#get vaccinated or wear a mask . i'm going to throw up

[vampyroteuthid]

i wish there had been a real national covid vaccine mandate and i am not even sorry about it i'm sick of this shit being perpetuated on and on by people who can't be assed to give even the smallest of shits about anyone else because theyve had their brains rotted by conspiracy theorists. there are still at least 1000 people a week dying from covid in this country alone and who knows how many cases since they stopped fucking counting but sure you don't want to "put chemicals in your body" or what the fuck ever. ohhhhh nooo you were asked to do something to help other people and you think it's "infringing" on your "freedoms?" should we call ronald reagan? eat glass

[sardonic-the-writer]

So I watched Glass Onion. And I have some very fun obversations turned info dumping turned (positive) ranting to do about the brilliance of this movie. Warning for SPOILERS

• Benoit Blancs husband (Phillip I belived) had flour/dough on his face when he opened the door, insinuating he's a messy baker. Just an extra detail I noticed that really shows the effort put into the movie both by actors and writers

• The very real incorporation of covid into the movies universe. That was an interesting thing for me. Adds for some funny gags (like the among us scene, not getting over that ever actually) and some real insight to the characters shitty personalities (Birdies mesh mask, and the fact that Miles was probably pretending to have a vaccine just so he could get them to take off their masks since that man never created anything on his own)

• This is probably my own mind spinning things up, but the name Miles for a billionaire who got everything through stealing ideas? And taking the credit? By "walking a mile in their shoes" but not really? Or he could just be an asshole with the most generic white guy name ever idk

• You could clearly tell there was a class thing going on. Birdie only stopped flirting with Blanc when he mentioned being a buyer of her product. Not as if to say, how I've seen other people point out, only gay men wear sweatpants so she suddenly decided she couldn't flirt with him oops my bad. Moreso, it was Blanc lying (or telling the truth, who knows maybe he does buy them) about wearing her brand simply so he can divide the line between them socially. As if to say, "I know you'll stop touching me if I clarify I'm not anywhere near your status. I am your target market. Something you don't give a second thought about." Between that and how Peg clearly didn't fit despute having hung around that group for 10 years as Birdies assitant, a lot of this movies positive and negative energy depended on who was interacting with who and if they were "good enough" for the others gaze

• I think a lot of people caught the symbolizm between all of the famous paintings being incorporated into the movie (Helen's smile at the end reminiscent of the Mona Lisa, Miles scream at the painting being destroyed a life like recreation of the painting Scream, everyone sitting at dinner like The Last Supper in multiple shots) but I thought it was worth mentioning again for the sheer brilliance

• Miles' tantrum he throws while calling Helen a child, despite her having been probably one of the most adult people in the entire movie. Mind you Miles was the same person who minutes ago was shaking in rage at his previous car—the very same car he had rode in to kill Andi in—smashing through his glass ceiling

• Plus, a rich guy with an all glass house barefoot? He truly belived nothing could ever go wrong in his perfect world; his perfect mic-mansion house. That nothing would be broken or shattered for him to potentially step on later. And I mean that both metaphorically and litteraly

[geeky-politics-46]

COVID Cuddles

Pairing: Doctor Stephen Strange x Reader

Summary: It finally got you! You are sick with COVID-19 and missing Stephen's cuddles

Warnings: reader has COVID, pandemic references, slight angst with fluffy happy ending, language

This fic is totally self-indulgent as i am sick with COVID right now & my Doctor Strange teddy bear is one of the things keeping me company. So I made it into a story. Probably lots of errors as I'm sick & drugged

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

You looked up at him in the doorway, masked fave peeking through, from where you sat on the bathroom floor. Tissues shoved up both nostrils as you waited for the bathroom to fill with steam from the shower before you tossed a Vicks vapor shower bomb under the water. Hoping that it would make it easier to breathe. Or at least make it sound like you didn't smoke 4 packs of cigarettes a day.

You had made it 3 years without getting COVID-19, but finally it got you. Despite the 2 original vaccines and 2 boosters. Your number eventually came up. You knew it would eventually. You just hoped the vaccines would make the illness shorter still.

"Well, I feel like I swallowed broken bits of light bulb, and I had a coughing fit so bad earlier I nearly puked. So I'm fucking fabulous."

They never mentioned a side effect of COVID was that it made you mean. Of course, maybe that was just you. You knew with your asthma you had to throw everything at this now just in case. So that was what you were doing. Currently waiting for your 6 hours between NyQuil shots with an ibuprofen chaser to elapse so you could top yourself up and get a good 3 hour nap before starting the waiting process all over again.

It made matters even worse that the moment you tested positive you basically became a leper. Stephen, Wong, and America banished you to the bedroom and adjoining bathroom. Wong even put up a quarantine spell that would alert them if you tried to leave the room.

You understood why. The Sorcerer Supreme and one of the Avengers getting severely ill probably wouldn't be a good thing. Much too tempting for the forces of evil. No one really knew if America could get COVID, having traveled the multiverse she probably had antibodies to things that didn't even exist in your world, but it was better safe than sorry.

Still though, a cuddle sounded really good right about now, and that was one thing Stephen couldn't give you. At least not until you were no longer contagious. You still had a couple days to go before that was even a possibility.

He was doing his absolute best to give you anything he thought you might need. Leaving trays and bags of food and medicine. Occasionally throwing in some candy or a random little treat he thought would cheer you up. He was trying so hard. Especially when you knew he wasn't exactly known for his bedside manner as a Doctor.

You hated snapping at him. You just felt genuinely terrible, and you knew that you just had to ride it out. For the most part, by yourself. It almost felt worse when he would check on you, knowing that you couldn't go hug him or even hold his hand without exposing him even more than you already had.

"I know you are miserable right now, and I know I don't have to keep bringing you all sorts of stuff beyond food and drugs. However, America showed me something that we both decided you needed. It's a friend to keep you company."

He reached inside and set down a large plain white paper gift bag. Stepping back and closing the door so you could move to get the bag, taking it back to your spot by the tub before looking in the bag.

As you peeked in the bag, you were immediately about to burst into tears. Inside was a fairly large brown teddy bear. What made it special though was that it was styled to look like Stephen.

