#mentioned racism

[drinkinboilingcoffee]

I keep forgetting that Henry and William were alive for full on segregation. Like in pre-canon fics there’s always the homophobia but damn I forget thats there too… (also yeah William is poc in my au sorry I know that’s an uncommon headcanon)

[rindecisions]

Stranger Tales: 15

A poll based Stranger Things fanfiction

Read all of it on AO3

Steve jumped at the sound of Eddie slamming his hands on the bar and watched him walk away. He was impressed by how well Eddie could walk in those heels*.* Steve’s eyes scanned up his slender nylon-clad legs, over the tight leather skirt, and lingered around the dimples on his lower back. In general, he stared at Eddie’s midriff for way too long and was only snapped out of it when his line of sight was cut off by the ‘STAFF ONLY’ sign. Steve rubbed his temples and sighed. He looked at the bottles on the wall behind the bar and stood.

“So?” Robin snickered as Steve approached.

“You were right,” he groaned and sat down across from her, letting his head hit the table.

Robin’s desire to gloat warped into sympathy. “You okay?” she asked tentatively.

“I just can’t get a fucking break,” Steve grumbled.

Robin furrowed her face in condolence.

—

Eddie leaned his back on the door and hit his head against it with a dramatic groan.

“You okay, honey?” Velvet asked sincerely as she walked up to him.

Eddie glanced at her and sighed, pushing himself off the door. “Not really,” he admitted. “You know that guy I've mentioned before?”

“The Harrington boy?” She clarified as they walked to a couple of chairs in the back of the room.

“Yeah, he thought I was a woman and hit on me.”

“He's not the smartest cookie, is he?” she stated plainly.

Eddie laughed lightly. “Not really, no.”

“What did you do?”

“I told him who I was.” Eddie leaned his elbows on his knees and placed his face in his hands. The false eyelashes felt strange on his palms.

“Well, I'm proud of you for that, at least.” She rubbed his back. “Trust me, that's not a lie you want to get tangled in with a straight man.”

“Yeah, I remember your cautionary tale.” He leaned back and spread his legs as far as the skirt would allow.

“You gotta move on from him, honey,” she said sympathetically, tucking some of his hair behind his ear. “Falling for a straight man will only hurt you.”

“Don't you think I've tried, Dennis?” He looked over at her to see a disapproving glare. “Sorry,” he winced.

Velvet shook her head. “I swear, you're the only person I'll let get away with calling me that when I look like this.”

Eddie smirked. “Sorry,” he repeated.

She sighed. “I suppose it's fine.” She pulled him into her chest, which was only padded on the underside. The cleavage was natural from being taped.

Eddie leaned into her. The comfort was nice.

“I've been in your position, Eddie.” She pet his hair. “So, trust me when I say give him up. A sweet boy like you doesn't belong with a womanizer like him, anyway. You deserve someone who will cherish you. And for the love of God, don't ever be someone's experiment, especially if you have feelings. Getting a taste of what you desire most, only for it to be ripped away from you, is far worse than never knowing.”

“We really get the shit stick in life, don't we?” Eddie grumbled as he sat up, wiping his makeup off of Velvet's chest.

“Yeah, there's no denying that. Just be glad you aren't fat, black, and a drag queen on top of it.”

Eddie smirked weakly. “I guess you can consider me the last one, at least.”

“You did it once as a favor. You aren’t a queen. However, if you wanted to continue doing it, I'd be thrilled to have you. The crowd loved your performance.”

“I think I'll pass on that,” he laughed.

“I figured as much.” She glanced over Eddie's face. The sad look in his eyes broke her heart. “I need to introduce the next performer, but when I get back, did you want help getting out of this?” She waved at Eddie's getup.

“Please,” he huffed.

She laughed and pat him on the back before getting up and walking towards the stage. Eddie groaned and ran his hands through his straightened hair. It felt strange and crunchy from the hairspray. He perked when he heard the door open and smiled at the bartender carrying his Long Island Iced Tea.

