#The message is clear

[insomni-frog]

A quick thing I made with a few of my characters that fit under the label to say

TERFS AND TRANSPHOBES AREN'T WELCOME HERE

If I haven't made that clear before

(Cream Sheep, the one in the middle, is MtF. While both Lorikeet, on the right, and Neapolitan, on the left, are here because they both made the choice to express themselves and their gender the way they want.)

[calamityman]

...

Lines. N thoughts

[a-dowryofblood]

I know the only reason why Russia was banned was because other contestants refused to participate if they weren't removed. I know this. Which makes the fact that Israel continues to be part of Eurovision even more upsetting.

We've been calling for the removal of Israel for years. Nothing has ever been done but after this year you would think there would be some sense to at least pretend they care.

In case you didn't know that's Icelandic group Hatari showing support for Palestine all the way back in 2019 when Israel was the host country for Eurovision. They were fined for infringing the ban on "political gestures". The Israel conversation isn't new but it has never been more obvious than now.

[bigfatbreak]

funniest part of getting to this part of the plot is old readers vs new

it'll be fine i PROMISE, RELAX,

[thesecretsofchickens]

Not that I make a ton of sales there, but it looks like I'll be eliminating my Redbubble account. Or rather, *because* I don't make a ton of sales.

They are introducing a new fee structure - aside from the manufacturing costs - that basically penalizes the people who make the *least*.

It caters very much to high-volume, high-sales accounts. Or it can just change when they feel like it, at any time.

Which is great, for people who make a lot. Not so great for people who are just starting out, or are struggling to get their name out there.

*They* decide if you're doing well enough to go up a level.

Anyway seems like it's not going to be worth it for anyone who doesn't have the time/resources/reach to impress them, and the whole "community guidelines" thing seems sketchy.

I get their point - they want people to make more money. But the amount the get for "manufacturing" the products is not insignificant. Adding a fee on top is just rude.

Account Tiers and Fees

How Accounts are Reviewed and Classified

Understanding how the new account fee may apply to you

[aimasup]

i'm back

[brechtian]

ursula k le guin said sci fi/fantasy does not have to be about giant wars or battles of good and evil or galactic disaster; it is best served as a lens through which to examine what is actually intrinsic to the human condition and what, once removed a few layers from our own perceptions & assumptions, begins to fall apart. and she was correct.

[acoraxia]

“He’s bad for you.”

[foreveranevilregal]

I’m tired. I’m broken. I’m lonely. I’m depressed and hopeless. I’m sorry I can’t be what you all want and crank out thousands of words of writing on demand without wanting anything in return. Maybe I overestimated myself or got a big head from when I had tons of notes. That’s my fault. I should be more aware that I’m not actually good at writing and don’t deserve anything. Once again, I’m sorry.

[fryday]

i love how dan jokes about wanting to attract guys into his DMs and then does shit like include a photo of his real best friend, companion through life, actual soulmate at the end of his sluttiest post yet as if all the potentially interested gays would scroll through the catboy pics, reach phil's face, and think fuck yeah this guy dan must be available time to hit those DMs

[notedchampagne]

later loser! you took the part that cared

[iamthat-iam]

"Ego", The Final Boss

Olivia (she prefers to be called Liv) has been on quite the spiritual journey for a couple of years. She was born and raised Catholic, then as a teen she decided to leave the church because it didn't resonate with her. She went through a law of attraction phase, followed by law of assumption, and finally, she found non dualism from a few Twitter and Tumblr accounts.

The message, from what she gathered, was that she needed to fully drop the ego in order to realize her true self/true nature and to experience whatever she wanted. She even read a few books where realized masters have spoken about their own personal journeys of dropping ego and how life is generally more peaceful for them now that they've done so.

Now, Liv is one with a troubled past. She would give anything to become an entirely different person with no childhood trauma, and just a happy life all around. She meditated every single day, practiced "sitting in silence", and tried her hardest to detach from her "ego."

She stopped enjoying her usual hobbies out of fear of identifying too much with the character. She would go out of her way to correct thoughts that she felt were "too related to being the person." Needless to say, her mental health began to go downhill very fast.

One of her best friends, Marcus, decided to check up on her one day through face-time. "Hey sis! How have you been?! Haven't seen you in a while."

"Hey..." Liv answered. "I'm not doing all that great to be honest."

"Yeah I figured that. That's why I reached out to you," Marcus stated. "I'm worried about you. It seems like you barely leave the house. Everytime myself or anyone else tries to make plans with you, you either cancel last minute or come up with some bogus excuse as to why you can't come out."

Liv had to laugh because everything he said was true. "So I'm guessing you didn't believe the story about my pet rabbit dying."

Marcus cackled. "GIRL. I've known you for years and not once have you ever had a pet rabbit. Stop playing."

"Okay let me tell you what's really going on with me," Liv began, "So a few months ago I found this 'spiritual practice' called Non Dualism, and the premise of it is you need to 'let go of ego' in order to realize your true nature as God, or Awareness, whatever you want to call it. Also you get to experience whatever you want."

"So this is the reason why you've stopped enjoying your usual hobbies, and why you've stopped having a social life?" Marcus inquired. "I'm going to be honest here. As your friend, I feel like I owe it to you to tell you the Truth even if it isn't what you want to hear. I don't think that this 'practice' has helped you one bit. Either you have misinterpreted the message, or these people are spreading misinformation. Never at any point should you sacrifice your mental health for the sake of 'becoming enlightened.'"

