#and blame it on the ''inaccessibility'' of their works

[artsekey]

I'd been seeing videos on Tiktok and Youtube about how younger Gen Z & Gen Alpha were demonstrating low computer literacy & below benchmark reading & writing skills, but-- like with many things on the internet-- I assumed most of what I read and watched was exaggerated. Hell, even if things were as bad as people were saying, it would be at least ~5 years before I started seeing the problem in higher education.

I was very wrong.

Of the many applications I've read this application season, only %6 percent demonstrated would I would consider a college-level mastery of language & grammar. The students writing these applications have been enrolled in university for at least two years, and have taken all fundamental courses. This means they've had classes dedicated to reading, writing, and literature analysis, and yet!

There are sentences I have to read over and over again to discern intent. Circular arguments that offer no actual substance. Errors in spelling and capitalization that spellcheck should've flagged.

At a glance, it's easy to trace this issue back to two things:

The state of education in the United States is abhorrent. Instructors are not paid enough, so schools-- particularly public schools-- take whatever instructors they can find.

COVID. The two year long gap in education, especially in high school, left many students struggling to keep up.

But I think there's a third culprit-- something I mentioned earlier in this post. A lack of computer literacy.

This subject has been covered extensively by multiple news outlets like the Washington Post and Raconteur, but as someone seeing it firsthand I wanted to add my voice to the rising chorus of concerned educators begging you to pay attention.

As the interface we use to engage with technology becomes more user friendly, the knowledge we need to access our files, photos, programs, & data becomes less and less important. Why do I need to know about directories if I can search my files in Windows (are you searching in Windows? Are you sure? Do you know what that bar you're typing into is part of? Where it's looking)? Maybe you don't have any files on your computer at all-- maybe they're on the cloud through OneDrive, or backed up through Google. Some of you reading this may know exactly where and how your files are stored. Many of you probably don't, and that's okay. For most people, being able to access a file in as short a time as possible is what they prioritize.

The problem is, when you as a consumer are only using a tool, you are intrinsically limited by the functions that tool is advertised to have. Worse yet, when the tool fails or is insufficient for what you need, you have no way of working outside of that tool. You'll need to consult an expert, which is usually expensive.

When you as a consumer understand a tool, your options are limitless. You can break it apart and put it back together in just the way you like, or you can identify what parts of the tool you need and search for more accessible or affordable options that focus more on your specific use-case.

The problem-- and to be clear, I do not blame Gen Z & Gen Alpha for what I'm about to outline-- is that this user-friendly interface has fostered a culture that no longer troubleshoots. If something on the computer doesn't work well, it's the computer's fault. It's UI should be more intuitive, and it it's not operating as expected, it's broken. What I'm seeing more and more of is that if something's broken, students stop there. They believe there's nothing they can do. They don't actively seek out solutions, they don't take to Google, they don't hop on Reddit to ask around; they just... stop. The gap in knowledge between where they stand and where they need to be to begin troubleshooting seems to wide and inaccessible (because the fundamental structure of files/directories is unknown to many) that they don't begin.

This isn't demonstrative of a lack of critical thinking, but without the drive to troubleshoot the number of opportunities to develop those critical thinking skills are greatly diminished. How do you communicate an issue to someone online? How do look for specific information? How do you determine whether that information is specifically helpful to you? If it isn't, what part of it is? This process fosters so many skills that I believe are at least partially linked to the ability to read and write effectively, and for so many of my students it feels like a complete non-starter.

We need basic computer classes back in schools. We need typing classes, we need digital media classes, we need classes that talk about computers outside of learning to code. Students need every opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to self-reflect & self correct, and in an age of misinformation & portable technology, it's more important now than ever.

[devildom-moss]

Could you write poly dialuci asking a gn mc out? Maybe how each of them realizes the crush they have on mc and how they’d like to ask mc to join their relationships? I’m fine with just hcs or a full piece, whatever works best for you :>

I wrote you some headcanons, anon. Hopefully they are to your liking. They're a pretty common ship, but I think this is my first time writing anything for them. (Am I going to need a ship and threesome section in my masterlist soon?)

Poly!DiaLuci want MC to join them

(Lucifer x Diavolo x gn!MC)

(Slightly suggestive)

Word Count: +700

Diavolo, as the prince, is more guarded and inaccessible than Lucifer, so it takes him longer to be completely smitten. This works out better because Lucifer would be more prone to jealousy than Diavolo – or, at least, Lucifer's jealousy is more petty and bitter than Diavolo’s.

Lucifer develops feelings through a series of kind acts. Seeing MC take care of his brothers is the first step; someone who treats his brothers well is a prerequisite. As much as he likes to act all tough, and despite how he scolds them for spoiling his brothers and encouraging their poor behavior, he’s actually endeared by it. When they extend that kindness to him afterwards, his heart begins to melt.

Lucifer falls first, but he doesn’t act on it in earnest. (He might flirt and tease a little bit, but he doesn’t truly make an attempt to seduce them.) Diavolo notices, but instead of being jealous, he’s just intrigued. He wants to get to know MC more. Anyone who can capture Lucifer’s attention has Diavolo’s interest.

Lucifer tries to play the long game with Diavolo, believing that it’s only a matter of time before his partner sees MC’s charm as well.

