#BIPOC owned shop

[adelacreations]

Shares appreciated! My main store and Etsy store are open for the 30% off all orders sale!

Use code ENDYEAR30!

NEW ITEMS AVAILABLE! Knight Stevie and Lady Billie as both stickers and charms! Charms are available for preorders!

MAIN STORE LINK

ETSY STORE LINK

(Reminder that there will be one last sales event before Christmas! After that I will be sending out orders and closing my shop until next year!)

[himbopunk]

NEW LEATHER CHOKERS AND WRISTBANDS UP IN THE SHOP!!

I have 5 new chokers and 4 new wristbands available!! All of these items are one of a kind, so get them before they're gone!

(Please remember to check your sizing before purchasing!)

SHOP || TIPJAR

[theecolococorner]

Welcome to the Eco Loco Corner!

Here is your go-to hub for discovering eco-friendly products from brands that embrace diversity, sustainability, and eccentricity. Our mission is to bring you the best in ethical shopping, featuring smalls businesses such as bakeries, boutiques, booksellers, and so much more, proudly owned by BIPOC and LGBT communities that give back to their communities.

At The Eco Loco Corner, we believe that every purchase has the power to make a positive impact. From sustainable fashion to eco-conscious home goods, we carefully curate products that not only look good but also do good and feel good. By supporting these trailblazing brands, you're contributing to a more inclusive, equitable, and environmentally-friendly future.

Join in the creativity, resilience, and innovation of these incredible brands. Together, we can create a brighter, greener, and more inclusive world—one stylish and Mother Nature-lovin' product at a time. Happy shopping!

[foreficfandom]

Alastor - Historical Trivia And Headcanons

Alastor was a mixed-race Creole man living in New Orleans, and was in his 30's/40's when he died in 1933. We don't know much else about him, but historical context can provide us with possible additional details:

The population of New Orleans in 1930 was 458,762, more than it is now. 27.2% of the people were black, 3.1% were foreign-born, and roughly half of America's bipoc population was unemployed thanks to the Great Depression. New Orleans' original Francophonication was still strong, and it was common to run into locals who only spoke French dialects (Cajun French, Louisiana Creole). The city has had a huge Chinatown, a small Little Italy, and multiple other districts known for their immigrant African/colonized French cultures.

The Jim Crow laws were heavily enforced, as was the 'One Drop' rule. If Alastor was a mixed race black man, he would not have been able to attend a white school, use the same public transport, and would have shopped at black-local stores and restaurants under threat of violence. If he was mixed with any other race, some Jim Crow laws didn't apply, but state or city laws might specify differently.

Just because Alastor wears a suit, it doesn't mean he was rich in life. Radio personalities often didn't earn a fortune. Unless he owned his own broadcast, he was paid by a private company for long shifts of hosting music, news, and radio plays. In 1930, 40% of households owned at least one radio, which means that a popular radio host would have been easily recognized.

If he was in his late 30's in 1933, he might have fought in WW1, so long as he was over the age of 21. Some cities gave veterans small benefits, or encouraged the community to give them jobs. This often did not include veterans of color.

New Orleans was famous for being one of the least Christian cities in America, thanks to its unique immigrant and slave population. Haitian-based faiths and practices (such as voudo), indigenous cultures, Asian Buddhism, and atheism were common. But Christianity was still the official, law-enforced religion. Schooling involved reading the Bible, laws were sworn to Jesus, etc.

Alastor's outfit in Hazbin Hotel isn't very accurate to real-life American men's fashions of the time. Back then, deviating from the norm with the smallest detail would have stuck out like a sore thumb - like his white-lined lapels. Men always wore a hat. They were allowed to go without a waistcoat, but not a jacket. Belts were becoming more popular than suspenders. The silhouette was bulkier than the slimmer, Italian cuts of our modern times, especially the pants. Hair was kept short, and oiled down in a side part. Americans preferred the clean shaven look. Ties were essential unless you were a blue-collar laborer. Colors were almost universally muted neutral tones for everyday wear. The most colorful textiles for men were sporting outfits, like a tennis jacket.

