Just Your Local Cryptid

Bisexual Aromantic, Romo-Positive. Feel free to ask any questions.

[pan-positivity]

[Video description: a man holding a small chocolate box is wearing a orange plaid shirt, he is mostly bald but has a beard and small amount of hair on his head. The man also has tattoos on his arms.

Man: you know, momma always said having kids was like a box of chocolates

You never know what your gonna get

(the man opens the box and pulls out a small note with the word pansexual written on it)

Man: thats a good one!

(pulls out note with bisexual written on it)

Man: i like that one too!

(pulls out another note with asexual on it)

Man: thats a good one!

(pulls out card with gender fluid on it)

Man: yes!

(pulls out card with non binary on it)

Man: oh, yes!

(pulls out card with trans gender on it)

Man: definitely!!

(pulls out card with straight on it)

Man: thats a good one

(pulls out card with gay on it)

Man: i like that one!

(pulls out card with lesbian on it)

Man: and i like this one too!

There isn’t anything in this box that i dont like!

The video ends and is credited to princess dad @/ourdadnow on tik tok

End description]

[notebooks-and-laptops]

this is so wholesome it made me fucking tear up

[sockiesock]

here’s to the aros who wish they could experience romantic attraction

here’s to the aros who are proud to be aromantic

here’s to the aros who are also asexual

here’s to the aros who are sexually attracted to the same gender

here’s to the aros who are sexually attracted to the opposite gender

here’s to the aros who don’t know what they’re sexually attracted to

here’s to the aro boys

here’s to the aro girls

here’s to the nonbinary aros

here’s to the trans aros

here’s to the aros (and every single person on the aro-spec)

[bpd-dylan-hall-deactivated20190]

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again but it is absolutely an example of civilizational inadequacy that only deaf people know ASL

“oh we shouldn’t teach children this language, it will only come in handy if they [checks notes] ever have to talk in a situation where it’s noisy or they need to be quiet”

[raginrayguns]

My mom learned it because she figured she’ll go deaf when she gets old

[manyblinkinglights]

My family went holiday SCUBA diving once, and a couple of Deaf guys were in the group. I was really little and I spent most of the briefing overcome with the realization that while the rest of us were going to have regulators in our mouths and be underwater fairly soon, they were going to be able to do all the same stuff and keep talking.

[tell-the-stars-hello]

The only reason some form of sign language is not a standard skill is ableism, as far as I can tell.

[emoracreations]

For anyone interested in learning, Bill Vicars has full lessons of ASL on youtube that were used in my college level classes. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/billvicars

and here’s the link to the website he puts in his videos:

https://www.lifeprint.com/

[godlessheathenhippie]

[diablosita-blog]

The Best Birth Control In The World Is For Men by Jon Clinkenbeard

If I were going to describe the perfect contraceptive, it would go something like this: no babies, no latex, no daily pill to remember, no hormones to interfere with mood or sex drive, no negative health effects whatsoever, and 100 percent effectiveness. The funny thing is, something like that currently exists.

The procedure called RISUG in India (reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) takes about 15 minutes with a doctor, is effective after about three days, and lasts for 10 or more years…

Oh, and when you do decide you want those babies, it only takes one other injection of water and baking soda to flush out the gel, and within two to three months, you’ve got all your healthy sperm again.

The trouble is, most people don’t even know this exists. And if men only need one super-cheap shot every 10 years or more, that’s not something that gets big pharmaceutical companies all fired up, because they’ll make zero money on it (even if it might have the side benefit of, you know, destroying HIV).

[spacereblogsthings-deactivated2]

signal boost 

[beerinabox-deactivated20150120]

DUDE

[mustangheart]

dude

[gottawork-out-blog]

dude

[musingsandmurder]

DUDE

[cydie]

can this replace the normal contraception methods we have pls

[mx-zaftig]

This has existed for YEARS. They ran an article about it in WIRED magizine but I don’t think anyone read it .-.

[emilynstoryweb]

Maybe more reblogs then?  Up to a million at least.  We have this technology to get the word out and change the world.

[geschiedenis-en-talen]

all queer history on here is just US-American or maybe sometimes some UK history as well and it makes me sad that there’s so little information about other countries’ queer history on here :(

[every-book-has-a-secret]

@makingqueerhistory has some diversity, as of historical queer people, and they’re doing a great job, but there’s a lot of work ahead. 

