Panthera leo draconis

24 𖤓 Black 𖤓 He/Xe/Sun/Star Queer 𖤓 Neurodiverse 𖤓 Witch Alterhuman 𖤓 Fictionfolk 𖤓 Transspecies ❤️@venussxren❤️ icon: @e1ectrostatic

[liondrakes]

Hark! Read Before You Enter!

Welcome to my blog! You may recognize me from @brer-dragonne, but ever since that blog was shadowbanned, I’ve moved over to my main.

Other Blogs / Socials:

@sintaurs -> 18+/NSFT blog

@sayoreads -> otaku blog

sayokins.bsky.social -> bluesky

liondrakes -> dreamwidth

The Liondrake’s Lair -> personal website

About Me

My name is Solomon. I also go by Sayo. I’m transmasculine, genderqueer and xenogender. I'm also an aego/demisexual lesbian. Oftentimes, I discuss my neurodivergence; this entails my experiences with autism, ocd, schizotypal + schizoaffective disorder, and median/mid-continuum plurality.

I’m agnostic. I prefer the frameworks of posthumanism over religion. That said, I’m also a spiritual person. Alongside my philosophical interests, my practice as an eclectic witch is the basis of my spirituality. Although I don’t worship any god(s), my craft isn’t entirely secular. I hold some beliefs that classify as supernatural or metaphysical as well. I just don’t factor religion into my personal gnosis.

During my free time, I write essays, poetry and short stories. One of the main subjects of my work is alterhumanity. Not everything I write pertains to alterhumanity, but you’ll find that I’m never far from this community. I post here sometimes, but most of my work can be found on my dreamwidth journal. Regarding my hobbies, I’m an otaku who loves reading and collecting literature. I collect manga, light novels, graphic novels, contemporary novels, magazines, indie/fan zines, and textbooks. I also enjoy playing visual novels. Fun fact: my special interest is the art history, production and publication of Japanese girls’ comics (shoujo manga)! Even so, I’m not picky in terms of what I read and what demographic it’s intended for. A book is a book at the end of the day!

Occasionally, I share information on internet privacy, preservation, and access to free resources whenever I can. All forms of knowledge should be accessible in my opinion, so I try to do my part in spreading said resources.

About My Alterhumanity

I’m a fictional shapeshifter. I am living fiction, and I’ve always felt a sense of belonging in fiction. Yet, I was born here. Nowadays, I embrace my status as a resident of Earth. It’s part of why I consider myself equally human and nonhuman.

I often shapeshift into various people, species, objects and concepts that you may recognize from fiction. Occasionally, I shapeshift into earthen lifeforms— be them plants, animals, manmade concepts, or mythological beings. Although I contain multitudes, some forms are more present (and thus more important) than others in my personal experience. You’ll see me writing and reblogging posts about or relating to those experiences often.

Aside from species, much of my alterhumanity is influenced by fiction. I am other/fictionhearted, an archetroper and an imagithrope. I also have a daemon; his name is Olumide (pronounced OH-loo-ME-day), and he is a honey badger. To learn more, check out my kinlist!

Before You Follow

I get wordy over the stances I take. The important parts are bolded, so treat those as TL;DRs for each bullet point.

I reblog posts relevant to current events, politics (mainly U.S. politics), mutual aid efforts, and relief efforts. You are not obligated to share what I share, but if you have a problem with what I share, then this blog may not be for you.

I support systems and plural folk of all backgrounds. Yes, including endogenic systems and willogenic systems. Exclusionists aren’t welcome here. Plurality is a diverse experience, and how that comes into being varies case-by-case. Institutional frameworks cannot cancel out or outweigh the lived experiences of other people. My stance is non-negotiable. I suggest you block me and take your “arguments” elsewhere.

I believe fiction can affect reality. That said, I am anti-censorship. In order to combat censorship, I believe you must care about it at all fronts— not just the things you like.

