#is it my fault?

[soph4estela]

thinking about how we used to talk vs how we talk now makes my tummy hurt

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

Im so glad I finished the quiz when I did because my dumbass went and got sick, again, so now I gotta wait until my muscles don't feel like their melting so I can write shit again

[theshalesky]

I'm the one next to the shy girl. You know the story - Tale as old as time: "I don't want friends." "I don't need friends." You can't escape fate, darling, This story is about you. She sits there, brooding, In the middle of the frame. Alone, but her world doesn't feel the lack Like mine does. I'm sorry, i'm not supposed to talk about myself. No vast empty space Like a pit in your stomach Or if it's there, it will soon Be filled. In this story, every Jack has a Jill. They come up to her laughing, talking, smiling. "You're new, right?" "Wanna come sit with us during lunch?" Or maybe "We're in this group project together, right?" They're interested In her. She's interesting. What has she done to be interesting? She is just sitting there!! And yet "We live in the same street, right?" "Did you do that math homework?" "Are you coming on the field trip?" So many questions! They're asking Questions. They want to get to know her although SHE IS JUST SITTING THERE. I'm sitting there too. Right next to her, actually. But no one notices because The camera will never focus on me. This girl found her family and will be happy - Oh, it's so nice that the shy girl found friends. Everyone nods: That's how the world works. And i wonder: Are you all living in stories? Because there's one thing i can say for sure. I am not in a story. I'm the one watching it. And although i'm close So close to the shy girl that you might think i'm like her I will never Be seen by any camera. I have to claw my way to a place half as comfortable as hers. Because the fate in my world Doesn't hand out friends Like an author does.

[detentiontrack]

My mom also said my 10 years of CSA (2 years old to 12 years old) was my fault. It was my fault that it went on for so long because I didn’t tell her. Her husband did it. We all lived in the same house.

[mail-posting]

Vent

I don't want to bother you but I miss you so much can you talk to me? Please? We've talked a little but we haven't messaged anymore and I don't know if you feel guilty because of something that's going on but I don't care

I'd just like to do silly things with you again and talk to eachother, or just have some explanation at least. I love you

[sereiaxz]

Its a real struggle when you want to end it all but youre too much of a coward

[viktorpartner]

if i had a nickel for every time Viktor died i would have 2 nickels... WHICH IS WAY MORE THAN I'D LIKE PLEASE STOP KILLING HIM

[podcastwizard]

cashier: ok that'll be $20

me (visibly sweating): ah, yes, of course! a perfectly reasonable price for a grilled cheese and a small smoothie! that was exactly the price i expected you to say when i ordered a single grilled cheese and a smoothie and my vision is NOT getting blurry as we speak! i am a perfectly normal temperature and my speech patterns are natural and even because this is the countenance of an individual who expected to pay 20 american dollars for a single grilled cheese and a smoothie!

cashier: where's all that blood coming from

[lazylittledragon]

can't believe we're all adults being forced into the club penguin level of censorship in 2024

[sunbentshadows]

So, about that outage, huh

[karmaajr]

chat I miss my girlfriend 🤧

[thoughts-i-am-burdened-with]

okay,, but why?

why say that in front of me??

to make me jealous?

why?

why do you believe the best way to ensure my interest is to jab at my insecure heart?

does it make you happy?

does it leave you feeling fulfilled?

why?

who hurt you to the point that this is the path you take?

'the world is cruel,' yes.

you're 'only protecting yourself,' sure.

so you hold up a mirror, arms trembling, to reflect that cruelty? that pain?

why?

why do I have to suffer?

you're only passing the torch.

am I expected to reflect this torment onto others?

it's entirely fucked, because I probably will.

[a-casual-egg]

I'm so tired of being sad

[uncanny-tranny]

I think so many people are so deeply alienated from themselves that they have no clue how to exercise their free will and autonomy. For some, this alienation runs so deep that they are afraid of their own autonomy and humanity. It is completely understandable why one would have those feelings, but it can be worrisome.

I want to help others who feel this way, so here are small things I have done to exercise my free will:

Add "guilty pleasure" songs to playlists and actually listen to them (I have a ton of late 1990s-early 2000s music I listen to now proudly that I never listened to in the past out of shame)

Getting the décor item, bath set, bed spread, ect. in the patterns you like, even if it's "childish" (I got a dinosaur-themed wastebasket from the kids' décor section and I adore it)

Taking a new route to get to a place you go to often

Eat dessert first

Celebrate well, and often

Collect things that are "odd" or don't seem like an "acceptable" thing to collect (somebody on my "for you" page collects dandelion crayola crayons and it was so cool!!!!!!)

Incorporate one new piece in an outfit you wear frequently (e.g., a new chain, a necklace, ribbons, bracelets, ect.). Challenge yourself to add onto the outfits if you feel up for it.

Sing along to songs without worrying that you sound "good" or your intonation is completely accurate

Read a book from a genre you weren't allowed to read as a kid (comics, thrillers, mysteries, anything!)

Walk without having a specific destination or goal

Pick up a new craft without expecting yourself to master it or to ever be "good" enough. Get your hands messy.

I don't want to shame anybody for not feeling as though they have free will or that they are exempt from exercising it. However, I wanted to give ideas so that you might read this list and find your own ways to express your intrinsic autonomy and will. You deserve to be a person, to feel alive, not just living. That is what our lives are for.

[sunsetonscarif]

okay i thought i was kinda up to date on star wars but there is a whole tv show coming out in like 5 days that i have heard nothing about. and the cast is stacked with people i know. what.

[stil-lindigo]

lighthearted.

if this comic resonated with you, please consider donating to this palestinian escape fund (vetted by @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein) as it is less than $7,000 away from it's goal.

i turn 24 today. To celebrate, I made this comic to be a spiritual successor to lead balloon, a comic in which I talked about the darkest period of my life so far.

A lot has changed since my 23rd birthday and this one. My priorities have shifted a lot, in ways that I think are mostly good. But i think the best part about today is that suicide has gone back to being a far away notion. I'm really lucky, and I'm grateful for that.