Fliting

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See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna
midsilo
vaspider

So I'm putting this here as a sort of public service. If you have never seen a rabid animal before, and you think you can handle watching it, I think it's a good idea to watch this. It's pretty upsetting to watch, so big CW on it, because this animal is essentially "dead but still moving." This is end-stage rabies. There is no saving this animal.

Before this stage, animals may be excessively affectionate or oddly tame-looking which is part of the reason why seeing people feeding foxes is upsetting to me. These animals might be, or might become, rabid, and there's no way to know without testing, which involves destroying the animal. Encouraging wild animals to be that close to humans is generally bad.

I grew up in the woods, so unfortunately we saw an uptick in rabid animals every spring -- you'd hear there was a rabid bat in this neighborhood or a rabid fox in this one -- but as wild animals and humans cross over more and more, we will see this more and more.

Opossums and squirrels extremely rarely get rabies, and we don't know why. They think the low body temperature of opossums inhibits the virus. The most common animals which get rabies in the US are raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes. Any animal 'acting unusually' -- not skittish around humans, biting at the air or at nothing ('fly-biting'), walking strangely (they kind of look like they have a string attached to their heads and walk kind of diagonal like they're being pulled along, a lot of the time) -- should be treated as though it's potentially rabid.

If you think you have been exposed to a rabid animal, including 'waking up in a room where a bat has gotten into it and there's a fucking bat in your room', please immediately go to the emergency room. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Post-exposure prophylaxis absolutely fucking sucks, it is a series of shots you'll have to get in two stages, it's done by weight, and it feels fucking nasty, but rabies is 100% fatal. I cannot stress enough how essential this is, having been through it.

Thank you for reading, I love everybody, the end.

vaspider

To be clear, I have been through post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies. In 2005 or early 2006, I forget which exactly, @urbanprole and I woke up with a bat in our bedroom bc our apartment maintenance hadn't closed up the HVAC system after replacing filters. I shooed the bat out with a broom and it was acting normally for a bat but we didn't take any chances. (Thankfully, MK was at her dad's that weekend.)

I felt absolutely wretched the next day - the worst I've ever felt, excluding surgery and childbirth - after each series of shots. I had to get 2 sets on different days. I got 8 shots the first day, and Emet got like 13 or 15 bc she's very tall, and it's done by mass. The only thing I can think to compare it to is the depths of COVID, but without the coughing. Your immune system is Working Hard to update itself so it can recognize and fight any possible exposure.

I basically laid in bed and ached and sweated and groaned, but after it was over, I was fine.

Fewer than 20 people have ever survived rabies, and none are known to have survived without immediate post-exposure prophylaxis. Do not fuck around with this. Do not approach strange stray or wild mammals, especially without protective clothing.

vaspider

Several comments on this post talking about 'why can't the US eradicate rabies entirely' and my friends, it can be really hard to understand how fucking big the United States is, and how weird it is to have basically 50 small countries in a trenchcoat. Like, we're fighting each other right now in courts over medicine, for one thing, and for another...

Like, one of the people commenting on this post and wondering this is from Portugal. Portugal is 35,603 square miles, and the United States is 3.97 million square miles. Portugal is 0.0093% the size of the United States, which... yeah. Like. The single state that I grew up in (Pennsylvania) is 46K square miles.

So, like, for one thing, this country is trying not to explode while a small group of people try to make it explode. And for another?

The US? Is. Fucking. Huge.

midsilo

I studied rabies in college and let me tell you, and as previously stated; it is pretty much 100% fatal as soon as symptoms appear. You MUST get treatment as soon as you think you are exposed, your immune system will not just “take care of it”. NO. Rabies has an incubation period that varies depending on where you look, so symptoms will almost certainly not appear right away, that’s what gives us a chance to survive.

