#choose light

[tremendouslights]

A consideration

We talk about the sun rising and setting. Sunset and sunrise. It is the earth that turns towards and away from the sun.

This is important in terms of symbolism, because we can say that someone carries the sun within them, but I think it is rather the conscious choice of light.

So it's not about finding the light within, it's about creating the alignment with the light. We choose the alignment to the light and everything that is associated with it. It is a constant choice.

Circling the Sun, Angela Lane

[hinamie]

post-graduation trip airport looks

[w0lp3rtinger]

"- I have a lot of problems with Biden. He is clearly the better of the two options, which I recognize is a very low bar. Being better than Trump cannot be the standard, because Donald Trump is the absence of a standard.

"But the truth is, even if Trump looses, that won't be the end of this. The people who cooked up Project 2025 will just move onto Project 2029 instead, because for them, this is so much more than just one election, or indeed, one candidate. Project 2025 is born from impulse as old as America. It's an impulse that says one class of Americans is entitled to lead, and the rest of us are lucky to be allowed to serve- that thinks there should be a limited government when it comes to rules they have to live by, but also a unitary executive to keep the rest of us in line. These are old, old ideas that have been shouted from podiums-... but have now been placed into a new handbook for an only too willing president to use on day one.

"And in a perfect world, I would love if we had an opposing party better able to articulate a strong defense of our country's ideals and that also consistently lived up to them. People are entitled to hope for more from the next four years than someone just not being Trump (and for at least two supreme court justices to die)-...

"And for anyone tempted to think, 'Well, we survived Trump's first term,' first, not everyone did, and it should hopefully be very clear by now a second Trump term really does promise to be far, far worse, because if Trump's first term was defined by chaos, his second could be defined by ruthless efficiency. That should be troubling to absolutely everyone because Project 2025 is a movement who's members joke about wanting a white homeland and insist women have to have more babies to uphold western society.-

"We need to be better than this."

-John Oliver, June 19th of 2024

[feralchaton]

I left an area because of this and then the entire state.

My husband had previously been married, multiple times, we're different ages and while things probably could have been handled better; I was not the "conniving whore" as was said while I stood on-line at a local grocery store.

I wasn't the thunder-thighed slut either or nasty little bitch/slut/skank...

I was never the person who was encircled, spit on, with fingers pointed in my face, as someone's 'fellow church goers' cast glares, and slurs, and barred my way from seeing my husband's son at his 4th birthday party. He carried him to me and then they dispersed. I had been waiting by our car, anyway, because I was worried about being disrespectful, and wouldn't have gone if not requested. Besides a year had passed...This was in front of children and their aged 20-50ish family. Two women spoke about it, apologized for people's behavior, and after that day spoke with me, like I was a human being, for the first time in a year.

Two.

There were over forty people in attendance at the party. I wrote a letter to the pastor of their church about the treatment. He sent a letter back that he didn't see or hear anything, sorry I'm overly sensitive, and completed it with some emptily quoted biblical slut shaming. Case closed! I was 24 at the time.

School events, sport events, birthdays. Memories of years spent supporting and smiling for children who asked me to be there while most other adults in the area spoke about me behind my back or said things to my face and/or ostracized me. Solely because one person was hurt and decided this was the best course of action.

I withstood living in this environment for half of my eleven years in that state; the other half in a different town but nearby for obvious reasons. I became reclusive, stopped going out to do regular errands until we changed towns and didn't start feeling better until there was significant distance.

It does happen. Some people seem to enjoy an excuse to go along with cruelty. We can listen and still form our own opinions. We can hear what someone is saying and not participate because we usually never have an entire story. No matter what, we can always choose to be kind.

How to spot a smear campaign:

Victims’s “crimes” will be enlarged, and even if they’re small missteps, they will be treated as if only the worst person on the planet would do such a thing

Accusations against the victim will always be a reach, aka, they did ‘this little thing’ but it actually means they’re a racist/murderer/genocide supporter/fascist/have blood on their hands, even when the person’s actions never conformed to those crimes

All and any actions of the victims will be misenterpreted in the worst possible way, anything the person does will be taken as an offense and intentions will be read as hostile and manipulative, regardless of how clear they are

All victim’s actions will be taken out of context; ie, victim said something cruel to someone, but they take out the context of the victim being abused, threatened, tortured, forced into defense mode and finally attacking out of desperation to defend themselves and get free

The victim will commonly get provoked into giving a bad reaction, (anyone gets defensive if they’re accused of the crimes they never did, or simply triggering insults until they snap), and the reaction will become the new ‘proof’ that the victim is in fact, evil and guilty

A lot of pressure will be put on you to react 'correctly’ to the smear campaign; if you don’t accept to demonize this person at once, you’re getting scrutinized, shamed for your lack of morality, told that you support all these horrid things and that you are just as despicable

You will notice a trend of people ganging together based on their demonization of the victim; they will set a standard where you’re accepted and welcome if only you also will demonize and hate this person, and if you don’t, you’re blocked, cast out, and accused of causing harm

It will feel very easy to accept to demonize this person, and going against it will feel risky, like going against the grain, doubting the word of the many and risking being demonized yourself.

