What Do You Mean Hes Fictional. I Need Him

The Boxer (1933)

— by Konstantin Somov

Novalis, tr. by Mabel Cotterell, from Selected Writings; “Hymns To The Night,”

The Mighty One

Kolyada (an ancient Slavic pagan holiday in honor of the birth of the sun) by Iren Horrors

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dear americans,

as a polish queer woman and human rights activist, i know exactly how you're feeling right now and what to expect from these elections. i lived through the 2015-2023 regime of pis, a right-wing populist party that divided families in the same way trump did. i’ve experienced the rise of fascism in poland, the influence of far-right parties like konfederacja, and their “santa’s little helpers”—ordo iuris, an ultra-conservative catholic organization (banned in many countries, mind you) that helped enforce a near-total abortion ban and runs anti-queer campaigns in public spaces. i supported the black protests in 2016 as a middle schooler when they first tried to ban abortion. as an adult, i actively participated in the 2020 women’s strike, running from police tear gas daily after they finally passed the ban. i supported friends who faced charges.

i’ve lived through intense homophobia in poland as a queer teen and adult. i survived the first pride march in my hometown, where far-right extremists threw stones and glass at us. i endured the anti-queer propaganda spread by the ruling party in state-owned media. i survived the “rainbow night,” poland’s own stonewall moment in summer 2020, when police arrested around 50 queer activists following the arrest of margo, a nonbinary activist. i survived the "lgbt-free zones," the targeted violence, the slurs from strangers on the street, and the protests i held against queerphobia. it was hard as fuck, but i survived.

but just because i survived, it doesn’t mean others did. many women died because of the abortion ban—marta, justyna, izabela, dorota, joanna, maria, and many others who didn’t survive pis’s draconian anti-abortion laws. milo, kacper, michał, zuzia (she was 12), wiktor, and other queer and trans kids and young adults took their own lives because of the relentless queerphobia.

despite all of this, our experience in poland can serve as a guide now. here are some tips for staying safe and how we, polish queers and women, organized under the regime:

safety first, always. if you know someone who’s had an abortion, no you don’t. if you know someone is trans, no you don’t. if you know people who help with safe abortions, no you don’t—at least not until you know it’s 100% safe to share. if you are queer or have had an abortion, only share this with people you trust fully. most importantly, not everyone has to be an activist just because they’re part of a minority. if it feels unsafe to share that you're queer, trans, etc., then don’t. it doesn’t make you any less queer.

use secure, encrypted messaging like signal for conversations on potentially risky topics, such as queerness, abortion, organizing counter-actions, protests—anything that might be used against you.

stay anonymous online. if you want to research or report something without surveillance, do not use regular internet. get a vpn (mullvad is affordable and reliable), download the tor browser (for both onion and standard links), and if you plan to whistleblow, consider using a riseup email account.

organize and build networks. community is everything now. support each other, foster independence, because your government won’t have your back. set up collectives, grassroots movements. create lists of trusted professionals—lawyers, doctors, etc.—who can offer support.

to lawyers and doctors: please consider pro-bono work. this is what got us through poland’s hardest times. your work will be needed now more than ever.

for protests or risky actions: always write a pro-bono lawyer’s number on your arm with a permanent marker.

get to know the anarchist black cross federation and other resources on safety culture: "Starting an anarchist black cross group: A guide"; Still We Rise - A resource pack for transgender and non-gender conforming people in prison; Safe OUTside the system by the Audre Lorde Project;

for safe abortion info or involvement: get familiar with womenhelpwomen.

stay radical, stay strong, stay informed: The Anarchist Library

if i forgot to (or didn't) include something, don't hesitate to reblog this post with other resources.

There's something about old men being in love and acting like pining teenagers that gets me every time. I will read 50 fanfics of the same pairing just to watch them act like idiot high schoolers having their first crush and I will giggle like a school girl every time.

Seeing people decide to watch Breaking Bad based on the Tumblr memes is especially funny when they do it specifically for the memes about Jesse, because... well, let's put it this way. Aaron Paul, the guy who played Jesse, was nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for best supporting actor in a drama series for his work on Breaking Bad on five separate occasions, including twice in one season, and won three of those nominations. He was the first person ever to win that award three times for the same role. Like, Jesse's storyline is so viscerally unpleasant that it set industry records.

i love characters with prominent noses. the only reason i’ve ever given a character a small nose is to fulfill a diversity quota

“Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice, and with this nation endure for all time. In the name of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, we will seize authority from the gods.”

For any writers who want to have woodland settings and woodland creatures but don’t have much experience in forests (particularly at night):

Deer are not as magestic as you think most of the time. They’re kind of derpy and will stare you down for uncomfortably long amounts of time mainly because they can’t decide which way they want to run. They end up running in circles anyways

Deer also blow air at threats as they run away, which sounds kind of like an out of breath scream. Do with this what you want

Squirrels don’t care who or what you are, they will bark at you from the trees. This is also a startling sound for someone who doesn’t know what the screeching above them is

Squirrels are also not quiet runners. If the forest has leaves on the ground and you hear what seems like the thunderous approach of some giant best, 8/10 times it’s a squirrel

If said sound is not a squirrel, it is likely an armadillo (if this forest is in the southern US/upper South America. Idk where else they are)

Armadillos make a lot of noise when walking through leaves and look funny, but they’re really kind of harmless and just don’t know where they are most of the time (very blind, not fast, but polite and waddle away if someone screams because of them. I would know, I was there when I saw this happen.)

Coyotes scream. It’s terrifying. Sounds like murder. It means they likely aren’t interested in you though (unless it’s in your ear)

Coyotes are kind of small, think a step down from a lab. Wolves however are a LOT bigger than you probably think

Hogs don’t care who you are or what you’re doing. They’re charging. They go for the knees and then tear you apart when your down so I hear. For anyone scared of the coyote screams, I’m here to tell you this is a MUCH bigger threat

Everything’s awake at night, but it’s not too terrible to walk if you have enough moonlight and a fairly good idea of where you’re going. 9/10 times if you stomp through, animals will leave you alone (the exception being squirrels which still scream as though they didn’t hear you coming)

Turkeys can attack, but brobably wont. Just give them their space or scream and you’re good.

Turkey’s also travel in groups most of the time, only really separating around mating season, so it’s pretty common to have a line of birds just walts by loudly

Raccoons are cool, but will not tolerate invasions of privacy. Don’t try to get close to their trees and you’re good

Same goes for possums. Possums are still a bit more chill than people give them credit for though, and will not attack unless it’s their only option (they hiss or play dead)

The only time to be worried about scurrying or footsteps behind you is if you hear a large branch break. That’s the 2/10 that isn’t a squirrel. Still, it’s most likely a deer so don’t worry too much

Let me know if there’s anything else you want to know about and I’ll see if I know anything that could help!