#and this certainly doesn’t accommodate to disabilities

[a-room-of-my-own]

'm sorry if i upset you.

I'm older than most here but my congenital defect means my life is very closed.

I'm disabled. Cis-male. Unlike the "pillow angel" featured in the media a while back, i still have a grown up mind. That did not save me from a similar (but more extensive and male version) of the "Ashley Treatment".

Not easy coping with a baby sized body and baby-like features. The epiphysis of the bones is absent. The epiphysis, a secondary boneforming center at the ends of the bones, without them I can't grow.

Oh my goodness I had no idea it existed if you’re referring to this:

I’m at loss for words, I’m so sorry. If this was done to you while you were a child this is to me a terrible infringement on your human rights. I wish I was eloquent enough in English to tell you how shocked I am this kind of procedure can be done to innocent children, even more to those with no ability to even understand what they’re being subjected to. I hope you can find some peace and healing. Are you safe now?

[helleboretea]

Some observations on the scenes between Dr Langdon, Mel, and Terrence, the autistic patient with an ankle sprain, from an autistic person:

I’ve seen a few people comment of these scenes as the (or a) reason the dislike Langdon as a character, some with the sentiment that this makes him a bad person. I have a very different take. I personally love this storyline, I love the way it’s done. I think they wrote it just this way to illustrate a very important part about the healthcare system (and I’m talking pretty much globally here, cos it’s not just the US), which is that Dr Langdon is missing a vital part of his education. Almost all doctors are. They aren’t being taught about autism or neurodiversity or disability nearly enough, and certainly not how to properly accomodate patients who are autistic. 

I think Dr Langdon comes into the interaction with Terence the way he would any other patient, friendly, upbeat, asking whether he’d prefer Terry or Terrence, and for a neurotypical patient that would probably be a really great interaction. He’s doing the right thing - just not for this patient. And autism aside (omg I never thought I’d say that but gimme a sec), I can understand for healthcare workers how irritating it must be having patients constantly googling their symptoms and trusting what they read on the internet. We’re all for self advocacy, but WebMD can send you down needless spirals and I’ve been there so many times and literally have never had that super rare condition that I convinced myself I’m dying of at 2am. 

So it’s not surprising he get’s irritated, but, again, I’d say he handles it kinda well, in that he at least just leaves the situation and doesn’t snap at the patient or give him some long, shaming lecture. He lets Mel take him. 

Which is where we get to the bit that makes me so emotional. Mel looks at the patient’s chart and points out he’s autistic (identity first thank you!), and it so doesn’t surprise me at all when Langdon says “sprained ankle it’s not related”, because that’s literally what he’s been taught. That’s what all doctors are fucking taught. They’re kinda maybe taught what autism is (the bare bones and probably a lot of it is still outdated), but not how to talk to an autistic person, or what they might need, or even that they will just meet autistic people, no matter what department they work in. 

So it’s not necessarily that he’s ableist, it’s that he literally just doesn’t know. He makes his little comment about treating three other patients while Mel treats Terrence, because he thinks he’s just a “Dr Google”, and moves on. Because the ER is packed and they need to treat patients and ship them off.

(I’m rewatching the scene and Mel legit makes me cry here.) Mel’s interacts with Terrence when she comes in are near perfect. She closes the door and turns down the lights because he’s probably been there for hours and even if those weren’t that overwhelming at first they would be super overstimulating by then. Then she asks him his main concerns, and she listens and takes him seriously when he tells her. I’ve had a grand total of one doctor do this, and it was the safest I’ve ever felt in a medical situation. 

But then Langdon comes back. I’m not gonna lie, when Mel was talking to Terrence, and had made all those little (but impactful) accommodations, then Langdon opened the door again, I had this wave of worry through my body the first time I watched it. I thought it was going to go so differently. I thought he was opening the door and standing there because he didn’t want Mel making accommodations, that it was his way of asserting power and saying we do it my way. And I think you can tell that Mel and Terrence worried about that too. 

Nope. He came to watch. He came to observe his new trainee interact with this patient, because he was curious. He didn’t need to be there. Medicine wise, Mel would totally have it handled. 

Side note - When he asked about the pain level out of ten Terrences reply was so me! I’ve thought that every time someone talks about pain out of 10! How is anyone meant to make that assessment??

At this point you can see him realise he’s in over his head. Mel is clearly so much better equiped to talk to Terrence and make him feel safe and comfortable enough to receive care. But he just watches, in awe. Because to him there’s just difficult patients, who fight you, and make treating them harder, and non-difficult patients. But here he’s learning that there’s a way to interact with this man that isn’t difficult, that makes him feel safe, and allows treatment to be provided. And he wants to be able to do that. That’s why he asks Mel “how did you do that?” Because he wants to be better. He wants to be able to speak to other patients in that way. He clearly wants to be the best doctor, and most of that is in the procedures he does, but he knows that a lot of it will come from how he interacts with his patients too. He chooses in this moment to learn from Terrence and Mel.

Then, when he sees Terrence later to discharge him, he apologises for them getting off on the wrong foot. He doesn’t need to, but he does - because he recognises that he came at the situation wrong. And he wishes him good luck with the table tennis tournament (I’m not sure if it’s implied that Mel told him about this or that Terrence told him off screen, because he wasn’t in the room when he told Mel, and Terrence seems surprised that he mentioned it) and says "okay" with a smile when Terrence offers to teach him how to play. What starts off as a really negative interaction ends so positively. Because of Mel, and because Langdon was eager to learn. That’s why he tells her “you’re great with your patients, you even taught me a couple of things.”

That’s why this is such a fucking excellent scene/episode/series, because the issue isn’t just “oh doctors are ableist” (even though yeah, lots are), it isn’t that black and white. The issue is that there isn’t enough education. People in healthcare aren’t being taught enough about autism and the different kinds of people they’re going to come across (see sickle-cell patient, unhoused patients, victims of abuse, etc.) even if they want to be. That’s why doctors like Mel matter so so so much. That’s also why even though it would be amazing if they confirm she’s autistic, it wouldn’t be unrealistic if she’s undiagnosed. That’s why doctor Langdon says to her that sensitive people are needed there badly. Because she makes those around her better, if they just care to watch and learn.

