Member-only story
Pony-fying Dungeons & Dragons
And other rebellious acts
TW: brief mention of sexual assault
When I first began writing personal essays, I intended to publish at least once a month. For the first three months, I had a lot of success; all three of my essays were boosted! At this time, I was also volunteering for the Harris campaign, helping people register to vote and find their polling place, guiding people to rallies, and recruiting new volunteers. The work was empowering, and the hope and joy of the Harris campaign motivated me to write.
In her concession speech, Vice President Harris urged me to keep this motivation, to build community, and to never give up on my vision for the future. I wanted to make her proud, but I was so overwhelmed by devastation and defeat that I shut myself off from others. I lost interest in my hobbies. I stopped writing.
The first few days following election night were pure sorrow. I couldn’t bring myself to take off my “Harris 2024” shirt, so I wore it while out walking my usual trail. I ran into a group of women who cried the second they saw me. I couldn’t shake the memory of a voter I’d cold-called before the election, a black woman who shrieked with joy when I told her why I was calling. She and all her friends had bought new pearls to wear to the polls. She was so incredibly proud to vote for a…
