#discomfort

[eelhound]

"The idea of reforming Omelas is a pleasant idea, to be sure, but it is one that Le Guin herself specifically tells us is not an option. No reform of Omelas is possible — at least, not without destroying Omelas itself:

If the child were brought up into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned and fed and comforted, that would be a good thing, indeed; but if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed. Those are the terms.

'Those are the terms', indeed. Le Guin’s original story is careful to cast the underlying evil of Omelas as un-addressable — not, as some have suggested, to 'cheat' or create a false dilemma, but as an intentionally insurmountable challenge to the reader. The premise of Omelas feels unfair because it is meant to be unfair. Instead of racing to find a clever solution ('Free the child! Replace it with a robot! Have everyone suffer a little bit instead of one person all at once!'), the reader is forced to consider how they might cope with moral injustice that is so foundational to their very way of life that it cannot be undone. Confronted with the choice to give up your entire way of life or allow someone else to suffer, what do you do? Do you stay and enjoy the fruits of their pain? Or do you reject this devil’s compromise at your own expense, even knowing that it may not even help? And through implication, we are then forced to consider whether we are — at this very moment! — already in exactly this situation. At what cost does our happiness come? And, even more significantly, at whose expense? And what, in fact, can be done? Can anything?

This is the essential and agonizing question that Le Guin poses, and we avoid it at our peril. It’s easy, but thoroughly besides the point, to say — as the narrator of 'The Ones Who Don’t Walk Away' does — that you would simply keep the nice things about Omelas, and work to address the bad. You might as well say that you would solve the trolley problem by putting rockets on the trolley and having it jump over the people tied to the tracks. Le Guin’s challenge is one that can only be resolved by introspection, because the challenge is one levied against the discomforting awareness of our own complicity; to 'reject the premise' is to reject this (all too real) discomfort in favor of empty wish fulfillment. A happy fairytale about the nobility of our imagined efforts against a hypothetical evil profits no one but ourselves (and I would argue that in the long run it robs us as well).

But in addition to being morally evasive, treating Omelas as a puzzle to be solved (or as a piece of straightforward didactic moralism) also flattens the depth of the original story. We are not really meant to understand Le Guin’s 'walking away' as a literal abandonment of a problem, nor as a self-satisfied 'Sounds bad, but I’m outta here', the way Vivier’s response piece or others of its ilk do; rather, it is framed as a rejection of complacency. This is why those who leave are shown not as triumphant heroes, but as harried and desperate fools; hopeless, troubled souls setting forth on a journey that may well be doomed from the start — because isn’t that the fate of most people who set out to fight the injustices they see, and that they cannot help but see once they have been made aware of it? The story is a metaphor, not a math problem, and 'walking away' might just as easily encompass any form of sincere and fully committed struggle against injustice: a lonely, often thankless journey, yet one which is no less essential for its difficulty."

- Kurt Schiller, from "Omelas, Je T'aime." Blood Knife, 8 July 2022.

[devilboydogman]

Hey, I know chronic pain is absolute hell for physically disabled and chronically ill people, but can we also talk about the chronic discomfort symptoms?

Like, it doesn’t hurt per se, but it sucks ass.

Like involuntary movements, making it hard to move or function

Nausea, the absolute BITCH

confusion, brain fog, forgetfulness

Getting lightheaded or dizzy or problems with the vestibular senses

RESTLESSNESS

Numbness and tingling

Fucking fatigue. Like the kind that makes you feel like a rubber noodle that weighs 800 tons and you can hardly left an arm.

Weakness in general, like that’s annoying as hell. Why can I not open this bottle.

I haven’t experienced this, but I imagine full or partial paralysis is pretty sucky.

Trembling. Like, sometimes not even because something hurts. Your just shaking, vibrating, man. What.

So yeah. Complain about discomfort from your disabilities and illnesses, you deserve it.

[elodieunderglass]

Oh that reminds me! I almost forgot to cast my spell of DAMAGE AND HARM on british people

[jazzyartsssss]

The newsletter is great but why is his mouth open????

[melloween-candie]

Study session [C.G]

Carl Gallagher x Reader

Summary

Carl really liked Y/n, and he thought that Y/n liked him too. So, he somewhat forces himself on them, and they get a bit uncomfortable. He ends up kissing them, and they pull away. Y/n is a kindhearted individual who isn't used to getting much attention because they're pretty shy. So, when the teacher asked them to help a fellow student with their studies, they couldn't say no.

A/N - The reader's gender doesn't matter in this story, so you guys can decide for yourselves. :)

Warning: Name calling, Uncomfortable, Misunderstanding

Word count: 1,440

[Angst/Fluff]

Shameless Masterlist

Fandom Masterlists

/"Talking"//Thinking//Muttering-Whispering/

"Is it six?"

