lrthreads

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gonna take a cold shower and then lock back into my paper

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the tumblr experience is that you're flirting with a local trans girl for a week or two and are just about to schedule a date except then her blog gets nuked before you can add each other on discord and then the broken tumblr search makes it impossible to find her new blog

anyway uhh mae if you see this hiiiiiii 👉👈 i still really wanna go to the reptile zoo with youuuu

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may your days be filled with love, joy, and peace 💟

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Community of Resistance: Losing and Rediscovering Queer Solidarity in Pittsburgh

This post is written by Sarah Trexler,  a recipient of an Archival Scholar Research Award for the 2024 Spring Semester.

My project offers a comparative analysis of Pittsburgh’s queer communities and social life in the 1970s, the 1990s, and the twenty-first century. Along with other communities around the country, queer individuals in Pittsburgh faced a variety of implicit and explicit discrimination, fed by the conservative turn towards a more hetero- and cis-normative culture after the Second World War. In response to direct systemic violence and social isolation, queer people began to create their own community spaces where they could turn for resources, support and mutual aid.

My interest in this topic began as I consumed queer media, specifically Sapphic media like Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues and the 2022 reproduction of A League of Their Own. In these sources, I noticed the role of gay bars in the formation of identities, relationships, and communities. At a time when being queer in public could attract danger and violence, bars were safe havens of free love and expression. However, bar spaces were not always conducive to conversation and there were many, young, sober, or otherwise inhibited, queer people who had to seek other spaces. Outside of bars, there were more accessible and inclusive queer-created spaces such as bookstores, restaurants, and coffeeshops – some of which existed right in Pittsburgh.

My curiosity brought me to the University of Pittsburgh Library System's Archives & Special Collections, where I began my work with the Pittsburgh Gay News, a newspaper published during the 1970s. Flipping through the pages brought me to a new time and place. One in which the vibrancy and joy of queer community was documented by queer people for queer people.

(Above) Excerpt from Gay News. Pittsburgh: Gay Alternatives Pittsburgh (Issue 25: 1974). Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

Although my research began with queer periodicals from the 70s, I soon realized that my project was much larger than that. Newspapers did not tell the whole story of the spaces that I was studying – I was lucky if I got a few pictures. But when the addresses became familiar and recognizable, I wanted to know more. What were these spaces like? Who patronized them? And most importantly – where did they go?

In an attempt to situate my findings in a larger timeline, I broadened my horizons. In addition to queer periodicals, I also found event fliers and records from local businesses and organizations, like the Persad Center and Donny’s Place, useful to my research. I also began considering archival materials from the 1990s, hoping to find discussion of the big names in the Pittsburgh queer community of the 1970s. Unfortunately, this investigation only yielded more questions.        

(Above) Act Up! Pittsburgh Advertisement in 1993 Pittsburgh Pride program. “A Family of Pride: 1993 Pittsburgh Pride”, Archives of Industrial Society (AIS) Information Files, Pittsburgh Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Pride Celebration, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

I had been hoping to pick up the same names and patterns that I noticed in the sources from the 70s, but the queer community had undergone a dramatic shift as a result of the AIDS epidemic. The vibrancy and joy that I had noticed in earlier media was subdued – cluttered with statistics, infection rates, and mutual aid requests. There was still a strong element of community, but it had moved out of the bars and physical spaces of the earlier decades. Instead, it was found more in support groups, PSAs, and volunteer opportunities. I also found no mention of the earlier community spaces. Mentions of new bars and coffeehouses popped up, again with familiar addresses, but those proved to be dead ends as well. When I attempted to uncover the stories of these places, I found that those stories too were left unfinished. Queer spaces from the 1970s and 1990s were since turned into furniture stores, car dealerships, or simply left abandoned.

My questions continued to pile up and all I could find were unfinished stories. It was a disheartening and isolating experience – to not know my history and not even know where to look. I created working relationships across several archives, including Carnegie Mellon and the Heinz History Center, searching for the lost lives and stories of this earlier generation. I eventually came to realize that the absence of answers to my questions and solutions to my problems were answers and solutions in and of themselves.

(Above) Shawn’s Place bar, once located in Downtown Pittsburgh (April 1995). [Photograph]. Donald Thinnes Papers. Detre Library and Archives, Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh.

Queer stories were never intentionally recorded. Understanding this scarcity gave me a new insight into the value of community and queer joy where you can find it. I came to treasure the photographs, letters, and even the obituaries that commemorated lives full of love. I became inspired. Instead of leaving my work in the past, I want to set a tone for the future. I have created a contemporary archive of sorts to record my community’s joy, love, and stories. It will be a place for people to honor and appreciate their friends and space.

To learn more and contribute to my project, visit: https://forms.gle/RLVVV1tw3ReEL48G8

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I'm saying this as a fan, but also as somebody who worked their arse off writing screenplays at film school, don't hate on the writers when they go on strike.

