#calm me down

[melodystep]

I WANNA BE NO SEEKER..

[an-experienced-gentleman]

You always can calm me down.

Six Sexy Words

[remma-demma]

Never change YouTube.

Reminds me of when I was like 14 listening to 8 tracks about davekat or whatever and I thought “Arms Tonite” was sooooo romantic. Aww. They’re sad they’re not together because one of them is dead. How sweet and sad.

And Lyn had to stop me and be like “it’s a sex metaphor”

[constructbreakdown]

Jungle Glide | Ambient | Chill | Instrumental | New Age [original AI song]

[glittter-vamp]

I am so glad Eli is driving back home because it’s time to pull out the big guns.

[disasterhimbo]

[ID: a chart where the y axis is a scale from “you can’t do it” to “you can do it,” and the x axis is a scale from “don’t give up” to “give up.”

The “you can do it” and “don’t give up” quadrant says, “you will prevail. you have all the necessary skills to pull this off.”

The “you can do it” and “give up” quadrant says, “you don't have to prove anything to anyone. let yourself rest.”

The “you can’t do it” and “don’t give up” quadrant says, “the only way to learn is by failing. you will get the hang of it, but for now just push through.”

The “you can’t do it” and “give up” quadrant says, “know your limits. not everything is your burden to bear. walk out.” End ID.]

my trick for getting through grad school is learning to navigate the quadrants with all their nuances

[bardofavon]

not to be controversial bc I know this is like…not in line with shifting opinions on fanfic comment culture but if there’s a glaring typo in my work I will NOT be offended by pointing it out. if ao3 fucks up the formatting…I will also not be offended by having this pointed out…

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

idk where I’m going with this I guess aside from saying unless a comment is outright attacking me I’m never going to get mad at it, and I think a lot of authors should feel the same way. ESPECIALLY TYPOS PLZ GOD POINT OUT MY TYPOS.

[chaos-smoothie]

we did it once we can do it again we did it once we can do it again WE DID IT ONCE-

[bulionis]

stobotnik kissy I drew for reaching 500 followers on Twitter 😳

[disasterhimbo]

[ID: a simple four-panel comic in black, white, and a warm, dark tan. The first panel says “Everyday…” with a weary-looking cartoon bee getting into bed. The second panel says, “I fail,” with the bee laying in bed in the dark. The third panel says, “But everyday…” with the bee getting out of bed with a neutral expression and the sunrise shown out the window. The fourth panel says, “I try again” with a smiley face emoticon, and the bee is standing in front of their bed, smiling with their two pairs of hands on their hips. End ID.]

[ciitedexcerpt]

Don't wanna break when I bend.

[inkskinned]

what is with men being mad any time a woman raises her voice where did that even come from. someone posted a video of a small electrical explosion, and the top comment was of course the woman screams. the second comment is women try not to scream challenge, level impossible. i had to go back and watch the video again. there is, somewhat fainty, a little gasp emitted off-camera, more of a yelp than a scream. it is mostly lost in the crack of the explosion. afterwards, you hear her voice, shaken, say, are you okay?

i am helping one of my friends train her voice pitch lower, because she wants to be taken seriously at work. she and i do each other's nails and talk about gender roles; and how - due to our appearance - neither of us have ever been able to be "hysterical" in public. we both appear young and sweet and feminine. she is cisgender, and cannot use her natural voice in her profession because people keep saying she appears to be "vapid". we both try to figure out if our purposeful voice lowering is technically sexist. is it promoting something when you are a victim to it?

a storm almost sends a pole through a car window. in the dashcam, you can hear the woman passenger say her partner's name twice, crying out in alarm. she sounds terrified. in the comments, she is lambasted for her lack of calm. how is that even fucking helping?

in high school, i taught myself to have a lower voice. i had been recorded when i was genuinely (and righteously) upset; and i hated how my voice sounded on the phone speakers when it was played back. i was defending my mom, and my voice cracked with emotion. it meant i was no longer winning the argument: i was just shrieking about it.