You DO NOT need to be bitten to contract rabies, you can get it from scratches, or even (rarely) if the saliva comes in contact with your mucosal membranes (eyes, nose, mouth)

This is also your PSA to GET YOUR FUCKING PETS VACCINATED, (in fact, most states in the US require you to have your pets vaccinated for rabies). Dogs are the #1 transmitter for rabies to humans worldwide. If you are in a high exposure environment (veterinary hospital, lab work involving rabies, or you’re around bats/ in caves often, or are travelling to countries where rabies is prevalent) look at getting yourself vaccinated too. (Psst, you can still get it even if none of these apply to you). 

Will the vaccine prevent the disease? No, but it can help prevent the onset of symptoms, again, as soon as the symptoms start you are almost certainly dead. It is not a pleasant death either. 

If you get the vaccine you still NEED to get treatment if you come in contact with the virus. 

What do you do if you think you’ve come in contact with rabies: 

Wash the wound with warm running water, and soap if possible for 15 minutes. Yes. 15. Whole. Minutes. While you’re doing that I recommend you are on the phone with your nearest hospital/ ER/ primary care doctor. Get the post-exposure prophylaxis ASAP.

Rabies is HIGHLY preventable, the biggest thing to do to prevent rabies is to LEAVE WILDLIFE ALONE! I’M SERIOUSAnd especially DO NOT approach any animal you think may have rabies. Again, as previously stated if they are acting strangely; get somewhere safe, call animal control and wait it out. Do not approach it. Do not try to capture it. Do not think you can save it. You cannot. I promise. Additionally, don’t let your pets go into “wild” areas unsupervised. Get your pets vaccinated, as is required by law in most states.

Be Safe! 

rabies disease video animal death human death resource reference
transgenderteensurvivalguide
transgenderteensurvivalguide

What Am I?

“I feel [thoughts, feelings]. What am I?”

We can’t answer that. The only person who can…is you. However, we are able to suggest terms you may identify with and encourage you. 

Maybe your friend said she doesn’t think you seem non-binary, or your mom said you don’t act like a trans guy would act so you can’t be trans. It can be hard to do, but you need to push those comments aside and trust in yourself. 

Don’t let other people’s opinions determine how you identify- they aren’t the one in your head having your experiences and feelings, you are. And again, you are only one who can figure out your gender.

Check out the trans umbrella for a definition of trans identity if you’re not sure you know what it means to be trans or non-binary, or what identities count as trans or nb.

If you can’t meet other trans people in real life, we would recommend following trans people on tumblr or other social media. You can find plenty of people who would be willing to talk to you about your gender or their own experience with questioning. 


“What if I don’t have dysphoria about X thing, or I do have dysphoria about Y gendered feature? What am I then?”

Again, we can’t choose a label for you! 

But it’s important to know that non-binary people can have dysphoria about different things, including top/chest dysphoria and lower/genital dysphoria. So you can be non-binary, for example, and want to get lower surgery.

And it’s also important to know that binary people (ie trans men and trans women) don’t have to have dysphoria about any particular thing, so you can be a trans woman, for example, but not have any issue with your genitals or not want to be on estrogen.

So any trans person (and that includes nb folk) can experience any type of gender dysphoria or gender euphoria (or the lack thereof), and having dysphoria or not having dysphoria isn’t limited to people with a certain label or required of people with a certain label. More info on all of that is in our Dysphoria page

In addition, it’s possible for someone to not experience dysphoria about a certain trait as a child but still end up feeling dysphoric about it at a later point. 


What label should I use?

The links below have some label ideas and definitions!

If you don’t like a label, then you don’t have to use it. You should choose whatever gender identity term is the most comfortable for you, whether that means choosing something well-known or deciding to go with a micro-label.

Gender identities:

Sexual orientations:


Look into what you think fits you and feels the most right and comfortable, and if you feel like you really like a certain label, and you’re drawn to it, then that might be an indicator it’s right for you! But there’s no time limit before you have to choose one, and it’s okay to explore things!

We also have tags for different genders or sexualities (such as /tagged/bigender) if you want more info. 