[istoleyoursk1n]

Hello and Happy Holidays (whatever you might celebrate)! If you have time, could you please write something about the BG3 Companions (or specifically Gale, Wyll, Halsin, Astarion and Karlach if there's too many) with a disabled reader who feels insecure about it? I personally am autistic and have a few physical disabilities so I need help with some things, am very clumsy and can struggle in social situations. Bonus points if you include things like them being protective over the reader because I personally have weak bones and chronic pain because of my disabilities so I'd like to think they'd be extra protective 🥰

Thank you so so much, I hope you have a wonderful 2024 ahead of you!

•❅───────────✧❅✦❅✧───────────❅•

How they would react to a Tav who is insecure about their disabilities

(Happy holidays to you too! I hope you enjoy your new year!)

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: ̗̀➛ ASTARION

The bully

He wasn't aware of it at first so he came off as plain mean. He’d tease you for the little things you struggle with during the early moments of you two together but don't worry, he gets better.

The more he starts to care for you, the more he realizes that perhaps teasing you for things you clearly struggle with isn't something he should be doing. Especially if he's starting to value you and how you feel.

It's subtle at first, he quits most if not all his mockery towards you and usually speaks up in situations where you cannot. He eventually comes to do all the talking for you both.

Comes around to ask what you’re particularly struggling with to better understand you. And help you with such struggles in the near future.

While he used to laugh at you every time you fell/tipped something over, he finally started helping you up, disregarding said mistake as a “happy little accident”.

He’s surprisingly far more forgiving and patient with you, of course, there's the usual snarky remark but it's never directed toward whatever disability you possess.

Further into your relationship, he straight up starts defending you if anyone but he decides to laugh at your struggles. He’d verbally assault them with words that even make you shake.

It's difficult to stop the man once he starts telling off someone, at least it's entertaining, and hey! He’s doing it for you.

Further along the line, he’d finally come around to apologizing for his former attitude towards you, understanding that approaching you in such a way was wrong of him given your circumstance. He shouldn't have taken advantage of that.

Regardless, now you have a sassy lover who's quick to snap at anyone who tries to make fun of you.

: ̗̀➛ WYLL

Incredibly understanding that it's almost startling for you.

It doesn't take long for him to notice what you're struggling with and is quick to help out without having to make mention of whatever disability you possess.

He doesn’t judge you at all despite your struggles, already noting your worth to him and that you are not inconveniencing him in any way.

He was actually the first to accommodate your disabilities, defending you if the others become too ignorant of them.

He’s dealt with people of all shapes and sizes, it isn't his first time handling people who need extra special care nor is he burdened by it.

He’ll make it very clear to you that you don't have to feel any shame in asking for help or if you simply can't do a certain task, he’ll gladly be there for you!

And hey! There's no need to feel about being clumsy every now and then. He's certainly knocked a few books off shelves due to his new horns. You both can laugh at each other’s clumsy little accidents together.

If anything, he hardly sees your disability as something abnormal. Barely even reminds you about it to make you feel more comfortable with yourself.

He’s always linking his arm with yours whenever you struggle with walking long distances, walking slower than usual just to make sure that you can keep up and feel included.

Overall, he’s very sweet and sympathetic when it comes to your condition, he doesn't even have to be your lover to make sure you're always being tended to.

: ̗̀➛ GALE

Didn't even realize it at first.

He just thought you were clumsy/weaker than most but it wasn't something he felt bothered by. You provide your own form of help for the group every now and then and that's already valuable enough.

It would take him a while to realize or you’d have to tell him yourself but eventually he’d come to ask you directly if you have *insert condition*.

After which, he's surprisingly understanding. That would honestly explain a lot for him.

He wouldn't pay much attention to you until you both start growing closer, that's when he starts offering his own assistance in regards to your condition.

He's not the best when it comes to medical treatment but hey! Guess what he does have? Magic!

And with your permission, he’d gladly use said magic to make your situation more comfortable/easier for you to handle.

He's quick to offer his help in tasks that he sees you struggling with whether that be with the use of his magic or figuring out ways for you to do said task on your own without struggling as much.

He goes out of his way to better understand your condition and does his own in-depth research about it.

You've never seen someone so stressed whenever you experience mild chronic pain. In moments, he's all over you like a worried mother hen. It's almost funny to watch if you weren’t in pain and struggling right now.

He's the one who worries the most if he sees you doing a mundane task you tend to struggle with. He has to be certain that he's at least there to help you if ever you end up hurting yourself.

Similar to Astarion, he ends up taking control of most conversations in social gatherings if you're having a hard time doing it yourself.

: ̗̀➛ KARLACH

Didn't notice it at first, she simply thought you needed the occasional hand but that was all.

You’d probably have to directly tell her about whatever condition you may have if you ever wish for her to actually figure it out.

Even if you don't tell her, she’s still assisting you here and there whenever possible. She doesn't even need to know about your disabilities to be accommodating.

If she does find out about it, she’s shocked at first if not slightly worried that she may have come across as overwhelming to you.

Regardless, she’s still awfully kind to you, never once dismissing your struggles.

A bit concerned about touching you/being a bit too rough for her own good but she handles you as gently as she possibly can.

Would probably (or already has) beaten the shit out of anyone who's dared undermine you for your struggles.

She will carry you around whenever whatever internal pain you’re feeling gets too much, she has no problem with doing so for hours! Won't even ask for much in return.

Having you in her arms is a reward enough! Besides, you both seem to be having a blast.

No worries if you have a hard time processing social situations, she's there to cut in for you! Unprompted as well, she might as well be rambling to the unfortunate soul who decided to confront you two.

: ̗̀➛ SHADOWHEART

She’s a cleric, she’d take notice of it quicker than most.

You did save her from that nautiloid pod so she sees no reason why she shouldn't be helping you with your condition.

She does try to relieve whatever pain you feel, especially if your chronic pains are getting too much for you to bear.

Her treatments don't last permanently but they are enough to make you feel far more comfortable in the state your are in.

