ChatsVoid

@chatsvoid.bsky.social

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A personal comic by @skullbird.bsky.social about self reflection and animal skulls. ON HIATUS! Reposting the backlog slowly to rebuild! Thank you for your patience and understanding 🙇💜 http://skullbird.com/chatsvoid

DON'T WORRY, I'M ALWAYS READY FOR THE WORST. I'VE GOT A TECHNIQUE! ОН? WHAT'S YOUR TRICK? I DWELL ON WORST CASE SCENARIOS IN MY HEAD ALL THE TIME, SO I'M READY FOR THEM IF THEY HAPPEN. IT DULLS YOU TO IT. FUNNY HOW BY DOING THAT, YOU'RE ALSO PROMISING THAT WORST CASE SCENARIO ALWAYS HAPPENS, EVEN IF JUST MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. …
This body is mine but I Am Not My Body
HEY UH... DO I HAVE FREE WILL? IS FREE WILL EVEN REAL? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? IF THE UNIVERSE RUNS ON SET LAWS, WITH ENOUGH COMPUTATIONAL POWER, IT COULD ALL BE PREDICTED... ACTIONS, THOUGHTS, ALL OF IT COULD BE ANTICIPATED! SO CAN I EVEN HAVE A CHOICE IN MY ACTIONS? MAN, WHAT DOES “FREE WILL" EVEN MEAN? WHAT DEFINES “FREE" OR "WILL"? WHAT'S A "CHOICE"? I THINK YOU'RE REALLY JUST GETTING TANGLED WITHIN THE LIMITATIONS OF WORDS. I GOT A BETTER QUESTION: WOULD THE ANSWER CHANGE YOUR LIFE IN ANY WAY? PROBABLY NOT... BUT IT'S KINDA FUN TO FREAK OUT ABOUT IT.
I GUESS THE FAMILY LEGACY WILL END WITH ME... HOW SAD AND SHORT SIGHTED TO REDUCE YOURSELF AND ANY LEGACY TO GENETICS. THERE ARE FAR GREATER THINGS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR KIN'S FUTURE. YOU CAN HELP BUILD A FOUNDATION... ...WITH CREATIONS AND TEACHINGS THAT WILL RIPPLE ACROSS TIME.
IF SHARING MY CREATIONS DOESN'T MAKE ME HAPPY... WHY DO I FEEL SO COMPELLED TO DO IT? BECAUSE THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THESE ACTS OF SHARING... ...HAS NEVER BEEN FLEETING HAPPINESS. IT'S TO MAKE THE INTERNAL EXTERNAL. TO SEE IF YOUR WORK CAN SURVIVE OUTSIDE YOURSELF. IT'S BIGGER THAN JOY. IT'S COMMUNICATING IN A LANGUAGE OF YOUR OWN MAKING, AND SEEING WHO ELSE CAN CONNECT TO IT. CHATS WITH THE VOID
“HEY, DO THAT THING THAT MAKES MY HEAD FEEL ALL WEIRD.” “SURE.” “OUT OF THE MILLIONS OF LIVING THINGS THROUGHOUT TIME THAT YOU COULD HAVE BEEN, OUT OF ALL POSSIBILITIES... YOU EXIST HERE AND NOW AS YOU...” “BUT WHAT AND WHO "YOU" ARE COULD ONLY EXIST HERE AND NOW. ANY OTHER TIME OR PLACE, AND YOU WOULD NOT BE YOU.” “NEAT”
SO MANY POSITIVE CHANGES IN MY LIFE LATELY, AND I WANT TO CELEBRATE THEM... BUT IT FEELS WRONG. IT'S WRONG TO CELEBRATE FOR MYSELF WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH SORROW IN OTHER'S LIVES... BUT IT'S WRONG TO MYSELF TO SILENCE HARMLESS JOYS... RIGHT. WRONG. THERE'S MORE THAN TWO SIDES. MORALITY ISN'T BINARY. BESIDES... [insert inane morality rant here] HMM THIS ISNT REALLY THE PEP TALK I WAS EXPECTING
AT WHAT POINT DOES THIS WHOLE “SELF CARE" THING TURN INTO AVOIDANCE AND ESCAPISM? IF YOU'RE THAT WORRIED ABOUT IT, THEN PUT A BREAK ON YOUR BREAK. BUT WHAT IF I'M WRONG AND I FAIL AGAIN? PUSH YOURSELF TOO MUCH? WELL THEN LOOKS LIKE YOU NEED THAT BREAK! RESTED ENOUGH TO CONTINUE? COOL NOW YOU KNOW THAT LIMIT! YOU SAY THAT LIKE IT'S EASY TO KNOW WHEN TO SWITCH! WELL, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. START PRACTICING!
I CHOOSE TO SEE THE BEAUTY IN LITTLE THINGS. MAYBE NOT CHOOSE BUT... I WANT TO. I'M TRYING TO... SO I PRACTICE. I LOOK FOR IT WHERE EVER I CAN. IT'S WORK. BUT MORE AND MORE OFTEN.. EVERY NOW AND THEN. it gets easier.
“So, how’ve you been doing” “Uh, well I guess Ive…” [images of life, growth and plants] [images of death and bones] “Ive been doing okay”
MY NORMAL IS FALLING APART BEFORE MY EYES. THESE ARE UNEASY TIMES WE'RE WALKING IN FOR SURE... BUT LET'S BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES: NORMAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FICKLE JERK. IT NEVER STAYS OR LASTS. SO LET'S MAKE THIS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE NEW NORMALS. ONES THAT BETTER SERVE US.
