free ghost hugs

18+ (I don't censor my content); in my 30s; nonbinary/genderqueer; LGBTQIAPK safe space; kind people welcome 💜

[depsidase]

[delightedobserverintraining]

Accurate

[the-rainbow-ghost]

chances of finding a mimic are low, but never zero

[cute-hearts]

i can never see myself going back to disposable pads after trying reusable pads. cloth pads are waay more absorbent, breathable and comfortable that i don’t feel like i have any pad on. i also thankfully dont get any rashes, redness or irritations from the cloth pads

i know it can be very intimidating to switch but at least try ONE PAD so you can try it before you judge it! 

[cerenae]

i second this! if your concern is changing while you’re out, then the pad can actually be folded like the photo below and it wont leak nor smell at all! you can keep it folded until you’re ready to clean it

for cleaning, i personally just put my used pad/s under the shower while i wait for hot water, then wash it with soap and air dry after. tip: if you really want to wash it thoroughly then you can wash it again with your regular clothes (i do this). it’s machine wash and dryer-friendly.

[latestagejenga]

I NEED THESE

[shiissupercool]

i recently switched to cloth pads and in addition to all the benefits listed above, there are also a bunch of cool prints available that give me a lil seratonin boost everytime i get to use a new one.

i mean, i get to have DRAGONS on my pads??? immaculate. 100000/10 would recommend

[msavengewho2k]

If you’re nervous about using them, try them while you’re at home first or overnight!

[smilephantomhive]

They are def way more comfortable.

[theadorelocksly]

Theyer also a huge money saver. I bought a sample pack for like $50 and then liked them so much I got another set later, but just the one set was plenty. Considering how heavy my flow is and how many pads I went through, I was buying a 24 count box a month at LEAST. So yeah they’ve paid for themselves. I had to use a disposable one the other day while I was out and randomly started and hell no that shit ITCHY

[learnmestuff]

I have been using these for a few years now. I love them. They are also good for my bladder leakage, I use them every day for that, and it feels like I’m not wearing a pad at all.

[rynasubumbra]

Honestly just got through my first cycle since buying these?? And they’re so good?????? Its like getting to run around commando in fuzzy pj pants they’re so comfy. 1000/10 recommended to anyone and everyone with a menstruation cycle. They’re amazing.

[grilledcheesevore]

That’s a win-win for us and the environment tho, we got to save money + we got to reduce disposable pads waste.

[hjellacott]

I’m thinking about switching to these because I switched to the cup already (which is glorious) but I still use pads for leakages, so if it’s just leakages, I might as well use cloth pads, but I’ve got questions for you ladies, if you’d be so kind:

What do you do if you have a very strong flow?

Do they ever leak through?

Can you bleach them if soap doesn’t work well?

How do they work, do they get attached to your underwear, are they like nappies…?

[dandruffaromatics]

1) I have a fairly strong flow and they never had problems. They hold more than a single use pad.

2)Never leaked through, they are pretty thick.

3)I have never tried bleaching them because it was always enough to throw them in the washing machine. I used them for 6 years and they dont have any stain.

4) the ones I have, you just place them on your underwear and close them below your underwear with the button. The only problem they have is that if you have loose pants/a skirt they might move around a little.

[hjellacott]

Thank you so much @dandruffaromatics, that is incredibly useful! you’ve convinced me. My last awful experience with single-use pads was using Always pads, which suddenly (it wasn’t my first time using them, but perhaps it was the first time using a specific type of their pads) caused me severe burning, leading me to do some research and find medical studies on their pads that proved their pads release carcinogenic chemicals. Never again! As soon as I finish my current disposable packs of pads, I will definitely switch to fabric ones.

[bloody]

@hjellacott should you ever switch, please do not bleach your pads as it can ruin it! i initially rinse my pads with cold water to remove the blood, then warm water with soap and it has worked for the last 5 years!

ps dont use fabric conditioner as well as this can decrease absorbency. use vinegar to soften your pads instead!

[hjellacott]

@bloody gosh thanks so much for the advise! this is super useful!

