Hello everyone. For those who don't know me, I'm Jess, AKA Frog. My mom and I have been homeless and living in hotels since the spring of 2023. I'm queer, nonbinary, and autistic; my mom is physically disabled and chronically ill; we're both suffering from anxiety, depression, and CPTSD. We also had to put our dog and cat in foster care until we get some real housing. I lost my job because of the instability of our situation, and I'm having trouble getting a new one. Mom gets Social Security, and we have SNAP, but living in a hotel is not cheap. We're barely keeping our heads above water.
When we can't quite scrape by, which is often, I will use this post to ask for help. If you don't want to see it, ask and I'll create a tag for you to blacklist. I don't want to bother anyone. I'm just doing what I have to do for my family. One day, I'll be able to delete this post, and I will pay forward every bit of kindness.
Very generally speaking, when you see a black man in a piece of media, be it tv show, movie, video game, etc. thereās something you often see a lot of writers do. To go against the stereotype of black men (and black people in general) being dumb and lazy, youāll see this black male character being smart and an achiever. ļæ¼
The Black Nerd. A common character type, the nerd will always be very interested in all things nerdy: science, video games, mathematics, etc. In an continued effort to combat stereotypes, the Black Nerd will be lack athleticļæ¼ism, probably being asthmatic (the nerdiest of conditions). The Black Nerd will dress smartly, suspenders and bow ties. Theyāll always talk smart too, using proper English with complex words.
Now, I donāt have a problem with a black character being a nerd, indeed black people are a people; we arenāt all the same and we all have varying personalities. The problem I have is that too often we see a distinct disconnect between Blackness and the Black Nerd. The Black Nerd doesnāt listen to hip hop or rap, only classical music. The Black Nerd only has white friends, the only other black characters are into not nerdy stuff. The Black Nerd never ever uses AAVE at any time in any context.
And again I must say that Black people, not being a monolith, there are no hard fast rules to being Black. Iām more than sure there are Black people like what Iāve described above, Iām not saying itās impossible; what Iām getting at is that the only Black Nerd we see. There are Black Nerds that play basketball, that bump Kendrick Lamar, and use AAVE since itās an ever changing dialect. Iām just saying thereās no one way of being a nerd and no one way of being Black.
one character archetype that i dont see very often is the female trickster, the lady con artist, the sweet talking bard with a silver tongue who gets into trouble by lying and cheating and then gets out of it by lying and cheating even more.
or rather i do see that character but its always some manner of minx using her "female wiles" or some femme fatale of some kind and i dont mean that. i mean female john constantine (no, lady constantine from the comics doesnt count, she was a spy; and jenna coleman in the show was the lamest thing ever so that doesnt count either)
the only example i can think of is eda from owl house
Lyra from His Dark Materials started out this way but sadly "matured" into less of a gremlin due to the author's cowardice. Theoretically Pantalaimon's settled form of a pine marten should be a sign that she's just hiding her trickster tendencies better now but IDK what happens with her character development in the in-progress sequel trilogy.
Slappy Squirrel and Dot Warner from Animaniacs are both close to qualifying but IMO Slappy has too many "Plan B is twice as big an explosion as Plan A" tendencies to really make her an archetypical sweet talking con artist like a female equivalent of Bugs Bunny (which is because she's actually a female equivalent of Screwy Squirrel), and Dot's methods tend to be more focused on weaponized cuteness which is a little too close to "feminine wiles."
The best example I can think of other than Eda is Jester Lavorre from Critical Role's Mighty Nein campaign. Mind you she also has powerful magic backing up her "get out of trouble" plans, but so does Eda.
Sophie definitely uses her feminine wiles, because Sophie will use absolutely anything and everything she's got. But Parker doesn't. She'd rather stab a rich and powerful man with a fork than flirt with him. And in Redemption, Breanna doesn't either.
i never understood what made steampunk punk. romanticizing georgian era england and industrial revolutions are some of the least punk things ever. youre putting gears on a top hat
i genuinely believe that you can directly blame steampunk directly cribbing from cyberpunk for the fact that solarpunk is an aesthetic and not an ideology. the roots of considering a civilization for its trappings and appearance rather than what it does goes back to that. cyberpunk was punk* because of the stories it told** not because of its aesthetics***
*extremely debatable depending on which punk you ask.
**objectively debatable depending on the game and system
***cyberpunk as a modern franchise not a genre is absolutely a prioritization of aesthetics over punk ideology. you cannot be punk if youre a fuckin franchise of a corporation idk i feel like this should be obvious
Hi hello, Steampunk here: the 19th century was punk as fuck actually, and the active steampunk scene in 2005-2010 was very much aware of and into it. You're citing the Spirit Halloween version.