It had blue eyes and a very dark brown goatee on its face. That alone was enough to make you giggle. The fact that it was wearing a version of Stephen's blue sorcerer's robes and it's own little Cloak Of Levitation attached to it's shoulders with velcro was just icing on the cake.

It was perfect. Soft and perfect size to snuggle while still being well formed enough that stayed looking like Stephen. Just Stephen in teddy bear form.

"Stephen, it's perfect! I love him so much! This is exactly what I needed. Thank you"

He peeked back through the door to see you already snuggling the bear tight to your chest. Happy tears on your cheeks and for the first time in days a smile on your face.

You couldn't see it behind his mask, but he was smiling too. So relieved that he could make you feel better even for just a little but. He figured you missed cuddling. He knew that he missed it. He had stolen one of your sweatshirts to snuggle, so he thought it was perfect when America showed him the bear.

Now once you were better, he might have a problem with the bear if he was there for you to cuddle instead. He would deal with that when the time came though. For now, he would share you.

--------------------------------

Back to main masterlist

Stephen Strange Taglist: @starkiller-queen @glitterylokislut @verycollectivecreator @chatampr @maskmare931 @lovecleastrange @wheredafandomat @mkixx @evelynrosestuff @katefullerrr @littlepinknightmare @foofarny @stygianoir @moonroyalt @saturnsbabe69 @blaxdet @blackrose-92 @ironstrange1991 @rindulacre @nancy-thompsons @wolfatheartandsoul @dangerouslittlefairy @n0obmaster-69 @oliveoilthoughts @onebatch--twobatch @yourmajesty13 @blondekel77 @lil-sweater-slut @gwephen @taramaria @sinceimetyou @slashersrus @coeurgrenaty @cc13723things @just--a-magpie @supervengerslock @strangelockd @dont-feel-so-good-peter @kingsmanperfecthartwin @ghost-lantern @inlovewithloki16 @thefalconandthewinterwidowshield @itssmaugtheterrible @katherinemaximoff @veryfancydoilies @cute-angi @mochacake2016 @prix19 @alexfanficnook @anotheroddfish @mando-is-the-way @xourownsidee @baes-x @dreamingsmile @negar77rd @imaginesfreetotake @ppatricia34me @rougepetale @tis-vereon @divinearchangel @sherlux @hiddlechive @ginnykate @thatesqcrush @friendofplenti @yuugenmomo @holdmyowos @the-royal-petals @lokislov3 @captaincarmel164 @lucimorningst4r @mydearalmira @petalcranberry @singhfae @emotionsareforuglypeople @trappedinlimbo15 @veryladyqueen @icytrickster17 @kentucky-criedfricken @briefhandsstudenttoad @calamityismyspecialty @sinisterstrange616 @patbrdac @trojanaurora @azu21 @massivehahaao3tree @strangesgirl

[rjalker]

[ID: A TikTok video by user julia_doubleday speaking to the camera, saying:

"We need to talk about ableism in leftist spaces. So, I'm someone who's worked on progressive campaigns for the last like seven, eight years, um, I'm not seeing any eforts to make leftist spaces inclusive to disabled people right now. As you may or may not know, 5-6 hundred people are still dying daily of Covid in the US. The majority of those people are vaccinated, a lot of those people are immune compromised, disabled, vulnerable in some way.

There are a lot of things we can do to make leftist space accessible for disabled people.

One, there should never be a case where we don't have um, a virtual option to join like a meeting, um, it's really easy, we've proven that we can do it, so not doing it is just a decision to exclude disabled people.

Secondly, ventilation and masks. So, that means like, high-quality HEPA filters, or if you can't afford that, um, there's something called a Corsi Rosenthal box which is really easy to make out of a box fan, um, that will keep your space really well ventilated, and then wearing high-quality masks when you're in a meeting space, just so that disabled people are actually able to join and organize with you.

Not doing these things, and not even commenting on them, is sending a signal loud and clear to disabled people that they are not welcome in these spaces, and that we do not prioritize the health and safety of our members.

And even beyond the fact that our left spaces are not accessible right now, and nobody's even commenting on it or talking about it, um, there's also just this like, really toxic, awful strain of ableism going around where leftists seem to be mocking and just like joining in on this like, right-wing bullshit about how like, annoying and hysterical and lazy disabled people are, which, like, I shouldn't have to say is not in line with any of my values.

Disabled people are not harming you by pointing out that it's not safe for them to be in public right now. They're actually doing a lot more to try and protect you than the people you're defending, which is people like Joe fucking Biden, um, who doesn't care if you continually get reinfected with this disaease that we're already finding has a lot, um, of long term implications, a lot of cumulative effects that can be really harmful, even if you're not already disabled.

As leftists, um, making our spaces hostile to disabled people, making hostile comments to disabled people, particularly during a mass death event that disproportionately affecting them, is just not acceptable.

And when you adopt these kind of talking points that are like, 'oh, well if I'm wearing a mask I can--I'll never be able to socialize again, I won't be able to leave my house, um you're basically just locking me up and throwing away the key', first of all, calm down. It's literally fine. You can just wear a mask and socialize. I do it all the time.

If you're in a left space or organization, um, I highly encourage you to be vocal about this. We cannot be quiet about this, disabled people deserve to be in our spaces."

The video ends.

End ID.]

Live link to video.

Archived link

[musicaldaydreams]

Gonna be a little bit of venting/covid talk under the cut. ^^; I just need to get this out into the world. And maybe there's an off chance someone sees this who knows more than me. (TLDR if anyone knows of updated information on Covid that is neither "sweeping it under the rug" nor "everyone is doomed forever" please throw it at me.)

