#So fuck off cuz I know I'm broken and I don't need you to pretend there's a cure

[insaneillusionist]

I love searching for mental illness tags I can pin on myself so I can fix what's wrong with me like a little checklist.

Anyway if anyone tries to suggest I might have a specific mental illness unless I ask for you to tell me, I will most likely block you or ignore that. This is one of the few boundaries I am forming, and it is a hard one.

[manic-sapphic]

gonna pretend i'm sorry for this cause tbh- it's just a string of spop gifs where i rant for way too long about the feels i get from each scene~

(-hey - i said sorry, ok ... sure, i openly admitted it was a lie - but i guess i just hoped you'd appreciate the slight effort of the pretense-)

this moment obviously kills me- just like i know it does for alotta you- but i just gotta call attention for a sec to what exactly kills me the most about it: up until this point, we've constantly been shown brief moments of catra's expression betraying her true vulnerable state - even if it's just a close-up of her eyes - during which less than a second passes before the look in them transitions from sad/hurt or disappointment/self-hatred (anything of the sort, really) to anger/ resentment/ rage. her brow usually falls quite quickly as her eyes narrow, refusing to allow her real feelings to continue just being felt - (& tbh, for most the show, i think she's just so fucking afraid of what might happen if she does let herself feel them- esp s4 after the portal)

but in this scene - that's changed. it's completely turned around, flipped upside down - she starts off w her usual habit - a display of resentment and rage - that dissolves into the most heart-breaking freaking expression i think i've ever seen. because you can see just how heart-broken she is- and it kinda seems like she's tryna admit, w/o having to say it- that she was already heart-broken for a really long time, and is tryna make one last attempt at getting adora to understand- not to choose catra- that's not the point, that's not what catra's after, even if it is what she wants and needs to know (for her own peace of mind) if the feeling is mutual-

rn, all catra is desperately tryna get adora to even just think about - is herself. take away every single person she feels responsible for - which is literally everyone.. everyone - a feeling, btw, catra now understands to be an unconscious reflex born of the trauma shadow weaver had caused adora. she's finally able to see it was never just her - adora was just traumatized far more secretively & in ways that would be harder for others to notice (which i'm sure was very much on purpose)

- the weird convos w shadow weaver, disguised as personal pep talks, looked as if they only took place when shadow weaver had adora alone - but in failsafe, catra hangs back to listen & make sure there's no bull shit going on- just like she said she would- "i'm only going to make sure shadow weaver doesn't try anything - it's not because i like you-" (yeah yeah we get it- u DoN't LiKe HeR ~ duuuh, that's cuz u luv her u dummy <3)

oh but now- now i gotta talk about THIS look right here- as if the expression they give catra when/after she asks "what do you want, adora?" isn't enough to see me out in the backyard digging my own goddamn grave- then they throw this shi on my tv screen just seconds later ?! tf. i mean- the way catra's eyes shift up- no longer able to keep looking at adora after the only answer she can give her as to what she wants is "i have to do this, catra - i'm the only one who can" ... FUUUUUUU THO OK

for so many reasons, too many for me to get into in a post i already feel bad about cause dude i ain't near done ranting on scenes and moments annnd i see how long it's already gotten- my bad, fr- so i'll just try (and fail) to narrow it down and keep it brief- catra's questioning what adora wants is definitely aimed most importantly at her hope that maybe she can still get adora to even just think about that- to realize that she's allowed to and should think about it.

but i also read it as, once again, these two knowing each other so well that they don't always have to say exactly, word for word, what they wanna ask or tell each other- the emotional stuff is weird and hard for them to even put into words still, tbh; cause i mean, ya know- orphaned child soldiers discouraged from even showing any signs of illness when sick, cause asking for medical attention would be a real loser move for a kid to make, right.. like, wtf? dude- they can take on so much and handle the gnarliest situations that require strength and skills and abilities i couldn't ever ever fucking fathom facing - but feelings? tf? all i can ever hear them thinking in response to those: "ohhh fckfckfck what is this, why is this & how do i make it stop -???"

so when catra asks adora what she wants, i mostly hear her begging adora to be a little selfish - just this once, at least - and let herself think about herself, but i also hear catra's most vulnerable, desperate, & honest ask of adora so far. what i hear woven in what catra actually says aloud, is another quiet question she's still too scared to put into words, but that i kinda think she hopes/knows adora will hear if she's really listening- "do you want me?"

uggghh and the way that after a moment of an outward, unfiltered display of grief over adora's answer (or more accurately, lack of an answer), catra wipes her eyes and turns away. the switch flipped. back on her bull shit. emotional defense mechanisms she's once again starting to feel are the right idea & always were, and is prob feeling like a fool for ever thinking she might actually get to have a life where she doesn't have to feel them as necessities - where it doesn't feel like that's the only way she'll ever survive.

cause maybe by now, she's seen that some people get to have that - but it's just not the life that was ever meant for her. just like adora was never meant to have a life of her own - at all - period. they're both still so easily fcking convinced of what they've been conditioned to believe about themselves, their lives, and the inevitabilities associated w their existence - (FUCK OFF FOREVER SHADOW WEAVER)

and the quick little moment of adora shown just after catra disappears - possibly gone from her sight forever - the shorter close-up of her reaction before the shot goes waaay back and she cries out for catra - i feel like it def doesn't get enough recognition (prob mostly due to the fact that the clip of adora yelling catra's name comes only seconds later and is portrayed far more dramatically, & in a way that crushes tf outta ur soul, ofc)

but that lil bit there- that brief second of adora's initial reaction- the moment she starts to process that catra just left- that catra's gone, and that this time- adora thinks it's probably for good- her short, shuddering intake of breath followed by what seem like more hurried, forced breaths that kinda appear difficult for her to take- sound like the first seconds of a fcking panic attack to me dude.

