HAPPY NEW YEAR (2023)!

Sonic fans feasted this year!

The concepts of NSFW is being cleared of the Internet under the false pretense of children’s safety when it’s really about the people in power sanitising for advertisers and pushing evangelical narratives AND that not enough is done to keep legitimately harmful content off of spaces that minors have access to are ideas that can coexist

can adults have their own fucking space?

a lot of people are misunderstanding this post. minors arent taking away your spaces. the internet is not being made safer for children, it is being sanitised for advertisers.

And also: minors’ spaces are being taken away.

When I was a kid, “barbie.com” looked like this

But now, if you type “Barbie.com” you’re taken immediately to Mattel’s online shop, surrounded by nothing but “shop now” links and toy collections.

Disney channel’s website is now “Disneynow.com” which still has games and shows appropriate for kids, but is aimed towards a younger audience as it combines Disney Jr and Disney Channel properties, and the look of the entire site is very juvenile and not very appealing to kids in the tween and young teen demographics.

Nick.com has been similarly streamlined and is focused primarily on streaming its shows, and the only games still left are 10 apps that can’t be played on browser.

Kid-friendly sites like icarly.com, Poptropica, Club Penguin, Neopets, Webkinz etc used to be insanely relevant and popular spaces built for kids and tweens.

Now, kids are being funneled into less moderated, more exploitative, and more public spaces like Roblox (its dangerous and exploitative nature exposed in these videos from People Make Games: (x) (x)), Fortnite (known for its gambling and microtransaction issues), and social media sites like TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter.

My elementary aged cousins spend their time on Roblox, YouTube, and some less than reputable game sites that are full of ads and stolen/reposted/reskinned games. My sister was on Musically/Tiktok and Twitter in middle school. They don’t have the same options for having fun online that I did when I was a kid, especially not when they get too old for nickjr and disneynow.

The internet has been condensed into about 5 popular sites that are full of ads, and it’s not fair to anyone.

exactly two years later and i’m still thinking about this anon. anyway if you wanna wish me happy birthday today i’d love if it encapsulated the same energy.

Art by Wayne Chan

i love motifs i love recurring themes i love symbolism i love foreshadowing i love impactful narratives

Thinking about a duct tape wizard

Things I like about this decal on a restaurant window: -the insane orange waiter -that he’s carrying his plates in the air like a strongman -the couple looks like this isn’t the first time he’s done this, but it’s easier to just let it happen at this point. -the sign says PASTA as if he’s screaming it like a frankenstein -but he’s holding a plate of an entire chicken and a plate of wine glasses -there’s three wine glasses -one’s for him.

This makes me laugh to the point of tears every time I see it

Potato Bird

I went out with 3 of my friends today. I found a place that claimed to have wheelchair accessible walks, and we went off the path, and my wheelchair got stuck a thousand times.

We laughed so hard, and they pushed me (I can’t propel myself very far) and we took photos and we laughed more and we went through mud and fine sand and thistles, and then we ate croissants at a café and when we got back to the car we had ice cream and

I wish I could go back to my child self and show them this day. I wish I could say, One day you’ll be part of things and people will be glad to have you around, and they won’t complain about pushing you up a steep grade or through a bog, and they will want to hear your shitty jokes and when you gasp and say LOOK A BABY BUNNY they will stop to look and it will be exactly as magical as you’re imagining now.

You can find a place where you’re appreciated and loved and supported. You can. I believe it.

I went to a carnival with my friends the other day, and even though my shoulder was dislocated all of them were willing to push me wherever we went, and when they went on the rides I couldn’t go on, I sat and took pictures of them so we could all remember the day. I bought cheesy dinosaur shirts and we all found matching cow shirts. We went through the fair and found little Lego sets that we all loved, and when I got overwhelmed all of them were willing to find a quiet spot to sit and relax in. Even when I started having a tic attack, we left very quickly and got pizza.

I really needed this post to remind me that it’s easiest to feel like you’re a burden when people treat you like a burden. But I promise you’re not, you’ll find people who want you around.

I bought a house with my partner. I am allowed to paint the walls exactly the way I want them painted, in exactly the order I want them painted. I put up the painter’s tape myself and I pull it down (so satisfying). I decide if the walls need another coat or if a spot needs touching up, and I am not shamed or berated for my “pickiness”. In fact, my partner walks in and says “wow, it looks amazing in here. Great job, handsome.” He does not touch me when I am sweaty and sore, but waits until I have had my shower and come back to myself.

The food in our cupboards is food I will eat - or at least our cupboards contain nothing I hate and am expected to eat anyway. There is always something to snack on for when food is Bad and eating is Hard. There are no doors on the cupboards, the better to remember that food exists and can be accessed easily.

There are soft things everywhere. The lights are kept low and soon we will put up fairy lights for supplemental lighting. My sensory needs are met and respected, and I am safe.

My partner puts my walker in his car and drives me places - and does not object when I would rather be the one driving, relinquishes control as easily as breathing. He checks to make sure I am okay, that I am not pushing too hard; he believes me when I say I can or cannot do something. He slows down to keep pace when I am tired or in pain, and never, ever rushes me.

You will build a home some day, and it will be just as beautiful and safe as mine.

I now live in a place where there is no screaming or yelling. I no longer walk on eggshells by simply existing in my own home. There is no more pressure on me to sacrifice my limited energy to do more because there is no desperate need for me to escape.

The dishes are allowed to stay in the sink overnight and the world does not explode if the bathroom is not cleaned top-to-bottom weekly before Sunday evening. My roommate and partner believes me when I say I cannot do something, and I feel safe and comfortable to ask for help when I need it.

I am unlearning the involuntary hesitation of inviting people to my home, and learning that it’s okay to let people in even if their time in my life is only temporary.

I never would have been able to imagine this as a teenager, or even through college. It does get better. It’s worth hanging around for.

June Landscape

Instagram

Bleach OP 1

Asterisk - Orange Range

by eddiekruger

Whew, finally energy to post here again ^^ New waistcoat inspired by elegant moths, decorated with lots of vintage lace ^^ … For all about my designs, see: www.somniaromantica.com ^^

Magpies