♡

always believe in yourself. always.

[letsbelonelytogetherr]

—Andrea Gibson, "Good Light," Lord of the Butterflies

[udonot]

so andrea gibson died early this morning, and man.... this one really hurts. to think they will never write something new.

andrea was an amazing poet - and still is an amazing poet, since their words will continue to touch & save people long after they've gone. I met them after one of their shows to have them sign a poster. my friend before me in line gave this very long heartfelt speech about what andrea's poems meant to her. I couldn't think of anything to say when it was my turn, so I said (apologetically), "I don't have anything profound to say, I just love you."

andrea looked up at me and asked, "what could be more profound than that?"

[the-haiku-bot]

andrea looked up

at me and asked, “what could be

more profound than that?”

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[mooniicorn]

“If autism isn’t caused by environmental factors and is natural why didn’t we ever see it in the past?”

We did, except it wasn’t called autism it was called “Little Jonathan is a r*tarded halfwit who bangs his head on things and can’t speak so we’re taking him into the middle of the cold dark forest and leaving him there to die.”

[iamthethunder]

Or “little Jonathan doesn’t talk but does a good job herding the sheep, contributes to the community in his own way, and is, all around, a decent guy.” That happened a lot, too, especially before the 19th century.

[rosslynpaladin]

Or, backing up FURTHER

and lots of people think this very likely,

“Oh little Sionnat has obviously been taken by the fairies and they’ve left us a Changeling Child who knows too much, and asks strange questions, and uses words she shouldn’t know, and watches everything with her big dark eyes, clearly a Fairy Child and not a Human Like Us.”

The Myth of the Changeling child, a human baby apparently replaced at a young age by a toddler who “suddenly” acts “strange and fey” is an almost textbook depiction of autistic children.

To this day, “autism warrior mommies” talk about autism “stealing” their “sweet normal child” and have this idea of “getting their real baby back” which (in the face of modern science)  indicates how the human psyche actually does deal with finding out their kid acts unlike what they expected.

Given this evidence, and how common we now know autism actually is, the Changeling myth is almost definitely the result of people’s confusion at the development of autistic children.

[vicecommanderhijikata]

Weirdly enough, that legend is now comforting to me.

[neddythestylish]

I think it’s worth noting that many like me, who are diagnosed with ASD now, would probably have been seen as just a bit odd in centuries past. I’m only a little bit autistic; I can pass for neurotypical for short periods if I work really hard at it. I have a lack of talent in social situations, and I’m prone to sensory overload or you might notice me stimming.

But here’s the thing: life is louder, brighter and more intense and confusing than it has ever been. I live on the edge of London and I rarely go into the centre of town because it’s too overwhelming. If I went back in time and lived on a farm somewhere, would anyone even notice there was anything odd about me? No police sirens, no crowded streets that go on for miles and miles, no flickery electric lights. Working on a farm has a clear routine. I’d be a badass at spinning cloth or churning butter because I find endless repetition soothing rather than boring.

I’m not trying to romanticise the past because I know it was hard, dirty work with a constant risk of premature death. I don’t actually want to be a 16th century farmer! What I’m saying is that disability exists in the context of the environment. Our environment isn’t making people autistic in the sense of some chemical causing brain damage. But we have created a modern environment which is hostile to autistic people in many ways, which effectively makes us more disabled. When you make people more disabled, you start to see more people struggling, failing at school because they’re overwhelmed, freaking out at the sound of electric hand dryers and so on. And suddenly it looks like there’s millions more autistic people than existed before.

[grace-and-ace]

“…disability exists in the context of the environment.”

[the-haiku-bot]

“…disability

exists in the context of

the environment.”

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[jollyscribbles]

we'll be there

[annabelle--cane]

I get that this is mostly a me thing but seeing so many posts making fun of "holy blood cannibalism pomegranate deer" style writing just makes me sad ;-; . guys that's a lot of people's first stab at poetry that's hobby art that's a vulnerable thing to post those are passion projects...

[annabelle--cane]

also this might be my bias as a vampire liker showing but. have you guys SEEN blood?

[wizardarchetypes]

the truth is if you're writing poetry just keep writing it no matter what people say because someone is going to say something SO mean no matter WHAT you write, and what you've written will still be 100% more impactful to the world than whatever they say about it. i recently saw my own like 7 year old tweet pop up on pinterest and it remains true

[heartbeatsforchocolatebars]

my mom told me to put a hiphop remix on when i'm studying sjdkjkjlsjlsjl i love her

[buildmeafairytale]

Get these ai writing assistants out of my face!!!! I don't care if my writing is bad at least it is mine!!!!

[peachfromcmbyn]

They should invent a method of asking for reassurance that nobody secretly hates you that doesn't make people secretly hate you.

[god-monsterr]

this reply deserves to be here.

[heartbeatsforchocolatebars]

i'd rather rip my vocal chords apart than to have ai rip off my voice.

[mikehasfleas]

Most annoying thing to remember is that you're litterally just a homosapien. You're just a very smart animal. If you feel like shit, imagine you're an exotic pet for some alien species and do what they'd do to keep you healthy. You gotta be well cared for. Animal abuse is a crime for a reason

"My pet human, Greg, hasn't left his bed in a long time. He's just scrolling his phone all day" Greg needs enrichment. Add enrichment in his enclosure and take him on walks

"Greg has been super lethargic and sad recently for seemingly no reason" Greg need vitamins, take him outside for some vitamin D and fresh air. Perhaps a picnic

"Greg won't sleep even though he's been super lethargic" Greg needs a schedule, especially for the lights in his enclosure.

