#The Autistic People of Color Fund

[helicoprinus]

i wish vacationing to another flight didn't come with a 1500g price tag. i'm partially considering switching flights but i don't want to go through the whole deal only to find out i don't like the new one and want to go back but have to wait 6 months And scrounge up *1500* gems on top

(tags of this post veer into a personal vent about my first time being a sheet attendant, just a head's up)

[monriatitans]

Autism Speaks is the most popular autism research organization in the U.S. They have support from loads of autism moms and people who work with autistic kids. But they’ve had a very controversial past with attempts to raise awareness like the infamous “I Am Autism” and “Autism Every Day” videos. But they’ve also been criticized for using the puzzle piece logo, promoting applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and searching for the cure to “the autism epidemic.” Today we’re going over the many reasons (past & present) that Autism Speaks is trash. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 

I made a couple mistakes in the most recent video. 

I criticized Universal Healthcare + some people thought I meant I don’t support it at all. I am a socialist at minimum and in full support of universal healthcare. I left out the context of UK Do Not Resuscitate Orders on disabled people. I for some reason assumed everyone would know what I was talking about, and because of that I said it in a very misleading way. Firstly, the UK was accused of putting several disabled (autistic/learning disabilities) people on DNRs specifically in 2020/2021 during covid. Leaving that out made it seem like a current thing, I apologize for that. Secondly, this only allegedly happened. According to this report https://www.inclusionlondon.org.uk/wp... several disabled people responded to a survey saying they were put on DNRs or asked to sign them (when they shouldn’t have been). But we only have their word. It is not an objective fact that this happened, it’s just what disabled people say they experienced. The English NHS clarifies that this is not supposed to happen in this statement,https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronaviru... and says any of those questionable DNRs from 2020/21 were put under review. I apologize for not making that clear. I said Autism Speaks worked with Sesame St on creating Julia, which they didn’t. Autistic Self-Advocacy Network worked with them to create Julia, then left when Autism Speaks got involved later. The only mother in the video I was calling a bad parent was the one who talked about wanting to k*ll her daughter. The rest was a criticism of how autism speaks, framed the video, edited it, and what prompts they gave the moms to talk about. I should have made that more clear. 

Thank you for all of the support on the video, and especially thanks to the commenters who pointed out these flaws. This correction will appear as a pinned comment on the original video, a community tab post, and in the description of the video. ________________________________________________ 

BETTER ORGANIZATIONS: Autistic Women & Non-binary Network Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered Autistic People of Color Fund Autistic Self-Advocacy Network https://communicationfirst.org/ _________________________________________________________________ 

SUPPORT ME: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foster.the.... Cash App: https://www.cash.app/$fosterthefrog _________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCES: Autism Speaks Founders: https://www.autismspeaks.org/our-founder Autism Speaks Mission: https://the-art-of-autism.com/autism-... Autism Speaks Q&A: https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-s... Daughter’s Death Puts focus on toll of Autism: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...   Autism Speaks Budget: https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/ Autism Genome Project: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16078... Forced Sterilization in the US: https://lawblogs.uc.edu/ihrlr/2021/05... Ivar Lovaas Feminine Boy Project: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article Non-Speaking Autistics on ABA Therapy: https://autisticstrategies.net/nonspe... Autism Speaks Interventions: https://www.autismspeaks.org/interven... Cure Autism Now: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/fea Autism Speaks & AGRE: https://www.autismspeaks.org/about-agre Autism Genetic Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Autism Speaks Research: https://www.autismspeaks.org/research Videos: Autism Every Day:   • Autism Every Day   I Am Autism:   • I Am Autism comme...   I Am Autism Transcript: https://autisticadvocacy.org/2009/09/...

[autisticadvocacy]

Support community reparations for Autistic People of Color through the Autistic People of Color Fund!

[yourfaveisdisabled]

I believe Ink has autism,

Imma leave it at that, there is nothing more to say.

Ink from the Undertale Multiverse has Autism!

Did you know that Ink is a character of color, despite what the mass amounts of fanart prior to 2023 would have you think? Autistic people of color are wildly under-diagnosed compared to their white peers, and the Autistic People of Color Fund aims to help that. They’ve directly given 300k in microgrants to individual autistic people of color and are intent on pushing the autistic standard away from white men and providing a safe space for autistic women, non-binary/trans individuals, and people of color.

(Ink/art used by Comyet)

[marveltrumpshate]

Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation

Since there is no Avengers Initiative working to physically fight our way to a more equitable world, we have to rely frequently on advocacy, public education, and litigation to bend the arc of the work more quickly towards justice. If this is your personal charitable focus, you have a lot of options to choose from, from organizations working on systemic change for marginalized populations to those focusing on freeing individuals from the prison industrial complex and defeating censorship. 

For more information on donation methods and accepted currencies, please refer to our list of organizations page.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities and have their voices heard. For that reason, the organization is run by individuals on the autism spectrum. ASAN's primary focuses are advocating for policies that protect disability and civil rights, creating tools and leadership training for autistic self-advocates, and offering educational resources. 

The Bail Project

In their own words, “The Bail Project, Inc. is an unprecedented effort to combat mass incarceration at the front end of the system. We pay bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence. Because bail is returned at the end of a case, donations to The Bail Project™ National Revolving Bail Fund can be recycled and reused to pay bail two to three times per year, maximizing the impact of every dollar. 100% of online donations are used to bring people home.”

The financial burden that bail places upon many arrestees means that they stay in the system disproportionately longer than necessary, disrupting their economic options and personal stability. This is particularly true if they’re poor and/or people of color. To fight bail and provide pretrial support is to fight mass incarceration and the racial and economic disparities of the bail system in the United States.

Center for Reproductive Rights

The Center for Reproductive Rights is the only global legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person. With local partners across five continents, they have secured legal victories before national courts, UN Committees, and regional human rights bodies on issues such as access to life-saving obstetrics care, contraception, maternal health, and safe abortion services and the prevention of forced sterilization and child marriage.

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

DREDF is the leading civil rights organization in the United States that fights for and is directed by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. Not only does DREDF work directly with their clients to help them know their own rights, but they train and educate lawyers, lawmakers, and other societal gatekeepers to make sure they know those rights as well.

Electronic Freedom Foundation

The leading nonprofit defending civil liberties in digital spaces, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. They fight against online censorship and illegal surveillance, advocate for net neutrality and data protection, and more so that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for everyone. 

Innocence Project

The mission of the Innocence Project is deceptively simple: exonerate those who have been wrongly convicted through the use of DNA evidence. The reality of it involves much broader strokes covering support for exonerees rebuilding their lives post-release and criminal justice reform through targeted litigation and the implementation of laws to prevent wrongful conviction. They strive to restore freedom for the innocent, transform the systems responsible for unjust incarceration, and advance the freedom movement.

Native American Rights Fund

NARF is the oldest and largest nonprofit that defends Native American rights and provides legal assistance to Native American tribes, organizations, and individuals across the U.S. They concentrate on issues such as tribal sovereignty, land rights and treaty compliance, tribal natural resource protection, education on Native American human rights, and more.

Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)

Most known for their work on the Texas/Mexico border but operating on the national frontlines of the fight for immigration rights, RAICES provides free and low-cost legal services, bond assistance, and social programs to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. Among their many accomplishments, RAICES established the largest bond fund in the U.S., which they use to secure the release of individuals from ICE detention, and has more immigration lawyers than any other organization in Texas. These lawyers represent individuals, including children, in court, offer residency and citizenship services, assist asylum seekers, and deal with removal defense. RAICES also offers social services ranging from case management and resettlement assistance to a national hotline connecting migrants with local community resources and transit support for recently released migrants.

Southern Poverty Law Center

They’re mostly known in the U.S. as a hate group watchdog of sorts, but their work goes beyond tracking and exposing hate groups and promoting tolerance education programs. SPLC fights for voting rights advocacy, children’s rights, immigration reform and family reunification, LGBTQ+ rights, economic justice, and criminal justice reform. They work “with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.” Essentially, if there is injustice against a vulnerable and/or marginalized group in the U.S., SPLC aims to address and fix it.

Transgender Law Center

Transgender Law Center, the largest trans-specific and trans-led organization in the U.S., changes law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely and authentically and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. Through its precedent-setting litigation victories and community-driven programs, TLC protects the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming people in areas spanning employment, prison conditions, education, immigration, healthcare, and more.

[girlactionfigure]

3 questions for the global far left:

1/14 

Here’s the 1st question: How many Jews need to die before you stop blaming us for everything that happens? Because on that dark Saturday 2 weeks ago, 1,400 were murdered. How many more do you need? Ten thousand? 6 million? 

2/14 Yes, I went there. I referenced the Holocaust. Tactless, I know. The Jews always do that, don’t they – bring up the Holocaust so they can claim to be the victims. It doesn’t work. Six million is just a number to you. Like 1,400. 

3/14 Maybe the number shields you. That way you don’t need to think about the people behind the number. About the grandmother who was murdered with her autistic granddaughter who loved Harry Potter. 

4/14 You won’t need to think about Abigail. She’s three. Hamas abducted her into Gaza. Who abducts a 3-year-old girl? What will they do with her? How can it be that there are people demonstrating against Abigail and in support of the people who abducted her? 

5/14 The second question is this: Do your feelings exempt you from knowing the facts? I understand that you feel the Palestinians are suffering, you really feel it, it’s a strong feeling, but do you really have no interest whatsoever in actual facts? 

6/14 Do you know, for example, that Hamas doesn’t support a two-state solution? They don’t even want to free Palestine. That’s not the kind of movement they are. Hamas isn’t a Palestinian national movement, you’re confusing them with the Palestinian Authority. 

7/14 The two organizations are bitter rivals. Hamas is a radical Islamist organization, like ISIS. Their goal is an Islamic caliphate across the Middle East without Jews, without LGBT people, without Christians, even without moderate Muslims 

8/14 And what about LGBT people? Do you really not care that the people you’re supporting hang gay people? Don’t “Queers for Palestine” care about Ahmed Abu Marakhia, a young gay Palestinian who managed to escape to Israel but was abducted by Hamas, murdered, his body mutilated? 

9/14 By my calculations, this is the point where you stop reading, because it won’t help. You feel differently, and so there must be something wrong with what you’re reading rather than what you’re feeling. 

10/14 As far as you’re concerned, my words are an annoying manipulation that’s best ignored.

I promise you’ll be able to find other facts that will better suit your feelings. There will only be one problem with them – they’ll be wrong 

11/14 The reason they’re so available on your social media feed is that Hamas and the Iranians fund a huge network of disinformation, which directs itself to the algorithms of the ultra-liberal left 

12/14 If you’re the kind of person who Googles “trans rights” or “climate protest,” you’ll soon find their propaganda appearing in your scroll. It will make you feel good, but I’d still recommend that you check why there aren’t trans people in Gaza, not even one. 

13/14 And the third question is this: Do you know that there is a simple answer to the first two questions? There is a reason that you’re protesting against us these days and, like everything else, it comes from feelings. 

14/14 Because as opposed to everything you think about yourselves, 

everything you say about being color blind, humane, champions of human rights and all the rest, you have one other personality trait – you are antisemites.

I know you think you’re not, but you are. 

• • •

[arthurdrakoni]

Residents of Proserpina Park is a mythology audio drama. It is currently funding season 4 and 5 on Indiegogo. I’m call on all of you to help however you can.

Hello everyone. I’ve got another call to action for all of you. As you might, or might not know, @proserpinapark is currently funding not one, but two new seasons coming out later this year. I’m calling on all of you to do your part to help out.

So, some of you might be wondering what is Residents of Proserpina Park. Why, it is a monster of the week, anime-inspired audio drama. Think like Percy Jackson meets Pokémon meets Scooby-Doo, with a dash of Jackie Chan Adventures thrown in. Throw all that good stuff into the blender, and you’ve got an excellent audio drama.

Residents of Proserpina Park follows a young woman named Alina who discovers a park that is, basically, a nature reserve for mythological creatures. Each episode follows Alina and the gang meeting a new creature from across World Mythology and Folklore. At the same time, they are try to uncover the mysteries of the park itself.

One thing I love about RoPP is shear variety of creatures. We got creatures Filipino Mythology, Māori Mythology, Lenape Folklore, Aztec Mythology, Lithuanian Folklore, and a whole lot more.

Now for a bit about the people who make RoPP possible. Series creator Angela Yih has worked on podcasts for Realm, Pod People, and more. Their credits include shows such as Overleaper, Echo Park, Blood Forest, and Harley Quinn and the Joker: Sound Mind!

The point being, Angela knows their stuff. But not just the technical stuff. They’ve also got quite a few voice acting credits under their belt. Angela has lent their voice to works such as Dreamscape Highway, Mx. Bad Luck, Omega Star 7, and even The Books of Thoth.

And what about the rest of the gang? We are over fifty percent people of color, fifty percent female, and I’m autistic. We have performers from all walks of life, and we’re all very passionate about bringing these mythological stories to life for your listening pleasure.

But okay, what’s in it for you? I’m very glad you asked. You see, you’ve got six different options to choose from. Or you can donate a custom amount with no perks. But if you do what perks, here’s what your options are…

$5 - Tourist

All the shoutouts! Shoutouts on social media, on our website, and in the last episode of season 4 for being an awesome supporter

$15 - Visitor

Early access to ad-free episodes a week in advance as well as all the perks from the Tourist Tier

$30 - Local

A digital copy of the official Residents of Proserpina Park Light Novel, which is a collection of short stories focused on the characters from the show, and all the perks from the previous tiers.

$50 - Member

A physical copy of the official Residents of Proserpina Park Light Novel plus other merchandise and all the perks from the previous tiers.

$100 - Resident

Learn what it’s like to be on the show or work on an audio drama. Work with Angela Yih and be featured in a bonus episode in season 5 as well as all the perks from the previous tiers!

$300 - VIP

Become an executive producer on Residents of Proserpina Park and be credited in season 4 and 5! Determine a creature for season 6 as well as all the perks from the previous tiers.

