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I FINALLY FOUND IT AGAIN

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That's art. You're talking about Art.

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Basically my ideal Saturday night.

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I maintain that the presence of an option for "other" clearly makes it not a yes or no question.

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“Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated—with one another; with the rainy, sleety weather; with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy would be found here.

But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the intercom. “Folks,” he said, “I know you’ve had a rough day and you’re frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here’s what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, okay? Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight—just leave ‘em with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later, I’ll open the window and throw your troubles in the water. Sound good?”

It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People who’d been pretending for the past hour not to notice each other’s existence were suddenly grinning at each other like, is this guy serious?

Oh, he was serious.

At the next stop—just as promised—the driver reached out his hand, palm up, and waited. One by one, all the exiting commuters placed their hand just above his and mimed the gesture of dropping something into his palm. Some people laughed as they did this, some teared up—but everyone did it. The driver repeated the same lovely ritual at the next stop, too. And the next. All the way to the river.

We live in a hard world, my friends. Sometimes it’s extra difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful and withdrawn. There are times when everything seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but don’t know where to find it.

But what if you are the light? What if you’re the very agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for?

That’s what this bus driver taught me—that anyone can be the light, at any moment. This guy wasn’t some big power player. He wasn’t a spiritual leader. He wasn’t some media-savvy “influencer.” He was a bus driver—one of society’s most invisible workers. But he possessed real power, and he used it beautifully for our benefit.

When life feels especially grim, or when I feel particularly powerless in the face of the world’s troubles, I think of this man and ask myself, What can I do, right now, to be the light? Of course, I can’t personally end all wars, or solve global warming, or transform vexing people into entirely different creatures. I definitely can’t control traffic. But I do have some influence on everyone I brush up against, even if we never speak or learn each other’s name. How we behave matters because within human society everything is contagious—sadness and anger, yes, but also patience and generosity. Which means we all have more influence than we realize.

No matter who you are, or where you are, or how mundane or tough your situation may seem, I believe you can illuminate your world. In fact, I believe this is the only way the world will ever be illuminated—one bright act of grace at a time, all the way to the river.“

–Elizabeth Gilbert

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It’s shit being a superhero when you know that the multiverse exists. You spend all day saving people, you’re tired, you want to go to bed, and right before you fall asleep someone says “The High Evolutionary is going to turn everyone on earth into a werewolf!” and every bone in your body says “Fucking. Maybe we can be the werewolf dimension. The Universe Where Everyone Is A Werewolf. There are infinite dimensions where everyone isn’t a werewolf. It could be fine. It could be good even.”

And you fight the High Evolutionary and you win and your world isn’t the Werewolf Dimension. But the thought was there. God the thought was there

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how are you feeling right now? please reply in gif form

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"Candy Hearts" by Tommy Siegel

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new job is going great however i have been informed by two of my coworkers that a third coworker has a problem with constantly one-upping people and i as an excellent liar have decided that i am going to fuck with him until he figures out im lying

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No, but they did encourage me to go get an apartment once I had steady income.

if you lived with your parents as an adult, did they make you pay rent?

yes, when i turned 18

yes, when i turned a different age

yes, when i finished schooling

yes, when i had a job

yes, but only bc they needed financial support (they wouldnt have otherwise)

yes, bc of another reason

i had to contribute financially before turning 18

no

i never lived with my parents as an adult

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Hey y'all!

You know me now as Story, but some of you might remember me better as Vampireapologist or Mallaidh-Anne.

Thank you, as ever, for all you've done for me. My campaign is 46% funded, nearly 1/2! The August 1 deadline is still well away!

Your words of support since its launch continue to touch me.

You might know I am a fisheries biologist with a background in research-writing and museum management.

If you haven't seen my prior posts on the topic: I am thrilled to have accepted an offer to attend University College Dublin’s School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore this autumn (2025).

My studies have been focused on the inextricable link between culture and ecology.

Although I graduated at the top of my class in my undergraduate degree, and I happily earned a small scholarship through community service work in 2022, I cannot afford the cost of attendance on my own. I am therefore turning to my community for support.

I do not ask lightly, and it is only after many months of encouragement and insistence of friends and family that I am taking this step. If you would like to know more about my program, my career, and what I am asking, please follow the link here:

Thank you for your support and consideration, whether or not you donate! <3

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you are 16. you are talking with a gay man in his 50s or 60s, a friend, huge and gentle with a scarf and short fluffy curls of gray hair, who has directed you in two plays staged in your mid-size artsy town. (he has not yet asked you to be in his production of The Laramie Project which will change your life. this conversation will also change your life.)

he is talking about theatre. he is talking about theatre when he was younger. he says, "of course, it was AIDS then." in the pause, you ask him. clumsy and quiet and 16 and "straight," you ask him. what was it like.

he takes a moment in which his face is not like a person's face. "there was a time," he says, "i'm not sure how long, years. when i went to a funeral every weekend." he tells you about two funerals in a day, and choosing between friends when you couldn't make it to both. he does not look at you, he looks at them. his wet grey gaze is so clear that you start to see ghosts. it will be years before you understand why it feels like your grief too. why the ghosts call you family.

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do you ever just suddenly feel the weight of more years of exhaustion than you’ve been alive

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Black cargo pants and a solid-color shirt (t-shirt for casual, polo at work). I'm not wearing the Patch Jacket Mark II often enough for it to count as a default, but I'm getting there.

i'm curious, what's everyone's Default Outfit? like what would you be always drawn wearing in a cartoon? mine is concert tee + mid length skirt

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Okay, but it is also water-colored?

Glass of water (oil on canvas) Artist / Emma May Riley

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My fifteen-year-old pulls this shit too.

let’s sit on mama

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take my mermaid quiz boy