existential-dread-pastry

transmasc dude with a CRK obsession (Affogato Cookie has consumed my life)

[carriesthewind]

On the subject about parents needing to control their child's reading and invade their privacy in order to "protect" them from "inappropriate material:

Until I was in....college? At least? The vast, vast majority of the books I read were either a) assigned by my school or b) (the vast majority of my reading) provided to me by my mother.

My mom is a librarian. She filled our rooms with books, picked especially for us. She pointed out books on the shelves in our home library (separate from our bedroom shelves) that she thought we would like. She bought us books for birthdays, Christmas, and just stacks of recommendations. She once paid me $10 to read one of the Cirque Du Freak books because she said I needed "to be exposed to bad literature."

She respected my privacy in room, didn't go through my belongings. She explicitly pointed out to us that she wouldn't know if we took a particular book of the shelf, as long as we returned it, if we didn't want her to know we were reading it. She purposely brought us books that she didn't care for herself, because she thought we might find them valuable or enjoyable.

And if we wanted to read something she thought might upset or disturb us, she would explain why. She wouldn't stop us from reading it - just ask us to check in with her, to talk through it.

And so when I read something that upset or disturbed me, I would go to her. She would listen and talk through it with me.

If she said she didn't think I would like something, or that a book might disturb me, or that she thought I should wait until I was older, I listened to her.

She didn't need restrictions or control to protect me. Because she proved I could trust her.

Controlling kids is never about "protecting" them. It's just about control.

[leefi]

[gay-impressionist]

If you are silent about your pain they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it - Zora Neale Hurston

[staticsable]

This is one of those posts where I feel like I'm doing others and myself a disservice by not sharing. I wish someone had shown me this a long time ago.

Maybe I'd be having to do less work to break out of this shell, now.

[dduane]

...All of the above.

Tell your truth, and don't be afraid to have it be heard... because this is not a dress rehearsal.

[mochagabu-deactivated20231118]

It's difficult when you've spent years being a "good person", a "exceptional one" and the first time you complain, people left you. Even some of the ones who say they loved you. But once the fake people leave you, the trustful ones will be able to enter.

[ropesoveranddie]

Burn burning spice

[quartzlantern]

WHO SHOULD I TELL ABOUT THE KIDS ONLINE SAFETY ACT???

First and foremost, contact any senators who you know opposes these laws. The more political officials oppose this, the more likely our governments will repeal it. Please do background checks on them. If people find that the leading senator(s) opposing these laws is a confirmed predator, the media will eat us alive!!!

Contact and tell everyone you know about these new laws. Not just your online friends, but your family, your local businesses, your teacher, your professor, your co-workers at work, your boss. Don't harass them, be polite and tell them exactly what these acts do and how it can affect them. And if they agree that it's bad, great! Tell them to spread the word further!

Offer different alternatives to these laws. Put a parental lock on your child's account, put a parental lock on your child's device, filter sites from your router

Print flyers opposing these laws along with summaries of what's happening, what these laws mean, and why people should oppose it (again, we are saying "no" to something called the Kids Online Safety Act. We are going to need to use every strong argument we have)

Don't have a printer? Create a public presentation!!!If you're favorite content creator is streaming, ask them if they know about the Online Safety Act and AI age verification (remember, it's not just YouTube being regulated, but the entire internet) in their chat. Please don't harass them!!! You will be blocked. Even if they say, "Yeah, I heard about it." Someone in their audience probably didn't

How To Educate Yourself Against AI Age Verification (KOSA / OSA)

[canvicantsleep]

YALL YOUTUBE IS GOING DOWN IN MANY PLACES KEEP IT GOING

[turtlesarecats]

I may not be able to do much in the fight against censorship and AI, but I am doing all that I can without actively harming myself.

No matter if you're boycotting YouTube with the Blackout, or if you're mailing every senator 5 letters a day to oppose the upcoming laws, you are doing enough. Even if all you can do is tell people. Because that's actually a lot. Even if you just reblog a few posts with petitions you're not safe enough to sign.

And that's enough. It's always enough.

Do what you can, because any 'little' or 'insignificant' act will help us fight against censorship and freedom of self.

Anything helps. If everyone does what they can, then we will win. Because one person is not fighting this-- we all are. Every 'little' action each person does against censorship is always worth it. Every 'little' action adds up. Every 'little' action you do will help us win. Every 'little' action will help us keep our sense of self.

It's enough that you're doing something.

Whatever you do-- just don't do nothing because what you can do is 'minimal.'