If Alastor was a middle-class single man, he likely would have lived in an inner-city apartment, in an ethnic neighborhood. He probably didn't own a car, and took public transit like the streetcars. If he owned a house, it would likely have been an inheritance, and even the more opulent houses of the time would have looked small and plain to our eyes.

Because of the Great Depression, unmarried men were becoming the norm, rather than the exception. Men of the community who were sought after but remained single were suspect to gossip, but less ire than you might think; in the '30s, American queer culture was going through a very sharp revival, escaping the rigid Victorian era and before the puritan 40's/50's. But as a mixed-race man, it may have been illegal for a white woman to marry him, as the Jim Crow laws forbade the marriage of white people and Black/Asian people.

A middle class city household would have had electricity, gas heating, indoor plumbing, but may not have had running taps or a gas stove. Even with decent means, Alastor might have been using a potbelly woodburning stove, a dry sink/washbasin, wooden bathtub, and did his own laundry instead of sending it to the neighborhood laundresses. He may or may not have bothered with an icebox. Fresh groceries needed to be cooked and eaten soon, as things like pasteurized milk or store refrigeration wasn't a thing.

If he had enough money, then he almost certainly hired maids or other servants. Whether the maid came over just once a week, or did the shopping and laundry every other day, hired help was much more common back then, especially if he had no wife.

The most popular musicians in 1933 were Bing Crosby, George Olsen, and Leo Reisman. As you might have noticed, it was trendy for the lead singer to be backed by an orchestra, not a 'band' of just four other people like today. The most popular radio shows were Dick Tracy, Sherlock Holmes, and Doc Savage. They were recordings the radio station would buy and then broadcast, or sometimes the actors were live on the air. The radio host was usually not the journalist - the production team was responsible for writing his script.

[mugiwara-lucy]

I want to talk to my fellow White Women.

With the release of the January 6th Insurrectionists as well as the Mass Deportations starting, if you REALLY want to prove yourself as an ally to black people, don't just make BS Blue Bracelets. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

If you really want to help, one way to is to become a strategic nuisance. For example, if ICE raids a store you’re shopping in, distract them. Channel your inner Regina George, Brooke Davis, Blair Waldorf and use that privilege for good. Act entitled and confused. LOUDLY ask “ICE is here??? What the fuck is ICE doing here?? In MY hometown??” Ask them lots of questions and waste as much of their time as you can.

Another is if you see any police acting nefarious to any BIPOC, have your phone out and try to diffuse the situation and let them know you know that person and you are good friends that go way back and they would never harm a fly. Or if they choose not to listen to you, again, use your inner Regina George, Blair Waldorf and Brooke Davis.

And if any of these Proud Boys or Proud Boy Wannabees are harassing any BIPOC in your proximity, again use that inner Regina George, Blair Waldorf and Brooke Davis and let them know to step the fuck down and mind their own business. These guys are pussies when you get down to the root of it and are only emboldened because of their favorite tiny handed, pedophile rapist being back in office.

And those are just some of the ways you can be a TRUE ALLY to Black People by USING YOUR WHITE PRIVILEGE. NOW IS THE TIME TO EITHER PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

[peachjugo]

Boy Princess is a comic I drew last summer about my experience with femininity and fashion (specifically EGL fashion) as a trans guy.

This comic is really special to me, I drew it while attending a workshop on Graphic Memoir comics taught by Mel Gillman at the Center for Cartoon Studies. I don't think I would've been able to make this comic if it weren't for the week-long workshop, and I wouldn't have been able to attend that without the help of CCS' BIPOC Scholarship.

To be frank, if I'd attempted to draw this comic on my own time, I probably would've A) Never finished it or B) Taken a hundred times longer to make it. Even with that, although I planned, drew, and inked this comic within one week, it's still taken me almost one year to edit, color, and format for print as well as design the cover, write transcripts of the pages (which by the way, if anyone has any feedback on what I could improve in my writing please tell me!!!), and write posts for social media.

Why'd it take so long? Because of life I guess! I'm not very good at sharing the work in process either, I'd rather post something when it's completely finished. Maybe I'll get better about that in the future, or maybe I'll just keep posting every 6 months. Either way I'm proud of myself for making this comic, and I'm eternally grateful for the supportive feedback from loved ones as well as instructors and classmates from the workshop!!!