and it certainly hurts to watch just as much as when she calls out after catra - although yeah, tbh, that bit stings a lil extra in its own way- i mean, knowing catra had to have heard adora pretty much scream out her name seconds after she disappeared w melog- fuck. (idk how tf catra didn't come right back tbh. i'd be visible again so quick, rushin to adora like "omg bb i'm so sorry- pls don't cry, never ever, ily so much, won't ever hurt u again ok- ilysm omg omfg ily i'm so sorry" & btw, that's a totally normal thing to think when watching that scene ok-)

oh but then - omfg - adora gets a swift slap in the face from the crystal castle - the haunting of a sudden, unexpected vision of catra. all the catra's. catra in so many of the different forms adora's known her through, even if it was as enemies. it reminds me a bit of an excerpt out of the "don't go" fanfic - "catra hasn't been in her life for a long time - but she hadn't known how unbearable it would be to lose her for good until that moment" -

neither of these bitches ever wanted each other gone- catra (very sadly so) def spent most the series tryna convince herself that's how she felt about adora- tho it's just cause her conditioning taught her to think needing someone makes you weak and easy to hurt, and tbh, i think catra knew she needed adora for most their lives, even if she could never admit it to herself in even the form of a full, conscious thought--

but i think she also believed that, after the promise, that need was confirmed to be mutual. and in that way, it was something catra never needed to say but also never felt the need to be ashamed of/embarrassed by- until adora left. and her belief that the feeling of needing each other for support & protection (and let's be honest, care & affection) was mutually shared between them was shattered - & in such a way that i imagine catra musta felt like she was the actual idiot all along - adora had never needed her, and now she needed to figure out how to achieve that same independence - she needed to figure out how to not need adora.

omg tho dude - pretty sure i've said it before but i can't not say it (aka rant on it tho tbh- sorry lol) again and prob every time i ever share anything that features this couple seconds of what i kinda feel to be adora's most honest, selfish, & vulnerable moment we see up to this point- & without her needing to say a fucking thing- just tears that fall from her eyes after catra basically says "uhh yeah ok so- fuck that nonsense- i'm not leaving, idc wtf happens- i'm staying with you"

--(cause yeah, maybe she spent the last few years too prideful and stubborn to admit that was always what she wanted to do and where she loved being the most- and after so little time spent back by adora's side- it was breaking her fucking heart all over, knowing her chance at having time w adora was going away again- but regardless, catra gets now- that part's not up to her; it's never been her choice to make- & not even adora's, really- but deciding to stay w adora no matter where she goes- that's always been up to her- and she's not ever fucking making the mistake of choosing not to stay right beside that silly sweet dummy ever, eeeever again)

BUT duuude tho - the way adora cries a bit but says nothing - doesn't attempt even once to try n convince catra to go, to push her to leave and get somewhere safe - i just can't help but figure catra staying with her is exactly what she wanted, but never would've asked for in a million years. never would've even let herself form the question in her head.

but in spite of that, when catra states it unequivocally and clearly adds w confidence - "no matter what happens" - adora can't argue. she can't insist. much like catra hasn't really been able to do for quite a while now - adora can't fake it anymore. she's just too tired and she finally has to recognize she wants someone to take care of her, too - just like she's felt compelled to do for everyone else for so long. and in that moment, i feel like she's finally wordlessly admitting to catra, not only does she want her to be the one to take care of her - she needs her to be (and always has)

ahhhh but oof-baboof bro - then there's all this.

somehow, catra straight up delves deep into the abyss currently consuming adora & pretty much says - "fuck no. plsss wake up - you can't just die like this, not before you ever get a chance to live your own fcking life, good god dude - i get now why you couldn't before, but please, this time - STAY."

(huh- stay.. another way of saying "don't go"... hmmm :) <3)

these gurls literally got so much love for each other that catra is able to straight up force open an entryway into adora's fading subconscious (which seems to be the only part of her that's still alive) - just by talking to her - barely above a whisper there in the heart, but in adora's mind, she's screaming at her.

the desperate, hopeful sentiments uttered, urging adora to keep going - to push through this and come out the other side alive - to please survive because you deserve to - are just that much stronger when they come from catra- it's that loud to adora when catra is the one saying it- cause she's finally freaking realized, catra's the one she most hopes to hear it from. knowing catra feels that way about her is something she's never really had, and vice versa ofc, even when they were both in the horde. it wasn't the kind of thing they were taught to say or even acknowledge feeling - but hearing catra beg her to just stay alive - and then hearing why catra so desperately hopes for her to - adora's made certain that it really is true -

she does deserve love, and there's someone whose love she's realized she wants- and they're holding her, telling her she has it & always has. and suddenly staying isn't a hope, isn't a plea - it's an inevitability. adora ain't going nowhere--

and, so reminiscent of adora's line to catra near the end of save the cat: "c'mon catra, you've never listened to anyone in your life - are you really going to start now?" we hear catra imploring adora: "you've never given up on anything in your life- not even on me- so don't you dare start now!"

