little crafts & resisting oppression

fiber artist, gender nerd, entomologist-turned-activist

[thoughtportal]

numb hands

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

The fact that one of these moves is significantly more difficult for me than the other two at least tells me which nerve is probably the most fucked up

[wizardarchetypes]

as we see reprisals of Y2K skinny culture (as part of fascism) people are making a lot of posts like ‘if you’re too young to remember, it was so toxic. people shamed [skinny woman] for being fat!’ and perhaps it’s useful to bring up someone like kate winslet circa 1999 being fatshamed to express how truly dire the situation was/is but i find it increasingly frustrating that the response seems by and large to be ‘wow that’s awful! she wasn’t even fat!’ [so clearly that was wrong!] and not the real point: ‘so imagine how horrible it was for actual fat people, who also don’t deserve the far worse treatment they got/get.’

[wizardarchetypes]

tl:dr if your response to fatphobic bullying/harrassment is “but they’re not even fat,” you have not gotten to the core issue. you haven’t even considered the core issue.

[wizardarchetypes]

lots of people in the tags pointing out the same thing about transphobia and especially transmisogyny where instead of centering trans women in conversations about transmisogyny, it turns into defending cis women who are mistaken for trans women like “and she’s not even trans!” instead of saying “we shouldn’t treat trans women that way.” you’re not derailing you’re 100% correct

[dsmsix]

[dsmsix]

[naamahdarling]

"In the same way that your heart feels and your mind thinks, you, mortal beings, are the instrument by which the universe cares. If you choose to care, then the universe cares. If you don't, then it doesn't." -- Brennan Lee Mulligan, D20, Fantasy High

[defilerwyrm]

[whiteshakira]

u cld write a whole thesis abt this xkcd & how the only workers personified here r the upper class college degreed tech & management workers & not the third world workers facing unsafe grueling conditions working in mining or even manufacturing..... the wood source described as a "legal fight"

[1000-life-hacks]

[archeologist-prophet]

Lovely to see we have spaces where you can gain access to so much literature!

[hag-o-hags]

Don't sleep on @queerliblib the Queer Liberation Library for all your queer Libby needs!

[transsexual-feminism]

Today I wanted to talk about Kyle Bassinga. Kyle was a 21 year old man from Georgia, whose family described him as "a kind, thoughtful, and smart young man who loved nature, music, and the people around him". Kyle Bassinga was killed on February 18th 2026, just ten days after his birthday. He was found hanging from a tree in a park.

The police ruled it a suicide. The family and local community demanded an investigation. The police refused to change their ruling.

I know this website it too white for this to really go anywhere, but an understanding of the present reality of white supremacy in the United States is just so important to transfeminism here. Lynchings never stopped, white supremacy never went away, you just stopped looking.

[aworldofhealers]

Here's are his family's GofundMe:

Donate to Honoring the Memory of Kyle Bassinga by Kyle's Family, organized by Deborah Buckert

Honoring the Memory of Kyle Bassinga---By Kyle’s Family--- I… Deborah Buckert needs your support for Honoring the Memory of Kyle Bassing

[justgot1]

Protect him

[alexaloraetheris]

HE PUT IT INTO WORDS💞💞💞💞💞

[dinosaur-ears]

Happy Pride Month 🎉

I love owning some Pride shit, and I'm grateful to live in a time when queerness is accepted enough to constitute a "market". But let's also remember that these corporations are not our allies, and the fight is not over.

[lgbtculture]

I want my gay rights now! - Marsha P. Johnson (NYC Pride Parade, 1973)

[beardedmrbean]

[deadpresidents]

this might be a dumb question since you have a whole blog about presidents but do you have a specific political hero?

Muammar Qaddafi...just kidding!

My hero has always been John Lewis.

"When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.

You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time."

-- John Lewis, essay written shortly before his death on July 17, 2020.

