so I haven't been able to write ES fiction for a while now for a variety of reasons (custody case, school, work, where do I even start) and this isn't really a post about that, but
saw a post on twitter lamenting about how ES is "gone" and thinking about how that just isn't true anywhere outside of twitter (and even on twitter)
here, on cohost, on tumblr, on RSS, the community is very much still alive, if distinctly different than it was in late 2020/early 2021
we're spread out across multiple places, and many creators haven't been able to...well, create, for a variety of reasons (including myself, as stated earlier)
but this was part of the impetus behind publishing Emptied Spaces, behind the move to independent websites and alternative social media
even if socmed goes up in flames, We Exist. there is concrete, physical evidence sitting on my bookshelf. some of those twitter tags might be gone, now, and one day all of them might be. but We Exist.
and, certainly, the community has undergone an evolution that strikes many niche communities (furries and therians are a good example) where explosive growth results in newcomers adopting the surface-level aesthetics/philosophies and not going deeper.
that Weird Core still exists behind all of that. it might be harder to find, harder to see, but it still exists.
I don't really have a point behind this, just that I appreciate all the connections I've made through this weird little community on this weird corner of the internet and I want to state that even if it's just me (which it certainly won't be for a while, I feel), I'm gonna dollpost as much as I'm capable of.
if you made it this far: this one loves you all, take care of yourselves. it will always have warm tea and a comfy chair for you.
thanks for the reminder, doll. this one is grateful.