if you don't careful you'll die

my horrible animals

birb

when i was a high school senior, there was a kid in my grade who wouldn't run the mile. everyone was required to run a timed mile to pass gym, and he wouldn't do it. the thing was, if he didn't pass gym, he wouldn't graduate. it was already spring.

it wasn't like he couldn't run a mile -- he was a football player, athletic. huge popular kid, boisterous, with a warm smile and a swarm of friends, who gave people nicknames. you know the kind of guy. for that matter, one could walk the mile if one wanted, you just had to do four laps at any pace. it didn't matter to him. he didn't say so, but it was a pride thing. it was demeaning. he was right, we all knew it and admired him for it, but like. he wasn't going to graduate over this.

this standoff went on for weeks. the principal was not going to allow it. this kid didn't come from a family where everybody graduated high school, and the principal wasn't going to let this kid be denied a diploma over something this stupid. but he was up against -- if i was informed correctly -- a state law. you had to run the mile to pass gym, and you had to pass gym to graduate.

the principal, who is a man i knew well, and still know, and admire, didn't make an exception for this kid. he also didn't force the kid or threaten him or even try to reason with him and wear him down. instead, he made the following deal.

"you and me," he said, "are going to run the mile together. we're gonna do it after school, so nobody is there but us, and your friends, if you want. and i will wear the stupidest, goofiest, ugliest tracksuit i can find, so nobody will be looking at you, they'll be looking at me. tell your friends to take pictures." and that is what they did. the track suit was cyan and magenta and yellow and purple and our principal looked like a goofy dumbass. the kid graduated a few months later.

i work with kids now and i think about this all the time, and why what the principal did worked. he could have cracked down. he could have said rules are rules. he could have said, ok that's your choice. he could have even had the idea, and dismissed it because of some notion about not undermining his own authority. but he didn't. he identified exactly what the actual problem was -- why won't this kid do this thing he clearly must do? because it hurts his pride. and instead of insisting, as so many adults do, that pride is a luxury that young people neither deserve nor can afford, he said ok. how can i fix that. and by making it seem, in a fun and harmless way, like the kid was humiliating him, he made the difference between the kid having a high school diploma and not. sometimes that's all it takes.

that post that's like "it would be soooo easy to make money if i wasn't so principled" is not even true. the grifter market is notoriously saturated. remember when communismkills got her heat shut off.

when your friend says love you at the end of the call

so mean to him

feel old yet? 10:36 was 0-24 hours ago

the one true pipeline in life if from "jonathan sims, head archivist from the magnus institute, london", through "jonathan sims, head a-.... statement recorded by jonathan sims" and "jonathan sims, former hear archivist of the magnus institute" to "jonathan sims. the archivist"

The good news: you get to pick your new soulmate! (You can define "soulmate" however you want: platonic/romantic/partners in crime/etc. But they will be in your life, constantly.)

The bad news: you don't get to pick where they come from.

Spin this wheel until you get a fandom with characters that you recognize. As soon as you do, stop. One of those people* is going to be a constant presence in your life, whether you like it or not. So choose wisely.

*broadly defined

I'm part of a wood carving club and there are a lot of dads who are dripping with adhd/autism vibes who's special interest is wood carving. One of the master skill level carvers who we'll call... Jim was working on a figure of a super heroine, who was frankly outrageously bodacious. Several women in the club are uncomfortable with this. They tell me they wish he wouldn't carve stuff like that at the club. This is understandable. I felt a bit uneasy too. I ask if they told him, and they say no.

This goes on for months. He's at a point where he's carving the folds of her skin tight suit. It's shockingly impressive. A real Giovanni Strazza with wood here. Many of the women in the club, (also boomers) have stopped talking to him because they're offended.

One afternoon I see a woman we'll call Karen approach him and have this conversation Her: Wow that is really starting to look like actual fabric. Him: Thanks! It's been a really fun challenge. Her: I bet! She sure is - a lot- huh? Him: Yeah a lot of these comic book characters are really outrageously proportioned! Her: They really are! You know, when I was carving a sign that was political in a way i knew would offend some people here, I just felt so much more comfortable carving it at home. Him: *nodding* Her: Okay? Him: Yeah I get that. Her: Yeah. Okay. Good luck with her!" *she walks off and he looks a little confused.* Next week at the meet up Jims working on it again and Karen's furious. Says to me "He said he wouldn't bring it back! So RUDE." So I go up to him and we have this conversation. Me: Hey Jim Him: Hey Neala Me: Some of the ladies around here are feeling a little uncomfortable with the figure you're carving because of her massive cartoon titties. Him: Ah shit, really? I thought they just thought it was funny. Me: Yeah folks laugh a lot when they're uncomfortable and trying to hide it. Him: Mm, yeah and I can never tell which laugh is which. Me: Me either Him: Well I won't work on this here anymore. I have other projects to do. Me: Hey thanks! I wanna see it when you're done tho so take a pic for me, okay? Him: Haha sure! I go sit down. Karen is shocked. Jim puts the figure away and works on a carving of a crane instead. He is not upset.

A week later I over hear Karen telling her friend I screamed at Jim last week.

Another event at the same club. All names fake. Even mine but u only know me by the fake name so

A carver who does a lot of work for the group comes in with a stunning leather bag. When I say a lot of work for the group, I mean a LOT a lot. He plans out monthly projects, makes the blanks for them and shows the rest of the club how to do the carvings. Lets call him Harold.