So far we have raised $696, and I contributed $306 out of that. But you don’t have to contribute as much as I did. Small drops fill the bucket, and every little bit helps. If you aren’t financially able to help, then I would only ask you help spread the word, and encourage others to pitch in. We can all do our part to make season four and season five the best seasons of RoPP yet.

So, you have heard the call the action. Now the ball is in your court. Do your part out to help the Residents of Proserpina Park Indiegogo campaign however you are able.

Link to the Residents of Proserpina Park Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/residents-of-proserpina-park-season-4-and-5-launch/x/29874655#/

[rjalker]

The first 30 pride cefusas. Possibly I should have kept a small flag in each to show what the flag looks like but it's too late for that now lol.

Please send me more pride flags so I can color pick them from my phone. you can put them in a post and @ me if you want

some of the colors I tried to adjust a bit to make them less eye-burning.

These are all public domain, you can use them for anything you want. Including just slapping it on top of the original flag to use as a mascot :)

Please consider donating to a Palestinian relief fund if you want to say thanks. And for every $10 you donate, you can send me a color scheme or theme of your choice, and I'll make a public domain character based on that! It can be another cefusa, a dragon, a quadrupedal cat, an anthro cat, a werewolf, a unicorn, a bat person, and more!

I have 6 more to post so far but 30's the limit of images in a single post. So they'll all be tagged as "Pride cefusa"

If at least $100 are donated with proof sent to me, which doesn't all need to be one person, I will make a side blog dedicated to posting these and give them each their own individual posts for people to reblog!

[ID: 30 different versions of lineart of a cefusa, a medieval beast with a dog like head and tail, and the hands and feet of a human, posed against a grey background with a smile. Each version is colored based on a different pride flag, which is listed above it.

They are, in order:

1: Transxeno, colored gold, orange, magenta, and dark magenta. The main body is gold, with purple and orange stripes on the legs, face, and down the spine and tail.

2: Autistic butch, colored dark blue, periwinkle blue, pale blue, red, gold, and orange. The main body is dark blue with a white stripe down the spine and small white specks like stars, with lighter blue 5 pointed stars above the arms and legs, and solid blue below. The feet and hands are dark blue with more white stars, and the face, fingers, and tail are red, orange, and gold like fire from the sun.

3: Intersex, with gold and purple. The main body is gold, with a large purple ring on the back, around the eye, and purple rings on the ankles and wrists and stripes on the tail.

4: Aroace lesbian, with white, dark purple, light purple, teal, and very dark blue. The main body is dark purple, with a lavgender belly, a white stripe on the spine, dark blue stipes on the arms and legs, and the lower arms and legs teal.

5: Ace, with black, white, grey and purple. The main body is black, covered in large grey splotches and smaller purple and white stars. The ankles are solid black, with solid purple feet.

6: Aro, with white, grey, black, light green, and green. The main body is black, with a white and green stripe down the spine, grey feet, grey and white stripes on the belly, and green chevrons on the arms and legs.

7: Bi, with purple, magenta, and dark blue. The main body is dark blue, with a purple torso and magenta belly, with magenta and purple stripes on the legs, and a diamond pattern on the back.

8: Aroace, with white, yellow, orange, blue and dark blue. There is a large white stripe on the back, then gold, and an orange belly, with dark blue upper arms and legs, and light blue on the lower arms and legs.

9: Neutrois, with black, green and white. The main body is green, covered in black and white splotches.

10: Aliagender, with dark purple, orange, and green. The main body is green, with purple and orange stripes and alternating stripes on the arms and legs, with an orange belly.

11: Female to Null, with black, dark grey, grey, and pink. The body is mostly splotches in the different shades of grey and black, with a few pink highlights on the belly, spike, toes and fingers, and behind the eye.

12: Male to Null, which is the same as the Female to Null, but with blue highlights.

13: Transnull, with very dark grey purple, dark magenta, magenta, light purple, and very pale purple. The main body is very pale purple, covered in stripes of purple, with black hands, feet, and belly, and stars of magenta and black.

14: Transfeminine, with dark pink, pink, very light pink, and blue. There is a blue stripe down the spine and thin blue stripes on the wrists and ankkles, and the main body is dark pink, with lighter pink jagged stripes like fur.

15: Transmasculine, with sky blue, light blue, very pale blue, and pink. It is similar to the transfemining flag, but with stripes almost shaped like pennant flags rather than fur.

16: Trans Woman, with red, pink, and very light pink. The main body is pink, with red splotches on the back and strips on the tail, with thin red and pink stripes on the arms and legs, and a pale pink belly.

17: Trans Man, with dark blue, blue, and very light blue. There is a ragged dark blue stripe along the spine, and solid stripes on the elbow and knee, and over the eye. The main body is blue, with a pale blue belly and solid stripes on the wrists and ankles.

18: Werestar, with black, dark purple, light tan, and tan-gold. The main body is black with solid purple belly and stripes on the elbows and knees, with tan and gold-tan stripes along the spine and above the wrists and ankles.

19: Werewolf, with dark brown, brown, purple, and dark purple. The main body is dark brown, with a lighter brown belly, tail, and hands and feet, with dark purple stripes on the back and arms and legs outlined in the lighter purple, so that they seem to glow.

20: Werewolfkin, with dark brown, tan, amber orange, and gold. The belly is tan outlined in white, with ragged edges, with gold and orange stripes along the spine, and stripes of all the colors up and down the arms and legs.

21: Bearkin, with dark brown, black, warm brown, off-white, grey, and blue-grey. The arms and legs are striped black, grey, blue-grey, and white, with black, brown, and warm brown hands and feet. The back is striped in similar colors.

22: Genderqueer, with dark green, white, and lavender purple. The main body is green, with alternating thick stripes of white or purple on the legs, with thinner stripes of the other color above and below. The belly is white with thin purple stripes, and there are diamond patterned white and purple stripes along the spine.

23: Trans, with black, purple, blue, pink, brown, white, yellow, darker purple, and gold. The main body is black, with many different styled stripes in the other colors. There are yellow and purple stripes along the spine, outlined in white. The legs are striped in alternating zig-zag and solid stripes of each color, the belly starts out brown with an outline of white, then goes to ragged blue and pink. The tail is purple, black, and tipped with brown.

24: Sulpherian, with black, red, gold, and blue. The main body is black, with large zig-zag stripes on the shoulder and hip, thinner gold stripes on the elbows and knees, blue stripes on the wrists and ankles, and red vertical stripes on the hands and feet. The spine and tops of the ears are striped with blue, with a thin gold highlight along the back.

25: Xenogender pastel, with pastel red, pink, orange, yellow, blue, darker blue, and purple, covered entirely in different, overlapping splotches of color.

26: Xenogender dark, with the same pattern as the xenogender pastel, but with deep shades of red, lighter red, orange, gold, blue, and purple.

27: Stellarian, with black, grey, pale yellow, very pale green, and pale green. The main body is grey with black five pointed star shapes, some colored in pale green, with yellow and green stripes down the back and legs, with black stripes above the knee and ankle.

28: Quoiromantic, with black, grey, blue, and green. The main body is black, with squiggly stripes of grey, blue, and green.