I have copies of Boy Princess available for sale in my shop (as well as copies of Candlebot Comics #1, which has around 30 comics in it, wowza!) I hope you'll consider buying a copy and I hope you enjoy reading it :)

[duckprintspress]

Welcome to Duck Prints Press

Duck Prints Press LLC is an independent publisher based in New York State. Our founding vision is to work with fancreators to publish their original work. We are particularly dedicated to working with queer authors and artists to publish stories featuring characters from across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. We were founded in January 2021. We're fan-owned, queer-owned, and dedicated to working with diverse creators, whether they be queer, disabled, bipoc, neurodiverse, or any combination of the above!

Current Projects

The Twinned Trilogy by Tris Lawrence (f/f, m/m, and others, three-novel trilogy, modern with magic college setting; crowdfunding campaign for book 2 to launch in February 2025, Kickstarter for the trilogy to follow - you can follow the campaign now!)

Anthology: A Year of Queer 2023 and A Spicy Year of Queer 2023 (a project featuring stand-alone short stories previously published by Duck Prints Press. Planning has been in hiatus but it's still coming we swear)

Anthology: A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (what it says on the tin; successfully crowdfunded! We're now finishing up the manuscript and ordering what we need for fulfillment.)

Anthology: Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories (editing period underway!)

Anthology: Monsterotica: Tales of Unusual Courtship and Coupling (recruiting during January 2025)

Novella: The salt in the sea by J. D. Rivers (m/m fantasy with moody vibes; editing is completed and we're working on art and merchandise)

Monthly short stories are published to our website and our Patreon!

Come read with us - we host a low-key reading challenge on Storygraph, encouraging people to read more queer books!

Upcoming Conventions and Events

Feb. 14th - 16th: vending at Boskone at the Westin Boston Seaport District, Boston, MA

Past Projects

Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron (modern-with-magic adventure with horror elements; available on our website!)

Anthology: Many Hands: An Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica (what it says on the tin: poly erotica; available on our website!)

Pride Merchandise campaign featuring art by Pippin Peacock (six mythical creatures in each of eight pride colors, offered as die-cut stickers and enamel pins; available on our website!)

Anthology: Aether Beyond the Binary (aetherpunk settings, main characters outside the gender binary; available on our website!)

Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard (m/m, modern sports setting, sloooooow burn romance; available on our website!)

Anthology: Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas's "The Three Musketeers" (what it says on the tin; available on our website!)

Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley (f/f, fantasy, novel; available on our website!)

To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh (m/f, explicit novella, trans male main character; available on our website!)

Anthology: Add Magic to Taste (fluffy queer relationships at magical coffee shops, tea shops, and the like; new second edition ALSO available on our website!)

Anthology: And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" (what it says on the tin; available on our website!)

Anthology: She Wears the Midnight Crown (f/f stories set at unusual and creative masquerades; available on our website!)

Anthology: He Bears the Cape of Stars (m/m stories set at unusual and creative masquerades; available on our website!)

Support Duck Prints Press

Shop in our bookstore to get short stories, novelettes, novellas, novels, anthologies, bookmarks, stickers, enamel pins, and much more!

Become a Patron for shop discounts, behind-the-scenes glimpses, ask-us-anything access, Discord invitations, teasers and previews, bonus extras, and up to ten free stories every single month!

Buy us a ko-fi for a small, one-off donation! We appreciate every penny.

See a list of major retailers and distributors who carry our books!

Subscribe to our mailing list to get offers, new release information, blog posts, and more.

Follow Duck Prints Press

Tumblr: @duckprintspress (you're here! you found us!)

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Learn More About Us

Our webpage

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Join us on Discord!

[torque-witch]

C(r)apitalism stickers are officially in stock!

As a reminder, these are a collab between Death's Head Divination and Slow Mornings Co! Shelby's brand and the idea behind "C(r)apitalism" is all about re-focusing day-to-day life to be slower, more intuitive and de-centering the constant demands of capitalism. Capitalism itself is a system that survives off of exploitation while constantly demanding new and more.

