind's been influenced by Toriyama. And for what it's worth? I'm thankful for the madness he's given me. All the AMVs and fight scenes I concoct in my head while either laying in bed unable to sleep or taking a shower. Who knows. Maybe I actually will watch the show just for some ideas on animation techniques.

    While I may not have personally been as enamored with DBZ as everyone else, I knew someone very closely who was an absolute madlad for it.

    His name was Jeysen Lyons (middle), and he's probably one of the best friends I've ever had in my entire life. Hell, maybe even the best. I met Jeysen back in my very first year of middle school, along with Masatoshi and Chris, my first real friends after having spent my elementary days ostracized among the other kids to the point of suicidal thoughts. 

    He was a really funny kid, dirty jokes galore and could quote entire YouTube Poop videos from memory (and we had some much raunchier shit back then lmao, it really was a different time from today). It was always more fun when Jeysen was around.

    After graduating middle school, I found it harder to keep in touch. I'd always get so engrossed with my own life that I could never really keep up with old friends like I'd want to. Never was good at keeping up. But there were still some summers where we could get together at his mom's apartment for his birthday, July 10. Eventually, his mom found work in another state, and they had to move to Mississippi. After that, I hadn't heard from him for a while. I don't remember how, but at some point I managed to get ahold of Jeysen's Steam account and could talk to him from there, and we friended each other on Discord. It was always so much chatting with him online, though sometimes he would some concerning memes, which wouldn't be surprising considering he lurked 4chan.

    On that note, it seemed like he absorbed the sentiments regarding us queers as probably a lot of 'channers would normally have, ranging from "don't be publicly visible" to "just need to be shot". Once my egg cracked, it became one of those things that were more...complicated. And thanks to that, I wasn't sure how to tell him about...well, me.

    I wasn't sure how he'd react. Would he accept me while thinking me stranger tan he thought? Would he have still considered me a friend but disrespected my identity openly? Would he have completely and totally hated me, moving forward? I wanted to tell him, but I always got too nervous whenever I tried, so we'd just end up chatting, which was always still fun, but I so badly wanted to break the ice with him at some point.

    Other than that, we'd even talk about each other's personal projects, like my Revolutionary Vanguard Minerva, and his Perfect Universe, which is about a high school boy that gets caught in an alien war of good and evil and attains god-like power in the midst of it, and has to try to keep it from driving him mad. I always thought it was an interesting premise. I wish I asked him more questions about it.

    At some point two years ago, Jeysen contacted me sounding...exasperated. Panicked. I told him that whatever was happening, he could talk to me, and that I'd be there for him whenever he'd need me. But after I said that, he just said he'd be fine, and then left.

    Fast-forward to days later, in the middle of calling my representatives about another horrendous internet bill that came back, I tried talking to Jeysen again, as I was a bit worried. I got a response, asking me if I was "M". I asked them to clarify, and they asked if I was [deadname]. I said yeah.

And they told me they were his mom, and that Jeysen had died.

    I thought it was a really strange prank at first. I even got angry, told them to knock it the fuck off. But then I looked up his name, and sure enough, there he was, in an obituary.

I couldn't believe it. Jeysen really did do it. I lost my best friend. 

I lost my brother.

    From what his mom said, he was frantic about something involving "docksing". I'm thinking she meant doxxing. It sounded like at some point Jeysen caught the attention of somebody who knew how to get people's info, and that sent him into a panic attack while they were already trying to transfer him to different medication for bipolarism. 

    His demons got the best of him in a moment of emotional instability, and he was finally pushed too far, and now he's gone.

    It...still doesn't feel real. It still feels like I could just reach out to him, right now, on this chat client like usual and start talking to him again. Maybe it'll never feel "real" to me. But it is. My boy is gone.

    His mom assured me it's not my fault, and I know it isn't. But I keep replaying scenarios in my head, where maybe if I'd just...been the one to approach more, maybe he wouldn't have done it. If I'd taken more time to ask him about his day, ask him about Perfect Universe, to watch DBZ or other anime with him...

    If I'd just gone out of my way to spend more time with him... Maybe I could've made him stay. Maybe I could've saved him. Maybe, maybe... I could go over all the "maybes" in the world, but it wouldn't change the reality that he is not here anymore. Not a day has gone by where I haven't thought of him at least once.