[lhaewiel]

Hi all my skin is sensitive, to the point I will get boils out of the blue and skin will become red. Normal single use pads are a pain, are these going to be ok for very sensitive skin? Are they going to be breathable and soft enough? I know I sound like a pain, but the sensitive skin is a curse I have been having since I have memory and I do not want to slather soothing cream every time. Well, I will probably keep doing it, but I would like more comfort. Can anyone please help me?

[bloody]

@lhaewiel im not sure if my experience is similar to yours but whenever i use disposable pads, my inner legs used to be extremely inflamed and have super bad rashes to the point that i couldnt function. after switching to reusable pads, ive never experienced this again. the pads are perfect for sensitive skin and they are breathable and soft that it feels like you arent using anything. i highly recommend buying at least one piece to try so you can check if it would also work for you!

ps i use the regular bamboo charcoal one but if you are extremely sensitive or if you have sensory issues (like you hate the fuzz material) i highly recommend their cotton pads. hope my answer helps!

[mashkara45]

[markwateneymemorialcrater]

This would be great for a children’s hospital

[ragsy]

[src]

[massacre-girlypop]

*SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH*

*reblogs*

[kittycatcarla]

Tumblr has 4 and a half jokes and we recycle them to fight against climate change

[1los]

[10knotes]

omfg that is just too adorable

[satanic-b00ty]

This will always be one of my favorite comics ever. It gives me warm fuzzies~

[hello-missvixy-deactivated20160]

This is the most perfect.

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

This kitteh having a little halloween adventure is one of my favourite posts of all time :)

[wonderhawk]

Every fall like clockwork this photo set pops up and we all must reblog it

[zooophagous]

ITS TIME

[dduane]

Always will reblog.

[trilliath]

Scaredy Cat Mini Book — Heather Franzen

On a dark night, a little kitten curiously wanders into a pumpkin patch. He soon becomes scared of the pumpkin patch's inhabitants and wishe

Remember to support the real artist - it makes a great gift for any little ones or witchiness-inclined people in your life.

[kaatrina]

[nimashkawizii]

[mintytrifecta]

[image description: the bugs bunny in a tuxedo "I wish all (blank) a very pleasant (blank)" meme edited to say "I wish all of my Jewish followers a very pleasant rosh hashanah". In front of Bugs there is a jar of honey, a stack of apples and pomegranates. In front of bug's mouth there is a shofar.]

[mousidy]

kinda bothered that people don't seem to imagine fertility could be a sensitive subject for trans women

[mousidy]

in my gender studies class a classmate came and sat down in front of me and another trans woman and told us how the university might not be paying for students' plan B anymore, but then they said "well, not that that's relevant to either of you" like...??? thanks I don't need to be reminded I can't bear children can we not just discuss this injustice together

[isuggestforcefem]

[the-rainbow-ghost]

I've personally had very vivid dreams where I was pregnant. I could feel it. When I wake, there's a painful emptiness in my abdomen, where there's neither a child nor the means to conceive them

[guerrillatech]

[segamascott]

like to charge reblog to cast obviously

[m0uthbr3ather]

Have you ever been to earth?

On earth, we use the word “burrito” to describe a tortilla filled with things you eat. Pretty simple stuff, and I’m surprised you at least got that part right. My burrito was, in fact, filled with food. In this, you and I agree and are friends. But this is also where my lifelong hatred begins for you and anyone else whose brain has been repeatedly scrubbed with the same mixture of bleach and Pop Rocks as yours has. Because that should have killed you, but left you around long enough to do what you did to me today. Let me explain:

You’re an idiot.

Let me further explain:

Burritos are eaten from one end to the other. So that means when you assemble a burrito with motherfucking ZONES of ingredients going that direction, you create a disgusting experience for the burrito’s end user. When you make a burrito, you should put the ingredients in layerslengthwise. That way, every bite has AT LEAST A FUCKING CHANCE of getting at least two types of ingredients, and there is little chance of becoming almost hopelessly trapped in a goddamned cilantro cavern.

Have you ever eaten one of the things you make all fucking day? You should try one. They are pretty good WHEN YOU ARE NOT WILLING YOURSELF THROUGH THE FUCKING EMPIRE OF SOUR CREAM ONLY TO END UP IN LETTUCE COUNTRY.