Writers control the story of the show, there is so much detail and fine tuning done in the scripts. Everything an actor or a director adds, is adapted from the script. There is no show without the script, but still screenwriters are horrendously underappreciated and underpaid.

Director, actors and producers usually end up with most of the credit.

Writers deserve to be seen. If your favorite show is delayed because of the upcoming strikes, don't be surprised and please don't be angry at the writers. They are fighting for their art to be appreciated.

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I am grateful for my Tumblr mutuals.

Feel free to reblog, if you, too are grateful for your Tumblr mutuals.

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we need to give this tweet more credit for im pretty sure coining "die mad about it"

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i’m going to be blunt: if you tag a post where i identify myself as queer as “q slur” or “slurs,” i am just going to block you.

when i am saying “queer,” i am using it as my identity and not a slur.

it is not a bad word, it is a part of whom i am and best fits my experience.

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"Not everything is a poem it needs intent" yeah shut up you bitch.

Maybe accidents are beautiful. Ever think about that, dumbass?

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lesbians love and support our trans sisters 💖💖

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999 - What's your Emergency? Flash Exchange 2023 - Sign-Ups and Nominations open five more days!

We are a Nine-Nine-Nine day Flash Exchange focusing on fanfiction depicting Emergency Scenarios in Emergency Service Canons! (333 word minimum) So... 9-9-9? - 999 is the UK (and other countries') Emergency Phone Number. It also indicates the schedule of this exchange: - 9 Days simultaneous Nominations & Sign-Ups (7th-15th April, British Summer Time). - 9 Days writing time (16th-25th April) after which the collection will be revealed anonymously. - 9 Days until Authors Revealed on 3rd May 2023 at 10am, (during which time we may still be working on emergency canons, treats, and PHs!)

Nominations Your nominations must be for canons that feature emergency service personnel from the following list: - Ambulances/EMTs/Paramedics - Coastguard - Dispatch and Call Handlers - Fire & Rescue (including Mountain Rescue) - Hospital Emergency Department - Police/Security Response Officers - Other Emergency Service that can be justified as an Emergency Service according to the canon lore.

So far we have nominations for:

9-1-1 (TV) / 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV) / Backdraft (1991) / Blue Lights (TV) / Casualty (TV) / Chicago Fire (TV) / Creator's Choice of Fandom (TV) / ER (TV, 1994) / The Fall (TV, 2013) / The Fugitive (Movies) / The Guardian (2006) / Heartbeat (UK, TV) / Law & Order: SVU (TV) / Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes (UK, TV) / Line of Duty (TV, 2012) / New Amsterdam, (TV 2018) / Nurse Jackie (TV) / Original Work / Prison Break (TV) / The Resident (TV, 2018) / The Rookie (TV, 2018)

You can add more nominations at the Tagset here. This is being reviwed at least twice a day by mysef and @lrthreads.

For the most part, nominated characters should be serving Emergency Services Personnel and this should be indicated in brackets. They may also feature as the "Target" of the scenario, i.e. the person being rescued/treated etc. If you would like any of the characters from the canon to feature as an emergency caller/patient/victim of a crime or accident, etc. please use the "(Target)" format to nominate them.

For example (9-1-1: Lone Star) Grace Ryder (Dispatcher) - here you would write Grace in her role as Call Handler/Dispatcher. Judd Ryder (Firefighter) - here Judd would be in his role as Firefighter. Grace Ryder (Target) - here Grace could be the one being rescued or treated. Charlie Ryder (Target) - here, their child Charlie could be the one being rescued or treated.

“Original Character(s) (Target)” and “Any (Target)” will be added to each fandom nominated.

Eligibility - You must be over 18, and an AO3 account is needed. Please also ensure you have access to the email address related to your ao3 account. - Participants may only sign up with a maximum of one account. Please see below the Cut or click through for the full Rules & FAQ:

What counts as on theme? At sign-up you will be able to pick from the following emergency scenarios:

- Ambulances/EMTs/Paramedics - Coastguard - Dispatch and Call Handlers - Fire and Rescue (including Mountain Rescue) - Hospital Emergency Department - Police/Security Response Officers - Other Emergency Service

Despite the “999” part of the theme, the canon can take place in any real-world country, (with any emergency phone number!)

What's not on theme? - Generic Hospital, Investigation, Police & Detective canons without a significant amount of the plot taking place in emergency scenarios (whether internal like a hospital or external such as a crime scene or scene of an accident.) - Fics focused purely on the administration, social/romantic lives or day-to-day cases of the Emergency Services. - Case and Investigation Fic. - Any content more explicit than would be typical for that canon when aired on network TV.

What about Alternate Universes? The only AUs permitted would be those that keep the core theme in the end result: for example, you could do a Future or Past AU, or a canon-divergence AU resulting in events that are incompatible with canon but still focused on the “Emergency” theme, or a Mundane AU of a Supernatural canon.

“Coffee Shop” or “High School” would not be appropriate.