There's not any easily-accessible information that's kept up to date anymore and it's kind of killing me. I hear some doctors (mine) say "It's still not something you want to catch, but symptoms are generally milder and the risk of serious complications is low. It's acting very much like a flu these days" and I hear other doctors saying "If you catch it even once, even mildly, your body is severely messed up, and we don't know yet whether it's for life or not. It's a plague and anyone who catches it is a ticking time bomb for serious complications afterwards." And I don't know what to believe, how scared I need to be, so I just default to "terrified, all the time". (Existing health OCD meshes so well with it. >.<) Especially since I had it back in October (a mild case, I think) I'm just constantly on ultra-high-alert. If my sinuses are a bit irritated, or my face feels warm, or i get a slight headache, I'll have a huge anxiety attack. If a muscle hurts a bit I worry it's a blood clot and have a huge anxiety attack. I cross stores to avoid passing someone in an aisle, and if I can't, I hold my breath and get very anxious.If someone coughs in earshot of me, every muscle in my body tenses up and I feel sick. I always wear an N95 mask and socially distance in public, but the lack of information means I'm just constantly 2 seconds away from breaking down in severe panic at any moment. I don't know how likely I am to catch it again before I can get my next vaccine (3 months from now, apparently. It's terrifying.) I don't know how much danger different groups are in. My risk evaluation skills are completely broken and I'm pretty sure I'm more terrified/paranoid now than i was even at the beginning of the pandemic. At least then I knew what was going on.

[babs-zone]

a covid conscious road trip diary

los angeles to portland and back, no viruses allowed | april 2023

by babs ✨

hi yes good to be back n writing here on tumblr dot com, and what better place to start than with a little joy? in this series (a companion guide to my tiktok vlogs) i'm going to share how my partner and i traveled from LA to PDX and back without contracting the novel coronavirus.

click here for the full playlist on tiktok. click here for the above video.

⏤

who this is for:

people still using mitigation against SARS-CoV-2 looking for ways to get out and have a lil adventure without throwing caution to the winds

people who stopped using mitigation and are tired of getting sick

people who stopped using mitigation and want to start again

anyone else that finds it interesting ;)))

who this is not for:

people who don't think SARS-CoV-2 is a big deal and don't care to have an open conversation about why that is

people who want to police others behavior— i understand that we may not always see eye to eye, make exactly the same choices, etc, but there is a way to have those conversations while still acknowledging the reality that i have never knowingly been infected with SARS-CoV-2; while there's no accounting for luck, there's got to be something to what i'm doing

on that note, let's talk about my covid reality so we have a baseline knowledge of where i'm coming from:

29 / have fairly stable lupus and sjogrens syndrome / white (ashkenazi background is the lineage to carry the autoimmune diseases with 3 known cases in my fam) / (F) on medical charts but she/they to y'all tytyty / queer

my most *acutely* debilitating recurrent symptom is head and facial pain, which can be (though isn't always) triggered by mask wearing. i experienced this pain prior to the pandemic, but as time has gone on, i've had multiple episodes of pain directly connected to the pressure of a mask on my nose/sinus area (kind of in the same place as the malar rash), that extends into my eyes, up/over/around my skull, and into the clothes-hanger area of my bag, which can then in turn irritate my ribs (though not always, chronically ill people know how these things can cascade). this pain leaves me with intense sensory sensitivity (so in the dark, quiet, unable to do a lot of things), and can also include vomiting. for this reason, i try to spend as much time outside as possible.

10a-6p day job in communications where i work in person ~twice weekly at minimum (gotta Make Content and photos), as well as freelance photography, so my work is hybrid. in 2021 when i returned to work after i got vaccinated, i was still working the same food service job i'd been at since 2016. i ultimately quit that job in september of 2021 when i wasn't able to take enough time off to safely travel to photograph a wedding i'd committed to (driving takes way longer than flying), but had that not happened, i could've easily continued in that position despite the risk, as i'd structured my freelancing around that service job.

polyamorous and live with 2/3 of my partners (one works hybrid, one in service so all in-person), but we all have our own bedroom (even if we sleep in each others sometimes)

our household is in a pod with our other partners' household, which is three people in two bedrooms, all of whom work from home

my entire pod masks indoors outside of our homes unless the environment is intentionally controlled (prior testing, planning, etc); this has been a basic rule of thumb that has not changed the entire pandemic

a few of us, myself included, have access to tests through our jobs, so my household ~usually~ gets two PCRs and two RATs per week

both households have at least one HEPA filter (though all the filters need changing ngl)

both households have one aranet4 CO2 monitors, which is passed around based on need

we've had two covid positives in the pod: separate incidents, both in 2022, where both individuals were successfully isolated before further spread. blessedly, no longcovid symptoms from either of them.

so going into this trip, we brought

a good plan based on the swiss cheese model (above)

lots of different kinds of masks, as switching up the way pressure hits on my face can mean longer time able to mask

a bunch of covid tests

that's it

we considered taking one of the HEPA filters, but, as mentioned, they need changing and we just didn't have time to do so

likewise, didn't bring the CO2 monitors so others could use

ok, i think that's good background, now on to the fun!

⏤

day 1 - LA to silicon valley

after packing up the car, our first stop was coffee at the palm in burbank (which has online ordering and a walk up window), then we drove drove drove.

next stop was for lunch in bakersfield at vida vegan eatery, which has outdoor seating, but it was covered on three sides with plastic. we could've asked the folks working to lift the plastic, or we could've just taken the chance and eaten outside there regardless, as we would've been the only ones out there, but we chose to eat in the car, because this was a driving day anyhow.

drove drove drove some more thru gilroy, the garlic capital of california, where we masked up to stop at a lil farm stand.

made it to silicon valley, where we stayed at the sunnyvale ramada. we looked at a lot of chain options in the area, and chose this one not because it necessarily had the best reviews, but because it clearly had rooms that opened to the outside as well as the AC unit visible on the window, so the room takes in fresh air.

when we arrive at hotels, we mask up while do the requisite once-over (check for bed bugs, etc). we turn the ventilation up real high, open any windows, and prop the door open. masks stay on til we get all the bags in, when we usually settle in.

on this night, we threw on some nicer clothes and took a rapid test (negiii) before heading out to grab my cousin for dinner. they mask regularly, and also rapid tested negative before we headed over. even so, we keep masks on and windows down when we share the car with anyone outside the pod.

ended up on a nice pedestrian street in mountain view for dinner outdoors at yugen ramen and it was so quiet; we truly had the place to ourselves. finally, topped off the night with a quick pop into the patisserie down the street, maison alyzée. it was close to closing, so mostly empty outside of the unmasked proprietor, but, to be frank, we went into this trip assuming we'd be the only ones masked anywhere.

alright that's all for day one, eleven more to go!

[hermetichermethermes]

So She's finally there, at Fascism's door.

