Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) Dir. Blake Edwards.

— I, Carrion (Icarian), Hozier | @musette22 request

HBO’s Howling Commandos // credits (x)

Nonduality is so simple, but it can never be understood by an individual, which is only a sense of being someone and therefore doesn’t understand anything at all. A sense of self can’t do anything because it’s not actually a thing with its own existence. Instead, understanding belongs to awareness, consciousness, being, or whatever you’d like to name it—literally, whatever seems to stand under all appearance of phenomena. And this “pure consciousness” is the best candidate for being our Self—not the bundle of thoughts and sensations we normally take ourselves to be.

Direct pointing can sound obtuse, like you’re holding back the punchline, asserting claims without proof, or making word salad. But direct pointing is pointing to what is always immediate, always here, always available—the you in which “you” appear and which precedes all concepts.

Conceptual thought can only produce a conceptual facsimile of understanding. Look directly. You are not and never were the self you have always believed yourself to be (or have at least believed since around the time you were two years old).

Awareness can see that it’s not the mind, not the body, and not the person. And yet the sense of being a person seems to stick around and still seems to be real even after the initial recognition of its unreality. That’s just how it seems to work.

(Sorry to use “seems” so much, but much is only seemingly so.)

But if a person persists in being exposed to concepts that point beyond the conceptual, then it seems like there’s the potential for the “body-mind system” to do something different. I.e., when the conditions are right, the mind gradually stops layering the sense of doership/ownership on everything that seems to happen.

Eventually the recognition of non-doership/non-ownership can “stabilize” and become the default mode of living for what seems to be an individual. And eventually for everyone, the person dies for good—either when the body dies or allegedly, in the case of enlightenment, before the body dies.

Nonduality is the most liberating shit on offer. Continue to go back to it and when you’re ripe for awakening, the person will be exposed as being empty and the emptiness will be exposed as being you. And that will change everything without changing a thing.

Or don’t think about nonduality at all. That’s fine too. Whatever happens, this is just this, exactly as it is.

There’s something very nice about remembering fics you read years ago. Maybe you remember the plot perfectly, maybe the rest of the fic is only a blur aside from a handful of vivid scenes, but you remember the way it made you feel. And sometimes you dredge up the memory - the premise or a favourite scene or a few lines that stayed with you -  and your heart aches a little bit, the way it does when you think about books you enjoyed as a child.

To all the fanfiction writers out there: your work is beautiful and meaningful and it leaves an impact. I promise.

Canopy above me - Author: InnerChildsPlaytime

You said, “Lend an ear, I implore you, this comes from my heart: I’ll always adore you, ‘til death do us part.” Remember? It was pretty swell… I mean, while it lasted. But all beautiful things must end, so I guess we might as well call it a day.

Irene Dunne & Cary Grant in The Awful Truth 1937 dir. Leo McCarey

'mammoth mountain,' patty van dolson, c. 1980-90.

In The Long Run

Pairing: Stucky (Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes)

Word count: 12.8k

Rating: explicit (18+)

A/N: While I'm chipping away at my multi chapter fic, here's a little Shrunkyclunks AU I've always wanted to write! It's mostly 💫 vibes 💫 and unapologetic smut, with a bit of soulmates and angst thrown in the mix, too. Hope you enjoy! Endless thanks to the marvelous @sparkagrace for the beta help! ♥︎♥︎

Excerpt:

“That looks broken,” Bucky says, with a nod at the stranger's face.

“I’m fine,” the man glowers.

Bucky can't help but smile at his surliness. “Whatever you say, lone ranger.”

It takes another moment, but eventually, the cracks a tiny smile of his own. He wipes his hand on his faded jeans and holds it out to Bucky. “Steve,” he says.

Ignoring the residual blood, Bucky takes the proffered hand, which is big and warm. “Nice to meet ya, Steve,” he offers with a crooked grin. “Name’s Barnes. James Barnes. But of course, everyone calls me Bucky.”

Read on AO3

Extended author's note under the cut for anyone who'd like to know more about the inspiration behind this one ♥︎

I've always loved 70s rock and classic country music (Eagles, America, Glenn Campbell, The Byrds, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah, Bread etc.) and been a little obsessed with the vibes of so many of the songs in these genres. A while ago, when I was listening to Peaceful Easy Feeling and heard the lyrics,

"I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight / With a billion stars all around"

&

"I get this feeling I may know you / As a lover and a friend",

and was inspired (possessed) to write a Shrunkyclunks AU, so… voilà. Bonus points to whoever can spot all the lyric references in this one lol.

tomorrow never knows - CH9

AO3

PAIRING: Steve /Bucky

SUMMARY:

In East Berlin around the late 60s /early 70s, KGB Asset 3B-1 is tasked with eliminating a subject, but his personal equipment malfunctions and the whole thing gets switched to recon and this is how Asset 3B-1 finds himself watching a hapless artist sleep, mostly. But this is the heyday of spies and corruption and nothing ever being what it seems, and so Things Happen. Plot and action and secrets and lies Happen. Until of course the truth comes out, the way it always does. Because at the core of this are Bucky and Steve, as always—idiots who are being the most idiotic idiots about everything, especially each other.

A/N: OMG PEOPLE. IT IS DONE. WE MADE IT.

i nearly drove myself nuts trying to wrap up every last wayward plot strand, but really -- i only have myself to blame for stranding so many plots to begin with.

You absolutely have my permission to yell at me in the comments if i've missed tying up any loose ends. Or anything else. 🤣

i also need you all to take a moment and thank @booksandabeer because she made this story into what it is and saved me from myself countless times. It would not have been worth reading without her amazing beta skills and patient understanding. And she's as much of an accuracy /research freak as i am, which, let's face it, is saying something.

And then i need you to help me throw all the love at @bittersweet-in-boston who is the reason i wrote this, and is the loveliest and staunchest supportive cheerleader anyone could ever hope for.

Finally to @hanitrash and @sparkagrace, and the amazing @smlmsworld, who yell shouty love at me and then blame me for making them yell. i am not sorry.

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING. i LOVE YOU.

💕💕💕💕