springmetaldragon

[springmetaldragon]

Working on a guide! It will take collaboration! Anyone interested lmk. You're all so very awesome! <3

LISTEN to each other!!! You all are so smart and talented and skilled and needed, so very needed! Every one of you is an expert in something and a student in something - use that! We can all do this together!

Now is not the time to go dark. It is the time to connect with each other, to form networks across the country. It would be a danger and a shame to not form communications networks for everyone who needs them.

Downloading Briar, preferably through F-Droid, and Tutanota or Protonmail for encrypted chats and email. Switch or dual boot w/ Partition to Linux on your PC if you're feeling frisky. (or you could use a portable USB OS as one brilliant commenter stated, very useful for certain situations.)

Use Protonmail (EDIT: PROTONMAIL MAY or MAY NOT be compromised. Afaik it is safe for now despite the publicly announced support for chester cheetoes.) for encrypted comms too.

Discord, Fb, Ig, Xitler can be trusted only as far as those who own them.

Archive important and potentially subversive data and info, such as scientific literature, statistics, books. Compress it and encrypt it, back it up, stick it on your own old laptop servers, USB drives, SD cards, mirror it if possible and safe.

(Y'ALL LEARN ABOUT GPG/PGP & OPSEC I'M SERIOUS!)

THIS WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE:

LIST OF SAFE (AFAIK) COMMS:

Signal (POTENTIALLY UNSAFE! As per one brilliant commenter: "They removed a lot of the encryption feature of signal when they forked. And turned to a tor style node dispersal of messages... who owns the nodes... thats murky." DO DUE DILLIGENCE!)

Session (POTENTIALLY UNSAFE! DO DUE DILLIGENCE!)

Briar

Meshstatic

Tutanota

LIST OF OTHER STUFF:

Nextcloud (good for SOME content collaboration, don't rely on it for everything! See what you can get out of Tutanota's servers. And compress those files as needed!)

Meshstatic again

Tails OS (Good anticensorship and anti-surveillance OS)

Linux-based phone OS's

GrapheneOS for phone

Other software you may consider: (from (user not on Tumblr) - thank you!)

QuickHash - integrity checking for files you download, to make sure they haven't been tampered with. Assumed you have a known-good hash for comparison. Also makes sure the download wasn't corrupted by accident.

OpenPuff - steganography software. Hide a photo within another photo. Don't consider this to be too secure.

VeraCrypt - Encryption software for local files or hard disk drives.

Filekiller and/or Eraser - secure deletion for files. I'm not sure how effective this is currently; if it's that serious, you'd be better served loading your OS into RAM.

CCleaner - removes excess temporary files (mostly windows utility, idk if they have versions for other operating systems). Also not sure how effective this is currently. If it's that serious, don't use Windows.

(OOP here- CCleaner may pose a hazard to your system if not used properly! More specifically, I've been warned that it can break registries. I don't know exactly how this works atm but just know that using caution is needed - as it is for ALL of these things! Don't let this discourage you from learning. Instead of CCleaner, if you can get away with it use Windows Disk Cleaner! Safer and you don't need admin privileges!! Ty to another awesome commenter for this)

Knowing how to use these is way more important than having them, but having them is a good start.

If anybody knows more please say so; tech moves fast and I've not followed up on these for a few years. ____________________________________________________________________________

KNOW THE LIMITATIONS OF YOUR SYSTEM if you're very new at all of this! They are all built differently, and some PC's can do things some other PC's and laptops could never dream of. Be mindful not to overburden your machine in any way!

Another thing is to have Python downloaded and knowing how to use PowerShell if you're still working on Windows as a digital archivist (unadvised to work on Win somewhat, but this method is useful for batch downloading files, encrypting them if you are working through Win. Also - if you're new new at this, know how much storage you have, and how fast your machine can batch download relative to how much you're going to download and how fast!)

Remember: this isn’t just about privacy! It’s about anti-censorship, access to knowledge and community, communication, effective reporting, and even visibility of our numbers. Not everyone’s needs are the same, and where some need ultimate privacy for safety, others are just seeking a way to be able to communicate effectively without censorship. Some may even want to be visible. But if we don't try, if we don't strive, we won't accomplish anything.

It's important to prioritize safety, you engage in activities at your own risk only when the risks of doing otherwise are too great.

It’s also important to show them that we are here, we’re not going away, and that we can ORGANIZE. We won’t be scared off. We will do whatever is necessary to push back against the oppression our community faces, as well as the oppression other communities face.

We will do whatever it takes to survive and thrive. We won’t be divided into obscurity, we will unite and do this together. Stay safe out there! Remember your contributions are important! You can do something, even if you're not familiar with tech. We need you!

[springmetaldragon]

TW FOR RACIAL SLUR

History repeats itself...

The fact that this is 80 fucking years ago but still just as relevant is terrifying.