[makingqueerhistory]

OP is definitely right, there still is a huge gap in the discussions of queer history, and thank you for recommending us!

This isn’t perfect, and many of these only have one article, but here is our list of countries we have written about. We are hoping to one day have at least one article for every country in the world but as @every-book-has-a-secret there is a lot of work still to do.

Europe

Albania Austria Belgium Czechia Czech Republic Denmark England Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Scotland Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland

Africa

Algeria Cameroon Egypt Kenya Morocco Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone South Africa Uganda

North America

Canada Costa Rica Crow Nation Cuba Grenada Jamaica Menominee Nation Mexico Puerto Rico United States of America

South America

Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Guyana Peru Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay

Asia

Afghanistan Bangladesh China Hong Kong India Iran Israel Japan Pakistan The Philippines South Korea Sri Lanka Syria Turkey

Oceania

Australia Māori Nation New Zealand

Antarctica

Antarctica

[theres-no-going-home-deactivate]

!!! This is what I was looking for! thank you!

[makingqueerhistory]

Of course! Glad we could help!

[kaar-ne]

I’d like to add Tom Of Finland (Touko Valio Laaksonen), the one who drew those erotic pictures of muscular men clad in leather, to the Finnish list.

Some say that Tom Of Finland was the father for the leather gay movement.

[acetarisborn]

PERUVIAN QUEER HISTORY???? God, I love this site

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

This whole obsession with wheelchair users struggling on foot down the aisle at their wedding or across the stage for graduation is 100% powered by ableism.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

“The heartwarming story of how one woman worked for 8 months straight so she could escape the horror that is being in wheelchair for a few short minutes to struggle slowly and painfully down the aisle on her special day.”

[feraladoration]

“the horror that is being in a wheelchair” bitch it’s hella better than struggling slowly & painfully down the aisle ffs

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

“Despite being permanently paralyzed, her one goal since her accident has been to walk across the stage for graduation. The whole crowd gave her a standing ovation and broke into tears when she dragged her paralyzed legs across the stage with the help of leg braces and a walker to collect her diploma, after which she immediately sat back down in her wheelchair, which she will use to move around for the rest of her life.”

How the hell is this an inspirational story? This person needs better goals. And a therapist.

[smoldragonborn]

They’re toxic in an even greater way because as a disabled person, I didn’t realise till I was reading this how much I had internalised that. I genuinely have had feelings of fear and shame about using a chair or a walker if I get married. And why? Because I’m constantly seeing “heartwarming” stories about disabled people who shed their mobility aids for that moment. Why the hell am I afraid of using them to get married? Anyone who marries me or attends the wedding will know I need them and love me regardless.

Bless this post for making me realise I’d internalised that shit.

These types of stories teach people, both abled and disabled, that using mobility aids, especially wheelchairs, is inferior.

[margomoment]

here are some beautiful brides in chairs with dresses they ROCK. I know a lot of disabled ppl with internalized ableism think they “won’t look good” if they use their chair, but here’s some literally gorgeous gals for ur consideration

(that last ones cute as fuck and i teared up at it)

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Who needs a bouquet when you can be a bouquet?

[smoldragonborn]

I made my addition to this post in June 2019. Its now January 2020 and I no longer feel guilty about the idea of going down the aisle one day with mobility aids.

God bless the disabled community, y'all saved me from some internalised bullshit

[thegayemu]

This post floated by a few months ago, and I remember something to effect of there’s a difference between recovery and refusal. That is, like, I have a friend that suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury. He can walk again now, and I don’t think I’ve seen him use his chair in a few years. When he walked at his graduation, it was to show off his recovery. That he wasn’t quite ready to go through a full day upright, but he could walk across a stage, unassisted, and soon he would be able to do that every day. There’s also a difference in someone like me choosing to not use a mobility aid. My mobility is intensely fluid, especially seasonally. So, I would plan a summer wedding. And while I love my cane it can also be the biggest pain in my ass, so I’d want to just go unassisted. But that’s normal for me, at least right now. I can walk without an aid during about half of the year. It’s reasonable to assume I can make it through one day without it. All of that is different than someone that is fully and permanently paralyzed, that will never walk again, dragging themselves along because they feel that’s somehow better. Overall though, my biggest takeaway is fuck the media. Because disabled people should be able to make whatever decision they want without the media turning it into this grand inspirational story.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Disabled people should be able to make whatever decision they want without the media turning it into this grand inspirational story.

