mischiefsystem

[mischiefsystem]

I took my little brother (autistic, mostly non verbal) out and he was using his voice keyboard to tell me something, and this little boy (maybe 4 or 5?) heard him and asked me "Is he a robot??" I tried to explain to him that no, he isn't a robot, he just communicates differently, but my darling brother was in the background max volume "I am robot I am robot I am robot I am robot"

[mischiefsystem]

ok im going to #seriouspost for a second here. I don't think Harry Potter is a manifesto. I think it was a flawed passion project that millennials latched onto because of the fantasy of sticking it to their mean teachers and arbitrarily categorizing themselves (hogwarts houses; it's the thinking millennial's astrology). I think the fact that the series got popular when and how it did was very much a product of its time.

I don't think Harry Potter is the biggest symbol of JKR's bigotry. I think the most flagrant sign of that was how she responded to critics. I watched her become radicalized in real time. I watched how she doubled down on her racism when she was called out for the ways she promoted her tragically mid fantastic beasts movies. I watched her chase marginalized teenagers with a double digit follower count off of twitter for daring to criticize her thought process, and no one with any kind of power standing against her because she was the one who was paying them. This isn't to say Harry Potter is without flaws. This is to say she really didn't give a shit about that. Getting rich and powerful is a hell of a drug, and she had enough sycophants that she had no reason to care about what her critics were saying.

She was convinced that she was a martyr; a voice for the unheard; a leader for the ages, so of course her detractors were the bad guys. And I think we should take this to heart. We should see this as an example of how easy it is to get radicalized; if you think of yourself as a paragon of virtue, you are going to think that whatever you see as good and right is an objective fact. Most people don't know this, but the majority of terfs start out as trans allies. You are not immune to propaganda! You are not immune to falling into dangerous ideologies!!!

This is why the most important thing you can do as an activist is to listen. Do NOT think you're above being wrong; do NOT develop a god complex; do NOT form an identity out of being right all the time. Involve yourselves in the groups you claim to speak for. Listen to trans women; share resources that help trans women; familiarize yourself with the diversity of experiences that trans people have and the struggles they face.

No, none of you are as bad as JKR because you don't have her money or her power. You will likely never have the capacity for harm she does. But check yourselves. Do not affirm yourselves into thinking you always have the moral high ground. Watch yourselves; humble yourselves; check yourselves for signs of cult behavior and internalized prejudice. You are always learning. You will always be learning. Do not allow yourselves to get a power trip from brushing off marginalized voices.

[mischiefsystem]

fuuuuck i just realized that the future idealized version of myself cant exist without current me being the catalyst for change and doing hard things. has anybody heard about this

[mischiefsystem]

Imo thank god for otherpaws so people stop calling themselves therians who arent. Im unaware of people using that definition and hopefully they stop but i remember when they all called themselves therians and im thanking every lucky star the real definition of therian got out enough they started using another term in a wide spread way. I just wish an equivlent was as popular for kff 'kin'. The therian term stealing seemed to get pulled back before it got too far and when the other half of my identity (otherkin) is still mostly known as a fandom thing where you pick a character you relate to im thanking every lucky star I got that the true definition of therian is getting out there (or at least adjacent to true i still see misinfo out there esp on tiktok but its getting closer to correct on average)

i dislike otherpaws so much. it feels as though they just stole our entire identity and gave a big 'fuck you' to the actual identity part of it. i've tried being nice to them, but the countless otherpaws that try shoving themselves into *our* spaces when they don't belong here is exhausting. this is definitely a hot-take, but i do not care. otherpaws are mask makers, quadrobists, and interested in animals; the fact their definition is nearly always 'therianthropy without the identity part' is sickening and vile.

🐾

[mischiefsystem]

Has this been done yet? Probably.

Tried to use language that's inclusive of alterhumans who are still human.

[mischiefsystem]

crazy to me when ppl are like "why would you want to fuck a television" like what are you not understanding

[mischiefsystem]

[mischiefsystem]

just found out in medieval france, having a lion on your coat of arms was so prevalent that there was literally a colloquial proverb to clown on knights for being basic and not having a real coat of arms. the hate game was so strong back then. imagine medieval hate anons

[mischiefsystem]

Ppl think being called ableist is just like a tumblr joke at this point & like..no maybe you should actually think for a few minutes about what you said & how disabled people fit into that narrative. Like was that person being oversensitive or did you genuinely not consider disabled people

[mischiefsystem]

There seems to be very little overlap between the schizophrenic and plural communities. So, something I don't think I've seen talked about pretty much at all, is when your Headmate believes in a delusion, but you don't. Like, how do I explain to someone that I don't think this delusion is true, but I also have a person in my head who 100% does believe it is true, and is reacting accordingly.

then that comes into the whole thing of you versus you're headmates emotions. Where I can very clearly tell that I'm not afraid of this thing, but someone in my head is, so it's this sort of detached fear that I am not feeling, but someone else is, but is still slightly affecting me in terms of physical responses, if that makes sense.

[mischiefsystem]

Walking around my neighborhood wearing my sick as fuck custom T-shirt that says "I STEAL EVERY FRIENDLY CAT I MEET WITH NO REMORSE I DO IT ALL THE TIME DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK I BEEN HERE FOR YEARS KEEP THAT BEAST ENCLOSED LEST YE FACE MY LIGHTNING CAT GRASP" and smiling politely while my neighbors' indoor-outdoor cats gently trot down the sidewalk towards me as the neighbors themselves read my shirt with a growing sense of panic.

[mischiefsystem]

Secondary truths for healthy relationships:

A disagreement is not a fight.