The smear campaign continues all the way until the victim is chased out of the community and denied a voice, even if the victim commits no further crimes, awful things will be said about them, their past 'misdeeds’ continually brought up, until the victim is commonly believed to be worthless, and becomes completely isolated, scared of society and alone

There will be no limit to what is considered okay to do to the victim of a smear campaign; even if the victim is accused of minor bad behaviour, it will become okay to threaten, insult, shout slurs, trigger, provoke, humiliate, manipulate, and repeat any kind of abusive behaviour to the victim, all because 'they’re bad so they deserve it’.

People leading the smear campaign will switch between being 'extremely grossed out and enraged’ to showing absolute joy and satisfaction when they find a new reason to demonize and smear the victim. People truly horrified of someone’s actions do not get a leap of joy when a new disaster happens, they’re not beside themselves to abuse the perpetrator all over again.

It will never, ever be acceptable to show any mercy to the victim. Forgiveness is out of the question, trying to understand them is out of the question. Even reading or listening to what this person is saying will be banned and forbidden, unless it’s for humiliating purposes. They will be shown as absolutely irredeemable, and associating yourself with them as evil and unforgivable. You will be instructed to block or unfollow or report the person based on what you’re told, without any significant proof.

Do not fall for smear campaigns. If a large amount of people all agree that a person is the worst, but their story is exaggerated, out of context, sounds fictional, and doesn’t show any proof, and the people switch from being enraged to eager, doubt it. Participating in a smear campaign will help the abusers isolate and abuse someone, and you do not want to be a part of it. They will also smear anyone who stands up to their abuse, so you’re helping the abusers to create a place where pointing out abuse gets you cast out of the community.

[tonyjwash]

Island Lessons...

As I reflect here surrounded by beautiful palm trees, staring at the turquoise blue sea at Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, I am instantly mindful of the simplicity of life absent the many distractions that accompany regular life. Often as human beings, especially those of us prone to overthinking, we tend to overcomplicate realities and draw conclusions that are not true. We give too much credence…

[dreamweaverai]

Happy Diwali!

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[riddleturner]

he's an apostate. he's a grey warden. he's on the run from the law. he's bonded body mind and soul to a spirit of the fade. he practices one of the rarest and most taxing magical diciplines known to mages. he's a cat dad. he was put in solitary confinement for a full year. he saves lives daily and asks for no payment. he's a massive bitch. he's personal friends with the hero of ferelden. he hates the church. he's hopelessly in love with you. he writes and distributes his own manifesto. he was forced to kill his own ex boyfriend. he doesn't see a way out. he's fucking blonde.

[ominouspuff]

Memories

[gingermaple]

"it's showtime!"

[lonelyzarquon]

DOCTOR WHO | The Witch's Familiar

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

because of sabo, ace became gentle

because of ace, sabo became a smoke demon

and then there's luffy

just being his same sweet little self

[yaolmao]

they bring that lingering, fucked-up-childhood gaze to the function

[lucksea]

don't be scared, i'm your friend

[platoapproved]

armand + preparing to tell louis about his past

[tonyjwash]

Helter Skelter

Have you ever found yourself in a mental state of complete disarray? Your thoughts are racing all over the place and you can’t seem to settle down. Your troubles and your worries appear to have joined forces to bring you into a state of confusion. Many people live this way every day. They have become acclimatized to the daily jumble of thoughts, so much so that they no longer are aware that…

[shorthaltsjester]

watching the sdcc panel and i am just very :) about how sweet their answers to “what are some of the micro moments from the game that have stuck with you the most over the years?” are. taliesin saying what the fuck is up with that which was the first like The Party Gets To Know Each Other moments of c3. travis saying asking his wife if he could kiss her in campaign. marisha going way back to the cannonball competition in campaign one. ashley choosing the beauyasha date but also just the silly goat noise matt made. liam adding onto that to compliment matt roleplaying grass so well and then saying his favourite moment was writing a story for laura and reading it to her as caleb for jester. and then matt saying that was his answer, and that his favourite moments of the game are when they find ways to give gifts to each other whether tangible or not. and sam saying his favourite moments have less to do with the story and is more so when he can just. see his friends across the table from him. when marisha perches and when laura and ashley are (badly) drawing dicks and liam saying he loves when sam sneezes and ashley tells him to stop it and just. yeah. they Are an extremely popular online powerhouse, but i’m so happy that they’re also friends building a world together out of gifts to and love for one another.

like i Am so enamoured with the characters and the world of exandria but the moments when you can feel the love that those people have for each other reach out from behind the stained glass of their performances (to steal a metaphor from brennan lee mulligan) are so extremely special and i am endlessly grateful that they decided to share their silly little home game with the world.