#but like. it’s also an inconvenience to ME THE DISABLED PERSON

[badolmen]

*last winter* *never got ticketed/severely buried/otherwise had a problem with parking in my designed disability spot even during storm warnings*

*this year* noooo don’t park in the disability parking spot 🥺🥺🥺 I’ll have to have you towed!!!! Drive up to the sidewalk across the lot 💞💞💞 and I’ll plow around you ☺️☺️☺️ haha sorry don’t wanna bury you so I’ll call to have you towed instead if you don’t 💜💜💜 thanks oxoxox

[b-blushes]

thursday quest - no physical therapy today - make and eat lunch sooooo early but i can do it!!!!! - get ready for wedding - attend wedding! yay! (: - decompress well when i get home <3

[talkingattumble]

Hi guys! Here’s some advice from a cane user on how to spot a fake cane user/disability faker!

YOU CANT

You can not spot a “fake disabled” cane user. You can not know if someone’s “really disabled”, much less by just looking at them. Here are some common misconceptions.

“Cane users always need their canes. If they walk without it or put it away when it’s inconvenient, they’re faking”: WRONG! Many cane users are what we call “ambulatory” cane users. This means they don’t always need their canes to walk. I’m an ambulatory cane user, and I experience really horrible leg pain on the daily. However, I don’t always use my cane, and when I don’t need to walk or stand a lot in a certain place I don’t use it. And when I do use it, I may lift it off the ground or carry it in places that are sandy, gravelly, or otherwise hinder my cane.

“Cane users walk abnormally without their canes, someone who walks normally without their cane is faking”: WRONG! Many ambulatory cane users can walk in a way that seems “normal”. This doesn’t mean they’re not in pain, or not “really disabled”. This just means that their condition doesn’t cause a noticeable difference in walking, and likely manifests in a different way.

“Cane users always need their cane, someone who doesn’t use their cane at home is faking”: WRONG! Cane users may not use their canes at home, because at home they may be able to do things like sit down wherever and whenever, regain more spoons, and use other mobility aids. Additionally, some ambulatory cane users only need or use their canes when they are doing something physically taxing, like going on a hike or standing in a long line.

“My cane user friend told me this person looks like they’re faking, so it must be true”: WRONG! Being a cane user doesn’t immediately make you an expert on all different conditions and experiences. Your friend does not know the random cane user walking down the street, they are going off looks and stereotypes. Disabled people are not immune to being ableist.

“They enjoy their cane too much/they’re too happy/they decorate their cane, so they can’t actually be in enough pain to need a cane” WRONG! We’re people like everyone else, and we experience positive emotions too, even if we go through a lot of pain. To me, customizing my cane is like getting a tattoo or putting streaks in my hair, it’s a way of self expression. And we deserve to be able to talk openly about our full experience, which include the parts we’re neutral or happy about.

“They’re one of those cringey teenagers who name themselves arson and like dsmp, so they’re probably faking” WRONG! Do I even have to explain why saying someone isn’t disabled because of their name and interests is messed up and also stupid? Or did you already know that and just wanted to make fun of a disabled teenager?

“They’re too young to be using a cane, so they must be faking” WRONG! there are lots of disabilities or injuries that can cause young people to need a mobility aid. For example, I use a cane for my fibromyalgia.

“They only use it in private places, and never in places where people recognize them, so they must be faking” WRONG! In a world where anyone can just randomly take out their phone, take a picture of a cane user, and post them online to be made fun of, it can be stressful to use a cane in public areas. Also, they may not want people to ask questions, or they may feel embarrassed about it.

“I saw them switch hands, so they must be faking” WRONG! There are different reasons a cane used might do this, but I’m going to use my experience as an example. My fibromyalgia is not consistent. Sometimes one leg hurts more then the other. But as I said, fibromyalgia is inconsistent, and sometimes my other leg will start to hurt more or need more support, which is when I switch hands. And when both my legs hurt equally, I may switch my hand if it’s getting too sore.