"Five, Carl, the answer is five." Carl's face shifted to a slight frown as he shifted in his seat.

It has been nearly three hours since you arrived at the Gallaghers' household.

"Hey, don't worry." You placed your hand on Carl's shoulder. "You're getting better."

You started cramming your notes back into your bookbag. "Seriously, Carl. Maybe you might actually pass 10th grade."

He smirked. Shoving your shoulder lightly as you giggled.

"Leaving so soon?" Carl asked, tilting his head smirkingly.

"Like always, out by eight." You said as you placed your bookbag on your shoulders.

"Can't you stay a little longer?"

You looked at Carl as if he was insane.

"You know my curfew's ten. Anything past that without a 24-hour notice for my parents, I might as well be digging my own grave."

"Come on! You still got an hour!"

"Thirty minutes. It takes thirty minutes for me to walk ho-"

"Ten more minutes, then I'll walk you home."

"What are we even going to do?"

You were exhausted nonetheless. Tutoring three different people each week can really fill in your schedule.

"I don't know. Something fun? Come on! Losen up a bit. Bend the rules a little!" Carl stood in front of you. Barely three inches away from your face. "Come on, let's go to my room. I want to show you something."

Quick skip! ~ Into Carl's bedroom!

"So, what'd you want to show me?"

"This."

Carl pulled a piece of paper out of his drawer. Showing it with pride.

"Wha- Carl!" You grabbed the paper out of his hands. "You didn't tell me you had a test!"

"And I aced it too."

"And why do you even have me as a tutor?" You leaned into his face, teasingly scrunching your nose at him. "I'm proud of you!"

"Thanks." He smiled proudly.

Carl placed his hands in his pockets as he held his shoulder high. He lowered his head as he looked at you with a smirk. Carl swayed closer to you. "I wanted to prove to you that I'm not as stupid as those other kids you tutor."

And by those other kids, he means Chuck and some other random loser.

"Oh, Carl. I never thought you were stupid." You said, shaking your head slightly. Looking up at him. His chest was barely touching yours.

Carl slowly tilted his head as he lowered it- closer to yours. He looked at your lips, then back to your eyes. As he slowly closed his. His hands slowly but softly cupped your checks. Keeping your head firm. Your heart jumped when you realized what he was about to do. Your lips barely grazed each other before you pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" You asked him. You were a bit shaken by his sudden act.

Let's just say that Carl was a bit taken aback by your action.

"Wha-What do you mean?" He asked with a hint of nervousness in his tone.

"Carl what kind of relationship do you think we have...?"

'I..."

"I should go."

You gave him back his test paper as you quickly left his room. Leaving him to contemplate his choices.

Time skip!~

The next day was a little awkward... You quickly noticed how Carl's behavior changed every time you entered a room. He was tense, always trying to leave. He didn't even bother to attend today's session.

Clearly, there was a problem, and the guilt was eating you alive.

You didn't mean to make things awkward with him. You like Carl... a lot! You just panicked... You weren't used to being treated like that. You never even had a boyfriend before and never really gave that idea much thought.

The next day you sat outside eating lunch when you saw Carl and his buddy Nick walk out the school door. You placed your food down and quickly tried to catch up to them. You wanted to fix things.

Nick saw you running towards him and Carl, and he quickly tapped Carl's shoulder.

"Hm?" He turned his head just enough to see you running.

His heart started pounding as his cheeks began to turn pink. He turned his head, hiding his embarrassment from Nick.

"H-Hey..."

"Hey." Said Carl with his hands in his pockets.

"So, uh... You didn't show up for our last session; why?"

"I had some stuff I needed to finish... You know, business."

"Oh, ok, umm... Are you gonna be there tonight? My place? We have a test coming up for Government."

Carl looked at Nick then back at you. We'll be there."

Usually, Carl would never let Nick in your guy's sessions. He would always tell him to wait in a different room, or if you guys were studying somewhere other than in his house, he would just have him stay home. But this time, it was different.

Time skip~

You were currently organizing your desk. It's been a while since you and Carl studied there. Usually, you guys would study in Carl's room.

Finally, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" You yelled.

You opened the front door to see Carl holding his bookbag and his friend Nick who doesn't talk much.

"Hey, your late."

You were never a fan of tardiness. Being raised the way you were, you always thought it was rude, and you knew he knew that about you too.

"Yeah, well, we got caught up in something. Anyways let's get this over with, yeah?"

Carl was clearly giving attitude. You weren’t a huge fan of that, but you hoped you still had a chance to explain yourself during the session.