“You’re my hero!” Eddie exclaimed, getting up.

The bartender shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m serving a fucking minor,” he grumbled.

“Only by like two years,” Eddie said happily as he took the glass. “No one will know, and if anyone asks, I’ll just say I stole it.”

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes and left.

Eddie took a long drink and shimmied his hips happily. Cocktails were an incredibly rare treat, as low-end beer was about the only thing he could get his hands on. He sighed and sat back down on the folding chair. He could feel himself relaxing even before the buzz hit him.

“Ready to strip, doll?”

Velvet’s voice startled Eddie. “Yeah,” he said as he got up and followed her to the dressing room. “Where’d Gareth and them go?”

“They’re watching the show,” she said simply.

“Ah,” Eddie nodded, setting his drink on the vanity and letting Velvet untie his corset.

—

Steve had returned to sitting next to Robin in order to watch the show. It helped him forget his self-pity. At least it did until Max hopped over.

“So, were you rejected by a man too?” she asked bluntly, with an annoying grin.

Robin cringed.

“No,” Steve growled through grit teeth.

“Oh, sweet! So where are you going?”

Steve hated her sarcastic smile. “I’m not going to ask out a man.”

“Don’t be like that. I see you flopping with women on the regular. Why not branch out?” Her smirk intensified as she leaned her chin on her fists.

Robin clenched her face, trying not to audibly laugh.

Steve pursed his lips. “I’m not interested in men, thanks,” he hissed.

“Have you ever tried?” she pressed.

“Fuck no!” Steve snapped, making Robin wince.

“Then how do you know?”

“I’ve never been attracted to a man.”

Max stared at him flatly. “You literally just hit on one.”

“Because I thought he was a woman! If I’d known he was a man, I wouldn’t have given him a second glance.”

“You sure about that?” Max snickered, looking at a reflection on the window behind Steve.

“Of course,” Steve stated adamantly. He squinted when Max nodded her head to the side. When he glanced over, he saw Eddie walking out of the staff door. Their eyes briefly met, and Steve’s heart punched him before Eddie quickly averted his eyes and sat at a table with three other men.

Max smiled at Steve staring, and leaned back, crossing her arms smugly as she settled into the booth. She and Robin shared a silent laugh. “That’s quite a long second glance you’re giving him,” Max teased.

Steve flinched and shot his attention back to Max, who snorted at his startled deer-in-the-headlights expression. “I was,” Steve gasped. “It wasn’t. It’s not.” He swallowed and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“’King of Hawkins,’ my ass,” Max laughed. “More like ‘King of Denial.’”

“I-” Steve tugged at the collar of his t-shirt. “I need some air,” he said quickly and ran out the front door.

Robin, Max, and Eddie were the only people that paid any notice to him storming out.

“Was I too much?” Max asked.

“Maybe a little,” Robin cringed.

More fics by Rindecision

[samwisethewitch]

Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!

[prokopetz]

I'm all on board with queer liberation as a core theme in tabletop RPGs, but I've gotta ask: did you think this shit through at all? Yes, you've name-checked the X Card in your preamble and reminded players to choose their pronouns during character creation, and you've got a big stack of testimonials proclaiming that the mechanics of play are "genderpunk" – whatever that means! – but, like, your implicit setting still includes an out-group whose boundaries are delineated within the idiom of race science whom the text insists are ontologically okay to kill. Sure, they've got fash aesthetic, but I don't think making "cop" a biological category is doing the heavy lifting you think it is.

[equalperson]

i think we should always take predominant sexes and races for psychiatric disabilities into question.

are men really more likely to be antisocial or narcissistic, or are women just overlooked because ASPD/NPD are seen as too "aggressive" for them?

are women really more likely to be borderline or histrionic, or are they just seen as so "hysterical" that they have to be feminine?

are black people more likely to have schizophrenia or ODD, or are labels of "psychosis" and "defiance" simply used to further dismiss, oppress, and imprison BIPOC?

are white people more likely to have autism and ADHD, or are doctors just more willing to accept that white children are disabled and not just "bad?"

oppressive biases are everywhere in psychiatry. never take psychiatric demographics at face value.