She doesn't mind helping you with tasks she sees you struggling with, you can tell she's being as careful as possible when it comes to you.

She checks up on you whenever she has the time, especially if she grows to trust you. She constantly makes sure that you’re well enough to continue on with the journey or if you need to stay in camp for a while.

Gives you surprisingly good advice on how to treat/cope with the things you struggle with, especially if it comes to medical struggles. Other than that, she's there when you need her.

She's stern in dismissing anyone who tries to mock or make fun of you for your struggles, her words are enough to make anyone feel bad for even trying.

She likes keeping you close whenever possible, not just because she likes you but to also make sure she can give you immediate care whenever you're suddenly in pain.

Always asks whether or not you are capable of doing certain tasks so you have the freedom to do certain things by yourself.

But, she also ensures that you don't feel bad for depending too much on her.

: ̗̀➛ HALSIN

Quickly comes to your aid when he sees you struggling, with or without the knowledge of your condition.

He’s always willing to help you, you needing extra assistance wouldn't burden the man at all.

As big and tough as he may be, he's surprisingly gentle, making sure that when he holds you, he does with the utmost care.

If you are having difficulty with speaking and/or being around social gatherings? No worries! You don't have to ask at all, he’d kindly do the talking for you.

Of course, he’d make sure he’d hear what you’d like to say first before relaying the words to whoever both of you were speaking to.

If said social situations get too much, he’s more than willing to get you both out of it in favor of some peaceful quiet time in nature.

He probably knows a few remedies to help lessen the pain that comes with your condition, ensuring that you always have time to rest and relax as to not push your body too much.

Likely the most protective of you among the others mentioned, comes with the merged animal-like nature he obtained.

He’s never far from you at all, always lending a hand to make sure you have something to hold onto at all times. Besides, no one dares to mess with you when you have someone as towering as Halsin by you.

•❅───────────✧❅✦❅✧───────────❅•

[voidandabyssal]

Hihi, I saw you had request open! I was hoping to request somthing. *hands you a dollar*

In this, I request undertale sans, underfell sans, underswap papyrus, and horrotale sans.

In this, they accidently run or walked into somone. When they try to tell them they are sorry, they see they are blind.

I was wondering how they will act and if they got into a relationship, how they will treat them.

Thank you for reading this and if you are busy don't worry and take you're time <3

Ohh money$$$

Sans:

Oof he’s double embarrassed

Sans doesn’t show it though and plays it off pretty cooly, just making some pun before apologising and walking off

He doesn’t want to bring up your disability in case it makes you uncomfortable

If your in a relationship with him, then he’s pretty good at not bringing it up

Like, at some point your not even sure if Sans is aware your blind?? He just??? Doesn’t say anything??

Sans does a bunch of research in relationships with blind people and how to accommodate them without being infantilising

He’s always been a pretty chill dude, fully treats you like no different from anyone else

Red (uf sans):

Red at first reacts pretty aggressively to bumping in to you,

He whips around to shout some demeaning insult

“What are ya fucking blind?!” Then he realises you are actually blind

Never in his life has he wanted to crawl into a deep dark hole and die there until now

He’s even worse in a relationship 😩

He keeps forgetting your blind and only remembers afters he’s cracked another blind joke

Aside from Red embarrassing himself he’s pretty normal about your blindness

He does get anxious about you going out alone though

Its not safe being by yourself so vulnerable like that. Anyone could come up behind you and dust you before you could hear them!

Stretch (us paps):

Again, one of the chill ones

He does apologise though, with a blind joke

Stretch is a bastard (and i say this in a very loving way)

You love him, he loves you

Still a bastard

He does worry about you

Worries about the discrimination, people taking advantage of you

Stretch is pretty easily calmed down though, he wont get so anxiously worked up like Red does

Axe (ht sans):

Another bastard (why are there so many of them??)

When you first meet Axe still had a pretty big bone to pick with most of humanity

Suffice to say, hes not nice

Funny, but not nice

When you do get into a relationship he tones down on the jokes, though there is still some pretty light hearted teasing

Axe is also pretty protective over you. He makes people move out of the way for you

And he’s certainly not gonna stand there and watch someone talk down to you because of your blindness

[bittersweetcanary]

Summoner who experiences Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain 

How the Artw cast reacts to a Summoner with Chronic Fatigue & Chronic Pain. The gender of the Summoner is not mentioned, this can be read as enby, man, woman, trans, etc. :D

Special thanks to Cora ( @adcmans ) for helping me come up with ideas!!

BTW IF you want to add anything please do in the comments, I'd love to hear your ideas!! Or reblog!! :D

[Disability Rep | Pronouns of Summoner not mentioned | Gender of Summoner not mentioned | Some Suggestive Text | Tooth Rotting Sweet at times ]

Spica

Spica’s part has some stuff about the MC/Summoner to explain the context a bit.

You explained your condition to him first, less due to trust and more due to wanting to get accommodated for your disability ASAP, and not being totally sure how to go about that. He seems the most reasonable and accountable of the bunch.

At first, he didn’t quite understand but it certainly didn’t take long with your explanation of your condition. Spica helped you through the process of getting medication through the school due to your… Finances being… Low… (*cough* broke, poor, you have nothing now that you fell through a damn rift- *cough*) Luckily the school easily covered it, taking some of the weight of your anxiety off your shoulders. Wow, their Medicare system is nice. Unlike some places.

Since, to your surprise, Spica checked in on you frequently when you dozed off during meetings or when your pace would slow, asking if you were tired if something hurt, or if you needed to rest.

Spica went with you to pick up some school supplies from one of the village shops, mostly just plenty of pencils with big pencil grips which made it easier to hold. The number of times you’ve lost a pencil simply because it rolled off your desk is… To put it simply, a lot. And a backpack to carry your school stuff in as just holding it wouldn’t quite work for you.

You were quite anxious to start using a mobility aid because then you’d have to explain to everyone why… But Spica made sure to explain to the rest of the Guide Committee just why you were using forearm crutches so they wouldn’t bombard you with questions, after asking if that’d be alright of course.