29: Transvoid dark, with dark berry red, teal, white, blue, and deep violet. The stripes are horizontal starting at the back and waving downwards, with berry red, then teal, white, blue, and violet

30: Transvoid pastel, with the same pattern as the transvoid dark, but with pastel red, green, white, very pale blue, and light grey.

End ID.]

__

and I will reiterate again:

For every $10 donated to a Palestinian relief fund, you can send me a color scheme or theme of your choice, and I'll make a public domain character based on that! It can be another cefusa, a dragon, a quadrupedal cat, an anthro cat, a werewolf, a unicorn, a bat person, and more!

You are explicitly encouraged to download and share these. I'll have them all uploaded to the Internet Archive at some point, but you can even upload them there yourself if you want!

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

A note before we begin -- normally I don't do this (as you all know) but I happened to see a comment on one of the RFM posts this week by someone offering help in their crowdfunding campaign, and it reeks so strongly of the worst kind of predator that I wanted to get the word out -- kendrajanesblog is apparently running around fundraising posts offering to help, but the only post on their own blog is an offer to build an email campaign on kickstarter for $20. I don't think this is reportable but it is absolutely appalling, so I suggest blocking this person and passing the word if you see them commenting on a fundraising post. I'm hoping this is not a new trend but given the last spam trend on Tumblr was people sending asks about fake fundraisers, I can't be sure this isn't the next wave.

Ways to Give:

Anon linked to a fundraiser for Jack "Rocky" Payne and his wife Cloie, who are trying to offset the cost of his care for ALS, including medical bills, equipment, and accessible renovations to their home. He is no longer able to work due to the disease, and she has had to take leave in order to care for him full-time, which has obviously left them struggling financially. You can read more and give to the fundraiser here.

kitsumo linked to a fundraiser for his family, a single autistic mother with five neurodivergent kids, which has recently become homeless in California and need funds for necessities like food, covering phone bills, and shelter. You can read more and reblog here or give directly here.

grindthebones linked to a fundraiser for Kelsey and her dog Annie; Kelsey is a young disabled woman who isn't on social security yet, and her family recently stopped paying her rent and will not allow her back in the home; they're trying to prevent homelessness while she finds housing and aid. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

gorkhandsmcschmuck is raising funds to cover an overdraft; due to some banking nonsense around Memorial Day he ended up with a negative balance, and needs to raise $50 to cover it, hoping to raise $100 to help with food until the first paycheck comes in. You can read more and reblog here or give directly via paypal here.

wolfsbanesparks linked to a fundraiser for friends who just lost their house in a flood, including almost all of their possessions; their insurance is balking at covering anything, so they're having to pay for repairs out of pocket. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

News To Know:

blackestglass is running the fourth annual Chromatic Characters Podfic Anthology, which collects podfics of stories of less than 1500 words and center characters of color. This year's optional theme is "solidarity" and the due date for submissions is September 12th; this is a final call for volunteers of color who would like to lend their services as contextual content betas (formerly known as cultural sensitivity listeners) which is their biggest need at this point. You can read more and comment here to volunteer or ask a question, DM the mods on twitter at ccpamods, or email ccpamods at gmail.com.

Recurring Needs:

Anon linked to a fundraiser for dee-the-red-witch, a trans woman who needs to raise $10K to keep her home. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here, give via paypal here, or purchase her leatherwork here.

frenchroasted's cousin, who has been fundraising for a used wheelchair-accessible van after herniating her back lifting her stepson's wheelchair and had to have surgery for it, has partnered with MyDMDHero which is now hosting their fundraiser on GiveButter so that their donations are tax-deductible. You can read more and support the fundraiser, formerly at GoFundMe, here. (Also to Frenchroasted -- got your request, can do.)

alirhi linked to a fundraiser to get herself, her mother, and her sister stable housing; they are currently staying in their cars in a a dangerous parking lot. They have a friend who will let them park a camper in her yard, but the camper there currently is unlivable, and they haven't been able to find an affordable replacement. With two of the family on disability it is difficult for them to keep up with bills and also save for housing. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here including a few new ways to give.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

[anotherpapercut]

College Resources

hey y'all so I have a degree in math, and have been tutoring college level math, stats, physics, and study skills for a few years now and I have several certifications as a college level tutor and in my years tutoring I've picked up a lot of absolutely essential things you NEED to know to pass math classes (and others!) if you have a hard time in math class, which unfortunately most schools will not teach you

so if you're in college (or high school, but some of these will be college specific) and you would like to hear my Professional Tips for how to survive math in college I have compiled a list of things I think you should know below the read more! I'm going to put a couple general tips at the top though for people who aren't taking a math class

alright, welcome to the read more! let's start with some general things

ok I'm starting with a kind of tip before the tips: if you are disabled, talk to disability support services at your school. a lot of times they provide services to attain a diagnosis if you don't have one, but if you do it's typically pretty easy to get accommodations and if your teachers try not to follow them, they will get in A LOT of trouble (I'm in the us so idk how disability laws are in other countries but here this is a big deal for universities bc public funding etc and if you make a complaint they will be FORCED to comply). I'm not saying bad experiences never happen, I've not been to every school in the us and I'm sure there are places that suck abt this, but I literally would not have been able to get a degree in math without accommodations (I'm autistic and have dyscalculia + memory issues) so it was worth every annoyed sigh by a dumbass teacher (which honestly rarely happened. most of them were cool). some possible accommodations include, extra time on tests, separate testing locations, formula cards, ability to use notes etc etc

I work in a free tutoring center at my local community college. while I won't say these are definitely universal, every college I have encountered (in the US, where I live) has one of these. Google the name of your school with tutoring. there is a very high chance you have free tutors available in a variety of subjects who are ready to help you. you should utilize the fuck out of this bc ur already probably paying for it in ur tuition

my favorite resource ever is one you may have heard of but I'm reminding you of it anyway. the Crash Course YouTube channel! it has free comprehensive videos about various subjects (including anatomy, physics, biology, economics, statistics and lots lots more). the videos are about 10 minutes each and they're incredibly easy to understand. they're an amazing way to study for finals. trust me on this one. they actually now have real introductory college courses that you can take for credit (tho I think you have to pay for that?) through YouTube so check into that!

take notes!!!!!!!! for real. seriously. even if you've never had to before. trust me. and don't just copy exactly what the board says, write what your teacher says out loud as well, that is often the most important stuff. I highly recommend investing in a few colored pens and/or highlighters. anytime the teacher says something important (such as formulas in a math class or a grammar rule in an English class) either write it in another color, or highlight it. color coding your notes even the tiniest bit will help you tremendously when you're studying and doing homework later. this doesn't mean having a color code so elaborate and strict that you're spending more time and energy figuring out the right color than listening and writing. I usually do the bulk of my notes in black then things like formulas or whatever in one bright color and extra bits of info from the teacher in another, this way it's easier to find the important stuff later on

if you've got a couple extra bucks, invest in a mini stapler. you'll be shocked how often those lil bitches come in handy