[youruncleamariam]

From Boycott YouTube on Discord

HAPPY ONE WEEK ANNIVERSARY

Stay strong, everyone

[yourturnyourtricks]

UK government is considering debating the Online Safety Act

As the government petition to repeal the online safety act has far surpassed its goal of 100k signatures, Parliament has officially considered this matter for a debate and a date will be decided in the next month. There is also a government response, which reads: "The Government is working with Ofcom to ensure that online in-scope services are subject to robust but proportionate regulation through the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023."

So now we wait.

If you would still like to sign the petition, click here.

[carameldoughnuts]

I realize that the issues I’ve been dealing with might not be unique to me so maybe you need to hear this too.

Lately I’ve been feeling tired and dejected from all my activism. Stop kosa, boycott YouTube, call representatives email YouTube Mastercard visa and google in protest sign petition after petition. And I’ve been doing it everyday since before the YouTube boycott started! I’m so tired of calling my representatives and honestly I’m pretty sure their assistants are sick hearing my voice every single day! But month after month week after week I’m spiraling into a deep depression and it won’t get better if I keep going like this. If I stop calling and texting and signing I feel this extreme guilt. Like it’s all up to me and if I don’t do anything no one else will!

I know that thinking isn’t rational but I genuinely felt so much better when i didn’t call on Thursday and took the day. I still set out emails and texts but I worked out at my mom’s gym. I had so get food I baked pecans. I designed some stuff for my dnd campaign and I talked to my family and friends. I had a great day but the guilt made it so hard to enjoy any of it genuinely! I kept thinking about how many people I was failing by being happy instead of stuck in my room miserable and calling and emailing and going down the rabbit hole just deeper and deeper.

So if anyone else is like me and is feeling guilty like you’re not doing enough to help the fight against censorship, or our governments crap or whatever great activism you support or do! Focus on what you can do no matter how small it may seem we’re all doing something small. And together we make an impact! But while making an impact take care of yourself! Check in and remember this isn’t all on you if you need to step back for a second we’re ok! You’ve done so much already and we’re so glad and proud of you so please take care of yourself! Like I said in my other post even if things don’t go our way we did our best and we will not stop! So go get yourself some water and food and rest. Read a book, talk to friends, bake something yummy, and enjoy your life you deserve it!

[badluck990]

From the Youtube Boycott Discord Server:

IMPORTANT INFO

I've been seeing a lot of misunderstanding going around about how YouTube works, and what will work best in regards to the boycott, so l wanted to put it all together in one place for everyone to read. This is just my understanding of how this all works, so as always with anything, take it with a grain of salt! YOUTUBE INFO

Continuing to watch YouTube with an ad blocker still gives YouTube traffic. Many people have been using ad blockers for years, and it is something YouTube is already very familiar with. Even if it does cost them ad revenue, they will point to ad blockers as the issue rather than listening to concerns about their age verification system. Watching YouTube with an ad blocker will not work for the purposes of this boycott.

Using third-party apps such as FreeTube or NewPipe does still give YouTube traffic and counts towards views and watch time. There are extra privacy features with these apps, which is great, but on Youtube's end it is functionally the same as using ad blockers. Using third-party apps to watch YouTube will not work for the purposes of this boycott.

Watch time is a huge factor (to my knowledge, one of if not the biggest factors) in how much profit YouTube makes. The longer you stay on their website

namely, the longer you're actively watching videos - the more money they earn through ad revenue. So, for example, a single user watching a 30 minute video is much more valuable to them than a single user watching a 5 minute video. Video watch time matters much more than video views, or the amount of traffic they get from users sitting on the YouTube homepage.

Something to remember is that it is okay not to be perfect. Having an all-or-nothing mindset will just lead to burnout, and giving up on the boycott too early. So, in the spirit of progress rather than perfection, here are some steps to take:

1 - Cancel YouTube Premium. If you currently have a YouTube Premium subscription, cancel it, and tell them why.

When you cancel, leave them a message explaining that you are canceling because of the new age verification policy, and state firmly that you will not be paying for or using YouTube until this policy is revoked. Even if you plan to use YouTube again in the future, tell them that you won't.

2 - Download videos rather than streaming them. Fully boycotting YouTube is the single best thing you can do right now, but if that isn't possible, here is what you can do instead to avoid giving YouTube more watch time.

Search the specific channels that you want - or, if you must, browse your subscription tab and homepage - until you find the video you want to watch. Rather than opening it, right-click the video and hit 'copy link' or whatever similar option your browser has. Then, paste the link into your YouTube Downloader of choice, and enjoy. To my knowledge, watching videos this way will not give YouTube videos views or watch time. It will still give the website traffic overall, but is still a solid alternative to just streaming the videos.

