#post-teaching carer

[cripple-woe]

Back to post again. Please reblog this if you’re like. Disabled and do, might, are planning to ever have sex. Or just for educational reasons reblog it.

It’s time for:

DISABLED SEX EDUCATION.

So! Let’s get right into it.

We all know that we have a right to know and understand our bodies and how we can have safe, consenting, and pleasant sex. Most schools don’t teach disabled inclusive sex education!

Part One: Sex Toys

By and large, a bafflingly inaccessible market. But still, here’s what you can do.

For limited mobility and dexterity with hands and the like, larger controllers and wireless controllers for toys are good to look into.

If you have movement disorders, a toy that doesn’t need to be moved to stimulate can be helpful.

Also, a pretty universal one is a nice sexy vibrating pillow that you hump. It’s not talked about often because most abled people don’t want that toy when there are more penetrative or intense toys out there, but for cripples like us, it can be very helpful to know it exists, and it’s a good toy.

Part Two: Partner Communication

Whether this partner is your lifetime lover or just a one-night-stand, you need to be communicating properly about your needs and limits, just like abled people, but MORE. Communicate a safe word for if you feel in too much pain, communicate how your disabilities may affect sex with this partner if they aren’t aware, and communicate on the type and level of aftercare you may need. I know for a fact that I would need my partner to take me into the bathroom to pee after sex because I can’t do it of my own accord after that (also, speaking of, PEE AFTER SEX.)

No matter how small it is, communicate. “I’d be more comfortable if I had some pillows under my stomach/back/hips in this position.” “Can we switch positions, this is slightly painful on my hips/back/shoulders.” “I don’t like being pinned like this, because it’s a position I can’t escape from when I want to/it’s causing pressure on my joints/whatever else.”

Partner communication is a big deal with disabled sex and requires a decent level of trust. I also highly recommend that if you have access, being frank with your carers and occupational therapists for instance, will help you a lot with asking for advice in a safe way.

Part Three: Positioning

Ooh, sexy pose time!

From what I can find, these seem to be the most widely accessible poses for sex.

Modified Missionary.

The limited mobility partner sits on the edge of the bed, the other partner stands facing them, and then can lift their partners legs up so their ankles are on their shoulders. If the standing partner is too tall for this to be comfortable, you can place a chair behind them and have the sitting partner put their ankles there (add a blanket over the back of the chair for comfort on their ankles!)

This position is best used when only one person has a mobility issue. It’s also good for if one or both partners are obese, or if a partner is pregnant.

Facing position.

Aka: face to face. Person one sits in a chair, on the edge of the bed, or even in their wheelchair with arm rests removed if your chair can do that and you want to bang in your chair. Their partner sits on their lap and straddles them. Partner on top braces their feet on a solid surface to be able to move their hips and thrust, and the bottom partner can help by grabbing their partner by the backside and lifting/bouncing.

This position is good for two partners with limited mobility, and people who suffer with fatigue.

Intimate Sitting.

Basically the same as above but both partners are fully on the bed. The partner near the headboard can benefit from being held up with pillows, and then they stretch out their legs. The other partner straddles them, feet on the bed, and bends their knees to lower them down.

This is another position for a limited mobility and unlimited mobility couple, especially those looking for face to face intimacy.

Sexy Spooning.

Get into a spooning cuddle position and get freaky.

This is great for people with lower back pain, chronic pain, and arthritis.

Modified Doggystyle Chair.

Limited mobility person sits in a chair or wheelchair near the edge of the bed, their partner sits in their lap and leans forward to brace themselves on the edge of the bed with their upper body and arms.

Great for hip pain sufferers and of course those with mobility issues, though be aware that the person on the edge of the bed is taking more physical exertion.

Modified Doggystyle Bed.

Or the floor, if that’s more comfortable. Put some pillows on the bed/floor to support the bottom partner, and then the top partner drapes over them chest to back.

If you require more stability as the bottom partner this is for you.

69 Flipped.

One person laid on their side in the spooning position, and the other lays facing them in the same way, but with their head at the opposite end.

This is good for arthritis, or people who have weak hips or hips prone to muscle spasms. Also, unlike media might have you believe, 69 doesn’t have to be oral-oral. You can use toys, your hands, whatever, as long as you and your partner are having fun.

Final notes.

