Fellas..... It's Been A Good One

Since joining Tumblr, I’ve met a lot of young queer people. Look, I’m a bisexual man in a gay relationship, and I’m approaching 30. I was still a kid when Matthew Shepard’s story was being covered on the news. I remember thinking, “I better keep my mouth shut about these feelings I’m having.”

And then I met Dominic when I was 12, and people could see how in love we were. And we got the shit beat out of us. The year I met him, some kids in the grade above me held me down against the bleachers in our gym and stomped on my hand until my fingers broke. Instead of sending me to the nurse, the teacher sent me to the assistant principal to explain the situation. She asked why the kids had beat me up. I said, “They were calling me gay.”

Her response was, “Well, are you?”

My, “I don’t know,” earned a call to my parents, and I was outed. Efforts were made to keep me from seeing Dom. Throughout high school, Dom’s stepmother intensified these efforts. He slept in the basement of the house. Although he was an incredibly talented student, he was prohibited from participating in any extracurriculars. He suffered a lot of physical abuse during those years.

The day he turned 18, he packed up everything he had and walked to my house, and we’ve lived together ever since. Things are better, but they’re not perfect. I’ve had trucks pull up next to me at stoplights and, seeing the pride sticker on my car, through old drinks and garbage into my window. I no longer speak to my dad’s side of the family. I haven’t been to see them for Christmas or Thanksgiving in years. One of my uncles had cornered me at Thanksgiving when I was 17 and said, “I’m not going to judge you, but I’d be happy to break your neck so God can do the judging a little sooner.”

I joined a support group for trans and intersex people. When I joined, 40 people attended regularly. Within the year, the group was half the size it had been. Some couldn’t make it anymore, because they were staying at the shelter, where their stay hinged on them agreeing to instead to attend homophobic sermons. Some were put in correctional therapy. Five of them died. Three of those, I didn’t know, but I knew Alex, the 19 year old who was fag-dragged in Kentucky and died a day later in the hospital, and I knew Stephanie, who went home to Alabama to care for her mom in hospice and was beaten to death with a baseball bat by her mom’s boyfriend.

Tumblr is not reality. The dynamic here does not reflect the dynamic out there. Here’s the part where I finally make a point, and it might be extremely unpopular - but guys, value your allies. Value each other. We are met with enough hate in our daily lives to enter an online safe-space and meet more hate from our own, over petty things. Don’t go after one another over every little thing you find problematic.

Learn to see nuance. Maybe the word “queer” bothers you, and you see a gay man using it as an umbrella term. Maybe someone called a trans man a trans woman because they’re confused about terminology, but the post where they did it was voicing support for the trans community. Maybe someone is just asking a question, wanting to learn more. Stop. Attacking. These. People.

Allies are being driven away. Members of our own community are being ostracized. Others are feeling nervous and estranged, and it’s largely because of places like Tumblr, where the social justice movement is quickly becoming violent and radical. I am begging you, stop nitpicking “problematic” things and start directing your efforts to create real change. When it comes to comes to your allies, forget the “social justice warrior” mentality and put down your torch. Educate calmly. Be respectful. Be understanding. Be forgiving. And I’m certainly not saying that your anger doesn’t have a good place - when you are met with bigots on the street, congress members who want to pass hateful laws, violent protesters, abusive parents, prejudiced teachers, that is when you need to be a warrior. That’s when it counts. In the real world. When you have the opportunity to protect people from real harm. Attacking your would-be allies via anonymous asks is just going to lose us ground in the long run. And we don’t have time for that, not when trans women of color are being murdered every day, not when states are still fighting against marriage equality, not when there are politicians in office who believe that trans people are possessed by demons, not when we’ve just lost 50 brothers and sisters to one gunman, not when the media won’t even admit that the attack was homophobic.

Please step back. Look at the big picture. Look at where we are, globally. Don’t just log on to your safe space and attack your allies over small missteps. That’s like washing the dishes in a house that’s on fire, kids. Let’s fight on the battlefield, and when we come home to each other, let’s just focus on bandaging up our wounds so we can go out and win the war.

The evening was quiet and still as the sun slowly sank. It was peaceful, calm, though not for long. Moments after the sun sank fully, the shadows began to writhe and bubble. Soft taps and scratching noises sounded out from the front of the home, gradually growing in number, as the owner of the little cottage slowly stirred.

Lighting a small candle, the older woman shuffled out of her bedroom, a soft shawl pulled over her shoulders, and her nightie brushing against her slippered feet. After a few moments of fiddling, she opened up the front door and stepped out, raising her candle a little in order to see better.

The sounds stopped, and a large lanky form dropped from the roof, landing before the old woman. It bent down, terrible maw opening up slightly, before letting out a gargling rumble, its warped body easily towering over the little old lady, face stopping inches from her own.

The old woman squinted up at the creature, before smiling brightly when it finally got close enough.

“Elenta! You’re awful early today dearie. Trying to get the first pickings are we?” The old woman tittered as the monstrous creature let out a choked gargling sound in response.

Patting the sheepish creatures cheek fondly, she turned around and shuffled back inside, the creature following along dutifully. Once it had cleaned off its hands and feet, it settled contentedly next to the kitchen counter, eagerly munching on its goodies as the woman shuffled around the kitchen, setting everything up for the night.

A few minutes later, a terrible screeching hiss was heard from the kitchen window, and the woman smiled, dusting off the flour on her hands.

“Elenta, be a dear and open the window for Kdlr’t will you please?” Nodding approvingly as the creature gurgled in reply, she turned her attention to the oven, pleased to see that the next batch was doing well.

She would have to get one of them to help her get down the big pan later, so that she could make more of that drink the so love. One of them must have put it up there the last time they helped clean up, forgetting her comparably tiny size. Fixing her shawl, she turned towards her guests, smiling as she saw that a few others had arrived, a large brutish looking creature lumbering over for its nightly head pats. She did so love her darling monstrous visitors. 

Old digital painting I did like two years ago. But I still like the vibe it gives.

Drew these last year for a cooking zine that fell through. Probably give them some updates/redraws at some point but I’ll post them here anyways. Had a lot of fun making these! There’s (assuming I can still count properly) 100 chars between the 3 pics

It’s a baby Bakudeku photo album!  I felt like Inko putting these together…my babies are so precious!!!  I love these kids entirely too much.

Feel free to use, please just like/reblog if you do.  <3

© authorized reprint for tumblr © source || artist: 蒼崎ジオン (@Aozakichion00) 🚫 do not repost/edit source! do not claim as yours! 🚫 commercial use is prohibited!

Practicing!

Smooch Smooch cause they're fluffy and in love

It wasn’t easy, being the only kid in class who still hadn’t gotten their powers. Everyone else your age had already developed theirs the year before or during the school break. But it was nearing the end of term, and you still hadn’t show any signs of your power.

“You’re just a late bloomer”, your parents would console you, though truthfully it never really helped.

Sighing down at your lunch, you push around your food listlessly while listening to the other kids play. Suddenly, there’s a thunderous boom and a loud series of screams, forcing your head to jerk up in fright. You’re just in time to witness the whole side wall of the school, start crashing down towards the terrified kids below, only some managing to use their powers to escape. Apparently, one of the more popular kids in your year, had been showing off his new powers, and lost control. Gasping in horror, you unthinkingly throw out your hands, desperately wishing you had the power to save them.

A strange jolt pulses through your body, and everything just…..stops.

Silly puppy for Thursday Jul 18, 2019