Upon occasion when you were being stubborn, wanting to keep up with the others, Spica would pull you to the side (-if he had to he would grab your arm just above your elbow and sit you down on the nearest couch beside himself-) and would begin to lecture you- reminding you that it is ok to take breaks & rest. Followed by your comment about his sleep schedule had him stuttering for a moment before coming up with a “good reason” as to why that was totally reasonable. Your expression showed your opinion on that.

It’s safe to say you MADE Spica sleep more hours at night when you could, sometimes he’d be too stubborn. One time he was snappy about it, telling you off harshly though he did apologize later it still stung.

Spica immediately offered to help you ready yourself for the day if you ever felt too tired to do so alone, and you took him up on that offer sometimes, if he could spare some time away from his paperwork.

Spica was the first to offer to take you out for breakfast whenever he could, Arcturus sometimes joined the two of you if they happened to both be free though Spica preferred it to just be the two of you.

Pollux

Before finding out

In class when the Summoner would doze off he’d huff, and puff, but never wake them. Once they woke (or he woke them up after class) he’d chew them out over sleeping through class. Sometimes classes. Threatening to leave them asleep in the classroom next time. (which he never does, it doesn’t take you long to catch on)

You have caught him staring more than once, though you play it off as if you totally didn’t notice him with his head down beside you blatantly gazing at you with big stary eyes.

Sometimes when you’d be writing down your notes your hand would twitch and you’d drop your pencil, having pushed yourself too far. Pollux didn’t notice at first but when you’d take breaks from writing he’d ask why and you’d shrug off his question, picking up the pencil and beginning to work again.

And lunch… Pollux couldn’t quite understand why you’d sleep through lunch of all things, the food was always great. Especially the chocolates he usually kept to himself, that he’d brought as his dessert, he’d sometimes share with you and Arcturus.

Pollux never quite got how you couldn’t keep up with him when he’d run ahead, often telling you to exercise more. It felt insensitive, causing you to show him a bit of a cold shoulder afterward though you knew he just didn’t know about your disability.

Sometimes when you were quite tired and just so happened to be sitting beside Pollux you’d unconsciously doze off while leaning against his shoulder. Pollux would stare at you for a few moments after you leaned against him, then look away and cover his face with his hand, but remain still and quiet so as to not wake you. He would stay there till you woke.

Polly would make rude comments about your disgruntled unkept appearance on bad days, pushing stray hairs into place. Huffed and puffed when he tried fixing up your hair, he got better at that over time. It’s become a sort of daily routine for him to play with your hair during class, sometimes you’d play with his too, he loved it when you did and you could tell by how he squeezed his eyes shut and blushed.

After Spica’s explanation at the meeting

Pollux, much like the others, wondered why you weren’t there till Spica began the Guide Committee meeting. It’s safe to say a lot he was confused about was answered by Spica’s explanation. Why you doze off so much, and why your pencils all have those large grips… And the times you’d just dropped something… He brought up as much during the meeting as he found it concerning that you hadn’t told him, him!.. First... Spica was the most reasonable, he supposed, but you two were close!... Right? He’d work with you on assignments all the time! And share notes… And hangout! (totally didn’t say he wasn’t looking to make friends on day 1)

Pollux is a lil jelly that you didn’t tell him first- he pouts about it.

He was a little pouty around you after that but stopped trying to push you to keep up, or chewing you out over dozing off… Pollux slowed down to your pace whenever he realized he’d been walking at too quick a pace for you. He would constantly glance over his shoulder to make sure you were still there.

He MiGhT try to loop his arm around yours, or just blush a little thinking about it. Maybe if you offered up the idea first he’d go for it.

Alpheratz & Sirius missed the meeting… But Vega didn’t?! Maybe it’s that pathfinding magic, maybe it brought him there? Pollux eyed him up and down, sus. 

Will chew anyone out if they harass or bother you at any point about your disability, yap yap BITE!!

The whole hair play routine you two had started kept up, though he’d offer to help you in the morning if that’s okay, totally understandable if you didn’t want someone in your dorm, but it's him so… It’d be ok, right? Just don’t let anyone else in, they might be bad people.

When he and Arcturus showed up at your dorm, they’d be surprised but they are both besties so they help you out together and sometimes you all go out to breakfast at a cafe as a group <3 Sometimes Vega, Alpheratz, Spica, or Sirius might join if they happen to stop by around the same time, or one of them may try to drag you off for themself…

Alpheratz

Before finding out

Alpheratz thought it was a bit weird that you napped nearly as much as him… More than himself sometimes but never questioned it. It was nice having a nap buddy, someone who didn’t nag him for sleeping so often.

After a while he began to expect you to show up at specific nap locations, he’d bring a spare neck pillow just in case you needed one. And a spare blanket.

Sometimes he’d catch you rubbing at your knees or ankles as if they hurt but when he’d as if something happened you’d say you were just a little tired.

When you would yawn constantly throughout the day despite having napped alongside him he suspected something may be wrong, occasionally checking your health with his magic but not totally understanding what he saw. Alpheratz began to look into possibilities while you napped in the library with him.

He never really kept his appearance up so when you looked messy it didn’t really phase him, though he’d ask teasingly if your messy hair was some sort of new trend.

Finding out

Slept through the meeting assuming it’d be something unimportant- immediately regretted it after Pollux filled him in after he asked you about your mobility aid while the three of you were out at a sweets shop. Alpheratz had been downright staring at your forearm crutches the entire way there, with a very concerned expression.

Pollux scolds Alpheratz- they bicker a little. It’s cute. Then Alpheratz shoves some gummy worms into Pollux’s mouth to shut him up. Pollux stares Alpheratz down, crossing his arms, frowning, and furrowing his brow as he slowly chews the gummy worms.

After finding out

Now he knows what’s wrong and has a better grasp of just what his magic was showing him when he checked up on you.

From then on when you’d nap together Alpheratz made it a habit to check your physical health status using his magic, just to make sure you were ok. Sometimes he would check in to make sure you took your medication, knowing how forgetful you can be.

When he could, Alpheratz would join you, Arcturus, and Pollux for lunch, to spend time with you and make sure you took your meds.