THIS.

[bifinmediasres]

Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add my disabled joy to this post. Look at this love!

[aprillikesthings]

Taking the opportunity to add these photos of Jessica Kellgren-Fozard and her wife Claudia, from this twitter post. Jessica also has a youtube channel that’s primarily about disability and chronic illness and LGBT stuff (it’s amazing!) 

[haveyouhadenough]

I would also like to personally share, Annika Victoria who ALSO has a youtube channel. This photo was taken from her instagram - she made her wedding dress dress herself, BY HAND. Her youtube channel is mostly DIY fashion and sewing tutorials. I love her so much, she’s so unapologetically herself and informative

[theinfiniteofthought]

I also wanna add these pictures of Ade Adepitan fucking rocking this badass suit at his wedding! Give my fellow disabled mascs some love too

look how much fun they’re both having! yes!

and also this couple, who are both wheelchair users

this is from their beautifully coordinated wedding!

[pavikovsky-deactivated20160630]

[aromantic-eldritch]

[notanothercashiercomplaints]

My heart goes to every person at the door who had to enforce this getting the most harassment of all of us.

[thearcher2019]

i think if a woman says she doesnt ever want kids you should just shut the fuck up and support her 

[aro-culture-is]

hi!! um this isnt really an aro culture post, but my girlfriend recently came out to me as aro spec and of course im very supportive but i am a little confused about how she can love me and be aromantic?? so do you happen to know of any sources where i could learn more about it? sorry to bother you!!

hi! this is totally no problem.

so personally, the number one thing I can say is that it is absolutely okay to ask your gf how she experiences love towards you. as an aro who has dated before, i really loved being around my now ex-gf (we didn’t work out due to a variety of reasons, but more due to her assuming I would endlessly forgive her when she crossed lines we agreed on, and me exercising my right to say uh no, actually, that’s kinda immature). while I couldn’t call my love romantic, I felt like she was still a fantastic person to be around and that she was my best friend.

some tips for asking, but recall I don’t know you, so please excuse me if any of this feels like i’m assuming the worst:

make sure that you feel prepared to initiate a feelings heavy conversation

that could mean doing boxed breathing, a grounding exercise, or something else for you

feel free to express if her being aromantic has left you feeling uncertain, but please be cautious about coming across as accusatory. you are allowed to express your feelings, but keep in mind that she cares for you so much that she is dating you even though she traditionally “shouldn’t”

try to really listen and ask questions as you need. you are allowed to process this at your own pace

whatever your feelings are afterwards, trust that she knows her own feelings, and that she is trying to communicate them to you as best as she can.

from there, a tip based on some things my ex-gf did that uh, contributed to the ex part of that: if you think that maybe she does feel something romantic? you aren’t the expert on her feelings.

you can say if you don’t understand how it is different, but understand that she’s probably going to struggle to provide an answer you will click with, and that she probably would love a good answer to that question too. it’s very common for aro people to initially identify as pan or bi because we assume equal attraction to everyone means that vs no romantic attraction, and figuring out the distinction is usually messy and hard.

all in all, I highly recommend talking to her, listening, and understanding that even if you don’t click with her explanation, she still is choosing to be with you. if you think about how rare it is that someone would love their friend so much that they would willingly sign up to see if they can spend their life with them? that is the sort of love you’ve encountered. someone who cares for you so much, that even without the classic feeling of attraction, they think you are so wonderful to be around that that doesn’t matter.

i hope this helps!