I am anti-AI, specifically generative AI. As a writer, I think generative AI is an encroachment upon creative spaces. Its development is also highly exploitative of our environment as well as marginalized communities (such as Musk’s poisoning of Memphis, TN, a predominantly black city, to power Grok/xAI). Its usage has also led to an increased spread of sexual harassment or false narratives online (see: deepfakes). Additionally, I’m against any form of cryptocurrency and NFT blockchains.

I believe that there’s no “requirements” to being transgender. People don’t need to have dysphoria or a desire to medically transition in order to be trans. Furthermore, nonbinary people are a part of the transgender community and do not owe anyone “proof” of their transness.

I’m anti-cop, anti-capitalist, and pro-Palestine + anti-Zionist. These stances are non-negotiable.

Alterhuman-Specific BYF

I welcome all doubles, except for other Winged Lion fictionkin (Dunmeshi/Delicious in Dungeon). This specific experience is very personal to me, and I don’t engage with said doubles for this reason.

I don’t tolerate misanthropy. This stance is specific to nonhumans. Many forget that we have human peers in the alterhuman community. I’m equally human and nonhuman myself. Misanthropy is not how you address oppressive groups among humankind. That’s inherently ignoring millions of human beings who’re marginalized by said groups and are with you in your struggle. I’m not asking anyone to be humankind’s biggest fan, but painting an entire species as “uniquely evil” is never the answer.

I support CLZNs, holotheres, and physical nonhumans in general. We’re all deserving of respect in this community, and that includes our peers with physical identities. Just because we don’t share the same experiences as each other doesn’t mean we can’t commune with each other. That said, I don’t have this experience.

I support otherlinkers, chosen / voluntary otherkind, therians, etc. Hell, I’m an otherlinker and an imagithrope myself. A few of my ‘types exist because I chose to be them. Choice doesn’t make an experience any less important for someone simply because they chose it. Voluntary and involuntary experiences each hold equal value.

I support “problematic” fictionkind. In-source actions don’t carry over into this world. Unless they’ve caused tangible harm here in relation to their identity, then they have nothing to be accountable for. Moreover: whether or not they atone for those actions is their decision, not an obligation. Following up on that, me being fictionkin doesn’t give you leeway to treat me how you would in a fandom context. I’m not going to tolerate inappropriate behavior because of my identity.

This blog is not radqueer-friendly. I often block members of this community, and I suggest they do the same to me. I don’t support the appropriation of transracial, a term for people adopted into families outside of their ethnicity or race. Additionally, I’m tired of hearing arguments in favor of transracial identity (in the radqueer sense) when every transracial black person’s “experience” I’ve come across stereotypes my people and culture. I also don’t support the conflation of the transspecies label with radqueer culture. I get that some radqueers are transspecies, but not all transspecies people are radqueers. Transspecies is not an inherently radqueer/transID term. The transspecies community existed long before those spaces.

Tag System

#𓃭; the liondrake’s lore -> my writings

#𓃭; the liondrake’s library -> resources and information on various subjects

#𓃭; the liondrake’s hoard -> posts that feature or relate to my ‘types (art, aesthetics, moodboards, etc)

#𓃭; candlekeep classics -> posts within the alterhuman community that I want to share

#𓃭; pages from the bestiary -> posts about my alterhumanity, mainly rambles and questionings

#𓃭; gnosis of the golden witch -> posts on witchcraft— sometimes resources, advice or personal experiences with the craft

[liondrakes]

Sometimes, the smallest things can make a difference. You can find peace and self-affirmation anywhere if you stop and take your time. When I took my ride home today, I decided to have my driver let me out at the front of the complex. I did this for two reasons: so I could pick up a package at the mailroom and so I could blow off some steam by walking.

I’ve been reading the comics of my canon counterpart (Kal-El of the Absolute Universe), and a common subject is brought up: rage. The rage of Superman, to be exact. Although my canon counterpart and I are quite different, we’re still the same person: the anger I suppress transcends paper and ink, festering in this body and mind as well. There’s been many a time I’ve felt provoked to blow up at my employers or patrons for how much shit I have to put up with. At least once a week, I feel tempted to go scorched earth on the place and risk it all just to give them a piece of my mind, but I restrain myself and redirect my energy elsewhere. I won’t go into the specifics of what my manager pulled on me today, but it left me so heated that I decided to walk all the way down to my apartment door in the blazing heat so I could ease my nerves.

