If “grooming an underage person” becomes the new go-to accusation that gets trotted out any and every time an adult makes any mention of sexual topics in the presence of a person under the age of 18, I wonder if it will eventually become functionally impossible for any adult in a position of authority to act as an educational reference for sexual health matters.

I was going back through my tumblr archives and found this post from five years ago and now I need a drink. 

where’s that dodgeball when you need it

That is, of course, the entire point of the accusation

At this time, as at many others, if you are a teen or young adult who needs to know more about sex and all the weird shit your body is doing right now, I will direct you to SCARLETEEN.

Scarleteen.com was founded in 1998 and exists to be a comprehensive sex ed guide for everything from consent to safer sex to why you were minding your own damn business and suddenly your body decided to smell weird or grow hair in a place NOT covered in your school’s cringey “when you hit puberty, you may start to feel all tingly thinking about the opposite sex….” videos that don’t actually answer any of your questions. You can find absolutely anything there and they don’t talk down to you.

For the video-based learners, I strongly recommend Mama Doctor Jones, on YouTube. She’s an extremely funny real-life OBGYN who uses YouTube to provide comprehensive sex ed for people who may otherwise not receive it. (She also occasionally reviews old sex ed videos we watched in school in the bad old days. One of them I watched and was laughing right along until halfway through when I went “…..I. I WATCHED THIS IN SIXTH GRADE. I ENTIRELY REPRESSED THIS OH MY G-D HOW DID WE SURVIVE.”)

And finally: DO NOT BE AFRAID OF INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIPS. People can be creeps at any age. People can also be awesome at any age. (Healthy) friendships with people significantly older than you will look different than friendships with people your own age, but they can also be absolutely invaluable support networks, especially if your parents are shit.

I want to be the first person on the moon to shoot a sniper rifle at earth and hit a wasp nest.  my whole life so far is leading up to that moment

You know what other popular tumblr post is about to hit a million?

u can just do everything u want in life

I usually try not to do the whole “omg why is nobody on Tumblr talking about this” thing, because this website really does not matter at all in the grand scheme of things. But it’s also kind of making me feel like I’m losing my mind that nobody here seems to be aware of what’s happening to the children in Gaza?

Nearly 9,300 children under the age of five in Gaza are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. They face a daily struggle for survival with little to no access to sufficient food or medical care. Every day is a new battle against hunger and weakness, while the world watches or looks away, as if their lives can be postponed or forgotten. UNICEF.ca

Urgent update: Ronza’s health is critical due to hunger and severe malnutrition, with no real medical care available. The danger is immediate, and if anything happens to her, make no mistake—this is not fate. It is the direct result of siege, starvation, and the world’s abandonment of Gaza and its people. And make no mistake: if she dies, it will be the government and those enforcing this siege who killed her.

Donate

Hey the US government is proposing to get rid of the Endangered Species Act. Please go comment.

(yes this entirely for corporate profit)

Cut and paste the docket number to put in your response if you remember. You can comment anonymously if you want.

The Oregon Zoo has some sample arguments you can make.

We have until December 22nd!

I don't usually add on to stuff like this, but this is really really important to me.

Since OP didn't explain what's actually changing (lots of things) here's a simple explanation of one of the Big Ones.

Also, @why-animals-do-the-thing / @animalphotorefs this seems like something that your reach might help with, and that's relevant to your blog(s).

If you run into issues, try turning off your VPN if you have one, in case it's getting annoyed that you're not "in the U.S.".

If you need a template, I'm putting one I got sent at work under the cut. (But check out the Oregon Zoo link, too! Or better yet, write your own! Unique and individual comments catch more attention than copy-pasted ones!)

Thanks for the tag, I definitely want to jump in here because the most helpful thing any individual can do is write your own comment.

I’m going to give you a little bit of information about the process that’s happening here, why it’s happening, and how you can best contribute to protecting the Endangered Species Act. You can skip it by scrolling to the red text, but you’ll be best set up to comment and help if you know some things about what’s happening first, so please stick with me. I promise to be as simple and jargon free as possible.