they both know each other so well, they know the best buttons to push that might just work when tryna reach each other, even when one of them is lost to the point of nearly being gone for good - they don't find a door to open - they take a saw to the fucking wall and make one. and pull the other back through. cause everything will be ok if they just stay together. and once they've both finally accepted the truth to that - that's all they wanna do, to the point of refusing to allow each other to die when faced with that possibility. and likewise, refusing to die- just knowing the other is there waiting for them, wanting them, is enough to bring them back -

wanting the life they haven't gotten to share yet, and straight up refusing to let anything take the hope of that future away - even if it means unlocking their true, innate she-ra form (and beginning to understand that they are magic & it was never about the stupid sword) - or if it's wielding some strange, mysterious power w/o prob even knowing they are- like reaching through a metaphysical doorway into the mind of the love of your life and grasping as far and as desperately as you can for their hand, trying- and succeeding- to pull them back from the brink of death.

their story is literally so lovely. & individually, they are truly such honest, raw, complex and thought-provoking characters - presented in a way that offers viewers a fairly rare experience, even these days, of seeing a story written by people willing to honor the honesty everyone deserves to see and may kinda need to see - things aren't always shiny, happy, good times & people aren't perfect- quite literally, no one is- but that doesn't mean there's no point trying. that doesn't mean there's no hope of a happy ending - or that you don't deserve one. it's literally all just part of life, part of living that you'll find yourself faced w figuring out along the way- whether the answers are good or bad. and that's an insane idea to thread into a freaking cartoon dude - wuhhh tf

oh and ps- catradora are canon. (almost wanna end every rant w this reminder lolol) ~~ they cannot be stopped, this shit won't ever be undone lmao. & that makes me wanna say- "hell yes!" and for anyone who it makes wanna say "hell no" - all i got in response to that isssss "more catradora for us then - hell yes x2"

:) <3

[alekthefox]

Kavetham/Haikaveh in fantasy/myth hybrids AU (Homebrew 5e D&D)

I imagine Alhaitham has some new Kaveh-related lie about his relics of earpieces (legendary in D&D terms).

Alhaitham: "I wear them to shield from Kaveh's voice. He's a siren."

NPC: "OH. You are traveling with a siren??" (terrified, impressed)

Kaveh, bird-human or bird-lion-human (Aarakocra or Griffin): "Ok, what the fuck?"

(Do not start the siren or mermaid argument, myths are different, both are correct. A siren in one myth is bird-human like harpies and in another fish-human like mermaids.)

Alhaitham: "These? My travelling companion, Kaveh, is a banshee. He burst my eardrums long ago."

(Banshee - screaming ghost, psychic damage inbound)

Kaveh, yelling from Alhaitham's fancy-ass cart, therefore not really beating the allegations: "YOU—!!!! Ohhhh! I'm picking your scales/feathers off tonight!"

(Can't decide between Gorgon/snake-human Alhaitham or his canon bird-coded self.)

Ramble headcanons below line

But also I absolutely need to see Haikaveh/Kavetham preening the other's wings.

And Kaveh puffing up his feathers. Specifically the chest feathers. Because Alhaitham's frustrating. Chest feathers because his shirt-less shirt—that's actually just sleeves cuz its frontless and backless—needs to stay from canon.

Where did Haithem get this relic? Illegal shit. Obviously.

Kaveh's probably a paladin (just for righteousness, not specifically religions or the crown or revenge) or a bard. Yes, bard. They don't always need to be musical. Make an architectural bard. But also you cannot tell me this man can't dance. OMG WAIT ARTIFICER? YES, HE'S AN ARTIFICER. THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE ACTUALLY. +AUTOMATON MEHRAK

Alhaitham? He's the most broken multiclass you can think of. Not one I can, but one you can. My suggestion rn would be wizard+fighter, there's a specific 5e wizard subclass that's broken with fighter. Or was that bladesinger I'm thinking of?? Either way he still pretends he's a feeble low-level wizardly scholar. And can put on a show if needed to seem like barbarian rage (AZAR!!!!) also thaumaturgy red eyes edgy fucking bitch (I love him).

I don't know much about the mechanics ok I just had a silly idea

[sehodreamsthoughts]

omg okay i’m all over the place baby but i was helping a customer tn and he was being nice (most of our customers are horrible people) and when he left he called me ‘dear’ and because my brain is broken i immediately thought that’s so eunseok, fuma, kun coded pls🤭🤭 idk i was blushing hehe i hate when men talk to me normally but i just thought i was kinda cute cuz it sounded sincere<3

but ummmmm loser incel mark.. like.. running a podcast for like sigma males lmfaooo but maybe he does it under the guise of it being a dialogue on being a man.. on feminism, if u know what i mean? like he’s like im just talking about it type of shit like oh he’s such a deep thinker🤕🤕 so he gets a lot of girls that way,,, and i imagine he runs this podcast directly with or with collaboration from jaehyun, jungwoo, haechan, jeno.. type of idols.. i can also imagine idols from other groups to but hear me out !!!!

so they probably wouldn’t advertise this.. but they’d probably make some type of bet on how many girls mark could bed using sigma male methods or smth stupid like that, basically just how many girls can he fuck in like a week or smth… and that’s kind of where i get lost.. but we’ve got some choices. a) innocent, virgin!reader who falls into his trap, b) reader who is known for being easy but she doesn’t fall for his stupid tactics… at least at first or.. a secret third thing idk yet i’m not being very creative

- 🥟 anon

Oh I know that feeling 😭🩷 I'm happy that at least you had nice customer today honey!!