Sometimes, if you seemed more tired than usual or if he saw you over-exerting yourself he’d just pick you up and take you to a comfy spot to nap. After the first few times, you weren’t so surprised. But the first time… You nearly kicked him between the legs and punched his face- in your defense, you didn’t know it was him, AND like wtf- you both laughed it off.

Both of you worked together to make a little “club room” in the back of the library, you both deemed it the Nap Club Tent. It was a sizeable tent- (you guess the only reason the school allowed you to get away with this was because Alpheratz’s grandfather wanted Alpheratz to warm up to him) inside the tent were plenty of blankets, pillows, and a well-padded floor. Some plushies too, those were purely your touch at first, then Alpheratz added some that he thought you’d like.

Sometimes Alpheratz would offer to help you get ready for the day, a slight blush on his cheeks, then he would quickly offer to hire someone else to help care for you if you wanted. 

When you’d go out as a group with Arcturus and Pollux for breakfast he would sometimes join, offering to pay for you and the others though sometimes he’d get up extra early just to take you out by himself.

Arcturus

Before finding out

Arcky found it odd that you would yawn so often, and how you seemed to occasionally limp, but if he pointed it out you’d brush it off and adjust your posture and how you walked. He’d frown, he wasn't sure what was going on but how you acted gave him a bad feeling.

Sometimes when you looked incredibly drowsy while standing he would ask if you needed to sit down with furrowed brows, just what weren’t you telling him? 

When he would ask if something was wrong you’d change the topic with ease, Arcturus couldn’t remember what he’d asked after talking about some other random thing.

He had asked Spica if he noticed it as well… Which led Spica to ask you which kicked off the conversation.

Began occasionally stopping by your dorm in the mornings if he was free after seeing how messy and tired you looked most days, offering to help you prepare for the day. He helped when he could though he would often ask you why you looked so tired.

Finding out

Spica explains the situation to him first, being the only other Fili Pferer & Spica’s most trusted confidant. Arcturus was a little worried and sad that you hadn’t told him personally but understood it was probably difficult to talk about. Still pouted a little. But only a little!

After finding out

He helped to explain your disability to Vega and Pollux with Spica.

Later he ran into Sirius… After being chased by that big black dog!! Scary!! He updated Sirius on the recent meeting, assuming he’d just been too busy with missions to show up! Why else would his friend miss the meeting, he must’ve had a good reason! Though Arcky didn’t push Sirius to tell him why he’d missed the meeting.

Arcturus would constantly check up on you whenever he could. (when random Fili Pfere sorcerers weren’t dragging him around) Sometimes he’d go overboard and continue to ask you what he could do to help till you told him you were alright, only then would he stop and sigh in relief. 

He likes to offer to make food for you, get you a drink, or sometimes he will just leave a snack with a cute little note wishing you well if he finds you napping. (with a little smiley face)

Will also cover you with a blanket and place a pillow beneath your head VERY CAREFULLY if you don’t already have a blanket and/or pillow.

Might gaze at you for a while if you doze off while hanging out with him before sputtering if you ask him why he was staring.

Began to make it a point to stop by your dorm in the morning to help you prepare for the day whenever he was free, knowing that sometimes just keeping up with your hair and skin care was difficult. Then he would walk with you to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Loves having breakfast with you and Pollux, he wishes the others would join you all more often!! Super excited and happy when everyone or almost everyone shows up!!

Vega

Before finding out

Vega arrived at the meeting right on time to Spica, Pollux, and Arcturus’s surprise. He felt that he should be there, for this particular meeting.

It was plain to see that you weren’t getting enough sleep, the bags under your eyes were telling and the yawning at 9 a.m.! Your symptoms stressed Vega out quite a bit to the point he would constantly be on you about getting plenty of sleep. 

Might force you to go back to bed if you doze off during breakfast.

After Spica’s explanation at the meeting

Vega is incredibly worried about you. However, the way he shows this feels more like a nagging older sibling. Sometimes he would give you harsh lectures when you push yourself a little too far.

One time he offered to carry you when you felt too tired to walk, your knees hurting, but when he tried- he apologized so many times after you both fell. His cheeks were utterly red when he looked up at you, atop him, before you got up. From then on, when he was with you he made sure no one blocked your path. 

“ MAKE WAY SUMMONER IS TIRED “

If you ever decided to bring up that one time he tried to carry you he’d just DIE.

Constantly offers to carry anything he can for you just to take some of the weight off your shoulders. He will do whatever he can to help.

Grumpy if he can’t have breakfast with you by himself. Might try to drag you away, if only he could. Will not respond to anyone unless the topic is you. Or if he is talking to you.

Sirius

Before finding out

Sirius didn’t say much, other than teasing you over just what could be keeping you up to make you that tired. “Were you thinking of me last night Summoner~? I’m so flattered~”

Sometimes he would drag you about with him on a random mission or just more fun which hurt your joints a LOT, when you would tell him you needed to slow down and rest he would tell you to keep pushing forward if you ever want to build your endurance. Not giving what you said or your actions a second thought as he brushed you off.

It certainly stung each time he’d brush you off so you began to give him the cold shoulder if he tried to drag you along one of his schemes.

After Arcturus’s explanation

Spica didn’t specify what the meeting was about beforehand so he just skipped it. Or maybe he would’ve anyway? He’s busy, but with what? O-o sus.

When Arcturus showed up, with the black dog playfully giving chase, he was told what the meeting was about. Though he brushed Arcturus off at first. But when Arcturus mentioned that it was about you, Sirius listened.

How’d he not notice sooner? When thinking back, it seemed quite obvious…

Your pained expression to the sheer amount of times you dozed off… You even told him you needed a break so many times and he just brushed you off… He swore at himself for not thinking more about your health. Adding to the list of things he loathes about himself.

After finding out

Sirius was noticeably more careful around you, not yanking you about or pushing you to keep up with him. Instead, he would pull you into little hidden nooks to hide or teleport away with you in his arms, to hide from the other Sorcerers when he blew something up again.

Slowly you warmed up to him after he began to actually listen to you, but you were always at least a little wary of his intent.