First, and to catch people's attention as they scroll, here's two red wolf sisters: a species the ESA actively preserving. This is who we're doing this for.

To clarify one thing: they’re not trying to totally repeal the ESA, the entire law, they’re looking to roll back regulations implementing it/enforcing it to what was being used in 2019. This is still bad! Very bad! But a thing that’s important when dealing with legislation/regulation is precision in the language we use.

Okay, so here’s what you need to know. This is part of what is known as the “notice-and-comment” rule making process, which is federally mandated. This happens with the implementation of regulations to enact new laws, or changes to the interpretation of laws. Laws like the ESA, once passed, are delegated to various federal agencies and departments to enact and make happen, and they do that by deciding what regulations need to exist to fulfill the text and intent of the law. This change to the ESA is happening because one of the earliest executive orders from this administration “directed all departments and agencies to immediately review agency actions to identify those actions that potentially impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy resources, and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, consider suspending, revising, or rescinding agency actions identified as unduly burdensome that conflict with this national objective.” So, as @sweetfirebird said, literally go figure out what laws and regs and protections they can interpret differently, put on hold, or trash for the energy sector. Fucking gross.

This “notice-and-comment” process is the process with which all these federal agencies go about exploring changing regulations. It’s a formal process that is specifically designed to allow stakeholders to have input on what happens. Good news: in the ESA, the public is literally a stakeholder! It’s written into the law that any “person” (basically an individual or a group of individuals) can sue the government for a violation of the law. This is actually historically the prime enforcement mechanism of the ESA. Which means you, as an American on tumblr reading this, have absolutely valid standing to go tell the feds to knock this shit off. And with the way the “notice-and-comment” process works, they actually have to take your argument into account. (Yes, even though we know this admin is a piece of shit and dgaf). Here’s why.

A “notice and comment” process has four major steps.

Okay, so why did I jump to a direct quote from federal documents in the third bullet point? Because that’s the really important shit. When federal agencies move forward with rulemaking after a public comment period, they are required to consider and response to all significant issues raised. And that is why you should write your own comment if you can.

It’s really common for organizations encouraging people to leave public comment to ask people to send in form letters. It’s easy, it takes no time or real work, it shows a lot of general public support on the issue, and they can quote the comment numbers when they’re lobbying.

But! What I’ve been told by serious professional people who work with regulatory agencies is that all those form letters only have the functional weight of a single comment during the “notice-and-comment” process. If 100 people only bring up the same significant set of issues, that requires far less time and work for the agency to respond to than even 20 people writing in with their individual concerns. I’ve seen follow-ups on comment periods where they actually count how many people raised issues on a single topic or concern - but the form letters only counted as one “comment” because they were the exact same thing.

And while the political agency head probably wants to fast-track this process of changing the regs to let the feds tear up whatever the fuck they want, a “notice-and-comment period” is a really good way to gum up those gears. There are still people in lower-level positions who do this daily work and I expect that they’re opposed to this and will go through the whole process like they’re been trained to. Under normal administrations, an overwhelming number of concerns raised during comment periods have stalled the creation/change of specific regulations for a decade. This is a process that works best when as many people as possible participate, and it’s detrimental to our interests as invested members of the public that that isn’t more widely known or the process understood.

So! What does that mean you should do here?

Write your own comment if you have the time/spoons.

Literally, write it in your own words, rather than using the form letters provided. If you make it a “different comment” it has to be considered separately and your concerns on the topic will be given more weight. Even if you just stick to the topics the Oregon Zoo offered: to be clear, they’re really good ones.

But, you’ll have even more impact if you can tie it to specific concerns for you. It takes a little more work so I don’t expect everyone to do this, but if you have some specialized or local knowledge that can be relevant, this is a great time to drop that in. Tie the concern to endangered or threatened species in your specific community, or an ecosystem that you know companies might want to pillage.

Your comment doesn’t have to be super well written or perfectly edited. It can be in language about as casual as you’d use in a tumblr post (with punctuation, though). This isn’t something you’re turning in for a grade - it’s raising your hand to say hey, I object! You’re not a major advocacy group or professional org, you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to tell them how you feel. That being said. Public comments are public record. You can submit them anonymously but don’t include identifying information.

