i love my gay pirate dads

My first conversation about PCOS with my new endocrine/OBGYN was about weight management and how that could improve my fertility when I eventually wanted kids. It wasn't asked what my goals were for my health or if I wanted kids, just assumed.

I was a hormonal, depressed mess. I hated my body. My body dysmorphia was so bad that I cloistered myself away from so much. I wore hoodies and jeans in the 90°F, 80% humidity summers. This was considered fine. I was given metformin and birth control pills and told this was all that could be done. That PCOS wouldn't affect my life until I wanted to be pregnant. I wasn't asked if I wanted to be pregnant, just assumed.

I don't know how many PCOS groups I joined on my early 20s hoping to find community and commonality for body dysmorphia and symptom management, only to be bombarded with fertility treatments and tips and 'inspirational conception' anecdotes. They never asked if I was attempting to conceive, just assumed.

It's extremely telling that they choose to do this, that they take her (groundbreaking and heartbreaking) depiction of a real life victim of enslavement, physical and sexual abuse, and shove it up as "oh you're telling me THIS is a beautiful woman?"

Not any of her beautiful modelling photos, not any other role she's been in. But one where she's being whipped.

What they're telling us is "this is all you deserve to play. This is what you get to be seen as. You being a slave, you being abused, is what's "accurate" for a Black woman. You don't get to be seen as valuable. You don't get to be beautiful, and certainly not the most beautiful woman in the world, not in MY world."

As if we haven't been on this planet the whole time, in every sort of role there is. As if the only thing that has ever been relevant about us is our abuse, that that is the imagery that defines us. And these people will swear that "they're not racist, it's just-", and get mad when you look their racism right in the eyeballs.

The African American Smithsonian.

OpenAI scraped the entire web. All of which had been a labor of love from humans. Wikipedia is the backbone of a lot of LLMs, and that was volunteer human labor. They stole it and now they're selling it back to us.

for the romance prompts hansry/1.5k/G “That’s it Henry, I cannot go another step!”

Henry turns in time to see Hans collapse into the grass, long limbs sprawled out. His chest heaves beneath the stained pourpoint, stolen off a dead bandit. It’s too small in the chest. With every breath his takes the leather ties strain. He’ll be lucky if they make it to Trosky before the dried out leather pops apart.

With a grunt Henry adjusts the bindle on his shoulder. “Your noble arse can’t make it up a hill without collapsing?” he teases. “Maybe this is a sign you oughta spend less time on that horse and more walking around like the rest of us peasants.”

“My noble arse took a blade to the belly for you. Or have you already forgotten my heroics?” Hans asks.

“Aye, they’ll put it in songs sung across every tavern in Bohemia, I reckon.” He nudges at Hans’ hip with the toe of his boot. “At least get over beneath the tree and get out of the sun.”

Hans shakes his head. His golden hair is filthy with the sweat of his fever. It falls across his forehead in clumps and yet he’s still radiant, somehow, as if the nobility of him cannot be hidden under any layer of muck.

“No. I told you, I can’t move any further. You get down here and sit with me.”

With a heavy heart, I come to you all with the news announced by close friends of Cat Frazier that she had passed away on Monday, June 29.

She had been running @animatedtext since 2012, with her impact on the internet SHAPING tumblr. If you have a years long history on this site, you’ve seen her art.

She ran a venue in Oakland called Oakland Secret, a punk venue where I’d vend at regularly as an artist. She made a safe space for queer artists, artists of color, and local furs too. I am forever grateful for her work both in the Bay Area creative scene and online, and am forever changed by the totality of her impact.

I’ll be linking some articles from the 2010’s about her impact online: The Fader | Action | Jezebel | ObviouslySocial

I invite you to take a visit through her archive, and if you have a long history with this site like I do, it’s like walking down memory lane.

It is, by any metric, a small country masquerading as a city.

It governs more lives and more wealth than most nations. If democratic socialism — housing reform, public banking, equitable taxation — functions here, it obliterates the myth that such governance can’t work at scale. The fear isn’t ideological. It’s empirical. Because if Mamdani can keep the lights on, reduce homelessness, and maintain economic growth without catering to Wall Street, then the capitalist gospel collapses under its own dead weight.

What terrifies the establishment isn’t failure. It’s feasibility.

If it works in New York, there’s no reason it can’t work in Nebraska. If it works in Queens, it can work in Kansas City. And once proof exists, belief becomes irrelevant. The ship of democracy, fully refitted, will keep sailing — and no one can claim it isn’t American."

now, almost all of the bigoted remarks are happening in the present day with no framing to indicate how the audience is supposed to feel about them. they are primarily played for comedy rather than drama and the audience is encouraged to laugh at the marginalized (especially racialized and ESPECIALLY Black) characters.

I love that Stede was brave enough to leave the toxic society that had failed him and so many others - to make a better life or die trying. And he succeeded! He made a better society. He found love. He inspired the other characters on the show to be better people and he inspired me to be brave in my own life. I am forever grateful.

I love that Ed, who had lived with abuse and hardship and seemed so isolated when we met him, had kept his optimism, his sense of playfulness. He fought against a negative self image and a belief that he was undeserving of happiness. He tried some self care and he too found happiness - and also the love of his life.

I love the crew - all with their own problems, but who also find themselves and grow; a good part of it being down to Stede's philosophy. Jim learns that revenge will twist you and is freed by letting go. Pete learns to be gentle, love and show care for people and is so loved in return. Lucius goes through hard times but survives and learns what is truly important. Olu shows us a true supportive friendship. Frenchie grows into responsibility with compassion. Roach knows his worth. Buttons shows Ed that change is possible and gets to change himself to be with his own true love. Wee John gets to be himself to the full and to encourage others to do the same. The Swede gains confidence and learns he is desirable. Izzy learns the value in belonging. Fang is so caring and will stand up for what he believes. Archie gives us confidence and enthusiasm. Jackie is simply a goddess. Mary B takes the opportunity freedom awards her to grab a life she was otherwise denied. Anne and Mary are able to start afresh. Auntie learns that a bit of softness is important too, and Zheng that she can have it.

We see a group of people grow from a group of individuals into a supportive community. We see so much varied and wonderful representation where people learn that they can be themselves without labels or judgement. And they thrive! And what's better, they seem just like us.

There is so much joy and positivity in this show. If you embrace Stede's supportive philosophy you thrive. If you reject it and try to maintain the poisonous status quo you mostly end up dead. They are good to each other. They support each other. They show what it means to be part of a crew. And there are lessons and inspiration in it for all of us.