Whether or not somebody has any interest in or inclination towards polyamory and whether or not somebody is questioning their sexuality, I think it's worth it for everybody to spend some time deconstructing the expected outline of a straight, monogamous relationship and ask themselves what reasonable boundaries look like in a romantic connection built on trust and unpossessive love, not primarily but not insignificantly because this will prevent videos from popping up on my Instagram feed of aggressively heterosexual women saying things like "it's cheating if I work out with a guy who isn't my husband"

Thinking back to the first story I ever started writing down (I was 7 or 8) about a group of stray cats who, every full moon, took the form of human kids. They actually were human kids, who had been killed (all at different times/by different people). Their bodies were each dumped by the side of the road where a cat had been hit by a car previously, and their souls landed in the cats' bodies. Eventually they all found each other and decided that every full moon, when they shifted, they'd try to solve each other's murders one by one. It was going to be a series, with each book focusing on a different kid's murder mystery. I told my mom about it once, briefly, and she said "Those cat books (warrior cats) are making you creepy."

Just finished writing this manuscript, the first story I ever started. 23 years in the making. Never give up, even if your mom calls you creepy 🖤

NEVER GIVE UP PEOPLE WE’RE GONNA GET THE STRAY CATS AND DEAD KIDS STORY

being degendered as a visibly physically disabled person is a real issue.

and it’s so hard to talk about because people presume it’s bc you’re uncomfortable with ever being referred to as they/them. when like, that’s just one small part of it.

i’m not seen as a real whole woman by the general public, despite lacking identities that might make you believe that. people don’t think i can have sex, or that i know what sexuality or gender i identify as. it’s assumed that i can’t or don’t drink, or do drugs or stay out late at parties. it’s a known fact that i can’t be sexy, or desired or loved in any way apart from a caregiving relationship.

degendering isn’t just using neutral pronouns on someone who has asked you not to, it’s ascribing a childlike innocence and need for protection to a grown ass woman (obviously this gets so much worse if one is intellectually disabled as well).

and this is REAL!!! people say these things to me out loud and in public!! i get annoyed sometimes when i post something about ableism and people ask “who would say something like that?”.

idk what to tell you, the public can be really shitty to you when they think they can get away with it. this happens to me consistently. just because you don’t encounter that kind of ableism doesn’t mean it’s not rampant.

Looking at what national news outlets are up to right now, one might not realize a whole major US metropolitan area is, you know, sort of under attack by paramilitary forces. Wild.

im sorry the What is being What now???

While it's not going unreported entirely, what's been happening in Minnesota and in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in particular since Renee Good was murdered is not getting the attention it should be.

There are already 2000 gangsters from DHS deployed, and "hundreds" or "1000" more are on the way, depending on which Trumpland person you ask. As a point of reference, the Twin Cities' actual police total just under 1200 (600 in Minneapolis and 590 in Saint Paul according to the depts' sites).

The feds there are more or less attacking people at random. They've gone door-to-door for "citizenship checks" (completely illegal). They've knocked doors down when residents haven't complied (obviously also completely illegal). In addition to abducting and brutalizing the immigrants they come across during their rampages, they've done the same to US citizens of color and are also harassing, stalking and physically attacking observers.

Here are some local sources:

ICE intensifies Twin Cities operation after killing of Renee Good, protests (MPR News—link won't embed)

Privacy advocates: ICE using private data to intimidate observers and activists (MPR News—link won't embed)

Below are some videos from observers. I'm linking to Bluesky because that's where I saw them, though many are originally from/also available elsewhere. I apologize for the rancid formatting below but it was the best I could do quickly-ish. The images are previews; click the links in the timestamps to watch.

Elliott Payne (@elliottpayne.org) January 12, 2026 at 10:49 PM

Mickey Kuhns (@mickeykuhns.bsky.social) January 12, 2026 at 10:58 AM

Dumb Meg (@dmbmeg.bsky.social) Jan 11, 2026 at 6:10 PM (You need to be logged in to see this—while it's unclear what happened to the victim in this one, there's no reported death so far; CW for heightened violence)

Dom Ervolina (@dominicervolina.com) Jan 11, 2026 at 8:42 PM (You need to be logged in to see this)

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 12, 2026 at 4:37 PM

Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 12, 2026 at 7:22 PM

Sundae Gurl (@sundaedivine.lol) January 10, 2026 at 4:39 AM

Sherrilyn Ifill (@sifill.bsky.social) January 12, 2026 at 9:19 PM

SaltyBitchables (@saltybitchables.bsky.social) January 11, 2026 at 4:19 PM

News2Share has more on YouTube:

I also recommend checking out this guy's work:

“it’s not that deep” it’s not that shallow. now what

My resolution for 2024?

Check the sources.

Make it a habit to check the sources.

Don't spread things that aren't sourced or can't be confirmed.

Check the legitimacy of the sources.

Make it a habit to check the legitimacy of the sources.

Don't spread things that come from bad sources.

@the-widgets-stash-of-shinies adding some very excellent tags thank you!

#bad sources are not “sources from people you think are bad” #Bad sources (depending on the context) are things such as blog posts; advertisements; sensationalised articles; and articles with no author #Whilst each of these can be a good source if used to get a specific piece of information #(ie individuals opinion on a game; a company's own claims about a product; media reaction to an event; ect) #but this requires you to still make sure that the source is good for what you need. #If I need to see if motion sickness is a major issue in a certain gaming community; a forum will be a good source #But if I want facts about how cameras in games work; a forum is a bad source #There are a lot of good sources that are “worst person you know made the best legitimate academic paper you need” #And that's OK. #You need to ask questions: Is this a primary or secondary source? #If it is a published source: is it's publisher biased in any way? #There is no one catch-all answer; there is no definitive list of “these sources are always good and these are always bad”. #You need to take initiative #get literate #and make the judgement calls yourself

Just wanna put up a note (especially with this post going around again, yay I'm glad it's going around) -

With a lot of world events happening, and info being difficult to verify at times, I'm trying to be very deliberate about what I reblog. I'm not a guy who is formally trained in verifying information.

