I Found These HERE

Yesterday was a long, painful day in a lot of ways. It was also a Wednesday, which means it was queer board game night at my local library. It was family night, which usually has less young adults even though everyone is welcome. I wasn't sure if *anyone* from my community would show up.

We live in a red southern state. I've been harrassed in this very town. I stood in front of my mirror for a long time debating whether I should wear conservative man passing clothes (camo shirt, trucker hat, work boots). I ended up wearing a bold neon pride shirt. Fuck 'em, right?

I left early and I was one of the first people to arrive. The host said they didn't think anyone would show up. While we caught up, a man in a MAGA hat shuffled into the lobby across from us with a big walking stick. I kept my eye on him and prepared myself to jump in front of the doorway and de-escalate a situation. He sat down, and went through his stuff, and as I looked I realized he was probably homeless—our library is a safe haven for all kinds, thankfully. He was a member of my community. He might be wearing that hat out of fear, just like I'd considered dressing conservatively earlier. Or he might be an active Trump supporter. Either way, he's a member of my community and he was obviously leaving us alone. I relaxed minutely.

And then...people started trickling in. Many were my friends. Some were new faces. Someone brought a big bowl of leftover halloween candy and the mood skyrocketed. I played monopoly with a 9-year old kid, a member of the military, and a witch. It was a blast. Honestly it was one of the busiest game nights I've been at in a while, and family days are usually almost empty.

Afterward a group of us wanted to keep hanging out so we went to taco bell and then a park to chat and laugh and show off pocket knives and carabiners. At the taco bell, though, I noticed a trio of youths come in with colorful hair and bodies full of that tight apprehension I'd been feeling all day. One of them saw me and lit up and gave that sweet, familiar "I love your shirt!" I hope it made people feel safer. Reminded them we're still here and we're not giving up an inch of ground. We're not alone. You're not alone, I promise.

It was a long day, and a good night.

In case anyone finds it helpful because mobility aids are horrifically expensive and inaccessible…

And for those people who have access to mobility devices but might benefit from a second chair they can abuse without risking expensive damage…

Erik Kondo has made a website, Open Source Innovations, that details plans for DIY wheelchairs. These wheelchairs can be made from common materials like wood, plastic, and pvc. They are lightweight and can be custom fit to the user allowing from the same degree of movement you would get from a custom chair. And they are durable and easily repairable. (he has been stress testing his latest design by dropping it down stairs, dropping it out of a car, launching it across a driveway, and throwing it off a deck). Its 12lbs and I think he said its was in the $200 ish range for parts.

He also is working on cheap, open source, accessible designs for beach chairs, off road chairs, motorized attachments (think smart drive), and so on. Plus he skateboards in his wheelchair. Cool dude, helpful info, pass it on.

desert duo enjoyers i summon you

more on hanahaki disease🥀

I’ve seen a lot of posts on my dash tonight about users who are threatening suicide, with other Tumblr members posting in effort to try to get ahold of them. I think you all should see this:

IF THERE IS EVER A TUMBLR USER WHO HAS POSTED A GOOD-BYE MESSAGE, SUICIDE NOTE, VIDEO, OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS POST.

1. Scroll to the top of your dashboard.

2. See the circular question mark icon at the top? It’s the third one over from your home symbol. Click on that, and a screen similar to the one in the picture will come up.

3. Where you can type in questions, the box with the magnifying glass at the top, type in the word “suicide.”

4. Click on the first link that shows up. It should say, “Pass the URL of the blog on to us.”

5. Type in the user’s URL and tell Tumblr admin that the user is contemplating suicide and has posted a message indicating that they are going through with it or will be attempting. Hit send! Tumblr administration will perform a number of actions to contact the user and take the necessary steps to prevent the suicide.

TUMBLR: THIS COULD SAVE A USER’S LIFE. PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE SUICIDE THREATS.

Reblog this to keep other users aware. Suicide isn’t a joke, and neither is someone’s life. If you didn’t know this, someone else may not, either. Pass it on.

wait so you like problematic yaoi?

lets take a moment to think about this one critically

She saw that

Thank god for Sketchfab. Drawing the car was so worth it

EVERYTHING STARTS FROM HERE.