reblog for riordan. love this guy! also, when he got the Stonewall Award for the Magnus Chase series? his response:
āā¦itās a call to do better in my own writing. As one of my genderqueer readers told me recently, āHey, thanks for Alex. You didnāt do a terrible job!ā I thought: Yes! Not doing a terrible job was my goal!ā
Rick Riordan is also using his money and fame to lift marginalized authors. He started a whole imprint called Rick Riordan Presents. The books published there have mythology and folklore from all over the world, and theyāre written by authors who actually belong to those cultures. The first three books announced have stories based in Korean, Mayan, and Indian cultures, written by Yoon Ha Lee, Jennifer Cervantes, and Roshani Chokshi respectively.
Rick Riordan is pretty fucking cool. Ive never seen a YA put as much care and effort into growing as a writer, specifically with a focus on increasing diversity, as him.
The fact that heās a UT alum from San Antonio who taught middle school English just warms my heart.
On the morning of August 25, I lost him. This is a hard post to write.
I drove home late Saturday august 24th because he wasnāt doing well (my mom took care of him while Iām at school but I FaceTimed him every single day)
Alex wasnāt eating or pooping, this has happened before but we can usually get him out of it by using pear juice, baby gas drops, tummy massages, critical care and other things. I knew this time was different. We got him to the emergency vet (over an hour away) at around 8:30 PM. He was different this time.
They took an x-Ray and did some bloodwork and found he had a big gas bubble in his tummy. And the bloodwork showed his potassium and proteins were off. His temperature was Also a little low, running 99ish and rabbits should run over 100
They wanted to hospitalize him for 24 hours but I didnāt want to leave my baby. We stayed for a while and they gave him pain meds, he became very sleepy after this, this is the last picture I have of him alive, he was sleeping in my arms
They started an IV drip to hydrate him and hopefully get things moving, there was also pain medication in the drip.
We left him there but got a hotel 5 minutes away. ($120) I slept absolutely none, and called to check on him ever 1-2 hours.
I called at 4am and they tell me his temperature had dropped (96ish) and were planning on starting syringe feeding at 6am if there were no improvements
He didnāt make it to 6
I woke my mother and we went there straight away. We get there about 4:10 and he was in a small room they have for rabbits and it was really warm trying to raise his temp. At this point weāre doing almost everything, thereās one other thing they can do.
A procedure where they sedate him and go in his stomach with a tube and release the gas (which he still had not passed)
I agree to this because it was a last resort, my baby wasnāt eating or using the bathroom. I sat on the floor and held him for a couple minutes before they took him to do the procedure. I remember holding him and putting my head on his and thinking āI hope this isnāt the last time I get to hold him, I have to remember this moment.ā And it was the last time I held him alive.
They did the procedure and the vet comes out and says they got a good amount of gas out and he pooped one pellet, I was hopeful. I went back to see him and he was laying on the table, groggy from the sedation. I rubbed him and told him I loved him. I told them about how sweet of a bun he was, how he loved to get under the recliner and thought it was a game, how he just got a scooby doo chair that made him feel like a king.
They took him back to let him rest and I thought he could use it so I went to the waiting room. Iāve questioned and went over 1000 times or more in my head if I did the right thing. Because about 10-20 minutes later the vet comes and tells me Alex has arrested.
My baby. Writing this is beyond hard. I scream, I cry, she leaves and said something about CPR. I run to the back and open a door, I see him on the table and her trying to revive him. The vet tech comes out and tells me sheās doing what she can, I scream, I beg them to save him. He wanted to come home. I screamed I didnāt care about the money, just to help him.
They brought me my limp baby boy in a blanket, brown stuff all over his mouth and I cried and begged him to wake up. He didnāt. My baby was gone and gone too soon.
To you he may be just a rabbit but he was my baby, he helped me through things in ways I never thought he could. I found a love for rabbits, much more then them just being cute, they have personality and he was the best boy, he just wanted to be loved and he was, but I wanted to love him more and more and more and more.