The idea behind the sticker is to highlight small artists (me) but also to highlight the way in which technology becomes defunct quicker and quicker in order to keep producing more and more literal waste. While stickers aren't a solution to Capitalism (we must participate in it), we will be donating $1 of each sale to Friends of the Congo, and organization that works with the DRC to lessen the effects of capitalism and exploitation on non-US laborers, who supply cobalt that is necessary for phone and computer production under harsh conditions and low wages. One big way to not contribute to this is boycotting Apple (a company that uses this labor directly) and to keep your phones and computers for as long as possible or to buy refurbished tech.

If anything, it's just a silly sticker design, but we can give back where possible.

On top of this, SMC and I have partnered to create a google form where you can submit your local free resources like free fridges, shelters, LGBTQIA+ health and resource centers, BIPOC owned shops and community spaces, disability-friendly spaces, food banks, etc. We will both have a directory available on our websites as this grows to hopefully give people within our circles places to get help when needed. 2025 is looking bleak, and this is one way we can all work together if shit hits the fan.

That's all for now though - let's do what we can do slow down and focus on what good we can do within our communities and in those that are suffering.

-Cara and Shelby

[darkwood-sleddog]

Do you happen to know of any openly non-white and/or LGBT+ run or just non-chud run dog company that custom makes collar and harness patches?

I know that ONE company everyone swears by, but they sell thin blue line and red line and even GADSEN FLAG patches and are complete chuds because they are “law enforcement family” run and behave like it. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen a similar vibe from other places offering similar products.

I know that while they might do it, the last thing I’d wanna do is order a pride or trans flag patch, or god forbid an openly anti fascist one, from them and give them my money.

More commercial brands off the top of my head? No, mostly because patches are most often associated with tactical dog gear which does lean heavily towards those military/law enforcement types. Even if I skew searches towards service dog type patches, you will often find unsavory patches in their collections (such as puzzle peice autism patches).

What I would suggest: small artisans. they don't even have to be dog specific since velcro patches are popular away from dog centric gear. The only thing I would warn is it will be harder to find hooks and eyes/velcro patches that are from non-tactical shops as iron on/sew on tends to be the preference for clothing and fashion.

Paches OHoul is a LGBTQ+ owned shop that has patches (both iron on and hooks and eyes/velcro), pins, buttons etc. I've purchased pride pins from their shop before.

I also like Social Rebellion Patches

For anti fascism patches you're going to have to do a deeper dive, but I'd recommend punk centric shops. You'll have to decide for yourself if you feel comfortable supporting specific creators though because there are a wide variety of mind sets, even within leftist circles (for example a lot of shops that have patches I adore also are actively ARAs or are supportive of that mindset or actively promote violence against oppressors. You decide what you are comfortable with.)

@losech here on tumblr has an etsy shop where they make leashes and collars and has done custom work.

I unfortunately don't have a list of BIPOC owned dog supply companies, although they are certainly out there, I just cannot recommend items I have not tried myself and dog gear as an industry is overwhelmingly white.

Followers feel free to chime in with your reccomendations!

[mermaidsirennikita]

a while ago i remember you talking about books that felt more like adult fantasy but the writers were probably pushed into ya because it's more marketable, would you say the revrse in happening nowadays or is it still happening?

I still hear about authors who say that their agents ask them if an adult fantasy concept could be aged down for YA, so I think that's happening, but probably not as much as it once did.

I also think that a lot of younger authors are living in a world in which YA fantasy is still king—and for A TEENY fraction of authors, it still is, right? I know of a couple YA fantasy authors who got BIG advances (and good for them, but damn they were huge). But they are very much in the minority there. However, when you're working on your draft, when your agent is shopping your MS, it's easy to get big dreams about how huge your book is gonna be. And it's also easy to twist that into something where it's like, if you don't get it you've been overlooked or betrayed or lost or are they outlier, when in fact you're in the minority in that you got a pub deal, and you're in the majority in that your deal isn't anything mindblowing. This isn't a "your lucky to even be tradpubbed" take, because I also think that putting tradpub on a pedestal helps no one. It's just how I see it.