Go to your browser like Chrome or Safari and type https://transgenderteensurvivalguide.tumblr.com/tagged/insertidentity if you can’t search the blog on your mobile app! And replace insert identity with the word you’re looking for.


“I didn’t suspect I am trans until I was [x age], so am I still valid?

Yes, you’re valid! Not everyone realizes they’re trans in childhood like the narrative pushed at you by the media says, and that’s totally okay. In fact, the majority of trans people probably don’t realize as children, or don’t have the language to label their feelings as children, or don’t have as gendered bodies yet, or aren’t expected to fit into gender roles as kids yet so they don’t realize they’re in the wrong one, or the converse where they have their self-identification invalidated and knocked down so they don’t have a welcoming environment to explore and grow and therefore don’t identify as trans yet. There are many reasons people don’t necessarily know they’re trans when they’re children, and they’re all valid.

Many of our mods realized as teens (Read the When did you know you were trans? post for more info on realizing as a teen or child) but that isn’t because most people realize at the age we did, it’s because this is a blog that looks for teenage mods (so the advice is from your peers and mostly not from adults) and that means you’ll have mods who realized as teens or occasionally younger.

So some people realize as children, some people realize during puberty, some people realize in high school, some people realize as adults, and it’s all normal, valid, and okay. You’re never too old to realize.

Here are a few basic steps to get you started on your journey:

Daydreaming. Think of the future; maybe you have the perfect occupation, or children, or life partner(s), or all three? Or perhaps you’re supreme dictator of Earth? No matter where you are, what do you look like? A man, a woman, someone in between, both, neither, etc.? The image you have in mind could be indicative of who you feel you are, or who you want to be.


Stating your gender. Look in the mirror. State, “I am a boy/girl/etc.,” or, “I am not [assigned gender].” Does it feel right? Does it feel comfortable? This could be indicative of who you feel you are, or who you want to be! There’s nothing wrong with questioning and trying on a label for a while to see if it fits you.


Being called your chosen name/pronouns. (Please note that you do not have to change your name or pronouns to be transgender.) Think of a close friend who you trust and feel would support and respect you during this time. Say to them, “I am questioning my gender and I would like you to call me (insert name here) and use (insert pronouns here) for me when other people aren’t around.” A good friend will agree. If it feels right for them to call you your chosen name, that could be an indicator. 

It will feel weird at first to have your friend call you your chosen name, but you’ll get comfortable with it if it is right. The same goes for your gender pronouns! There’s definitely an adjustment period before it feels normal, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t click immediately. 

However, you don’t have to tell your friends right away. There isn’t a time limit before it’s too late to come out, and you can come out whenever you’re ready to do so. If you aren’t ready to tell friends that you’re questioning, these three websites will help you practice pronouns:


Experiment. For people or beings who think they may be transmasculine, you could pack with a sock, purchase a chest binder, dress in “masculine” clothing, or talk to masc-identified people or beings! For people or beings who think they may be transfeminine, you can try on makeup, dress in “feminine” clothing, or talk to femme-identified people or beings! 

You don’t need to rush into anything. You can try things for as long as you want. 

Gender expression ≠ gender identity, as shown on the genderbread person, so course it’s valid to be both gender non-conforming and a trans person, like being a trans guy who likes dresses, or a trans girl who is a tomboy, and liking a feminine or masculine presentation doesn’t inherently make you trans. 

If you decide you’re not trans, you’ve still had an adventure into gender that likely widened your understanding of your own self and your understanding of other people- no harm done.

Being yourself is important, even if you end up identifying as cis instead of trans, so don’t worry about whether you’re “allowed” to bind/paint your nails, etc, and just do whatever makes you feel comfortable because everyone is allowed to express themselves in whatever way they want to, and that includes cis people. 