girls meet each other after a long summer and let out a little joyful scream. this usually stops around 12-14, because people will not tolerate this display of affection (as it has the effect of being passingly annoying). something about the fact that little girls can't ever even be annoying. we are trained to examine each part of our lives (even joy) for anything that could make us upsetting and disgusting. they act like teenage girls are breaking into houses and shrieking you awake at 3 in the morning. speaking as a public school educator: trust me, it's not that bad, you can just roll your eyes and move on. it does not compare to the ways boys end up being annoying: slurs in graffiti, purposefully mocking your body, following you after you said no. you know, just boy things.

there's another video of a man who is not allowed to yell in the house, so he snaps his fingers when he's excited about soccer. the comments are full of angry men, talking about how their brother is unfairly caged. let him express himself and this is terrible to do to someone. eventually the couple has to address it in a second video: they are married with a newborn baby. he was trying not to wake the infant up. there is no comment on the fact women are not allowed to yell indoors. or the fact that it could have been really alarming or triggering for his wife. sometimes i wonder if straight men even like women, if they even enjoy being in relationships with them.

for the longest time, i hated roller coasters because it always felt inappropriate and uncomfortable for me to scream. one of my friends called me on it, said it was unusual i'm so unwilling. i had to go to my therapist about it. i don't like to scream because i was not raised in a safe situation, and raising my voice would have brought unsafe attention towards me. even when i am supposed to scream, it feels shameful, guilty. i was not treated kindly, so i lack a basic form of self-protection. this is not a natural response. it is not good that in a situation of high adrenaline - i shut up about it.

something very bad is happening, i think. in between all the beauty standards and the stuff i've already discussed - this one feels new and cruel in a way i can't quite express. yes, it's scary and silencing. but there's something about how direct it is - that so many men agree with the sentiment that women should never yell, even in an emergency - it feels different.

is the word shriek gendered automatically? how about shrill or screech? in self defense class, one of the first things they tell you is to yell, as loud and as shrilly as you can. they say it will feel rude. most women will not do this. you need to practice overcoming the social pressure and just scream.

most women do not cry out, even when it's bad. we do not report it. we walk faster. we do not make a scene. what would be the point of doing anything else? no matter what we do, we don't get taken seriously. it is a joke to them. an instagram caption punchline. we have to present ourselves as silent, beautiful, captivating - "valuable."

a woman is outside watching her kids when someone throws a firecracker at them. she screams and runs towards her children. in the comments, grown men flock together in the thousands: god. women are so annoying.

[eldritch-bf]

Me: I’m so normal

My favorite mother mother song:

Calm me down, calm me down

I'm inside out and upside down

Hold my head in your hands

To calm me down, get it out

Get it out, oh-oh, get it out

Use your teeth and your mouth

Cut in deep to pull it out

Oh no, I'm aroused now, I'm aroused

[disasterhimbo]

[ID: Four images, showing a character drawn in black with black text and a character drawn in white with white text.

Image 1: The character drawn in black is sitting down looking anxious/upset, motion lines around them possibly indicating rocking. Black text reads: "I'm letting everyone down" and white text reads: "You are punishing yourself."

Image 2: The character drawn in black clutches at their head, visibly sweating and beginning to cry. There is a black, scribbled circle, in which text reads in all caps "I have to do better". White text reads: "You have to be kinder. You do plenty."

Image 3: A close-up of the character drawn in black's eye, which is crying and looking down with a furrowed brow. White text reads: "You try so hard. You are enough." Black text reads: "I'm letting everyone down. I have to do more. Be better."

Image 4: The character drawn in white (eyes closed) hugs the character drawn in black, who has visible tear marks down their face. White text: "But you can't!" Black text: "But I can't." White text: "This is you. It's okay."

End ID.]

That voice has taught you wrong.

You can't outrun yourself, you can't guilt yourself away until you are left with someone "good".

You can't cut away a shadow, it will follow where you go.

You can't treat yourself like a solvable problem.

You are unfixable.

You were never broken to begin with.

Just taught wrong.

[hinamie]

i'm exactly as normal about him as I thought I'd be

[jupiterlandings]

“How is 12 year old Annabeth head of the Athena cabin??”

1. Demi gods have the life expectancy of a lemming.

2. Gifted kids often burn out by age 16 & I doubt any of the Athena teens have the energy or desire to argue with their little sister who willingly takes care of all the family paperwork.