DO NOT EVER purchase your text books before the classes start (unless you get like an email before class starts telling you you need the book, but this is pretty rare tbh). half of your teachers are going to tell you on day 1 that they don't use the book at all. and honestly almost all of your books can be found by googling the name + pdf. just triple check that you have the correct edition!

speaking of emails, CHECK YOUR FUCKING SCHOOL EMAIL. I am so dead serious about this one. set up notifications on your phone. if you do not check your email you are going to show up for cancelled classes, miss assignment corrections, and generally not do nearly as well in your classes. I know this sounds fake but holy fucking shit please for the love of all that is good and holy check your fucking email. seriously.

the best way to study for your finals is to look at past tests and homework! if your teacher isn't a total dick they'll give you back your tests and homework. when studying for your final, go through and redo any that you got wrong, and look over the ones you got right. teachers usually take final questions from old tests and homework so if you do this it's very possible you'll study your exact finals questions. if they won't give you these back, reread your notes (in a way I'll describe in a moment)

reread your notes the same day you take them or very soon after so the lecture is still fresh in your mind! when you do this, grab a colored pen and take notes on your notes. I know this sounds ridiculous but it's actually a very important study tool. if you come across something you wrote that is confusing, write out an explanation. write down extra things that will help you understand the material. if there's something that you don't understand or don't remember PLEASE ask your teacher. some of them won't answer email so catch them in office hours or after class if you can. at the end of the semester when you're studying for finals, do this all over again but through your whole notebook for the semester (not all at once. pls take breaks lmfao)

if your teacher doesn't offer it up at the end of the semester, ask "can you please tell us some of the topics we should emphasize when studying for our finals?" (you can also say this in a far less pretentious way but I've found that professors are more likely to give you a real answer if you talk like this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) I'm ngl, some of em will be assholes about this. they may laugh at the idea and snarkily say "look at your homework" or some shit equivalent. roll your eyes at these old bitches and move on. but many if not most will at least give y'all some idea of what to expect. and crucially: write down what they say and use it as a study guide

okey dokey!! that concludes the general section. now I'm gonna talk about some math specific stuff that will help you a lot if you struggle with math!

starting with an easy one: get a good calculator. please for the love of GOD do not get the TI-30X IIS unless you love it and are EXTREMELY familiar with all of the different operations. I'm sorry but this calculator sucks ass and it will hold you back. for about the same price you can get my personal favorite the Casio FX-115ES Plus (1st edition only, I haven't tried the 2nd edition bc I don't like change) or an FX-991 EX. if you're a Texas instruments guy get a TI 30XS or if ur doing calc and shit I'd get a 36X pro. I just prefer Casio personally lmao. in all likelihood your math teacher will be a calculator nerd who can teach you how to use any of these but there are also lots of videos made by calculator nerds on YouTube as well

so next I just want to emphasize how important your notes are. you cannot pass a math class without good notes unless it's a class you've already taken or something, and honestly even then I'd recommend you write some stuff down because the thing about math is there are a lot of different ways to do the same thing. which brings me to my next point

pay attention to the process your teacher uses to solve problems (I'll give an example in a sec) and especially to how they write the process down. if you're like me and you have trouble with the whole "show your work" thing this will help a lot, because you can use what your teacher writes down as a guideline for what you should write down. for instance, you may have learned about a math concept like permutations and combinations in high school one way, and then be taught a completely different way of performing the calculation in college. if this happens, ask your teacher about your way. sometimes their way is better for a specific reason and it's really important that you learn it. sometimes they'll say it doesn't matter just do what makes the most sense to you. sometimes you will also not get full credit if you do things a different way too so be careful and pay attention to what your teacher says abt it. you may have also been taught to show some steps in an operation but not others and your new teacher may want all of them. or none. or different ones. unfortunately math has a lot of variations

similarly, if there's a concept you don't understand, start by asking your teacher about it first bc they may want you doing a specific thing. if they're not helpful and you don't have access to a tutor turn to the internet. here are my recommendations for resources: Khan Academy has videos and examples explaining concepts in pretty much all types of math. usually really helpful because they'll show you several different methods and use different explanations, MathWay for classes that come before trig/calc. you can use it for those but it's a little more annoying lol specifically in regards to graphing and solving integrals and shit. this tool has A LOT of stuff in it but is best as a calculator to check your work on stuff and for showing you graphs that have transformations and shit like that from college algebra. it's got settings for different math types and even chemistry tho!, for more complicated graphing I'd use Desmos. you can use this in all classes but it's just a bit more complicated imo and it's more made for complex operations so I prefer to use MathWay as much as possible bc it's just more user friendly., there's also Symbolab which a lot of my fellow tutors really like but I personally tend to use the others more, Wolfram Alpha is a pretty well known one. tbh I find it kind of hard to use sometimes so i usually use it as a last resort lmfao but it is really good!, this last one is calculus specific (including things like calc based physics ofc) but derivative calculator and integral calculator are everything to me. could not have gotten through calc 2 and 3 w/o these mfs

OK THIS PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT!! we're going to talk about how you can make your math tests WAY easier on you and massively improve your chances of passing. here's what you're going to do for every test

1. when studying for your test, go through and find ALL formulas that you used in the unit(s) your test is over (this includes formulas you learned previously but used in this unit as well!!)

2. commit them to memory. easiest way to do this (besides practicing using them!!) is to rewrite them a few times including what you use them for and what all of the symbols and letters stand for

3. when you go in to take your test, spend like 5-10 minutes beforehand, right up until they make you put everything away, studying and rewriting these

4. the SECOND the test hits your desk, flip it over and write down every single formula immediately (including as much extra info like when to use and variable definitions as possible). now you won't have to try to remember them 30 minutes in when your brain is frying!!

5. go through the test and read each question carefully. if you can't remember how to solve it within 30 seconds skip it. you might only do 4 or 5 questions (maybe less depending on the length of your test) after the first pass, but just go back to the beginning and do it again, giving urself a little more time w each pass. this will ensure that you're not spending 45 minutes on problem 4 and having no time to get to the rest of the test. additionally with math it is extremely common to basically find the answer to how to do one problem while you're doing another problem. doing the ones you know first will also boost your confidence and help prevent anxiety from wiping ur brain. this is a really really important part of math tests

6. before you hand your test in, make sure you've written SOMETHING down on EVERY SINGLE QUESTION. even if you have absolutely 0 idea whatsoever what to do, there is always a chance for partial credit. a lot of times, you also know more than you think you do. so even if you can only do half a step of the whole process, half a point is better than 0!! if you really have no clue what to do, make something up. I know this probably sounds ridiculous but I'm so deadass. once I was taking a physics test and could not for the life of me remember what formula to use so I just made one up based on my vague idea of how it worked lmao. I wrote off to the side "I know this isn't how physics works, but I can't remember that so just pretend I'm god for a second" and I got like 75% of the points bc the teacher appreciated the effort!! there were fucking countless times when I was taking a test and I got to a point where I knew the steps of what I was supposed to do but could not figure out HOW to actually DO the math. so I wrote in words my understanding of what the next steps were. even though I didn't finish answering the question, I always got points for trying. this is what teachers are wanting from you. effort. so PLEASE write literally anything even if you're just making that shit up (just explain your reasoning in words to the side, as long as you're using logic you're really getting the essence of math anyway). you would not BELIEVE how fast your grades will improve by doing this. I tutored a girl who went from Ds to Bs within literally 2 weeks of starting tutoring just because she stopped leaving any questions blank and started getting partial credit

that's all the important stuff I can think of for now though I'm sure there's much more so I may update this in the future!