When you eat a burrito, you don’t stand it up and bite down on it lengthwise like a fucking Rancor. Humans can’t usually dislocate their jaws, and I’m not a fucking pelican. But you must think that’s how it’s done, since that would be THE ONLY FUCKING WAY to take a bite of your crapstrosity and have it taste like a burrito.

And guess what else, player? You probably can’t guess anything, because I’m pretty sure you’re just a mop with a hat on it that fell over and spilled some shit into a tortilla, but just in case, here’s what:

Humans also don’t eat burritos like fucking corn on the cob. Like a fucking typewriter from one end to the other a little at a time and then DING next line. But today I wish I had tried that. Because at least THEN I would be able to eat some rice, then beans, then be all like HEY BEANS I’LL BE RIGHT BACK JUST GOING OVER HERE TO THE GUACAMOLE FOR A SECOND.

Nope.

My experience was more like HEY BEANS IT’S JUST GOING TO BE YOU AND I FOR A MINUTE UNTIL I CAN FUCKING EXCAVATE THE RICE FROM BENEATH YOU BUT BY THEN YOU WILL BE A FADING MEMORY OH HEY I WAS WRONG I’M IN THE FUCKING CHEESEOSPHERE NOW RICE MUST BE NEXT I HOPE IT’S NOT ANOTHER FUCKING SALSA POCKET.

You built this thing like a fucking pack of LifeSavers.

And don’t even fucking think I’m about to open this shit up and re-engineer your nonsense 90 degrees. I ALREADY PUT A HOLE IN IT WITH MY FUCKING MOUTH. YEAH. THAT’S HOW I DISCOVERED YOU FUCKING SUCK AT LOOKING AT THINGS. I AM NOT GOING TO DO FUCKING TORTILLA ORIGAMI TO GET THIS SHIT BACK TOGETHER, ONLY TO END UP WITH A BURRITO THAT’S BEEN SHOT IN THE GUT AND IS BLEEDING YOUR INEPTITUDE.

What’s that? I should ask you to mix it up first next time? IS THIS JAMBA JUICE? I DON’T WANT TO DRINK MY FUCKING BURRITO THROUGH A BENDY STRAW, AND I DON’T WANT A PILE OF BURRITO SOUP IN A FLOUR CAN.

I just want a burrito.

In conclusion:

You’re the worst thing that has ever happened to the universe, you owe everyone everywhere an apology for this burritobomination, and I hope your babies look like monkeys.

UPDATE FOR EVERYONE WHO SAID “JUST EAT IT WITH A FORK”:

A fucking fork?

I DIDN’T ORDER THE FUCKING COBBURRITO SALAD.

If anyone ever handed me a burrito with a fork, THEY WOULD BE WEARING A BRAND NEW BURRITO HAT FROM MY FALL COLLECTION TEN SECONDS LATER.

That’s like buying a car and having them hand you a fucking wrench with the keys. Like YEAH WE KNOW THIS MOTHERFUCKER’S GOING TO EXPLODE AND BE SPREAD ACROSS EIGHT LANES AS SOON AS YOU HIT THE GAS, BUT SHIT, WE GAVE YOU A WRENCH, SO BE COOL.

Jesus already gave me two burrito forks. One at the end of each arm. They’re called fucking HANDS.

A fork. My god. I haven’t cried since I was six, but I’m fucking sobbing now.

People eat burritos with forks?

God is sorry he made us.

(Source)

[skwinky]

I always need this on my blog.

[xopachi]

I can’t be laughing this hard in the morning. 

[tootsiebb]

Yes

[kamari3]

Happy Ten Years to the Bad Burrito Post

[deadaaabattery]

@hellsite-hall-of-fame

[captain-johanssons-wooden-ear]

ITS BACK ON MY TIMELINE!!

[mx-macintosh]

"we need more nonbinary amab representation" i think we actually need less defining nonbinary people by their (presumed) assigned sex.

[the-rainbow-ghost]

I mean, yeah, I get what you're saying. It shouldn't ultimately matter, and I agree.

Buuut, that said, it has been really lonely not seeing my experience represented. I've personally come across one nonbinary character who I felt shared even some of my personal experience as a non-binary person.

They were a character named Kade, from one of TJ Alexander's many amazing books, Triple Sec.