You’d think that would upset me more, but it’s quite the opposite. I love the sun. Feeling that blistering heat on me in full uniform was very comforting. (I turned out fine, but I don’t advise doing this unless you know for a certain that it’s a safe distance and proper protection has been applied.) I cannot put into words the kind of connection I have with the sun, but it’s a connection I’ve harbored since I started exploring my alterhumanity. Discovering and coming into this fictotype further solidified my perspective on the sun.

Kryptonians are very solar-oriented. Typically, Superman and his people are not only strengthened by red and/or yellow suns,l but symbolized by these celestial objects as well. In the case of my canon counterpart, he often relies on direct exposure to sunlight so he sustain himself and his abilities. I have no such physiology. Yet, I still feel in tune with the sun and its energy regardless of this. As I walked, I focused on the feeling of its warmth. I let it wash over me. And so it did, taking my anger with it.

Although part of me won’t forget yet another slight my manager has made against me, my anger isn’t as incendiary as it was before. It is a reminder that, despite all of the bullshit I’m put through, I have to slow down and give myself the space to breathe. I’ll feel a little more like myself afterwards.

[frameacloud]

Word otherkin will be 22 years old

An upcoming anniversary in the otherkin community: On July 9, 2012, the word “otherkin” will have been coined 22 years ago. It was coined in the Elfinkind Digest, a mailing list which is active to this day. On that date in 1990, one participant, Torin, used the word “otherkin” as a variation on the earlier word “otherkind.” Both phrases were casually improvised as an abbreviated way of referring to people who identify as other kinds of creatures.  

(Source: Elfinkind Digest #71. The archive of this document is still extant, and I have read it. Thanks to the mailing list moderator R’ykandar Korra’ti for making this primary source available to me while I was researching our community’s history book, the Otherkin Timeline. Thanks to Torin for permission to share this information.) 

Right now, the word “otherkin” is nearly 22 years old. That means that any otherkin who are currently in their teens weren’t even born until after the word had been coined. There are lots of otherkin who have considered themselves to be otherkin, of a kind, even years before the word had been coined. Detractors sometimes claim that otherkin is merely a passing fad popular among youth, but this is evidently not the case. 

Any thoughts on the significance of this passage of time? Where were you at, as an otherkin, 22 years ago? Anybody want to make plans for the 9th, to set it aside as a day for thinking about otherkin things? Maybe a party for reminiscing, maybe even with costumes and artistic “glamour-bombs”? 

[frameacloud]

Here’s the anniversary again. Tomorrow, on July 9, 2015, the word “otherkin” will turn 25 years old.

[frameacloud]

This year, the word “otherkin” recently turned 32 years old on July 9, 2022.

The top post in this thread from 2012 is where I first proposed observing it as Otherkin Day, unless if anyone can find earlier references to that. The original post is gone, so I was grateful to find this particular post had been archived on someone else’s blog.

[arethinn]

And so did the word otherkind, being otherkin’s elder sibling by a a few months.

I’ve now got a page on my website titled A Brief(ish) History of the Word “Otherkind” based on my reading of the contemporary Elfinkind Digest, which talks a bit about the coining, trends in usage, whether it included elves at first, and whether it included animal folk (today’s therians).

[frameacloud]

Thanks! Folks, Arethinn’s essay is excellent, I highly recommend reading it.

Happy Otherkin Day once again! Now in 2024, the words “otherkin” and “otherkind” turn 34 years old.

[liondrakes]

I think I want my inky paws submission to be experimental fiction. I want to write a hypothetical guide to living on Earth as an extraterrestrial, but I’m not sure how I could visually execute that. I’ll probably look at those really artsy species transition adverts, solo alterhuman zines or past submissions for inspiration. I need to get an idea of where I want this aesthetically.