Research. If you don’t know much about being transgender, look here to start. Google is your friend! Check out videos on YouTube, talk to people who are on hormones or have had surgeries, and definitely check out our transmasculine resources or our transfeminine resources

Look into surgeries and hormones, if this is something that interests you- but don’t actually start the process of getting them until you’re sure it’s what you need. Just becoming aware of your medical transition options might help- if you feel like it’s something you might want, then that might be an indicator of your identity. But please note that you do not have to want to get surgery or go on hormones to be transgender, and you can want surgery/hormones and be non-binary, or not want surgery and be a man or woman. 

Try to avoid online “gender quizzes” that ask you stuff like your personality and your height or your hobbies to figure out if you’re trans. They’re pretty much nonsense- only you can figure out your identity, and the quizzes tend to rely on stereotypes.

Here are some links that may be helpful:

You don’t have to be super-duper uncomfortable with being the gender you were assigned at birth to be allowed to identify as trans- no particular amount of dysphoria is required. If you would just be happier or more comfortable identifying as a different gender, you’re still trans enough. Gender euphoria is a thing!

There’s nothing wrong with questioning your gender, and it doesn’t hurt other trans people or take away from the community or anything. In the end, you’ll have just learned more about yourself and about the trans community- and that’s a happy ending regardless of whether you end up deciding you’re trans or cis.


“But what if I don’t want to be trans?”

Check that link!

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask us, but we can’t tell you who you are since only you can know that. Remember, it’s okay to take your time to figure it out but the way you feel now is valid and important! 


Followers, feel free to add on with more tips that helped you when you were questioning!

gender
exocarapace
neil-gaiman

“My friend told me a story he hadn’t told anyone for years. When he used to tell it years ago people would laugh and say, ‘Who’d believe that? How can that be true? That’s daft.’ So he didn’t tell it again for ages. But for some reason, last night, he knew it would be just the kind of story I would love. When he was a kid, he said, they didn’t use the word autism, they just said ‘shy’, or ‘isn’t very good at being around strangers or lots of people.’ But that’s what he was, and is, and he doesn’t mind telling anyone. It’s just a matter of fact with him, and sometimes it makes him sound a little and act different, but that’s okay. Anyway, when he was a kid it was the middle of the 1980s and they were still saying ‘shy’ or ‘withdrawn’ rather than ‘autistic’. He went to London with his mother to see a special screening of a new film he really loved. He must have won a competition or something, I think. Some of the details he can’t quite remember, but he thinks it must have been London they went to, and the film…! Well, the film is one of my all-time favourites, too. It’s a dark, mysterious fantasy movie. Every single frame is crammed with puppets and goblins. There are silly songs and a goblin king who wears clingy silver tights and who kidnaps a baby and this is what kickstarts the whole adventure. It was ‘Labyrinth’, of course, and the star was David Bowie, and he was there to meet the children who had come to see this special screening. ‘I met David Bowie once,’ was the thing that my friend said, that caught my attention. ‘You did? When was this?’ I was amazed, and surprised, too, at the casual way he brought this revelation out. Almost anyone else I know would have told the tale a million times already. He seemed surprised I would want to know, and he told me the whole thing, all out of order, and I eked the details out of him. He told the story as if it was he’d been on an adventure back then, and he wasn’t quite allowed to tell the story. Like there was a pact, or a magic spell surrounding it. As if something profound and peculiar would occur if he broke the confidence. It was thirty years ago and all us kids who’d loved Labyrinth then, and who still love it now, are all middle-aged. Saddest of all, the Goblin King is dead. Does the magic still exist? I asked him what happened on his adventure. ‘I was withdrawn, more withdrawn than the other kids. We all got a signed poster. Because I was so shy, they put me in a separate room, to one side, and so I got to meet him alone. He’d heard I was shy and it was his idea. He spent thirty minutes with me. ‘He gave me this mask. This one. Look. ‘He said: ‘This is an invisible mask, you see? ‘He took it off his own face and looked around like he was scared and uncomfortable all of a sudden. He passed me his invisible mask. ‘Put it on,’ he told me. ‘It’s magic.’ ‘And so I did. ‘Then he told me, ‘I always feel afraid, just the same as you. But I wear this mask every single day. And it doesn’t take the fear away, but it makes it feel a bit better. I feel brave enough then to face the whole world and all the people. And now you will, too. ‘I sat there in his magic mask, looking through the eyes at David Bowie and it was true, I did feel better. ‘Then I watched as he made another magic mask. He spun it out of thin air, out of nothing at all. He finished it and smiled and then he put it on. And he looked so relieved and pleased. He smiled at me. ‘'Now we’ve both got invisible masks. We can both see through them perfectly well and no one would know we’re even wearing them,’ he said. ‘So, I felt incredibly comfortable. It was the first time I felt safe in my whole life. ‘It was magic. He was a wizard. He was a goblin king, grinning at me. ‘I still keep the mask, of course. This is it, now. Look.’ I kept asking my friend questions, amazed by his story. I loved it and wanted all the details. How many other kids? Did they have puppets from the film there, as well? What was David Bowie wearing? I imagined him in his lilac suit from Live Aid. Or maybe he was dressed as the Goblin King in lacy ruffles and cobwebs and glitter. What was the last thing he said to you, when you had to say goodbye? ‘David Bowie said, ‘I’m always afraid as well. But this is how you can feel brave in the world.’ And then it was over. I’ve never forgotten it. And years later I cried when I heard he had passed.’ My friend was surprised I was delighted by this tale. ‘The normal reaction is: that’s just a stupid story. Fancy believing in an invisible mask.’ But I do. I really believe in it. And it’s the best story I’ve heard all year.”

