Sam Still Masks 🪉
@theailingwitch.bsky.social
3.3K followers 490 following 7.5K posts
They/Them Queer, Disabled, & Chronically Ill Ostomate “Fighting fascism is a full-time job!” Writing Fantasy, Learning Harp, Always Binging DS9 Patreon.com/TheAilingWitch 🚫NO UNSOLICITED MED ADVICE🚫
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theailingwitch.bsky.social
New Intro! ✨

I’m Sam, a disabled, chronically ill, & queer creator.

I am primarily a fantasy writer of stories, & now that I am learning to play the harp, I write fantasy songs as well!

I just started a FREE Patreon to share my world building, poetry, songs, & more:

Patreon.com/TheAilingWitch
Get more from The Ailing Witch on Patreon
Writing Fantasy, Learning the Harp
Patreon.com
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
alinaisyou.bsky.social
"Kira Nerys is like a lot of us. We don’t need literal Cardassian occupations to be revolutionaries in our youths. Nor do we need marching orders from superiors to make us favor pragmatism as we age. Not every war is worth fighting. 'Blow it up' cannot be the solution to every problem."
Kira Nerys Wears a Uniform: It's Too Tight
Deep Space Nine introduces Kira Nerys: Star Trek's freedom fighting first officer. But when we meet her she wears a uniform. It's too tight.
www.belloflostsouls.net
theailingwitch.bsky.social
YES!!!

I miss shows having the space to grow and breathe.

Give me back my Beach episodes, and Ember Island Players shenanigans. 😤
Four verticle panels showing a scene from Season 2 of the Owl House with Eda and Luz flying. 

Eda: “I mean, wouldn’t you rather, I don’t know, have a beach day?”

Luz: “Maybe if we had time for twenty more adventures, but we don’t!”
theailingwitch.bsky.social
I miss when shows had 22+ episodes in a season.

And real theme songs.
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
theailingwitch.bsky.social
ICYMI!

I have a Patreon that is totally free; I share my writing and music learning adventures!

Disability income laws prevent me from fundraising, but this is a great way to support me for free, & keep in touch when this place inevitably fully bans/ostracizes all trans folks.
theailingwitch.bsky.social
New Patreon post is up!

Check out this short lil poem/song that is from my WIP novel (a high fantasy-set romance inspired by “Tristan & Iseult”, featuring queer and disabled main protagonists):

www.patreon.com/posts/140518...
“CHAMPION TRUE
An ORIGINAL POEM & SONG
Patreon.com / TheAilingWitch
High Fantasy Stories & Songs”

Yellow fancy text on a gradient of blue and pink. Drawings of lilies decorate the top corners.
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
annabookwriter.bsky.social
With alt text. Last photo repeated to complete alt.
In July 1945, when I was four and a half years old, Utsunomiya, the city I lived in got bombed. So, well, it's no use going into details. Since this is the memory of a four year old, I think I created a large part of the story while I was recalling it over and over.
When I woke up in my futon, I mean, I was awakened because of the air raid, it was midnight, but the sky was dyed in red, no, pink, like an evening glow. Even the inside of the house was pink. So, since it was a big house, we went into the shelter made in the corner of the garden, but we were told that it was dangerous even there. I have three brothers, but my youngest brother hadn't been born yet at that time, my younger brother was a baby, I was four, and my older brother was six years old. My mother carried my younger brother on her back and my father held my hand.
And my other uncle, I think he was also working for the munitions plant, he held my older brother's hand, and we evacuated to under the railroad bridge of Tobu Railway. It was under the bridge, outskirts of the town, and there were lots of greens, so we thought bombs wouldn't be dropped there. Actually, it was cloudy, and the firebombs, called oil and fat incendiary bombs which contained oil in them, were raining from the sky and the town was already on fire. Then, we thought being there might still be dangerous.
That day, my uncle brought the company truck to the house. It was a very small Datsun truck, smaller than today's light car. It was a troublesome truck since the engine was hard to start, but my uncle went back home through the town in the fire to get that truck. He went back and found that the fire was coming right up next to the truck, but the truck wasn't burned yet, and when he tried to start the engine, it immediately started since it was warmed well by the fire. Well, (it was a kind of truck) you have to crank (the engine) up by hand. And he came back through the fire, and we decided to evacuate to outside of the town riding on this car. My mother holding my brother sat in the passenger's seat, my uncle was in the driver's seat, and it was full since it was such a small car. And my father, my older brother, and I sat on the loading platform, covered by a futon, since we had to run through the fire, and anyway, we started going.
Then, there were several people taking shelter under the railroad bridge, and I don't remember clearly, but I surely heard a woman's voice saying, "please give us a ride." i don't know whether I saw her myself, or I thought I saw her, since I heard my parents talking about her later, but anyway, a woman holding a girl, who was one of our neighbors, came running towards us, saying, "please give us a ride." But the truck just took off. And her voice saying
"please give us a ride" gradually died away in the distance... Well, that was made up in my head like a drama. If there had been a kid who could say "please let her ride," I think maybe a mother and a father would have stopped the car at that moment. I mean, if I'm a parent and my kid says so, I think I would do so. There were many reasons that you couldn't do that. If you had stopped (the car), more people might have come and created more confusion. I understand that well, but I still wish I could've said so then.
Or I wish my older brother could've said so. Of course, it would have been better if my parents had stopped (the car).
Actually, this story about the truck has very little to do with the essence of the war. Even if I satisfy my conscience by doing so, how about the issue of the munitions industry?
Or, comparing the issue of some being burnt by the air raid and some not and the issue of, for example, Japan as a nation doing many horrible things such as massacres in China, the Philippines, or other countries in South East Asia, I have to conclude that Japanese as a whole were perpetrators, so the problem isn't that simple. But after all those years, | realized that I wanted to make an animation with a kid who can say "please stop the car" in such a situation, not (giving up since) humans can't say so after all.
So, offering a girl a tissue flower and saying "please accept my love" might sound unrealistic. A four year old kid asking his parents, "please stop the car" might be unrealistic. But if there is a kid who can say so, and if we can feel "oh, it's OK to say so in such a situation," I think that would be better. At least, I see myself as a person who can't make a movie in any other way. I saw many movies which depicted the dark side or stupidity of humans and made the audience feel that they were the ones who were accused and then go home depressed, and I think there is a significance to such movies, and we have to watch such movies from time to time, but I want to make something like, "I wish things are like this." It was so in Panda Kopanda. It was so in Totoro. Well, most (of my movies) were like that. I think I have no choice but to keep making such movies.
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
classicalglaiza.com
For reasons I definitely do not want to go into - I need to learn ASL. I'm struck with paralysis in choosing which lessons to start and how to even begin.