***mild spoilers ahead***

In an airport, Kade is repeatedly referred to as "sir" despite being visibly nonbinary: the cab, security, and finally the server at the airport bar who in her apology literally says "I thought only women could be nonbinary". 🤦 If anything, based on Kade's description, being referred to as "ma'am" (while still wrong) would make more sense to anyone paying attention to their expression, but my assumption is their voice is what people are responding to.

I keep my face shaved, I wear make-up and largely feminine or gender-neutral clothing, I've been on HRT for 1.5 years. None of this is necessary to be nonbinary of course, I do it because I like it. But it is also a signifier that I'm actively asking people via my expression to recognize me as something other than what a binary-gendered society wants to consider me as: put plainly, a cis man.

But I have a deepish voice that sounds masculine to most, and despite all visible effort, that one quality seems to overwrite the perception of those willing to even see me as a trans woman, let alone a nonbinary trans person. I've noticed that in interactions where I don't talk, I tend to get called ma'am more than sir 🙄

And could I change my voice? Technically, yes. But THAT is not an aspect of gender expression I value. I like my voice. I also have trauma around performing and vocal training from my youth. Kade's character could do the same. They have the means for things like vocal training and surgeries even, but to what end? To be called ma'am instead of sir?!

I get that this is the general struggle of being nonbinary: lack of understanding, the pervasiveness of gendered language and so on. Ultimately, if you're nonbinary, it shouldn't matter what else you were.

But personally, that scene meant so much to me, because right after that shitty server says "I thought only women could be nonbinary", the other main character steps in to defend Kade and taught the bartender how to be better in a system that demands using gendered honorifics out of some misguided sense of hospitality. It lives rent free in my head as the only time I've seen my experience as a nonbinary person represented in a story.

So yeah, personally, I think it's important.

[spacecowbabe]

when Brennan said "The first rule of existence is: as above, so below. People are fractal images of the universe. You are as we are. In the same way your heart feels and your mind thinks, you, mortal beings are the instrument by which the universe cares. If you choose to care, then the universe cares. If you don't, then it doesn't."

when Brennan said "It is a horrifying responsibility to think because things cannot remain the same, each and every one of us must shoulder some responsibility for how they will become different."

when Brennan said "Sometimes decisions are not difficult. Sometimes they are just hard."

when Brennan said "There is no moral. The Wolf eats you one day and until it does, the forest is beautiful."

when Brennan said "I always felt the fundamental substance of the universe is creation. None of this makes any sense, when you really break it down. It's like, none of this had to happen, but it's beautiful and art is the definition of 'this didn't have to happen, but it's beautiful.' [...] It resonates with the universe because the universe is consciousness playing with itself."

when Brennan said

when Brennan said

[gahdamnpunk]

American Girl stories were the best tbh

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Dude, read the books, she and her mom freed themselves in Book 1. We don’t disrespect American Girl in this house

[allthefandomss]

Don’t you dare disrespect Addy, or any of my girls for that matter. American Girl used to be legit. Good stories, good dolls, good movies.

[smugkoalas]

Felicity’s story was set in the beginnings of the American Revolution, and addressed the conflict that she faced when her loved ones were split between patriots and loyalists. It also covered the effects of animal abuse, and forgiving those who are unforgivable.

Samantha’s stories centered around the growth of industrial America, women’s suffrage, child abuse, and corruption in places of power. Also, it emphasises how dramatically adoption into a caring family can turn a life around.

Kit’s story is one of my favorites. Her family is hit hard by the Great Depression, and they begin taking in boarders and raise chickens to help make ends meet. Her books include themes of poverty, police brutality, homelessness, prejudice, and the importance of unity in difficult times.

Molly’s father, a doctor, is drafted during the Second World War. Throughout her story, friends of hers suffer the loss of their husbands, sons, and brothers overseas. Her mother leaves the traditional housewife position and works full-time to help with the war effort. They also take in an English refugee child, who learns to open up after a life of traumatic experience.

American Girl stories have always featured the very harsh realities of America through the years. But they’re always presented honestly, yet in ways that kids can understand. They just go to show that you don’t have to live in a perfect time to be a real American girl.

[chaos-in-the-making]

Dont you fucking dare disrespect the American Girls in my house. ESPECIALLY Addy!! That was my first REAL contact with the horrors of slavery, as I read about her father being whipped and sold and her mother escaping with her to freedom, but also how freedom was still a struggle.