Way back in November 2013 I made a post about the aestheticization of the subculture that STILL stands:
Steampunk: VICTORIAN LONDON VICTORIAN LONDON TOP HATS CORSETS ARISTOCRACY GLORIOUS BRITISH EMPIRE AIRSHIP PIRATES RAY GUNS APOCALYPSE APOCALYPSE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!
Me: ā¦Industrialization, colonialism, imperialism, exploitation of the working class and oppression of POC culminating in violent socialist revolution because fuck yeah the working class and donāt you dare forget it?
Steampunk: ::crickets::
[Steampunk]:Ā THE GREAT GAME COGS GEARS VAMPIRES BUSTLES EXOSKELETON GOGGLES ANGLOPHILIA SUPER CREEPY OBSESSION WITH ORIENTALISM INCLUDING CLOCKWORK GEISHAS MANOR HOUSES TEA!
Me: ::sigh::
^ you are doing exactly this.
The punk ethos is primarily made up of beliefs such as non-conformity, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, a do-it-yourself ethic, anti-consumerist, anti-corporate greed, direct action, and not "selling out". That is what 'punk' means, in terms of subculture.
When steampunk arose as a subculture, out of Goth mind you, it was entirely a DIY and small business scene.
What steampunk music, fiction, craft groups, or meetups have you been to? Steampunk is, like cyberpunk, about the stories it told/is telling. Often stories of revolution (often violent), the overthrowing of governments and toppling of monarchies, civil rights movements (emancipation from chattel slavery! Indian wars! Rising against colonial powers!), the dawn of first wave feminism and women's suffrage, the original source of communist and socialist thought, workers' rights movements, the fucking enlightenment...
What is more punk than The Communist Manifesto(1848)
What is more punk than The Battle of Greasy Grass(1876)
Who's a more OG Punk than John Brown?
Steampunk literally music and fiction set in and about the Age of Revolution.
Judging Steampunk as a subculture by the part that was heavily commercialized is like judging all of Goth and a subculture by Hot Topic (which is not punk rock).
Go read China Mieville's Bas Lag cycle.
Go read Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Go read Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Go read Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (crossover with dieselpunk and biopunk!)
Go read Steeplejack by AJ Hartley
Go listen to some The Cog is Dead and some Abney Park and some Rasputina and some Steam Powered Giraffe and, hey, let me link Painless Parker one more time. You will note that that recording is from Occupy Wallstreet.
Also keep in mind that labor/union songs are wildly popular steampunk standards; you will hear Solidarity Forever and other songs from The Little Red Songbook at steampunk song circles. You will hear marching band and orchestral covers of The Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen and The Clash's London Calling. You'll hear songs from Chumbawumba's album English Rebel Songs 1381-1984.
I'm gonna linkspam a bunch of my older writings on this:
#50 Overcoming the Noble Savage & the Sexy Squaw: Native SteampunkāGuest Blog by Monique Poirier
#98 Musing about Native Steampunk-Guest blog by Monique Poirier
Some of you already know Monique Poirier, either from her Beyond Victoriana essay , or from Tumblr , or you know her from cons and stuff. S
Other steampunks of my followers, please reblog with more recommendations about Steampunk stuff that's actually PUNK.
@sapphoandvanzetti , would love to hear you chime in.
Well shit yknow what I retract my statements because I had no idea about any of this! And the fact that the Spirit Halloween version was the only one I'd heard about is actually insulting with how cool a lot of this stuff sounds! Thank you for spending the time to drop all this, it's really appreciated!
I can't believe home depot literally produced a wildly successful science fiction musical and we all just pretend it didn't happen. on one hand yes it had a boring white guy main character but like.... home depot just... Made it? And it had shit ton of box office sales? and no one even talks about this. this is like avatar (2009) all over again
OK so. After a lot of frantic googling I realized this was all a dream. home depot did not in fact produce a wildly successful science fiction musical. I was on allergy meds and took a nap and my brain simply prophesized this. slightly disappointed because I wanted to watch it.
Happy Pride to all the weirdos and freaks, the queers and the outcasts, the odd, the strange, the fantastical, the humans, the creatures, the gremlins, and the unquantifiable.
You are revolutionary and beautiful simply by existing. You are made of magic and share it wherever you go. Your whimsy, your fire, and your compassion can change the world. Stand firm for yourself and your community.
Even if you don't feel safe to express who you are yet, know that you are safe with me--whoever you are is what I will see. Even if all you can do right now is internally accept yourself, that is still an incredibly important step. There is always a place for you, whether you find that place or create that place.
Take up space! Experiment! Be silly, or be refined. Be loud, or be quiet. Be colorful, or be monochrome.
Be.
If you're looking for a sign, this is it. Remember what Pride stands for: fighting for the right to self-determine, the right to live your truth without persecution, and the right to openly love who you are. It is never too late to start.