To make up for his carelessness he spoiled you as much as you would let him for a good month, he swore to get you anything if you’d forgive him but you just wanted him to understand and that he did. And still got you things he knew you liked.

If you felt too tired to apply makeup(if you wear that), nail polish, clean your face, and or fix your hair in the morning he’d be there to help, offering to do so when you looked worse for wear and insisting that you call him whenever if you need help getting ready for the day ahead at any time! He would be there, anything for his Summoner.

Sirius also just loved to get to do your hair and nails, and help you choose out a cute outfit for the day! Totally didn’t attempt to peek at you changing like a perv. Denies it after he was caught. Doesn’t try again, but teases you, asking if you’d give him a show.

Beats Alpheratz at getting up early just to take you out to breakfast first, will tease him about it if Alpheratz asks where you’ve been.

Sirius ends up taking you to breakfast quite often when he isn’t out on a mission, sitting beside you with his hand on yours.

[granulesofsand]

Escape the Tank

Our recommendation page is full of some hot takes we don’t agree with. Many of these are heavily based on the idea that group identity is binary, in or out, yes or no. Our collective has few boxes we fit, and even those require stuffing in or chopping off some stray bits.

We are queer. Our exact identities change with fronters, but to us, being a system is inherently not cishet. Some of us will be gay, bi, trans, nb, gnc, and we can belong in any of those spaces at any given time. Integrating front has left us with the equivalent of chewed Skittles, and this is the closest we’ve got to a collective label.

We are intersex. We don’t have the money to get tested for what kind, but our body is having a field day tossing out hormones with no apparent plan. Neither sex can tell ours, so we’re effectively excluded everywhere. We need support from all of them, especially as heavily traumatized as we are. There is no kind of pain that was closed to us, but no door that remains open to speak about it. Oppression might not be gender neutral, but language should include or specify to find its audience.

We are mixed race. Our body got its looks from the largest contributor, and we were lucky that the smaller percentages are less visible, even if they add up. We are lucky because people with those traits died young where we were raised. Less visible is not invisible, but we survived long enough passing for white that the later treatment was much easier on us. The culture that best matches our genetics was long abandoned, the last remains weaponized. The cultures we were brought into, the people we feel safe with might not feel safe with us. We resemble our perpetrators and theirs, but they are our people nonetheless.

We are a programmed collective. Our history rarely fits conversation amongst traumatized people, and certainly doesn’t among healthy-without-healing folk. We have the downsides of DID, but we don’t belong. Adaptive system, yes, but forged for another’s will. Different upsides, and more of a stretch. We refuse to heal correctly for a CDD — let alone a TBMC — system. We’re weird, and we’re doing better this way.

We are mixed origins. We have headmates of about every category, and we will care for their safety before anybody else’s comfort. Our life has been synonymous with trauma, it may well be all that we are, but we are also this. Our experience of our multiplicity and plurality are uncommon for both sides of syscourse. Instead of having access to both circles, we’re walled into the space between; not a lot of occupants in here.

We are disabled, both physically and not. Our symptoms vary by fronter, but there are some things our body keeps as a constant. We are all some level of hard of hearing, we can only get so far without a mobility aid, and our system is dysfunctional how we like it. But because we’re hardly seen as independent actors, disabled people look at what our body has — and we don’t know. None of us get the accommodations we need because we all have different needs.

I could keep going. You wanna guess how many of those terms we use for ourselves?

None of em.

Language is for understanding, and we introduce these concepts so we can be better known. But we don’t have any labels that fit us exactly. We are living, thinking creatures, and the intersections and details of our lives aren’t going to sit pretty in a paragraph description — assuming people even know what those words mean.

We are a lot of things. We’ll use the descriptors that fit, or we’ll make up our own phrases. The boxes are there for us, not the other way around. It would be so much easier if people would just hear us for our point of view.

[justashadetalkative]

3.) any recurring images/elements?

8.) what inspired your world building, if anything?

(Setting asks | Accepting!)

.

3.) any recurring images/elements?

Cats, I suppose? 😂 

More seriously — spirals are a recurring visual element whenever I’m considering how to design any given part of the Spire, and they align with both the Spire’s tendency to draw in anything around it (consider a vortex) and with the general concept that any given problem has a high chance of spiraling out of control if left unaddressed.

(Spire diagram)

(Gate room)

.

8.) what inspired your world building, if anything?

Hard to say, really; the origins of the Spire started so young that whatever stories I encountered at the time probably played a role, but I don’t remember. It was also collaborative with a childhood friend, so I have even less idea what inspired him.

But my combined interests in science fiction, disability rights, and medicine have played a big role in both the variety of creatures living within the Spire and my thoughts on how the Spire might be built to accommodate such a wide range of beings. Plus my determination to have magic be a viable aid for disabilities but never a cure-all, heh.

And it wasn’t an inspiration, exactly — I’ve actually never played one of the games myself — but the general existence of the Kingdom Hearts franchise is certainly a reassurance. My incredibly self-indulgent multiversal cross-genre setting doesn’t feel nearly so silly when I know how popular Kingdom Hearts is, ahaha.

[androidboy]

I mean this super respectfully, but you absolutely should not be in a relationship if forcing honesty/intimacy is making you sick. You’re not the first person with that problem, and you certainly won’t be the last. For your own sake, you really should consider either risking things and getting real, or breaking things off. Hiding shit only makes things more complicated.

- Someone who has been in your place, and your girlfriend’s

it doesn’t feel like i’m forcing anything i just sometimes get negative mental health consequences for it 😞 back in february i decided i was gonna stop just kinda waiting for myself to wither away and start really trying with friends and relationships and sex despite my disability not being at a recovery point i wanted and despite feeling like i didn’t deserve it bc i realized that i might never be at a “good” point so idk. maybe intimacy Will always feel this way to me so it’s like why would i throw away something with someone who’s been so understanding and accommodating and invested in making this part of life accessible for me

[beastboost]

So I’m both left handed and physically disabled, and I’ve been thinking. There’s just so many things you gotta do right handed because any left handed or hand agnostic equipment either doesn’t exist, is sold at a premium, is just bad, or the rest of your family is right handed and they all use the thing and it’s cumbersome to have a separate thing/setup for you.