Can any of my friends here that live on my phone help?
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
theailingwitch.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨

PLEASE help my friend Mo & his family. They recently had to leave their home, & the cat shelter Mo spent the last two years protecting & caring for at risk of his own safety & life.

Please help his family afford food & supplies in their new home, a tent that scarcely shields from the elements.
helpcatsmsallam.bsky.social
Dear friends,this is your friend Mo from Gaza. I left my home&was evacuated south.
This is a new update on what happened to me recently.
x.com/helpcatsmsal...
I owe you my life for helping me get out.
I'm so grateful for your support in helping me face the tough life I live
paypal.me/animalrescue...
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
dreamwisp.bsky.social
The first half of season three of BSG is relentlessly haunting me right now.

If you haven’t watched it in a while, go watch the New Caprica arc and its aftermath for a gut punch of history radiating in time through fiction.
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
thesasha.bsky.social
Quote post image with alt text
Suffice it to say, the layoffs did not go over well-particularly because they were executed on Yom Kippur. Some staffers, I'm told, were observing the holiday when they received word they'd lost their jobs-an unusual move, given that employers don't typically inform staffers that they're being laid off during a religious observance. I'm told some Post employees complained to the paper's human resources chief, Wayne Connell, about the matter and were told that
he would speak to O'Neal about it.
theailingwitch.bsky.social
Messed up my tea because I am out of practice with this teapot and made it WAY too strong, so, guess I’ll be up till 4am again.

🫠
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
truthbytwoheart.bsky.social
$1477’s needed for food, basics glasses & work tools! #TransCrowdfund #QueerCrowdfund #BIPOCMA #HelpSky
#Art mayasdivinedesignstoo.square.site
#WearableArt legaleriste.com/mayas.divine.designs
#DigitalArt: Ko-Fi mayasdivinedesigns (also P/C/V)
Tips linktr.ee/mxmd1
#Music truthbytwo.bandcamp.com
Sunflower painting by me with gold, blue, green and red elements.
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
runwithskizzers.bsky.social
SO bookshop.org is doing free shipping and you should buy some of my books from bookshop.org <3

bookshop.org/beta-search?...
theailingwitch.bsky.social
Uh.

We have BEEN through how “just following orders” does not negate personal responsibility and is a klaxon of fascism.

Get the fuck out of here with this “uwu they’re just innocent people doing a fascism against their fellow humans” bullshit nonsense.