3 - If you can, stop using YouTube altogether. Refusing to give their website any traffic at all is the single best thing you can do to protest right now. If you cannot stop using it entirely due to work, or if there are a few specific things you want to keep up with, use downloaders as mentioned above, but keep YouTube usage to an absolute minimum as much as possible.

4- try to get YouTubers to contact youtube YouTubers are our few ways to get direct contact with YouTube. If we can get YouTubers to start contacting youtube about reversing this ID policy, than we can increase our chances to reverting the policy

5 - Spread the word.

Share info about the age verification system and the boycott to as many others as you can. Many people might not be aware of what's going on, or how to meaningfully protest it. Be prepared for pushback. It's completely normal to feel nervous when speaking up about something like this. There will very likely be some people who get irritated or disagree, and that is okay. Remember - don't attack anyone who disagrees with the protest. Don't try to guilt-trip anyone. Shame is a demotivator - making someone feel bad will not do anything to convince them. Just present your concerns about the age verification system, offer resources to learn more about it, and talk about the boycott. TALKING POINTS When spreading the word about the boycott, here are a few things to focus on:

The A.l. age estimation system is incredibly inconsistent and will end up incorrectly locking many adult users out of the full features of their accounts.

Any system that requires users to upload a picture of their government I.D. is extremely dangerous. This puts all users at massive risk of their personal data being exposed on a level that has never been seen before.

The age verification system does not protect children. This system does nothing to address the mountains of harmful content already found on the YouTube Kids app, and it will not effectively prevent kids from accessing that harmful content.

LGBT+ content will get incorrectly marked as 'adult' and will be censored as a result of this system. Teens and kids will be prevented from accessing LGBT content, even if it is 100% appropriate.

• Youtube's age verification system is not about safety, it is about data collection and censorship. It is extremely likely that the real motive behind this change is to allow YouTube as a company to collect even more personal data from its users, allowing them to serve even more targeted ads and make more profit, while also effectively censoring content they do not like.

Lastly - protesting the changes made to You Tube is going to be difficult.

It is going to be frustrating, it is going to be exhausting, and it is also going to be boring.

Going without a major source of

entertainment that, for many of us, has been part of our daily routine for years, is a very hard thing to do.

But it is also important.

No one can tell you what to do. It is your personal choice whether you boycott YouTube partially, entirely, or even participate at all. If this is important to you, know that it will be hard, and it will take a long time to see any success.

This was posted in the youtube boycott discord server by Admin TopHatInc and much of it was compiled by NoHotBeverages.

[kasstick]

Long Hiatus, Been a While. The GREAT news: I'm still managing to draw and sketch and am very proud of these recent pieces!

The bad news? I've been in a financially strange spot for some time and I've finally hit a spot where it pains me to, but I must ask for help.

If you're just here for the art, thank you so much for enjoying! I'm doing my best to take care of myself in a way to where I can get back to posting my art in a more enjoyable format, and I hope to see you again soon.

👽🍃

[Below the cut; Longwinded explanatory vent, followed by a plea for financial help or advice.]

If you're here, be warned, there will be talk of bugs and mice, maybe pics if I find them? I may also mention a lightly watered down version of personal and uncomfortable family details that I honestly usually wouldn't share on the internet.

But some very long long time ago my aunt brought bedbugs to our family home. I started working at 15 in that environment, and ended up hurting my back, which rendered my SIGNIFICANTLY less able to work. Mixing in my family's previous financial instability and all, I've tried to keep a job as long as I can. This has been hard because my step-father [not a grand man] wouldn't bother with teaching me to drive. My mother simply refused. Because I can't drive and have a terrible back, I've not been able to keep a job. Because of this I had initially invested in an iPad, an old one with overheating problems, to do digital commissions with, so I could keep up with what health my family couldn't keep up with or remember, on top of fumigating for bugs often.

I also have several siblings, and cousins, which very often have taken priority. This past year I was left in another state, after I was supposed to be packing my room and cleaning to move properly in November. Unfortunately this included my already run down iPad and all other belongings that weren't appropriate for a two week stay with my partner. I have managed to recover some of my stuff because my sister deemed it necessary and important enough ro include me on a trip to see my grandmother in hospital after her heart attack. [She is alive and well all!] Beyond that I've had stress related health issues, I've lost my cat Sammy to stress related moving because my aunt had to take him in and kept getting herself evicted,, So unfortunately he wont be able to move across states healthily anymore. Beyond that my family has had either little ability or little motivation to help, or even keep an eye on my boxed up stuff. I've actually lost several throw blankets, and almost one from my deceased brother because of this- We don't know where the mouse is *now*, but it seemed to have made a nice bed out of mine.