Personal: Skip if you don't care. I'm just venting

My mum over the last 3 years has allowed herself to be severely radicalised by the YouTube algorithm. She started out already possessing the "vaccines cause Autism" trope from the days when she watched Alex Jones (through his golden 9/11 era) and steadily through watching Russell Brand during the COVID lockdown she's been recommended further and further to the right content.

She's since doubled down on the Antivax crap but also she's picked up the chemtrails, Flat Earth, COVID is fake, COVID is also not fake but was made by the government for population control, 5G causes COVID and random heart attacks, Satanists sacrificing children, Jan 6th denial/Antifa involvement narrative, Fluoride in the water is to poison us, Holocaust denial and revisionism, Defending Kanye West, Defending Johnny Depp, Defending the Canadian Trucker "FreeDumbDom Convoy" and the claims that the government is in league with 11 species of aliens with 9 of which eat humans (that's apparently a child sacrifice thing by the democrats...)

She also started wearing a mask at the height of this pandemic but she mentioned this on one of her little conspiracy Facebook groups and says she was made fun of and got blocked/banned from it so then she hasn't worn one since saying they're another form of government control etc especially when she was actually sick going around coughing and spluttering in the supermarket without a mask and not even covering her mouth. She'd even purposefully cough at people wearing masks getting great joy out of it. Disgusting behaviour. What she must think of me as I stand there with her wearing a mask...

She's been getting ads recently for that Matt Walsh Documentary 'what is a woman' and watching clips of Ben Shapiro asking students why they don't identify as 60 years old as proof that Trans people are illegitimate somehow? So yeah she's on the Transphobia Train too now.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough today she's finally topped it all by throwing herself in the deep end of the Qanon content on Rumble. Apparently Elon Musk of all people is actually Q himself and he's going to run for president or VP with Trump and together they'll drop "Q drops" and go after the secret democrat led pedo/child sacrifice ring Epstein was apart of and Musk is due to release info on everyone who was on his island or photographed with Epstein (we got in an argument when I showed her that Trump and Elon have both been photographed with him and also been to his island of course)

Anyway I need to move out so please someone fucking save me. Donate to me, keep me as your pet, fucking kill me I don't care I just want out before the absolute worst happens tbh

[mbrainspaz]

I posted 3,907 times in 2022

That's 1,137 more posts than 2021!

565 posts created (14%)

3,342 posts reblogged (86%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mbrainspaz (I feel called out.)

@b1y7h3shifter

@dkpsyhog

@geeneelee

@curlsabroad

I tagged 2,865 of my posts in 2022

Only 27% of my posts had no tags

#tiktok - 154 posts

#funny video - 131 posts

#personal problems - 112 posts

#life of a texan peasant - 91 posts

#funny story - 78 posts

#funny post - 77 posts

#us politics - 75 posts

#gifs - 68 posts

#writer problems - 63 posts

#lmao - 62 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i will continue to enjoy my trash entertainment where everybody comes back to life and nothing makes sense and villains are inexplicably ho

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Can people change?

Yes

Can you change them?

Nope!

85 notes - Posted June 27, 2022

#4

I keep coming back lately to how f*cked up it was that my dad never let me mess anything up. Oh no, don’t climb out the window and sit on the roof--you’ll damage the shingles. So I put out beach towels and was extra careful, and he still got mad. Some of my best childhood memories were sitting out on that roof with my brother or my friends. Man f*ck the shingles. We sold that house a year later anyway. I waited years for him to fix the toilet paper roll holder in an upstairs bathroom--then one day just broke down and fixed it myself. It took me 5 minutes. And he was mad because I didn’t use the right kind of screws. F*ck the right screws. It looked perfect and it worked just fine, at least until I moved out. Now I’ve been out here living with a bunch of rogue ranchers and old engineers and it’s given me a whole new perspective on life. The first day I moved onto this ranch the owner got out an electric saw and cut a hole straight through a sewer pipe. I nearly panicked! Like--YOU CAN JUST DO THAT?!?! Just break something?! It was a horrible job! But BAM--it was done! And that sh*t changed my whole worldview. Last week I helped remodel a bridge with some spare logs and a pickaxe. I’ve sawed open the roof of my house and glued it back together. I’ve torn wall fixtures off and burned them in a bonfire. 

GO AHEAD! BREAK IT. Wear down the shingles. Cut holes through the wall. Get mud on the sofa. Put stickers on your car. Break the world around you just a little instead of living in fear of losing resale value you rarely get back anyway. It’ll be fine. 

198 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

#3

How much did I want a horse?

A totally sane amount. 🫣

406 notes - Posted September 1, 2022

#2

have I mentioned how hilarious it is to me when people ask me about my gender and I tell them I'm non-binary and they go "well I don't believe in all that." Cool beans pal. And I don't give a f*ck about your beliefs. Have a nice day. 😂

448 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

mom: It’s so crazy it’s like everyone around me is getting covid.

me: that’s why it’s spiking, mom.

mom: no like your dad was saying I’m the carrier, haha. 

me: Well you might be. You were sick over christmas and everyone else had it after. [and I begged you to wear a mask but you went around kissing everybody instead]

mom: But my symptoms were really mild and allergy meds made mine go away.

me: allergy meds can treat symptoms. My regular ones have helped with covid too.

mom: huh. But your dad’s symptoms are totally different. He’s got a fever and he’s been throwing up. It’s really bad. Same with our friend from church. 

me: Were they vaccinated?

mom: no. 

me: THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE NOT VACCINATED.

mom: But your dad already had covid before the pandemic. 

me: IT’S A DIFFERENT STRAIN MOM. PEOPLE CAN GET COVID MULTIPLE TIMES MOM. THAT’S WHAT THE VACCINE IS FOR MOM. THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN TELLING Y’ALL FOR TWO YEARS MOM.

mom: Well...

675 notes - Posted January 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[20dollarlolita]

Today at work: (actually, a couple of days ago at work, but you know what I mean)

We have a regular who we are going to call S. S is one of our absolute favorite customers. She is hilarious, and is so excited about the machine she bought, and is just a lot of fun to teach owner's classes to.