It doesn’t take long for MC to get to Diavolo once he becomes more receptive. Whenever they do something thoughtful, Diavolo melts instantly. It would be something simple, like bringing a limited-edition flavor pudding to Diavolo while he’s working. As chance would have it, there was only one left. Diavolo would offer a bite to MC, and despite Lucifer being in the same room, he would insist on feeding them.

MC’s smile was so sweet that Diavolo would offer another bite, but MC would refuse because they got it for Diavolo. He should eat the rest. With that, MC would be on their way, leaving Diavolo to his pudding and work.

Lucifer saw the way Diavolo looked at MC and decides to confront him. Lucifer already understands how he feels about MC. Now is his chance to bring Diavolo onto his playing field. There was a quiet understanding that they were both crushing based on how they spoke about and looked at MC recently; Lucifer was just waiting for more tangible proof to bring up the topic. (And honestly, I think Diavolo would already be aware of Lucifer’s plan, so he chose to feed MC in front of Lucifer on purpose. He also just wanted to feed them, though.)

“You’re quite fond of them, aren’t you?” “I suppose I am. You can’t blame me, though, can you, Lucifer?” “We’re of the same mind. What should we do about this?”

They would hatch a plan to get MC alone and try to seduce them together. I imagine Lucifer would suggest that they invite them to tea or for a glass of Demonus – ideally at the castle for the sake of privacy. Lucifer just wants somewhere intimate where they could confess. (And let’s face it he’s horny on main. He wants to confess somewhere where they won’t be interrupted after the confession, either.)

Diavolo, on the other hand, would want to show off a bit more – take MC out and spoil them; he wants to prove that it’s a date before they can even confess. He’d want to take them somewhere fancy or beautiful: renting out an entire restaurant, paying for a private room at a club (which honestly gives me so many smut thoughts sorry), or even bringing them on a day trip if he can get the time.

They’re pretty upfront about it and quickly ask about MC’s feelings. “MC, we’ve brought you here today to discuss something in particular.” “How do you feel about us?”

Once they confirm MC’s feelings, they’ll confess properly. (Although, I don’t think they would invite MC on a date if they weren’t certain that MC would return their feelings beforehand.) “I see. Have you entertained any particularly naughty thoughts about us that you’d like to share, MC?” “Lucifer! Don’t tease them so soon. We should at least be honest first. MC, you’ve caught our attention. Neither of us is opposed to sharing if it means getting closer to you.” “Which is to say, if you’re interested, Diavolo and I are not so exclusive that you couldn’t join us: romantically. . . or sexually, if you’re inclined.”

Honestly, I think Diavolo would immediately put the moves on MC, asking them to come over and sit on his lap while they “get to know each other better.” Lucifer will pretend to be more composed, but he’s no better; he’s eager to get his hands on MC too.

A/N: There's only one more day left in to answer the December post poll. I also posted details about what I'll be doing for the 1 year anniversary of this blog. Check that out if you haven't already.

[literatureaesthetic]

currently reading 1984 by george orwell, and the parallels to england right now (and rising facism in europe as a whole, honestly) is harrowing. the idea that people who are unable to think are easier to control. the destruction of literature to reduce free thought (brings to mind the english rioters who literally burned libraries down).

i mentioned in a previous post that a large percentage of working/lower class populations are uneducated. education is made inaccessible by the government through insane tuition fees and student loans that'll take a lifetime to repay. the lower class are also unable to spend the time acquiring a degree and pursuing education because they have bills to pay. work or study, you can't do both.

the government ensures the lower-class remains in poverty, and what does the lower-class do? they blame people of colour, refugees, and immigrants for the lack of jobs. it's not poc that makes it hard for you to get the job. it's the rich. it's the system working as it was designed to do. throw in the fact that white people have been voting tories into leadership for the past DECADE due to the tory government's racist and anti-migrant promises (which they never delivered on lmao), of course you're struggling to make ends meet. it's ouroboros: the serpent biting its own tail.

the way this anger and rage over the cost of living, the lack of jobs, and employability are very valid concerns, but rather than address those concerns productively, you're attacking poc?? aka, the people who are in the EXACT same boat as you. if not a worser boat because they're having to expend double, if not triple, the amount of energy to make a living in this country because they're black, asian, or a refugee.

people who say literature is unimportant, a literature degree is a "waste"......if the far-right racists who are rioting in england had access to literary studies, these riots wouldn't exist.

[totally-sick-blogger]

Sustainability is rarely accessible

This post is dedicated to Audrey, hi king!

Like many people, I think sustainability and taking care of the environment is really important; however, something that I feel isn't talked about enough when discussing ways to be more sustainable is how it's often inaccessible to disabled people and low-income people.

A lot of "alternative products" aren't viable options for disabled people because of factors such as cost, how easy they are to acquire, or physical accessibility issues.

some examples include:

paper straws and wooden cutlery - I know that for me both of these products give me major sensory issues and as for wooden cutlery I'd also like to note that they're much more difficult to eat with which could cause problems for someone with poor dexterity or fine motor skills.

pre-packaged foods - a lot of disabled people rely on pre-packaged meals and snacks for all kinds of reasons such as sensory issues, having specific safe foods, fatigue, and physically being unable to prepare foods. etc. One example I see often is being told off for buying precut produce because why not "just cut it up themselves" when in reality, some people physically cannot cut it up themselves or don't have enough spoons to make that a priority; not to mention that frozen and pre-cut produce is often cheaper than fresh produce.

medical supplies - A lot the medical supplies that disabled people rely on every day are made up of single use plastics and most of the items aren't meant to be used more than once (though some products can be used for multiple days if cared for properly) that being said, disabled people tend to produce more plastic waste but it's not our faults so we shouldn't be getting flack for it!

