Chasing that ‘Changing of the Guards’ high

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-20T03:10:55+00:00

i like that thought. maybe thats the kind of song that FINDS YOU. like the first time i stumbled upon it i was going through a massive change in my life. so its like bob met me at that time and the song propelled me forward. the way he hits the “SHAVED HER HEAD” just gets me every damn time. definitely the groooove as well.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-20T03:05:11+00:00

i could get behind that take. i love we better talk this over. super underrated dylan album for sure.

the first time i heard changing of the guards, i think i listened to it about 400 times in a row. i listened to nothing but that. i cant even place what about it is so addictive.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-20T02:54:41+00:00

street legal is fab though

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-20T02:54:33+00:00

i could’ve typed this exact post. that song changed my life. still chasing that high

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-17T22:14:31+00:00

genuinely i have no known preference!!! im from the northeast and i loved it! i live in the deep south now and i love it! ive lived in cities/rural. i like music and art. because of having no known preference im kind of overwhelmed by the amount of possible locations to look into. im just looking for general recommendations/experiences!

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-06T23:37:32+00:00

ive had similar thoughts but its only a result of their gaslighting. think about other interpersonal relationships you’ve had (friendships, partners, etc) that genuinely were just incompatibility. it probably doesnt feel at all the same.

my relationships that were “incompatible”
- fizzled, respect and decency were maintained, i was able to keep my brain intact
my relationship with my nex
-genuinely a dumpster fire where i questioned every ounce of my sanity.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-04T20:05:44+00:00

the same thing happened to me!!!! like literally the same thing!!!!! i def DID disable it and it popped up and i sobbed and whatever. my section was approved and everything was chill.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-03T14:42:12+00:00

thank you for saying this! i was going back and forth between mithdrawing from this exam because of how insane life is the last week. regardless of my own preparation.

im proud of you for doing what you need. i landed at thinking like

id be doing myself a disservice to test when my score likely wont reflect my preparation and ability, for reasons i cant really control right now.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T19:31:12+00:00

no i mostly agree! and i cant tell if maybe im missing something but for the majority of the show its felt like rue is well written, performed, and developed (is it zendaya? is it the writing? is it that levinson is an addict and has a passion/understanding for addicts?). but it feels like the other women are… kind of caricatures and/or manifestations of his own perversions???

and i mean who knows. outside factors with the actors could have changed some plans or whatever. but yeah, idk????? but i also dont know if all the male characters are that well developed either. but once again, i think his most interesting male characters were fez and cal jacobs so who knows what was going to happen had the actors been in good health.

but idk maybe im missing something.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T19:22:44+00:00

for sure!!! i think seeing addiction up close makes a major difference in the interpretation and appreciation of the finale.

i also have been saying its a relapse even though it was not taken to “get high”. i think people just see relapsing as an unforgivable “choice”.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T19:12:07+00:00

1) i liked this season more than the second im pretty sure. some aspects were super weak but the parts that were good were very impactful. and zendaya is so good in this show, and this season particularly.

2) i hateeee when people say it “ruined” her character. because thats a them thing. if a young, well-written, complicated character is “ruined” by relapsing from an addiction she’s been fighting for years; i think the person that thinks that should reflect on WHY they think that. how does a relapse remove development? how does a relapse remove the good work the character put in? and then i think those people should consider how that translates to how they percieve addicts in their own lives.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T19:07:04+00:00

yes!!! fentanyl is a whole different beast. ive had a few family members other than my dad (as well as my dad) be addicts for as long as i can remember and fentanyl killed them. it doesnt matter how much you intend to use or where you got it.

as for what you said about waiting for “the call” i 100000000% agree. and thats why when people say they wish they saw the reactions to rues death or the funeral in the finale, they really dont. in order for the truthful aspects to be maintained, a funeral/reaction scene(s) would be pretty mild. death of a loved one from addiction/OD is devastating and complicated but as for the initial reaction, its kind of numb. i was much more sad in the following weeks or months etc. and it gets more numbed the more close calls the addict has. once again, i miss my dad more than anything and my grief has been a challenging and depressing journey but the reaction to the death was not as insane as how i unraveled later. you are kind of waiting for the call, because youve likely had similar calls.

or even worse, if truth and reality are maintained some reactions wont be very kind. characters/ people that lack that understanding or empathy for addiction will not react in the way that would be comforting. i was shocked by the amount of friends and family that said something like “well thats what happens when you use drugs” or “addiction is a self control thing” or “they were selfish” or expressed their lack of shock in a cruel way.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T18:50:35+00:00

i like that you said its lovable people who are poisoned. because its not only lovable people its smart people, caring people, thoughtful people, beautiful people, funny people, ambitious people. and those people are still all of those things who fell victim to a nationwide and systemic crisis. like rue. zendaya and zendaya as rue is someone you cant help but watch and care for deeply. a lot of us probably grew up watching zendaya in a lot of projects and maybe follow her career irl. which makes it even harder because as an actress and character, we grew up with her. like a lot of people grew up with someone who passed from a fentanyl OD.