“Just working” for nazis makes you one too.
raders.bsky.social
Texas National Guard troops arriving in Chicago (via ABC News)

Remember: These are not MAGA stormtroopers. These are everyday teachers and accountants who signed up to serve their country with their spare time. They're being used as political pawns by venal, un-American, draft-dodging president
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
truthbytwoheart.bsky.social
The holidays are coming soon, support a small business owner and #artist and get truly unique gifts! Sales equal survival! #GiftSky #ArtSky #PWD #Artist

#Art mayasdivinedesignstoo.square.site
#WearableArt legaleriste.com/mayas.divine.designs
Photo art collage by me with overlapping images of the sky and the ocean, one has a sailboat. Meet me at the beach is in text overlay. Wildflowers painting by me
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
indyfromspace.bsky.social
Autism does not need to be cured

Ableism does

The end
theailingwitch.bsky.social
One of my favorite pictures from my small 2020 Halloween wedding!

My spouse hates taking photos but my sister got this very sweet one of us both mid-laugh together. 🥰
A photo of Sam and their spouse Zach seated and leaning on each other, laughing. Zach’s eyes are shut as he laughs but Sam’s are open while they happily watch him.

Sam is a white agender person with wavy brown hair and deep red faux fur shoulder wrap. They wear a rose and sunflower themed circlet and elf ears for the occasion.

Zach is a white man with a full beard of brown hair and long brown hair that was growing out an old dye job. He wears a matching red coat to Sam’s shawl.
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
gailsimone.bsky.social
How about a happy thread…if you can, show me a photo of a time you were happy, or you captured a moment of joy or beauty.

I think we could all use it!
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
fallonturing.bsky.social
SOLE SOURCE OF INCOME HERE AND EVERYTHING IS UNDERPRICED
fallonturing.bsky.social
I'm opening up EMERGENCY COMMS! Please commission me for custom hats, scarves, gloves/mittens, or socks! I will take 3-4 of these. Note that I still probably won't be able to ship anything until after I return home in late October.

#BSNM #CommissionsOpen #OpenCommissions #Knitting #Knitsky #comms
CrippledCommie's Commissions
Commissions Open! Click to see CrippledCommie's commission menu.
ko-fi.com
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
seanpadilla.blacksky.app
I'm @ $460/1300 to raise by 10/11 to pay the final half of the out-of-pocket costs for the (long overdue) dental surgery my youngest son will have on 10/14. Anyone who donates $50+ can get a custom song from me; I'll begin recording the next two in my queue this weekend! 🎵🦷❤️ #HelpFolksLive2025
seanpadilla.blacksky.app
These are my pay links:

paypal.me/houseofackrite
C: $happynomad
V: @Sean-Padilla

If you're able to donate and you'd like a custom song, DM me and let me know the topic, and we'll work it out!
Pay Sean Padilla using PayPal.Me
Go to paypal.me/houseofackrite and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.
paypal.me
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
fallonturing.bsky.social
If you like my knitting, maybe please nominate me?
thedc3.bsky.social
Reminder that nominations are open for the 1st Annual #DisabledCreatorsAwards, hosted by the DC3! Nominate your favorite disabled creators for one of our 19 categories, which you can learn about here, by submitting their Twitch name. They close 10/15/25! forms.gle/MzkxXwtxdXbt...
Disabled Creators' Award Nomination Form
Nominate your favorite creators for the Disabled Creators' Award. Please read each description carefully. There are 19 categories, and creators can be nominated for multiple awards. The ten individual...
forms.gle
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
fallonturing.bsky.social
What am I doing wrong?
fallonturing.bsky.social
New #mutualaid post for October. I'm traveling out of state this month to Colorado to visit my fiance, and groceries are a lot more expensive here than where I live. I've raised enough for groceries for the next two weeks, but with little leftover.

c: $fallonbinns
v: fallon-binns

#helpsky
Buy CrippledCommie a Coffee
Become a supporter of CrippledCommie today!
ko-fi.com
Reposted by Sam Still Masks 🪉
fallonturing.bsky.social
New #mutualaid post for October. I'm traveling out of state this month to Colorado to visit my fiance, and groceries are a lot more expensive here than where I live. I've raised enough for groceries for the next two weeks, but with little leftover.

c: $fallonbinns
v: fallon-binns

#helpsky
Buy CrippledCommie a Coffee
Become a supporter of CrippledCommie today!
ko-fi.com
theailingwitch.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨
Please help Mae!

The next $500 of donations will be matched— if you have a few bucks they can make such a huge difference!!!
maedayj.bsky.social
Someone has very kindly offered to match the next $500 in dough-nations!

Any amount you can give will have double the impact! Please please help if you can 🙏

V: @ Maelee-Johnson
PayPal.me/maeleeJ
ko-fi.com/maedaej
$maelee21

Please help me stay housed!