Come join me in the grand tradition of breaking the mold--because what about us was ever going to fit expectations, anyway?
Like unironically we should be subsidising at least 50% of their educations. What do you mean we have a shortage of doctors we should have surplus. What do you mean theyāre being overworked they should be treated like royalty, they can fix human bodies
I donāt care if some of them are only doing it for the money. I donāt care if all of them are only doing it for the money. Intentions donāt matter to the stitches in my nanaās leg or the ten billion other lifesaving treatments we all get at a detriment to their finances and mental wellbeing. Entire cities are kept alive by just a couple thousand of them what are we DOINGGGGG
Everyone wants to live forever
Everyone but the ones living for work
Anyone who can pay won't pay for anything
Anyone who can't pay is buried in dirt
Who wants a healer to tend to their bruises?
Who wants a medic to stitch up their wounds?
Who will pay anyone, anyone ever?
To keep the mill churning out dollars for fools
"But it's not FOR them!!!" The biggest military power in the world belongs to a christofascist nation overseen by a felon found guilty of 34 federal crimes and has greenlit a gestapo with more direct funding than the entire military of Canada for the purpose of ethnic cleansing. Let Hetero Jessica throw some biodegradable glitter at a municipal parade
At this point if anyone is trying to exclude anyone benignly pro-queer from a pro-queer space I'm just going to assume you're a fed or something idk like something something destabilize the movement from within or whatever
I am making a VERY big point of the Ally flag in all my pride stuff at work.
Feel awkward about people maybe thinking youāre queer but still want to clearly signal āqueers are okay with meā? SURE. LOVE IT. HEREāS YOUR WEIRD FLAG.
Donāt fucking at me about allies right now, they are ALSO actually getting fucking killed over us. Take your puri-gay shitty tent somewhere else mine is great with peopleās cishet friends and relatives showing up to have our backs.
(ābut what if they -ā shitty behavior is shitty behavior I donāt care if you INVENTED queer sex, if youāre acting like a douche iāll kick you out. wanna act decent and accept the premises of queer coexistence and freedom, cool, iām not judging you for feeling ok with the gender title they gave you in the delivery room or being attracted to people with the other standard issue title, grab a pop).
If you're with us, you're welcome. Sure, sometimes you have to wear the costume before it becomes the clothes, but also, some of the best people at Pride are the slightly confused moms, dads, and siblings who show up whether or not they understand. "Love is love" also means "I don't need to get it to show up for you."
^^via The Official Website of the City of New York, March 24, 2026. More from the article below.
What you should know
Mamdani administration has secured more than $8.5M in restitution since taking officeĀ
[Note: To be clear, that's just between January 2026 and March 2026.]
...over YouTube Live while eating a Crunchwrap Supreme, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the filing of an enforcement petition against QSR Management LLC, a Dunkinā franchisee that operates locations in Staten Island, seeking monetary relief for workers and civil penalties.
The petition alleges that QSR Management LLC and managing corporate officer Ronny Nader violated the rights of approximately 1,000 workers under theāÆFair Workweek Law and Protected Time Off Law.
The Mamdani Administration also announced settlements with two companies that will provide more than 830 workers with more than $1.8 million to resolve violations of theāÆFair Workweek Law. In addition to restitution, Dunkinā & Taco Bell franchisee Salz Management LLC and premium fashion retailer Theory will pay more than $176,000 in civil penalties and costs...
āTodayās settlements are about more than financial compensation for working New Yorkers āthough that relief matters. At their core, these actions are about restoring dignity on the job. Every worker deserves a predictable schedule ā something stable enough to plan a life around, to care for family, to show up for the people who depend on them,ā said Mayor Mamdani. āThis city will not tolerate any corporation or franchisee that violates our Fair Workweek laws, or any of the labor protections that workers fought for and won. We will keep enforcing those laws, so that every New Yorker knows their rights and can count on this city to defend them.ā ...
The Mamdani Administration is urging all workers who believe their rights have been violated to file a complaint by visiting nyc.gov/workersāÆor by calling 311.
Since Jan. 1, 2026, the Administration has secured more than $8.5 million in restitution for New York City workers, including more than $500,000 for freelancers ripped off by production company Splashlight and nearly $5 million for Uber Eats, Fantuan and HungryPanda delivery workers.
-via The Official Website of the City of New York, March 24, 2026
--
Your rights in Mamdani's New York City under the cut
Note: I added these as images so that they can be saved and shared more easily; full transcript of each image in its alt.
If you want to file a complaint, as quoted from the press release:
Workers and employers can visit nyc.gov/workers or call 311 for more information or to file a complaint. Complaints may be filed anonymously, and retaliation is illegal.
