Vayl Larkin (they/them)

I'm a Trans, Disabled, wheelchair-riding writer living in Pittsburgh, PA, historical Monongahela Territory. I write poetry, plays, short fiction and some wildly speculative essays!

Hobbies include fiber crafts/needlework, watercolors, and designing game assets in Blender.

Whimsy improves most things. Those it does not, deserve their gravity and weight. Two things (or even more!) can be true at the same time. Eyes open to see injustice, heart open too. <3

https://vayllarkin.micro.blog/

Public Key

npub183e0uuxwhygphzk3p8u5k7xcgm2y4hr39qr036hmrumm2lqpnlrsnv2vcu

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrcuh7wr8tjyqm3tgsn72t0rvyd4z2m3cjsphcata37da40sqel3cpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsqatkv9

Publishing to

offchain.pub

nos.lol

relay.damus.io

Author Public Key

npub183e0uuxwhygphzk3p8u5k7xcgm2y4hr39qr036hmrumm2lqpnlrsnv2vcu

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Last Notes

2026-10-13 20:42:13 GMT

Me at a meeting: "Yes, most of us in the Trans community here are honestly frightened and..."
Lady at the meeting:
*interrupting*
"Well, those of us in the ALLY community are concerned about..."
*facepalm*
... the 'ally community'?

2026-10-05 20:18:18 GMT

ISO: 16gb+, pCIe 4.0, 2fan gpu for a PC tower.
I am a Disabled writer and artist who isn't allowed to own money or the government will let me die without medical care.
I have been studying Blender on my own and recently took the step of signing up for a class. *cue ominous music*
My vidcard, like the one above except 8gb, promptly spit up bits and died.
A friend is trying to raise funds to get me a new one. Help? Thank you to all who read/boost/donate! <3
Venmo: @Andrew-Pryor-18
https://assets.disabled.social/media_attachments/files/117/390/133/049/561/084/original/2f1e3d8af2c82df6.png

2026-07-21 19:49:41 GMT

Once, I had a dream that I was a young dragon, in a classroom full of young dragons. We were cute, pudgy and blue, but the adult form of our species was large, golden and spiky. We were practicing our adult forms in class, accomplished by concentrating very hard. Suffice it to say, the sight of so many pudgy blue dragonlings trying and trying to turn gold and spiky was pretty funny. There were a lot of halfway points that didn't look remotely intimidating. I have no idea why I had this dream.

2026-06-20 01:00:37 GMT

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@nprofile…0gk3 Would you be comfortable with me sharing the cover of "Juneteenth Is", along with your quoted post and links, on Facebook? I'd like to introduce some people who might not see it here. If not, no worries at all and I'll refrain! :)

2026-06-14 15:47:09 GMT

I feel as though I'm going mad, but this is the world we live in so: Can someone please tell me that #Roots by #AlexHaley is still in print? I'm not finding new copies of it for sale, for some reason. I can get older editions used, I know. Any leads/obvious things I'm overlooking? (I'm not overlooking the racism that could leave such important work unmaintained, but I'm desperately hoping against hope).

2026-06-04 18:49:32 GMT

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@nprofile…nrlp This is a point I have heard a lot of predominantly Black Fedi users talk about as a huge problem - Urgent, relevant points being raised and then shouted down by "but what about"-ers, (who are actually just racist). It seems clear that, among the people really interested in learning about moss and Cobol and nålebinding, we've got people just peddling ill-disguised hate, like they do everywhere. It's so entirely frustrating in its predictability.

2026-05-20 13:34:05 GMT

So my partner of 20 years, a genuinely brilliant autodidact and also fairly odd, once found a CD in a used bin called, "The Amazing Sounds of Threatened Birds". Intrigued and slightly disturbed, he bought it for a dollar and brought it home to play.
There, it Finally occurred to him that the birds were, in fact, Endangered, and Not being menaced with tiny knives, or aggressive audits or something.
That made more sense, really.