Like most left handed people I know use computers right handed, or use a right hand guitar, deal with spiral bound notebooks being Like That, right handed desks, right handed scissors, all that nonsense.

It’s quite wild to me how there’s not much in the way of readily available accommodations for such a prevalent thing, or there’s just the expectation for us to “deal with it”. And, given how this often starts with school supplies, the idea that you just gotta deal with something and be at a pretty bad disadvantage to participate in anything is taught early on- and right handed kids will see their leftie friends and likely think “oh, well they can deal with it, it’s not that bad” (if they think of it at all). Really, the only real progress made for lefties is, “hm maybe we shouldn’t chain their hands to their desks and smack the devil out of them”, (though there are certainly people who still believe that). But everything else remains very hostile, to the point where I feel like a lot of ableism is either subconsciously reinforced or starts with others seeing how left handed people are treated.

[communistkenobi]

literally like a week ago someone put a totally serious post about how walkable cities are abelist on my dash it was crazy

I guess my confusion is also like, what is the substance of this accusation? Because there is a completely solid version of the “walkable cities are ableist” take. Robert Imrie has written a couple really good articles about how, despite recent policy turns from the medical model of disability to the social model, a lot of accessibility policies still treat disability as this atomised individual thing. Fusing a mobility ramp to the side of a building to make the front entrance “accessible” does not do anything to reconfigure the built environment; it still allows the able-body to take centre stage in the urban form when the accommodations we make for disabled people are a tack-on, after-the-fact accommodation. Even things like “universal design” do not go deep enough in reconsidering the layout and structure of cities and urban architecture, and relies heavily on the concept of accessibility as this technology you can use to “solve” ableism in society (the very name “universal design” is itself positivistic, implying that there is a singular objective truth to accessibility, which is another issue). Which is a limitation, because cities are structurally exclusionary in many ways that accessibility standards do nothing to challenge.

Now a massive part of the problem is that we don’t exist in city skylines. You can’t just start ripping up dozens of streets when you realised you fucked up. Eliminating ableism within the built environment would require completely changing the city. This is an enduring problem in urban planning - policy regimes can be changed much more “quickly” than the built environment (I put scare quotes around that since policy regimes, ie the dominant ideological underpinnings of a given set of policies, are also notoriously slow to change, but are certainly more fluid than the brick-and-mortar city), so urban planning is largely reactive and adaptational. You would need like a post-WWII situation with a bunch of bombed out cities in order to completely reconfigure urban landscapes (which is a thing the Soviets did! Soviet urban planning is super neat for this reason, among many others, although I don’t know a ton about it). And that doesn’t sound like a great option either lol.

So like yes walkable cities as a policy goal should be approached critically, and this exact discussion is happening in academic spaces. I just never see people actually saying any of this, I just see people responding to the take “walkable cities are ableist” without any further discussion one way or another

[scarlet-titan]

There is a TikTok trend where people stare at a disabled relative with text “checking to see if my [insert relation here] has been faking being special needs.” They claim it’s a joke but no it’s not a joke. There are whole subreddits dedicated to finding “fakers” online. Many autistic people were harassed and cyberstalked by a certain autism mom who decides anyone who doesn’t worship her is faking. This is disabled people’s lived reality, we are constantly gaslit about our disabilities, refused accommodation, harassed and even stalked because some random person decided our disability wasn’t real. Then you “joke” about doing it to a relative? To add onto all that? I’ve seen some where the relative made it clear they didn’t want to be filmed. People excuse that with “sibling stuff.” My sister certainly wouldn’t film me against my will and post it online. You just aren’t respecting your disabled siblings boundaries.

[greater-than-the-sword]

Sometimes people ruin a good point by couching it in social justice language, for example I just saw somebody say that bullet journaling was invented to help ADHD people but they might get a false impression that it was too hard to get into because of the way some people turn it into a high-maintenance art form. Great! Thanks!

But they couldn’t just SAY that, they also had that say that the white middle class has problematically gentrified bullet journaling and created entry barriers to a disability accommodation. Well that certainly sounds immoral and nefarious!

Here’s the thing. I have ADHD and never had interest in bullet journaling because it seemed too high maintenance. Coincidentally, my OWN SISTER is an aesthetic bullet journaler who uses fancy pens and stationary.

But she doesn’t have to give up her stationary in order to give me “access” to bullet journaling! It’s just a pen and paper! There is no meaningful entry barrier! Somebody just decided to adapt the hobby in a different way to their own personality. I don’t see how it does any good to try and instigate some kind of class divide between me and my own sister born in the same house of the same parents just because she’s neurotypical and I’m not. She hasn’t done anything wrong or harmed me in any way. Imagine if my sister believed that person on tumblr and felt guilty about bullet journaling and gave up something that gives her joy because she percieved that she was harming me when she wasn’t!

And that kind of unnecessary moralizing is at least half of all social justice concerns on tumblr.

[ganymedesclock]

Y’know I always feel conflicted about accusations of pedantry in using big or uncommon words, because, yes- accessibility and clarity is unbelievably important. Language, at its rawest functionality, is about communication. If someone can’t understand you and the failing is that you are not accommodating a condition they may have, whether that’s the state of what education was available to them, familiarity with the language, neurodivergence, physical disabilities, all of the above- then that is on you.

But on the other hand I’ve seen (and met) many people who react with suspicion to hostility to the very idea of a word that is not the plainest possible way to speak. And that... that is something I struggle to get behind. Because language is artisanal, too! There are so many delightful words and sounds and turns of phrase. Who can capture the ecstasy of the word scintillating- on the tongue it shows its flinty glitter, the sharp points of its consonant sounds prickling at you. If I use big or uncommon words it’s out of the sheer delight of them. There’s a word- oneirocritical- that is a single-word encapsulation of overthinking your dreams. And this is only one language that I speak fluently- I shudder to imagine the poetic artistry and unique beauty of languages I cannot comprehend in the slightest. If I were immortal I think I’d like very much to while away entire centuries digging at the roots and origins and transformations of language throughout the ages.