Another element of environmental advocacy that a lot of people talk about is veganism; which is of course great thing to practice if that's what works for you but a lot of people (disabled or not) cannot be vegan for dietary reasons. This could be because of allergies, intolerances, restrictions, location, finances, etc. For example, I've got a soy allergy and I've got a friend with a severe nut allergy. This means that neither of us could be fully vegan because the majority of vegan products are made with soy and nuts. I also rely partially on tube feeds for nutrition and as far as I know, there aren't any vegan, soy-free formulas yet (and if there are they're probably absurdly expensive)

This brings me to my final point about cost. A lot of alternative options for vegan and sustainable products are significantly more expensive; making it much harder for people who are already struggling financially to afford those products. Not to mention people who live in food deserts (areas of a city that don't contain grocery stores) or rural areas. There are very low chances that either of those places is going to have specialty food stores or even have alternative options in the few stores that they do have!

In conclusion: stop blaming poor and disabled people for the awful state of our environment and start blaming billionaires and massive corporations!

[belle-keys]

Wait what happened in the dramione fandom

In short:

Book bindings are fine. But selling bound fanfiction is both illegal and unethical. The sales of bound fics in the Dramione fandom have skyrocketed (grâce au Tiktok) within the last year or so. People have also been selling art prints attached to the fics against the explicit wishes of the authors and creators.

People have been adding Dramione fanfictions to Goodreads despite authors explicitly asking them not to do that.

A very popular booktube girlie made a whole video reading and reviewing a popular Dramione fic. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's just that stuff like that has unfortunately invited a lot of people who don't respect the de facto ethical codes of fandom into Dramione fanspaces.

A few days ago, about three of the biggest Dramione fic writers announced they would be pulling their Dramione fics from AO3 and other places. One of those fics is "Breath Mints / Battle Scars" by Onyx and Elm, which is a massive fic in the Dramione community. Other Dramione writers have followed. A shit ton of fics on AO3 have been deleted or hidden, and more are to follow.

Also, many of the fic authors have requested that their works not be reposted if they were saved before deletion. So a lot of good work is now either lost or inaccessible to many. There's a fic distribution black market on Reddit right now like I kid you not.

N.B. I believe we should respect the wishes of the authors and not repost their deleted works. It's unethical to go against the express wishes of creators like that. I don't blame many of the Dramione writers for pulling their works or for considering it. Newbies have been mistreating their fanfics and they just want to protect themselves legally.

[queer-crip-grows]

If you are involved in climate activism and if you work in town planning and purchasing, or anything similar, I am begging you to please, *please* start thinking about disabled folk, elderly folk and parents with young kids when you are talking about walking and biking to places.

Cycles are absolutely inherently more pedestrian-friendly than cars, but they are still perfectly capable of injuring or even killing pedestrians, particularly frailer people, small people, and pets.

A lot of pedestrians, especially elderly and disabled people, have developed this instinctive terror of cycles and cyclists purely because poor planning so often shoves cycles into pedestrian spaces that aren’t actually even that ideal for pedestrians, and people who already have difficulties - elderly and disabled people, dog walkers, parents of small children - in those spaces start accumulating experiences of injury or even a succession of near-misses, which are perfectly capable of producing trauma even if physical injury is avoided.

And that only plays into the hands of polluters and governments who are in their pockets as well as increasing the marginalisation of already-marginalised people.

I can’t blame cyclists who are too afraid to ride cycles on the roads along with motor traffic. It’s terrifying and incredibly unsafe. Cycle paths, Cycle lanes, and other specific spaces for cyclists are absolutely essential, with as little need to share space with motor traffic *or* pedestrians as possible. Even in wide city boulevards, laid-out cycle paths and spaces are essential. They literally only need paint! And let electric scooters back on them in the UK too.

If you are providing any form of public rentable cycles, please, *please* accommodate elderly, frailer and disabled people too. We tend to be the ones who are in the most need of alternatives to get places, but traditional bikes are inaccessible to frailer people and most people with balance and fatigue issues. Please buy a selection of bikes, including adult-size tricycles, scooters with seats, and bikes with seats and tow options for small children. Parents exist, and are mostly desperately in need of transport as they have small humans with short legs and limited energy, and most prams and buggies are incompatible with traditional cycles.

We know so damn well how right-wing governments and corporations benefit from setting us against each other, and how adept they are at using marginalised people to distract the majority of exploited workers from the larger issues said governments are doing poorly or not tackling at all.

Disabled and elderly people, and parents of small children, are very vulnerable to climate change and the issues it causes. We are not the enemies of the climate movement; but we equally need to be *included* in it and *accommodated* by it.

If you are only looking for solutions that work for abled, healthy young adults, you are, frankly, not doing your job effectively. Listen to disabled people, older people, and parents. If you are doing large-scale planning work, invite us into the planning process *early*, not at the end when any changes will seem too burdensome and expensive to make, and, honestly, pay us for our time and expertise.

Oh, and if you make or sell bikes or electric bikes, sell more accessible options like adult trikes and ones with child seats and towing options too, please. And don’t charge enormously more for them than standard bikes. Financing options would be good too. Most disabled people can’t afford to run a car, and your bikes are often more expensive than that, if you offer them at all.