[springmetaldragon]

Yes, the passport thing is a problem...

Turn this into copypasta if you want

It is a violation of autonomy, and thus human rights, for one body or individual to dictate, without due cause (which is a highly debated subject itself), what a separate individual does with their body. It is a violation of human rights for one body or individual to dictate, needlessly, that medicine deemed necessary by a physician or psychiatrist should not be practiced on select individuals, and, moreover, it is blatant discrimination. The repeated politicization and political targeting of a minority group becomes even clearer when examining how stopping gender marker changes on passports infringes on fundamental human rights.

Preventing people from updating their gender markers on passports directly invades their right to privacy. By forcing people to carry ID’s that don’t match up with their authentic selves, this policy makes them vulnerable to public scrutiny, discrimination, and being outed against their will. For trans and ENBY folks, this isn’t just an inconvenience; it creates very real risks. It violates our rights to privacy and denigrates our ability to navigate the world safely.

The psychological harm alone caused by this policy cannot be overstated; being forced to carry identification that misrepresents who you are is dehumanizing. It invalidates a person’s very existence, compounding the stress, anxiety, and depression that many trans and ENBY people already face. It is a denial of their humanity, their identity, and their right to live authentically.

When someone’s documentation does not match their appearance, it puts them in danger. They are far more likely to face harassment, violence, or even denial of access to basic rights like traveling freely or crossing borders. Forcing individuals to use inaccurate documents also sets them up for discrimination in the workplace, healthcare settings, and other areas where identification is required. This is not merely a bureaucratic inconvenience - it is a direct threat to their safety and their ability to live with dignity.

Beyond these individual impacts, policies like this normalize transphobia on a larger scale. When the government enacts legislation that erases or invalidates trans identities, it sends a message that these individuals are not valid or worthy of recognition. This emboldens discrimination and hostility in all areas of life, from workplaces to schools to public spaces. It sets a dangerous precedent that makes it easier for other governments to roll back rights as well, threatening the global progress toward equality and justice.

To deny someone the ability to update their gender marker on their passport is not just an administrative decision; it is a deeply harmful act of systemic discrimination that undermines their dignity, safety, and autonomy. It is not just a violation of human rights, but a statement that trans and ENBY people do not matter, and that is utterly unacceptable. It not only sets a dangerous precedent, but it also erases their right to privacy, their right to safety, and their right to be recognized as who they truly are. It reinforces systemic inequality and perpetuates harm, all under the guise of politics.

Moreover, it opens the floodgates for other groups to be targeted by the state, and that will eventually lead, if given enough time, to a complete police state. This is a fascist - and capitalist - pattern that thrives on the systematic targeting of marginalized groups to consolidate power. It starts with the most vulnerable, the ones who are already dehumanized by society’s narratives, and that only escalates from there.

The pattern is always the same. The groundwork is laid by scapegoating a minority group, using them as a distraction to erode freedoms for everyone. Trans and ENBY people are the current target, but history has shown with alarming consistency that these kinds of policies rarely stop with just one group. When the state is given the power to control people’s bodies, identities, and the very essence of personhood, ultimately, NO ONE IS SAFE.

Fascism and capitalism as it exists are symbiotic. They rely on a shared strategy of dividing people, creating hierarchies, and enforcing compliance through fear and control. In this case, the denial of gender marker changes on passports is not just about transphobia - though that is its immediate and obvious harm - but also about expanding the mechanisms of control.

By forcing people to carry documents that expose them to harassment and violence, the state creates a chilling effect: it sends a message that stepping out of line or existing outside state-sanctioned norms will lead to punishment.

This is how fascism works: it uses oppression to enforce conformity while conditioning the broader public to accept increasingly authoritarian policies.

Capitalism feeds off this, using marginalized groups as a wedge to distract from systemic exploitation. While people are busy debating whether trans people deserve basic human rights, those in power quietly dismantle protections for everyone. They tighten control over the working class, strip away access to resources, and privatize what should be public goods. Fascism and capitalism, hand in hand, weaponize discrimination to maintain a system where the wealthy and powerful few remain untouchable, all while the oppressed fight each other instead of their common oppressors.

Ignorance of history is not a pardon from the consequences of repeating it. Fascist regimes have always begun by targeting the “other," like the Jewish community in Nazi Germany, political dissidents in Stalinist Russia, or LGBTQ+ folks during the Lavender Scare in the US.

It’s a pattern that repeats because it works. It's the people who think they are safe, who think these policies won’t affect them, they're often the ones who stand by until it’s too late. You may not be trans or ENBY, but this is not just about passports or gender markers. This is about the state asserting the 'right' to dictate who you are, what you can do with your body, and how you can exist in the world. Once that precedent is set, it’s only a matter of time before the same mechanisms are used to control you.

