Jason is another arrogant bastard then. The women are always much more interesting.

So I thought it escalated quickly within the first couple of chapters but the drama ain’t stopping. I feel like I’m on a runaway train that’s unable to stop but I’m enjoying it?!

I love Wyatt’s mom🥺 When I first hear the story of her friend saying that she played with boys and lived on a farm and “I think of what would have happened if my parents would have let me do that” my first thought was “maybe you wouldn’t be such a bitch” 🤷🏽‍♀️

But then, seeing how Susan was able to navigate the interaction and have a heartfelt conversation with her friend so she could understand trans people better made me realize how impactful it can be to lead with kindness. Many people just parrot what they have heard all life and they need a safe space to learn about compassion and different perspectives, I’m glad Susan is able to be a great ally for the trans community in her community, making not only her son’s life easier but every other trans kid to come

"Their hurt has taught them to be generous: with affection, with words of affirmation, and even with the assigning of nicknames. ... family means so much that they are always willing to expand theirs."

Legit cried like 5 times in Wyatt's story. Oh, how I hope my hurt has made me more generous, more loving, more open.

There were so many beautiful quotes in this chapter! 🥹🥹🥹

something that has been really sticking with me lately when reading works rooted in Black feminism or transformative justice is the concept of radical love, which feeds radical hope, which feeds radical transformation

one of my favorite bell hooks essays of all time is "Homeplace: A Site of Resistance", in which she talks about how Black women would face the oppression of the outside world, which sought to drain them of all of their energy and will to survive, and how Black women would resist this oppressive attempt at erasure by transforming their homes & communities into places of radical love and nurturance

"This task of making homeplace was not simply a matter of black women providing service; it was about the construction of a safe place where black people could affirm one another and by so doing heal many of the wounds inflicted by racist domination. We could not learn to love or respect ourselves in the culture of white supremacy, on the outside; it was there on the inside, in that “homeplace,” most often created and kept by black women, that we had the opportunity to grow and develop, to nurture our spirits. This task of making a homeplace, of making home a community of resistance, has been shared by black women globally, especially black women in white supremacist societies."

i started thinking about how now, in 2026, the ability to make a homeplace has almost no boundary. you can find community in so many ways, especially with the internet. while there are many ways that oppressive systems try to influence us to prevent coalition, i think we still find pockets of "homeplaces" in small but powerful ways

especially now, when things seem to be so dark, i often feel powerless in the face of oppression, but it's the love and care of my friends, my loved ones, my community that reminds me of the malleable nature of humanity. if individual humans are perpetuating oppression via systems of control, but humans are also capable of holding each other and changing each other in small ways, then it might hold true that those systems can be changed in the same way. with collective action, radical care, and hope for radical transformation

so i wanted to send a little question to you all. feel free to answer them all, or just one, or share your related thoughts without answering any of them :)

in what ways have you found your own "homeplace"? have there been any recent moments of community care, of radical love, that have reminded you of the hope of living? have you read anything recently that's reminded you of the importance of community, of having a home to come back to?

forget Luke... WHERE do I find a friend like TEDDY?????