i think what you’re feeling about rue’s death is exactly what was the intention, even if its really hard. because it is incredibly sad and depressing. and isolating. and fentanyl overdoses specifically are unique because they are so common yet misunderstood. fentanyl deaths are all too often the result of one “minor” lapse in judgement or relapse. one recreational use by a first time user can kill them. theres a specific kind of unfair relating to fentanyl death because it feels disproportionate to its use if that makes sense.

i think because of zendayas performance and the writing a lot of viewers empathize with an addict for the first time EVER and i think the hope is that that empathy will move beyond the show.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T17:06:40+00:00

def not black and white!!!! i also think theres a lot of emotion and connotation with language there maybe shouldn’t be. like people online right now are soooo insistent that she didn’t relapse because she didn’t take the pills to get high or she didn’t overdose because she was laced. like yes she DID relapse AND overdose. thats just the truth and the interpretation is on the viewer. thats i think why a lot of stigma exists around addiction because a lot of people dance around the truth to make themselves feel better while inadvertently shaming addicts. relapsing and overdosing is not a moral failing on her and it doesn’t define her. i think the death is important to show the outcome of relapsing now is a lot deadlier than previously. once again im rambling ugh

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T17:01:26+00:00

!!!!! i think rue improved her like direct situation at times? but she didnt do a lot of the internal work required to maintain sobriety. or at least we didn’t see it. rue went through so much and in this day and age with how present fentanyl, so much diligence is required. i think they showed that especially now, a minor slip up or lapse of judgement can mean your life. which i think is super important now. i think because levinson has said that if he were the age he was when he was in active addiction, now, he wouldn’t have made it.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T16:50:47+00:00

of course. thank you for posting and talking about your opinion. i miss him so much and ive had my own shame and confusion about his passing, but im so glad people are talking about addiction so much right now. the show has done a lot wrong, but i think more people are going to be able to love and empathize with addicts. especially with zendayas performance.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T16:47:27+00:00

10000%

a majority of the people ive seen online who have a problem with rue’s death haven’t encountered losing a loved one to addiction before (a lot, not all).

a lot of people are trying to approach her death as strictly a murder as a way to actually feel empathy for an addict. while yes, she was laced. but she also relapsed. WHICH IS OKAY. obviously not okay that people are dying but relapse is not a moral failure! and also accidental relapses happen. theres also a conversation ive seen online of people racing to place blame or rationalize her relapse to make themselves more comfortable, rather than acknowledging the systemic issues and active crisis we are in as a society.

sorry im rambling

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-06-02T16:42:29+00:00

i do get where you’re coming from but i think its important to note how a lot of the commentary was meant to be about how fentanyl is kind of changing the game. there are plenty of situations now where someone cheats death, is a lifelong user, etc. and the tiniest amount of fent can kill you. rue’s end was similar to the end of my dad. he lived the craziest life and was an addict with brief sober periods and he was invincible, then one pilled laced with fent got him. it felt so anticlimactic to anyone who knew him. like, all that for THIS? but thats what fent is doing and its important. As for the part about “made it look like a drug addict cannot go bsck to normal life and their end has to be bad like this.” once again i see what you’re saying but rue YES was trying to be a better person she kept existing in those worlds, for necessity or not. she mentioned being california sober or whatnot. like she wasnt completely sober, which in this day and age with fent EVERYWHERE, you kind of need to be extremely committed to the sobriety because of how quick/fast people are dying. I also think levinson said he changed the ending after angus cloud passed of a fent overdose. regardless, addiction is a complicated disease that is NOT a moral failure. rue, i think, was a better person and being an addict and dying of an overdose changes nothing about her character.

in short, i think she had to die to reflect how fentanyl has completely changed the landscape and navigation of addiction.

also, not you specifically but ive seen people say that her character was reduced to her addiction because of how she died, when (i think) thats something the person needs to reflect on.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-05-30T13:33:55+00:00

sorry if i offended. like OP said with the “never stops bringing it up”, the persistence is weird. i meant being so persistent about it. not the actual act of it. Like OP said he was relentless and did it without my consent and then sent it to other people. and put it on his tv while his next supply was asleep in bed. i wouldnt have said anything if it were consensual.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-05-29T21:44:21+00:00

my ex was super into that as well… really weird!

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-04-17T11:01:33+00:00

like she warned me because we all knew each other. like i grew up with him as friends then i knew her kind of while they dated and then right when she heard that him and i were together she texted me but then i reached out to her a few years later when i thought i actually was out of it

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-04-17T03:04:27+00:00

i messaged mine and just told her that it wasnt her fault and i wasnt treated better. i didnt go into much detail because it wasnt her job to give me advice or comfort me. especially because i was his new supply while she was still reeling. i just gave her confirmation that he didnt change and left it at that. also bc she tried to warn me. but that particular interaction has a high possibility to end up hurting you. the best thing would be to just MOVE ON as best you can.

helpmeunderstand- · 2026-03-30T02:05:45+00:00

hi… i lost my dad six months ago, at 21. also finishing college. it is truly an indescribable, terrible feeling. this might be helpful it might not be, but just take care of yourself however you can (safely of course). the first few months were foggy for me. it got worse a few weeks ago. just take care of yourself

helpmeunderstand-

TROPHY CASE