Anyways, the three of you all headed towards your room.

"Umm... Is Nick joining us this time?"

"Yeah!" He spat. "Nick's tired of always being left out. Said he wanted to learn things too."

"Right..."

You knew that Carl had a bit of a bad boy reputation, but he never intimidated you or made you feel small before. At least not until that point.

"Ok, let's get started..."

You and Carl both sat at the desk. Pencils out and notebooks open. Meanwhile, Nick just stood there hovering over you both.

You couldn't really focus well and surprisingly Carl started correcting you-

"It's five Y/n. Remember? We did this question yesterday."

"O-oh, right." You quickly erased your answer. Fixing it.

Two hours passed, and it felt like an eternity for you. You couldn't stand sitting quietly there with him anymore... So, you spoke.

"Hey, sorry, I know we're in the middle of this question, but can we talk... in private?" You whispered the last part.

Carl sighed and signaled Nick to leave the room. He seemed annoyed.

"So, what'd you want to talk about."

"Umm... about our last session..."

"I told you I had something I-"

"No- I mean..." You closed your eyes and inhaled some air.

You were never good with confrontation, even if it was you doing it. No matter if you did something wrong or the other way around. It always made you nervous.

"What about it." Carl spat.

"I-I'm sorry. If I did something wrong. Don't get the wrong idea. I- I do like you, Carl." You closed your eyes. "I just wasn't expecting that. I didn't want to destroy our friendship, and I was just scared. I- I never kissed anyway before..." You looked at him, head hung low. "I'm sorry."

Right then and there, that sparkle Carl lost returned to his eyes. As his face shifted into a smirk. Of course, he tried not to show it.

He cupped his hand on your cheek and wiped away your tears. The room soon went quiet, as Carl once again grabbed ahold of your face.

You once again started panicking as Carl's face got closer… He tilted his head once again. Closing his eyes- Your face soon turned red as he closed the gap between your lips.

And there you have it. You two kissed. It only lasted for a minute, but it felt like forever. Time froze right there and then. It felt so magical to you. Your heart was pounding like crazy, and you just sitting there, frozen as he moved his lips on yours. Your cheeks were so red that you were a whole tomato by the time you two were done.

When he pulled away, you were a bashful mess. Stuttering everywhere.

"I- I-ah-"

"Shh... quiet down, angel." Said Carl as he placed his lips on yours once again. You frozed once again, but this time you closed your eyes tightly.

Two seconds later, the door burst open.

"Y/n! Who the hel-!?"

Your father came in...

"CARLLLLL!"

A/n

I hope you guys liked it. I wanted to keep it cute and simple after all; this was the first fanfic I wrote on here. Can you believe it!? Also, this was supposed to be gender-neutral, so if you see a mistake, just let me know! Follow for more~! 💕

[sarasa-cat]

On the gentrification of horror.

[how-much-for-a-whump]

Gaddar 1. Bölüm

Collection of Çağatay Ulusoy's whump

source

[winterthebeau]

[civanticism]

CIVANTICISM Wisdom ֎ Truth ֎ Balance ֍ Virtue ֎ Empathy https://www.civanticism.com/

[serenityquest]

[midnightfreedom]

" Discomfort is a wise teacher. "

~ Caroline Myss

[feral-ballad]

When you said you felt so comfortable with me, it made me feel pathetic that I was feeling uncomfortable myself. I also wanted to feel comfortable, to feel safe, to speak and laugh, but my words just crumbled in my mouth. Even when I was with you, I was a shadow. A dark, dark thing, stuck to your side, imitating your every move. ‘This is so nice, this is so comfortable,’ you kept saying, and I envied you for it. I wanted to laugh, to be comfortable in my relationship with someone, to be the kind of person who can easily become close to a person they like.

Baek Sehee, tr. by Anton Hur, from I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki

[angelaeleni]

Every discomfort provides an opportunity for us to see how powerful we truly are. Every discomfort means that we are well on our way to massive growth and expansion. Embracing our discomfort gives it the love and safety it longs for. Embracing our discomfort allows it to transform, overtime, into a new space of comfort and empowerment.

[bearingwitness]

May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude

[dk-thrive]

And it dawned on me that I might have to change my inner thought patterns…that I would have to start believing in possibilities that I wouldn’t have allowed before, that I had been closing my creativity down to a very narrow, controllable scale…that things had become too familiar and I might have to disorient myself.

— Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One (Simon & Schuster; October 3, 2005)

[fangledeities]

The Disrobing of Christ, c. 1440, Master of the Karlsruhe Passion, possibly Hans Hirtz. Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe.

Late Gothic period