[who-is-page]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Inky Paws #4

Inky Paws is a nonhuman anthology zine for original fiction writings by nonhumans and alterhumans about nonhumanity, alterhumanity, and similar, related themes. This zine is primarily literature focused, but will also be open to more illustrative methods of story-telling such as comics. The zine’s focus is on fictional pieces that are centered around nonhumanity, alterhumanity, therianthropy, and similar (see Submission Guidelines section for more details).

You are welcome to submit:

Short stories

Microfiction

Satire

Poetry

Song lyrics

Experimental fiction (fake newspapers, fake recipes, fake blogs, fake posters, etc.)

Mixed media

Comics

Minizine pages

And more! If you're unsure, just ask! Seriously, please just ask. I promise I would 10000% love to hear about your idea even if you're unsure about submitting it, there is no such thing as a bad idea and I cannot stress this enough.

How to participate:

You can submit your pieces in this Google Form!

OR

Email invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com with your submission, and please title the email "Inky Paws Zine #4 Submission". With your submission, please include:

The piece's title or name,

A name or pen name to attribute the piece to,

Any content warnings that you feel are necessary for the piece,

Any social media handle or personal website you’d like to be published alongside your name with the piece (optional), and

Any relevant author notes or author biographical information (optional).

Anonymous pieces are also welcome.

Once submissions have been collected and the deadline has passed, these submissions will be put into the zine and it will be posted online as a free PDF. Submissions are due by November 30th, 2026.

Please see the Submission Guidelines, and Submission FAQ, below cut.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Each individual may contribute up to 3 accepted submissions to be published in Inky Paws; individuals within systems may each submit 3 pieces, that is to say 3 pieces per systemmate/headmate/preferred term.

Comics and similar multi-part pieces count as one submission altogether: if you submit a single story that has been divided into two sub-stories for dramatic emphasis, or if you submit 10 pages of a single-story comic, or if you submit a written piece of fiction and an accompanying image that you drew or otherwise created to go along with it, that would still only count as one piece.

Submissions must fit the thematic criteria of:

Being explicitly about or based on nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar groups, or;

Having strong themes or describing experiences strongly reminiscent of or related to nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar such as (but not limited to):

Characters experiencing nonhumanity or alterhumanity as being a part of themselves/their identity,

Characters experiencing anything similar to a shift (including physical shifting),

Characters struggling with (emotionally, socially, or otherwise) being both human and nonhuman or alterhuman in some way,

Characters having a past-life as something nonhuman or alterhuman that strongly still impacts their current life, or

Characters desiring to be nonhuman or have nonhuman attributes.

TL;DR - Your submissions have to relate to or be about alterhumans or nonhumans in some way, shape, or form.

Written submissions must not exceed 7500 words, and must also use a reader-friendly font with a text size of or exceeding 16 pt.

For stories that use multiple different fonts, such as pieces meant to imitate newspapers and similar, every effort will be made to preserve the general "feel" of your piece but fonts may not be transferred over 1:1 due to potential conflicts with font copyright, readability, and overarching zine style.

Multi-part image submissions must not exceed 10 pages in length, and must also use a reader-friendly font with a text size of or exceeding 16 pt if they include text. Images larger than 8.5 x 11in. will be scaled down to an appropriate size; please take that into account when creating and submitting your images. It is also recommended that images be vertical or square in their orientation.

Written submissions should be submitted as a .docx file. Images and mixed media pieces should be submitted as either .jpg or .png files.

All submitted pieces should be your own work. Individuals caught plagiarizing or using AI within their submissions will be barred from participating in Inky Paws, including in any potential future volumes.

SUBMISSION FAQ:

Q: Where will this zine be hosted? A: The zine will be hosted for free download on Itch.io, where issues 1, 2, and 3 of the zine are already hosted.

Q: What is the cap on submissions? A: At this time, we are not looking to accept more than roughly 25 submissions at most, in order to keep numbers and expectations manageable.