Okay that podcast sounds like something funny tho, I honestly have no idea what sigma males are, but I can see them all with glasses trying to pretend they're intellectuals about real gender equity, disguising all their dumb thoughts with a nice voice that gets them a public just because they sound hot and are slightly eloquent (on podcasts) but everything they say it's pure bullshit 😭

I like your options but of course those two would have different results, a)reader would sadly be manipulated by incel!mark, he'd gaslight her so bad into thinking everything he does it's actually normal, or that she's exaggerating all the time, like why do you need to see my phone? She's just a team member, and you've met her so many times, how could you distrust your own sex? Making her think oh yeah maybe I'm exaggerating when SHE'S NOT. He'd push her limits a lot too, all the time with that pretty face, pushing back his glasses between kisses telling her to lift her skirt for him, and if she says she's not sure, he'd be like Don't you trust me? Me? The one who's always been there for you? The one who holds your hand when you feel sad, the one who helps you when you have problems and the one who gives you everything?

He's a total manipulator 😭, he'd never make her pay half the bill only because he wants her in exchange. Oh, and he probably would convince her that she's dumb too when she's having a hard time in school, and that if it wasn't for him, she would be nothing.

In case of b)reader I think he'd be so awkward all the time, trying to show off his knowledge in different topics but reader immediately recognizing what he's trying to do, the obvious mansplaining, his always condescending tone, even how he has a slight tic on the eye and his hands can't never stay still when he talks, how easily he loses his composure and he's simply so fucking pathetic that she can't help but find him funny, so she keeps acting dumb only to see what else is he doing next, a date in which he tells her that she should pay her part and not being able to follow even the shallowest topic she brings to not let the silence become as uncomfortable as him.

I have no idea how the third reader could be, but maybe she just met him on tinder hoping to have a great date and seeing everything go TO HELL while being with him in person, not wanting to go to his house but only accepting because she's too fucking horny and wants some dick, and the sex would be lame as fuck at first but then it'd become aggressive from both of them, she scratching him hard and he using a bit too much strength while choking her, it'd be hate sex to the max 😭

[bluestarlett]

Additionally; her poem she wrote after the election

They demonize identity politics,

Because they're afraid of who they are.

Stuff your soul down,

Scotch really hits hard.

Now refashion your identity around

Your brand new car (the price is right soundbite).

If you run from the Id,

You'll run over yourself.

How can you ignore what you did?

You dust off the atrocities collected on your shelf.

Too broke to eat ramen

We've got a lot more in common

Than dichotomy 

Reach behind the right eye

For a tool shed lobotomy

Sew your lids 

Spew from the mouth

Cage migrant kids

No thinking allowed

It is what it is

“American” Proud

Corporate illiterates

Shit on your citizens 

And we'll take the piss

Mine the green precious gems

Give us your 2 cents

We'll get back to where the end begins

Medicare for the mediocre 

Fund the border

Gag and choke her

Who's this God damn war for?

Melting pots

Forget Me Not’s

Bloody rusted gears

Halt to a stop

Keep having babies 

Contraception is a sin

Eradicate rabies and 

Listen to your parasites within

Doctor Worm and Boring Tony Stark

Are here to eat your breakfast

Pistol whipped in a silk slip

Baby, this ain't Texas 

Put your 28 children on a starship

Rocket combustion 

Red rust target

Xox son

Meet you in the future

By erasing the past

Don't look down or back

Your sight won't last

Innovation by castration 

Unnatural selection 

Your momma's abdomni-nation

Blind box babies are so 2012

I want to pick his eye color

And set him on my shelf

Another soul brought to earth

On a ticket of greed and legacy

What happens when he grows up

And doesn't want for anything 

Will you publicly humiliate

Those parts of yourself 

You look in the mirror

Loathing what you'll be

So you chose not to hear her

Refuse to see

Are you the master

Or the puppet 

Will you last here

Will you crumble

Do you enjoy what you did

To broken hearts, the needy,

Every woman, and the kids?

When a man carries

A heavy burden,

He learns to live in kindness.

Of that I'm certain.

I beg don't turn on me,

I'm only here to help you,

You've only stepped on me,

You tread right through.

You leave me oh so tempted,

But I will not (Not not not),

Do the devil's dance (Nor his song),

I'll buy more memory for my heart (Maybe not).

Everyone needs a chance (They forgot),

How do you think we got here? (I will not).

I will not shoot you in-advance,

Mostly cuz I'm not a good shot,

I want to love you,

But damn you make it hard.

For one day let's switch shoes,

We could see how the other makes due.

In a world where we are supposed to be fighting,

We used to look at diversity as inspiring.

What happened to you?

What happened to me?

When diplomacy died,

Did any soul see?

The war I'm waging

Is a bloodless battle,

A contest of beauty.

How much glass is in an hour?

They won't take my love,

Even if they can snuff my light.

Only in this 3D level,

So either way I'll be alright.

My daddy always showed me,

Battle false justice.

If you want to know peace,

Punch a fucking Nazi,

Then slugger up his knees.

Find a girl with blue hair,

If you want a friend that's mostly fair.

Seek a fellow in a red hat,

If you enjoy discussing alternative facts.

But they're all invited to Christmas,

Grandma loves everybody,

Except for that boy who said,

“Your body, my choice,”

In a nasally fucking voice.

If I see him, he's dead,

Smelling blood like a shark,

I'm the hammer to his head.

Maga Jr. got doxxed,

And fled home to his mom.

Who I'm assuming is a woman,

Most mothers have vaginas,

And it's possible nobody told him,

That babies grow inside us.

When a liberal troll,

Decided to stroll,

Up to his mommy's doorway,

She rung the doorbell,

And got pepper sprayed to hell,

Next to Ms. Fuentes’ garden.