Don’t be afraid to explore each others bodies. Touch, massage, stroke each other and see how you feel. Places like necks, inner thighs, ears and sides can all be turn-on zones due to their extra sensitivity. Just… explore. Don’t try to take it too seriously either, sex is sexy, sure, but it’s also funny and sometimes you make a weird noise (verbally or otherwise!) and you can’t keep fucking for all the giggles you’re having.

Have fun, do it safely, remember that sex is cleaner with a packaged wiener, and PEE AFTER SEX FOR GODS SAKE.

[kings-paintbrush]

Do you think any of the yellowjackets would age regress?

I was planning on making this aesthetic headcanon post with drawings and borders and stuff but I’m EEPY so,, UGLY LOOKING HEADCANONS!!!!!!

LAURA LEE :3333 i headcanon her as a Flip. A voluntary regressor! I think Laura Lee would just be a little angel, such a sweet little one. Always sharing and being able to put up with the other,,, not so well behaved little ones. As a Caregiver I CANNOT get the idea out of my head that she’s like a teacher. Giving the little ones lessons by the lake side, total Miss Honey from Matilda vibes… like teaching them their alphabets or their numbers with little songs 🥺🫶🏿

Lottie Matthews- Also a Flip, but with a caregiver lean. (In the wilderness she’s forced into a leader/carer role. So she’s definitely constantly taking care of all the littles). I think Lottie would be kind of independent when little, (involuntary.) maybe from ages 5 to 7, she’d want to do things on her own but mostly want a caregiver for supervision. Lottie would be nonverbal when regressed since she’s always had trouble communicating anyways. She likes to be praised for the little things, like pouring her own glass of milk and getting dressed— she was just never given attention much as a kid so that’d be nice for her.

Taissa: Regressor! I think it’s very much so involuntary and mostly to Middle space, she would have a lot of like tantrums and be generally pouty and mad. She probably wouldn’t notice she was little until someone else pointed it out.

Natalie: Teen Regresssor! Bc of trauma. Nat probably regresses to the ages of like 12-14. I think for the most part she would like sucking on lollipops but I could 100% see her making a deco paci. she’s usually rebellious when little, but it’s all in good fun, I could see maybe Lottie being her caregiver and Nat calling her “mom” or “ma”. But ALSO she may be a flip bc I love the idea of her being like a babysitter/big sister caregiver… she’s so sweet Misty: Pet Regressor/Flip. Vibes only. She bites people. She’s a puppy, a little excited puppy. Like in the pilot when she got excited doing the “BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ” and also as an adult she’s LITERALLY a caregiver so… Misty’s a lot of fun but idk, I could see her not really being good at dealing with high emotion situations (Ie; tantrums or accidents). She could come on a bit hard and condescending.

Mari: Regressor! Older kid, maybe 7-10! Mari’s personality definitely stays the same. A little Asshole if you ask me. I think Lottie would be her main caregiver, her mommy. But since Lottie takes care of ALL the little ones, Mari may act out for attention. I think Mari gets REALLY focused on the crafts she does and may not always notice when she has to go, so she’s padded. She’s super insecure abt her age regression bc of it. Javi Martinez: THATS A BABY. I’m right. I always will be. He’s semi verbal/nonverbal. he DEFINITELY clings to Shauna, that is his mama and I’m correct (i always am). Like just just I love them. He’s so sad and scared :c Shauna: Shauna’s an honorable mention bc I see her mostly as a Trauma Caregiver, she’s a mama to cope… but also Melanie Lynskey basically canonized Teen Regressor! adult Shauna so…

look me dead in my eyes and tell me this isn’t a mama and her little… HONORABLE MENTIONS: Fun dad/papa Jackie and strict mama Shauna, Big Brother CG Van, Playmate Crystal, Occasional Babysitter Akilah, Laura Lee giving Lottie one of those erasable magnet boards so she can write/draw to communicate, and ermmm that’s it :3

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Deconstructing the "Peggy and Molly Friendship" Narrative

Molly the Australian Magpie had been “reunited” with Peggy and the family that stole him as a fledgling and raised him without any wildlife carer license or experience.

Thanks to the Queensland Premier wanting to score some extra points in an election year, he “made it happen.” And legitimised the collective delusion of the public that genuinely thinks that this was a completely okay and reasonable situation. And believed the notion that Molly, a territorial social species of bird that had compromised development and was taken out of his home range, could simply "fly away".

So I went through their Instagram to see how this madness unfolded. It clearly began as a “Peggy” instagram before the stolen fledgling joined in.