    And this is actually why Toriyama's death hit me harder than other deaths. I actually started crying when I found out. It felt like I was losing a part of my bro, in a way. Which is probably silly, that's a whole-ass other person, another individual. It's not like DBZ is going to stop being a thing because he died. I have no doubt is probably as immortalized in Japanese and probably even worldwide culture as Astro Boy. Actually, more than Astro Boy. Atom's admittedly a little more niche...

    But the worst part? I never got to tell him. I never gave him the chance to reject me, but I also never gave him the chance to accept me either. Now I'll never know. I'll never know whether our friendship was flimsy and fleeting or made of iron. I'd like to hope it was, personally, but... 

    Either way, I'll always miss him. Life's much duller without my brother with me. I have so much that I want to talk to him about. So many new ideas, so many new things I wanna do with my life, now that I'm finally going through my transition journey. But I guess that'll all have to wait till I'm up there with him.

He'd better be up there. 😠

Lemme tell ya, folks. 

If I go up there and find out the Big Boss in the sky put him in the incinerator for "being a quitter" when he was already in inconceivable pain that caused him to take his own life? 

He is catching these fucking hands of mine. I don't care if I'm gonna lose, it's on sight for doing mah boi like that. 👿🔪

I will dive down to hell and fucking claw my brother out of the lake of fire myself if I have to.

But in all seriousness, if I could go back in time, even if it meant I had to start my life completely over, I wouldn't even blink if it meant I could see my brother again. I can only hope he's in a better place right now.

...Or ol' man God and I are gonna have to have some words. ���

[ataraxiaspainting]

aya's long list of charities/fundraisers she supports

SUPPORT PALESTINE, SUDAN, CONGO, AND MORE.

palestine and how to help (free-palestine.carrd.co)

Tell Congress: Support the Ceasefire Now Resolution — email now - JVP (jewishvoiceforpeace.org)

Help the Palestinian People with a Click | arab.org

more links.

go to @90-ghost and @soon-palestine for vetted campaigns!

vetted campaigns.

SUPPORT MAUI.

Maui Disaster Response and Recovery Support (google.com)

Help Maui Rise: Directly Aid ʻOhana Displaced by Fires - Google Drive

Donate Now - Online Donations | American Red Cross

Maui Food Bank — Helping the Hungry in Maui County

SUPPORT TRANS AND QUEER PEOPLE.

Supreme Court sides with Colorado web designer in blow to LGBTQ protections : NPR

2024 Anti-Trans Bills: Trans Legislation Tracker

Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024 | American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org)

National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition

Marsha P. Johnson Institute – Marsha P. Johnson Institute

NQAPIA

The Trevor Project - Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Young People

SUPPORT POC.

Jordan Neely chokehold death: Homeless advocates call for action : NPR

Activists in Kansas City protest the shooting of Ralph Yarl, call for strict sentence : NPR

Home - Black Lives Matter

- (blackvisionsmn.org)

NAACP | Leading the Fight to End Racial Inequality

The Bail Project - Freedom should be free.

Ways to Give - Legal Defense Fund (naacpldf.org)

Homepage - Stop AAPI Hate

AAPI Victory Alliance

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC: Home

API Women | AAPI Women Lead | United States (imreadymovement.org)

Petition · Protect, Respect, and Restore Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands - United States · Change.org

SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH. SUPPORT YOURSELF.

Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World | Psychology Today

7 Suicide Prevention Nonprofits & Organizations To Support On World Suicide Prevention Day (romper.com)

SUPPORT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.

Women's March - Our Feminist Future - Women's March (womensmarch.com)

Homepage - National Network of Abortion Funds

SUPPORT THE END OF GUN VIOLENCE.

Home - March For Our Lives

Sandy Hook Promise — Preventing Gun Violence Before it Happens

SUPPORT CONSERVATION/ANIMALS IN NEED.

20 Best Animal Charities to Donate to (Complete 2024 List) | Impactful Ninja

You can help save animals today. | ASPCA

Ways to Stop Puppy Mills | Best Friends Animal Society

donate to your local animal shelters.

adopt, don't shop!

[littlekittenmermaid]

September 10th 2024

World suicide prevention day

As every September we talk about it, we want to change the story. It's never to late and you are never alone.

I'm here.

I can hear (or read).

You are never ever ever alone.