She's also Deaf. She reads lips almost flawlessly, so teaching a class isn't very hard (face her and explain what you're going to point at > point at the thing > wait to see if she has a question). Because she's Deaf, she articulates some words and sounds differently from how hearing people do. This means that, since I have some kind of mild hearing loss, I also need to read her lips to understand her. So, we communicate really well, but that ability to communicate is 100% dependent on if we can see each other's mouths.

So I'm teaching her a class, and neither of us have masks for obvious reasons. I take a second to grab some water, and a Green Store customer stops me to tell me that we really need to be wearing masks. I don't feel like explaining the whole situation to her, so I said that we're both comfortable teaching the class without masks, and that my company is also okay with it, but thanks for the concern. Rando customer doesn't get to hear about people's vaccination statuses and disabilities; that's not my info to share anyway.

Customer is offended, says she's just trying to be safe, and storms off.

Quick couple of facts here:

1) the county we are in has lifted the mask mandate, as of about a week ago

2) the store we're in has never enforced the mask mandate beyond offering a free mask to customers who aren't wearing one. (This is because of a woman who was getting boiling cups of water or coffee and throwing the contents at employees who told her to put on a mask. Yes, she did this in several stores and even hit certain locations more than once. No, the police did not catch her)

3) the california mask mandate has, from day 1, had an exemption for the Deaf and hard of hearing, and for those communicating with the Deaf and hard of hearing.

But thanks for the concern.

I did mask up after S had left, because I now have a major preference to wear them while I'm out in public for numerous reasons. Some are valid, and some are because I can whisper "fuck you" at shitty customers without getting caught.

[phoenixonwheels]

Well that was a ride

Why just be an antivaxxer when you can double down on the ableism?

Love how you think you’re going to end up in jail instead of 6’ deep.

I see we’ve reached the prayers stage.

You’re going to go with the “it’s just the flu” line? How many times in your life have you gone to the ER with the flu Wendi?

You never once in your life gave a flying fuck about anyone but yourself Wendi. Why would you possibly wear a mask to keep from spreading a deadly disease that you know you have when you could just run around being a selfish fuck and kill people?

Bye bitch!

[ID: Facebook posts by Wendi Bosnak-Johnson: Jan 6, 2022: “Hahahaha... It's a joke you all! lol 🤣” A picture of a person with facial differences with a frame that says “I got my Covid-19 booster”. Jan 8, 2022: “Biden's vaccine mandates are challenged at the Supreme Court as COVID-19 cases spike nationwide... This pisses me off...My Body, My Choice!!!!!! I will NOT get these shots...they will have to throw me in jail if that's what it takes!!!!” Jan 14, 2022; “OMGoodness... I didn't think I would ever catch the Coronavirus... I thought I was immune... My son brought it home from school and now I'm pretty sure I have it now... I have a bad headache,threw up, having diarrhea,and my chest is hurting from coughing, forgot two more systems freezing to death and a runny nose.... I'm about to go to the ER to get tested. Prayers appreciated. ❤️” Jan 15: “I got tested last night at ER... I have Covid. Thank you everyone for the prayers, much appreciated! Love to all and stay safe. It just feels like the Flu. ❤️” Jan 15, 2022: “No, no one wants to put up with being Vaccinated, when you don't believe in it and no one wants to wear those STUPID Mask. PERIOD!!!” Alexis Bosnal, Jan 26, 2022: “For those who may or may not know…it saddens me to say that my Aunt Wendi Bosnak-Johnson passed away Tuesday morning. She had pneumonia and Covid.”]

[countzeroor]

We need to talk about ableist language & rhetoric in social justice spaces

With the potentially upcoming ruling regarding Roe vs. Wade likely leading to increased protests, I'm seeing some ableist rhetoric coming up on Twitter and in other Social Justice spaces regarding protest actions and what needs to be done. It's not necessarily done out of deliberate malice - nobody's throwing around ableist slurs - but particularly speaking as someone who is autistic, there are things I need to say about how you say things.

First, asking for neurodiverse language isn't "tone policing" - it's asking you to be understanding and to accept that some of the people you're trying to motivate are neurodivergent, and are very used to people who aren't neurodivergent throwing them and their interests under the bus, so when you don't use neurodiverse language, we have all rights to assume the worst of you, and that you will use us to benefit your cause, and then abandon us when it's no longer convenient because that's what everyone else does. If that's not the case, you need to be proactive in demonstrating that you're not going to do that.

Second, be aware that disability means that our advocacy will have to take a variety of forms. Not everyone can take part in protest marches. Not everyone can phone bank. This means don't "Show-up shame" - don't use language saying people who don't take part in protests don't care, either textually or subtextually - i.e. "If you care about this issue, you need to be out in the streets and show up", with language specifically excluding voting and phone banking as examples of Showing Up (the end of Leon Thomas/Renegade Cut's latest video is an example of this). Sticking a modifier after the statement saying "If you're not able to take part in protests that's okay but," doesn't make it better. Honestly, that actually makes it worse - because it means you are aware that your language is ableist and exclusionary, and you are effectively doubling down on it (again, Leon Thomas, I'm looking at you). To make an example for me, my Autism causes me to experience auditory sensory overload, especially if I'm getting hit with various sources of auditory input that are sending different things at the same time. I can function at a convention, for example, because I can find places at the convention that are quieter spaces, or I can even make my own using headphones. I don't have that option in a protest. Now, I can mitigate this if I have a buddy who will watch my back for the whole protest - but I need to have that buddy who I trust implicitly. Further, if I shut down or get overloaded, then I am out - and you need to not shame if I, or another person on-spectrum, or another person who has hit a medical limitation has to bow out of a protest early, because they overestimated what they could handle, because a medical situation came up, whatever.

(Quick aside, there is a future blog post in the works regarding how The World Ends With You and Evangelion Twice Upon A Time talks about wearing headphones).

Also, as a quick addendum - during the start of the pandemic, advocacy groups were generally very inclusive of the immunocompromised and their caretakers when it came to the people's limitations when it comes to protests, and whether or not they could take part in protest marches - in particular avoiding language that was show-up shaming, because of the limitations those people faced. However, now the show-up shaming is back in full force, but while we have vaccines, people are still immunocompromised, and breakthrough infections are still a thing. Consequently, the return of show-up shaming from the left is frustrating because otherwise left-wing voices have generally been more supportive of continuing masking, not opening up too quickly (if at all), and so on.