These people are so adamant that there were no parents around but I don’t believe it for a second. Molly was a juvenile when he was taken - you always see fledglings around his size and age on the ground foraging for food. Mum and dad are not always around but they are never far away and are critical to a young magpie's developmental period.

They claim that Molly was sick. Yet they never make any mention of taking him to the vet. Molly makes distinctive fledgling feeding calls, the sounds he would have used to beg for food from his parents. It's tragic to see this after seeing how magpies raise their fledglings in my own backyard.

One of their first posts is feeding him what looks to be mealworms next to their pet dog. Aussie Magpie Fledglings at this age are learning everything about how to survive from their parents. They fed Molly WITH their dog. What does that teach? That dogs are not only safe but also a potential source of food/reinforcement.

As Peggy’s Instagram becomes Peggy and Molly’s Instagram, this happens:

Molly gets attacked by other birds. Because guess what? This is a territorial bird who has been removed from his original territory and away from the protection and guidance of his parents.

So, because these people have no idea what they’re doing, they’re Shocked that this would happen and that the wild bird they’re unwittingly conditioning into their pet can’t defend himself.

But yeah I’m sure teaching Molly tug of war with a dog is exactly the survival skills he needs as a wild bird!!!!!!

(I’m losing my goddamn mind)

Another “release attempt” fails because apparently we did a whoopsie and let him fly out in a storm??? Yet again, this poor bird is having traumatic experiences in the wild that he was not prepared for and is, unsurprisingly, seeking humans - which he has now associated heavily with food and safety.

Meanwhile, as they’re “raising” Molly, this insanity happens:

Yeah because that’s why your staffy is spontaneously lactating. She wants to mother a bird. It couldn’t possibly be that she’s had a bird pecking at her nipples and stimulating them or that she might have a serious medical issue. Interestingly, they do take Peggy to the vet. A luxury that doesn’t seem to be afforded to Molly who was also apparently sick (even though he seems to be pretty bright, alert and feeding in all the videos of when he was “rescued”)

Anyway the saga continues with the clear intention of making content now - the socialisation and habituation continues during Molly’s most critical juvenile years. They talk about how Peggy is helping Molly learn how to find food as if they're still intended for him to be a wild bird. But it's clear this bird isn't going anywhere.

At this time, Molly would be learning how to find food, how to socialise with other magpies and he’d eventually be joining a juvenile or bachelor flock where he’d continue to develop his social skills as a social and intelligent bird, wrestling and playing with his flock mates.

But no, he’s learning to mimic barks and is harassing the hell out of this poor staffy. The family just lets it all happen without any sort of support or advocacy for Peggy.

Haha isn't zoonotic disease vectors and a confused bird with no idea of how to interact appropriately with a dog just hilarious? It’s funny because of the silly caption they made, right?

As their "relationship" progresses, Peggy shows more discomfort.

This dog shows multiple stress behaviours. She is not friends with this bird she is TOLERATING this bird as he pecks at her face. She's rarely relaxed in these "play" interactions. She licks her lips, turns her head, yawns and even bares her teeth. But if it has a cute soundtrack behind it, I guess that means they’re having fun, right?

Even the interactions where Peggy's isn't stressed are still uncomfortable to watch. Molly shows immense frustration and confusion, following and wanting to be involved but being ignored or tolerated.

Molly should be with wild birds, playing how they play and not being merely tolerated:

Molly had a chance to be homed with a qualified wildlife rehabber or even get the chance to get to live with other Australian Magpies. But because people fell for the story and the media regurgitated it without questioning it for a second - he'll never get that chance again.

Molly was failed by the Queensland government for not being seized immediately. There were numerous complaints as soon as their story started to become viral that this was sending a bad message to the public and that this bird was not being given the care he needed.

It's too late, now. Molly will live in a confused limbo, not knowing what he's supposed to be and will never get to live with his own species.

And all the people that sent death threats to wildlife carers (who were trying to fix the damage caused) will pat themselves on the back about what a good job they did.

[just-another-star-47]

Thoughts on the Sallow family III

Part I Part II

Let's continue with Sebastian and Anne's parents.

I've often wondered what the relationship between them and their children was like, ultimately there's a lot of room for interpretation on this subject as we don't have much to go on.

Sebastian seems to have relatively fond memories of his parents, especially his father. 

I've already mentioned a few more thoughts in the last two parts, but I'd like to expand on them here. The Sallows were professors, so they either taught or used their professorship to do research (or both).