Early in the night we realized the bill was going to be much more than the money we had in our pocket or our bank accounts. So we applied for care credit and were allowed $1,500. The total ended up being a little over 1,600 and we used $200 something from my grandmas credit card that we will have to pay back to her. The whole time I said āitās okay, Alex has insurance, theyāll cover most of it right?ā
WRONG. I got NATIONWIDE exotic pet insurance for emergencies like this and I submitted a claim. They are willing to give us a whopping $279??? So we called to find out the reason, and hereās the gag. Theyāll only cover up to a certain amount of $ for a certain issue, so for GI Stasis (which is in simple terms what Alex had but there was other stuff going on) they only cover $140. They have a limit they will pay for each health issue so essentially Alex would have to have been even worse for them to cover more (I donāt remember what the other $139 went to) the exam itself cost $130. So honestly boycott nationwide because not only did they do this but we called the day it happened and told them to cancel the policy because he was deceased and when we called to question the amount, the policy was STILL ACTIVE!
So Iāve got this thing to pay off and if itās not paid off in 6 months it gains 14% interest, not on what you have left to pay, but on the entire loan amount. Which is almost $200 more. Iām a student and will be doing work study but I can only work 80 hours per semester and will make less than $700 if I did all that. My dad doesnāt work because he has multiple sclerosis (and so do I, yippi! š) my mom is picking up every shift she can but we have extra medical bills because I just started a new medication after having a relapse on my old one.
Iāve been in a super depressed state since losing him, not being able to eat, drink, shower, or just generally take care of myself. This bill is a big stressor because I know itās stressful to my mother as well and I worry about losing her too. I hope this post gets seen by people that would be willing to help me or at least pass this post on so that others could. I would never ask for this if I wasnāt desperate.
Iād do anything to hold my baby again, to tell him how much I love him, get nose kisses and give him treats, Iād pay even more. Iām going to post a couple more pictures of him and then my links to PayPal/cash app/ and Venmo at the bottom if anyone wants to donate to help me. If this gets a lot of attention somehow and I get enough to pay the bill off I will not let people continue to give me money, I will post updates of the care credit balance once i make payments. Hereās my baby:
My paypal: https://www.paypal.me/mikalaalex
Go to paypal.me/mikalaalex and type in the amount. Since itās PayPal, it's easy and secure. Donāt have a PayPal account? No worries.
Thank you for the donations Iāve received so far, I appreciate them more than you could ever know. Every little bit, every like and reblog helps, hug and kiss you babies extra for me today, donāt take them for granted. Hereās some more Alex for you all:
Thanks to all who have donated thus far, just made the first payment of $70 (which is about what Iāve gotten in donations so far) and the insurance check just came in so weāre gonna deposit it and pay that this week. We also resubmitted the claim to hopefully get more from Alexās insurance and get this paid off because we keep having unexpected expenses (our washing machine just broke š) so again if you can please donate or reblog this that would be amazing. And give your babies extra love, they deserve it 100% hereās the payment and some more of Alex for you all.
Ive no idea if something bit me or smtn idk but ive been so itchy for like 20 mins at first it was jus my scalp (more than usual) then under my chin then it was my scalp and under my chin and my whole neck now its that and my stomach and my arms and on my shoulders a lil. Hhhhhhhhh
White Gays: āI canāt believe I got accused of racism after calling that person a racial slur! I mean, I know what racism looks like because Iāve been discriminated for my sexuality. How is me being racist even possible? IāM GAY!ā
neurotypical: i donāt have any mental illnesses or disorders
Neurotypicalā¢: Happiness is a choice!! āØāØHave you tried yoga? Drink more water and eat kale āØāØ
cis person: i identify completely as my assigned gender
Cis Personā¢: It doesnāt matter what you identify as, cause you still have Female Genitals! Iām not being offensive!! Read a book on Human Biology! š¹šŗ
I know there's a whole sequence and all in which you've gotta say those 10 words that turn Bucky's winter soldier switch on. but like. imagine how fucking FUNNY it would be if saying just one (1) of those words made him go Absolutely Feral
---
Peter, completely unaware, singing while making cookies: YOU'RE THE DANCING QUEEN
Bucky, kicking the door down, eyes glowing in the dark: RĢ·ĶĢ«eĢ“ĢĢŗa̵ĢĶdĢ“Ķ̬yĢ“ĶĶ Ģ“Ģ̰tĢøĢĢ”o̵ĢĢ Ģ“Ģ½Ģ³cĢ·ĶĶoĢ·ĢĶmĢøĢ̱pĢ·Ķ̲l̵ĢĢ®y̵ĢĢ
ok this isĀ āearring magic kenā who was introduced in 1992 (and discontinued shortly thereafter)
basically mattel had done a survey and discovered that girls didnāt think ken wasĀ ācoolā enough
SO someone had the bright idea to research coolness by sending people to raves which, at the time, were mostly hosted & attended by gay men. so they went to these raves and took notes on what the fashions were and finally landed on this outfit, mesh shirt & allĀ
this doll became the best selling ken doll in history, mostly because gay men bought it in droves. (many of them said his necklace was supposed to be a cockring) but mattel and a number of parents werenāt very amused and discontinued the dollĀ
MAGIC EARRING KEN. This bitch gay as HELL. supposedly the aforementioned rings on him are for āmagic earringsā and clip on charms. These charms are advertised as totally COMPLETELY heterosexual, not gay at ALL, see thereās a Barbie that also has Magic Earring Action with clip on charms! Ken wears them to match, because heās STRAIGHT
Hereās the issue: THERE IS NO MATCHING BARBIE. Magic Earring Ken is out here straight up wearing cock rings on his jacket with a thinly devised advertising ploy to make it SEEM not-gay. But itās DEFINITELY GAY.
