#focus on our minds

[wmhd]

Building healthy Minds, a right for all.

Friends Square presents MindFit, a campaign that shifts the spotlight to nurturing our mental fitness with the vision of making mental health a fundamental right, in collaboration with Youth for Mental Health.

The two-week campaign will consist of interactive workshops, reflective sessions, experiential activities, and warm-up and cool-down sessions to empower everyone to flex their mental muscles in the mental gym. The campaign advocates for allocating time to focus on our minds.

WHERE; India.

WHEN: 2023

[ruporas]

birthday party (id in alt)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Remember: The burning sensation is part of the process.

[notbecauseofvictories]

I'm cautiously gearing myself up for a conversation with bff where I tell her that we need to recalibrate our relationship, and....I genuinely don't think I've ever had a serious, emotional conversation with someone I care about before.

I've never been a Conversation Haver; I tend to take the approach that people can't significantly change without meaningful reason, and since I am not and never have been someone's Reason, I cannot prompt change. Therefore, my choices are (a) live with what is; or (b) end/limit the relationship.

But....this is my best friend in the world. I do love her. I just can't keep on as we've been going, where it's less a friendship and more ten minute intervals where I talk about my life, after which the focus switches. I once sat in a bar for two hours waiting for her; afterwards, she asked if I wanted to stay in her hotel room like I didn't have to get up in another 5 hours and drive to work. She texted me during my recent trips, and when I said I was traveling she asked no further questions. Said nothing unless it was about what she was reading, what she was doing. I'm not even sure she realized I was traveling at all, just unavailable to her.

I can give a high-level summary of her PhD thesis. I'm not confident she knows where I work.

Truthfully, part of this is that we simply have different social styles....but still. Coming back from my family trip, I said I was tired and trying to get work straightened out, she should go ahead and plan something for the holiday! I was free! Only for me to text a week later....and promptly have her join me, for my previously standalone plans. Oh, and she asked me to bring my camera, because she wants headshots for her new job.

I still love her very much, but if this is the kind of relationship we're going to have? I need less of it.

[puppyeared]

learning abt friendship decay and "not reaching out to your friends for months at a time unprompted is not neurotypical behaviour" has me feeling a certain way

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

hot take I think the sexes would be much happier if we just accepted each other as mysteries instead of constantly shaming one for not being more like the other.

like, personally, in my own life, the whole idea of romance & marriage became way more exciting and attractive when I ditched the notion that men are just bigger stronger women, or women are just smaller prettier men.

like. not only is it okay that men are from mars and women are from venus, it's good.

do I know what's going on in my guy friend's head? I used to think I did, but it turns out I don't. Turns out I've never known what was going through the heads of any of the men in my life. And you know what? what a relief. he can do or say things that don't make sense to me, and they don't have to make sense to me. I know he's a smart, good-hearted guy; I can safely assume he had a reason for saying or doing that thing. And if I listen to him over time, I may even start to understand what that reason was. But I don't have to. What I can recognize instead is that each sex has a wisdom in their way of thinking and doing which befits given situations. More often than not, a situation requires both.

But you simply can't get both from one person, and you shouldn't demand it. And what a relief knowing my guy friend doesn't expect guy thoughts and behavior from me.

[chucapybara]

"fighting your own war, i see."

no observation could be more astute—only befittingly made by the sharpest claw aboard the yaoqing. you're coaxed by its soothing, rumbly notes, out from the vices of your torrential thoughts, if only for a moment.

teal gaze, neon jades soften at the edges, seeing the disarray of tools and writing implements; your own weapons, ones she could never quite wield even half as sharply as you, scattered in your quivering hands, across your desk. it was something she admired with great ease, of course. she loved—no, adored—the way you navigated your own expertise, a helmsman of script and ink. but in this moment, yours were not the features of a scrymaster in writing; rather, almost a frazzled possum. even you're not certain when's the last you've risen from your seat for a sip to hydrate.

"i..." you try to wring reason out from your throat, but all that comes is a helpless squeak. the curl on her lips is tender, understanding; she knows the plight of plaguing doubts and worries. even the "invincible" was not immune.

she reaches, calloused knuckletips brushing against your cheek. it prompts you to take a deep, trembling breath, taking lungfuls of her, all fresh breeze and verdant forest and humming steel unabiding, yet bending in commiseration beside you. as bamboo does, you sway to her wind, exhaling into her palm, seeking more of her touch.