What I noticed about the professors we meet in the game is that they all have their rooms at Hogwarts and seem to live there (the letters about their family life away from Hogwarts support this). 

Which makes me wonder who was with Anne and Sebastian while their parents were teaching. Were they allowed to come to the castle and stay with their parents? (Which would still have meant that they were on their own for most of the day).

Or did one of their parents always come home in the evening? (Again, the siblings would have been alone for the day).

This leads me to the next question, whether there is such a thing as kindergartens in the wizarding world. I could write a separate post on that alone, but since this is about the Sallow family, I'll keep it brief.

Ultimately, my point is that I personally think that Sebastian and Anne were very often alone as children. If you think about the time in which HL is set, this is not surprising, because education and research in the field of children were still in their infancy. The fatal accident alone indicates that the Sallows left Sebastian and Anne to their own devices when they were working (so even if they were researching rather than teaching, their absence remains).

For me, this idea is very interesting because it explains Sebastian's behaviour in the game once again. He sees himself as responsible for Anne (I personally like the idea that he was born a little earlier, but of course gender roles can also play a part) and therefore has had to take on the role of an adult earlier than he should. This would explain why he makes his decisions alone, why he needs to be alone to calm down, and why Anne's curse almost drives him mad.

The two siblings are not only linked by the bond of twins, but also by the time they have spent together since childhood, when they have had to keep each other company. In Sebastian's case, there is also the role of carer, from which he cannot detach himself. In the course of the game, he explains that Solomon never really cared for them, implying that Sebastian could and knows better, which to me again reflects the role he took on too early.

(Again, I could go on and on, but back to the parents).

The fact that Sebastian doesn't seem to bear a grudge against his parents may be because, despite everything, they always endeavoured to meet their children's needs as far as they could. In the last parts, I wrote that I think the family often travelled, which would indicate that the family spent time together. But it could also be that he doesn't realise how big a burden it is to have to take on the role of carer as a child and has simply accepted this as his task.

It's probably a mixture of both.

[aloeverawrites]

Disclaimer: I made this post a while ago, off the top of my head, in response to an animal rights group that was rightly accused of being ableist. I wanted to try and show that you could care about guide dogs without being dismissive of people who’s are visually impaired but I’m not sure if I did that well. It’s only meant to start a conversation that can be lead by someone more qualified. Instead of reblogging I’d recommend looking for other perspectives on it, (and then sending me the links because I’d like to know more.)

So I have ideas about guide dogs, but I'm sighted so it's not really my place to discuss them.

Like I do think there's a problem with training one organism to serve another for their whole life. I think that if they also teach the dogs how to talk using those soundboards then this will be much better because at least they've agreed to it. Also they might be able to communicate with their carers more effectively and help them more.

And on the other hand, we've put dogs in a situation where being kept in the house all day and then being taken for maybe 1-2 walks a day is their best case scenario. So maybe it's actually better to teach a dog how to function in human society and give them an option to participate in it. I know that working can help human mental health, maybe it's the same for dogs.

And there's the important point that guide dogs help blind people and people with low-vision. It helps them have their needs and rights respected in a world that doesn't look for them they way it should.

Idk, maybe I'm just saying that we should see guide dogs as workers and not tools. And we see animals as objects/tools in general so while we should be changing that thinking maybe we should be focusing on animals that aren't necessary unlike guide dogs.

So yeah I'm not really making a definite statement on this, more trying to start a conversation. Also I'm hoping that my fellow vegans can look at this and figure out how to balance animal rights with human rights because I think that sometimes we ignore the human rights aspect.

So what do you guys think? How do we make things better for guide dogs and their disabled guardians? I'd especially like to hear from people who are vision impaired because they're the most important voices in this.

[papawolfcg]

hiya papa wolf! i'm not sure if you've already talked about it before (if so please disregard) but i saw your post about cg blorbos and saw trolls and wanna hear your headcanons on barb and poppy if you'd be willing to talk about them! are they cgs/regressors/flips? have a wonderful day 🦋

YESS FINALLY AN EXCUSE TO DUMP MY HEADCANONS FOR THEM THANK U ASKER !!

Poppy and Barb flip headcanons 🌸🎸

Poppy:

🌸 Has a regressor lean

🌸 Toddler regressor, stays between the 3-5 range

🌸 As a cg, she’s very energetic and crafty, and loves to make scrapbooks with her regressor !