[delusionalnerdt]

10 September 2024

Year 2 Day 7

Pharmacology : Pharmacokinetics

Pathology : cellular ageing

Practical (pathology) : Necrosis and slides of necrotic kidney and fatty liver histology

Well, the competition was today. I guess, we did well but failed to get a prize. Anyway, kinda satisfied despite. It was a poster presentation competition on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention day.

[murderousink23]

09/10/2024 is Teacher's Day 🇨🇳, National Day of Polish Children of War 🇵🇱, National Swap Ideas Day 💡🇺🇸, National TV Dinner Day 🇺🇸, National Ants on a Log Day 🇺🇸, National Hot Dog Day 🌭 🇬🇧, World Suicide Prevention Day 🇺🇳

[forgot-how-catflap-works]

Meet the ghouls squabbling for power in the race to rule the Tories

Tory MPs are donning their robes and sharpening their sacrificial blades this week as they prepare to ritualistically cull a second candidate from the Conservative Party leadership race. 

Priti Patel was eliminated last week after securing just 11.9% of the vote, which already sounds quite embarrassing, then you do the maths and realise that’s a total of 14 votes. Considering the sheer number of controversies that litter her political career like dog shit in a play park, I’m amazed she didn’t perform better.  

(Formerly of the tobacco industry, Patel voted in favour of overturning the smoking ban because she recognises that mainly poor people use public spaces so, y’know, fuck ‘em.) 

Patel resigned as Home Secretary in 2017 after attending up to a dozen private, unsanctioned meetings with Israeli officials where departmental business was discussed while she was on holiday.

This gross breach of the ministerial code wasn’t enough to prevent her from being reinstated to the position under Boris Johnson’s government, where she dedicated herself to ruthlessly targeting asylum seekers, lobbying for pharmaceutical companies during the height of COVID, and bullying her staff. 

Next up on the chopping block appears to be Mel Stride MP who narrowly escaped elimination last round with a whopping 16 votes. 

(Launching his campaign, Stride said the Tories need to “build trust with the electorate again", presumably so they can get right back to abusing it.)  

Mr Stride served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury in Theresa May’s cabinet, when he spearheaded the controversial loan charge policy which – as of January 2024 – has been linked to ten suicides. He was then elected as chair of the Treasury select committee, effectively securing himself a position where he was the one responsible for scrutinising his own dastardly deeds and, unsurprisingly, finding nothing to be concerned about. 

Former Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat limped a single vote ahead of Stride in the first round. Tugendhat is notable only in how boring he is, and hasn’t even breached the ministerial code once (that we know of). Total amateur. His strategy appears to be to fly below the radar, presumably in the hope the other candidates will destroy each other and he can rule over the ashes. 

(Having already lost one leadership race to Liz Truss of all people, Tugendhat looks like a surefire bet to lose another.) 

A former soldier, Tugendhat holds some classically conservative positions like increased military spending, opposition to the European Court of Human Rights and wanting a cap on immigration but these days that’s a mild salsa. He appears moderate compared to the others, and lacks the brain rot and crypto-fascist brainworms that UK conservatives have been steadily importing from America over the last decade. The most interesting thing about him is that he had to change his campaign slogan because the acronym spelled TURD. 

Now we’re done with the dregs, let's take a look at the front runners starting with weed smoking, Warhammer playing, porn enjoyer James Cleverly. That makes him sound much more interesting than he is. Having previously filled both the Home and Foreign secretary positions, Cleverly has long had leadership aspirations.  

(Cleverly once had to apologise for an “ironic joke” about spiking his wife’s drink with rohypnol during a Westminster reception, apparently being both a weird creep and not understanding the definition of irony.) 

Another paint-by-numbers Tory, he stirred up a fuss a few years ago by saying that gay football fans should show "a little bit of flex and compromise" when visiting Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He added that it was "important when you're a visitor to a country that you respect the culture of your host nation." Cleverly it seems considers a seven year prison sentence for being gay little more than a cultural quirk rather than something queer football fans might have legitimate concerns over. Basically saying reign it in lads, no need to be homo in public. 

Landing in second place during the last vote is former Minister for Women and Equalities Kemi Badenoch who claimed in a speech last year that transgender people could transition “too easily”. This is supported by the fact that waiting times for an initial assessment are as high as seven years in some parts of the country, so that definitely tracks. Badenoch clearly knows what she is talking about. 