[decolonize-the-everything]

"nothing changes if you don't vote"

"republicans vote"

They also do active work towards their political goals that go further than just screeching at people to vote. Like running for office so people can vote.

I can not express how much of Every election Ever is not voters fault, but the fault of every capable liberal and leftist who sits around telling us to vote/read theory but never actually uses their privilege to do any active part of dismantling racism or anything else they pretend to care about, including the actual bare minimum of getting blue votes which isnt voting, but running for office so people can vote blue.

Non-voters aren't the problem. The people to blame are the same fucking people that are always to blame throughout all of history. People who see awful things happening around them and still sit around doing nothing but feeling guilt and fear they might be treated the same way. So they choose to follow the fucked up laws and status quo of a government that doesn't give a shit about them, meanwhile finding ways to blame the Actual victims of the government so they can feel better about protecting themselves instead.

"vote"

A fairy tale for liberals who don't wanna confront the reality that they don't have any power over their lives.

My executively dysfunctional, depressive, disabled, unstable ass sure doesn't. Couldn't run for office even if I wanted to. Relying on EBT and racist federal workers. Relying on others to run for office with my best interest in mind. I rely on on this government and it's people to take care of me and people like me but look where that got me. You think that was my choice? That I voted for this life? Did you vote for me to struggle like this?

No, you didn't.

But I am. Lots of people are. Because voting doesn't work. Because our problems are systematic and the things influencing us are systematic. They aren't things you vote for or would be ever put up for a vote in the first place. You can't vote blue without a Democrat that isn't on your ballot, for example. And lots of us can't fix things ourselves through normal political means like running for office cuz every branch of the US is inaccessible to us in a very racist, queerphobic, ableist, and classist way.

Voting isn't enough, it never was. It's not even the bare minimum. The bare minimum is doing something. Protest, burn something down, participate in mutual aid, run for office yourself, become a journalist that's Honest and unbought. But just saying "yeah I like this one" and coloring in some boxes every 2-4 years isn't fucking it. It never was. And thinking otherwise is exactly why I'm looking at ballot with no fucking democrats, progressives, or leftists on it.

I'm fucking begging you all to do more than vote and scream at everyone else to vote. Begging. Please fucking do more than that. And don't "we are" me because I'm looking at a ballot in one of the most progressive states in the country and objectively no you're fucking not.

[dizzytitty]

US Tax Season

Hi everyone!! Idk how many people this will reach, but I wanna post some resources for US residents since tax season is here. I’m a graduate taxation student who intends to work in family/small business/non profit tax.

If taxes are really intimidating to you I don’t blame you, they’ve been made super inaccessible and hard to learn about. There are some resources out there that are really worth looking into, which I would highly recommend!

If you want to file your taxes from home and made less than $73,000 from all sources of income this year, check out the IRS Free File page. There are options to fill out all tax forms yourself without auto calculations OR an even better option which is self guided free filing platforms with auto calculations. There are multiple services that can help with the self guided forms, I’d suggest finding the best fit for you. Some may offer free federal tax returns but need payment for state tax returns.

I’d also highly recommend checking out the IRS VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program which I will be volunteering with starting next week. It’s a program ran by volunteers who have to get certified and take tests to be able to file basic/slightly advanced tax returns for individuals who made under $60,000 from all sources of income in the previous year. It’s an in person program where you’d bring all your tax forms and sit down with a volunteer who would help you file your tax return. The website linked above has another link to look for volunteer centers in your area. Some locations may need an appointment, but as far as I know most accept walk ins.

For both of these you’ll need all tax forms from the previous year (W2s, 1099s, 1098Ts, etc). If you don’t know if you’ll need it, I’d bring it as opposed to not. I don’t know how many questions I can answer because I’m still fairly new to this, but I am certified to prepare tax returns for US residents. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

[lastoneout]

tbh I do actually think it's worth talking about how those geography quizzes are legitimately inaccessible to people with dyslexia HOWEVER that has absolutely NOTHING to do with the names of the countries themselves and EVERYTHING to do with how the quizzes themselves are structured by the people who made them, as well as how dyslexia works

doing bad on one of those quizzes doesn't actually mean you don't know the names of places or that you're inherently racist, you can know the name of a place without being able to spell it and this quiz equates being unable to spell the name with not knowing it at all, which is unfair and moralizes having a learning disability which, for the people who have that disability, is embarrassing and upsetting(especially if you've already spent your life being treated like you're stupid because your brain doesn't work the same way as other people's), BUT AGAIN if you're going to talk about that actually talk ABOUT THAT and don't go blaming countries for having names you struggle to spell, especially when dyslexia is indiscriminate and makes it hard to spell all words not just ones from other cultures/languages

the people complaining about the quizzes not being dyslexic friendly are right, but only about them not being accessible, and they're ABSOLUTELY directing their ire against the wrong thing and being racist as fuck in the process, the quiz isn't hard for you because the people who live in a country picked a difficult to spell name(and ffs they didn't do that to fuck with you specifically, it has nothing to do with you as an individual at all, actually), it's hard because it has absolutely no way to account for you knowing the name of a place but not being able to spell it

using your dyslexia as an excuse to say racist shit is never okay and I am not taking the side of anyone doing that, but acting like failing a quiz that is inaccessible to someone with a disability is in of itself a judgement of that person's morals is also wrong (and for the love of god not being able to spell the names of places is not the same thing as being bad at geography, I have all of the us states memorized, doesn't make it any easier to spell some of them)

[enbycrip]

Every time abled people talk about the covid lockdown, or ongoing isolation related to covid, they talk about the mental health impact of that isolation.