THAT BEING SAID... I do think that because YA sales are still more trad-dependent than, say, romance (not a lot of teens have their own KU accounts, I imagine) this leads to the toxic idea that there's this AMAZING WORLD where your YA Fantasy makes you famous, and if it doesn't you've lost, and it leads to authors still conforming to the YA is King mentality and producing an MS that would probably work a lot better for adults while selling it as a teen thing.

I can think of one book that I will not name—I respect the author. I tried to read it recently. That book would have worked a lot better as an adult fantasy novel, to me. The heroine was supposed to be this big, heavy, powerful character, and her being the age she was, and her issues and the violence of it all being directed towards teens versus adults (and teens can read adult books and adults can read YA, let's be clear, I'm talking categories and character ages, etc here) felt weird.

I will also add—the character in that book ended up in a poly relationship. I did not find that super well-explored for the two men, personally. But I do have high standards on that front. And I've gotta say; it's not that teens and The Youths can't have poly relationships. But "poly" is not a sexual orientation or gender identity, and I find that sometimes saying "poly rep"... it's true! But it's not "rep" in the same way as "queer rep" is "rep", as "BIPOC rep" is rep. Because to be in a polyamorous relationship is to make a decision, right? You grow into and work into being able to have a functional poly relationship. It takes a special type of person and it takes a lot of WORK, and I frankly don't buy that anyone in their early twenties or below can do that work lmao.

Which doesn't mean they won't try, but when it's in a YA novel—I have NO problem with teens reading it. I'm just kind of like "REALLY. REALLY. A LONG-TERM POLY COMMITMENT BETWEEN 18 YEAR OLDS. SURE JAN." Like, come on. I respect poly relationships, I know poly people, TRUST ME. I think a solid poly relationship is probably one of the most stable types of relationships out there. But holy shit. Trying to sell me on people that young making it work and that being meant to be for them just feels like... WHY WASN'T THIS ADULT???

And hey, I'll say—as I write this, I know that I I love Sierra Simone's Thornchapel series, where there's an MMF relationship between people in their early twenties. BUT THAT RELATIONSHIP... lmao. The way in which the HEA was achieved speaks to how aware Sierra was that these people were MESSED. UP. Same with Lyonesse, which involves Isolde in her early twenties. If we're going to those spaces, we aren't in YA territory. Or even CLOSE.

I think there's still this idea that YA fantasy is more dignified than fantasy romance, and I think that comes from a certain type of YA author and I think it's toxic as hell and untrue. But yeah, I still think some of them are encouraged to age down or choose to, for practical or personal or market reasons.

Then again, I think a book like Road of Bones would've been made a YA novel ten years ago, and it's not, so YAY!

[embersnail]

animal stickers :3

(other stickers in there are from some other queer artists that are worth checking out!)

[zine-garden]

Rules & Guidelines

This is a long post, please do not be frightened by it! I have the guidelines and prompts up on my blog, but for the ease of mobile users, I am also making them blog posts.

tl;dr - Use ‘international zine month 2023’, or ’#international zine month’, so I can find your posts; use the submit box if you want; don't use the askbox for submissions. Respond to prompts! Post your zines, post your appreciation for other zines! Image descriptions recommended - Image description guidelines here!

International Zine Month begins July 1st! ✨

RULES FOR SUBMISSIONS

1. Submissions can be the following: Stolen Sharpie Revolution’s IZM prompts, the prompts on this blog, zines made by you, zine reviews, original blog posts and submissions (More info below!)

2. Please use one of these hashtags for ease of finding your submissions, ‘international zine month 2023’, or ’#international zine month’. You are also welcome to ping this blog!

3. I will be accepting late submission until August 31!

4. Nazis, TERFS, fascists fuck off. Bigotry and work promoting discrimination, oppression, or hate speech will not be allowed. This is different from zines with venting or personal prose.

To clarify: A zine about hating your boss or job is fine, a zine about how much you hate women, slur use, or a history revisionist work is unacceptable.

If submissions refer to people IRL, submissions must come pre-censored, whole names must be censored (first or last showing only)

Follow up, I will not be sharing posts that bashes other artists/people. This is an event for showing love to zines and zinesters!