🌸 Her and Barb take care of each other

🌸 Loves to be called “mama” or “Ms. Poppy”

🌸 Calls her regressor her “little flower” “Sugarcube” and “Sunshine” a lot

Barb:

🎸 Caregiver lean

🎸 Mix of a soft and strict carer, somewhere in the middle

🎸 Loves to be called “Momma” or “Dada”

🎸 Calls her regressor her “Little Rockstar”

🎸 When taking care of Poppy, she calls her “Poppyseed” and “Popsqueak”

🎸 Likes to play with her regressor, teaching them to play the guitar or chasing them around in a game of tag

🎸 When small, she’s very clingy, always wanting to be close to her carer and getting upset when they are separated for a while

🎸 Baby regressor, 0-3 range mostly

I could probably go on forever, but here’s a few of my headcanons for the pair !! ^_^

[cozyhatchling]

I love your writing!! If you have time can you do gorou as a caregiver pls and thank you

Absolutely! Gorou is so sweet...

Carer Gorou Headcanons!

I haven't actually met him in game yet but I love him anyway~

As expected, Gorou is so so so loyal to his little pup! He's always on their side and does everything he can to make their life as comfortable as possible

He's also fiercely protective; his little one will Never come to any harm

Gorou is a very safety conscious carer! He always has a little first-aid kit with him filled with cute patterned bandages and a "helper" in the form of a teeny doggy plush to make sure his little one has a friend to hold while they're getting patched up~

He doesn't hover too much though, he wants his little pup to be able to run and play without being scared of getting hurt. As long as they're not in immediate danger, he'll encourage almost any kind of play!

Nature adventures are his favorite! He tends to stray away from games with too much conflict (like pirates and things like that), so going for hikes or setting up scavenger hunts are the perfect activity for him and his little pup~

He uses tons of baby animal pet names! Pup/puppy, kitten, fawn, kit, cub, duckling...the list goes on and on!

He always lets his little pup pet his ears and tail, and uses it as a teaching opportunity to remind them to be gentle and careful with others

I hope these aren't too OOC! Thank you for the request!

If you'd like to make your own request, check out this post right here!

Thanks for reading!

[swearyshera]

And here's even more asks, gosh, I have a lot today

@clueless-rarito That was all original, that. Adora cries a lot in these last two episodes.

Now that would be glorious. I hope Glimmer starts teaching her.

@reeny-chan Can you grab one for me while you're at it? It's getting progressively more difficult to start making posts without crying at this point.

Yeah, that one came from deep down. I feel that way sometimes as well.

But I think it's a wonderful mirror to hold up to Entrapta, whose mantra towards Hordak, and herself too, is "We're enough as we are". It's definitely something that I've been wanting to put across more as I've neared the end, because it's not only an underlying part of the story (and one we don't talk about enough!), but it's also a lesson that we all need to learn sometimes.

I found some of Adora's speech reflective of the way that sometimes in our adolescent years, things aren't always perfect at home, and we have to mature rapidly and either play peacemaker, or household organiser, or any number of things that we lacked and had to take charge of ourselves. And in that situation, we do often feel like everything is on us, that we have to be perfect or it will fall apart - whether that's something like not having food on the table, or (as with Catra and Adora) it'll invite anger from parents/carers/etc, or whatever. We never really lose that feeling of having to be strong, having to be perfect or things will go wrong and it will be our fault.

Accepting ourselves as we are, and telling ourselves that we're enough, is such a long journey sometimes. It's taken me the best part of 15 years. Sometimes it's so difficult to say "you know what? I didn't do things perfectly today but that's okay, I can make mistakes". So I think this idea of treating ourselves as enough and worthy of happiness is one that's really close to my heart as well.

[belzrgr]

-> Zoro as a Carer

Was going through my notes and realised I hadn't posted this, heh

Zoro & gn! Reader (you/yours)

Tags/Warnings: Reader age regresses, fluff

He's a bit unsure at first. Zoro doesn't know how to act around you when you're small, what's ok and what isn't? He understands that you're more emotionally vulnerable when you're regressed, so he's scared of accidently hurting you somehow

As someone who is usually pretty rough around the edges and doesn't like to humor others - if anything just letting stuff happen if it doesn't bother him too much - taking care of someone and being nurturing is uncharted territory for the man

Still, he wants to try, even if who he is won't change, he'll make an effort for you to be gentle at least. Which, surprisingly enough, isn't actually that hard for him