He is no patriot,

When he sleeps with treason,

He lives in fear,

And severely lacks reason,

Over-correct a bit more,

You closeted homophobe.

It's obvious to people you don't even know,

These aren't pretend clowns,

And this isn't your show.

Back to love,

Now here we go,

I see your Jack,

But ill raise you a King,

Of hearts, of honor,

Truly righteous things.

Let's take a moment of silence,

To hear the last living night bird sing,

His opera is tragic but delicate,

Fleeting and forever,

A song sung for a million years,

The enigma of music that can bring you to tears.

Maybe that is the answer,

To avert a civil disaster,

Jam out together,

Swap out laughter for aggression,

Paint a mural in the park,

It's so much fun we'll be out past dark.

I wish we all remembered,

How to play together,

Unsportsmanlike approach alright,

It's fucking uncool,

And I don't want to fight.

When I kill a bill by leaving it on my desk,

It didn't do it out of malice,

I'm just not familiar with the practice,

On holding out until the end.

I'd really like to hit you,

But I'd love even more to help you.

Most of the time my angel is louder,

Than my devil on my shoulder,

I love some petty drama,

But I loosely believe in karma.

But karma isn't the ALL,

Keeping me against this wall,

In fact, it's my maternally gifted trauma,

Sisyphus was a fool,

On the principle of parable or rule.

Throw in a useful idiot,

They already called you a tool,

Your job is to get rid of it,

And put GOD “back” into school.

Teeth don't matter when you're calcium free,

Third eye open, pineal gland clean,

Remote view your mom,

We all said satire was dead

Then The Onion won the Information Wars

And turned us on our heads

Teeth don't matter when you're calcium free,

Third eye open, pineal gland clean

Remote view your mom 

Dancing naked in the mirror 

Elon's bomb

BOMB-X livin

Own the libs

I call dibs

On pissing on your corner

Garbage Pail Max Headroom

Dismantle justice with a weird hairdo

Burn down the book of law

Make them forget the truth 

Pit Brothers against one another

Incite violence in the news

Groom some minors

That you stalked on Snapchat

Young ladies put on your blinders

Grimey Matt wants to hit that 

If Bolton is sounding the alarm

Bitch, I'm a volcano

What is this timeline

Lame sim-u-la-tion

I want to laugh and cry together 

Just as inconsistent as this new weather

Winter is dead

But there's no time better

Because when we're all dead

We won't need a sweater

I can't afford the.north face 

I'm stalling in this human race

The body breaks down 

But my heart builds up

It's good to slow down 

But i don't give up

Cut off my hand

Cut off my head

I've been here all night

Waiting on an available bed

No matter to me

Time is not what we think it is

Nothing is real and everything matters

my mom writes poetry and wanted me to post some

she’s been writing a lot to deal with her grief and was wanting some sort of reach however she’s not super well-versed on social media so asked me to post some here.

Her first one she wrote about Will Wood, funnily enough. He’s a very important role model to her since she found his music after her dad died and it helped her through a lot. He also looks exactly like my dad lol

“The Old Gods Are Dead

More than two books gives me analysis paralysis Turns my prefrontal cortex gelatinous But here's my societal psychoanalysis

The Age of Anxiety Fear and false piety Only perceiving a fraction of Is it a quantum reaction When the TV became me And I became the tree That was up there on the screen

What the fuck does it all MEAN?

You are my artificial perception That I'll take as an ugly lesson My father gave me music It feels like time to use it In a different way than I always did

Host your demons Feel the changing seasons Turn the mirror around As your ego starts to weaken

Do you ever wonder sometimes Maybe if we didn't distract ourselves and waste our lives Would we see what's just out of reach Parallel Our eyes unbleached

Hyperspace is just too loud That buzzing Beeping Screaming Sound

So I'll surrender all my wisdom and power To forget And consume brain rot for just an hour

It's lonely at the top You've gotta understand To be aware nonstop Is hell for any man

I'll keep posting my kids on Facebook I'll misunderstand some great books I'll do anything to gain looks I will fuck up some decent hooks All for the sake of shoulder shrug

Are drugs considered ‘media’ “Drugs” are what they're feeding ya So the Soylent Green And the American Dream Maintains efficacy This is how it has to be

You used to be a Dreamweaver But you got sick when Mother Earth caught a fever Please don't give up on her yet We can win this, I bet

But if you show those white flags You might spawn a system that lags Wake up in the metaverse No need for that last ride In an 80s hearse No need for primitive pride

Being God is boring To exist as odd and flawed sounds alluring Maybe I could invent the wheel After the chariot Try to have child And have to bury it

To be a lab rat is a blessing I'll take a stab at constant stressing Ponder if I'm the control group Wander through the mirrored maze room

But once in a while I recall that I was once The collective mind The nature of flux

Being God is lonely Being human is pain Solitude is holy Humanity is insane”

and this is one she wrote during her… second? Stay at a psychiatric ward.

“Unit Red Love Letter

The sun and the moon were sharing the sky 11 am lucky strike Wishing I was high

I lay in the grass A small patch just for one To dream about home And laying next to you

Marigold toes Covered in ashes and prose A sunflower sapling Thriving in the throes

Black n Mild An unsuspected teacher Sees an abandoned child Heartbreak Validated She knows we are to be liberated

Don't fall back down your own black holes Keep looking up, and don't forsake your goals

Your family is nothing Ina world so cold Don't let them crush your worth Don't give them your soul

Be defiant Boldly go Find the sun Fill the dark hole”

[develation]

A Lifeguard's preach- please read

Okay, hi, welcome to my Ted talk. So surprise for some of you but I work as a lifeguard, and I have some things to say about my experience for the 2 years I've worked as one.