5. NSFW and explicit content is allowed. I will moderate to make sure that proper tags are in use on this blog. I will not be accepting NSFW, lewd or gorey work via submit box or ask box. Please use your discretion with this! Please use appropriate trigger warnings. Please nest anything visually explicit in read more. I know zinesters that uses pixelated nudes in her work! Something like that is fine!

6. Work using AI image generators or tools like ChatGPT will not be shared and you will be blocked.

7. Submissions will be taken in constantly during the month of July, I can say no to anything I want and can take down posts at my discretion. It is very likely that I will schedule reblogs to space things out. I want to prioritize BIPOC zinesters for example.

GUIDELINES

What can I submit? (expanding on point #1)

Note that these are just guidelines, as long as you are doing something zine-related, I’m happy to share your work/post!

Semi-daily prompts and questions:

There are couple of ways to participate in semi-daily questions!

You can reblog the prompt and add your response underneath;

You can make an original blog post using the tags mentioned above.

You can also send me a submission via the ‘submit box’ in the sidebar. Please include the prompt or question you are responding to!

For anything that isn’t a prompt on this blog, but is still zine/zine culture related::

Make your own post, or send me something via the submit box!

Posting your own zines:

You can post your own zines, in celebration. Did you make a new zine recently, is it your FIRST zine ever, did you make a zine in response to any of the prompts? Do you have an older zine that you would like to give a little bit a love to?

Post your work! A photo of your work, scans, a digital file, a cropping, whatever you are comfortable with sharing!

Please indicate if your post is in response to one of the prompts.

Feel free to add your shop link, or how others can access your work. Keep in mind that not everyone wants to share their zines, so there is no pressure!

Please do not submit this type of post via inbox or submit box.

Posting other zines:

Some prompts will ask you about zines that you love or learned from! You are also invited to share loving reviews of zines that you love, or a simple appreciation! Please show those zines some love!

Make an original post!

Properly credit the artist and work. This includes: title, name, any social media username, if the artist has a website or shop, etc. Check to see if you are using the correct pronouns, if you can’t find any, refer to that person without gendered pronouns. Here is a style guide for that.

Please indicate if your post is in response to one of the prompts.

Please don’t re-post other artist’s images without permission, do not edit artist work. There is a difference between a photo or crop of a page you like, and a scan of content.

Preference is for photos of the work, or an image of the cover/cropping of a page if only a digital copy is what you have access to!

Please do not submit this type of post via inbox or submit box.

The ‘ask box’ or ‘inbox’ will be solely dedicated to answering questions about the event.

FORMATTING AND ACCESSIBILITY TIPS

These are just suggestions BTW!

Text posts: When making your own posts for any of the prompts, please include the prompt somewhere in your post. It is preferable if you emboldened the prompt or question that you are responding to; use the ‘bigger’ or ‘biggest’ text type in the post editor; or use the title feature. This helps with visual hierarchy, and makes it clearer to read! If you are adding a response to a question via reblogging, no need to worry.

Please avoid using special text that is copy and pasted from a ‘special text generator’. Emojis and symbols are okay, try not to use them in excess, especially if it is disrupting a text block.

Image descriptions: It is not a requirement to include alt text in your submissions, however, i am highly encouraging it even if it is a short description. When there is zero description, those with poor internet access and those using screen reader will only see and hear the word ‘image’. Submissions without image descriptions will be marked as such. If you misuse the alt text tool, your work will not be shared. I created a guide here: https://zine-garden.tumblr.com/image-description-guidelines.

[mybiggaybooktour]

Nothing says spring time like a cozy read featuring dueling florists. 🌸

Signs up will be open for A Tale of Two Florists from now until May 26th.

To sign up to be a host click HERE

The new florist in town wants to live her best life.

The hometown florist’s life is just fine as it is, thank you very much.

When the petals stop flying, will they find love, or will both their worlds come tumbling down?