A slave doll. Please. Read the books.

[ironwoman359]

Don’t forget Kirsten, the Swedish immigrant who had to deal with balancing her own culture and learning the english language and customs of her classmates, or Kaya (full name Kaya'aton'my, or She Who Arranges Rocks) , the brave but careless girl from the Nez Perce tribe, or Josefina, the Mexican girl learning to be a healer.

And then there are the later dolls, that kids younger than me would have grown up with (I was just outgrowing American Girl as these came out), like Rebecca, the Jewish girl who dreams of becoming an actress in the budding film industry, or  Julie, who fights against her school’s gender policy surrounding sports in the 70s, or  Nanea, the Hawaiian girl whose father worked at Pearl Harbor.

These books, these characters, are fantastic pictures into life for girls in America throughout the years, they pull no punches with the horrors that these girls had to face in their different time periods, and in many cases I learned more history from these series than social studies at school. And that’s without even mentioning the “girl of the year” series where characters are created in the modern world to help girls deal with issues like friend problems, moving, or bullying. We do NOT disrespect American Girl in this house.

[razzleberryjam]

American Girl is probably going to be the only exposure young girls are going to get to history from a female perspective. This is actually kind of important considering that in history classes we dont really get that exposure. We dont hear about what women felt and endured during these time periods cause schools are too busy teaching us about what happened from the male perspective, which is not unimportant, but we need both. Girls need both.

[star-linedsoul]

These books were such a crucial part of my childhood and shaped my love of history, which still ensures today. These books can be a young girl’s first lessons in diversity and cultural awareness (hopefully burying that insensitive “we’re all Americans” tripe) and looking at history from more perspectives than just that taught in school. They also are an example of how women have ALWAYS been part of history, which some people would rather us not believe.

I think Kit and Kaya were the newest American Girls when I started “aging out” of the books, but hearing about some of these kinda makes me want to revisit them!

[breezeinmonochromenight]

I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you know what?

Nah.

OP (of the tweet thread) was either a actively trying to start shit or is just a huge fucking moron. Probably both.

I’d like to point out that the company that makes American Girl dolls actually doesn’t skimp when doing their research and they don’t make the dolls with the intent to be offensive in any way:

[physicsandfandoms]

And they departed from the norm in Kaya’s doll to fit her culture! The other dolls all show their teeth, and Kaya does not because that is considered rude in the Nez Perce culture!

It is absolutely true that these books covered the stuff in history that was absent from our history books. I still distinctly remember reading about Addy being forced to eat bugs she missed on tobacco plants, and that started me out from a different perspective and made it easier for me to know to reject the sanitized version of the slave trade we’re taught in school. And these books are targeted at ages 8+, which is a pretty critical time for developing your own thinking and morals.

[lunacorva]

Reblogging for general awesome

[hey-marlie]

when i was in 3rd grade i was reading the Meet Addy book at school & a couple boys made fun of me for reading a “doll book” - my teacher overheard & started reading Meet Addy to the class after every recess. everyone became extremely invested & by the end of the year we had read the entire collection of Addy books & did a presentation on the civil war at the end of the year that we all presented to the class one by one.

i think back on this & realize that as third graders we were talking about how awful slavery was & because we were simply innocent kids without any societal or institutional influence yet, all of us could kept saying “why would you treat a HUMAN like that ?!” this one girl for her birthday invited all of us for her party & she got the Addy doll - every single one of us (boys included) held her & was in awe of this doll - it was such a touching experience.

i went back home about a year ago & ran into my third grade teacher in the grocery store. she said that year opened up a whole new teaching structure for her. she now reads american girl stories to her students starting day one of class every day to calm them down after recess & she’ll get through maybe four or five sets of books a year. she has the dolls in the room with packets on information from the doll’s time period that her students can “check out” to take home for weekends to care for them.

we oftentimes overlook how powerful toys can be in influencing young children & american girl honestly knew that kids could read intense moments in history & synthesize the issues to learn how to be a better person. my grandma bought me my first doll, molly, when i was only six & the dolls became a huge part of my childhood. when i turned 21 a couple years ago - we were living in minneapolis - she took me to have lunch for my birthday at the american doll place in the mall of america & bought me the Addy doll for my birthday. it was such a powerful moment i hasn’t expected.

i’ve since gotten rid of majority of my childhood toys, but i still have every single one of my dolls & all the books that i plan on gifting to my future children.