Spending time with Zoro when you're small means a looot of naps or if you don't want to sleep, you can play around with drawing stuff around him (or on him) or putting stuff on his head maybe, like making a tower.... It's like a sneaky game where you have to try not to wake him up. (Though it does happen that he only pretends sometimes and let's you play. Low energy entertainment is a win for him)

He's got a soft spot for you anyway and when you're regressed, Zoro let's many things go through without getting upset. The only no-go's for him are you getting yourself hurt somehow, doing something dangerous or hitting anyone who didn't deserve it

Zoro is someone who will pick you up with ease - and often too. Whether you're sleeping or not, Zoro likes you carry you around or even let you climb him and hang off him like a koala. Want to hang on his arms while he flexes his muscles? He actually enjoys it, mostly because it's funny and he loves showing how strong he is so, no complains from him

If you want anything to eat, you know he's taking you with him to the kitchen and telling Sanji to get a move on and make what you want. They may bicker a bit but Sanji ends up cooking it either way because it's for you, so how could he let you go hungry? Never

If you're old enough in your regressed age, you can play-spar with him. He won't actually draw his swords and you'll have a wooden sword to attack him with. It's mostly just him deflecting your attacks but he also makes sure to teach you in the process (you may actually learn to handle a sword while regressed if you don't already know how to fight with one)

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Andrew Doyle

Published: Jun 4, 2024

Here we go again. The culture war is apparently nothing more than a myth, a fabrication intended to distract the lower orders. It’s like the “bread and circuses” of Ancient Rome, or the Easter Bunny, or Milli Vanilli.

On this week’s episode of Newsnight, the former Tory MP Dehenna Davison was asked whether she welcomed Kemi Badenoch’s recent attempts to clarify the Equality Act in order to ensure that women’s rights to single-sex spaces are protected. “I don’t at all,” she said. “I think regrettably the debate around trans issues right now seems to be used as some kind of political football for this mythical culture war that the Conservative party seems to be fighting.”

That’s a relief. So the disabled women who are smeared as bigots for requesting female carers are simply fantasists? And the female prisoners who are terrified of being accommodated with convicted rapists are just worrying over nothing? And victims of sexual assault being turned away from rape crisis centres because they don’t want to speak to a male counsellor have just imagined the whole thing?

Apparently, yes. Here’s what the Tory Reform Group had to say in a post on X:

“The Conservative Party has to think very carefully about the type of campaign it wants to run, and the longer term impact of stoking culture wars. It is clear that voters are rejecting the politics of division. We must not run on ‘wedge issues’ for a narrow core voter base alone.”

I remain unconvinced that the rights of 51% of the population qualifies as a “wedge issue”.

Of course the culture war doesn’t end with the ongoing erosion of women’s rights. Gay people are being shamed for being attracted to their own sex by the very organisations who were set up to protect their interests. We have men demanding access to lesbian dating apps and speed-dating events. We’ve had gay youth medicalised on the NHS for being same-sex attracted. We have the bullying and harassment of gay men and lesbians in the name of “progress”. And yet in her Newsnight interview, Davison claims that same-sex marriage is one of the Conservative government’s “proudest achievements” while in the same breath dismissing these attacks on gay rights as trivial.  

And what about the ongoing assault on free speech? What of those activists who demand that we should be prosecuted if we do not adopt their language (something that is actually happening in Canada and is likely to come to Ireland with the proposed new “hate speech” laws)? And what about campaigners who now leverage huge influence in all our major institutions attempting to rewrite our history, remove statues and monuments that they find “problematic”, censor books, and criminalise dissent? What about the ideologues in schools who are teaching highly contested theories as fact, from Critical Race Theory via Brighton School Council’s “anti-racist schools strategy” to this week’s revelation that 95% of Scottish schools are allowing pupils to self-identify their gender?

At this point, it’s difficult to believe that anyone genuinely believes that the culture war is “mythical”. There is an abundance of evidence of the antics of culture warriors who seek to reconstruct all the fundamental aspects of our society in order to better align with their ideology. I do make a point of assuming that people are telling the truth, and so the charitable explanation is that Davison and her ilk are simply ignorant of some of the most significant cultural developments over the past decade, from the fallout of the Black Lives Matter protests to the Scottish hate crime bill to the campaigns of harassment against gender-critical feminists. Perhaps she doesn’t read the newspapers. If only someone had written a book that provides a wide-ranging overview of the countless examples of how culture warriors have sought to reshape the world. Oh well…

Of course Davison is not the only political commentator to imply that the rights of women and gay people simply don’t matter. Former Labour strategist Alastair Campbell was quick to jump on to X to offer his contribution:

“I’m sure the world of trade and business will take note that the actual Secretary of State for trade and business has decided that the biggest issue on her agenda on her first big election outing is the weaponisation of trans rights. Anyone might be tempted to think Kemi Badenoch has less interest in the general election than the internal ideological shitshow likely to follow.”