of course everyone is going to have a different experience and relationship with math. so adjust all of these tips to fit how you learn best. please try to remember that learning math is a very important part of developing your critical reasoning and logistical analysis skills. these are essential to understanding and interacting with the world and math is just a way of exercising those muscles. trust me when I say I know how infuriating math can be. I have dyscalculia and a math degree. I've spent so many hours crying over math you probably wouldn't even believe me. but it's worth it! and frankly, if you're in college, you're paying a lot of money for this class. you deserve to get everything you possibly can out of it

above all, if you're having trouble ASK FOR HELP. ask your teacher, ask your classmates, ask the head of the department, ask student services, ask Google!! and if you need help you can always ask me! :) I love helping people with this stuff and even if I don't know the answer to your question I'm pretty good at knowing where to look for them!

[toondisneyartz]

Star Butterfly Commits Arson to Autism Speaks

This is your ANNUAL reminder to NOT donate to Autism Speaks or support them. Here are some other autism organizations to donate to: ASAN Autistic Women's and Nonbinary Network The Autistic People of Color Fund AANE Commission an actually autistic person

Star Butterfly is owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney TVA

Made using Procreate

[halffootguildofficial]

*The kid hummed, swinging ther feet over the bar stool as they thought. A name they liked? They shook their head, nervously smiling at Chilchuck.*

"I don't th-think so...Most of them w-weren't nice ones, l-like tiny or pest." *The kid nervously admitted, glancing towards Fawn who was just sitting there, seemingly content. They knew if Fawn was calm, that everything was okay. She only ever acted rough when the people were bad, after all!* "Y-You can call m-me whatever you want th-though! I don't mind."

*The kid tilted their head at the second question.* "Hot chocolate...? Wh-What's that? Is it like...chocolate th-that's melted or something?" *They questioned, ears twitching a bit at the thought.* "I've never h-had chocolate before. I-It always smells really g-good though!"

*Now that Chilchuck had a good look at them, he could see their features easier with most of the dirt gone. They were covered in scars, most of them small and from being a kid probably, except for one that went from the kids jawline to the bridge of their nose.*

*They had white hair that he could actually see now with all the mud off of it, it was pretty long and mangled, probably matted to hell with it reaching their hips. They also had red-purple colored eyes. Their face was pretty soft and innocent, very child-like and delicate despite the scars.*

- kid half-foot anon (I tried to describe them a bit so you could have it easier, does this help while I make them- also I'm just insanely autistic and your chilchuck au makes me go yippie!!)

4/?

Yeah. Okay. This kid is getting a hot chocolate. Chilchuck rounds the bar and goes about brewing the kid something good to drink. In the meantime, he's trying to think of something better than Kid to call them. He hasn't had to name a child in many years. Fayfinn had always been better at it, anyways.

He looks over Fawn again, and though it is supposedly short for Fauna, it brings to mind deer young with spotted backs. This kid was something of a Person Doe, too... A kid with no name, no parents looking out for them, no companions save for a lone walking mushroom. He feels angry on this kid's behalf. This whole situation is enough to make his blood boil. He's dealt with many missing persons over the years, funded dungeon search parties for half-foots who had 'gotten lost' down there, but seldom has he found a child no one was looking for.

The smell of melting chocolate washes over the tavern. It brings back memories of making hot chocolates for his own children when they were younger. It had been a treat for good behaviour, and the three of them had always loved it. He was never really a fan of sweet things himself but he'd enjoyed the memory all the same. He sets the cup of chocolately goodness down in front of the kid down on a coaster.

"Be careful, alright? It's hot, and it'll burn your tongue if you aren't careful. When's the last time you ate something?"

First/Previous/Next

[autisticadvocacy]

Support community reparations for Autistic People of Color through the Autistic People of Color Fund!

[ideas-on-paper]

Since this year is the first time I'm experiencing Pride Month as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I decided to rewatch Pride in celebration.

This movie certainly has a lot of things going for it, from the incredibly entertaining humor, the real bangers of 80s pop and rock songs featured throughout (by artists such as King, Bronski Beat, and Dead or Alive to only name a few) as well as an amazingly talented cast. (Jessica Gunning and Menna Trussler were probably my secret highlights; the fact that Andrew Scott is in it - a wonderful actor whom I've already had the honor of meeting personally - also makes this movie really special to me.)

The story itself has a real-life background, being based on the unique event of an organization of lesbian and gay people teaming up with the National Union of Mineworkers to fight for each other's rights. Back in 1984, homosexuality was still commonly viewed as "unnatural" and "perverse", with hostile sentiments specifically towards gay men increasing due to the emergence of AIDS in the early 80s. 1984 also saw the United Kingdom's miners' strike, during which British miners protested against the closing of coal pits that had been deemed "uneconomic", leading to them being antagonized by the British government, the press and the police. To support the miners and their families, openly gay activist Mark Ashton founded the group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners to raise donation funds; in return, members of the South Wales mining lodges joined LGSM during the London Pride demonstration of 1985.

Adding yet another layer to ostracized groups supporting each other is the fact that these miners were Welsh. Historically, Wales - like pretty much all other Celtic countries - had to fight against the oppression of its unique culture, upholding its identity despite the English attempts to "civilize" it, and it's only recently that the culture of Celtic nations is receiving more and more attention and appreciation.

This contributes to what is probably the most important takeaway from the movie: At one point of the movie, Mark Ashton says that he thinks it's nonsensical to fight for the rights of gay and lesbian people, but not for the rights of workers or women. Granted, Mark Ashton was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Young Communist League (a fact that doesn't get mentioned in the movie), so supporting the workers was, in fact, in his interest, but that doesn't diminish the value of the message: There is no doubt that the issues of LGBTQIA+ people and working-class people are not the same, which in turn are not identical to the issues women are facing. However, no matter what group you belong to, one thing that connects all of us - workers, women, LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, autistic people, disabled people, and all other people who have previously experienced marginalization - is knowing what it's like to be discriminated against, ridiculed or outright excluded from society. And the first step to an inclusive society is to acknowledge the problems of others, to say "your problems may not be my problems, but they are just as valid, and I will support your interests as I would support mine". As David "Dai" Donovan from the National Union of Mineworkers said:

"You have worn our badge, ‘Coal not Dole’, and you know what harassment means, as we do. Now we will pin your badge on us; we will support you. It won’t change overnight, but now 140,000 miners know that there are other causes and other problems. We know about blacks, and gays and nuclear disarmament, and will never be the same."

[marveltrumpshate]

Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation

Since there is no Avengers Initiative working to physically fight our way to a more equitable world, we have to rely frequently on advocacy, public education, and litigation to bend the arc of the work more quickly towards justice. If this is your personal charitable focus, you have a lot of options to choose from, from organizations working on systemic change for marginalized populations to those focusing on freeing individuals from the prison industrial complex and defeating censorship. 