(Speaking on the Spectator podcast, Badenoch said the Tories need to “stop acting like Labour”. I can only assume she misinterpreted the narrowing ideological gap between Labour and Tories as a softening in her party’s ranks rather than a calcification of right wing leanings in Westminster.) 

Characterised as an “anti-woke” politician, she has also supported conversion therapy for trans people. Speaking like someone who has never actually heard themselves talk, she also claimed that providing gender affirming care for trans kids was a “form of conversion therapy” intended to turn gay kids trans. It’s ironclad reasoning and, as a trans dyke, I value above all else the perspective of a cisgender, hetrosexual woman in all matters relating to queer issues. If anyone is going to lay down the law on who gets to be gay and in what way, it should be her. 

Badenoch bravely announced during a recent campaign video that she was unafraid of fictional character Doctor Who. Furthermore, as a woman of colour, she believes that Britain is not institutionally racist, so we can all stop worrying about that now. What a relief, I was starting to get really concerned about it. You know, what with all the institutional racism that’s been going around. But turns out that was a false alarm, which is probably why she also said “I don’t care about colonialism”. 

Badenoch came out swinging on the subject, making claims broader than my fat ass in order to minimise the brutality of Britain's well-documented colonial history. 

"There was never any concept of 'rights', so [the] people who lost out were old elites not everyday people,” she said in some leaked WhatsApp messages. It’s a relief to know that the three million people who died in the 1943 Bengal Famine were all elites. 

Lego figure cosplayer Robert Jenrick is the current frontrunner, having secured 28 votes in the first round. Jenrick served as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government under Boris Johnson where he dedicated himself to pulling political favours for luxury property developer and Tory party donor Richard Desmond. The move allowed Desmond to avoid paying a community council levy of £40 million which could have been used to fund schools and health clinics. 

(Courting the far right voters who flocked to Reform in the last election, Jenick resigned from his position as immigration minister, saying the policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda didn’t go far enough.)

Grenfell United, the pressure group dedicated to securing justice for the victims of the Grenfell fire refused to meet with Jenrick in 2020, saying: "Your perceived focus on the interests of property developers over the needs of an impoverished local community has soured our opinion of you.” 

Jenrick also served as Minister of State for Immigration where he took aim at the greatest threat to our nation: unaccompanied asylum seeking children. During a visit to an intake centre in Kent last year he reportedly told staff to paint over a mural depicting cartoons and animals, saying it was a “law enforcement environment” and “not a welcome centre”. 

Finally, someone had the courage to put those kids in their place. If they wanted to experience even a single moment where they felt safe, or like they weren’t completely alone in this terrifying and hostile world, they shouldn’t have crossed the bloody channel should they? They need to learn that actions have consequences, unless of course you’re a Tory politician then you can basically just get away with whatever and certainly not have your political ambition stymied in the slightest. That would be unfair.  

With such political titans in the running, Labour should be quaking in its boots. This gaggle of ghouls is among the finest we could hope for, and the fact that they each crave power enough to run the highest office in the land should in no way concern anyone. As the old adage goes: Power corrupts, but only if you’re a little bitch. 

Which of these unscrupulous, foreigner hating, homophobes will proceed to the next round? Tory MPs will be casting their vote today in order to separate the wheat from the chaff, and trim the eligible candidates down to four. 

This three month slog is only just beginning, so buckle your pants because we have to put up with this fucking circus until November.

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.2

Holidays

Atlas Shrugged Day

Aylan Kurdi Day

Badger Badger Badger Mushroom Day

Battle of Albulena Anniversary Day (Albania)

Bison-Ten-Yell Day

Bowling Shirt Day

Calendar Adjustment Day

Community Day (Ceuta Day; Spain)

Day of Russian Guard Units (Russia)

Democracy Day (Tibet)

Dia de Ceuta (Spain)

Good Society Day

Gregorian Calendar Adoption Day (UK; 1752)

International Actuaries Day

International Vulture Awareness Day

Lemon Day (French Republic)

Mariamoba (Republic of Georgia)

Mindfulness Day

National Beheading Day

National Cinema Day (UK)

National Indoor Air Quality Day

National Live Fearless Day

National No Patrick Day (SpongeBob)

National Short People Day

Notaries Day (Ukraine)

Old Timer’s Day

Onliners Day

Patrol Police Day (Russia)

Pierce Your Ears Day

Sedantag (Sedan Day; Germany)