So I'm gushing over the bags, and so are a few others. He tells us he made these bags himself and that he's really gotten into leather working over the last year. Jim is complementary of the bags, and teasingly says "Woodcarving and now Leather? You know what they say? Jack of all trades, Master of none!"

Now this quote takes on a different meaning coming from someone who is literally a master skill level carver ways it to someone who is not. But he says it in a jokey way. Clearly meant to playfully rib. Thing is, I see the tightness in Harolds eyes when Jim says this. Having Adhd myself, I also hobby hop a lot and know how it feels to be teased about it. Maybe I was projecting as i flashed back to every time someone had told me to "Just stick with" something.

I say, "Go on Jim, finnish the poem!" In a playful way. Jim laughs and shrugs and says he didn't know there was more. I quote the whole thing, "Jack of all trades master of none but still always better than a master of one." Everyone laughs in a good-natured way, Harold visibly relaxes.

Later, Jim tells me i hurt his feelings. He says it felt like i was belittling him for only being good at one thing. I apologize and explain that he had inadvertently hurt my feelings and that I suspected he had hurt Harold's because it felt like he was saying we weren't good at anything because we have multiple hobbies.

He apologized and said he was feeling a little jealous that Harold is good at so many things, and all he's good at is woodcarving. He also went on to say that if Harold entered any of his carvings into any competitions, he would probably have the same rank as him. Harold just didn't do competitions.

At this point Harold overheard and thanked Jim for what he had said, and told him that he didn't enter competitions because as soon as he started doing that with the goal of achieving a certain rank the hobby stopped being fun for him and he no longer wanted to do it and internally I was like "Ahhh i also have pathologic demand avoidance! Me too."

And everything is fine now.

Nature documentary voice "Here we see the interaction between the autistic adult, who has had one special interest that has lasted his whole life, and some Adhd adults, who have collected many special interests over their lives. They are accidentally hurting one anothers feelings about it."

the pure of heart can take items from the store without paying

hey kitty gurl 🤪 do you wanna serve and slayyyy 💅 while you serve the forces of capitalist imperialism and slay civilians in the global south 🦅🇺🇸

I completely fucking forgot about this ed edd n eddy x akira crossover I drew a year ago

i love how everyone on this website is kind of pathetic it brings such a sense of understanding and community

🍰 mutual1 jan 32, 2025 - 3:14PM

just had a panic attack mid jerkoff sesh. killing myself goodbye forever #vent #nsfw #<- unless you work at the jacking off store i guess

🎥 mutual2 jan 32, 2025 - 3:09PM

[gif from a movie from 1938]

🐕 mutual3 jan 32, 2025 - 3:07PM

everything is so scary does anyone even know what to do #i hate it here!!!!!!!!!!

🌈 mutual4 jan 32, 2025 - 3:02PM

[gif from house md]

🧍🏻‍♂️ mutual5 jan 32, 2025 - 2:58PM

thinking of watching tv today #i <3 tv show yayyayayyayy

🏹 mutual6 jan 32, 2025 - 2:52PM

I <3 TRANSGENDER!!!!!!!!!!

🩸 mutual7 jan 32, 2025 - 2:49PM

[this post contains filtered content: blood, gore, body horror]

🌧️ mutual8 jan 32, 2025 - 2:41PM

[9-paragraph-long analysis of blorbo from their shows] #does this make sense ?? #analysis #myshows

🐏 australianmutual jan 32, 2025 - 2:38PM

still cant sleep. its 5am rn :( #insomniaposting

🍓 mutual9 jan 32, 2025 - 2:35PM

if i dont finish this essay in time there will be bloodshed #dont EVER go to college. evil here.theres assignmence

🧪 mutual10 jan 32, 2025 - 2:31PM

in the hospital again :P #third time this month. lets all die

⛪️ mutual11 jan 32, 2025 - 2:27PM

i have GOT to fuck a priest sacreligious style #nsft #please please please. on my knees for more than one reason if ur picking up what im putting down #get it . because

🦅 americanmutual jan 32, 2025 - 2:24PM

i fucking love burger

🔮 mutual12 jan 32, 2025 - 2:21pm

i hate taylor swift

🪩 mutual13 jan 32, 2025 - 2:20PM

i love taylor swift

🎸 mutual14 jan 32, 2025 - 2:17PM

i miss gerard babygirl come back please come back #MISS GERARDDDDDD :(

🐝 mutual15 jan 32, 2025 - 2:14PM

[image of 2 men standing across the room from each other] They were in love here ... #do u think they ever explored each others bodies

🧊 mutual16 jan 32, 2025 - 2:09PM

i thionk i might be aromantic .

⛏️ mutual17 jan 32, 2025 - 2:02PM

i have beenplaying minecraft. for 17 hours straight

💜 mutual18 jan 32, 2025 - 1:59PM

considering intensive outpatient again #2025 resolution is to Not kill myself its going bad. iop save me

🪐 mutual19 jan 32, 2025 - 1:55PM

I <3 MATH!!!!!!!!!!!!

🦈 mutual20 jan 32, 2025 - 1:52PM

has anybody noticed that the world is so scary and bad

i just feel really at home here