"here. scoot over a little."

that's what she says, defiant of the startled squeak you release as her unfailing grasp slips beneath your thighs, lifting you with ease. you grapple for balance, finding it in the firm of her bicep—still full against the sleeve of her silverine coat—as a soft chuckle falls from her lips.

and then you're curled up on her lap, the arbiter-general having taken your seat now. you have half the mind to grumble a protest, but even your lover's presence is more welcome than the swirling maelstrom of worries hailing upon your mind.

she knows this. she knows this, knowing your every twitch and flutter as she knows each gleam and nick and etch upon her blades, though she finds she prefers holding you more in recent times.

you needn't say anything, for her to already have a solution planned. her arms cradle you close to her figure, a deep rumble of contentment in her chest as she heaves a languid breath. it's warm against your ear, prompting your instinct to burrow into the crux of her neck, one of three where she scents strongest.

a being of war, she was, born to live and die by it, but it never fails to perplex you how a single whiff of her brings you instead to cloudsong prairies and moonstrung lilies.

you nestle closer still, nose to her pulse, her very lifebreath a calming quell, an equilibric wave that washes over you. home, you think. this, i've forgotten.

her hand finds anchor by the small of your back, steadying, as yours splays over her willful promise, thumping against your touch. your eyelids fall shut, and you breathe her in again.

fresh breeze, verdant forest, humming steel unabiding.

you find ease, here, in the eaves of turquoise gems and tender claw, just as she finds breath anew in you.

[sugarpasteltmnt]

i'm literally not even exaggerating

(context lol)

[bleaksqueak]

WIPs from the past few pages

[harrylights]

i guess another thing that I feel like might be worth sharing is that, like.

when my dad first passed, the only way I could cope was to block it out entirely. and i felt like i was losing my mind, but sometimes I’d literally have to tell myself shit like “that didn’t happen, he’s still here, everything is fine” to get through a busy day especially. and I was so scared to tell anyone that’s what I had to resort to. but my therapist told me it’s incredibly common. obviously at some point u have to come out of that and accept the reality of it, but that’s smth you can’t really force either. it’s okay to take however much time you need

our brains do weird things to cope and grieve. it’s okay. one step at a time. sometimes that means just coming up with a way to get through the next hour, sometimes even just ten minutes. I hate that so many people have to learn what this kinda thing feels like but at least we have each other. pls don’t be afraid to reach out to ppl in the community, and if you have the space to do so, check in on your friends rn. the little things go a long way, now more than ever.

[trans-leek-cookie]

listen I'm not gonna be a Curly apologist he did Fucked Up as captain but I genuinely recommend ppl watch a playthru that goes thru the game in chronological order. It kinda helps clear up the events and gaps between them, bc even tho u See the times, you still experience it out of order.

The stuff Anya says definitely sets off alarm bells but it doesn't seem like he Fully Understands what she means, and I'm going to be 100% honest I think she was trying to repress it herself. This isn't to say that she is AT ALL "at fault" for what happened after and she should've gotten help even if she wasn't ready to fully discuss the issue but I genuinely think she herself was still coming to terms with things, so she didn't necessarily process the full impact before talking to Curly, and a lot of what happens occurs after they're laid off- like this delves into personal interpretation but I genuinely think Anya only registered Jimmy as a serious danger after his outburst towards Curly. Ofc my interpretation is limited bc of the limited pov in game and not having gone through what she has, but it personally reads more akin to coercion over time than a singular Obviously Violent incident (like. Not to say that Sexual Assault isnt violent in nature, just that coercion often specifically works to obfuscate the fact it is a form of violence.) The layoff is a Massive catalyst for her bc of Jimmy, in that she now has a very clear understanding of his capacity for aggression.

To extrapolate a little from the "Dead Pixel" conversation, she starts by saying she Likes The Screen (even though it's fake). While Curly has his quotes about the pixel "not ruining the illusion" which. Y'know is Symbolic Of His Flaws. She doesn't say the pixel ruins it, just that she can't get it out of her mind.