Be aware that people will respond to different forms of riot damage differently. For example, I have autism. Seeing people smash up a Starbucks or a big box store, or a police station or city hall does not stress me. Same with storefronts with offices in upper stories. However, if those upper stories are residential, then that triggers an empathetic anxiety attack for me because I then put myself mentally in the position of imagining what it would feel like to have to evacuate my apartment in that situation as an autistic person. That is, having to flee my apartment, with a pet, with a whole bunch of angry people outside who I fear will assault me (for no reason than "they're angry people who set the building where I live on fire"), and afterward having a situation where all the safe spaces that I need to help me function as a human being have been taken away. In that situation, I imagine myself locking down hard, and quite possibly dying. The last time I mentally put myself in that scenario when reading about rioting where there were fires in buildings with upper story residential, I had an anxiety attack that shut me down hard, and I was no longer able to function for the rest of the day.

Now, you can say I'm borrowing trouble. You can say that's unrealistic and will never actually happen. And you're probably right. However, the chain of events that leads to me getting into my own head and going on that little trip is absolutely involuntary. I don't control when it happens, and I don't control where the trip goes. I have to ride it out. And, I'm probably not the only person with Autism who goes through this. So when this does happen to an Autisic person around you, don't get mad at them, this is a case where the response needs to be someone needs to be patient, and needs to be sensitive, because white fragility may play into some of this - depending on the ethnicity of the person in question - that isn't all of this (and depending on the ethnic makeup of your area, consider that white anti-capitalist anarchists torching businesses because their businesses without considering the ethnicity of who owns those businesses, the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood, and the possibility that the people who live in the upstairs apartments are PoC is A Bad Look).

One last thing - as an autistic person, I plan things out a lot. Planning things out in advance so I know what I'm doing and what I can expect from other people is important to me. Even when I say "I'm winging it", my definition of "winging it" is "I actually made a plan with several possible points of divergence and places where I can cut things out of the plan." So, when I ask "Do you have a plan?", and your answer is "Don't worry about it", "You need to be flexible", or some variation on "Planning is giving in to the cop in your mind/hierarchical systems/whatever" - and I am dependant on you for my safety, whether that's for a protest, or replacing a complex system with something else, I start going through a cycle where I start stressing myself out. In that instance the thing that breaks the cycle is either me knowing what the plan is and, in turn, what I'm able to do to help (even if that thing is "sit over there/go home and we'll call you when we need you"), or putting myself in a situation where I'm no longer dependant on you for my safety. Again, I'm just one person with Autism, but other people with Autism may have similar experiences.

This all relates to the first point - at a protest, the cops generally won't have my best interests at heart. Certainly anyone on the right wing counter-protesting our protest won't either. If I can't be confident that the people around me don't either, then I'm better off not being there at all. So, if you're using language that is exclusionary of neurodivergent people or people with disabilities, and you're dismissive of the concerns of people with of disabilities, whether in the short or long term with your plans when "the community" as a concept has about as strong a track record of dealing with people with disabilities as "the police" does, you've created a situation where I - as a person with disabilities - cannot trust you and the cause you are ostensibly fighting for (say, anarchism) to be any better than the existing system (and might quite possibly be worse).

So, in conclusion, as the TL;DR: be proactive - when it comes to disability-inclusive and neurodivergent inclusive language, when it comes to being inclusive of people with disabilities in your protests (including being aware that people with disabilities are taking part in the protest and having people whose job it is to make sure that those people are safe when/if the shit hits the fan), when it comes to being inclusive of the tactics used for advocacy (including not "show-up shaming"), and make sure that whatever your group's goals are - whatever your cause is - make sure you actually have an actual plan to make sure their needs are covered while you're doing everything else (and you are including members of that community so you know what those needs actually are and we can be confident that you are going to fill them).

One last side note: If you're going, as part of your group's political aims or presentation of their goals, going to cite historical governments that you feel were slandered by capitalist propaganda, and how awesome you think they really are - also be very aware of their history regarding disability and inclusion. For example, it was the official stance of the Soviet Union that there were no people in the USSR with disabilities - just from a proportional population standpoint that's a lie, and even if you assume accounts of what happened to people with disabilities in the USSR and other Soviet bloc and communist states is all capitalist propaganda - the act of erasure itself should have raised concerns for you, so if you're going to raise past communist states as an example to be emulated, you need to talk up front of how you're going to treat the disabled and neurodivergent better - and you need have a plan or other structure in mind to reflect that.

[buttercupsfrocks]

Well, Tumblr, it's here, and 2021 better take care to avoid the door giving it's arse an almightly thwack on the way out.

Sooo, guess who had a Covid scare just before Christmas? Cockily I'd dared to attend a tiny works do. Ten of us in the office for a couple of hours with tea and stickies, including home made brownies, a Portuguese King Cake, and designer donuts, be still my beating heart. I have been into the office precisely once over the last 22 months and hadn't even met one of my newer colleagues face to face. Plus we were doing Secret Santa. So I thought what the hell, especially as I'd just started a new p/t teaching job in East London and had twice tubed it home during rush hour, albeit appropriately clad in an FPP2. Hah! That'll learn me to de-mask and eat dainties. The following day, the colleague I'd been sitting next to for the duration tested positive, followed by a second the day after, who reckoned his daughter had brought it back from school. Cue me back in social isolation for ten days because OMG-icron, taking daily lateral flow tests and, after being pinged by the dreaded track 'n' trace, a PCR. This was just before our blithering shipwreck of a PM succeeded in terrifying the country to such an extent that, for a while, there was no longer a testing kit to be had in the UK. Somehow I remained negative throughout so yay Pfizer, I guess.

Since 2021 had begun with my losing a beloved family member to Covid, I'm relieved to see the back of it. Let's hope the virus continues to morph into ever less deadly mutations during 2022, and thank God and/or science for vaccines. The NHS and Big Pharma can stick me thrice a year in perpetuity if need be.

It hasn't all been bad mind. Ever since this nightmare kicked off I'd harboured a fantasy of celebratory dancing with friends. It was a means of keeping myself sane in a world I no longer recognised; what I'd do one day when all this was over. Well, obviously, it's not over (yet) but at least things improved, albeit slowly for those of us with underlying conditions. And in October, just in the nick of time, I did get to throw some shapes outside of the confines of my flat.

