Stay Alive

It's worth it, I promise.

[outofficial]

Queerest. Emmys. Ever: A Recap

[poovellamkettuppar]

*seductively slips into existential melancholy*

[benignsolitude]

Water

A series of haikus. Watching rivers flow, How strong yet serene they are Swallowing the rain. Cascading raindrops Dented every calm surface, Creating ripples. We stand there and watch The force of flowing water intimidates us. The ocean, so vast, Is a big blue wonderland, Explore it with me. Beneath the surface, Struggling to find a way out, We will drown down here. You don't seem to mind, "as long as we're together," We can lose ourselves. Gentle reflections, The deep consumes both of us, Submerging our thoughts. Double suicide, Printed in big black letters, They're wrong, it was love. -Michelle Ke

[benignsolitude]

I know the picture only says #Kabul and #Munich but this is a tribute to those in Orlando, in Munich, in Kabul, in Peshiwar, in Palestine AND in Israel, in Brussels, in Nice, in Wurzburg, in Dallas, in Syria, in Iran, in the world. This is for the innocent who lost their lives across the globe, to those who lost their family and friends, to those who ARE lost and displaced, to those who have no close connection to anyone but still have fear in their heart, to those who have no one mourn them. You are in the hearts of all of us. Don't fear each other and please don't spread hate. The world is full of fear and it's unfair to tell you to have none but please do not let the recent events divide and separate us. Your local shop owner isn't to blame, your neighbour isn't to blame, your child's teacher isn't to blame, do not be afraid of someone because of their faith or their clothing or their skin colour. Do not let anything divide us.

[votedami]

Just because your inner child is dead, doesn’t mean you should try to kill the child in other people. If someone wants to enjoy Pokemon, or Finding Dory, or Star Wars - just let them. There is enough in this world to take joy from us without it being taken because of some pseudo maturity complex.

[hubnert]

You write a novel.

Everyone loves the novel.

Someone makes a movie based off your novel.

Your favorite actor is cast in the movie based on your novel.

You become best friends with said actor.

It can’t happen if you don’t sit your ass down and write your novel.

[deactivated123123-deactivated20]

I love how this person just knows we fantasize about this

[digenovanicolo]

[fruitsaladchewits-deactivated20]

For your satisfaction.

[skinnyniggaballin-deactivated20]

how the fuck

[surprisebitch]

this is so fucking pleasing

[collegerefs]

How to study like a straight A student

I did really well during my first year of college, and aside from a B+ in statistics (which was really good for me, haha! I’m not good at math), I had A’s in all of my classes. I’m certain that the reason I did so well was due to the way that I figured out how to study, so here are some tips I have based on what I did to study this past year!

1. Sit in the front row.

This isn’t high school anymore, it’s not embarrassing or nerdy to sit in the front row. By sitting in the front row, you won’t be tempted to check your phone and you won’t be distracted by looking at the people around you. I focus best in the front row. This also gives you a chance to easily ask any questions you have.

2. Show up to class a little early.

Show up to class about five minutes early every day, if possible. During the time it takes your professor to get set up, read through your previous notes. If you do this every day, you’ll begin to memorize info that you certainly wouldn’t have learned if you spent those five minutes before class just scrolling through tumblr. 

3. Type your notes and print them out.

If you prefer to spend a lot of time on hand written notes, then go crazy. However, I don’t really have time to make aesthetic notes, so I prefer to just write my notes by hand during class, then copy them into microsoft word so I can organize and print them out. This makes the notes much easier to read, and it’s much easier on the eyes. 

4. Do every assignment. Yes, EVERY assignment.

I don’t know why there’s advice floating around on tumblr telling people that it’s okay to skip a ton of homework assignments, because I definitely wouldn’t recommend it at all. Of course some assignments might be stupid or seem too small to matter, but if you’re being graded on them, you need all the points you can get. Trust me, just because homework assignments only account for 10-15% of your final grade, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be the difference between a B+ and an A-. Think about it: if your homework is 10% of your grade and you didn’t do it, you would literally have to get NOTHING wrong on your exams just to get the lowest A- possible. 

5. Don’t skip. Don’t skip. Don’t skip. 

Don’t skip if you can help it. If there is a serious emergency and you really can’t make it, try your hardest to get the best notes you can from someone who was in class. There’s nothing worse than sitting down for a test and realizing that a ton of the questions are about content you missed when you were absent. 

6. Go over material in your head when you’re not busy. 

If you’re in the shower or waiting in line at the cafe, go over class material in your head. Think about what you learned that day. If you do this often, this will help significantly with retention. 