[beemovieerotica]

if you work in a creative field...or if you do creative hobbies like writing or drawing...you need to make friends with people who don't do those things. you need to befriend normie Steve who has never written a story in his life. and this is because when you are in a creative job or hobby and spend all your time doing that thing, surrounded by very capable people, who you inevitably compare your own progress and skills to, you forget what the baseline human skill at that thing is. and it's usually zero. normie Steve has not written a story since the 3rd grade when his teacher made him do it. he's very good at other things that are not storytelling - but if you tell normie Steve that you wrote a full 300-page book from start to finish, he will think you're some kind of savant. he does not know ANYONE else who has done this. you need this perspective. because when you're constantly on Let's Write Stories dot Com then everyone on Let's Write Stories dot Com will inevitably be like "oh of course everyone on earth has written a book or several at this point!" and you canNOT let yourself think that. that is not even close to the average human experience. you are in a bubble. do not put yourself down. do not give up.

[beemovieerotica]

REAL AND TRUE. my newest normie steve does 40 mile bike rides on a whim and excels at outdoor rock climbing. i will always hype him up.

[hug-your-face]

via @swatercolor [insta]

[hug-your-face]

This is the best tag I've ever received on a post, I think

[anarchistmemedistro]

Palantir CEO Alex Karp recently rhapsodized that US air strikes on Venezuelan civilians would be good for business, if only it were legal.

[dinosaur-ears]

Context for media literacy, highlighting mine:

The CEO was discussing the ongoing US air strikes on small boats in the Caribbean. The Trump administration has killed 83 South American civilians in 21 known operations so far, military actions which many scholars and legal experts consider to be war crimes in violation of the US constitution.

But in a hypothetical world where these strikes against innocent people were constitutional, Karp enthused that Palantir would stand to make a lot of money.

“Part of the reason why I like this questioning is the more constitutional you want to make it, the more precise you want to make it, the more you’re going to need my product,” the CEO said. “So you keep pushing on making it constitutional. I’m totally supportive of that.”

Interview here

[uncanny-tranny]

I think so many people are so deeply alienated from themselves that they have no clue how to exercise their free will and autonomy. For some, this alienation runs so deep that they are afraid of their own autonomy and humanity. It is completely understandable why one would have those feelings, but it can be worrisome.

I want to help others who feel this way, so here are small things I have done to exercise my free will:

Add "guilty pleasure" songs to playlists and actually listen to them (I have a ton of late 1990s-early 2000s music I listen to now proudly that I never listened to in the past out of shame)

Getting the décor item, bath set, bed spread, ect. in the patterns you like, even if it's "childish" (I got a dinosaur-themed wastebasket from the kids' décor section and I adore it)

Taking a new route to get to a place you go to often

Eat dessert first

Celebrate well, and often

Collect things that are "odd" or don't seem like an "acceptable" thing to collect (somebody on my "for you" page collects dandelion crayola crayons and it was so cool!!!!!!)

Incorporate one new piece in an outfit you wear frequently (e.g., a new chain, a necklace, ribbons, bracelets, ect.). Challenge yourself to add onto the outfits if you feel up for it.

Sing along to songs without worrying that you sound "good" or your intonation is completely accurate

Read a book from a genre you weren't allowed to read as a kid (comics, thrillers, mysteries, anything!)

Walk without having a specific destination or goal

Pick up a new craft without expecting yourself to master it or to ever be "good" enough. Get your hands messy.

I don't want to shame anybody for not feeling as though they have free will or that they are exempt from exercising it. However, I wanted to give ideas so that you might read this list and find your own ways to express your intrinsic autonomy and will. You deserve to be a person, to feel alive, not just living. That is what our lives are for.

[creatingblackcharacters]

Now, a question for my Black followers ONLY:

The rest of you can (and really ought to!) reblog, but it's not your turn to talk. Just listen and reflect!

What DOES a good apology for antiblackness look like, to you?

Not a shitty twitter apology that dodges accountability. Not a genuine apology made to white fans to soothe their embarrassment and egos and maintain white solidarity.

What does an ACTUAL apology for antiblackness consist of, to you?

What actions do you need to see from people who claim to be better, to deserve your support despite a history of being unsafe?