“They told me they feel like they’re faking when they use their cane, doesn’t that mean they don’t really need it?” WRONG! Imposter syndrome is strong in a lot of disabled people, especially when for a lot of our lives we were told by doctors that we were fine and just being dramatic. Anxiety is also comorbid with a lot of physically disabilities, which only strengthens this. To add to this, something that I’ve felt and seen other disabled people talk about it, when their disability aid lessens the pain, they start thinking “well I’m not in that much pain so I don’t really need it” even though the reason they’re not in that much pain is because of the aid. I know it seems dumb, but imposter syndrome can be that strong and affects disabled people a lot.

“They don’t have a diagnosis, so they must be faking” WRONG! First of all, diagnoses are expensive. On their own they’re often already expensive, but counting the tons of tests you have to take to confirm the diagnosis? Absolutely ludicrous. Some may also choose not to get a diagnosis, so that they don’t have to deal with the prejudice and setbacks of being diagnosed. Also, some people use a cane for injuries, and for stress or fatigue related pains.

These are only a few of the things I commonly hear from fakeclaimers, and I wanted to just put out a reminder that fakeclaiming hurts the disabled community much, much more than it does ableists. Next time you see someone with a cane switch hands, or someone with a wheelchair stand up, or someone with crutches put them down, before you immediately call them out to a friend, take a picture, or write a post: does your fakeclaim rely on stereotypes? Are your reasons things that apply to ambulatory aid users?

If so, just stop. Be mindful. Please.

[nerdyelff]

I feel like Elrond growing up with a guy that lost his hand and also being a healer would do his very damn best to make Rivendel accessible to disabled people no matter what they're disability is.

Like imagine!

Wheelchair user(or anyone that struggles with stairs)

Elrond after helping them up the stairs: so stairs aren't a thing you can do?

Person: sadly no, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Elrond with loving dad vocie: No! No No! Do not apologize for being who you are! You are not an inconvenience! Tell me what else can be done to help?

Person: ramps would be a great help. Oh! And I know that one of my friends has a hard time with cabinets and doorknobs!

Elrond with a million ideas to make life easier: yes yes of course! If you think of anything else you must tell me! Have a good evening dear.

Later

Elrond bursting into Lindir's office with a stack of papers and ideas: Lindir! Get the architect! Rivendel is getting a makeover!

No fuss! No making disabled people feel guilty or weak! They just start noticing subtle differences! All doorknobs are now accessible, ramps that weren't there before just subtle changes to make their life easier and more comfortable.

[transmutationisms]

Feel free not to answer this ask so you dont have to step into this particular hornet's nest but do you have any thoughts about people sharing inaccurate science about COVID in order to push for more COVID regulations? I agree that COVID is being neglected and we need better policies but I'm also a biochemist so it pisses me off to see people cite research in a way that makes exaggerated and terrifying claims. Two years ago, I was warning my colleagues against this condescending "just trust the science" approach but now the same crowd pushing that has shifted to pushing "don't trust any of the positive science, only my catastrophic interpretations of it". Can't we mask without also trying to convince each other that COVID is a guaranteed one way ticket to death and permanent disability?

you must be new here haha i swing bats at this hornet's nest like once a month. yeah i think the current state of covid communication sucks a lot. i mean the truth is that "follow the science" is always a disingenuous sentiment; Science doesn't speak, and scientists disagree with one another. and it's naïve to pretend majority consensus is a reliable mechanism to identify truth—anyone who has followed the covid aerosolisation about-face will recall that although linsey marr was not the first researcher to challenge medical orthodoxy on airborne disease transmission, even well into the covid pandemic the idea of aerosol transmission was marginalised by global health authorities because it was politically inconvenient, out of favour with powerful established academics, and reminiscent to some of pre-pasteurian miasma theories of disease. those who would "follow the science" were not presented with a convenient dichotomy between reasonable evidence-backed expert consensus and fringe peddlers of heterodoxy; to evaluate these positions required actually, yknow, reading and evaluating the arguments and evidence from multiple competing positions, and deciding which had the greater explanatory power. which is good epistemological advice only insofar as it's so obvious as to be trite.