What is an "Emergency Canon"? An Emergency canon is a canon that can be consumed in less than 99.9 (i.e. 100) minutes.

These could be a canon in their own right (such as a film under 100 minutes) or an Episode of a TV Show or similar that can be largely understood from the one episode alone.

Nominating Crossovers, Creator's Choice of Fandom (CCoF) and Original Work As no relationships are being nominated, if you would like to request a Crossover, please list multiple fandoms in one request. Original Work and CCoF may be nominated, as long as they follow the general format: “Original Male ER Nurse” “Original Female Parademic” “Original Non-Binary Coastguard” "Original Male Character (Target)" “Firefighter (Target)” etc.

Sign-Ups and Matching - A minimum of 3 requests and offers is required. - To be guaranteed a gift one of these must be an "Emergency Canon" (please see FAQs). To indicate an emergency canon please include this in the top of your "Prompts and DNWs" box at sign-up. - Assignments are only guaranteed to match on one fandom, one character and one Opt-In. - When sign-ups close, any unmatchables will be deleted, unless an Emergency Canon has been indicated.

DNWs (Do Not Wants) and Opt-Ins - When you sign-up, please include anything you absolutely don't want to receive in the "Prompts and DNWs" field on the form. In the event that a DNW is included in your gift, only reasonable DNWs in your sign-up will be enforced. (Please bear in mind that DNWs cannot be used to box your creator into producing a very specific work.) You also must select at least one of the five Opt-In scenarios. - When creating, you must not violate the DNWs of your recip, or include Opt-In scenarios they have not chosen.

Optional Letters - "Dear Creator" letters may be linked to in your signup in order to give your gifter further details on your likes and dislikes. These are optional.

Assignments - Minimum requirements are a complete work of 333 words or more. - Your assignment must focus on a requested characterand prominently feature an Opt-In Scenario, and must abide buy your recipient's Do Not Wants. - Please do not discuss the details of your assignment in public; creators should remain anonymous until creators are revealed. Do, however, feel free to discuss with a beta reader. - If your assignment does not match the andom, characters or Opt-Ins you offered, contact the mod as soon as possible. It will not be possible to change assignments for any other reason.

We are very excited to have you on board!!!!

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raptor strut

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Mother, it is I: tumblr's big naturals

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Could you maybe reblog this post if you think respecting trans peoples' names and identities is a basic right and not a political opinion?

No pressure. Just seeking some validation of my sentiment. Due to some. people

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tag game: answer these questions, then tag 9 people you want to get to know better [the person who tagged me didn't tag 9 people and I won't be either, in this context rules are fake 🐐]

I got tagged by @notyourwinter, sorry it took forever

3 ships:

Gosh. Hard to pick.

I have to say Roosmav, don't I? They've just taken over my brain so much.

Finnrey. What might have been. 💧

Mako Mori/&Raleigh Becket. Their canon brought me back to being active in fandom so they get a place of honor I think.

First ship: Also hard for me. When I was like 10 I shipped April and Raphael in an angsty lime-ish way but I didn't know that that was what I was doing.

Last movie: M:I Ghost Protocol. Honestly I am not really vibing with these movies for the most part. I'm hanging on for Simon Pegg really. They are interesting to look at but there are also like ... things that activate my fan-brain hackles.

Last song: Let's Keep It Friends (I didn't pick this song, and I'm watching the anime for fannish homework reasons)

Currently reading: re-reading Where the Drowned Girls Go (Seanan McGuire) after reading the followup; also re-reading Anathem and The Grief of Stones

Currently watching: Ranma ½ season 1; behind on Fire Country and the Quantum Leap reboot

Currently consuming: lentil and veg soup and rice

Currently craving: so many things. But more pragmatically, some clear soda. Am trying to resist.

Anyone who sees this and wants to participate should consider themselves tagged by me. Even if we already know eachother and you just wanna 🙂

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Dear Cada, Luna sends you stretchy greetings. Hope you have a nice day.

henk yeeeee,, stretchy gang!! best way to start the day,, thank ya luna friend..

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i'm so confused rn, can you explain the goncharov thing?? i get off tumblr for five minutes

Lmaoooo

Nah I getchu. So this post has been circulating for like a year:

But yesterday, it had inspired someone to do this:

Next thing I knew there were fake Letterboxed reviews.

Goncharov moodboards. Really good ones.

Meta analysis. So many fake meta essays. Disturbingly good ones. And of course the memes.

As you can see, the myth just started to grow, characters and ships and tropes being added one after the other, almost bizzarely without contradiction, until there was enough of shape to the whole thing for people to start posting fanfic about it on AO3. “Ice-pick Joe” has already become a meme tag.

It was hilarious in the beginning, but the way it’s developed within less than a day, kind of like it’s being willed into existence, is freaking me out a bit. We’re toying with powers beyond our comprehension. 😂😂😂

Of course, there could be an ulterior motive as well.