[iamthecutestofborg]

I’m white and my first real introduction to slavery and the underground railroad was Addy. She was a young girl like me I could connect to and care about her story. American Girl does a great job of making history relevant to kids.

[boldlygoing-nowhere]

Also American Girl sells all sorts of books unrelated to the dolls. The Care and Keeping of You books were super important as I started puberty and were the most comprehensive, non judgemental account of what was going to happen.

They also have “the smart girls guide” series which covers topics like crushes, worry, middle school, drama and gossip, sports, friendship, the digital world, communication, money, confidence, etc.

[iamthecutestofborg]

Oh I had those too and I loved them!

[fishfrommars]

I want to say I think there was an American Girl Doll magazine series that came out, but don’t quote me on that. there were lots of helpful girl guides that used the American girls as examples for doing good or learning lessons or trying to understand why girls did what they did

I learned a lot of my core beliefs from these girls.

I remember being very invested in Molly, Addy, and Kaya. Mostly cuz I look like Molly, and the other two had a lot of information on two of my favorite time periods. But I owe a lot of my personality to these lovvely girls

[dragonqueenzoyaa]

yo don’t forget my girl Caroline. Her father was captured by the British during the war of 1812 and she basically learned how to sail and rescued him herself.

[janeslandrys]

omg yeah i love caroline

[beggars-opera]

I can confirm that they really do their research - during the creation of Caroline the company called a museum I was associated with and quizzed them extensively about what sort of food kids would have eaten at the turn of the 19th century.

[kurganfilledwithbearbones]

When i was like ten I wrote a letter to the American Girl magazine saying that the girls in their magazine were all really skinny and it made me, a chonk, really sad because it was showing that I couldn’t wear any of the outfits they suggested, and I got a personal letter back from the editor apologizing for making me feel that way and saying they would work on that. Dunno if they actually did, i can’t remember, but they did promptly personally respond to a letter about something that was not exactly on the radar for girl’s media in fucking 2002. So there’s that.

[torchlake]

I’m happy to report that the messages from American Girl have only gotten better in recent years.

These are from one of their latest books, A Smart Girl’s Guide to Body Image:

They got a lot of flak from conservative parents for this and they did. not. back. down.

Their newest historical doll, Claudie, is a black girl growing up in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Her story is about Black artists thriving, and making a safe, beautiful place for themselves in a society that tries to reject them. It teaches about the NAACP’s protests against lynchings, in ways kids can understand, but there’s also so much Black joy and creativity showcased in her story.

Another historical doll, Melody, is growing up in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement. She faces the struggles and triumphs of attending a newly integrated school, and learns about the bombing of a Black church in Alabama that killed four little girls her age. Her stories show how black people found support and community within the church, as well as music— she loves to sing! If you have a free hour, I highly recommend watching her special on Amazon (free with prime). It stars Caila Marsai Martin from Blackish and it will make you weep.

The girl of the year for 2022, Corinne, is Asian, and her story touches on the issues of anti-Asian hate in the wake of covid. When conservative parents threw a fit about this, American Girl went ahead and made the girl of the year for 2023 Asian, too.

Any of their dolls can be customized with assistive devices like hearing aids, service dogs, and wheelchairs. They also have bald dolls, to include stories about girls battling cancer or alopecia. And it’s not just girl dolls— they have boy dolls now, too! And dolls with no gender assigned to them! People complained that they couldn’t find any dolls in the Just Like Me line that looked like them, so they now give people the ability to create their own custom doll, with tons of different options.

I’m not claiming American Girl as a company is perfect, but I am saying they’re important. Girl perspectives, girl stories, and girl communities are IMPORTANT. If there are kids in your life who would benefit from these stories, or if you’d like to read them yourself, you can find any American Girl book for pretty much dirt cheap on eBay, and libraries usually stock tons of them!

[only-tiktoks]

[anachronistic-cat]

This is important.

This is what people are.

We want to be useful, and we want to make people happy

Pay attention to this.