Spalding Baseball Day

Victory Over Japan Day (US)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Beer & Can Day

National Beer and Wings Day

National Blueberry Popsicle Day

National Cacao & Chocolate Day (Mexico)

National Espresso Martini Day

National Grits for Breakfast Day

World Coconut Day

Independence & Related Days

Artsakh (from USSR, 1991) [unrecognized]

Nagorno-Karabakh (from Azerbaijan, 1991) [unrecognized]

Nueava Ecija Day (Philippines)

Transdniestria (a.k.a. Transnistria; from Moldova, 1990) [unrecognized]

Vietnam (from France & Japan, 1945)

1st Monday in September

Burning Man ends (Nevada) [1st Monday]

Emotional Labor Day [1st Monday]

Great Bathtub Race (Nome, Alaska) [1st Monday]

Green Season begins (Fresh Hop Season; Pacific Northwest) [1st Monday]

Labor Day (Bermuda, Canada, Palau, U.S.) [1st Monday]

Luxembourg City Kermesse (Luxembourg) [1st Monday]

Makeover Monday [1st Monday of Each Month]

Meatloaf Monday [1st Monday of Each Month]

Meditation Monday [Every Monday]

Monday Musings [Every Monday]

Motivation Monday [Every Monday]

Mouthguard Day [1st Monday]

St. Giles Fair begins (Oxford, UK) [1st Monday]

Wakes Monday [Monday after Wakes Sunday]

Workers Day (Puerto Rico) [1st Monday]

Yard Art Day [1st Monday]

Weekly Holidays beginning September 2 (1st Full Week of September)

National Suicide Prevention Week (thru 9.8) [1st Week]

Umhlanga (Reed Dance Week; Eswantini) [1st Week]

Festivals Beginning September 2, 2024

Dancefestopia (La Cygne) [thru 9.8]

West Indian Day Parade (Brooklyn, New York)

Feast Days

Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Syriac Orthodox Church)

Agricola of Avignon (Christian; Saint)

Allen Drury (Writerism)

Antoninus of Pamiers (Christian; Martyr)

Benny Hill Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Brocard (Christian; Saint)

Castor of Apt (Christian; Saint)

Coughing and Spluttering Convention (Shamanism)

Day of Revelation of Koran (Islam) [Malaysia]

Diomedes (Christian; Saint)

Eleazar (Christian; Saint)

Feast of All (Nussairis, Asia Minor)

Feast of Bishamonten (Japan)

Feast of Osiris (Egyptian God of Agriculture)

Feast of the Son of Semele (Honoring Dionysus; Ancient Crete)

Festival of the Grapevines II: Dionysos (Pagan)

Goddess of the Moon Festival (Honoring Ariadne; Ancient Crete)

Grape Vine Festival (In Honor of Ariadne & Dionysus; Ancient Greece)

Hieu (Christian; Saint)

Ingrid of Sweden (Christian; Saint)

Justus of Lyon (Christian; Saint)

Lill Tschudi (Artology)

Margaret of Louvain (Christian; Saint)

Maxima of Rome (Christian; Saint)

Nipple Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Nonnosus (Christian; Saint)

Princess Tizz (Muppetism)

Romare Bearden (Artology)

The Song of the Soul (Celtic Book of Days)

Stephen, King of Hungary (Christian; Saint)

Walt Simonson (Artology)

Watt (Positivist; Saint)

William of Roskilde (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Historically Bad Day (Great Fire of London, September Massacres in France, Anne Frank sent to concentration camp & 7 other tragedies) [8 of 11]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All in a Nutshell (Disney Cartoon; 1949)

Battle of the Sexes (Film; 2017)

Beezy Bear (Disney Cartoon; 1955)

Ben Bolt, by Thomas Dunn English (Novel; 1843)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland Attraction; 1979)

Buddy’s Day Out (WB LT Cartoon; 1933)

Carefree (Film; 1938)

The Cruel Sea, by Nicholas Monsarrat (Novel; 1951)

Designs on Jerry (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1955)

The Ducksters (WB LT Cartoon; 1950)

Eight Men Out (Film; 1988)

Express Yourself, by N.W.A. (Song; 1989)

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, by The Dead Kennedys (Album; 1980)

How to Have an Accident at Work (Disney Cartoon; 1959)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Film; 1923)

The Iceman Cometh (Play; 1946)