7. Make flashcards throughout the semester, not the night before the final.

Don’t be one of those students who has to relearn an entire textbook the week before finals. If you’re studying right, studying for finals should be relatively painless. Throughout the semester, make flashcards of class content and regularly go over them. The easiest way to do this is to use quizlet.com and fill in definitions and other things you need to know, and use their helpful games and quizzes to memorize the info. It even keeps track of the definitions you rarely get wrong, so you know what you don’t need to study as much. 

8. Makes specific agendas for what you need to study and get done. 

When I study, I need to have a very specific to-do list detailing exactly what I want to get done. This will motivate you to keep going because you’re able to check off what you’ve already done. 

9. Don’t get discouraged by a bad grade- take it as motivation.

This is much easier said than done, but I had to do this in my western civilization class when I very nearly failed the first set of exams. If this happens to you, you should definitely take time to be upset about the grade, but don’t let yourself think it’s the end of the world. If you do badly, at least you know what to expect on the next assignment/exam so you know how to alter your studying to prepare for the next one. You can do it! I started western civ with a high D+ after my first exams, but I pulled out with an A- at the end of the semester! 

[thomasangster]

a lot of our friends died for us to get this far, so we can’t give up.

[themazerunnerdaily]

She looked like she could be fifteen or sixteen years old, and her hair was tar black. But the thing that had really stood out to him was her skin: pale, white as pearls.

[benignsolitude]

Friends are not an excuse

“I’m not being sexist, I have a lot of female/male friends.”

“I’m not being racist, I have a lot of _______ friends.”

“I’m not being homophobic/transphobic etc., I have a lot of LGBTQPIA friends/friends that support LGBTQPIA rights”

“I’m allowed to say that because I have _______ friends.”

Having those friends does not excuse the rude comment you made, having those friends should be a reason why you DON’T make a rude comment. Being a decent human being should be a reason you don’t make those rude comments.

[micdotcom]

Inspiring photos from the anti-police brutality protests that swept McKinney 

More than 1,000 people converged Monday evening at McKinney’s Comstock Elementary School before marching to the pool where the police incident took place. They hoped to send a message to law enforcement and the national media.

[commongayboy-deactivated2018082]

🐸☕️

[thebizofmisery]

Just incase it hasn’t reached tumblr yet. This is the woman that started the entire ordeal from yesterday. She works at Bank of America.

Do your worst Tumblr.

[ashleighthelion]

Last night for a #BlackGirlsMatter protest, we were standing on a median holding signs that said “Shut shit down for Black girls” and “Black Girls Matter” for Justice for McKinney. We were approached by two officers that said that we were unlawfully using a median because it’s dangerous for others’ safety. They came up to us a second time when we were planning on crossing the street stating that they would cite us for breaking the law. At the time there were five of us on the median, two people being white-presenting people of color and three of us being Black. Only the Black people were approached about being unlawful and threatened with citation. After having four more cop cars (7 cops to begin with for being on a median) and the Sargent coming to speak with us about how dangerous we were being, we were asked to give our information. I provided my information hoping they would stop with summoning me for unlawful use of a median because they already have identified me as a visible activist/ trouble maker (because I’m active in Richmond for fighting against police brutality and white supremacy). When they asked the two other Black folks I was with for their information, both of them refused - and rightfully so due to the fact that a.) We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, b.) the arresting officer/ instigator was frightening and on a sadistic ego trip and we didn’t feel comfortable talking with him, and c.) Heaven is a Black queer woman with medical disabilities and Shan is a Black queer transmasculine boi that does not have matching identification. The arresting officer (Officer Aaron D. Henning, Richmond PD Badge #3039 - also the arresting officer that is brutalizing Shan in the video) decided that he would arrest them because “they think they don’t have to listen to me or do what I say.” Right before they arrest Shan, he offers his information and they explained that “that ship has sailed, he has to take it to the magistrate.” But in arresting him, Officer Henning started off being rough because he was more mad about our inability to do exactly what he wanted just because he’s a white man telling Black kids get off a median that all Richmond residents use to cross the street or even socialize on. They ended up releasing Shan and Heaven because unlawful use of a median is only valid if you’re soliciting money. But my summons for the same charge is still valid until I go to court, and they were charged with impeding traffic and resisting arrest…. Because we stood on a median while being Black and just happened to be calling out the same behavior perpetuated against us.

[ndndoll-deactivated20160405]

This is the police officer who brutalized a 14 year old black girl in Texas. He is seen here wearing a fake headdress.  For those who think there is no connection between cultural appropriation and racism along with acts of violence towards people of color, let this be an example to you that there is. Dehumanization is dehumanization.