If I'm not talking about a thing, or not reblogging on the thing, it's because I do not trust myself to be able to verify the information about it. It's not a statement of my politics. It's me being careful.

Because misinformation and disinformation are a plague! And I'm doing my part not to spread the stuff.

This new year's resolution was from 2024, but it remains evergreen, and it's never going to be fulfilled, because there is always more information to try and verify.

it is so important that you are a little bit ugly. please get comfortable with having unplucked eyebrows and nonexistent jawlines and wrinkles. let your blue hair grow out into an uneven pale green and your clothes be old and mend them and modify them until they’re unique to you. wear lipstick which doesnt compliment your skintone and mismatched outfits which went out of fashion 5 years ago. be a little bit too loud and a little bit too passionate and as weird as you can be because oh my god there is nothing more disturbing to me than perfection. beauty is manufactured and sold to us and you need to realise that you are a fucking animal to live a joyful life I am so serious. you cant obsess over aesthetics forever please just live messily and make your body your home however you please.

if you dont do it for you, do it for all the teenagers who will see u in the street and know that they are not obligated to be attractive

We're a second-gen, regenerative farm in St Lawrence County, New York. For 23 years, the farm was managed by my parents, but in 2023, management was transferred to me - 113.5 acres, 20 cows, three greenhouses, two gardens, nine pigs, 17 sheep and 36 chickens. As the last living family members, my father and I've been working the farm together, trying to scale down and rest more, for the past three years. Due to the sheer size of the undertaking, along with my father's disabilities, I made the management decision to welcome two friends ( @theartistrans ) I hope will someday become equal partners here. 

However, their welcome to the farm has coincided with a total shitshow. Shortly after their arrival, I was struck by a milk truck and landed in the hospital with a broken ankle, concussion, and a totaled car. Our already faulty stove took a nosedive, and then the electricity in our house went out. We are now without heat, running water, electricity, or a way to prepare food; we are all crammed into my father's house and tensions are running high. 

We have both long and short-term goals. I am committed to this farm no matter what. I'm not moving to Canada or selling off chunks of land. I - we - want to improve the infrastructure, protect the endangered species here and create social sanctuary for the greater queer community. We are also in a time of major transitions, and so must address basic needs and immediate concerns. 

Immediate Concerns:

Our house's primary electric line needs to be replaced. It's over 60 years old; a necessary upgrade to a safe system. We then need to either repair or replace the old gas cooking stove. We need to be able to stabilize the farm, which includes both human and animal care. This means grain costs, hay costs, household bills, taxes, and seed costs.

Meeting this goal will enable us to continue running the farm, protect the land and its native species, create a greater sanctuary for the queer community, and ensure our own safety and warmth. Please dm me or @theartistrans for proof or further information. My totaled car can be seen below.

$C V PP Kofi GFM

$100 has been received to the GFM from a personal friend, but nothing else has been received yet in regards to this. We got a quote yesterday from the electrician and it's going to be $3,500.00 for the up front payment, $4,500.00 total. It is hard to overstate the urgency of all of this - the house needs to be maintained to survive the Winter here, and it's not currently livable.

wizard college is going to kill me I swear to god. I just saw someone without a component satchel reach into their pocket and pull out a handful of LOOSE tapioca to use as a substitute for blood in their fell ritual. and it worked. I've never been so fucking mad.

experiencing microaggressions apparently

You ever see something innocuous, minding its own business on the clearance shelf at Michael’s and before you know it, it takes over your life for a few weeks?

So it was with this desktop greenhouse.

I took it home and after taking an appropriate time to “season” my idea in my mind (read: a month or two) I set to make my vision of a mini botanical garden a reality.

I started by removing the heavy glass panels and building a raised floor above the latch. I wanted to use the base as a foundation on the building.

I wrapped the foundation in plastic stone textured flooring (meant for Christmas villages) and built a pond at one end of the same. I then gave it a more realistic paint job and designed a rough layout for my plants and displays.

I also knew I wanted to make the ironwork significantly more intricate, but I wasn’t sure how just yet…

Up next - PLANTS! I went wild making all kinds of plants. Some were specific species and some were more conceptual.

I made several trees with polymer clay and moss, cacti out of beads and flocking, cattails out of raffia, hot glue and coffee grounds, and giant monstera leaves out of paper and wire.

This part should have taken me a long time, but it really came together fast. I loved finding ways to replicate natural shapes and patterns using bits of this and that.

I did make adjustments to my plans as I went like eliminating benches in favor of a simpler overall design.

Then I needed to fill my pond with water. For this I used resin. Lily pads were added to the top layer, and I wired in simple LED fairy lights. The batteries are kept in the box under the foundation.

In a weekend frenzy I added more plants, metal (paper) steps, new (plexi)glass windows, a roof, wrought-iron vines (paper again), doors that open, and a hose reel disguising the latch. Suddenly, a project I thought would take months was finished…

I love my desktop botanical garden. Right now it sits on a simple lazy Susan in my office. But I’d love to get it a proper display box to protect from dust.

Thank you for coming on this little journey with me. This piece packs a lot of joy into a tiny space. I always love building miniatures, and I’ll be doing more in the future I’m sure.