A police state doesn’t appear overnight, it never does. It creeps in through policies like this one, chipping away at freedoms under the guise of “order” or “tradition.” When marginalized groups are silenced and stripped of their rights, the foundations of democracy crumble for everyone. If you allow the state to wield this kind of power without resistance, you are complicit in building the machinery of your own oppression.

Today, it’s gender marker changes. Tomorrow? It’s your autonomy over your body, your ability to dissent, or your freedom to exist without fear. The cycle of history is as striking as it is clear: if we do not fight for the rights of the most vulnerable, we pave the way for our own subjugation.

No matter who you are, I'd suggest looking inward and asking yourself if you're comfortable with the state having that much control over your life, and what you're willing to do about it if not.

[springmetaldragon]

None of These Things and Less

Work backwards. “I am a bad artist” “Why are you a bad artist?” “Because I can’t cleanly produce accurate proportions.” “And why not?” “Because I can’t.” What happened? Did you get stuck? It sounds hard to do what you’re doing. But you need to- if you stop now, you might as well give up forever- because giving up a million times is giving up once for a long period of time. It could even cost you your life.

Start from where you left off. “And why not?”

“… because I don’t spend enough time on it. And because my hands aren’t steady.” “-because you don’t spend enough time at it- that’s something you can contro-” “-but-”

“-but nothing. What you can control is all that matters. It is the very end, the beginning, and the middle of what it is you do. There is nothing outside that particular box of which you will ever be capable of- to pretend otherwise is folly, akin very much to telling yourself you can sketch a true-to-form four-dimensional object.”

“So…” frustration. “So, I… should spend more time working on it. But…”

“But you have a reason that’s hard, right? Likely more than a few?”

“I- I just… it’s hard to concentrate, it’s hard to make myself sit down and do it. And, and I don’t know why, I just…”

“So then don’t”

“What?”

“At least, right now. Stop. Do something else.”

“But I need to know-”

“You don’t need to know why right now. Answering only comes from questioning. Questioning is an active process, an experience, and something not solely done with words, in conversation, or in the privacy of one’s own clouded and busy mind.”

“So I should… what should I do?”

“Whatever your heart desires. For a while. What’s does your brain want you to try?”

“Everything.”

“To be sure… but don’t forget to try one thing at a time.”

“The most prudent thing?”

“No, no. Perhaps the most exciting thing possible,”

“Well, but I- I can’t, I shouldn’t- there’s nothing I’d like more, but I just… I can’t.”

“And why not?”

“Well, I… because… because it would be…”

“I see.”

“…”

“Do something, or risk losing everything. Do everything and risk losing something.”

“Do something, or risk losing…”

“Everything.”

Finality. Can’t you sense it? That’s the end of the line. Act now. Do something, lest you be sent careening over the edge of a cliff.

No?

Well, I suppose you could hang on for dear life, and ignore the world as it zips by those little windows.

Wouldn’t that be nice? You don’t even have to open your eyes, if you want- it’s all gone so fast. You can just play nice with escapism until there’s nothing left to escape.

Hmm… you don’t seem altogether so happy with that suggestion. My apologies…

“What would I even be missing?”

“I’m sure others have told you all about it,”

“Well, yes, but how can I be sure they’re not just saying those things? Or that I’d even experience them myself? Maybe I’m just fundamentally different,”

“Different from who? And, you can never be certain.”

“To be sure…”

“Sure,”

“Sure?”

“Well, yes.”

“Well…”

“In a manner of speaking,”

“What?”

“Yes, you’re stuck in the bottom of a very dark, very dry well.”

“To be certain…”

“To be certain is to deny fanciful wanderings of the mind, and to grasp concrete truths. To be certain is to know, to know is to have wandered. To wander is to experience. To experience is to question, and to question is to live.”

“What do you mean… ‘to live’?”

“I mean to question is to live, and to live is to learn, so the meaning of living is found in the experience of questioning.”

“I think I’d disagree, if I follow.”

“I’d love if you’d follow, but I agree you might not- to experience is to question- you can never turn it off.”

“The questioning? Or the experiencing?”

“In a word, yes.”

“Are you certain?”

“Oh, to be sure.”

“Can I go to sleep now?”

“Can you?”

“…goodnight…”

“Always a pleasure,”

“Certainly…”

[springmetaldragon]

Dead Animal

When you leave, A knife to the gut. Bleeding out, I need to recover. Weeks in bed, Months on end. Fetid wounds turn, To raised scars.

[springmetaldragon]

Coffee

[springmetaldragon]

Gideon's Mood (painting stage 2)

[springmetaldragon]

Gideon's Mood painting stage 1

[springmetaldragon]

Making progress, slowly Gideon is in a Mood (sketch#1, stage 2)

[springmetaldragon]

Gideon is in a mood :p why can't I just finish a stupid sketch right WHY