For more information on donation methods and accepted currencies, please refer to our list of organizations page.

ALA "Unite Against Book Bans" Campaign

This campaign run by the American Library Association is the best way to fight against the book bans happening in several U.S. states. This fight is more crucial than ever; in 2022, the ALA recorded the highest number of censorship attempts in the past 20 years. The initiative works to halt the spread of censorship in school and public libraries across the U.S., empower individuals to fight censorship in their communities, and preserve our right to choose what to read. 

Autistic Self Advocacy Network 

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities and have their voices heard. For that reason, the organization is run by individuals on the autism spectrum. ASAN's primary focuses are advocating for policies that protect disability and civil rights, creating tools and leadership training for autistic self-advocates, and offering educational resources. 

The Bail Project

In their own words, “The Bail Project, Inc. is an unprecedented effort to combat mass incarceration at the front end of the system. We pay bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence. Because bail is returned at the end of a case, donations to The Bail Project™ National Revolving Bail Fund can be recycled and reused to pay bail two to three times per year, maximizing the impact of every dollar. 100% of online donations are used to bring people home.”

The financial burden that bail places upon many arrestees means that they stay in the system disproportionately longer than necessary, disrupting their economic options and personal stability. This is particularly true if they’re poor and/or people of color. To fight bail and provide pretrial support is to fight mass incarceration and the racial and economic disparities of the bail system in the United States.

Center for Reproductive Rights

The Center for Reproductive Rights is the only global legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person. With local partners across five continents, they have secured legal victories before national courts, UN Committees, and regional human rights bodies on issues such as access to life-saving obstetrics care, contraception, maternal health, and safe abortion services and the prevention of forced sterilization and child marriage.

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

DREDF is the leading civil rights organization in the United States that fights for and is directed by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. Not only does DREDF work directly with their clients to help them know their own rights, but they train and educate lawyers, lawmakers, and other societal gatekeepers to make sure they know those rights as well.

Electronic Freedom Foundation

The leading nonprofit defending civil liberties in digital spaces, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. They fight against online censorship and illegal surveillance, advocate for net neutrality and data protection, and more so that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for everyone. 

Innocence Project

The mission of the Innocence Project is deceptively simple: exonerate those who have been wrongly convicted through the use of DNA evidence. The reality of it involves much broader strokes covering support for exonerees rebuilding their lives post-release and criminal justice reform through targeted litigation and the implementation of laws to prevent wrongful conviction. They strive to restore freedom for the innocent, transform the systems responsible for unjust incarceration, and advance the freedom movement.

Native American Rights Fund

NARF is the oldest and largest nonprofit that defends Native American rights and provides legal assistance to Native American tribes, organizations, and individuals across the U.S. They concentrate on issues such as tribal sovereignty, land rights and treaty compliance, tribal natural resource protection, education on Native American human rights, and more.

Red Umbrella

Red Umbrella Fund is the first and only global fund dedicated to supporting the rights of sex workers. Their aim is to ensure that all sex workers can live free from criminalization, stigma, and violence, and the majority of their governance and grantmaking structures is composed of sex workers. In response to the lack of funding in this space, they focus on grantmaking and grant application and planning assistance for sex worker-led community groups and national/regional networks. 

Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)

Most known for their work on the Texas/Mexico border but operating on the national frontlines of the fight for immigration rights, RAICES provides free and low-cost legal services, bond assistance, and social programs to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. Among their many accomplishments, RAICES established the largest bond fund in the U.S., which they use to secure the release of individuals from ICE detention, and has more immigration lawyers than any other organization in Texas. These lawyers represent individuals, including children, in court, offer residency and citizenship services, assist asylum seekers, and deal with removal defense. RAICES also offers social services ranging from case management and resettlement assistance to a national hotline connecting migrants with local community resources and transit support for recently released migrants.

Southern Poverty Law Center

They’re mostly known in the U.S. as a hate group watchdog of sorts, but their work goes beyond tracking and exposing hate groups and promoting tolerance education programs. SPLC works on voting rights advocacy, children’s rights, immigration reform and family reunification, LGBTQ+ rights, economic justice, and criminal justice reform, working “with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.” Essentially, if there is injustice against a vulnerable and/or marginalized group in the U.S., SPLC aims to address and fix it.

Transgender Law Center

Transgender Law Center, the largest trans-specific and trans-led organization in the U.S., changes law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely and authentically and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. Through its precedent-setting litigation victories and community-driven programs, TLC protects the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming people in areas spanning employment, prison conditions, education, immigration, healthcare, and more.

Violence Policy Center

Named "the most effective…anti-gun rabble-rouser in Washington” by none other than its opponent, the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Violence Policy Center has a long and proven record of policy successes on stopping gun violence. The VPC informs the public about the impact of gun violence, exposes the profit-driven marketing and lobbying activities of the firearms industry and gun lobby, offers expertise to policymakers, organizations, and advocates on the federal, state, and local levels, and more.

[scionofthehellpriest]

MAJOR CONTENT WARNING: descriptions of an autistic sensory overload, a lot of sewerslides, sensitive material, and overall very graphic deaths.

The Masque of the Blue Death

Inspiration- “Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe

The Blue Death had long devastated the country…..according to many older and uneducated Americans during the 2000s.

In spite of the disorder they spoke of, Autism, not actually killing anyone, the Jovie Foundation, an up and coming autism nonprofit that began to grow in startling wealth and popularity since it was founded, popularized the notion of calling autism “the Blue Death” because of a couple of reasons.

More boys were diagnosed with it than girls so therefore it must be a “boy’s plague” (even though research was starting to prove otherwise, fear means money, and money talks)

According to the Foundation, even though autism doesn’t kill, it’s a death knell for marriages, financial stability, and mental health, and don’t you dare say this is dehumanizing to the child. We know what’s best

Since they were first founded in 2003, they gained a lot of support from parents of the “afflicted” but gained controversy from the “afflicted” themselves. On the internet and in person, many autistic people spoke up about how inherently stigmatizing and harmful the idea of autism being a disease was and how a cure for it wasn’t needed, for they are already normal in their own right. But now it seemed the joke was on them, because now after decades and decades of research, the Jovie Foundation found what could only be described as a cure for the Blue Death. The founder and co founder of the Foundation, Prospero and Susanna White, declared on their Twitter, that a formula they concocted, with the help of other nonprofits funding for an end to the spread of autism, a cure. And tonight, a massive party for the nonprofit and many other elite supporters would be held in honor of the future mass distribution of the cure, which was set to begin at midnight.

April 3, 2010. 8PM

The cure had only been found two days before, and the invites to the party had been sent out as hastily as Jovie White, the granddaughter of Susanna and Prospero whom they named the foundation after, was given the cure. Some couldn’t come but many did, and those few were billionaires with nothing better to do. Moments before, the couple quickly decorated the tall headquarters of the Jovie Foundation in the most extravagant manner yet, and arranged the house in many colors, but noticeably avoiding the color red. Red had been used by protestors in opposition to them using the color blue as a symbol of their disability. But one could only have so many blue decorations, and an untouched room in the midst of so many other lavishly decorated rooms would stick out like a sore thumb, so they put most of the red decorations they owned in a quiet and mainly unvisited room, where stood a grandfather clock, which had been ticking the hours of the living days of the White family for more than 100 years.