As J. K. Rowling pointed out, Campbell seems to be unaware that Badenoch is also the minister for women and equalities, and so it’s hardly a stretch to suppose that women’s rights and the Equality Act fall within her remit. As Rowling put it: “Thanks once again for highlighting Labour’s complacency and indifference towards the rights of half the electorate.”

The culture war is often misunderstood as a matter of Right vs Left, but the ill-informed comments of Davison and Campbell show that it’s nothing of the kind. As I have pointed out many times, the Conservatives have presided over the worst excesses of the culture war during their time in office. We shouldn’t give them a free pass simply because matters are likely to get a whole lot worse under Labour.

Far from being trivial, these issues could not be more important. If we can’t preserve the rights of women and gay people, how can we claim to be living in a civilised society? And when activists are successfully pressurising governments to force citizens to declare falsehoods, how can we in good conscience remain silent?

The claim that the culture was is a “distraction” is, in itself, a distraction. Yes, other issues are crucial and require our attention. But resisting the creeping authoritarianism of our times should also be a priority. When those in power are not only insisting that 2+2=5, but demanding that we all repeat the lie, we cannot afford to be complacent.

[littledellprince]

could i request joel miller as a caregiver please? hes been one of my main comforts for awhile and i never see anything with him, i could really use some joel!cg rn <3 ty if you can !!

I sure can ^^ sorry for the wait!!

🌲Joel Miller as a carer🌲

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

🔗 Joel had a rough time adjusting to the new knowledge that was age regression. He’s 100% supportive, but has no clue how to approach you about it. He’ll awkwardly pop a completely unrelated question he’s been thinking on about your regression in the middle of a conversation.

🔩 And when you first regress in front of him, he’s the most tense he’s ever been in his life. Joel’s taking care of a toddler for the first time in a while and he’s unsure if he’s still got the skills for it. Although he’s slightly rusty and not as nurturing anymore, he’s never felt softer than knowing he can protect you in more than one way now.

⌛️ He’s parental and loving in subtle ways; he’ll carry your little gear for you in his backpack, give subtle affectionate touches where he can, and make corny jokes as reassurance. But most of all, Joel is very protective. You have many rules to follow while you’re small, which, to sum it up, is basically to stay close to Joel and let Joel do everything for you.

🧸 Ellie loved playing pretend with you when she was younger (and still does). You’d play pranks on Joel often (and get in trouble a lot), make up games to play and stories to tell the whole time you’re on the road. Now, she babysits when Joel isn’t around; playing dinosaur with your wooden block towers and teaching you how to play guitar.

⌚️Pre-apocalyptic joel would be like; helping you wash your hands, messy activities, movie and ice cream dates, going with him to work/riding in the backseat, peaceful bath-times, etc. Post-apoc. Joel likes to pat and ruffle your hair, sing you to sleep, and scoop you up and snuggle every chance he gets.

🍦 “Stay close to daddy, pumpkin. I cant protect you if i cant see you.”

🌾 He keeps strict rules and only a few punishments; it mostly consists of not being allowed to go on trips with him, silent rides (remaining quiet and no engagement until you return from a trip), and time outs. Albeit, with his scary serious dad voice, there would rarely be a need for punishments.

🗻 His Carerspace Vibe:

[brightlotusmoon]

You know that feeling when you stretch your arm out and your elbow suddenly feels like a weak rubber band, and it feels like if you keep stretching, your elbow will just yeet your forearm and it'll be dislocated and sad?

Stretching is painful.

I don't want to Do Yoga, it sounds cultish at this point.

I do, however, want to stretch the right way. My mom teaches restorative yoga to fellow seniors, and we have this talk at least twice a month. I don't have to call it a yoga pose but those names are really useful. Child Pose, Cat Cow, Warrior. I know, I know, no matter what you call it, it's stretching. Penn And Teller did a whole Bullshit episode on it. My physiotherapist said yoga was mostly to keep a yogi limber enough to maintain a meditation pose for hours and hours.