Q: Can I update my application after submitting? A: Yes, so long as the updates are submitted before the submission deadline!

Q: What is your policy on content moderation and content warnings? A: If you feel your piece needs content warnings, please include them in the submission, as we are hoping to include relevant content warnings and maturity ratings alongside all pieces. We are at this time accepting pieces of all tones and ratings.

With that said, It should be noted that any items submitted with soapboxing intent and anti-nonhuman, anti-alterhuman, anti-fictionkin, or similar leans are largely not welcome, as this is a zine geared towards all aforementioned groups and then some.

Q: Can I submit an in-progress draft or sketch? Can I claim a spot in the zine before sending in my submission? A: We are not currently accepting WIP pieces for submission at this time, though feel free to send us your WIP if you have questions related to its future submission. We also cannot reserve or guarantee a spot in the zine pre-submission, regardless of any existing drafts or WIPs.

Q: Can I submit a piece of fanfiction? A: While we've now accepted pieces of fanfiction in the past, we tend to prefer to leave them out for legal reasons. If you submit a piece of obvious fanfiction, please know that it may be significantly more likely to be rejected from the zine and that, if the piece is accepted, the piece may be removed without warning from the zine later on if DMCA or legal issues arise. We strongly advise that individuals who wish to write something inspired by fiction make it non-obvious to the outside reader where the inspiration is being taken from.

Q: Can I submit something I've created in the past? A: You can submit something you've created in the past, but please try to avoid submitting anything that you've published previously and is currently publicly accessible. For example, if the story you want to submit has already been featured in a different anthology, please don't submit it to Inky Paws! We want to encourage people to create new pieces, or to put the spotlight on pieces that haven't previously had the opportunity to be published.

Q: What is the projected timeline for this project? A: Submissions will close by November 30th of 2026. The publish date of the zine depends on submission amount and size of submissions; in an ideal world, we hope to have the zine published by December, before year's end.

Q: Can I rescind my submission? A: As long as you request to rescind your submission before the submission deadline, yes. After the deadline passes and the formatting and work towards publishing begins, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to remove your work from the zine due to time constraints and potential formatting issues. Please take this into account before submitting.

Q: Will there be any physical copies of this zine? A: Due to cost restraints and a lack of printing experience on the part of the zine organizers, we have no physical copies of this zine planned for print. You are, however, welcome to download and print copies of the zine for personal use.

Q: Who are the organizers of this zine? Where can I reach out to ask further questions? A: Who-is-Page and Noel Sol of the Sol System are organizing this zine. Feel free to send us any questions, comments, or concerns to invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com, or you can always message us on Tumblr at Who-is-Page.

[mastersofidolworld]

every time I see someone who's like "im too old to be fictionfolk why haven't I aged out of this yet it's been years... it's for kids......." im like. this is why I need to be fictional even louder

[mastersofidolworld]

im 27 ive identified as fictional since I was around 15 !!! and it hasn't died off. in fact it interacts with my life in so many ways as an adult!!!!! i hate calling myself "older fictionfolk" but when people younger than me talk about aging out of their personal identity im like. no you don't have to!!!!!!!!!!!!! you can be you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i need to get louder and even more fictional. you can be a grown ass adult and fictionfolk it's awesome narancia jojo with 3 college degrees

[liondrakes]

It’s suck to see because while yes, things can change over time in life, no one’s destined to grow out of an experience. That happens when you feel like it’s no longer a part of who you are, not “eventually” as you age. Exploring your identity doesn’t begin and end at adolescence. It is gradual, and it looks different for everybody. Regardless of how it turns out, the insight you gain from those experiences matters.

Typically, there’s more insistence on framing experiences as “phases” than allowing those experiences to simply be. The only guaranteed result in that is amplifying social expectations, or at least concerns around said expectations. In some cases, it also leads to people being shamed into feeling like there’s something wrong with how they’re living their lives when, usually, it’s something completely harmless.