I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 2010) [Discworld #38]

Little Brother Rat (WB MM Cartoon; 1939)

Monkey Business (Film; 1952)

Paprika (Animated Film; 2006)

Pickled Puss (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1948)

Porky’s Hotel (WB LT Cartoon; 1939)

Prince Violent (WB LT Cartoon; 1961)

Puppy Love (Disney Cartoon; 1933)

Race Riot (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1929)

Rear Window (Film; 1954)

Return to Forever, by Chick Corea (Album; 1972)

Rose Marie, by Rudolf Friml (Operetta; 1924)

The Shape of Things to Come, by H.G. Wells (Novel; 1933)

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, by John le Carré (Novel; 1963)

Tales of the Wizard of Oz (Animated TV Series; 1961)

The Third Man (Film; 1949)

Three Is a Magic Number (Multiplication Rock; Schoolhouse Rock; 1971) ]1st Version]

The Zero Theorem (Film; 2013)

Today’s Name Days

Ingrid, René, Salomon (Austria)

Ingrid, Just, Kalista, Mladen, Ostoja, Oton, Prosper, Višnja (Croatia)

Adéla, Patricie (Czech Republic)

Elisa, Maria (Denmark)

Maive, Maivi, Taive, Taivi (Estonia)

Justus, Kukka-Maaria, Maaria, Maija, Maiju, Maikki, Mari, Maria, Marika, Meeri, Riia, Sini, Sinikka (Finland)

Ingrid, Martinien (France)

Franz, Ingrid, René, Salomon (Germany)

Mamas (Greece)

Dorina, Ottó, Rebeka (Hungary)

Bernardino, Elpidio, Maria (Italy)

Dauma, Elīza, Elīze, Ilvars, Lauma, Lizete, Vineta, Zete (Latvia)

Gantautė, Ingrida, Jotvingas, Marijonas, Protenis, Steponas, Vilgaudė (Lithuania)

Kjartan, Kjellfrid, Lisa, Lise, Liss (Norway)

Absalon, Bohdan, Czech, Czechasz, Czechoń, Czesław, Dersław, Dionizy, Eliza, Henryk, Julian, Stefan, Tobiasz, Wilhelm, Witomysł (Poland)

Mamant (Romania)

Berta, Linda (Slovakia)

Antolín, Bartolomé, Bernardino, Íngrid, Marcia, Raquel, Urbano, Vidal (Spain)

Justina, Justus, Rosa, Rosita (Sweden)

Brock, Brook, Brooke, Brooklyn, Brooklynn, Brooks, Cassidy, Cassie, Castor, Kassidy, Kassie (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 246 of 2024; 120 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of Week 36 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 3 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 30 (Ji-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 29 Av 5784

Islamic: 27 Safar 1446

J Cal: 6 Gold; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 20 August 2024

Moon: 0%: New Moon

Positivist: 22 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Bernard de Palissy]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 75 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 12 of 32)

[natalia-ramos]

NAME: Natalia Sabina Ramos AGE & DOB: 35, born June 27th, 1988 GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis woman, she/her ORIENTATION: Pansexual, panromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married, kinda HOMETOWN: Havana, Cuba PAST RESIDENCE: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia CURRENT RESIDENCE: Bighorn Hills, Providence Peak as of January, 2024 OCCUPATION: Florist and Owner of The Secret Garden

biography. // wanted plots.

It's good to be soft when they push you down

aesthetics. breaking expensive family heirlooms while listening to Fiona Apple // holding back tears during an argument // the highs and lows of fighting the archetypal constructs of women // looking to all the world like a hungry dog who's too well-trained to beg for scraps // fail girlboss // having the most toxic parent at the mcdonald’s playplace // “you’re in his dms & i’m on his nerves” // dandelions growing on the cracks of a busy street // gentle hands, shy smiles, and long hugs // Atlas carrying the world on their shoulders

biography.

TW: mentions of alcoholism, suicide, and depression; child abandonment; parentification; death of a parent by alcoholism.

It is the rooms enveloped in darkness, interrupted only by the flickering light of a lit cigarette dangling precariously off your mother’s mouth, what you remember the most when you think about childhood. And her raspy voice, with misery clinging to her every word, stinging the same way battery acid would when rubbed on an open wound— it’s this overkill you’d rather forget.