I won't lie, I was nervous at the prospect of travelling out of London to attend the wedding of a long time friend, especially as I knew there'd be almost a hundred guests – but lemme tell you, je ne regret rien. While I have seen my bestie in the interim, there were others in attendance I hadn't seen since well before Covid and it was wonderful to spend time with them. We made a weekend of it and I loved every minute. Plus the (Willy Wonka themed) wedding itself was amazing. And, yes, of course I cried. So did Karen. And one of the grooms. In fact I strongly doubt there was a dry eye in the house.

Of course it's all buckle-up-and here-we-go-again now but I remain uncharacteristically optimistic. And I've learned to cherish the mundane and previously taken for granted. Like dancing to Tiger Feet with your mates.

Seriously how cute is this sweater? I had no idea Skinny Dip made clothes, much less clothes in size Fat. I watched it for months as it got further and further reduced, eventually bagging it for fifteen quid. Not bad since it started off at thirty-five. It's also incredibly warm considering it doesn't have a scintilla of actual wool in it. My only regret is that I can't accessorise it with my shrimp earrings as they're entirely the wrong shade of pink. Mind you that would go against my personal fashion rule of no more than one eccentric/novelty/I'm-Mad-Me component to an outfit, so it's probably just as well.

I have ordered a couple of items to wear in the current sales, including yet another Monki puff-sleeved frock, (this time in a red Madras seersucker), that I ordered to wear on Christmas Day a fair bit in advance. Hermes, the devil's own courier company, assured me they'd be delivering it several days in advance too, only to send me another email moments later saying "an exception" had occurred so they wouldn't. I later learned from Monki Custromer Services that this is code for "Hermes lost my parcel" after they suddenly refunded me for a return I hadn't even seen, never mind returned. I then had to re-order the bastard after Christmas in the fond hope it might arrive in time for spring. As ill luck would have it Hermes are also the courier favoured by Oliver Bonas, from whom I ordered the softest, cosiest, oversized, baby pink cardi to go with my rainbow pastel culottes, (see my previous post). Let's hope they don't have another "exception" because there are currently no more left in my size.

Pray for me, Tumblr. It's shot through with silver thread so fine it shimmers, and has diamanté buttons and star shapes knitted into the design. I wanted it so badly I'd resolved to pay full price if it didn't make it into the sale.

[scienceisfood]

I see a lot of depressing news from confrontations regarding the pandemic so I thought I'd share some good news.

So right before New years, (literally just like 30 minutes beforehand) I was driving my brother and SiL to my parents where they were staying. Now that we finally have some time together without our parents, they mention how my parents haven't been wearing masks in stores at all. And we live in an area where a lot of people don't wear masks in stores. We also live in an area where a lot of people get sick and the hospitals are at high capacity.

We are vaccinated and boostered. My parents are vaccinated and boostered. But the whole reason my parents moved here, my children under the age of 5 whom they visit very frequently, are not vaccinated.

I work in production and if anyone knows what that is like, you deal with a lot of emotions and high defenses, so I have experience in quick and painless resolution during entry confrontation. (Not extremely toxic people that's another can of worms). This also isn't addressing any trauma related topics.

1. What's the goal? Make it emotionless with a strict ruleset. In my case, I cannot have them visiting the kids after going places without their mask. If so, wait ten days. It's important there are no exceptions (mask during visit, only one parent visits, etc) , because limits will be pushed, it's in our nature.

2. No one does malicious things on purpose. They all have their reasons they think justified their actions. Don't accuse them of being neglectful or harmful because all that will do is throw up defenses. Don't make it emotional.

3. Set limits to be upset. I made the rule that if they are black-and-white dishonest with me (saying they did wear a mask when they didn't) then I would let them know we have to plan this a different time.

4. Use words like Me or I frequently. It sounds less accusatory.

5. Agree with them as much as you can while holding your ground. Let them know you are working together, not against eachother.

6. It's not about what they did, it's about what they are going to do. Because you can't change the past. If they exposed my kids nothing I say will fix that. It's about going forward.

7. Don't lecture. You can state facts but too many can cause unnecessary tension.

8. Constant reassurance that you are on good terms. "I'm not mad, I just want to be clear."- finish with a smile or hug.

And it went well. My parents told me there was no mask mandate so that's why they didn't wear a mask. I could have gotten angry about that but that wouldn't have helped. Instead I told them they are correct and agreed that yes there is no mandate and they are free to do so as they wish. But my kids can't be around households who don't since they are not vaccinated and are at higher risk. I stated simply the new variant is very contagious (fact). Those who are vaccinated can still get it and will probably do just fine (assurance of their current actions) but they can still pass out to others who are at risk. There are a lot of kids in hospitals right now (fact). I then gave an example of my coworker who was vaccinated and boosted, got it anyway, and had to make sure he didn't visit his grandkids (relatable example). They asked limitations and boundaries of my rules and I clarified while constantly reassuring them it's about going forward, not being angry about them doing it in the past. My mom clarified this meant my father needed to wear a mask or she can't see the grandkids. The gears turned in his head and he realized what he had to do. They agreed. I stuck to my rules and now they won't see the kids for 8 more days and we'd love to see them then. Hug and glad to talk.

Things can go well. We can make it through this.

[entamewitchlulu]

Hi! About the covid ramble you made, well, while they are mostly negative there are little things we can do.

What we can do is: get vaccined( if you can), keep wearing masks ( changing them every 4 hours or so), sanitary measures ( not only washing hands, but also cleaning phones and other things you use outside) and social distancing. That's all we can do.

On the phone note, don't put alcohol on it please. There are wipes for that, if you can't afford the wipes, what you can do is get a tissue or cloth humid with alcohol and clean the phone or whatever. When I say humid I say dump not soaking.

I think they have been getting more and more negative because there are still alot of people who don't believe this whole ordeal. People who thinks we can go back to party ( Christmas and new year) like before. Like no, we can't yet.

The only for others to listen is to cause negative effects. Is it good? No. But sadly for some people, only fear will move them to do those measures above. To some, they still don't believe it.