It’s a little different in my case since I came into my alterhumanity as a young adult. I semi-knew what otherkin and fictionkin meant as a pre-teen, but 1. I decided against joining either community out of fear of judgment and 2. my understanding of fictionkin (or “kinning” as it’s known in fandom spaces) wasn’t the same as it is now. Fast forward some years, a mutual I had on Twitter was openly otherkin. I found my way back to these communities through this person. When I learned I’m a gold dragon, I was twenty-one and navigating undergrad. I’m 24. I graduated with a bachelor of arts degree to show for it. My fictionhood hasn’t left me. It’s changed but it remains as an integral part of who I am. If anything, it’s expanded into margins I’ve never considered before and given me new ways to explore my relationship with this world.

I liken my fictionhood to that of an extraterrestrial because I feel like I belong in realms and dimensions outside of this one. It’s also because I world-hop regularly, usually with my dæmon and a cybernetic ecosystem— the latter of which also originates from fiction. I embody the trope of a fourth wall-breaking fictional character, and that experience informs the connection I feel towards fictional worlds. It is a type of intimacy that’s hard to explain in communal terms, because it ties into both my visits to these worlds and my self-perception. I consider myself culturally Light Flight, despite not belonging to any draconic species from Sornieth. I also have my fictionhood to thank for furthering my understanding of gender as a xenogender person, such as distinctly gendered fictomeres— like Umamusume (vaguetype) and Sayo Yasuda (fictotype)— and fictomeres where gender is irrelevant— like Verza (fictionlink).

I have faith that I will continue to be fictionfolk next year when I turn 25. Then, I will continue to be fictionfolk the year after that when I’m 26. I hope to be fictionfolk in my 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. Considering the amount of people I’ve seen in these age groups among otherkind and therianthropes, I hope I’ll find myself in that exact position years down the line.

I’m an adult. I’m also a fictional shapeshifter. I can proudly say that as The Winged Lion— and so much more — I am an otaku who loves collecting literature, regularly loops the music of pinkpantheress and f5ve, dreams of earning my masters degree and working in a library, helped run a student magazine in undergrad and would love to attend ren faires and dyke marches once I’m fully independent. All of these things I do/did/want to do as an adult are also things I have in mind while fictionfolk.

There is no biological clock on your personal experiences, and that includes fictionhood.

[macrolit]

Too accurate not to share

[transattacks]

not seeing a lot of people on here talking about ICE murdering another man yesterday. His name was Lorenzo Salgado Arajou. He was a Mexican man living in Houston Texas. He was killed at age 52 and lived the past 35 years here in the USA, and was in the process of obtaining a work permit. He was shot and killed during a traffic stop that ICE claims was part of a targeted operation, and claimed he was “weaponizing his vehicle”- the same claim ICE agents made when they shot and murdered Renee Good.

During the stop, Lorenzo had 3 coworkers with him in his truck who have all been taken into ICE custody.

His family described Lorenzo as a hardworking family man who didn’t deserve to be killed. All he wanted was to provide for his wife and see his sons become great people. His eldest son recognized his father by his cries and pleas when trying to identify who the victim was.

The Salgado Araujo family has set up a gofundme to help with funeral and legal costs, and to help keep their family supported since Lorenzo was the sole provider.

Donate to In Loving Memory of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52 Years Old, organized by LULAC Institute, Inc.

On the morning of July 7, 2026, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was ta… LULAC Institute, Inc. needs your support for In Loving Memory of Lorenzo Salg

[who-is-page]

hi page! recently ive been accepting the fact that im plural. (two distinct personalities, and a lot of fragments.)- do you have any resources you can share for exploring this a bit more? sorry for not being too terribly descriptive, but i appreciate your time!

Hey, no need to be descriptive; your plurality is your own to figure out and talk about in the best ways you see fit, and I can understand if you'd want to be vague intentionally or are still trying to get a wrangle on it. We're not incredibly active in the plural community in the day-to-day, but here are some resources we've seen recommended or know of ourselves that you might find useful:

The Plural Association - This is a non-profit is dedicated to making resources and hosting events for plural systems of all varieties. Inclusive and well-rounded in their focus, this nonprofit offers both videos and links. They also have a really worthwhile Twitter that regularly retweets resources and information, at TpaNonprofit.

