Hello all,
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by “Not Gay As In Happy” AND Friday the 13th flash tattoos of melting ice.
Prose and Poetry of the Week
HOWEVER this section is sponsored by the stupidest goddamn thing: heartbreak. (Disclaimer: it’s not stupid when anyone else goes through it – it’s only stupid when I, Ariana, go through it.)
This might legitimately the sappiest thing I’ve ever posted, and to post so fuckin quickly. I wrote it one night and then posted it when I woke up at 1:45am. I don’t know how a couple of strangers found it and liked it, but that was kinda cool.
“Gurl, why are you telling us to this?” – y’all
Well, because, uh, I don’t know. The mortifying ordeal of being known, I guess?
This is about a DIFFERENT heartbreak I went through where I wanted the other person to completely forget about me because then it won’t feel like they chose to leave me behind. So that I, too, can completely forget about them.
Heartbreak, but make it queer and especially intersectional feminist. (Yes, previously featured in my July 2022 newsletter, but has now been re-published on Vocal+ so I can make literally 0.006 cents per read lol)
About the quintessential queer experience of falling in love with your straight best friend and thereby losing the friendship. (I have written about this many more times, all on the internet, as well 🙃)
Jackalope Burrows
Things I’ve learned, laughed about, and/or obsessed over
- The neeeooooon. The gloooooooooow.
- I have watched this sketch, written by Lupe Andrade (one of a conjoined twins), a stupid amount of times.
- Disabled humor is about laughing at the situations (i.e. this mom) around disabled people, not AT them
- These animated book summaries in particular
- Fourth Wing
- This is my formal apology to my friend that suggested the book to me: I’m sorry, I just can’t stand the writing. Please allow this to suffice.
- [quote]
- A Court of Thorn and Roses
- [quote]
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- [quote]
- Fourth Wing
- If I’ve never talked to you about the gregnant video then you’ve never truly known me at all. Spoiler:
- God speaks in flowers
- “to be a writer and bipolar / means you welcome the madness / cause it feeds the craft” – Yesika Salgado
- Y’AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL LOOK AT THIS FUCKIN BILLBOARD TRYING TO CLAIM ELIZABETH HOLMES’ INNOCENCE!!!!! I went on the website (justblood.com) but I’m not sure I should advise you to do the same. Sketchy, and not just for what it’s advetising.
- Yet another billboard for me to ask: but why?
Burn It to Melt It
Special Edition
(Disclaimer: I’m reusing some from my January 2025 newsletter)
- Don’t do everything; do SOMETHING.
- PICK.YOUR PIECE. OF THE TAPESTRY.
- How to prepare for the fall of an empire, as summarized by @traumatized_thriving:
- Mutual aid, including bartering, skill-sharing, trade, resource-sharing
- Growing food, learning foraging, water purification
- decentralized energy solutions
- Indigenous survival knowledge
- On my To Be Read list: Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science by Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D.
- Resist. Reform. Build. Heal.
- One way to track ICE: People Over Papers Map
- Website that leads you to the map above
- Can also report by calling LA Rapid Response Network at (888) 624-4752
- “They Will Come For You At Night. Don’t Get Caught. Help Others Get Away.”
- Parable of a choir
- Abolition journal from the W.E.B Du Bois Movement School for Abolition & Reconstruction, particularly Communique #1 by S.R. Lalo
- I wish I did not have to defend Pride when straight people ask why there is Pride Month. More than anything, I wish I did not have examples like Jonathan Joss’ death on the first day of Pride Month. I made my top for pride, and had his name written on my back. It’s the insanity of trying to be proud of who I am, of not being scared to be out, while still honoring those who were killed for doing the same.
Quotes Quail
I’m always listening 😈 y’all are funny
- “When I reach 100 years old, I’m going to behave very badly. Consider yourselves warned.” – someone just-over-half-of-100 years old
🪶
- “where do you get your intuition fro-” – father
- “Mom.” – me
- “You said that so fast.” – the disbeliever
- “Because my intuition KNEW you were gonna ask that!”