2025-12-18 03:19:54 GMT

I am seeing lots of posts from Black Fedi users about the racism situation here. (Not only recently, but maybe an uptick). I very much hope that white users are listening and learning, because this is the Biggest issue I can see holding us back from being a truly inclusive environment. As long as we have white people of various levels of marginalization deciding that a little oppression means we don't have to think about our own bigotry anymore, we are going to be silencing Black voices.

2025-09-30 12:44:48 GMT

So hypothetical: Does anyone know Ireland's policy on asylum from the US for trans masculine, disabled people? Strong Caveat: This person cannot work consistently and Must receive benefits. My understanding is that for many countries, this is an absolute no-go without accompanying support persons in the refugee's party. This person would almost certainly be alone. I don't hold out a Ton of hope here, but figure it can't hurt to ask.

2025-07-25 11:44:28 GMT

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@nprofile…d0dx So, long story slightly less long: I was (pre-wheelchair), outdoorsy in the extreme. Upstate NY, where I'm from, around the lake is rife with ferns, between the damp and the shade from all the trees. The smell of fern is one of my top favorite comfort aromas. If you wafted some dirt and water, a rock, and a fern frond under my nose I'd probably transform into my next evolution or something.

2025-05-27 23:56:10 GMT

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@nprofile…lqe6 Everyday joys - the cats who agree to live with me, my partners, and the trees outside my front door.
Also, tbh, the moments I'm able to contribute. Access is important for lots of reasons, but also because when we're free to move through the world, we get to participate in society and experience the satisfaction of being part of that larger cycle of support.
I'm not saying my life has to be service to be valid; I'm saying I appreciate the rare occasions I have the option.

2025-05-06 18:42:01 GMT

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@nprofile…40q5 10/10 would recommend. I was chased by a flock when I was 6 and now I can't be killed. (Hurt, yes. Badly. Mostly by the geese.)
(part of this story is true)

2025-04-07 21:03:08 GMT

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@nprofile…skc4 A few years ago, I wrote a play based in part on my experiences being homeless. I wanted to show people the variety and breadth of the community, to humanize people who are almost always reduced to statistics and discarded. As heartening as response was, it was hard hearing how Many people weren't even trying to empathize or relate before they saw it. We are almost all one or two steps away from it. We cannot then imagine those already there are some kind of monolith.

2025-01-27 14:17:09 GMT

Saying a prayer for those murdered by the Nazis because they were disabled. Sadly, much of Holocaust history omits these victims, because they were used as laboratory subjects to test methods of mass murder early on, and most were killed before the first death camps came into operation. The first person murdered as part of the "first phase" of institutional murder, was a young disabled boy. This is what MAGAs are saluting, praising and longing for. I pray for their souls' tattered remains.

2025-01-12 13:55:50 GMT

Not for nothing, but...
Couching one's language in Slightly-but-not exclusively archaic language appears to confuse those automatons doing the work of moderation on the properties of the Zuck. At the same time, many readers are able to parse meaning even if the occasional word remains unfamiliar.
... I posted links to various mastodon servers and basically just avoided keywords. Post still up, still getting engagement.
#Meta #Migration #Moderation

2024-12-26 16:24:53 GMT

So I think the overuse of terms like "sealioning" is a problem. Humans like reducing situations to easy terms. At least three times on this site, I have tried to ask a Real Question to clarify what the OP is saying and been accused of this so roundly I just said fuckit and decided they were an idiot.
Does reducing discourse to snappy brandnames help? I'm heckin Autistic and I Often Need Clarification. If we want people to understand us, can we really just rip their heads off when they try?

2024-12-22 12:04:14 GMT

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@nprofile…args @nprofile…args Thank you So much! This is far more comprehensive than I hoped for and what you're saying makes a lot of sense even from what I can observe.
I'm unhappy being in such an isolationist environment. I'm kind of a background chimera, jobs ranging from sex worker to tech writer, but I'm extremely frustrated that as a white, trans, disabled person I am safe-ish here, (Bsky/etc. are kind of a nightmare), but other people are really not.
Not sure of the right thing to do.

