Just Reread "Like Real People Do" By EL Massey And Then Gobbled Up Its Sequel (also For A Second Time)

Just reread "Like Real People Do" by EL Massey and then gobbled up its sequel (also for a second time) while sitting beneath the trees at a campsite on Lake Tahoe.

One campsite over was my son and his (trans) husband and their queer friends, a woman and her non-binary partner. On the other side of us was a friend I met several years ago while we were both deconstructing from a brand of religion that was not "open and affirming". She's still hanging on to faith but is now an LGBTQIA ally, while I've left the faith entirely (and hopefully am the same!).

@xiaq is such a vivid and wonderful writer of queer stories, it gives me hope and fills me with joy every time I read her work.

Thinking that less than 10 years ago my reaction would have been cognitive dissonance brought about by the way my theology was in conflict with my heart just makes the experience that much sweeter.

Knowing that a character who was overtly homophobic in book one has his own journey, and where he ends up in and by book four?!? Priceless.

I want to encourage all my LGBTQIA followers (especially young people) that change is possible. Even for old people. Perhaps even for your homophobic or ambivalent parent or relative. I may no longer consider myself religious, but I still believe in redemption or at least in change.

I'm not encouraging you to stay in unsafe spaces or put up with intolerable conduct. I'm just offering a nugget of hope that change happens.

And also offering the recommendation to read @xiaq 's (EL Massey's) books, even if you aren't currently a fan of hockey!

Please remember your favorite writers are attention whores with a praise kink, they need validation to survive. Feed them comments and reblogs to save a life.

One of the most frustrating things about ADHD is just the way that you absolutely cannot trust future you.

Like, I look at something and think "Oh, I'll deal with that later" like, no I won't. I absolutely won't. I should just do it now while I'm there. I should make plans to do something... Oh wait, will I have the energy to do that??? I was talking with a friend who told me I should come over for tea sometime, which I absolutely would love to do, but I said I was too tired. "Too tired for tea?" she asks. Like, no, I would love tea, but I'm too tired to know that I'll have the energy to get to the place and the only thing I hate worse than not doing things is being flaky on my friends.

Everyone, please meet Sheila. Sheila is the cleanest, nicest, vault toilet I’ve ever encountered and she is conveniently located at a trailhead that’s a quarter mile from our camp site. Thanks to Sheila, I have not had to poop in the woods this week. All hail Sheila.

I have no idea what interacting in fandoms should be like, I never participated in one, I never want to. Loner like that. But I know the meaning of words. If I give a fic a possibilty, if I open it and read it, I don't HATE it. I may not like the idea of brothers fucking, but I don't hate it. But I would never ever open a fic where a child is raped by someone who is supposed to love them and this childe likes this. Like - no. I hate this idea. Hating means NO. Not doing it.

what they don't tell you is that a well-written fic can get you to ship anything, and i mean ANYTHING. notp? not anymore. you will stay up late thinking about and crying over them for the rest of your life. characters you don't even know from a piece of media you've never engaged with? fuck it, they belong to you now. problematic ship that you loved to hate and now just love to love, that you must never tell your friends about? don't worry, ao3 knows how to keep a secret. like. a well-written fic will have you acting UP and that's a fact baby !!

it used to be 2007 you know