More Than One - A small website that defines some common plural terms, tackles common myths, explains plurality in simple and inclusive ways, and has a WIP page of links for individuals questioning if they are plural. Haven't used it much ourselves, but useful to keep on hand if you find yourselves getting swamped by the complexities and potential contradictions of some things and need to go back to the bare-bones basics.

LB Lee's Quick N' Dirty Plural History & Plural Stories - The first link is to the first of four parts in LB Lee's breakdown of plural history, an intensely worthwhile read, and the second is to the Dreamwidth they manage called Plural Stories which is a filterable, searchable catalog of plural ("and pluralish," to use the Dreamwidth's own wording) stories. I've always found that fiction depictions helped us explore and understand our plurality more than anything else we've really read, which is why I'm recommending it here. (I also encourage you to check out LB Lee's itch.io if you end up liking their Quick N' Dirty Plural History, where they write and publish ebooks.)

The Dissociative Initiative - Aimed at systems that experience dissociation, amnesia, and related problems, this offers inclusive resources and information to individuals looking to learn more about plurality from general standpoints or from more personal ones.

The Dragonheart Collective's Plural Zone - A collection of links to plural resources (including websites, forums, AND articles), their own FAQ, and personal essays. If nothing on here is particularly useful or relevant to you, definitely check through all these next.

#pluralgang is an all-inclusive hashtag used across both here and Twitter in order to denote plural experiences and individuals that I can also recommend looking into, albeit I do know that there have been efforts to coin more similarly inclusive plural tags (though I haven't seen any that have caught on). You might be able to find stuff specifically relatable to your experiences by looking through there!

I hope this helps at least somewhat!

[pastperfectcontinuous]

bell hooks mentioned going through a time in her life where she was severely depressed and suicidal and how the only way she got through it was through changing her environment: She surrounded her home with buddhas of all colors, Audre Lorde’s A Litany for Survival facing her as she wakes up, and filling the space she saw everyday with reinforcing objects and meaningful books. She asks herself each day, “What are you going to do today to resist domination?” I also really liked it when she said that in order to move from pain to power, it is crucial to engage in “an active rewriting of our lives.”

[ritavonbees]

I have come to think of the suicidal impulse as the brain waving a flag to say three things:

something needs to change here

this is urgent

I don’t know how to do it

death is the ultimate metaphor for drastic change. it’s a general specific. whatever your problems are, it is very likely that dead people don’t have to deal with them. a real solution to your problems may demand a very narrow range of action that’s likely to be out of reach at this moment, but death is sold on every street corner, so it feels like a more realistic fantasy than happiness.

you don’t really want to die per se but it’s also not completely random chemicals swamping your brain for no reason. you want the pain to stop, you want to be somewhere else, you want to be someone else. it’s urgent. you don’t know how to do it. the end is not the end but a means that feels within your reach right now.

this is the wisdom of bell hooks: daily rituals of meaning and resistance and solidarity are part of slowly building a future where you can make the change you really need. and only alive people can do that. every step you take towards change and power is another step away from death.

[angelbabymikaa]

you have to romanticize the mundane or you won’t survive it’s cruel out there so drink your coffee and spray a little extra perfume

[melbush]

i love finding out what degrees my mutuals have. like what the fuck do you mean you do law? you’re a doctor who blog

[liondrakes]

Seeing that discussion going around about Gen Z’s illiteracy after the fanfare of Love Island, and I really don’t like how people aren’t addressing the big ass elephant in the room as a factor (THE PANDEMIC)

[liondrakes]

An entire generation— my generation— spent the tail end of their formative years isolated at home, unable to commune in spaces that would’ve supported their social skills, working with very shoddy safety nets to cap off their education, and relying on social media and the internet to fill the gaps (which in a lot of cases, worsened how they engage with other people). Lest we forget the generation coming after us who also spent formative years in that position and they’re STILL going to school while being far behind in their literacy and comprehension skills.