Some people will say it is normal for healthy couples to fight. This is a lie. If you are fighting, something has gone wrong. It is normal for healthy couples to disagree. It is normal for them to upset each other. You can handle these things in a way that is noncombative. If you truely care about someone elses feelings and want to listen and understand, and they do the same for you, you will never have a fight, because any disagreement or upset feeling will be approached with a desire to understand, to find out the truth and best solution (not always a compromise; sometimes someone is right and someone is wrong and its important to be able to admit that), and to show care for everyones feelings (even if someone is in the wrong they deserve comfort and understanding and will be given this in a truely healthy relationship).

One should not approach someone simply disagreeing with you as if they are trying to fight, and one should not treat a fight where someone is hostile and aggressive to you as if it is merely a disagreement.

2. Talking about your feelings is important to have a close relationship.

In any close relationship, and ideally in any relationship where it is safe to do so, it is important to talk about your feelings. If you cannot talk about your feelings, that means you are unsafe. You should be able to talk about All of your feelings. There is no such thing as something too small. Practice working through smaller conflict is important to being able to work through something larger later on. If you just bury being upset about something minor, you will have no practice talking to someone about being upset when it is higher stakes. Someone it is good to have a relationship with will appreciate your honesty, and the ability to be honest with you, as long as you are never accusatory (I statements are your friend) and handle these things in a healthy way.

However, you do not owe anyone talking about your feelings! Most people are not safe to do this with. They will hurt you with the knowledge you give. It is still important to *try* with anyone you have an optional relationship with, so that if they do hurt you, you know you can stop wasting your energy on them and cut them off. (It may not be worth it to try in a relationship that is required and where the other person has power over you, like a boss or parent.)

You must not expect people to be able to read you mind, and know anything you do not tell them. But you do not owe them an explanation for everything before you act (like if you feel unsafe, it is ok to cut someone off without an explanation. Do not let them guilt you with something like 'i thought you beleived in talking about everything!' you talk about everything When It is Safe.)

Fundamental truths:

1. Feelings are not facts.

Just because you feel something does not make it true. Just because someone else feels something does not make it true.

2. It is okay to be upset.

Just because someone upset you does not mean they did something wrong. Just because you upset someone else does not mean you did something wrong. Youre also not doing anything wrong by feeling mad or sad. There are no such thing as mean feelings, only mean actions.

3. Feelings happen for a reason.

Do not ignore them. While you shouldnt take them at face value its important to figure out where theh are coming from. And if you conclude its because "im just crazy", someone may be gas lighting you. Even if a feeling is caused by mental illness youre never 'just crazy'.

4. No one is entitled to control other people.

It doesnt matter if they say its for your own good. If someone is trying to force you to do something against your will, thats bad. Its ok to have suggestions, to present information, and to express its what you want someone to do, but it needs tk be clear its ok to say no, and to actually be safe to say no to, and not lash out using anger or anxiety or love as a weapon.

5. Actions are a choice.

It doesnt matter how sad or mad or anxious or in love someone is. What they choose to do with that is a choice. There is no such thing as "I had to hurt you, you made me angry" or "I had to control you to do what I think is best for you, i love you so much". These are lies. They wanted to so they did. Its always a choice. You have a choice, other people have a choice. Do not accept people blaming their decisions on their emotions or on other peoples actions. People need to take responsibility for their own choices.

[mischiefsystem]

Fundamental truths:

1. Feelings are not facts.

Just because you feel something does not make it true. Just because someone else feels something does not make it true.

2. It is okay to be upset.

Just because someone upset you does not mean they did something wrong. Just because you upset someone else does not mean you did something wrong. Youre also not doing anything wrong by feeling mad or sad. There are no such thing as mean feelings, only mean actions.

3. Feelings happen for a reason.

Do not ignore them. While you shouldnt take them at face value its important to figure out where theh are coming from. And if you conclude its because "im just crazy", someone may be gas lighting you. Even if a feeling is caused by mental illness youre never 'just crazy'.

4. No one is entitled to control other people.

It doesnt matter if they say its for your own good. If someone is trying to force you to do something against your will, thats bad. Its ok to have suggestions, to present information, and to express its what you want someone to do, but it needs tk be clear its ok to say no, and to actually be safe to say no to, and not lash out using anger or anxiety or love as a weapon.

5. Actions are a choice.

It doesnt matter how sad or mad or anxious or in love someone is. What they choose to do with that is a choice. There is no such thing as "I had to hurt you, you made me angry" or "I had to control you to do what I think is best for you, i love you so much". These are lies. They wanted to so they did. Its always a choice. You have a choice, other people have a choice. Do not accept people blaming their decisions on their emotions or on other peoples actions. People need to take responsibility for their own choices.

[mischiefsystem]

World of Warcraft's initial playable race roster was designed to appeal in some way to every known clique in 2003: the preppies, the goths, the jocks, the nerds, the normals, the stoners, the flower children, and the short kings. to which were later added the aliens, the preppies (edgy), the nerds (fintech), the furries, the furries (weeb), and finally, the scalies

[mischiefsystem]

You have to turn it off-

This is on by default???

Literal definition of spyware:

Also From Microsoft’s own FAQ: "Note that Recall does not perform content moderation. It will not hide information such as passwords or financial account numbers. 🤡

[mischiefsystem]

Illustration by Sophie Lucido Johnson

[mischiefsystem]

This is why it is so important to talk to people about your feelings openly and non accusatorily! I mean obviously you cant do that with every stranger, but if your friend seems mad at you theres nothing wrong with gently asking if they are. Then if they are just tired or sad about something else, you can feel reassured, and you can maybe help them with whatever problem they are having! And if they are mad, you can talk about that and help too until you both feel better.

You dont just have to assume your friends have a vase of flowers. You can ask them if they do, and help them deliver them.

i think one of the most important things you learn about making connections with others is that a significant portion of the time people just do not know theyre doing what theyre doing