[fair-itself]

Motherfucker effortlessly whipped out a balloon animal while talking about entropy and looking like a regular contributor to the Washington Post. I wish him nothing but the best in life

[big-tiddy-goth-ghoulfriend]

The most average-looking IT Guy you've ever seen, casually tying a purple balloon doggie: everyone's got their own lives, like, I've got my issues, everybody's got issues, you know, that's life. We struggle, there's entropy, we die, but everything we do between those two moments makes it worth it. And I get to share this moment with you.

[baredwolf]

Take what you need and pass it on:

A hug

A smile

A joke that makes you belly laugh

A snack

A butterfly in the sunshine

A grilled cheese cut diagonal and a forehead kiss

An encouragement: “You’ve got this!”

A nap

A high five

Voting ended onSep 19, 2025

[foolsfortune]

Wake up our favorite couple is talking about us!!!!!!

[blackheartbiohazards]

"I don't want to read this" is totally valid.

"This is disgusting to me" is totally valid.

"I don't want to read this because it is disgusting to me" is totally valid.

"I don't think anyone should be allowed to read or write this because it is disgusting to me" is authoritarian.

[blackheartbiohazards]

"I don't think anyone should be allowed to read or write this because it is disgusting to me" is authoritarian.

[spellscarred]

Bro, blocking someone and then using their tag like this is, all offence, weak as fuck. Like all you had to say was, na bro I don't promote pedo protags on this here blog, because I wholly agree with the premise of your argument given contexts (i.e., writing abusive relationships to show the evils, great; writing abusive relationships to show the romance, yikes).

This response is so, so comically shitty within the context of that tag, oh my god.

[blackheartbiohazards]

"I don't think anyone should be allowed to read or write this because it is disgusting to me" is authoritarian.

[blackheartbiohazards]

"I don't think anyone should be allowed to read or write this because it is disgusting to me" is authoritarian.

[blackheartbiohazards]

"Censorship of some topics in fiction and art is good and I would be happy if it were to be enacted in a way I approved of"

and

"some things should be banned from ever being written or read about in fiction"

are both authoritarian viewpoints to hold and express, even if you don't have the power to enact them.

If you hold these viewpoints you are holding authoritarian viewpoints.

[averageidiotenby]

DUDE IT’S PEDO FICS EVERYBODY THINKS THEY’RE NASTY

[blackheartbiohazards]

Let me explain this to you in simple terms.

Something being nasty is not a good reason to ban fiction about it.

If we accept that "something being nasty is a good reason to bad fiction about it" then we give a foot in the door for all the people who truly, genuinely believe that queer people are nasty to ban all queer literature.

This is not about defending bad people this is about defending the freedom of good people from tyranny, you moron.

[kawaii-pigeon]

I think if you take it to its logical extreme. Say, banning people from writing stories of sexual abuse. That could then be said "well ANY talk about sexual abuse is bad."

And from that, you could ban books that talk about it irl. Or books like how to recover after being abuse. If its not something to be discussed AT ALL.

[plague-of-insomnia]

The fact that I’ve seen this post in some form on my dash like 100x and each time there’s new idiots who do not get that you can’t have *some* censorship.

Either you’re for it or you aren’t.

The moment you agree that something should never, ever exist in fiction is the moment that anything can be banned.

Remember a while back how Tumblr banned a bunch of tags, including many popular innocuous ones that even people who are for censorship used and were upset about?

When censorship happens, stuff YOU like can and will be banned. That’s how it works.

Remember how a bunch of people had their accounts terminated here only last year for writing about their own sexual abuse?

When you ban “pedo” topics, say, any talk of child sexual abuse in any form, that means people can no longer write about their own experiences. It means people cannot educate others so they can learn how to protect themselves or get help from these situations.

Censorship is authoritarian. Full stop.

Even if “everyone” agrees something is “gross” and “shouldn’t exist,” that does not fucking matter.

Do you know who generally believes queer people are gross and shouldn’t exist??

The same people who are banning books left and right solely because they have queer characters or relationships.

The same people who attack and kill queer folk for simply exisiting.

This is not just some fandom matter or a case of being chronically online.

Protecting freedom of expression is essential, and if you do not get that, I don’t know what to say to you.

[scientia-rex]

And the people who keep bringing up child sex abuse as a reason for censorship are doing it very specifically because everyone feels like then they HAVE to agree with the person in favor of censorship.