I don't have to call it yoga. I don't have to listen to that yoga teacher who kept bullying me for "disparaging yoga" which is untrue, I was kvetching mightily but I was not disparaging. It's fine.

A while back, someone in the cerebral palsy support group posted a video of two carers helping her move into a cat cow pose. It reminded me of how we absolutely do have limits, and sometimes the best way to push those limits is with other people literally helping you move.

There is no shame in that. It is not a weakness. It is power.

Yoga is great. It's not something I enjoy. Get used to me kvetching while stretching and satirizing.

I'm going back to sleep. My brain keeps waking me up wanting to Say Things To Tumblr.

(Mom, if you read this, I promise I'm working on my erratic sleep schedule. Insomnia is a hell of a

[headpats-for-charlie]

🏹Caregiver!Seeley Booth Headcanons🥃

◇ usually takes you places like the park or the aquarium or a children's museum! definitely likes getting u outta the house

◇ likes to be reassured that he's a good carer- melts if u call him "the bestest papa"!!!

◇ really great with pet regressors cuz he'll pet you nd play-fight as much as u want!! :D

◇ always holds ur hand when walking n gives u piggy back rides at home

◇ incredibly eager to be ur carer nd surprisingly accepting when u tell him u regress; he loves feeling proud n protective of u ^^

◇ I feel like he'd be similar to Bandit Heeler in the way that he plays fun physical games with u :D

◇ calls u every pet name under the sun n loves when u do the same (papa, dada, daddy, bubba, anything really!!)

◇ feels kinda silly playing pretend but doesn't care bc it makes you happy :> he eventually gets rlly into it lol

◇ probably teaches u self-defense techniques if ur big enough

◇ wants to show u all the things he liked when he was younger n tries to find songs and cartoons u can watch together n he can ramble about omg >< <3

I've been so into Bones lately I just had to do a Booth hc post ^^ been thinking of doing regressor Brennan hcs too!!

[poetry-for-ghosts]

[ID: eight skeins of yarn stacked up together. Two are black, three are green and three are purple. There is a grey crochet hook with a rubber red grip resting on top of them. The background is a marbled green bedspread. End ID]

Long time no original post.

I've got a backlog of a few digital pieces I should post up soon, but I've also been busy with a new hobby. My carer offered to teach me to crochet and, well, now I'm hooked (no pun intended). Almost everything I've done until now has been practise so I haven't really felt like sharing, but I'm about to throw myself into my first big- and I mean BIG- project. I'm going to be crocheting a quilt.

Futher details below the cut.

So the plan is to sew together 48 granny squares in a 6 by 8 rectangle. There will be a green and purple checkerboard pattern with a black border, which should very nicely hide all of the stitches that will attach them together. Then I'm going to make a metric fuckton of spooky appliques so I can have one for each square. I made a quick diagram for reference:

[ID: a rough drawing of a green and purple checkered quilt with black borders. The first row of six squares has different spooky motifs drawn on. From left to right: a moon, a tooth, a black mushroom, a bat, a skull and a spiderweb. These are all black and white. End ID]

I only drew in the appliques on the first row to save time, but the plan is for every square to have something on it. I'm also going to be crocheting some little gifts for my loved ones this holiday season, and I think swapping between those and the quilt should help break up the monotony of both.

More updates to follow :)

[the-scottish-costume-guy]

Are you still depressed? I started following you years ago after a post about doing stuff like brushing your teeth when youre depressed and you havent posted a lot about it recently. (If its not rude to ask)

I am not still depressed I am Very relieved to say! I do still struggle with some daily care because of my physical disability but thats a whole other conversation. I'm not even exactly sure when I overcame my depression - I know my particular mental health issues were being caused by a variety of factors (the largest of which was being the primary carer for an abusive parent). I had a bad year right before covid hit where my physical health was at its worst - but since then I've been fighting through physical therapy and I'm very excited to say one of my big goals for 2023 is to manage a day out without my crutches - something that did not seem achievable 5 years ago. Despite the general state of the uk, my partner and I are financially stable for the first time in our lives. I'm working towards a PhD and teaching fellowship, I have career prospects. My partner and I will either have enough savings to look into finally getting married, or (probably first) home ownership in the near future. This is not me boasting - its me celebrating. I lost over ten years of my life to depression and anxiety. Theres still a lot of stuff for me to work through in therapy (I still have a Lot of memory loss and dissociative issues) - but at this point I've gotten this far. Who knows if I'll get completely where I want to be, but every step in the right direction has massively improved my quality of life.