A lot of people have decided it's okay to crap on first responders lately, which is a subject I will lightly touch on. But pool lifeguards have been under-appreciated for a very long time. The pool I work at is like a mini-waterpark. We have slides, basketball hoops, a water playground, a lazy river (with tubes), an obstacle course, and concessions. Were not just your neighborhood pool, which means there are more dangers to look out for. Because you can tell yourself that things never happen, but that's a lie. Every day, things always happen.

So today I was walking my stand (grazing stands there called because you walk back and forth for 20 mins straight and then move to the next stand to do it all over again for another 20 mins. repeat that process for 2 hours on lazy river rotation). And this lady decided to sit right in the middle of where I'm walking. Now in lifeguarding, we have to keep a 10/20, which means 10 seconds to see someone and 20 seconds to get to them. And the zone I'm on is SCS which is the little kid playground, y'know, with TODDLERS AND BABIES EVERYWHERE. So in order to properly scan my zone and make sure none of these babies start choking on water, I ask her to move. And she looks at me and goes, "well you should have a sign there that says that." She moves, but did this lady seriously tell me that we should have a sign that says- "Please don't sit in the Lifeguards way. They are trying to make sure you and your child don't die." Like what?!

It's not just her, I alone have been disrespected so much on this job, it's stupid. I've had moms tell me to LEAVE MY ZONE and go get their kid because it will be my fault if they drown when the mother herself is on the other side of the lazy river. I've saved a boy and the mother said, "He was fine. I'm not filling out the paperwork, I just want to enjoy my last ten minutes here." Like, YOUR FUCKING WELCOME.

I am so sick of this. Do people don't even know the amount of training we do just to even work? I have at least 200 hours of training, and I don't even work the full year's cuz of school. It's not just CPR y'know? I know how to and train to handle Rescue-Breathing, seizures, chest compressions (yes, that is different from CRP), allergic reactions, heat stroke, burns, chemical burns (mostly for employees because we work with that stuff), Heimlich, Spinals (head, neck, and back injuries), eye trauma, and more. I, WE, may be no police officer or EMT, but we know our shit.

For working in general, while you're sitting in that cool water enjoying life. Where sitting there (or even worse, walking) in 2-hour rotations sweating our asses off. You can talk about those umbrellas we get on sitting stands all day BUT THEY DON'T DO CRAP. Because the sun MOVES in the sky. And most shifts are from 10:45 to 6:30, open to close. I have only worked 3 shifts that haven't been 7 or 8 hours long.

"What about lunch breaks?" well guess what, we don't get one! Every 2 hours we get 17 min breaks (15 guards on stand and 3 in break room at all times, that's how our rotation works) that could be interrupted at any moment because people don't drown on a schedule. My water bottle is broken (it leaks) from how many times I've thrown that thing when a long whistle goes off.

Just imagine, you're sitting there eating your well-deserved sandwich, slipping some water from your water bottle, chatting it up with the other guards. And then out of fucking nowhere- BRRRRRRRRRRRRR- *Hi this is adrenaline, I'm gonna turn all the way up now* "OH SHIT SOMEONE'S DROWNING FUCK FUCK FUCK-." And now you, your boss, and other 2 break guards are sprinting full speed across the pool deck trying not to trip over your own equipment. With your food and water bottle forgotten on the concrete of the guard-room floor. [It was a very sad day. I had ordered Jimmy Johns just for that...]

I have saved 8 people, all of them children. And every day, there are at least 2 saves, which means someone is drowning and a lifeguard has to jump in for them. Realistically though? There have been too many days for me to count where there were 8 or if not more saves. People take pool safety for granted, there fucking idiots who think that just because they're tall enough to go down the slide they can swim in the 12-foot deep catch pool. They think that they can go in the lazy river without a tube. Or that they don't need a lifejacket. Parents are idiots, who don't watch their children. In one of my saves, I watched a kid disappear underwater in front of me. One second they were above water and the next, just gone. It's not like the movies guys, there's no screaming or splashing. There's the weird doggy paddle, and then they stop making distance and are weirdly treading, and then they're gone. And then you have to pick out from the kids who are floating with their backs on the surface, the kids who pretend to drown for fun, and the adults who think it's okay to "test" the lifeguards.

Just today, within the first 20 mins of open we have a lady pass out. There's something horrifying about holding someone's limp body in your hands and them not waking up. Last year we had a lifeguard pass out from the heat on the lazy river. Just flop straight onto the pavement. In years past we had a woman have a heart attack on the deck. We kept her alive until EMS arrived but she died in the hospital 3 days later. There was another lady who busted her knee open and bled everywhere. Stuff always happens.

I make $10.86 an hour to save people's lives and get shit on while doing it. It's not everybody, I meet those parents who say, "Don't worry, I'll yell at them." Those kids whole actually put their tubes back and put back the tubes that everybody left right next to the corral. That one dude who filled up my water bottle with his water because, "I looked like I was melting and needed something good today". Those girls who say I'm pretty despite all my scaring and me having short hair (yes I have gotten judged for being a girl and having short hair). But most of the time, we are ignored and looked down upon.

Trust me, we don't mind small talk. Or making jokes, telling stories. We just want to be appreciated. And I just don't feel that most of the time. My bosses have been amazing to me, and they are one of the only reasons I come to work with a smile on my face. But above all that, I just want to fulfill the childhood-old dream of being a hero. Of saving a life. I know I'm not quite suited out for firefighting or EMT's or policing.