Be strong, we can make out of it. I know its taxing, I know it is frustrating because we can really do something about it. But hang in there. It's scary, I know.

Stay safe and be careful❤

i appreciate it anon but i already did all those things. i'm more really stressed and exhausted about feeling like literally everyone in power has just throw up their hands, shrugged, and abandoned us telling us to just put our heads down and working while we can't actually go out, see friends or family, or do anything except work work work more work. it's just taxing, ya know?

anyway. sorry to vent dump on ya when you're just trying to help. thank you for reaching out and i hope you'll also be safe and healthy <3

[incorrect-batfamily-quotes]

In honor of Quarantine it means I can walk out wearing whatever I want long as no one can see skin, so I'm going to the store in a full Red Hood costume.

Me [to @thepoolofthedead]: You know, that’s a, um, really convincing outfit. You sure this is a good idea? I mean we are in Gotham and –

thepoolofthedead: *shrugs*

Me: Let’s just, er, keep a low profile, maybe?

Roller skates: *slowing down to a stop in front of us*

Harley Quinn: *squeals from behind her sparkly face mask and holds out grabby hands* If it isn’t my precious Baby J! Okay, NOT to be mistaken for Mistah J, who freakin’ dumped me again! I mean, he just beat me to it! It was my turn – myyyyy turn – to dump his pale butt! *scoffs* Well, you know what, I don’t need him no more, no sireeeee! *pouts* But it got lonely in my apartment real fast… So, what’s a gal to do, right? Figured I’d roll around the streets for a while, find a pal or two… All my buddies refuse to get outta their “lairs” or whatever. Boo hoo! And I  was, like, but aren’t we all doctors or somethin’? *lights up* In summary, how great is this? Who’s ya friend? Wanna hang out? 

Batmobile: *screeches to a halt in front of us*

Batman [to us]: *rolls window on driver’s side down* Get in. Now.

Nightwing: *on the passenger side* Come on, guys, we’re on a tight schedule. Hey, Harley!

Harley Quinn: *cheerfully* Hey there, handsome!

Robin: *in the backseat, opens the door* Now. We still have to pass by for Drake. It’s gonna take a while to wake him up.

Batman: *narrows his eyes and clears his throat* Harleen. 

Harley Quinn: Wha– *throws her hands up in exasperation, pouts, and moves a few inches away from thepoolofthedead* Ya happy now, Bats? Or do ya need to get a measuring stick to make sure I’m six feet away from ya kid?

Batman: Hrn. I told you, until that vaccine comes out of Wayne Enterprises R&D, I don’t want you near my children. Who knows what you’ve been touching.

Harley Quinn: *grins suggestively* Well, you do.

Batman: *grunts* Go home. And stay there. *proceeds to roll window up*

Harley Quinn: In case you haven’t noticed, Bats, I’m immune to most types of – *voice gets drowned out* 

Batman: *tosses a Wayne Tech-grade disinfectant at us and activates the Batmobile’s air sterilization system*

Nightwing: *dialing Tim’s number* Alfred is gonna be pissssed. I already got, like, four missed calls. We’re gonna get schooled. Over Dinner. Again.

Robin: *narrows eyes at thepoolofthedead* New perfume, Todd? 

Me [to thepoolofthedead]: *whispering* So, uh, should you tell ‘em or should I?

~ ~ ~ 1 hour later ~ ~ ~

Red Hood: *revving up his motorcycle and on the Comm Link* On the way, Alf! Just had to pick up some surgical masks from this supplier I know and drop it off at the Gotham Children’s Hospi– What do you mean I just ate?

[birdofthunder]

Here's the story of how I was septic with a kidney infection last summer but no hospitals could admit me because they were full to capacity with COVID patients

So it's July 2020, and I had a UTI. I have an autoimmune disease and I get a ton of UTIs, ear infections, sinus infections, all sorts of infections. I know when I have an infection pretty much as soon as one sets in.

I know my UTI symptoms so well, as do my doctors, that in the height of the pandemic they didn't even make me come in to do a urine sample, they just send me the antibiotic prescription. I take the full prescription and finish it out as always, and all is well, until three days later it's back with a fury and I'm throwing up, having diarrhea, my flanks hurt like hell - the works.

Husband takes me to the local Instacare because we don't know what type of infection it is and also my symptoms were terrible. The intake nurse yells at me for not getting a covid test first, even tho none of my symptoms were covid symptoms, and then gets mad at me because it had been a few months since I had my menstrual cycle so "you're most likely pregnant" EVEN THOUGH I have an IUD and I mean if i had gotten pregnant right after my last cycle, I would have been five months in and it was pretty clear that I was not five months pregnant at the time.

I finally see the doctor and he immediately agrees that I'm not pregnant and I don't have covid. He palpates my abdomen and is thinking kidney infection. He takes a blood and urine sample and puts them on the highest priority.

Turns out, I was septic - meaning that the infection was in my bloodstream and I was extremely ill and could easily die if not treated ASAP. Typically, the hospital standard would be to admit me and put me on IV antibiotics and have me under observation for at least 48 hours. The problem was, however, that my local hospital had zero beds available due to being completely filled with COVID patients. Same for ALL of the surrounding hospitals. The closest hospital that might have been able to take me was in another county and a two hour drive away.

So, the Instacare doc opted to give me two big shots of the strongest antibiotics they could give me there in the exam room, and a prescription for the strongest antibiotics you can get at a pharmacy. He also gave my husband very strict instructions that should I get any worse at all, he would need to take me to the ER immediately.

Miraculously, it worked. I was still bedridden and sick for a couple days, but I wasn't dying of an infection - just slowly improving from one.

So even though it worked, and I'm fine and all, I worry about what would have happened if it didn't work, or if it didn't work for someone else because their hospital was at capacity with covid patients.

I also worry what might happen if it happens again, because covid cases keep going up in my state and in surrounding states. People are still dying from this disease.

Getting vaccinated dramatically decreases your risk of being hospitalized should you contract COVID-19. It decreases the chance that you will need the ICU. Meaning, getting vaccinated means that hospital beds will be available for the people who are still getting sick with kidney infections, cancer, severely broken bones, and other illnesses and conditions.

Get vaccinated, and wear a mask.