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griddlehark, in bed the kiss

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“Many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. And it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, ‘What do I care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.’ Yes, evil often seems to surpass good. But then, in spite of us, and without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frosts. One morning the wind turns, and there is a thaw. And so I must still have hope.”

— Vincent Van Gogh

#o vincent

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Hi! this is the main blog for fleur-a-whump. After I reblogged that one chapter asking to be added to the taglist, I finished What It Takes. I then went back to browse your blog and noticed your update about being on an indefinite hiatus. While I'm sad to not see more of August, I totally get it and I hope you're doing well! Just wanted to say again I really loved the series. It used two of my absolute favorite tropes, sidekick whump and team whump with only one whumper. thanks for writing! <3

Thank you so much <3 Hearing this is really cool and special, so I hung onto it for a while haha. I'm really glad you liked my little story, and if I ever start writing it again, I'll keep you in mind :)

#super asks

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Hi! Thanks so much for writing your post on creating Deaf characters! I hope this isn’t weird, but I was hoping to ask your input on a character I want to draw for this upcoming Mermay (drawing challenge where you draw mermaids all month).

This is really, really weirdly specific but the prompt for day 7 is “parasite” and I thought it would be cute to anthropomorphize a parasite called a tongue-eating isopod (sorry, I want to warn the google image results are pretty gross, if you want to look them up!). My concept was that the isopod’s “host” would be a much larger merman instead of a normal fish, and the isopod is his interpreter that lives in his mouth for safety in exchange for helping translate and other things (no tongue eating required.) But while I was thinking it over I started to get worried that it might be creepy/offensive instead of cute. I attached a little sketch to show you what I mean. I tried to draw the ASL sign for “thank you”, but I don’t know if I got it totally right. I thought it’d be interesting to draw something sweet/cute since you’d expect a prompt like “parasite” to be scary/gross instead. I also liked the idea that merpeople if they were real would have the benefit of human intelligence so they could find ways to turn normally parasitic relationships in their animal counterparts into mutually beneficial ones instead.

What do you think? Is this weird/“inaccurate”? What do you think I could do to change it if so?

Thanks so much!

Ah I forgot to respond to this! Tbh, I love this idea. I don't think it's offensive at all - interpreters in magical worlds makes sense to me, and I think subverting the parasitic relationship is super interesting. The only advice I would give is to be aware of appropriate and inappropriate interpreter etiquette, and be aware which you're writing. You can write bad interpreter etiquette, just make sure you know you're doing it. This is a super cool, super cute idea, and I'd love to be tagged in the final product! Happy writing/drawing!

#disability asks

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One of the most healing things I’ve strove (striven?) to do in my life is viewing sex as just another thing people do, among a host of other things like eating and pooping and playing with cats.

Our entire society, feminists and puritans alike, pushes the idea that sex is uniquely powerful and dangerous, capable of inflicting The Worst Trauma or the Highest Fulfillment, and that’s…just flat out untrue. Other experiences can cause similar trauma: violence, disasters, war, instability. Other experiences can result in transcendent pleasure: trance states, live music, non-sexual intimacy, tattoos.

I think this is where the disconnect in perception about sex positivity comes from, because the phrase itself makes people who already view sex as being uniquely powerful think sex positivity means viewing sex as uniquely good, when actually…it’s mostly about taking sex off that pedestal. Normalizing sex. Making it into just another thing people do. Because that’s the first step in making sure people can engage with sex on their own terms in a healthy way.

Taking sex off its cultural pedestal was the thing that allowed me to overcome the deeply-instilled shame I developed from being raised within Christian purity culture, and from being queer, and from existing as a woman. I think a failure to do that, in feminist circles, often leads to an overblowing of the (very real) harm that sex has the potential to do at the exclusion of other problems facing women and other marginalized groups, which often leads to more shaming rhetoric - just rhetoric that shames different people for different reasons.

Sex is not the enemy and it’s not our savior. It’s just one more thing people can do with their bodies.

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Think about this quote like all the time and how it really undermines so much shit in capitalism

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"grippy socks" is such a fascinating phenomenon because its the result of desiring the validation of being in the most stigmatized group they might believably be able to put in their bios, while simultaneously buying so thoroughly into that very same stigma that they cant bring themselves to say it. they can stomach "grippy socks" and play nice with those whose lives look like their own, but make no mistake, they do not identify with most mentally disabled people, just mentally ill labels. the only patient they had sympathy for in girl interrupted was the protagonist. there is no solidarity. they would call the cops on you

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Whoever said "you can't make being gay your whole personality whoever says that is homophobic" has clearly never had a conversation with a white gay person.

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Kaoru Yamada

#art

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This is a friendly reminder that none disabled people often do benefit from the same accommodations disabled people benefit from.

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At some point in your life, you were taught that being slightly annoying is an unforgivable sin. Maybe it was by your parents or a teacher or a friend or a bully or an older sibling. But someone taught you that being slightly annoying is a crime punishable by death.

You must unlearn this.

You must accept that all people will be annoying at some point or another in their lives, maybe all of their lives, and that this is okay. It is okay for strangers on the bus, it is okay for children in the grocery store, it is okay for people on social media, and it is okay for you.

If you ever want to truly love your fellow humans, if you ever want to truly love yourself, you must have forgiveness for being annoying.

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We need shittable cities (actively maintained public restrooms).

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Please be normal

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when the body trots on

passed a memorial on my morning trot today. buckaroo about my age, lots of flowers. went to his instagram to learn his way and it was just packed full of photos with buds and good times. you strip away the body and all thats left is love. sad but also very beautiful and important

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just a concept I wanted to get down. always remember there are treatments for this stuff and you can change

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- Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the wife of deceased firefighter Vasily Ignatenko, Voices from Chernobyl, by Svetlana Alexeivich (transl. Keith Gessen)

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