And I’m here going “I envy you all so much because you have the energy to do whatever you like in your homes during lockdowns”.

The incredible stuff people got done during their lockdowns and I had a great day yesterday because I went to the supermarket with my OH using my rollator instead of my wheelchair and wasn’t literally shaking with fatigue and pain by the time I got home. I bought a shirt and a jumper and had the energy to try them on before I had to lie down for the rest of the day. That’s a very, *very* good day for me.

We decided not to nick in for a coffee after shopping and just head right home to our kitteh because it’s pretty much unknown for me not to be in that state by the time I got home and the odds are the sensory overload in a Costa would have done it.

I would just very much like abled folks to realise that, if their experiences in lockdown were and are tough on their mental health, consider what the impact is on disabled and chronically ill folk who are isolated by both our physical impairments/conditions *and* the inaccessibility of the world while everyone else blithely goes on without us, and if they think of us at all it’s to blame *us* for not seeing them more. Or working. Or studying. When the remote adjustments that were “impossible” for disabled folk before that suddenly became available for everyone when abled folk needed them, and are increasingly becoming “impossible” again, somehow, for too many workplaces and educational establishments.

[shrimpathizer]

this is just a theory (i haven't looked into this bit that much) but I feel like the reason that misinformation is so wildly rampant in online communities about ADHD (probably also autism) is in part because of how inaccessible actual professional information about it is.

Like, I remember before I got my diagnosis (what started off this whole thing a while back), I was looking at the CDC website description of symptoms of ADHD with my mom and. If you thought you were neurodivergent and were looking at this thing trying to see if you should get tested, its basically saying "screw you. you're either a child who is going to be here because of their parents, or an adult who is also here because of another neurotypical."

one of the criteria was literally "is often 'on the go' acting as if 'driven by a motor.'" that means absolutely nothing. you are using undefined expressions to explain something to someone who historically is not good at understanding unexplained social norms (such as expressions).

plus, its incredibly subjective. "on the go" could mean something wildly different for one person then the next. and "often" could mean "all the time every day" or "only at school" or even "every other week." not to mention the memory issues that at least a lot of the people who I know with ADHD struggle with.

someone who might have ADHD has no way of knowing if they "often have trouble organizing tasks and activities" or if that is a normal amount. there is no way for them to easily know if they "often do not seem to listen when spoken to directly."

so it seems obvious to me, that they would turn to other people with ADHD. and the easiest place to find them these days is online. thats how I started wondering if I should get diagnosed. they're probably trying to find some other way to understand or know. and since its social media and social media is rampant with misinformation, of course they are going to be fed misinformation.

people are going to tell them "you see this weird thing that you do? I do that too. and its actually because of this much larger thing. trust me." and people will. because there really isn't much of another place for them to turn. they are going to self-diagnose with every disorder under the sun to make themselves feel at home and feel like they aren't weird or wrong.

maybe i'm way off here but I think that if you want people (teens in particular) to stop turning to social media for comfort and information, you should give them other resources that are accessible. that they don't have to pay to see, that they can understand clearly, that acknowledges all the weird things that they feel bad about.

and sort of as a side note: i remember in elementary school, early on (this might have just been my school/city/state), the school set up one of those mobile classrooms on the yard and would pull kids out for like a good couple months to do eye exams. because we've normalized that kids also have eye problems and thats normal. and maybe, could we also get a small little assessment. just to see if we can find neurodivergent kids early on and get them help so that they don't suffer for years and years.

and i'm not talking as someone who has had it hard. i have had it so easy compared to so many others. i have supportive parents and get good grades, and yet, i am constantly burnt out. i constantly feel horrible. not just because of depression. maybe i'm being too radical here but i feel like i shouldn't need a 504 plan to say that if i'm having a panic attack i can leave the room. that if i'm having trouble focusing i can go to the library or somewhere else. that i can get extensions on due dates. that i can see a copy of the notes or lesson for reference. i don't know maybe i'm just incredibly radical that i think people shouldn't have to be expected to work four times as hard to get anything done and then get blamed when they don't live up to the expectation. whether or not they are neurodivergent.

[gayfesh]

You’re a terrible person for defending Poppy to her boss about the client name leak. How would you feel if that happened to you? The fact that you didn’t say anything about it until now is disgusting. If you and Poppy didn’t get into a fight, you would be defending her disgusting behavior to this day. GTFOH. Seriously, who stays friends with someone who said their kid is “dead to them”. WTF is wrong with you.

Let's clear up what I meant by "defending."

Poppy had written a letter to a client's parents making a case that the trans genocide is happening or on the cusp of happening, and she was so proud of this letter she wanted to share it with details anonymized. She caught everything, except a single instance of the client's first name. She posted it in a Twitter group chat I run.

Twitter doesn't let you delete DMs. "Deleting" them only hides it for you. So this letter with her client's name was available to see for every single member of the group chat. Initially, she was asking every single member of the GC to delete that message for themselves, and take a screenshot of that section of the GC to prove that they no longer saw it. But not everyone was quick on responding, and her boss was going to have to file a report for breach of confidentiality or something.