"Greg has been super distant recently and keeps crying to sad music" Humans are pack animals, he needs to hug another human and hang out. Perhaps pack bond with a rock together

"Greg has been flailing around and panicking, his breathing is way faster than it should be" Greg is overwhelmed. Take Greg out of the situation and give him time to calm down. Perhaps somewhere cozy with tea and a movie

"Greg won't do what he needs to do" Train him. Humans do great with positive reinforcement, give him little treats when he's doing good

"Greg he's been super anxious and tired, he can't seem to enjoy his days" Humans needs to move around. Give Greg something to exercise with. Things like stretching, weight lifting, walking, or even dancing will help

"Even though I've taken really good care of Greg, he still has been having issues" Greg is ill, take him to the doctor. You might need a specialist (therapist, optometrist, oncologist, etc)

I know it feels patronizing, and I know it feels embarrassing or that you're "just giving into the clichés", but you are literally just a creature. You need to sleep/eat on time, you need enrichment, and you need to take care of your social needs. Humans are complicated animals, but they are also beautiful and all deserve proper care. This obviously isn't a perfect analogy, nothing is, but if you saw your friend taking care of their pet the way you take care of yourself, would you be concerned?

[djkoenig-deactivated20140905]

(◡‿◡✿)

(ʘ‿ʘ✿) “what you say ‘bout me”

(ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿ “hold my flower”

[chronically-ill-dandy]

✿＼(｡-_-｡) “Kick his ass, baby.  I got yo flower.”

[worldheritagepostorganization]

World Heritage Post

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

tell me something soft

[damnbluewires]

im in love with strangers sometimes

the guy who asked a street musician to play his guitar for a bit, so i stayed to listen, and when he was done i gave him a tip, much to his amusement

the woman in a wheelchair i met at the bus stop who was visiting her fathers grave, and she later wrote and sent me a poem

a guy who i found lost in the woods with a dead phone, so i guided him out and contacted his family and waited until they came to collect him. he told me how he lost his leg in a fire while we were waiting

a girl in the bus stop who asked me for a cigarette, and told me about her issues with her first ever boyfriend, and genuinely listened to my advice

an old man at the bar who laughed at my joke, so i asked him for advice on how to repair my old radio, since he knew more about them than i did

and that are only a few recent examples, not even counting all the ones i have had online

the humanity is actually lovely, if you know how to see it

[sharmeeyn]

“Girl with a Pearl Earring” - 2025 👸🏾

[okthatsgreat]

saw a video that was like “everybody comment what you did today so we can see how everyone experienced something different” and the comments have me tearing up on this train. what the fuckkkk. the human experience

[okthatsgreat]

mannn. what ever

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

so strange to me that some people aren't bisexual

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

[note! always check the original post here for an updated list; reblogs only shows what's there at the time]

Songs to still vote for:

461 here wed 462 here wed Bonus poll: here wed

463 here sat 464 here sat 465 here sun

466 here sun 467 here wed 468 here wed 469 here wed

Showdown #451-460

Keep track of open polls by searching for #vote or #current

All the finished polls can be found using #finished

For every 10th song there's also a song #showdown to vote for

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

A few hours left on the polls ending today!

[mahmood7]

Please listen carefully Please listen carefully🙏 I need you to read this..🥹

On the seventh of October I am teacher Mahmoud Atta. I work as a teacher teaching secondary school students.

On October 7th, I was getting ready to go to school. On October 7th, while I was getting ready to go to school, my life was completely turned upside down. Israel declared war on Gaza. After that, they announced their entry into the roads and cities and forced us to leave the city from Khan Yunis to Rafah

.

We passed through a road called the Road of Death. Tanks were everywhere. Bullets were raining down. We passed through a road called the Road of Death. Tanks were everywhere. Bullets were raining down. If you survived, your brother would not.

We've all seen the end of the world movies on the big screen. We have all seen end of the world movies on cinema screens, but what we saw was real and not imaginary. I wish it was imaginary.

We finally arrived in Rafah Finally we arrived in Rafah, the safe city as it is called, but where to go? The sea is behind us, the weather is freezing, and the borders are closed with Egypt on the other side and Israel on the third and fourth sides. I found myself making a tent out of nylon for myself and my family.

No water, no electricity, no food, no place to go to the bathroom, no life. I wish I had died sooner.

We returned after a long time to our city.After a long time, we returned to our city. The first sight was that a giant monster had entered the city and left it in ruins, so much so that I did not recognize my house or my neighborhood. Oh my God, is this Khan Yunis?

fI searched to find my home, to find my apartment, which contained my memories and my most beautiful days, destroyed. I searched to find my home, to find my apartment, which contained my memories and my most beautiful days, destroyed.

Today I stand before you to search for Today I stand in your hands to search for any help to restore myself again thanks to you.. I am waiting for your help

Donate to Help Mahmoud and His Family Survive, organized by Jovan I

Hello, my name is Jovan, and I'm fundraising on behalf of my dear friend Mahmoud. Mahmoud … Jovan I needs your support for Help Mahmoud and

[mahmoud-55]

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #365 )✅️

[dear-ao3]

i think theres a lot to be said about the queer community online and the echo chambers that are created within it, and i think the fact that "bullying straight people for being straight is in fact a dick move" is a hot take really says more than anything else

[dear-ao3]

like no matter who you are, making fun of people is still making fun of people. you are not entitled to be a dick just because you're queer.

and its also not ""betraying your community"" to say to not be a dick. just a preemptive note before you all start going crazy. i am quite literally a bisexual man. i just happen to exist in a community beyond tumblr and twitter where i talk to real people in real life.