theeyesinthenight

[theeyesinthenight]

“If I had time travel I’d kill Hitler” “If I had time travel I’d stop my favourite politician getting assassinated” you’re all thinking way too small. If I had time travel I’d stop Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from dying on the moon due to Soviet sabotage, kicking off the Great Nuclear War and devastating half of the planet.

[theeyesinthenight]

On conservation and survival

[theeyesinthenight]

It's hard to say this without sounding like a right wing dickhead, but the thing about progressive spaces is that they may naturally attract people who are always on the lookout for excuses to start a fight. Like you can find yourself faced with someone whose political outrage is totally justified, and whose humanitarian ideals are right on the money, but simultaneously they are carrying a ton of psychological baggage about being wronged and getting revenge, and they will exploit literally any opportunity to live out this psychodrama with anyone in their line of vision. I have thought of several related anecdotes since I started typing this post, but I'll limit myself to the thing that inspired it, which is that I just visited this ultra-lefty cafe/bike shop/community gathering space where I've heard that the proprietor is constantly in a fight with everyone around her. When I paid for my stuff I noticed that there was no tip option, but I thought I had heard something about this, so I snuck away to look at the website and it made me really glad I didn't ask! I think there should have been a really enticing and exciting way for her to say "I've decided to be the change I want to see in the world, so I'm paying my baristas a full living wage, I'm making sure EVERYONE feels welcome and comfortable here, and I'm selling products I believe in!" -- but instead all the web copy sounded more like "You're either with me or against me, you're a fucking piece of shit asshole if you can't handle the inclusive atmosphere here, and by the way tipping is for fascist cavemen and if you ever try to tip someone you are refusing to relate to them authentically and you are enforcing a dangerous and evil power dynamic that should be purged from human society (so therefore I pay my staff well)." Like everything she stood for was totally agreeable, but why did she have to put it like it was directed at her worst enemy, rather than at the kinds of people she wants to attract? If the word on the street is to be believed, the reason for this posturing is that she spends quite a lot of energy making as many enemies as possible, and she probably likes it that way. I guess I'm just reminding myself, and perhaps others, that while one might think of "politics" as being broadly social and theoretical, no individual can fully separate the political from the intimately personal. Even somebody who seems to want to uplift and protect their fellow humans may be getting some perverse inner satisfaction out of that valiant crusade, and you may never realize it until you find yourself in a confusing fight with them.

[theeyesinthenight]

My sister is doing pet play with women on roblox and I don’t have the heart to tell her it’s probably a kink for the others involved

[theeyesinthenight]

[theeyesinthenight]

Sometimes the rats in my brain come together and start yelling “YEARNING” and in trying to appease them I ask “FOR WHAT” but they are too small so all they can say is “YEARNING” which is a very big word for such a tiny creature, even collectively

[theeyesinthenight]

Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant

by Billy Collins

I am glad I resisted the temptation, if it was a temptation when I was young, to write a poem about an old man eating alone at a corner table in a Chinese restaurant.

I would have gotten it all wrong thinking: the poor bastard, not a friend in the world and with only a book for a companion. He'll probably pay the bill out of a change purse.

So glad I waited all these decades to record how hot and sour the hot and sour soup is here at Chang's this afternoon and how cold the Chinese beer in a frosted glass.

And my book — José Saramago's Blindness as it turns out — is so absorbing that I look up from its escalating horrors only when I am stunned by one of his gleaming sentences.

And I should mention the light that falls through the big windows this time of day italicizing everything it touches — the plates and teapots, the immaculate tablecloths,

as well as the soft brown hair of the waitress in the white blouse and short black skirt, the one who is smiling now as she bears a cup of rice and shredded beef with garlic to my favorite table in the corner.

[theeyesinthenight]

[theeyesinthenight]

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

[theeyesinthenight]

For people struggling with meeting new people and making friends as an adult:

LOCAL NONPROFITS.

SERIOUSLY.

I live in a town of 2,500 people. The nearest "city" is 6,000 people. There is shit going on EVERY WEEKEND in my region sponsored and organized by local nonprofit orgs for arts, advocacy, etc. -- hell, it's a Tuesday right now and I just went to an event sponsored by the local Pride group at my favorite nearby coffee shop. I do admin work for a volunteer first responder group. I live literally next door to an environmental org's HQ. There's so many events out there being put on by nonprofit groups and so many ways to apply your skills and volunteer your time that give you an instant way to meet other people of all ages who share a similar interest as you, or similar values or some other thread of community.

Volunteering doesn't always have to look like ladling out soup or picking up roadside garbage either, though those things are important -- volunteering can be putting up posters for arts events, or building sets for the local kids' community theater program, or updating spreadsheets, or gardening, or walking shelter dogs, or any other number of things that can match up with your skillset and ability. And if your job is soul-sucking and something you aren't passionate about (because let's face it, most of us just need to pay the bills), volunteering for something you are passionate about can help provide a feeling of purpose.

And if you're in the US like me and funding is getting slashed left and right, a lot of these groups are going to be more dependent than ever on volunteer help.

I know that "oh, you should go volunteer!" is one of those trite-sounding phrases that most of us automatically tune out, like people suggesting you should just meditate and do yoga to deal with anxiety or go outside more to help with depression, but it's also one of those things that, infuriatingly, actually does have value (much like my stupid little outside walks for my stupid mental health). So if you're feeling isolated and lonely, I really, truly do suggest giving it a try.

[theeyesinthenight]

on being yourself

@ brainsoupp_ on twitter// @stmichaelthearchangel// @ cybermrcury on twitter// @throughmy-eyez // @ shellerina on twitter// @caesarsaladinn// @ nelsoncj4 on twitter // @ heimberg_a on twitter// make your own kind of music by cass elliot// @ soledadfrancis on twitter// ? // @ sourcenectar on twitter// @superorganism

[theeyesinthenight]

one of the most challenging skills i've had to learn as an adult is the art of figuring out whether i'm proportionally annoyed with someone or just tired and overstimulated and looking for reasons to be pissed off

[theeyesinthenight]

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS (2025) + TUMBLR REACTIONS

[theeyesinthenight]

apply for jobs you’re not qualified for! audit upper-level classes! get drunk with your TAs! see that poster advertising that lecture series? go there take notes and ask questions! thank the presenter for talking about this topic you love! if the class is full before you register, email the professor and ask if they can squeeze you in! RAISE YOUR HAND! tell the disability accomodation office to do their goddamn job! ask for help! file complaints! go to class in your pajamas and destroy the reading! you got this! you KNOW you got this! be arrogant enough to learn EVERYTHING! take your meds! punch a velociraptor in the dick! fear is useless and temporary! glory is forever! shed your skin and erupt angel wings! help out! spread your sun!

i had a really good morning! you deserve a really good morning! kill anyone who says you don’t and build a throne from their bones!

[theeyesinthenight]

Tumblr collapsed in usage multiple times, every time they decided to ban things they deemed as sexually explicit content or sex workers.

This has not stopped the porn bot problem.

Tumblr was never SFW from its inception; I was there when the old magic was written.

john green didn’t “deserve” the way that early ‘10s tumblr treated him technically, but I feel like the discussion around whether he “deserved” it or not is completely missing the point. he was an adult in a space that was largely recreationally used by teenagers. why would he not get the substitute teacher treatment. what else did you think would occur here.

[theeyesinthenight]

Art by Essi Välimäki

[theeyesinthenight]