So I ended up using my alt account to boot everyone out of the GC (you can only kick people out by blocking them) and then remade the GC, ensuring that the old GC's chat history was dead and gone and that image was now inaccessible to everyone. In so doing, her boss decided that such a report was no longer necessary.

I don't know what else you would have wanted me to "say anything about" that situation at the time.

And yeah, I do share a lot of blame for enabling Poppy for so long and turning a blind eye to her worse behaviors, and yeah, I do deserve criticism for that. That's part of the reason I have been so vocal in my criticism of her now. Initially when I ended the friendship I did not intend to say anything publicly, but I couldn't sleep for four days because of the guilt. I need to work to undo what I helped cause.

But our friendship didn't end solely because of a personal affront to me. It ended because I saw her going down a horrible spiral where she didn't care who she hurt along the way. You can say "if we didn't get in a fight I'd still be defending her," but that fight was inevitable. If that fight didn't happen, it'd be because she improved her behavior, which would have been a good thing.

[drdemonprince]

Hey Doc, any advice on how to determine at what point something crosses the line from me struggling with nueroconforming communication and becomes discrimination?

Context:

I'm out trans at work but have not disclosed my autism. I am constantly getting tone-policed and told I don't communicate well. I keep implementing feedback and communicating as clearly as I can with the criteria I am given, and I keep getting ignored.

When I'm blunt I'm told I am being harsh and need to be softer. When I'm soft I'm told I need to be more blunt to get my point across. When I'm detailed in asking for something I'm told I need to be more brief if I want people to actually read my requests. When I'm brief my requests are ignored entirely and unless I produce screenshots or email chains I'm told I never asked at all. ETC. No matter what I get ignored until the minor issue I was flagging becomes a huge emergency, and then I am asked why I did not say anything sooner.

While this pattern of being ignored has happened to me many times at past workplaces, there were never complaints about my communication skills when I was closeted and boymoding, people just admitted they ignored me and it was their fault. However this is with a new company than the one I worked at before I was out so I'm having a hard time telling if I'm being fucked with for being trans or if this is just the "normal" 'tism office experience but the blame is being shifted to me at this new place. I want to take feedback and learn to be a clearer communicator but starting to feel like my communication is not the issue.

Note: this is not a sexism thing because I have two coworkers and one supervisor who are cis women that do not have this problem, everyone listens to them.

Thanks so much, been pulling my hair out over this for a year now and feel like I'm going crazy.

This is a very, very common experience for trans femme people -- and it is absolutely caused by transmisogyny. I have noticed that trans women truly cannot win. When they explain information carefully to try and educate others, they are accused of being condescending, inaccessible, and difficult to understand. When they cease trying to be heard by people who willfully refuse to hear them, they get criticized for not being approachable or a team player. They're penalized for assertiveness, being told that it's too masculine, and then if they're passive, they get completely ignored.

You are not crazy. You are not making the wrong choice or communicating poorly. You are being targeted by a pervasive systemic bias, and there's probably very little that you could do to make it not happen to you.

A friend of mine once told me that when they were in kind of an awkward-feeling phase of their transition, people suddenly stopped laughing at their jokes. Cashiers, coworkers, random acquaintances at parties, and other people they had easily charmed in the past would suddenly react as if they were not there. Instead of even acknowledging their remarks, my friend was met with a completely neutral stone-faced expression.

For my friend, this phase eventually dissipated and their transition progressed and they arrived at a place where they felt more comfortable and other people found them easier to read by binary, cissexist norms. They still had to deal with sexism in their highly male-dominated workplace, but after a certain point, they became an acknowledgeable human again.

This wasn't about passing as cis, not exactly anyway, because my friend actually never passed as cis ever in their life, not even before their transition. But it was about legibility and their social positioning as a trans femme. When their transition was obviously a thing that was happening but which cis people didn't know how to read or respect, my friend dealt with the full force of transphobic prejudice, and it did ebb a bit once they arrived at a place where they were both more comfortable in themselves, and (probably more importantly, unfortunately) other people were more comfortable with them. The best way I can explain it, from what they told me, was that it was a combination of transmisogyny and hatred of nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people.

It was horrific and unfair that they had to pass through that, and of course many nonbinary and trans femme people live in that area of dehumanization and isolation for all of their lives. But I felt that was a worthwhile anecdote to add, because in some ways it has some parallels to what is happening to you. It might be that gradually people start treating you better, in line with more everyday workplace sexism, as I've witnessed many trans femme people eventually get professionally slotted into a more collectively accepted feminine role after being disrespected for many months or even years. But it does not always happen either, and even when it does, it was after enduring a ton of abuse and learning how tentative people's acceptance always really was -- and there's no unknowing that and unliving it once you have.

I think the workplace culture that you're in is treating you in an unacceptable way, and that you've already tried far more than you should have to in trying to make yourself legible to them. I don't have high hopes that anything you do could have the power to shift this toxically transmisogynistic culture. It's not how you are communicating, it's not how you look, it's not because you're Autistic, it's not because you're a woman -- it's because they are transmisogynistic and are penalizing you for their discomfort and lack of communication skills.

You can, I think, absolve yourself of any feelings of responsibility for managing how other people react to you. Hope can sometimes be a poison that we keep drinking over and over again, believing that we have control over whether or not it will harm us. It's okay to accept instead that nothing good will come of drawing from that well, and choosing not to imbibe it.