I spent the majority of my first year of undergrad in my dorm room. I’ve met some pretty important people in my life through social media, but I also became a far worse version of myself because of my dependence on social media for personal connections. I was never worried for my own literacy because literacy in general’s been an important value to me long before the pandemic. In context to the United States, the battle against censorship has been an uphill battle since I was a kid. The list of books banned from American public schools has grown and grown as I’ve gotten older. There’s so much more to this issue than “This generation is falling behind!”— THIS GENERATION AND THE NEXT HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY FAILED!

Between the isolation of the pandemic, the rush to “get back to normalcy” during the pandemic, this country’s history of censoring literature and other resources under the defense of “Think of the children!”, and lack of funding for thousands for public schools, this is an issue has been in a pressure cooker for as long as I can remember! Throw in how dependent people have become on generative AI like ChatGPT and Gemini, and you have an outlier that’s guaranteed to expedite the deterioration of many people’s comprehension and knowledge.

Worst of all, you got millennials who think the solution is “bringing back shame” or whatever. NO! Newsflash: if you want someone to apply themselves and improve, you have to put them first. The real elephant in the room is that nobody wants to be fucking compassionate anymore. You want progress? You want people to do better? Be fucking compassionate and support literacy programs around you. Spread the word about the decline of literacy beyond getting a few views online. Share resources from ebooks and PDFs to digital libraries, and that will gradually encourage people to explore their options outside of the internet as well!

Good fucking grief, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you care beyond controversy!! It’s so counterproductive, not to mention this is America we’re talking about!!! Shaming people will not give the intended effect, especially if they’re grown ass adults. The whole damn country is ran by fascists who banked their support on people who will double-down on their ignorance just to protect their pride and put other people down! SHAME ISN’T GOING TO GET US ANYWHERE BUT MORE ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM BECAUSE FOR SOME, “HUMBLING” PEOPLE IS SOMEHOW MORE IMPORTANT THAN HELPING THEM!!!

[liondrakes]

Seeing that discussion going around about Gen Z’s illiteracy after the fanfare of Love Island, and I really don’t like how people aren’t addressing the big ass elephant in the room as a factor (THE PANDEMIC)

[abyssalaquarist00]

pick up that non-fiction book

[abyssalaquarist00]

not all of us can live in fantasy 100% the time like i see some people on here do and it's refreshing to learn something new. its been philosophy, essays, and history for me and i feel much more at home on planet Earth for it knowing that people have been struggling and wishing similarly for millenia.

its not that fiction doesnt have its place, its important and healthy to exercise the imagination, but non-fiction can do so much to boost and supplement that. if not for yourself, for your art or for the people you're around

[yourlocallux]

Sorry that my handwritin' sucks btw :/ I tried to make it at least somewhat legible (transcribed text below cut)

This is a good way to start of our comic series I think? maybs? idk. tone might be really jumpy since we're a chronically busy person and findin time and ideas to actually draw out is a bit of a toughie (Kjann has a comic she wants to do, so does Finn. haven't gotten around to it tho.)

-p

(transcribed text for screenreaders or if my handwriting is too messy)

Hi! I'm Pold! Or just p. that works too.

I'm the oldest headmate we got. I've been here since before our core split. before we became us.

Well, that's not entirely true. We've had imaginary friends almost our whole life. But only I lasted from that era. The others dissapeared. we didn't think we were real back then. Some of their aspects still linger in some of us though. they live on in a new form.

I was there when the split happened, but I'd lie if I said I remember it. We just realized they were two people one day. Almost 5 years have passed since then, and I gotta say, I'm happy to share this body with the people I do.

[werelioness]

I made a community for big cats! Panthera Pride!

Join Panthera Pride • Community on Tumblr

16+ A group for big cat therianthropes and nonhumans.

Please, if you're a big cat of some sort, join my community!

And read rules! I want this community to stay focused, so no off-topic posting, thank you!