But I'm still doing it. And I would like for others to just see me, instead of yelling at me for saving their child's life.

[ohkissme]

Here's some Camren drama for y'll! (Got quite emotional bc 'Say You Love Me' by Jessie Ware & 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' by Paloma Faith are on repeat for a month now)

Camila: Lauren...

Lauren:

Camila: Speak. Please?

Lauren: *sighs* What, Camila? What is there to talk about?

Camila: Us. *sighs*

Lauren: *frowns and scoffs* Huh. It's been like what? 2 years, Camila. 2 fucking years since you've broken up with me.

Camila: You know my feelings never faded away no matter what I did, no matter what I do!

Lauren: Really? Stop telling me this right now, ok? You're in a relationship, man.

Camila: Because it's the truth. I still love you, Lauren. *breathe starts to slightly shake* Yeah sure I laugh, I eat proper meals, kiss Shawn... but whatever the hell I do, you never left my mind and it sucks, fucking sucks cuz I'm alone feeling this way. Those fucking songs I compose are always about you-

Lauren: How could you conclude for myself? You have no idea how much it hurts having someone who makes you smile o-or laugh. I've always wanted to be the only person who makes you feel all that but look what happened? What we are is not a mistake yet it's just so damn wrong, know what I mean? *bites lower lip to stop self from tearing*

Camila: You were the first to avoid me, Lauren yet I pretended that nothing's wrong, yet here I am in front of you trying to convince you that I really care about what we had in the past and maybe-

Lauren: Maybe what, Camila? Future? Oh c'mon! *scoffs* It may hurt to say this but your future isn't with me. 'Us' is just too complicated, just by thinking 'bout it.

Camila: But- *tears start streaming*

Lauren: You wanna hear me say it out, huh? *frowns* Yes, Camila. I still am in love with you after all these years. I've tried everything I could just to get a hold of these fucking feelings but I'm always ending up getting myself drunk in every chance I get.

Camila: *steps closer* Then why are we fighting these feelings?

Lauren: Because!

Camila: No, Lauren. It's stupid. We shouldn't be fighting these feelings when in fact nothing's changed.

Lauren: What I feel for you doesn't even matter anymore. You're getting married in 3 days! This is pathetic!

Camila: *gulps* Y-you think i'm getting married?

Lauren:

Camila: I've ended it a week ago, Lauren.

Lauren: Stop fooling around.

Camila: I'm not messing with you, I swear. *shows hand to prove there is no ring*

Lauren: *starts to cry*

Camila: *whispers* baby...

Lauren: *gazes passionately at the brown-eyed* I'm too afraid what would happen next after this...

Camila: *looks deeply into those green orbs and sniffs* Well...

Lauren: *gently wipes tears off Camila's face*

Camila: ...I just wanna spend my whole life falling deeper in love with you.

Lauren: *smiles softly* You never give up, don't you.

Camila: *chuckles* You'd do anything just to be with the person who makes you crazy in every possible way.

Lauren: Yep, and I'm such a jealous woman and too afraid to admit that that is my weak point when it comes to you, so I end up not doing anything 'bout it but just to get mad and drunk *shrugs*

Camila: I'm so sorry. *places a hand on Lauren's face*

Lauren: No need for that.

Camila: *sighs* I love you so bad, it hurts.

Lauren: *kisses the brown-eyed passionately, pulls apart after 7 seconds*

Camila:

Lauren: I take it back. Your future's with me, mi amor.

[dinviataunuitiptrans]

#dinviataunuitiptrans

It's 2020 and my only resolution is to take it easy on me and go walk whenever I feel the sadness circling my soul, so this day I do just that.

I woke up freezing because the heater got broken and I know that if I stay indoors I'm gonna fall into some sort of despair so I go and brew some few cups of tea, purr them in bottles, roll up my last blunt from the stash, eat some pasta left overs from new years eve, dress myself in pretty colors and head out. It's been one hour of walking therapy so I stop by McD. to pee and then head out to the small park to have a smoke and rest my legs.

"- Futu-ți morții mă-tii de adiere băşită" is the best my brain could think of when the wind blowed away the tobacco from my rizla while trying to roll, so I start all over.

"- Futu-ți morții mă-tii...", this is my second attempt, the tobacco is all over my pants so I take a deep breath and keep on trying.

"- Futu-ți morții mă-tiiiii!!!!"

That was my 3d attempt to roll but the wind had other plans for my lungs. But then you came bye amused by the words you didn't understand, holding a pack of cigarettes and inviting me to stop fighting the wind and have a smoke from your pack. So I take one and you take a seat next to me and we lit up the cancer tubes, I say thanks and you say I'm very cute and smile. To scare the shyness away I pretend to flip my hair in the gayest way possible:

- Oh, just cute? and I thought I was beautiful, now you destroyed my dreams to ever be an instagram sensation.

You start laughing and tell me I'm actually beautiful and we start playing this game where we kinda make fun of how dumb we as humans are, I'm cracking up silly jokes and you do the same, I tell you I find you very cute also and I apologise for shattering your dreams of being an insta model, you laugh and you give me another cigarette and then move a bit closer to me.

- You're very smart for such a young guy...are you seeing someone?

- Love, you're sweet but I'm not that young...

Then you touch my hand and tell me you already like me and that I don't have to lie to impress you because you have been with guys younger than my age. That's how I find out that I'm most likely 22 or 23 and that you're just few years older than me, you're 25. I tell you lies are not my sexy kink and that I'm born in 1984, on the 31st of May. You laugh but I see the awe on your face so I tell you the good looks run in my family and that if you see my brothers you'll know what I'm talking about.