"I don't know what else to do," Liv started to cry a little. "I just want to become a different person living a life full of happiness, one without trauma and constant reminders of my horrible past. I hate being this broken person!"

"It's okay hun, I totally understand," Marcus consoled her. "I can help you. You remember my family guru right? She hates being called that, but I don't know how else to refer to her. Her name is Sage. My family has gone to her for spiritual advice and healing for years."

"Yes, I remember her! Didn't she help your mom heal her lower back pain?" Liv asked excitedly.

"She sure did. I can give you her number if you want!"

After Liv ended her face-time call with Marcus, he gave her Sage's number. She immediately reached out to her to schedule a day where they can meet up.

- -

One day, Liv arrived at a beautiful park to discover Sage already sitting on one of the benches waiting. "Hi! I don't know if you remember me, I'm Marcus' friend Liv."

"Yes! Hi Liv, it's nice to see you again," Sage reached out and gave Liv a warm hug. "Now what can I help you with?"

Liv sat down next to Sage. "Well, I discovered Non dualism a few months ago, and I'm not sure if I misunderstood the message or not, but I thought you had to let go of ego in order to realize your true nature as awareness. And after you realize this, you can experience whatever you want. So long story short, I stopped enjoying life because I thought I had to do that in order to be enlightened."

Sage hesitated for a moment, and then smiled. "Think about it this way.. if it's true that our true nature is awareness, or God, whatever label you put on it, why would you have to go through these unnecessary steps in order to 'become' it? If that's what you already are in the first place?"

Liv opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. Maybe Sage had a point.

"Here are my thoughts. If anyone is telling you to 'drop the ego', it's bullshit," Sage chuckled. "The point of Non Dualism is realizing that you were always awareness. You were always the awareness behind everything that seems to appear. The ever-stretching, limitless silence that can take on the form of anything. The ego is just a thought. The idea that you are not already fully realized is also just a thought. In reality, there's no ego or person here to let go of. No person here who needs to become 'fully realized.' Just drop the idea that you are a limited human that has to become something, and you'll be golden."

Liv's jaw dropped to the ground. "You're telling me it was THAT SIMPLE THIS ENTIRE TIME?"

Sage laughed heartily. "Yes it is. Why do you think it took masters like Lester or Sri Nisgardatta months or YEARS to 'realize Self?' because they spent so much time trying to get rid of an ego that doesn't exist!"

Liv let out a sigh of relief. "So there really is nothing to do. I can't believe I exerted all that effort for nothing. I do have one more question, how can I experience whatever I want knowing I'm awareness? I want to be a completely different person with a different past."

"The person you think you are now, and the one you want to be are both illusions. You, as awareness, can 'choose' either one like a costume. Everytime you think about this ideal version of you, you've already experienced it," Sage grinned.

Suddenly a wave of emotions flooded through Liv, a mixture of relief and happiness. She felt the urge to give Sage a tight hug. "Thank you so much for helping me today."

"You're so welcome, sweetie."

Good for Liv, she has finally accepted her omnipotence and freedom to experience anything!

[shakingparadigm]

The kiss is very controversial but if there's one thing about it that I'm most grateful for, it's that I can send that shit over and over again to my friend who insisted that Ivan and Till had a brotherly relationship

[ihatebrainstorm]

[Layers..?]

Minimus and Ravage read "Warrior" "Layers" together

I made this so long ago that I forgot the reasoning behind it whoops

[saeist]

YUP PLS TALK MORE ABOUT SAE

okay anon.. you asked for this. my personal headcanons about sae

has a 7 step skincare routine (99% canon)

owns airpods max and it stays on his head 24/7. he only removes it when it's time for practice

likes bracelets so he wears a bunch of them and buys from those little shops along the streets

has a sweet tooth! loves candy and ice cream especially

likes taking walks at night just to destress

no social media presence.. only posts sponsorships on his main

has a finsta but rarely uses it and only has like 3 people on it. it only has his old posts and selfies when he first came to spain and that's it 😭

covers the edges of tables and shit like that with his hand when you reach down to pick up something off the floor

likes to shove your hands inside the pocket of his tracksuit/windbreaker/jacket/you name it

wears a thin gold chain with a cross pendant

has a clear phone case and never changes it

also has that privacy screen protector just because it came with his phone case when he bought it online

doesnt really like to go clubbing but if he gets dragged into it, he doesnt mind

will never associate the first conversation. like ever

the type to watch random youtube videos or tiktok before sleeping

goes to bed with nothing but sweatpants

wears a headband when he does his skincare

has your hair tie on his wrist at all times

you gave him a necklace and he wears it everyday but only removes it during matches but before he does, he kisses it

before he makes a goal, in his head he dedicates it to you and when it goes through the net, he automatically looks at you in the stands. his silent way of showing his dedication

is unbiased so you ask him for his opinions on everything even if you were in the wrong, he’d still point it out

likes going to the beach right before the sun sets and just sitting there listening to the waves

feeds seagulls bc they’re his favorite animals (💀)

[rotisseries]

who wants to hear my absolutely stunning ideas for atla soap opera aus