— Paul Magrs (via yourfluffiestnightmare)

Source: lifeonmagrs.blogspot.de
omgkatsudonplease
swan2swan

I just realized that Han never knew that Luke got his hand chopped off while he was in carbonite and I don’t know which path I want to follow with this information:

1. Han seeing Luke’s injured hand after the sail barge battle and thinking that Luke has been a robot the whole time

2. Luke shaking his hand with a super-firm grip and Han just thinking “Wow this kid has gotten…absurdly strong.”

3. Luke just pulls off his hand one day and throws it at Han.

4. Luke picks up a spacechicken carcass and crushes it with his bare hand and Han is intimidated

5. Han says “It’s good to see you’re all right” and then Luke says “well, actually…” and pulls off his hand and Han falls over the back of his chair

6. Han says “It’s good to see you’re all right” and everyone gasps and Leia says “Too soon!” and Han is confused and they all just rag on him

7. Han needs a battery and Luke just opens up his hand and pulls out a battery and gives it to him and Han just stares

8. Luke reappears after a mission with all the synthflesh off and Han says “I thought it was easy but you LOST YOUR HAND?” and Luke just says “Oh, no, I lost this before Endor” and Han is hurt and betrayed.

9. Luke keeps making hand puns and limb puns and raising his right hand to high-five Han and Han just never gets it

10. Luke excitedly tells Han as they’re waiting to be taken to the Sarlacc because it’s been a whole year that he’s wanted to tell the guy. 

bloodyshadow1

Luke and Chewy are playing a game it doesn’t matter what.  Han comes over and does the whole Wookies tear the arms off the people who beat them thing to try and tease Luke.  He doesn’t know that Chewy and Luke have been preparing for this though and after Luke ‘wins’ Chewy pretends to be mad and rips off Luke’s hand

Star Wars Luke Skywalker Han Solo fic
catdragonartist
dance words onto the beach the let the ocean wash over them
tenma-the-mad
esrah-rah-rasputin

Kind of related to that post I made a couple days ago but I love you people who make “odd” animal-like noises, especially people who don’t do that on purpose, I love you people who growl when they’re frustrated, I love you people who mimic the animals around them, I love you people who bare their teeth when feeling threatened/on edge, I love you people who make purring noises when they’re happy/satisfied

me