- Show me

You say that and then cuddled so close to me that you give me no option but put my arm around you while I start pulling out pictures from the phone.

- Here is Patrick, he's the love of my life and one of the sweetest man the Universe has given us. He's gonna be 35 this year.

You say we look alike but that I'm prettier than him so I turn a bit red and start feeling kind of uncomfortable so I swipe away.

- In this picture he's with Max, they are at a court hearing. Max is the oldest one, he is in his 40s and he lives here in UK but up north. I haven't seen him for ages and I miss him and his signature paranoia very much. This is Andrei, I have tons of pictures with him, we live together and he is so sweet that every time I think of him my heart melts. Probably the reason I take secret pictures of him while sleeping.

I show you more pictures with him and tell you the story when I had to sleep in his room and how he cuddled close to me when we were sleeping and you press yourself against my body and tell me you get it why. This makes me feel even more uncomfortable cuz you kinda took up every cm of my personal space but I don't know what to do so I brush it off.

- He's 22 and he might be one of the sexiest of us but he's not the youngest, Gherman is. See? This is Gabi but I call him Gherman, this is a screenshot from one of our chats, I always do this pictures when we talk so that I have them to look at when I miss them. You would say he's 14 but actually he just turned 18. He's an adorable pain in the ass but with the soul in the right place. And this is Chriss, look how gorgeous this guy is and his heart is pure gold. He's such a talented artist but unfortunately he wasn't discovered yet, he draws nudes and erotic art and it's mind fucking blowing. This is a photo with Chriss, Rami and Teo, I almost cried when I got these pictures of them. Rami represents the whole notion of humanness and he's shy just like me.

- This guy is blonde... is he also your brother?

You pointed out to Teo so I show you more pictures with him and then pull up pictures with Andreas also.

- Yeah, we have few blondes in our family but we decided to love them nonetheless. This is Andreas, not only that he's blond but he's also a very wise man. It's always such a pleasure talking to him. He's in Germany now. Just like Leo.

I'm looking for pictures with Leo so I start scrolling for the screenshots from the last whatsapp conversation and you decide to take a break from your cuddle and have a smoke. Now I feel more comfortable even though you're still resting your body next to mine.

- Here is my adorable Leo.

- He looks alot like the first guy without the beard..

- Like Patrick?

- Yeah

You see the pictures with me and Vlăduț and you like him.

- This is your brother also, I can tell. Is he old like you?

- No, actually he's young like you. And also an amazing musician and sound therapist. He makes sounds with weird instruments and then you feel a bit better. But he's not in London anymore, he returned home, he wasn't feeling very good here.

I feel you're a bit disappointed and probably thinking that you'll have to settle with me but once you get me started with my brothers it's very hard to make me stop.

- And this is Aris, he looks like an artist because he is one, he's a painter and a tattoo artist. And this is Elias, if you're ever looking for a smart conversation then he's the guy to go to. Him or Alexander. The difference is the sarcasm of Alex versus the warmth of Elias.

Then I show you Alexander and you smile and ask me if Elias and Alex are twins but I have no chance to answer because now you're handing me your phone and ask me to pull up my fb and I do just that so you start looking around while I'm getting even more nostalgic going through the pictures in my phone. I'm looking for a picture with Abel but I have no more time to show it to you

- You're transgendered?

- Oh love, there's no such thing as being "transgendered", nobody can transgender me, I am transgender because this is how I am.

- You mean you're not a real man?

- I'm just as a real human as you are love, and for sure am a man. Just that I'm a trans man

- And you're proud of this sickness...

And then you show me my cover photo.

I felt your disgust even since you said "Trasgendered" and I know very well that look in your eyes, I once had a crazy girlfriend who used to look at me just like that and somehow it feels so fucking familiar that I sense what is going to happen next so I try my best to avoid it. I tell you that each of us has its own life to live and that people must learn to accept and embrace diversity if we want to heal this human race. I tell you that body parts are just that, body parts and that gender identity is not defined by sexual anatomy. I want to tell you more but I was right and you snap into rage mode, slap the shit out of me almost poking my eye out with your nails.

- Fucking disgusting predator, man with pussy, you should be burned alive.

You walk away in anger showing the middle finger, shouting "fuck you", so I shout back that you wish to have the luck to get fucked by such a proud trans man but that I don't fuck crazy bitches anymore so you turned around and you were fuming so I told you that if you come back to hit me again I'm gonna punch you in the face. You left. I start rolling one and feel sorry I got angry and yelled back but somehow so relieved that you went away.

Dear L.,

You have my FB now and somehow I hope this message gets to you: please get some medical help you are in desperate need, and you won't get to meet nice guys like me everywhere.

I know you have serious mental issues cuz a healthy mind wouldn't let you go to total strangers looking for their attention and affection on a bench in a park, you don't cuddle with strange men and expose yourself like that.

I lived with a girl like you, extremely violent and unstable that is, for a whole year and I know that you were just looking to meet somebody that looks like a nice guy but actually hoping to get an asshole so you can have an excuse to violently manifest your pain. Been there through that already so I know the drill. The fact that you discovered I'm transgender was just the trigger you were looking for, and I didn't feel you hated me but I did feel that you wanted to make someone suffer and you found me, so it was just a matter of time until something would have triggered you.

PS: I'm sorry I threatened you but I don't like being hit. I wouldn't have hit you back but I would have called the ambulance because I learned that being a sweet person doesn't help when somebody suffers like you do.