orhelponefaintingrobin

[orhelponefaintingrobin]

Opinion - most stuff that gets called queerbait isn't actually bad because of the queerbait, it's bad because the writing is bad. I imagine most people would gloss over a show that's technically queerbaiting but is actually telling a good story. That's how I'd describe, like, half of the yuri-coded anime I've seen.

Joining the war on queerbait on the side of queerbait bc after a time you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical but is often true

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the idea that restrooms, locker rooms, etc need to be single-sex spaces in order for women to be safe is patriarchy's way of signalling to men & boys that society doesn't expect them to behave themselves around women. it is directly antifeminist. it would be antifeminist even if trans people did not exist. a feminist society would demand that women should be safe in all spaces even when there are men there.

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It's scary to be transgender in the world right now but if you're transgender I love you and we have to stick together and keep fighting and keep living and keep loving

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Twitter and BlueSky being basically nothing but 'everyone wants trans people to fucking die' is making me ill, so I'm pretty much done on both for the time being. Going to try and be a lot more active on here as a result, because I can at least curate this a bit better. So I guess I'm back!

[orhelponefaintingrobin]

'The Foundling's Crown' is Out Now!

Forgot to post this last week, but my novel, 'The Foundling's Crown' is out now! I am so proud of this book, and I am so excited that it's finally out in the world.

You can buy it on Amazon, on Kindle and in paperback, and is also available on Kindle Unlimited if you subscribe to that.

Description:

'A Constitutional Crisis waiting to happen'. That was what they called it. When King Jonothan IV declares his adopted daughter, Princess Alice, as his heir it surprises the whole of Loegria. The future queen, with no blood relation to the Royal Family. But it surprises none more than Alice herself. Faced with a life rather different to the one she had expected, she takes on the new role and begins her preparation for the day she becomes queen. Over the years that follow, Alice's life brings her many experiences; meetings with world leaders, extravagant gatherings, and national crises. But, more importantly, it brings two people into her life; a charming suitor and an enigmatic socialite, both of which send Alice on a path which will change her life, and the Kingdom of Loegria, forever.'

If it sounds interesting, I'd love for people to check it out.

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NEW PODCAST: Chloe Was Always Dead: Why You're Wrong About 'Life is Strange'

'Life is Strange' has just turned 10 years old, somehow. So I've used it as an excuse to finally talk about of my favourite games.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: 'The Foundling's Crown' is Available for Pre-Order Now!

Happy New Year everyone! I have an exciting announcement to start the year with: my first novel under my pen name is available for pre-order on Kindle now! It's titled 'The Foundling's Crown', and will be available on Kindle and in paperback, and releases on Valentine's Day.

I could not be prouder of this book. I've been working on it for over two years and can't believe I'm finally releasing it into the world. I hope it catches your interest and you love this world and these characters as much as I did when I wrote them.

https://amzn.eu/d/6sxGQZd

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2024

I’ve been in a reflective mood for the last few days, as I’ve been starting to think about this year’s post. The world that is coming to mind is ‘hurtling’. I have been hurtling this year. This year is quite difficult to sum up, because it feels like I haven’t really stopped long enough to be able to catch my breath. Just in terms of world news, it’s been too intense to really be able to touch…

[orhelponefaintingrobin]

hey if you're trans in the us i love you. hey if you're queer in the us i love you. hey if you're a person of color in the us i love you. hey if you're a woman in the us i love you. hey if you're disabled in the us i love you. i love you i love you i love you

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Can you tell me it'll be okay? And mean it?

Yeah. It feels like shit now and there's a lot to worry about, but there was a lot to worry about last month and four years ago and eight years ago and twelve years ago and sixteen and twenty and twenty four and twenty eight and on and on and on.

Continue to work locally, continue to help people, continue to speak up for what is right and protest what is wrong.

We all should be breaking unjust laws and taking care of one another because you don't survive things like this by being isolated and alone, you survive things like this by building networks and creating parallel systems and growing tight bonds with the people in your community (either physically or digitally).