You are raised partially by your mother. Raised. A strange word, you chew through it like molasses any time it needs to escape your mouth when speaking about your mother. In truth, it’s a term you use rather loosely when it comes to her or your father, considering who they are, what they’ve done and not done— you’d never let that on. You’d first bite your tongue raw before betraying one of your own.

In the early days you wonder what, sometimes who, had tricked your mother into believing there was nothing worth staying alive for.  Never fall in love kid

You’d often hear her whisper in the dark. Nowadays you hope she takes her meds, lest she remains tucked in bed for days on end. All you ask for, all you pray for, is that you won’t find her floating, almost unconscious, in a murky bath of cold water, lavender oil, and blood again.

It is this incident that comes as the catalyst you need to step up and look after her and the rest of the family.

As the sunlight drowns in a wave of infinite darkness, you make your way to the local pub to drag your father back home, where he will continue to drink until daylight graces the skies once more. After an incident that you hide away in one of the innermost corners of your mind, you know better than to touch his liquor cabinet.

It feels right to be a nurse– the perfect career for the eternal caregiver. You even enjoy it at first, going from your overly protective role at home to your overzealous shift at the local hospital. Feeling invincible, you burn the candle at both ends, the uncertain flame illuminating a smile that is all teeth, eyes blinking rapidly to prevent any tears from coming.

When your father’s liver finally succumbs to decades of the disease that plagued him, you forget how to breathe. Guilt immediately burrows inside your heart, builds a home in the now vacant spot where papá used to live and ushers a devastating thought.

You can’t save anyone.

The thought haunts you, follows you to work where you end up making fatal mistakes. You don’t make a scene when they finally fire you and instead feel some sense of peace for the first time.

The world calls out to you, begs for you to break free from the ties that bind you home, and suddenly brimming with joy, you don’t hesitate to answer. The intrinsic love that is inherent in the fabric of your being remains, it only changes shape. Flowers, plants– the love and care that you put into them is always gratifying, more forgiving than your complex human.

An electrifying new lease on life brings you to become an apprentice for a florist in California, which leads to more opportunities around the country as your skills grow sharper and more sophisticated. 

Since the ultimate goal is to open your own flower business, you make your way to Colorado, where the rental market doesn’t seem as frightful as that of California.

[a-bio-hero-writer]

I will step away from Tumblr for a while. Don’t know for how long, I’ll finish the works first before that though.

Writing this took me two days. I’m still uncertain about posting this, as though I potentially left a few imprecisions. But it hurts having to relieve this panic and hopelessness over and over again all for the sake of writing down a properly cohesive post.

Warning: Talk of mature topics - in this case death

I failed to save a life.

That knowledge will forever haunt me and Tumblr’s mainscreen will forever mock me, one way or another, for that happening.

American kids are not alright. Especially now with the post-election period.

On 7th of November 2024, your regular Tumblr user, a girl - school age girl - chose to end her life. Even though I did everything I could as an internet stranger, I will forever feel like I could’ve done more to help her, to prevent this from happening.

This sense of hopelessness, it aches. A kid killed herself and I didn’t do enough to stop it from happening.

I wish she was here with us. I didn’t even know her name, I only saw her post once. My feed refreshed and I spent solid two hours trying to find her blog again just to be able to message her, try to reason or offer a temporary escape if that was what she needed. But that didn’t help and she was already dead set on her decision.

I failed. This world failed.

She committed suicide.

People might say that there can’t be certainty because I don’t know her personally, I can’t confirm whether it’s a death or just a stunt. Somehow though I feel that it was true. She said she’d delete her blog if she decides to go through with the plan. On 7th of November 2024 I logged into Tumblr, hoping to see a response. All I got was the information that her account was deactivated. Precisely like she said she would.

She was a kid and she was so terrified of a hopeless future that she thought that ending her life was the better option.

She’s dead and I can’t help but feel this horrendous guilt, even if my friends tried to assure me that it’s irrational, that I did everything I could to help. One of my friends was kind enough to help me with the search for her account, and he repeatedly reminded me that there’s only so much that can be done and that I tried my best.

But she’s dead.

I did everything I could but it still wasn’t enough.

Stop killing children.

The current state is so bad that children are driven to such drastic measures. You shoot at students who protest peacefully, you drive them into despair and make them lose hope for a better world.

The children don’t deserve this cruelty.

Please.

Let the kids live.

Help them.

Save them.