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

Introducing the Rajaijah plant, along with everyone's complicated feelings surrounding it. From my story The House of Glass. Follows on directly from this part here!

I always wondered what the source of Rajaijah juice, or madness poison, was. @aboardthescheherazade and @lady-of-lyon both helped out a lot with research on a discord server!

For such a key plot device in two books there wasn't much background to it; all we are told is the effects of the poison are permanent (terrifying) and it came from India (very mundane, a lot of plants come from India.). The original French name suggests it's a plant extract.

I decided to base the design of the plant off of datura. I've read some pretty horrifying recollections of datura trips, and these trips can last for days. I absolutely do not recommend trying datura, the dosage is difficult to get consistent and it's very likely to kill or cause permanent injury - but it's a perfect candidate to base the Rajaijah plant off of!

I decided to make it smaller for that whimsical fairy like appearance. Datura flowers are beautiful, but I simplified the flowers to make it easier to draw in a comic or for animation!

[dazedasian]

DON'T STOP TALKNG ABOUT CONGO

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A post shared by Zoya | Let’s Talk Women of Color | Self Love & Social Justice (@lets.talkwoc)

**It’s a privilege** to look forward to the launch of the new iPhone 16, while people in the DRC face modern-day slavery, mistreatment, and abuse as they mine the very minerals that power our cherished phones. Zoya Reebye, founder of Let’s Talk WOC, sheds light on the unimaginable hardships women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo endure in the mines. From being underpaid to facing a rising rate of sexual assault, these women live through a humanitarian crisis the world must not ignore. Even as teenagers, **we can make an impact** by amplifying the voices of those working in the DRC, raising awareness, and holding companies accountable for their actions. 1. **Raise awareness** about the situation in the DRC. The more people know, the more pressure we can put on those responsible. 2. **Be mindful** of your consumer choices. 3. **Do your research.** Investigate the supply chains of companies you buy from, choose refurbished or secondhand electronics, and recycle your devices responsibly. Let’s strive for a world where our technology is not built on exploitation.

[genderqueerdykes]

"Prison cells are disproportionately stacked with poor, disabled, Black, and Brown people; Black trans women, who are often at the intersection of all of these identities, are the most overrepresented group inside prison walls. A study by the National Center for Transgender Rights and the National LGBTQ Task Force found that almost half of Black trans women in the United States have been incarcerated. Once inside, their abuse rates are extreme. The abolitionist group Black & Pink surveyed 1,100 queer and trans people in lockup, and one out of three described being assaulted by prison staff. Groups like Black & Pink and the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) have made themselves known to the system, so the system must employ ever more devious ways to cloak the abuses."

Toshio Meronek, January 2023. Excerpt from the introduction of the book Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary, authored by Toshio Meronek and Miss Major.

[hellsitegenetics]

I keep reading your name as hellsite eugenics

evil hellsitegenetics blog where instead of showing you a cool bug or a coral it just gets really racist

[drinkinboilingcoffee]

I’m making a list of relevant historical events my William lived through help me out with this:

-Great London Smog (he was also living in the most affected area…) -Stonewall -Bloody Sunday + civil rights movement (yes I draw him POC I do have a reason) -Vietnam War I need help what else happened I slept through social studies class

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was 40 years old and a 13 year old girl called me racist for saying bau-oo o' wah- ah (bottle of water but British).

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

My real time reaction of watching an American influencer spread straight up lies about my country because they lived/visited there at some point

[prokopetz]

"I can't condone rap music because it has a problematic culture", says the heavy metal fan.

[cata613]

It’s unfortunate to see what the world has come to :(

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

People have been asking for a Chang timeline post! Chang not only represents a turning point in the politics of the Tintin series, he also represents a sense of chronology in the otherwise floating timeline of the canon. While Tintin almost never discusses his past, Chang is a key part of his personal story in Tintin in Tibet.