Why do you think nonblack people feel they're entitled to grace, and what would actually EARN them your grace? What makes you not want to offer it at all?

I think there's a disconnect between what the group being harmed needs, and what people think the group being harmed should settle for. We've been forced to know the latter. How do Y'ALL feel?

[lobie-the-cartoonist]

Hello! I'm black! 🎉

I was gonna respond to this in the replies at first, but seeing discussions among fellow animators and aspiring show-runners made me wanna throw my hat in the ring.

You should be more afraid of being racist than looking racist.

What white/nonblack people need to understand is: it's not about edgy humor, offending people, or getting "cancelled." There is real, tangible impact to racism.

I remember being a teenager in the mid 2010s, hearing people throw the F and N word around like party confetti, then say it was my fault for getting offended. "It's just a word! If you're offended by it, then you're the one giving it power."

To put it into perspective for nonblack people, it's like hearing someone say "I identify as an attack helicopter." Yes, it's a joke, but it signals what kinds of ideologies they accept. It's no accident that people like Pewdiepie amass a huge alt-right audience.

Thus, if you're going to apologize for being antiblack, whether it was yesterday or ten years ago, don't explain yourself. It doesn't matter if it was "just a joke." Nobody cares if you grew up conservative or that it's Tuesday on 4chan. It doesn't make you look better, or make the racism any less hurtful. Saying "I didn't know" is okay, but you still have to apologize.

Secondly, acknowledge what you said or did was wrong. Acknowledge all of it, not just the least egregious examples. Say why it was wrong.

Shame and guilt are uncomfortable, and that's okay. Sit with it. Meditate on it for a while. Then figure out what to do it about it. Don't let people try to comfort you with "No, you didn't do anything wrong! It's them making a big deal out of it," because that creates an environment where black people feel unwelcome and unsafe.

Most importantly, it isn't enough to say "BLM" or "Racists DNI."

Moving forward, will you listen to black people? Will you celebrate black media? Will you make black friends? Will you denounce your favorite creator they've been consistently antiblack?

If your best friend makes a racist joke, are you willing to pause the game and say "Hey, that's not cool"?

Being an ally is inconvenient sometimes. When you dedicate yourself to being anti-racist (especially if you were racist before), you'll probably get pushback from people. Especially your friends. Some might get mad you for harshing the vibe, or being "too woke." Unfortunately, you'll have to get used to this.

TL;DR, everyone get more pro-black NOW ‼

(an addendum, since it'll probably come up: i hope it goes without saying that nobody should be receiving death threats or gore. that is completely unproductive.)

[boomer-mythology-destroyer]

[inspired-lesson-plan-drafts]

In a bit of a pickle, because this looks like it would be such a fun activity for constructing a dichotomous key. Classifying different kinds of "meat wrapped in dough" foods based on their similarities and differences? That sounds like a lot of fun! That's also like third grade science though.

Science findings are based on recognizing patterns. (3-LS1-1; Crosscutting Concepts, Connections of Nature to Science)

And at that grade level, You would really need to provide the students with something more than a picture of each of these in order to give them a sorting activity. Each of these foods has its own physical properties that you need all of your senses to perceive. You need to be able to feel the difference between steamed and boiled and pan-fried and deep fried in order to sort them.

Again, that sounds like an amazing activity, but that's a lot of catering to do. It would be great if you could ask the families to bring in anything they know how to make.

[dinosaur-ears]

I LOVE this idea and while it's a heavy lift to get kids the actual dumplings, it might be an actually pretty easy lesson for high school biology or even college students, who have enough abstract thinking capabilities to use a picture like this as a prompt to think about which characteristics they might put into a dichotomous key (filling ingredients, dough texture, overall shape, pleating?) and then create a key using the Internet to help fill in unknowns.

For elementary age, I think the most reasonable you could do (in addition to asking families for help) would be to limit it to just ~8 varieties and have kids work in groups of 3-5 to examine their "specimens", so you might only need 6ish of each for a class?