Here’s a link directly to the comment portal. While the site has a text box embedded in the page, you can also submit a document/file containing your comment.

https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0039-0001

Comments close at 11:59 PM EST (4:59 GMT) on December 22nd. We have less than five days to get more comments in. I’m really not kidding when I say every unique, individual comment makes an impact. Let’s do this.

Images from @animalphotorefs

I might be wrong on this: I think it actually is significant to not solely focus on but note how bad that essay is, because 1) it would pass no evaluation in any context and 2) because the TA was extremely generous towards it. She did everything right, every single thing right in responding to a student who was clearly expressing that in their ideal world she would not exist. She shoved all of that down, responded strictly properly by rubric, and was still sold out by her institution, what should have been her class solidarities, even though she held to exactly what the people who vilify her insist she is incapable of: engaging, “academic neutrality”, etc. She did it, as is extremely usual. They didn’t care. They were ranging for her and they’re goddamn hypocrites. People I think should know that; at least for her.

MILDRED?????

omg did not expect to see “we have mainstream research evidence for transmisogyny now” this morning but happy friday?? thanks dr. devon price for pre-digesting it

and of course there’s the angle of, well lmfao yes trans women have been saying this in mainstream print since at least 2007 and doubtlessly in other fora for much longer, but sometimes an argument from authority has more force and how do we emotionally reckon with ongoing lack of agency in conversations about us, but i digressss

If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.

Oh hey! Haven’t seen this in forever! Didn’t reblog it when it came across me before, not gonna skip it this time, I need some good vibes.

The other night husband and I were watching a documentary about the yeti where they were doing DNA analysis of samples of supposed yeti fur, and every one of them came back as bears.

Anyway, the next night we watched a thing about some pig man who is supposed to live in Vermont. People said it had claws and a pig nose but walked upright like a man. Now, I happen to know that sideshows used to shave bears and present them as pig men. So every piece of evidence they gave of this monster sounds to me like a bear with mange.

So now the running joke in our house is that everything is bears. Aliens? Bears. Loch Ness monster? Bear. Every cryptozoological mystery is just a very crafty bear.

Bears. They’re everywhere. Be wary. Anyone or anything could be a bear.

oh shit

As the OP of this post, I’m going to threaten that if this gets to one million notes by the 10 year anniversary on 1 June 2026, one year from today, I will get a lower back tattoo of the loch ness bear monster.

Y'all know what to do Tumblr.

My name is Hamed, I am only 19 years old. Since the war in Gaza began, I have lost almost everything - but I remain the sole provider for my family. Today, we received a threat of eviction from our damaged home, and we have nowhere else to go.

I am just a young man, yet I carry a heavy responsibility: protecting my mother and siblings from homelessness and hunger. So far, I have only managed to raise €1,200, but we urgently need at least €5,000 to secure temporary shelter and cover the costs of displacement.

Every donation, no matter how small, can make the difference between my family being left on the streets or finding a safe place to stay. Please, help me save my family in this desperate moment.

I am Nour, a mother of five children, writing to you with a heavy heart and tearful eyes. I draw my strength from the absolute necessity of protecting my little ones. My story is a cry from the bleeding heart of Gaza, a cry that cannot be delayed.

The Agony of Displacement and the Tattered Shelter

A few days ago, we were forced into compulsory displacement from Western Gaza. We had no choice but to walk for over ten kilometers under the scorching sun. It was a painful march, and every step was a gasp of fear for my children. We have now settled in Southern Gaza, but this "settlement" is in a tattered, worn-out tent that is not fit to be a shelter for anyone.

The heat is suffocating, and my five children suffer day and night in this blazing environment. But the biggest and most frightening challenge is rapidly approaching: in a few days, the rains will start to fall.

The Terror of the Coming Winter Awaits My Children

Please, imagine the scene with me: a cloudy sky, heavy rain, and five children shivering from the cold and dampness under a flimsy piece of cloth that protects them from nothing! This torn tent will become a pool of mud and water, posing a direct threat to their lives and health.