Plan on helping someone get an abortion. Plan on lying to ICE. Plan on helping someone get hormones. Plan on defending an encampment. Plan on sharing information that is being hidden. Plan on potesting a pipeline or supporting forest defense. Plan on not crossing picket lines. Plan on helping your friends get their meds.

The US Federal Government sucks shit and is not here to help. But there are millions of people who want to help each other, and those are the people you should be focusing your energy on.

It's going to be hard, but it was always going to be hard. I believe in my community, I believe in the networks I've built, I believe in the ability of small groups to make change and I believe in you.

Don't panic about what's on the horizon, do something *today* that will make someone else's life better tomorrow and it will feel less like the world is falling down.

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Were you helping refugees at the border last week by donating to mutual aid groups or doing translation and outreach?

Were you calling for ceasefire and doing what you could to aid Palestinians last week? (Esims for gaza here)

Were you talking to your unhoused neighbors with respect and advocating for them and protesting encampment clearances last week? (There's no link just treat people like people and share cash if you can)

Last week were you participating in community meal shares and free stores?

Were you supporting bail funds and protesting the carceral state and trying to stop executions and humanizing incarcerated people last week? (How to write a letter to an incarcerated person)

Were you working to increase access to abortion medications and birth control and abortions in general last week?

Did you share information about DIY HRT and spend time paying attention to the books your school board was banning and make your lgbtqia friends welcome and included last week?

Were you aware of the groundwork being laid for a 2028 general strike and the ways that you could support one (contributing to strike funds, joining and supporting unions, attempting to unionize your workplace) last week?

Were you helping the people around you, were you caring for your friends, were you making information free, were you picking up trash, were you sharing a meal, were you tracking fascists, were you challenging the wrongs done by your government in the ways available to you last week?

Good. Keep doing that.

A better world is possible. Keep working toward it.

[orhelponefaintingrobin]

Doomscrolling can be hard to break out of. This cycle of behavior often perpetuates itself with guilt, anxiety, and uncertainty. You might be justifying that you're staying informed, keeping bad actors accountable, trying to protect yourself and/or others, and more. If you're ever unsure if you're doomscrolling, here's some potential questions to run a self-check:

How has my mood and mental health shifted since I started this media session?

Is anything I am learning about immediately actionable outside of observation and reaction?

Does the media I'm consuming help me take informed action? Or is it now harder to take any action?

Am I sacrificing anything to engage with information for this amount of time?

What would be the impact on myself and others if I were to spend my time doing other things right now?

Feel free to tailor this list to your behavior patterns. And remember: even if you do decide to keep scrolling, slowing down and being mindful of information can only help with your understanding.

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[orhelponefaintingrobin]

US elections do always remind me how grateful I am for our voting system here in the UK. It's not without its irritations, but you just don't get the kind of stories you do in US elections here; no burning ballot boxes, minimal confusion with postal votes (although you definitely get some; I remember there being a couple of issues), no machines for people to challenge the integrity of. Just sports halls full of people counting simple paper ballots with a clear tickbox, all getting through it efficiently and only ever having a couple of seats left to recount come the morning, pretty much always knowing more or less what the outcome is by the time you wake up the next day. For all the flaws of our electoral system more broadly, we do have a good thing going for the actual voting part.

[orhelponefaintingrobin]

yo hey US people who sent in absentee ballots, they are tossing mail-in ballots for no reason. i just had to call my county board of elections and demand a cure for my ballot because north carolina didn't send out any notices of issues with ballots, and the issues are fake. if you voted by mail-in make sure your ballot was actually counted

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Deleted twitter for the next few days, so probably going to be a bit more active on here for a bit. (Also over on bluesky @onefaintingrobin.bsky.social)

[orhelponefaintingrobin]

if youre my mutual you have to stay alive and stay safe and take care of yourself. no exceptions idc