The choice for you, then, is how best to survive in an environment where you are treated this way. What can you do to document that you are performing the work as asked? Can you request examples or templates of 'correctly' done work, or explanations, so that you can point out that you are meeting expectations as they have been outlined? Are there people at work who have been treated unfairly too, whom you can communicate with?

(Transmisogyny, I have noticed, often parallels anti-Blackness in certain mechanisms that it uses. Many Black people are accused of being "confusing" to understand when they try to explain basic experiences of bias, or are seen as too "hostile" in similar ways, particularly Black women, and sometimes community can be built along those or other lines. If you have a union, I would certainly consider speaking to union leadership about this if you trust them. Be careful in how you go about agitating against pervasive problems like these at work -- the messenger is frequently punished. But, you might find some solace and some possibility of a culture change in the long-term if it is fought for alongside comrades rather than alone.)

Realistically, you will probably need to build an escape route for yourself. Whether that's by psychologically detaching from your workplace as much as possible, letting them fail for having not listened to you, and finding your belonging elsewhere, or whether that's by finding another job or quitting is for you to decide. I wish the options were better, but I think taking honest stock of what the problem is and accepting that it's not a social dynamic that you have the power to correct can be clarifying, at least. I hope people with similar experiences will sound off in the comments with advice or validation.

Best of luck, and I'm so sorry this is happening. Please keep me updated on what ends up working best for you.

[misc-obeyme]

THE THREADS THAT BIND

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MASTERPOST for summary/info/chapter list

a/n: We got some extremely brief appearances from Diavolo and Satan in this one. Otherwise, it's mostly angst because MC is having trouble taking the good advice they were given. Isn't that how it always goes.

GN!MC x Barbatos | word count 1,271

Warnings: just some angst, but otherwise nothing

Despite the good advice you had received, you spent an unfortunate amount of time avoiding Barbatos. You thought you could work up the courage to tell him the truth, that you could simply march up to him and say it, but every time you saw him, your gut twisted horribly. It was so bad that you found it much easier to simply stay away from him all together.

You just needed some time, you told yourself. Time to work through how you felt, what you would even say, what you would do when he inevitably rejected you.

You should have known that Barbatos would notice.

You were in the library at RAD where you were supposed to be studying with Satan. He had gone off to find some books and you found yourself staring off into space, contemplating the woes of your predicament.

When someone sat across from you, you assumed it was Satan returned. When you looked up, your heart clenched to see Barbatos sitting there instead.

He seemed as calm as he always was, the same pleasant smile on his face.

"Hello, MC," he said.

You sat up a little straighter. "Hi, Barbatos."

"I see you are studying for the upcoming curses and hexes exam," he said.

You looked around the table at your notes and books, the unkempt piles and stacks. "Yeah," you said. "Satan just went to get some more books."

Barbatos watched you for a long moment, the silence stretching between you. You found you couldn't look at him.

"MC," he said at last. "I know you have been avoiding me lately. I cannot say I blame you. After all that time you spent forced to remain by my side, I understand that you need your space. I only wanted to see that you are all right. I know this hasn't been easy for you."

You looked at him then, but only briefly. Because the moment you saw the look of concern, you couldn't take it, and you looked away again.

"I'm fine," you said. "You don't need to worry about me."

There was another silence because both of you knew that was a lie. What was Barbatos thinking? That you were lying to him because you didn't want him to worry? Or you were lying to him because he was the problem? You didn't want him to think that. This was your problem, not his. But you couldn't manage to say anything else. You weren't ready to tell him the truth. Not yet.

You were looking at the table, but you still saw the way he reached out, stopping short and pulling his hand back. There was a thud in your chest, like a door had closed on the hollow that had grown inside you, inaccessible to anyone or anything.

"That is good to hear," Barbatos said.

He was so masterful at hiding his own feelings. You knew him well enough by now to know that he wanted to say something else to you, something about how he could tell that you weren't fine. And yet his voice gave away no such indication. It was as smooth as it ever was.

"Thanks for checking on me," you said.

Barbatos stood up from the table and you felt you had to look at him then. "You know where to find me, should you need anything."

You smiled at him, but it was so forced it was almost painful. Barbatos bowed to you briefly before walking away.

You sat at the table for a while, staring down at the mess of papers in front of you, not thinking about anything except how much you were hurting.

In the midst of this wallowing, Satan returned to the table, dropping a stack of books on it with a heavy thud. A thud reminiscent of the one that had echoed through your heart. You forced yourself to push all that aside and focus on the studying at hand.

-

After that, both you and Barbatos seemed to be avoiding each other. The others must have noticed, but nobody said anything. The only indication you had that anyone thought anything about it was the way Arsenios sometimes gave you pointed looks from across the classroom. You would give him a brief, pained smile before turning away again.

The truth was that everybody had indeed noticed what was going on. Solomon mentioned something to Simeon, who talked about it to Lucifer, who then told Diavolo… in the end, everybody knew about it. It was surprising how well they all kept it to themselves, though. It had a lot to do with how they could tell bringing it up with you would cause you pain.

This didn't stop Diavolo from taking it upon himself to invite you over to the Demon Lord's Castle, though.

It happened after RAD one day, when you were about to head back to the House of Lamentation, that he asked you to sleep over.

"You haven't been to the castle in some time, MC!" he said as you gathered up your books. "Is there any way I can convince you to stay the night?"