What we need now is not a luxury, but survival:

* A Safe, Proper Tent: We need a durable, waterproof tent to shield our children from the biting cold and rain.

* Cover and Warmth: We desperately need blankets and winter clothes to protect their small bodies from the coming winter chill.

* Food and Medicine: We need to secure the bare minimum of food and essential medicines to prevent the illnesses that will accompany the cold and humidity.

Extend a Hand: How You Can Save Nour's Children

To everyone reached by this plea who feels our tragedy, we rely on your generosity and action. To ensure your donations arrive as quickly and safely as possible, please support us through the following channels:

* Via Reliable International Aid Organizations: Donate to the urgent relief campaigns launched by trusted international and local organizations operating in Gaza (such as the Red Crescent or established aid charities). When donating, please specify the objective as relief for the displaced in Southern Gaza for purchasing tents and blankets.

* In-Kind Donations (Through Direct Coordination):

You can coordinate with field volunteers or community initiatives working in your area to provide durable winter tents, thick blankets, and winter coats for Nour's five children.

Every dollar or warm item you give us today is a life we give back to our children before the bitter cold and mud of winter arrive!

Don't let my children drown in the mud of this tattered tent!

Help me secure a safe shelter for them before it’s too late.

ME!! ME WHEN I FUCKIMG GET YOU!!!!!!

GONNA POUNCE!!!!!!

Adorable. Also the perfect blend of cat & dog energy lol

“LET’S POUNCE WITH MAMA!”

Pouncey pouncey, ooooooh I’m gonna nom ya!

“HEHEHEHEEHEHE AM A LIL CREACHUR”

At the door, still half asleep:

“Well? Didn’t you want to get out?”

“Eevee?”

“It’s not my fault that it’s raining.”

Eevee turns back from the door and lays on the couch.

“I’m going back to sleep…”

Eevee: hehehehehee I’m gonna getcha again :D :D :D :D :D

Masterpost: The Token Human (part one)

Someone asked, and it occurred to me that I don't have a current list of all the stories in this ongoing series! Here's the first half of everything I've posted so far (not counting the probably-canon ones I made up before starting a proper timeline).

First off, here's the post about the novel that these were meant to lead up to. (The stories are an ever-evolving prehistory now). They can be read out of order and still make sense enough.

How I Became the Token Human Space Weather and Shuwogs The Brief Mystery of the Escape from Storage Hold B Human at Work A Peaceful Upheaval We’re All Weird Here Invisibly Beautiful Schrödinger’s Poison A Completely Problem-Free Delivery The Oddest of Odd Jobs Stabby the One and Only What’s a Minor Heart Attack Between Friends? The Ability to Smell Beauty Courtship Behaviors Irrational Attachment Friend-shaped Going the Extra Mile/s Mechanical Rhythms Bargains at the Space Market Kittens in Space Human Magic The Little Things One Peril of Package Delivery Interspecies Adventures While Sick Troublemakers and Pestcatchers Talking Sports Tactical Artwork Double Duty Racetracking There’s No Aggression Like Passive Aggression Too Many Limbs Just a Rock A Worthy Sacrifice Shore Leave Scary Stories in Space Starseed Apples Hands-Free Medical Assistant Where Wormholes Come From Star-Crossed Small Noises Stars and the Slapping Thereof An Impressive Number of Arms Junkyard Playground Seeing Faces A Mystery Easily Solved Finger Talking Arboreal Species Small-Scale Comedy Downhill Speed Reaching Always Bring A Flashlight Fingernails and Fisticuffs Singing and Other Noises Fun and Dangers with Hovercycles Walkway Aesthetics Food Choices Playing Translation Telephone

(Part two on the way, pending glitches.)

(Part two!)