[raavenb2619]

[ID: The running away balloon meme. In the first panel, a person, labelled “me”, reaches for a yellow balloon, labelled “being affectionate with my friends”. In the second panel, a second person, labelled “other people misinterpreting my affection as romantic”, holds back the first person, who looks nervous. End ID]

[inkskinned]

the thing is, somebody cares. i know your best friend seems really busy all the time and is shit at texting but she still loves you and she talks to you more than she talks to anyone else and you’re the only breath of calm she has on this planet. the boy in your science class loves seeing what music you’re listening to on your headphones - he has the same taste and wishes he had the nerve to ask you about it. your english teacher loves the insight you have on your papers. somebody cares. the person who lives down the street from you notices when you are sick because they don’t see you stomping your way to the schoolbus - it’s how they know it’s time to get their breakfast ready. somebody is looking for you at the party, even if they don’t know they’re really looking for you - but when you don’t show up, some part of them is disappointed. somebody is looking for you in the library, in the spot where you eat lunch, in front of that one step you always seem to trip on. i know your parents are a complicated mess and there’s drama between your friends and your love life is sort of shaped like a constant question and everybody seems all caught up in their own lives and their own happiness and nobody really notices: but somebody always does. every face in your dreams is someone you have met, and that means that you are in a million’s stranger’s heads. they see you when they go to bed. and somebody cares. somebody still thinks about you even though you were just a person with a nice outfit or good eyeliner or a great smile or because you were having one of those moments that are so charmingly human in nature or because they regret not asking if you needed help when you fell or because they wonder what you were thinking about or drawing or writing or just because you’re alive, and that makes you fascinating. somebody cares. when you were on break from work and saw a dog hanging his head out of the car and suddenly broke into a smile: there was a girl in the back of that car, and I was her, and I still think about you, and i hope you get more chances to smile like that. and there is you, sitting here reading this, and by some small extension, meeting me, and i am telling you, I care. somebody always does. i promise. i promise. you are loved.

[thearomanticpeach]

I DON'T WANNA FALL IN LOVE I WANNA BE A WIZARD ON A MOUNTAINTOP CASTING SPELLS WITH MY ANIMAL FAMILIAR!!!!

[one-time-i-dreamt]

Are you guys following what's going on in Milwaukee? It's happening right now, June 23/24 depending on where you live!

There are conflicting reports about who set the house and van on fire, some say it was the police to cover up evidence, some that the neighbors did it.

But people managed to recover tons of documents from the house before it burned down and already one of the people mentioned in them was identified as a register sex offender! The house is also allegedly registered to a member of the clergy?

Summary:

[crow--prideflags]

alloaro

[heckyeahponyscans]

Hey folks, I live in Seattle and up till a couple years ago I lived on Capitol Hill. I still have friends living there.  So I thought I’d provide some local insight into the CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone).

There is a lot of misinformation out there, especially from Fox News, which photoshopped a gunman into pics, wow.

First, the best resources to find CHAZ info are local to Seattle: The Seattle Times, Capitol Hill Blog, and the CHAZ livestream where you can see the streets for yourself.

Capitol Hill is a very densely populated neighborhood full of apartment buildings and bustling restaurants and bars. If you work there, you live there (because it is hard to navigate by car, like NYC), and if you live there, you are probably super liberal. It’s also the center of counter-culture and LGBTQ culture in Seattle.

Are the protesters terrorizing the locals?

No, the protesters ARE the locals. They live in the many, many apartment buildings on Capitol Hill.  Having lived there for years, believe me when I say “fuck the police” is a prevalent opinion there even when there isn’t a nationwide protest.

Is there looting?  How are businesses protecting themselves?

The local businesses are not being looted; they are open and are doing a booming business.  Also, a lot of workers / business owners ARE protesters.

I saw a picture of Seattle on fire!

Actually you saw a picture of a protest in Minnesota that Fox News pretended was Seattle because they are frauds and shills.

How big is the Autonomous Zone?

Six square blocks.

How did this situation come about?

There was a peaceful march.  The mayor abruptly set a 5 pm curfew.  The protesters ignored it and marched anyway.  Then the police set up barricades to stop the march.  The cops started using tear-gas and flash-bangs and the situation devolved from there. (You can find videos of this on Capitol Hill Blog.)  What prompted the tear-gas was … one of the protesters thrust a pink umbrella over the barrier.  Yes, really.

The situation deteriorated for several days/nights running until the police abandoned the East Precinct on Capitol Hill. The violence was very one-sided: the police attacking the protesters.