I think the worst thing we’ve ever done in linguistics is made not understanding into a shame. If you use a word someone doesn’t know, they often feel like they are under attack. And certainly, many people do use words to attack others. Look at the vicious underpinning racism to decrying AAVE as Improper English (despite the inevitable drip-feed social media creates in bringing these words with their fundamentally black roots into “white” english). There is nothing inferior about those words. It’s merely an exercise in people who have already established institutional power manipulating the rules of Polite to gatekeep others. But even within a single dialect of english, there are people who use words like a truncheon. I was one of them. As an insecure child I desperately bandied the polysyllabic and floral as if by my words I could build a tower from which everyone would have to take me seriously, respect me, that I was smarter than them.

Now, as an adult who I can only hope has calmed down since then, I realize that the glimmer of those words is best shared. I mean no hostility in my word choices. Language is an indulgence, a delight, a gift- and per the beginning of this, it is important to make sure this indulgence can be evenly shared.

I wish we could destroy the shame of not knowing a word. There are many many words, and nobody can know all of them. And there are many worthwhile things to care about- and some people don’t care that much about words, and that is fine. I love words, and I love to share them with people. I’m always happy to explain what I mean, rephrase, work to be more accommodating. I imagine a world of sci-fi universal translators where some day, we will not destroy all words, but rather, let understanding flow beautifully between all words, so we can appreciate the perfection of them.

[chaotic-archaeologist]

Hi, maybe this isn’t welcome but I’d like to add some nuance to the mental health in uni discussion, speaking as someone who had to drop out of college for mental health reasons.

There is a difference between masking and managing, and both have their places. To say “those that mind don’t matter” doesn’t account for department heads or deans minding, or profs whom your grades depend on. In some cases masking is necessary in order to progress through school successfully. But, as Reid said, you can’t mask forever.

Use any mental health resources or accommodations your school provides. Find a therapist. And if your experience is like mine, be prepared to show you’re “doing the work” if leadership takes exception to your situation. Don’t pretend like your mental health can be ignored entirely, that way lies madness, and put your own health and safety above everything, even grades. But it CAN matter, so be prepared to defend yourself. In the end it wasn’t administration that forced me out, my health just got too rough, but it was because I mitigated their discrimination.

That's a good point. However, depending on where you are, there are laws to protect you from those who do mind. Most schools have a disability representative or office, and it's their job to help you work out accommodations that professors have to respect.

I also had to withdraw from school for a couple of years due to both mental and physical illness, and part of the reason was that I was masking so efficiently that I wasn't able to get any help because I seemed to be doing well.

There are certainly circumstances where it is best not to disclose things like mental health conditions or neurodivergence, but those (in my experience) have been mostly exceptions to the rule rather than the norm. In that case, you do need to be able to advocate for yourself. Know your worth and your rights, and don't let anyone treat you poorly.

-Reid

[kinuskikakku]

Dumb story time.

So, it feels like every leftist YouTuber and influencer or whatever has the hottest take of “jobs sure suck”, which I certainly believe is true. And what I mean is many of them have these stories about the various jobs they had before Patreon came along. And how those jobs generally sucked and capitalism is bad when it causes these kind of working conditions, and ever so forth. And yeah, totally agree with their assessment of working under capitalism. 

HOWEVER

there is another part in my brain grooves that ends up going: “WELL BOOHOO for you! You know, I’d LOVE to have even a crappy job if I COULD but I CAN’T because my DISABILITY makes me unhireable! But yeah boohoo for your abled privilege of being able to get jobs!”

And that part of my brain is a stupid, idiotic goblin who is wrong. 

Like on an intellectual level I am 110% aware that my situation is just as bad due to capitalist interests. Under capitalism I, as a disabled person, am seen as either just an unproductive or then any effort and money needed to accommodate me working isn’t seen as a worthy investment. 

So uhhh.... take away from this is... capitalism is a shared enemy, and even if you have these kind of bitter thoughts sometimes it doesn’t make you bad. Or something. 

[ml-quinn]

PSA for University Students at High-Risk for COVID [Please Share]

As a disabled PhD student that studies disability rights & disability in higher education I have spent the last week guiding my friends through the hellish process of navigating the recent changes to COVID safety policies at various U.S. institutions that are functionally making disabled students choose between their safety and their education. While the accommodations process is fraught with unpredictability at the best of times (and this certainly isn't that) the first step you should take stays the same:

Contact your professors about your concerns and try to arrange accommodations for their course as soon as humanly possible.

As someone who has been on both sides of the university accommodations process and who runs & analyzes faculty surveys for university access centers, I promise that this is one of the best steps you can take right now.

Every internal faculty survey I have ever looked at about disability/accommodations at universities has shown that the majority of professors distrust the accommodations process and assume that their students are abusing it.

The best way to fight this is to avoid even the appearance of impropriety by being overly-prompt with your requests for and use of accommodations.

Sometimes this is impossible (emergency hospitalizations are a hell of a barrier to getting emails sent) but the situation many students are facing now gives many of you a short window to be proactive here. If you’ve got the time now to let your professors know your situation and your concerns about how recent or presumed upcoming changes to your school’s COVID safety measures will impact your studies, I would do it.

I strongly recommend doing this via email so you have a dated record of your requests and their responses.

Your email doesn’t need to be long but including the following information will likely help:

A brief summary of your primary concerns about the policy changes are and an explanation of what you’d need to be successful in the remainder of the course.

Whether or not you’ve already established other formal/informal accommodations with them for the course and how they may be impacted by these changes.

If you have the time/energy/knowledge to propose a plan for you to finish the coursework as outlined in the syllabus remotely do it. Professors have a lot going on and if you propose something sensible they’ll often be willing to go along with it (I find it helps if I summarize the work I’ve completed for a course as well as the work that remains to be done in this plan).

Remember: You never have to disclose details about your disability in accommodations requests - only what accommodations you need and why they are necessary for you to be successful.

None of this is fair. You shouldn’t have to fight this hard for your education. I’m so sorry.