Decoy Accidental Training Things to Do on Ice Catching Things in Zero-G The Good Perch The Right Time and Place The Indignity that is Hiccups Squishy Cybernetics Monkey Chase Secondhand Solutions Not Special Not Special, Part Two Loud Darkness Paws in a Circle Double Dog Dare The Mechanic’s Burden Drying Out Rainy Day Eggs Faceoff Stranger in Need Mystery Colors Not a Pest Early Efforts Names Chosen Carefully Confidential Human Questions Unlikely Tech Problems Crinkly Collectibles Other Uses for Packaging Recreational Food Handy Tools I Know A Guy Predator Games Honking Trouble Digital Billboards and Bumper Stickers One More Earth Animal One More Earth Animal, Part Two Singing the Approach Little Legends Clues Best Suited to the Task Singing the Return A Feat of Minor Daring Unsettling Preferred Speed Rematch Ways of Being Comfortable Cave Space Partially Fragile At Home in the Mud The Many Uses for Earth Fruits Aiming the Machismo Spice in Space Correct in Size and Opinion Fools, Fauna, and Music Appreciation Another Strange Earth Drink Unexpected Blue A Noir Interlude (In Space) Mysterious to You Heights and Heroism Honorable Battle Wounds

And that's everything as of April 7th, 2025! I'll keep writing them on a weekly basis until I find a good reason to stop. They're fun. And I am working on that sequel novel that will include all these characters as well as most of the ones from the first book. (That takes a bit more work than a few low-stakes short stories, so it's taking longer.) I'll get there. In the meantime, enjoy this surprisingly long list of links! Hopefully they all go where they're supposed to.

Part Three!

Natural Abilities Fuzzy Eggs Similar Skill Sets Two Great Tastes Snap Crackle and Ouch Missing But Not Missed Dangerous Teeth Sledding Launching Unexpected Inconveniences A Temporary Shipwreck Minor Heights Good Food and Bad Smells The Heat Outside the Box Scents and Scenery Muddy Feathers The Many Ways to Stack Blocks Birthday Parties and Biological Differences Easy Mode Resonance Inconveniences for All Normal Dogs Normal Dogs, Part Two Stranger than Usual Market Value Other Creatures that Like to Climb Paints and Polishes Non-Universal Beach Experiences Gonna Getcha Gonna Getcha, Part Two Convenient for You

That's everything up to November 10th, 2025. And if you haven't heard, the first collection in book form is out:

Volume One includes everything up to "Stars and the Slapping Thereof." There will definitely be more volumes to follow. (Also that sequel novel, which I'm actively working on.)

This is available everywhere except Amazon, because Amazon won't carry anything that's already available online for free. (Sigh.) But you can have your local store order it in, or check this non-exhaustive link hub.

More stories to come! On with the adventures.

Y’all might remember that I had you guys sending postcards to Gus and Charlie, because Gus was fighting cancer, and losing kind of badly. Gus was 7 years old when he died on September 29th, just prior to what would have been his 8th birthday.

My friend Sasha held her son as he died and then carried him to a hospital, so that at some point in the future no parent will have to deal with this. In his death, Gus may have provided answers to the questions his incredibly rare and deadly form of cancer brings to the table. 

Gus was only able to make to almost-but-not-quite 8 years old because of the ACA. He was able to experience things and live as full a life as possible and learn about dinosaurs and go to school (he was diagnosed young, prior to even entering school) and make friends – because of the ACA. His mother and father were only able to afford a service and cremation because his ACA-compliant insurance paid the bulk of the bill. They were only able to continue financially caring for their youngest son Charlie (who just turned 7 years old…yesterday, I think) and keep themselves in food and housing rather than going bankrupt…because of the fucking Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. 

With her permission, I have posted this here, because I want people to know exactly how badly Republicans will be screwing children, and their grieving parents, over if they repeal the ACA. 

For Gus, who never made it to 8; for Sasha and her husband, who lost their son; for Charlie, who lost his brother –

For all of the other parents and lost children who are and were in the same boat –

We can’t let Republicans do this. We need to step up to the plate. Because they – Sasha and Gus and everyone like them – can’t.

Spread this

I get it if you're not paying attention to the news. It's scary, it's exhausting, and a lot of people here are in particularly vulnerable demographics. So I'll just tell you, now is definitely not the time to stop pushing or despair.

There is blood in the water, guys. Don't stop pushing. Find your nearest No Kings protest tomorrow, and put the fear of the people in the hearts of some Republican governors and congressmen.