Minnie Thomas wouldn’t change a thing. The septuagenarian sees her closest friend every day, she owns the most successful (and only) flower shop in Juniper Creek, and she loves her star employee, Kat, like family. But when Kat inexplicably quits and Minnie’s friend goes out of town, Minnie’s stable world tilts off-kilter—especially when Kat’s newly arrived free-spirited grandmother opens a flower shop just down the street.

Eleanor Lennox is determined to embrace life again and get to know Kat better. She promised her late wife she would open a flower shop, but she never counted on resistance from Kat’s infuriating former employer. When the mayor asks the two of them to work together on the upcoming Sunflower Festival, Eleanor tries to smooth things over for Kat’s sake—but the feisty florist only works harder to run her out of town. Well, two can play that game.

After connecting during a road trip to pick up flower barrels for the festival, Minnie and Eleanor form a budding relationship—which shrivels when Minnie’s friend announces she’s moving. Will Minnie cling to the past so tightly that she misses out on the beauty the present has to offer her—love with Eleanor?

Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+ Representation: Lesbian, nonbinary, queer (general), BIPOC TW: None

[iamdelighted]

There are a lot of things someone can do to feel empowered in these times, but as someone with chronic illness and very low energy—who also feels on the verge of being pulled under right now—I wanted to share some things that I’ve been doing that feel like small acts of resistance. Things that I can do mostly sitting down, and are actually often fun. Maybe someone else can get some use out of this too.

—Enjoy queer media, BIPOC media, and any other media you like that would make white evangelicals picket in front of your house. It feels good to keep reading and watching the kinds of things the new regime is trying to eradicate. If you can afford it, it’s also really nice to buy physical copies of things when you can. It feels good to own my fave queer media and know that someone can’t take it from me without physically coming into my house.

—Create things that would make them call you a pervert. Write explicit fics and novels. Make art about sex. Draw vaginas in your spare time. Whatever is calling to you. You don’t have to share it anywhere if you don’t want to, just enjoy making things and existing as a “pervert” in a society that wants to wipe you out.

—Refuse to spend your money on the trash items being marketed to you. This is not a judgment for the times when you’ve got no choice. Sometimes I have to buy the $5 plastic item at Walmart. Do what you have to do to survive. But in a world that is making worse and worse items and trying to get you to consume at a ridiculous rate, doing what you can to avoid it feels like an act of resistance. So when possible, hold out for the second-hand item that’s made of actual wood. See what’s around your house that you can use instead. Shop from small businesses when you can. If you’ve got any disposable income, have fun seeing how many ways you can subvert the system by choosing differently than they want you to, or by not buying anything but necessities for awhile.

—Make stuff. Whatever suits your fancy. Draw, paint, embroider, refashion your clothing, make a mobile out of trash, repaint a toy car, write a poem, make a moodboard for your favorite characters. Do something within your energy means that gets you out of your mind and out of the doomscroll for awhile. Creating stuff has all kinds of good benefits, but now I also like to think of it as one small choice I can make to not give my attention to things that want me to despair.

—Lean into the relationships in your life that feel good. Now is not the time to suffer fools. It feels SO GOOD to lean out of the relationships and spaces that want you to conform to them, and into the relationships and spaces that fill your soul up and celebrate you as you are. Instead of draining you, they will fill you with energy and resolve. Yes, there are people and places that we have to deal with, but we can choose not to give them any more time and attention than they absolutely require.

—Remember that your mind is your own. We live in a time when privacy is hard to come by, but you know what? Nobody has figured out how to read our minds yet. I take tremendous comfort in knowing that the thoughts and worlds in my mind cannot be taken from me. This holds me together.

[yellow-dress-basil]

Want to do something huge this year that takes very little effort?

During the holiday season, people buy more than any other time of the year. Like, when I used to work retail it was all hands on deck to make it from now til mid-January cuz it would get BUSY!

Instead of going to places like Amazon and Target and Walmart, let’s all try to shop small businesses - ESPECIALLY businesses owned by queer folks, BIPOC folks, disabled folks, and women. (Obviously identities are usually more intersectional than this but these are some to look out for).

I can pretty much promise you that any good sold in any major store is being made with much more love and care by a marginalized person with a small business.

It’s what I’m going to try to do this year, who’s in?

[mirandamckenni1]

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