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- “You don’t wanna self-sabotage in the form of law school” – friend actively studying for the LSAT
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- “You know how baking can be therapy for some people, it lets them focus and be calm? For me, it is NOT therapy” – me whenever I talk about baking, which I only do to satisfy my own sweet tooth
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- “Lalita? La enojadita?” – the groomer upon hearing of Lala’s death
- Translation: “Little Lala? The little angry one?”
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- “Do you follow Jesus this close?” – bumper sticker
- “Closer than you I bet!” – father
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- “Horizontal hour” – about sleep
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- “What does it taste like?”
- “The after effects of Robitussin” – my cousin about a wine cocktail
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- “I can be still!”
- *can’t*
- “I got nervous!!”
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- “My therapist! I don’t pay that lady enough.” – relatable content!!!
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- “I used to leave the barber shop: confident. I leave the salon: ARROGANT. DIFFERENT ENERGY.” – J.C. Mendoza on going to the salon with long hair. Please watch the whole minute, it was in my head on loop the day I watched it.
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- “You can dissociate if you like, it’s your birthday” – shoutsout a bestie
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- “Do you think I can find a better match?”
- “Yes. One thousand percent.” – LOVE an immediate answer
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- “Kindness can be fragile. It needs nurturing.” – Julio Frenk, Chancellor of UCLA (not a huge fan of chancellors generally)
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- “What’s a relationship without a little public shame” – damn gurl, calling your own gurl out there
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- “The polycule broke up” – me when I hear about a friend’s students coming up with very similar excuses all around the same time
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- “I believe in mushrooms.” – me
- “I also believe in mushrooms.” – another cool gurl
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- “He arrived, but did not deliver” – me about Jesus not helping my cousin more with praying grace before eating
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- “Who got you smiling like that?” – a butch trying to dance
- “My best friend” – me, legitimately about my bestie
- “Oh that’s what we call it nowadays?”
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- “You’re doing your mid-40s early!” – a friend about my recent divorce AND career change 😂😭
(O)possum Playlists of the Quarter
Here, we scream.
And, “apparently,” I listen to my short playlists for a “wildly long time”
- Toxic Femininity, once again
- Denial is a River
- What’s Golden
- ooooooooooOOOOOOOOOP
- Swag
- shoutsout to recession pop making a comeback ;-;
- The cover is even T-Pain and Ke$ha ;-;
Cuervos Chismoses
chisme = gossip. ”e” ending instead of “o/a” in Spanish for more gender inclusion
- By the time you read this I will be freshly 29! Time for the final year of my 20s, and I looked fuckin good bringing it in
- Tried going to Tía Chucha’s bookstore on my bday but they were closed for an event, but there was this bumper sticker that told me my people were there 😤
- I’m tryna get double cheeked up on a Thursday afternoon (read: I’m working out. It’s been like a week but I’m telling you to inflict public shame – and therefore accountability – on myself.)
- I went to my friend’s graduation from medical school!!! She’s a Doctor™️! Now I can send her even weirder pictures of my maladies 🥰
- Have i ever told you how much I love my friend’s laughs? They’re all so CUTE and LOUD
- My friend sent me pics of an exhibit for Santiago Savi in Mexico City she thought I would love and I love that she knows me so well!!
The Void Shouts Back
If you would like to respond but don’t know what to say, answer the question below. If you don’t want to, just respond with keysmashing or send me a hug with your thoughts. If you don’t want to do that either, that’s okay too.
- you know what’s really annoying? sitting with feelings
- Therefore, what’s an annoying way thing you have to do for your mental health and it’s even more annoying because it works?
The funny thing is that as I look at these illustrations, idk if I would be able to make them again.
Anyways.
T H A N K Y O U U U U U U U U ! ! ! ! ! ! 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉
Thank you for reading! If you want some cheap retail therapy to go along with it, please check out my stickers.
Abrazos and/or high fives,
Ariana
Xismosa Xit 
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