I imagine him and Tintin being around the same age, with Chang being a few months younger.

Child - Chang had a happy early childhood being raised by his father and grandparents. He never mentions his mother when recounting his backstory to Tintin, so my main guesses are she either passed away or his parents separated before Chang was old enough to remember her. His father and grandparents taught him how to cook from an early age, and taught him the importance of solidarity and community, lessons Chang will hold onto the rest of his life.

Early canon - Chang is orphaned. This sudden loss causes him to act out. He turns to picking pockets and causing general mischief until an orphanage takes him in. Chang learns a lot of skills just to survive - he’s stealthy, he’s street smart and pretty decent at climbing. His experiences as a street kid taught him to be wary of authority.

The orphanage provides a brief period of stability until it is swept away in a flood. Until this point, Chang has felt pretty powerless in his life so just goes with the flow, so when Tintin drags him out of a river he doesn’t think twice about going along with him to break up a drug ring in The Blue Lotus. Going on this adventure with Tintin imbues him with a sense of empowerment and purpose he never felt before.

Student - The Wangs adopt him pretty quickly after he busts the drug ring with Tintin. It’s a sudden change he struggles to adapt to, with the Wangs being wealthy academics and Chang coming from a working class background there’s a significant culture clash.

Tintin leaves just as quickly and rarely contacts Chang, even as his journalism career takes off, leaving Chang lonely and heartbroken. Chang tries to send him letters but doesn’t know that Tintin moved out of Labrador Road.

Having missed out on education for a bit Chang struggles with school. He feels unworthy of the opportunities the Wangs try to provide him with and a part of him feels they only adopted him because they were dazzled by him taking down that drug ring, an achievement he increasingly feels he will never live up to again. He struggles with mental health issues, but finds solace in photography, his portfolio getting him a place at university despite his bad grades.

Young adult - In an attempt to try and help Chang’s mental wellbeing the Wangs decide to send Chang off to visit his uncles before he starts university, only for Chang to nearly perish in a plane crash in Tibet. Ironically, it’s this near death experience that shakes him out of it. Chang has a renewed enthusiasm for life, taking to travelling, dance and photography. Didi trains him in some basic martial arts so Chang can fend for himself.

Tintin makes an effort to stay in touch after having nearly lost Chang. The two repair their friendship, and Tintin has him stay at Marlinspike when Chang studies in Belgium for his second year of university. By the time Chang comes around, he’s had a growth spurt and has been working out - Chang is pretty haunted by his skeletal state from his near death experience in Tibet, so has been making an effort to recover.

After helping Tintin with a case, Tintin gets him a job at his paper as his photographer. Being Chinese he faces challenges in the workplace, and he uses his charm to be as personable as possible. Unlike Tintin, he frequents quite a few staff parties, and ends up pretty popular!

A couple of years later, Chang tries to unionise the staff at the paper. He and Tintin are outed as a couple and the two of them are fired.

Middle aged - After fighting fascists with the Marlinspike team during WW2 Chang and Tintin settle down in Belgium, with Chang scraping out some freelance photography work and a part time job at a portraiture studio. War in China causes them to lose contact with his adopted family. 

While Tintin grows more cynical, Chang accepts the chaos of the world and mellows out a lot. He tries to be a supportive partner and makes extra effort to stay in touch with his uncles and cousins.

Elderly - Chang uses his skills in photojournalism when he gets involved in political activism. He and Tintin are finally able to reunite with Didi and his children in the 70s.

[hymnsofheresy]

In this new wave of transphobia, I have been seeing a lot of aggression towards cis women who are not performing womanhood "adequately" enough. Accusations are thrown at cis women if their voice is a little "too" deep, their faces are a bit "too" square, their clothes are a bit "too" masculine. There are even recorded attacks in public bathrooms against GNC women.

It is so blatantly obvious that transphobia is another form of patriarchy. Anyone who claims to be a feminist yet espouses transphobic ideology either is willingly ignorant or maliciously trying to prop up the patriarchy. Women's liberation will only actualize once we have trans liberation.