It’s not that there isn’t widespread societal agreement on this. It’s that they want you backed into a rhetorical corner where you feel compelled to agree with them.

[ruffboi-mags]

Also, like, we KNOW how this shit shakes out in fandom because it's happened before.

In 2007, Livejournal capitulated to the "pedophilia and sex crimes!" cries of (hate group) Warriors 4 Innocence, and you know what communities got shut down? Slashfic communities. Sexual assault survivor support communities. Authors who'd written non-smut m/m fic even got caught up in it. It was DEVASTATING to fandom spaces. I think pretty much everyone knew at least one person whose account was literally DELETED, or were a member of a community that was wiped off the map because they were considerate enough to include topics like "sexual assault" or "BDSM" in the profiles under the badly-named category of "interests" to indicate that posts on said blogs or communities may include discussion of things like that. Even if it was for a SUPPORT group. And it was because a group of religious bigots came to LJ and said essentially "EVERYONE thinks it's gross and that it's promoting CSA, we should ban it."

Like, strikethrough and boldthrough were a large part of what propelled AO3 out of a more unfocused conversation on one person's blog about hosting a site INTENDED for fandom content, into being an actual archive and nonprofit. And it's a large part of why you won't find AO3 banning topics that you find "gross".

Censorship is authoritarian and it will ALWAYS have more collateral damage than you can imagine.

[nyxelestia]

Going to add that fiction which had sexual abuse and communities which played around with it as a writing topic are the very things that protected me from irl sexual abuse when I was a teenager. I was in a dicey situation, and realized that while my situation did not match up to any of the superficial or textbook cases mentioned in passing (if at all) through school, it matched up a LOT to what I'd learned about irl sexual abuse through works of fiction and the rhetoric of my communities. I got out of that situation and dodged what was, in retrospect, one hell of a nasty bullet. If it hadn't been for that "nasty" fiction and those "nasty" communities, I would very likely have been abused, and subject to further violence spiraling out from that abuse.

[benjis-house-boat]

you can’t have *some* censorship.

[the-real-seebs]

Yup! It really is, in fact, pretty much that simple:

"I don't think anyone should be allowed to read or write this because it is disgusting to me" is authoritarian.

[opiumvampire]

this one. fuck this poem.

[mompleaser]

i wanted to share this not to come off as corrective but because i actually think it really adds to the text to know that not only is it not from a poem, but that there’s a fuller version of this quote that is just as good. and it’s actually really good advice on how to a write emotion without becoming sentimental. james hall, the interviewer, is himself a poet worth looking into if you’re unfamiliar.

James Hall: I love that you risk sentimentality in the poems. Can you talk about how you construct a poem’s emotion without letting that emotion subsume the poem? What tools are available to a poet to mitigate emotion successfully?

Richard Siken: I didn’t see it as risking anything, and I suppose the tool for mitigating emotion is undercutting, but I’ll try to answer the question sideways: Even if you don’t believe in God, you have to believe in narrative. Things happen, one after another, world without end. Just because you’re self-aware doesn’t mean you can change what’s happening. Eventually someone is going to break your heart. Eventually something you love is going to be taken away. And then you will fall to the floor crying. And then, however much later, it is finally happening to you: you’re falling to the floor crying thinking “I am falling to the floor crying” but there’s an element of the ridiculous to it—you knew it would happen and, even worse, while you’re on the floor crying you look at the place where the wall meets the floor and you realize you didn’t paint it very well and when you’re having sex with your next lover on this very floor they will also notice that you didn’t paint it very well and they will think less of you for it. And then you think “Is that sentence too long?” And then you have to hold the  contradictions of sobbing uncontrollably and wondering about grammar in your head at the same time. I think if you are true to the entire experience, not just the sad part, you don’t risk sentimentality because you’re not overloading the experience with fake, melodramatic feeling. I also hear that whispering helps.

here’s to everyone who looked for this in crush and was confused because it isn’t there. the original interview is kind of hard to source nowadays because of how often it’s misattributed: https://web.archive.org/web/20060501211545/http://www.gulfcoastmag.org/GCIssues/gc18.1%20folder/18.1%20Samples/18.1IntSiken(Hall).html