Keep in mind there WAS no available food in this room when I left- Leaving for a two week trip, I had most certainly cleaned it out.

Currently my family's focus seems to be on putting my youngest brother through college, but with Obergefell v. Hodges being petitioned, my partner and I don't intend to wait to be married. The only issue? Though I'm learning to drive, and driving will enable me to work ANYWHERE I NEED with our one vehicle, I have no other way to, shall we say, accrue income, before that point. And I unfortunately, now have medical debt that will affect our credit standing, need to invest in a computer if I want to be able to work from home in the future, and be able to start paying for myself as an adult and equal in some parts.

I still offer traditional commissions [they're open as of this post-] but LOTS of people who have contacted me want me to offer them digitally,,,

At the moment that's not something I can do- But that *is* what I've come to ask for your help with. Kind tumblr, if any of you folk have tips/advice/encouragement/ways in which I might make 4 to 5 hundred dollars to get a more REASONABLE drawing tablet so that I may open my digital comms at a cut price to help pay for my wedding/health costs. Maybe clean my game systems and be able to retrieve and clean more of my stuff before it becomes damaged if I make the money to do so before I'm hired elsewhere.

If you have read this far, I have to again THANK YOU. It's been a very long five years of being my family's last thought while they buy my siblings new shit or support them through their endeavors. Have some cat tax, from early days when I planned on keeping Sammy for his life ♡.

[thewizardscurse]

[screensavorstudios]

Daily Check in 08/22/2025

LIVE CALLS TOMORROW!

I was able to file complaints with MasterCard, PayPal, & Visa today, but Stripe continues to allude me. If you can reach them, please make sure to file a complaint with for those who can't. Remember, be polite, be informed, and be persistent!

Cheat sheet provided by @dieselbrain.bsky.social‬

[memenatorrrr]

The Entirety of Google wants your ID, just so you know

It isn't just YouTube! Alphabet Inc. Has already started rolling out ID checks for many of their services! Google Search, GMail, the works. Wow who is WORKING there?

So if you've been thinking of Degoogling and haven't done it just yet, now might be a good time to do so. ProtonMail is lovely from what I hear, Ellipsus is good as a word processor.

I dont have the full list myself, but the anti-google tags more than likely have comprehensive lists! I've been meaning to degoogle, and I'm gonna switch from Opera to Brave on my desktop most likely.

Anyways spam Google and tell them these policies suck and that they suck for even THINKING of implementing them :D I've gotten a way to fax them in my reblogs, but you can also tag them in socials, email them, call them.

Just be really annoying!

[screensavorstudios]

Daily Check In 08/21/2025

First of all, thank you all so much for your generosity yesterday. Especially the person I only know as "Wizard." You all… I can't even put into words how much it means to me and how much it helps. Thank you.

I didn't want your support to go to waist, so I really REALLY put some work in on Visa to day after nearly 4 weeks of calling I was FINALLY able to get through to a representative and file a full on complaint with them.

The actual method was to request to file a complaint regarding the customer service and getting hung up on when ever I mentioned Steam or Itch io. I've tried a LOT of approaches but this is the first one that worked. Tell Visa that you are not happy with their customer service and that you've been talked over and hung up on multiple times. Tell them that you were trying to get some information because you were thinking about getting a Visa card, but the customer service is terrible and you want to file a complaint. The actual question I kept asking was:

"Can you use a Visa card to buy games on Steam." And the answer I got from the supervisor was: "No. You can't anymore." Which I don't think is actually true. Still, finally made it through to all three Supervisors. Still can't get a hold of Stripe though. Tried multiple numbers and finally got an automated system to pick up the phone, only for it to tell me that the phone number I was calling from wasn't acceptable. Which is an interesting response.

Again, thank you all so much for your support. Take a break if you need to, but we can't let them win! We are making progress!

Be polite, be informed, and above all, be persistent!

Cheat Sheet provided by @dieselbrain.bsky.social‬

[tastytoecheese]

First thing you see after you zoom in is how you die

How you dying 👀

[jettmustdiee]

sexual assault ☹️☹️

[writing-books-is-fun]

winter????? How do I die of a season??????

[existentialdreadpastry]

“Mating” and “male lactation”…

You know I can’t say I’m a fan

[briskchips]

WHAT'S THAT PUPPET BOY?