2024-12-22 11:32:51 GMT

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@nprofile…hujc I did that for a bit too, yes. Still not happy to be running through their platform though, so I'm being stubborn now. Hehe

2024-12-22 11:22:27 GMT

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@nprofile…hujc I've been using Lycos for a pretty clean experience, (with AdBlock, tb fair). Top result has been human generated every time so far, but I haven't yet done all the research to find out if it's actually a "clean" search, which I ought.
I actually tried it because a) I am old and used it for a while before the advent of GoogleThanos and b) I live in Pittsburgh, land of Carnegie Mellon.
Have you found any good alternatives yet with usable results?

2024-12-20 16:55:39 GMT

I'm hearing some conflicting things about on-platform #Racism and I'm hoping to get a more comprehensive picture.
Black Users Only: Why do you still use Mastodon? Would you recommend it to a Black friend and if so, are there resources to help them safely navigate? If you're on your way out, would you feel comfortable sharing where, so I can share? Mostly folks exiting Bsky
Hesitant to ask for free labor and will not be offended if you choose to respond just with hashtags to follow.
Thank you.

2024-06-21 19:47:42 GMT

I'll be honest: I'm terrified of #MaskBans. I have a highly reactive immune system, two autoimmune diseases, and I've had what doctors called a post-viral syndrome after ordinary flu, back in the before days. I'm a frequent flyer for surgery, due to a lot of bone issues. All of these are reasons that I really would prefer to keep wearing my mask thank you very much!
I will never understand those who try to ban things because they don't like them. Solipsism doesn't even begin to cover it.

2024-06-10 13:21:36 GMT

Hmm. Not loving this new, "Stop being mean to all those AI fans!" response to, you know, expecting folks to understand where their technology comes from or the impact it's having on anyone other than themselves. Sorry, but your right to steal other people's work and make money off of it does not supersede our right to create freely on a planet that's not largely composed of ash. It's not "mean" to expect basic adult accountability from adults.

2024-06-03 11:30:44 GMT

In case anyone doesn't know: There are real live people who can afford a phone to access Mastodon, who Cannot afford subscription services to media outlets. For some of us, it's that we can only afford one or two, and most media outlets these days are full of lies.
Please, when you post a paywalled article, maybe Mention that it's paywalled? Imagine clicking 20 "broken" links in a row? Yeah, annoying.

2024-05-30 03:32:43 GMT

Hot Take #... let's not get into that:
Intelligence is friggin useless. Smart or not, disabled, delayed, challenged, etc., if you can't Admit When You're Wrong and Learn, you're wasting it. I've known wise people from all parts of the spectrum of intelligence who value things like honesty, emotional awareness, and The Wisdom of Others. It's not about a lack of ego. You can be supremely confident in your own abilities AND own your errors and adapt to new information. It's cool to admire folks!

2024-05-26 12:47:40 GMT

It is getting hot out there, and everyone knows not to leave your dog out, or in a hot car, or without proper hydration.
Our policies toward the homeless are homicidal. I am watching my former community bake to death in real time.
As a society, we have no ethics, no morals and no mercy. The news will continue to softball the impact of these policies, so we can all sleep sound in our cruelty.
If you see a homeless person, even if they don't ask, Give Them Money. Save a fucking life.

2024-05-24 18:27:39 GMT

Elephants and sperm whales have complex language. Trees and other plants communicate via chemical compounds. I see headline after headline saying, "Water is wet, fire is hot and other living things matter!", like this is all shocking news.
Here's a shorthand technique:
Assume We're All Sentient.
You will literally never be proven wrong. You will find new and brilliant ways of interacting with our world, and you will never regret your empathy.