You considered his offer. Part of you was suspicious. There was no way Diavolo hadn't noticed that something was up with his butler. Was he only asking you to stay over so that you'd be forced to be in proximity with Barbatos?

Was that such a bad thing?

You had to admit that things couldn't continue on this way. The pain you felt every time you accidentally met Barbatos's eyes, the way you always made excuses not to go to the castle, the empty hollow in your chest that never seemed to diminish. Maybe you could find some relief from these things if you faced the rejection, if you felt that acute pain instead of this throbbing ache. That definitive answer was what you needed in order to move on. And Diavolo was giving you the opportunity to do it.

"All right," you said, smiling at Diavolo.

Diavolo acted as though he couldn't see the way your smile was forced. He clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Then I will see you this evening!"

You took yourself back to the House of Lamentation, leaving behind some of your school things and packing an overnight bag for staying over at the castle.

When you arrived, dinner was already prepared. Diavolo was waiting for you, but Barbatos didn't seem to be around, which was unusual.

You didn't ask about it, just had a pleasant dinner with Diavolo, who chatted with you about many different topics. He didn't ask you about Barbatos or the curse or anything even remotely related to either of those things.

The Little Ds seemed to be filling in for Barbatos, bringing you refills of your drink and taking away plates to the kitchen. You suspected that Barbatos himself was in the kitchen directing the whole thing. Likely he couldn't stand to see you, after the way you had lied to him so blatantly in the library.

Diavolo himself brought you to the familiar guest room where you had spent so many nights. You thanked him for dinner and for his company that evening. He beamed at you as though this was all going exactly how he had intended.

You were confused as you got ready for bed. You had really believed the whole purpose of this was so that you would have to face Barbatos.

And yet, he had not made an appearance.

Conflicted, you decided to just go to bed and try to sleep. Perhaps he would be there in the morning.

masterpost | chapter one

chapter ten | chapter twelve

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[ariawritingstuff]

So the ao3 attack is supposed to upset fans. It seems to be more politically motivated (and using a name that points the blame at Muslims) than religiously motivated. Though the hacking does also seem to be coming from Russia who probably feels 2 birds one stone about the LGBT content, but like I said the primary goal is little to drum up Islamophobia.

Best course of action, be chill. Ao3 will be back up eventually, your fanfix can come from other sires, and hey glass half full the inaccessibility of fan works right now will probably lead to a boom of content not only from creator that aren't currently posting, but also from people who are spurred to make their own content to fill the gap.

I'm not saying dont feel your feelings, or post them on tumblr, or that this isn't something to be upset about, all I'm saying is losing your shit is what they want, so if you are able to shrug it off, find somewhere else to read and post for now, that's probably the most annoying thing you can do for the hackers regardless of what their motivations are

[capitalism-and-analytics]

The primary cause of the current economic state isn't inflation, though that is the excuse corporate entities use, but rather the fact that people don't have enough money to live. You see, an economy only works when money is moving. But the rich don't spend it. They hoard it. Money in the hands of the people on the other hand does get spent and moved, because people spend it to live. By refusing to put restriction on corporations, who by their nature as capitalistic entities want to move as much wealth in as few hands as possible, you make the economy worse. The truth is, the current economic state can only be blamed on the current economic philosophy. And that's capitalism.

Although I agree with your opening statement that inflation is not the primary cause of the current economic state, I disagree with the remainder of your argument.

But the rich don't spend it. They hoard it.

That is incorrect. This idea that the rich have some Scrooge McDuck style of vault where they are hoarding all this cash that is inaccessible to the rest of the economy is a blatant fallacy.

Majority of rich people fall into one of three categories:

Individuals who actively invest (i.e. spend) their capital in businesses, startups, and ventures that create jobs and drive innovation.

Individuals who let asset managers invest (i.e. spend) their capital to grow their wealth.

Individuals who save most of their capital in financial institutions and those financial institutions use those assets to invest the capital or loan out the capital to earn themselves a profit in exchange for securing the capital. This is the primary form of revenue generating activities done by banks.

Money in the hands of the people on the other hand does get spent and moved, because people spend it to live.

This is actually a very interesting point as it is very controversial and widely debated between economists for which is better for the economy to prosper: poor people's spending habits or rich people's spending habits.

Both rich and poor spending can contribute to economic growth and welfare, but they have different impacts and dynamics. While rich spending can drive economic expansion and job creation, poor spending supports local businesses and enhances the well-being of individuals within lower-income brackets. It is important to strike a balance and ensure that both groups have opportunities to participate in economic activities and benefit from a thriving economy.

[...] who by their nature as capitalistic entities want to move as much wealth in as few hands as possible, you make the economy worse.

That is incorrect. Their nature is to behave and act in pursuit of the self-interests of their private owners. If the self-interests of those individuals is to move as much wealth in as few hands as possible, then yes, but that is not a inherent characteristic or perquisite to operating in a capitalist system. Moreover, the same behavior can and does occur within socialist systems too.

The main difference though is that those self-interests are controlled by private individuals in capitalist systems and by the collective public in socialist systems.

The truth is, the current economic state can only be blamed on the current economic philosophy. And that's capitalism.

There has never been an absolute capitalist system [or absolute socialist system], but merely mixed systems. Trying to generalize any macro-economy to a singular economic philosophy is naïve and lacks critical assessment. If you wish to blame something on a capitalist philosophy, which there is plenty, then may I recommend you focusing on far more specific behaviors or policies?