SURE, I'VE LEARNED FROM PAST HEARTBREAKS, BUT I THINK THEY TAUGHT ME BAD LESSONS IN TRUST... THE LINE BETWEEN OVERLY CAUTIOUS AND NAIVELY TRUSTING CAN BE HARD TO SEE... BUT BE CAREFUL WITH LETTING RELATIONSHIPS OF THE PAST CAST SHADOWS ON YOUR FUTURE. TO SEE CLEARLY YOU MEED TO SPEND TIME IN THE PRESENT.
FINE, SELF CARE IS IMPORTANT. BUT I CAN'T PULL BACK NOW. I'VE WORKED HARDER THAN THIS BEFORE! IF I DIDN'T REST FOR THAT... I CAN'T REST FOR THIS. YOU MISJUDGED YOUR LIMIT ONCE, AND NOW YOU'RE LOCKED INTO REPEATING THAT MISTAKE UNTIL YOU BREAK? IS THAT HOW THIS WORKS NOW? ...DAMN, GO EASY ON ME. HEY, I WILL WHEN YOU WILL.
A NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE IS STARTING AND I'M SCARED. BOTH GREAT AND TERRIBLE. I'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MANY ALREADY... BUT IF WE EACH ONLY GET ONE CHANCE AT EXPERIENCING LIFE... ARN'T YOU REALLY QUITE LUCKY WITH JUST HOW MANY DIFFERENT SLICES OF EXISTENCE YOU'VE GOTTEN TO TASTE?
IF I'M REALLY DOING SO MUCH BETTER NOW.. ...THEN WHY DOES THIS SADNESS TASTE SO FAMILIAR. BECAUSE "BETTER" ISN'T SOMETHING YOU JUST UNLOCK FOR YOUR LIFE ONE DAY. IT'S WORK. "BETTER" IS BUILT FROM ACTIVE CHOICES AND HABITS. YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN "BETTER"
IF I GAZE INTO THE ABYSS, THE ABYSS WILL GAZE BACK INTO ME... BUT THE ABYSS IS NOTHINGNESS. A VOID CAN ONLY HAVE WHAT YOU BRING INTO IT. SO I ASK YOU. WHAT DO YOU BRING?
SO, DO YOU TALK WITH EVERYONE? EVEN HUMANS? ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO LISTEN. HUMANS ARE OFTEN TRICKY, THOUGH. GET GREAT CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF THEM! BUT USUALLY IT'S MORE LIKE- AHHHH! DEATH IS CERTAIN, LIFE IS MEANINGLESS, NOTHING LASTS! AS IF WHO I AM IS INHERENTLY BAD... THEIR LOSS. MORE MEANINGLESSNESS FOR ME! OH, I LIKE YOU.
I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN. I KNEW I'D START TO FALL AGAIN. I'M ALREADY SLIPPING BACK INTO THOSE OLD PATTERNS... I'M SUCH A SCREW UP. I WAS A FOOL TO THINK I COULD GET BETTER. I DESERVE THIS I SHOULD HAVE NEVER- KNOCK IT OFF. WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT YOURSELF FOR PROGRESS? …PROGRESS? YOU CAUGHT YOURSELF BEFORE YOU FELL THIS TIME, DIDN'T YOU?
WHY DOES HATE FROM STRANGERS BOTHER ME SO MUCH? WELL, THEY DON'T HATE YOU THEY CAN ONLY HATE THEIR IDEA OF YOU. BESIDES… IT'S UNFAIR TO THE LOVE AROUND YOU TO FOCUS SO MUCH ON A FEW ANGRY VOICES.
AH, IT'S YOU. HERE TO GIVE ME ADVICE TOO? NO. ADVICE ISN'T ALWAYS NEEDED. OH? SO WHAT DO I NEED? SOMEONE TO LISTEN.
THINGS WERE GOOD FOR SO LONG. WHY DID IT HAVE TO CHANGE... YOU WERE POORLY PREPARED. CHANGE IS INEVITABLE. SO, BE READY FOR MISERY ALWAYS THEN? NO. YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT BACKWARDS. BE READY FOR CHANGE ALWAYS. HOW THINGS ARE ISN'T HOW THEY WILL ALWAYS BE.
What if my best isnt good enough? Well, what the hell is “good enough”? You cant reach a foal that keeps moving with every accomplishment. Define “good enough”.
I KNOW I'M SMALL IN THE UNIVERSE. ...BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT. ARN'T YOU MONUMENTAL? A UNIQUE SERIES OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS, CAPABLE OF THOUGHT. PLANETS, STARS, GALAXIES; ALL MORE COMMON PLACE THAN WHAT YOU ARE. YOU ARE MORE OF A PHENOMENON THAN YOU CAN REALIZE.
SOMEDAY THE EARTH WILL BE GONE? YES. FAR, FAR FROM NOW. BUT YES. THE SUN TOO? YES. EVEN THE SUN IS TEMPORARY. DOES THIS SCARE YOU? HONESTLY, NO. FIND IT ODDLY COMFORTING THAT NOTHING LASTS. IT MAKES ME AND MY PROBLEMS FEEL NICE AND SMALL
ARE YOU... DEATH? NO, I AM EXISTENTIALISM OH ACTUALLY, THAT MIGHT BE WORSE..
A comic of a bird talking about its creative insecurities with a purple skull faced spirit.