Even though they had the feeling that most of the guests would likely not step inside, better safe than sorry.

As the sky darkened, expensive cars pulled into the driveway of the Whites’ mansion. Then came the party guests, dressed to the nines in their finest clothes and wearing decadent masks for the party, as the theme for the party was “Masquerade Ball” Professional cooks were hard at work to give the partygoers only the best, and wealthy singers even hosted private concerts here. In the sea blue halls, revelers celebrated, dancing and drinking themselves half blind on the best wine. And as expected, few of them set foot inside the room decked in red, whether it be a reminder that even with the cure, there will always be people resisting, because it was too quiet and empty, or because of the clock. Whenever the clock chimed the hours leading up to midnight, a loud and booming sound echoed throughout the manor and until the noise ceased, everyone grew dead silent, but then not only cheered but went back to partying, for every hour that passed brought them closer to finally eradicating the Blue Death and those who had it.

However, even as the hours passed, a feeling of dread slowly passed over many figures at the party, starting with the parents of Jovie White, and then spreading to Susanna and Prospero, and slowly passing over everyone at the party as rumors began to spread of a strange figure in the Red Room, dressed all in red (when Susanna made specific rules to not come in red) and like a corpse ready for burial, wearing a mask that resembled someone who died in great agony. Susanna managed the guest list and when the rumor reached her ears, she immediately denied it, for there was no name to be given to the mysterious guest, and Ali agreed with her, “I saw everyone who came into the house” she said in response, “And I saw no one who came in looking like THAT. If I did, I would have kicked them out by now, so, no mystery guest here.”

And so, the party went slightly back to normal, in spite of the intensifying sense of doom that crept its way into the senses of the revelers as the great clock ticked.

When it neared midnight, Prospero gave a speech to the partygoers (or at least those who were sober enough to listen to him), thanking them for the donations they had given them and the unwavering moral support and perseverance. “Even though this epidemic will never fully go away”, he said “we will never forget your hard work to cull it and to bring back the minds taken by the darkness!” It was at that moment, when he was supposed to signal the trucks to carry the cure to pharmacies and doctors everywhere… that he saw the figure. It glided amidst the horrified crowd in its horrific glory, its elegant floor length dress looking oddly like a dress Jovie wore for her 6th birthday which was blue, but now was soaked completely in red dye, giving it a purplish hue, its red cloak flowing in nonexistent wind, and its mask resembling the face of a child who died in anguish. And upon closer inspection, as the noises of the crowd died down, there was no sound to its footsteps. It was as though the small red figure was hovering across the dance floor. Prospero turned to the figure, his mic still in hand and yelled “Who are you to insult us with this mockery of what we came here for?!” The figure only looked his way for a moment, giving him a good look at its mask, and then continued to glide away like a vampire squid in the ocean blue sea. Enraged, he chased after the figure, to try to get its mask off, in order to reveal the face of the intruder. Revelers parted like the Red Sea as they passed, and followed close behind Prospero, sharing in his desire to know who would come into a party like this wearing a costume like that. Theories spread amongst them that the figure was a protester, someone who came as a prank, a competitor, and so forth.

But things went from bad to worse as Prospero cornered the figure in the red room, only for him, by some defiance of the laws of physics, to be telekinetically lifted in the air, choking as though the air itself was holding him at the neck, and then flung out of the window, breaking it, and plummeting into the streets below. Terrified, Susanna ran to the figure, and pulled off its mask to try to see what matter of person could pull off such a terrifying feat. It was Jovie. Little, innocent Jovie White standing there with hatred in her tear stained eyes. But it shouldn’t be her, because she died what was now three nights ago.

Jovie’s diagnosis with autism was the reason for why Ali, Susanna, and Prospero fought and advocated so hard for a cure, for it shattered their world. And the exact day they found the cure, Ali called them, and rushed Prospero and Susanna to her house for a chance to cure her daughter. The good news was there was no more autism after it was administered. The bad news was that there was no more Jovie. 4 minutes later, her window was found open and her broken body lay 4 stories below. Even though she was primed to hate herself for her disorder, Jovie felt she lost what made her her when the syringe went into her skull like a lobotomy pick.

The Whites covered the death up of course. If they let the public know that the first plague afflicted child died because of the cure they would sell to the masses, no doctor would approve it. They had a quiet funeral for and sent out the party invites and spoke about the lavish festivities to come on social media to distract the people and truth seeking journalists from the suspicious delay in cure distribution. But now was acknowledged the truth of the matter, and the phantasm Jovie had risen again as, shot a dirty look at Susanna and the revelers, and as quickly as she arrived, the company suddenly became aware of an unnatural heightening of their senses. Some began to find that all of a sudden, their clothes felt oddly uncomfortable when they didn’t feel that way before, and it wasn’t just their shirt, or their dress, or even their masks. Certain fabrics and jewlery pieces gave them such maddening discomfort that people began to desperately tear off their clothing and accessories in hopes of alleviation. Their ears became oddly sensitive to the point that the tearing clothes, anguished cries, and even the sound of jewlery falling on the floor were too much, and their eyes became aware of how bright the lights in the building were, and they covered their eyes and ears and tried to leave the building, but Jovie had welded them shut.

The revelers had become filled with desperation and agony, and some even were filled with remorse, for these were not normal symptoms. These were the symptoms of the Blue Death. Jovie had been sharing her mind and her suffering with everyone there.

Overwhelmed by the suffering Jovie now shared with them, those who weren’t already killed by the ghost because of a personal vendetta began to take themselves out. Bodies joined the fallen Prospero on the streets of Baltimore and rained down on cars and near horrified pedestrians, and some stabbed themselves to death in fear that the spirit gave them the Blue Death. Ali and her husband were the only ones left standing when everyone else had died, but the alterations to her brain still remained, and she was filled with a late blooming remorse; She and her family believed that they were right to do what they did, but the only fruits that their works bore were that of suffering and pain, and even though they tried to ignore the fact that REAL plague was spread by them, even though it didn’t affect them then, it did now. Ali and her beau ran back to the red room and tried to call 911 to get help, only to find Jovie waiting.

They knew the only thing they could do now is to face their doom with the only dignity they had left

3:00 AM. April 4 2010. Easter Sunday

The cops searched high and low for any clue regarding who or what may have caused the massacre of the Jovie Foundation headquarters, and while they did take note of the brutal nature of the deaths, there was no evidence of any drug usage or foul play, and they went along with eyewitness accounts and confirmed the incident as a mass suicide and possible hysteria.

The closest things they could find to clues of the supernatural intervention was a line of exploded trucks leading to a ruined laboratory which held the cure, and an unsettling mask at the site of the incident.

And so the true Blue Death that had unfairly scapegoated autism was gone at last, and the people who suffered at the hands of the Jovie Foundation had one less problem.

@peachyfuck18