If we take the pixel to represent her Or jimmy, either way the way she talks about it kind of downplays things, like it's a Minor Thing that's Slightly Upsetting, but she's still okay with the big picture. Idk I could be 100% wrong but that is my take

Besides that, Anya tells curly she's pregnant 2 days before the crash, and it isn't until she outright states it that he starts Putting The Pieces Together. I want to note, he says "I'd do anything" and "this doesn't have to go on our performance evals" 1. Before he knows shes pregnant 2. Under the assumption she might attempt suicide, and I doubt he even thought about her using the gun on anyone else before she brings that up. He says literally before the line where she tells him she's pregnant that "being laid off isnt a reason to hurt [herself]". Like I've seen ppl talk about the performance evaluation thing like it's about her and jimmy, but I think he's referring to (his belief) that she might attempt suicide or similar which might genuinely be a consistent thing he's seen her struggle with, given she's able to go through with it. Also just to note: assuming their society is like ours (hellish) reassuring her he won't blab Abt her mental health is like. Genuine reassurance- lots of mentally ill ppl will Not Open Up bc it could have long term consequences (like. For example. On employment) ANYWAYS I hope it doesn't come off like "Curly never failed Anya" but rather "Curly approached this specific situation without the context of why Anya is panicking and (possibly validly) assuming she's dealing with a very different issue"

Also let me say again the time frame is 2 days. We don't Really see what happens, but we know Anya tells Jimmy without Curly knowing. I genuinely believe he maybe didn't do a Great Job in those two days (the fact he says Anya should've talked to Him before telling Jimmy is uhhh. Mm. 1. Your job to create an environment where she comes to you my man 2. Weird to tell her what she should do with HER OWN PERSONAL INFORMATION) but like.

I get a lot of ppl want immediate consequences but consider that they can't really get rid of Jimmy (co pilot. Which is. Y'know it's Own Problems) but also like. Curly knows Jimmy, and we know that Jimmy tends to lash out. Curly should probably Not Confront Jimmy Unless He Knows Exactly How To Keep Him From Hurting Anya. Like I'm not an expert but this is something genuinely important- when confronting an abuser you NEED to take into account the impact it can have on their victim, and sometimes for the victims safety you need to wait until you have a Solid Plan. It sucks but it's important.

And theres discussion to be had about Curly kinda going along with Jimmy saying "well what if we all died" and like. I do believe he Didn't Realize What Jimmy Said. Like he was just processing/trying to keep the situation under control (and failing because he underestimated how willing Jimmy was to hurt everyone including himself).

Like he's definitely an enabler but I would say his problems are mostly before he understands the gravity of the situation, in that he's friends with Jimmy and assumes the best of a man with abusive tendencies, and fails to create an environment that can keep Anya and the others safe. Like, he definitely doesn't handle in game events perfectly (psych evaluation for one- he does do it instead of Anya which is actually helpful, but he still treats it like. Weirdly.)

Idk I have a lot of thoughts about this game and I don't necessarily want to defend Curly but more like. Anya's situation is very delicate (and light on details) so sometimes the way ppl talk Abt it feels like they aren't actually focused on what she wants and what it means to prioritize her safety y'know?

Edit bc I just now figured out kinda how I want to word it: curly is an enabler and making things worse bc he doesn't put a stop to Jimmy's BS, but in the specific scenario we see in game I think he's trying to use his Skillset of like, people pleasing not for Jimmy's sake but for the crews (like "if I nod my head and say I sympathize he won't lash out and hurt them") which like. There are situations which that is unfortunately the safest option (on an individual level yes, but sometimes it's also necessary to prevent abusers lashing out in response toward ppl who are more vulnerable) but it was the Wrong Choice.

It's like. I think Curly was trying and had good intentions, and understood that he needed to protect the crew, but he didn't have the toolset/experience to realize he can't Just go along with things and that he needs to be able to set hard limits, even for ppl he likes and trusts. Like he failed but the failure was "for want of a nail", where it began way before what we see (for want of an understanding of power dynamics I guess.) Again, don't think this makes curly more forgivable or whatever, I just think he's a good example of trying to make the right choices when you never realized you'd have to make these kinds of decisions and therefore are unprepared and/or unaware

Second edit: personally I don't think you can really incapacitate jimmy without there being serious risk (again he's the copilot) but curly should've given Anya the gun when she told him Abt the pregnancy

[nevermeanttoknow]

hes a vast avatar to me for reasons

[boatem-probler]

see the thing is that my ideal minecraft movie would be a horror movie following a group of illagers as they try to crack the secrets of the universe and fail and slowly go mad one by one. and well that would simply not be very profitable in the box office

[goldenhypen]

guys i was so fortunate and lucky to get to see enhypen irl tonight :’) sooo grateful omg it was so good and i’m going coocoo bonkers crazier than ever rn

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Ièm jsut a little kitty, I domèt know how 2 spell.....

[denieatsart]

deni look what i made look at this i'm wailing i'm crying i'm collapsing on the floor /lhj /silly

BHAA YEAH I - THAT - THAT'S THE GENERAL BIT HELP I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING -

/I/ Dropped The Baby