Then the police left.  From what I heard the mayor ordered them out due to rumors or fears that the police station would be burned down? Which didn’t happen.  Anyway, they abruptly left.  As in, hired a literal moving truck and emptied out their headquarters, in almost a comedic beat.

Do you have to show your ID to enter the Autonomous Zone?

No.  People come and go freely.  City services are also allowed to come and go (and I presume delivery trucks but I haven’t looked into that.)

What’s with the physical barriers if people can come and go freely?

They’re to keep vehicles out. 

Backstory:  While the protests were ongoing, a guy (whose brother was an East Precinct cop) tried to ram his car into a crowd of protesters.  A brave man eating a hot dog threw himself at the side of the car, grabbed the steering wheel through the open window, and stopped him. Whereupon cop-brother-car-man shot him with a gun.

Personally I think cop-brother-car-man was planning a mass shooting because he had extra ammo taped to his hoodie sleeve. You can see the blue tape on his arm in the pic above. (The protester who was shot thankfully survived.  Check out those brave medics tending him while an ACTIVE SHOOTER is standing feet away!)

But anyway, that’s why there are barriers. I believe they move them aside for approved vehicles, like emergency vehicles or deliveries.

Are there people with guns roaming around?

Not on a regular basis, although I’ve heard a local gun club had some members there one night when it was rumored the Proud Boys (a Nazi group) might show up.  (They didn’t.)  But in general, no.

Is it scary??

No.  The neighborhood is fully on board and overall there is a festive atmosphere.  There are speeches about BLM, about discrimination, about what people want for the neighborhood.  There are first aid stations, medics and counselors, and people offering free pizza.  If you watch the livestreams, you can see people walking their dogs, out with their kids, etc.

Where will this all end?

I don’t know.  The barriers can’t stay up forever and I think everyone knows that.  The “Autonomous Zone” name is tongue-in-cheek, the protesters aren’t actually trying to secede from the United States.  Basically, this is a boiling over of frustration.  The police have never been good-faith neighbors on Capitol Hill.  Also Seattle police have always been pretty racist and had a problem with excessive force.

Look at this whole situation.  All the police had to do was stand back and let the protesters march; they would have marched and gone home and that would be that.  All the police had to do was nothing.  Instead they turned a neighborhood into a warzone.

By the way, did you know that yesterday (6/12) in a different Seattle neighborhood 60,000 people marched to support BLM?  And because the city had learned its lesson about dumbass curfews, they let everyone march and nothing bad happened.

Weird how the national news didn’t report on that march, huh?  Almost like they cherrypick the protests that will appear “scary” to their audience.

[emilylaj]

After a couple years of wondering if I was aromantic, this Pride Month I finally reached out to aros to talk about my feelings and experiences, as well as looked through @justaroacethings. Turns out, I am! It feels amazing to finally be 100% certain of who I am. If anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to answer them!

[image description: The first photo reads, “aromantic; adj; noting or relating to a person who is free from romantic attraction to anyone or free from the desire for romantic love.”]

[image description: The second photo reads, “romance positive; aros who may enjoy romance, the concept of romance (reading love stories), and/or romantic activities; may be open to having a romantic partner.”]

[image description: The third photo reads, “This means…I love reading/writing romance, but I have no desire for romance to happen to me. I don’t feel the need to have a boyfriend/partner, I don’t need one to be happy, but I am open to having one. If I have one, it won’t be romantic in nature. Aside from sexual acts, my relationship would be generally the same as with friends. I see no inherent romanticism with holding hands, hugging, or cuddling so I do these with my friends as well. “Dates” wouldn’t happen; it would simply be going out to eat or going bowling. No importance would be placed upon them.”]

[image description: The fourth photo reads, “In conclusion, I am aro, specifically a romance positive aromantic. I love romance but I feel no romantic attraction to anyone, and don’t have a desire for romantic love. I am open to having a boyfriend/partner, but I don’t need to one feel happy or fulfilled. Aromanticism is a spectrum, and what I feel is not what all aros feel. Not all romance positive aros want a partner, for instance. There are romance-repulsed aros that feel romance or romantic acts are revolting or uncomfortable. There are romance indifferent aros that have no strong feelings either way. But we all are valid, and we all should be respected.”]  

[aromantic-eldritch]

This is so important :)