(And if youāre thinking, why cock rings? Well way back in 1992 gay culture was HUGE on wearing cock rings, it was the in-style. Everyone who was gay wore one, even women; you sewed them to your leather jacket, and the placement indicated some of your sexual preference. In case you were wondering, Ken is a Bottom.)
AND IT GETS BETTER. Magic Earring Ken was on the shelves for six weeks before they pulled him. In that short amount of time? Magic Earring Ken became the BEST SELLING Barbie Doll Mattel has EVER SOLD.
LET THAT SINK IN. SIX WEEKS. And now every time these wheezy old hetero windbag execs go to look at their sales board, theyāre forever haunted by Magic Earring Ken at the top of their charts.
Gay as hell, Cock Ring Bottom Ken, the Best Selling Mattel Doll.
Pride.
if i ever misgender you or use slang (bro, man, gurl, dude) that makes you feel even slightly uncomfortable please tell me because your gender identity and comfort is more important than any word i may use to refer to you
hey if u canāt drive/are a slow learner due to a disability or mental illness, just picture historical figures like pirates or the founding fathers trying to operate a car.
this is a serious point and makes me feel a lot better about my refusal to get a driverās license and yes neurotypicals please reblog this but iām also thinking about that one gif of george washington barrelling towards you in a truck
Donāt take them off when you immediately see it. Wait until you get to a different destination bc theyāre trying to distract you by getting it off then abducting you. Same thing goes if you find something on your windshield, itās a distraction so they have time to get you.Ā Ā Ā
If you find it on your mail box, go on the phone with somebody and move to the nearest public place with a lot of witnesses. Stay there for a while and make sure you arenāt being followed. Arrange that you either can sleep somewhere else or that somebody you trust comes to your place. They are searching for easy targets, make yourself a hard target.
Otherwhise:
Stay aware, keep things you can use to defend yourself on your person (Keys between your fingers, peper spray, taser, etc)
Keep in mind what areas to aim for in a struggel
Always use your palm, elbow or tug your tumb in while striking to prevent injuring yourself.
Be carefull and try to go places in larger groups, preferably with several male friends.
Keep in contact with people and let them know about your where abouts so that not hearing from you in a while raises suspicion.
They like to aim for college students both because of the age group and because itās more likely that you missing will be noticed late.
If you go out a lot or are searching for a new partner, stay aware. Donāt give your number out to strangers, go clubbing with bigger groups of friends and arrange that some of you stay sober that night, do not leave if you arenāt all together, watch your drinks, you can not trust a cute person you met at a club who brought you a drink, yes that also goes for other women. Do not leave with strangers, potential one night stands are not worth the risk. Do research on the clubs security beforehand, maybe go to the more expensive one with the better reputation, sure you might not be able to go as often but you will be going more save.
Same goes for bars.
All things considered you really want a new relationship try dating within your actual social circle. People your friends have known for a while or maybe long time friends themself. People who are registered at your university and you know have been leaving a social foot print are also more likely to trust. Always aim to go out with people you know others recognize and tell people when you plan to go on a date.
You do not play around when there is human traficing going on in your town guys. Stay save guys.