fundamentally a huge driving force of this situation is the social, political, and institutional forces that make expert knowledge (a generally good thing) all too often synonymous with inaccessible knowledge. i don't mean inaccessibility caused by knowledge being specialised; obviously this is inevitable to some extent simply as a result of the fact that no one person will grasp the entirety of human knowledge. but the fact that knowledge is specialised, specific, highly technical, and so forth doesn't automatically mean, for example, that it has to be monetarily gatekept from all but a select few with the resources to persevere through a highly punishing, nepotistic, hegemonic university system; this is a political problem, and one that additionally has the effect of enabling and sheltering low-quality work (see: replication crisis) behind the opaque walls of university bureaucracy and the imprimateur of the credentials it grants. in lieu of an ability to actually engage with, read, or challenge much of the academic research being generated on any given topic, the lay public is supposed to rely on signs of reliability like possession of a degree, or institutional reputation. what we in fact see again and again, and with particularly high stakes in the case of something like a pandemic, is that these measures are instruments of class stratification and professional jockeying that don't inherently ensure quality information: MDs can and do peddle anti-vaxx lies and covid / long-covid denialism; the CDC and WHO can and do perpetrate bad and outdated scientific advice, like that masks are unnecessary and isolation periods can be shortened for convenience. many of these are just blatant cases of kowtowing to political pressure, which arises from the capitalist logic that counterposes disease prevention to economic growth.

this all leaves us in a position where it is, in fact, smart and correct to evaluate the information coming from 'official' and credentialled sources with scepticism. the problem is that in its place, we get information coming out of the same capitalist state-sponsored scientific institutions, and the same colonialist universities; the idea that some chucklefuck on twitter is telling you the secret truth just because they correctly identified that the government sucks is plainly absurd. where covid specifically is concerned, the liberalism of academic and scientific institutions is on display in numerous ways, including the idealist assumption, which many 'covid communicators' make, that public health policy is primarily a matter of swaying public opinion, and therefore that it is always morally imperative to form and propagate the most alarmist possible interpretation of any study or empirical observation. this is not an attitude that encourages thoughtful or measured evaluation of The Science (eg, study methodology), nor is it one that actually produces the kind of political change that would be required to protect the populace writ large from what is, indeed, a dangerous and still rampant virus. instead, this form of communication mostly winds up generating social media Engagement and screenshots of headlines of summaries of studies.

meanwhile, actual public health policy (which is by and large determined at the mercy of capitalist state interests, and which by and large shapes public opinion of what mitigation measures are 'reasonable', despite the CDC repeatedly pretending this works the other way round), remains on its trajectory toward lax, open exposure of anyone and everyone to each new strain of covid, perpetuating a society that is profoundly hostile to disabled people and careless with everyone's life and health. this fucking sucks. it sucked that we have treated the flu like this for years, and it sucks that we are now doing it with a virus that we are still relatively immunologically naïve to, and that produces, statistically, even more death and disability than the flu. and it sucks that the predominating explanations of this state of affairs from the 'cautious' emphasise not the structural forces that shape knowledge production under capitalism, but instead invoke a psychological narrative whereby individuals simply need to be sufficiently terrified into producing mass action.

[wildestdreamsblog]

Latibule IV

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader (Mafia/Detective AU)

Summary: In which you didn’t know who he truly was- until it was too late. Or in which he found heaven in you.

Warnings: Secret Identity, Yandere behavior, Obsessiveness, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, Violence, Mention of death, Disability, Sexual themes, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.

A/N: tysm for the overwhelming support you give to this story!! Ily all 💕

Masterlist, Latibule III

“You’re a veterinarian?” he asked in apparent disgust, his hand covering his mouth. He was looking at you with betrayal in his eyes as though you did the most heinous thing to him.

Seriously, a veterinarian? A veterinarian saved him? All along he thought you were a someone from a medical field. A human medical field.

You rolled your eyes before picking up the dog that had been cowering in fear when he stepped in the clinic uninvited. Really, it was unprompted. You didn’t know how he knew where you worked or why he was here. All you knew was that his presence was not only distracting, but it was also unwarranted. Also, what was it with him that even known predators were shaking with trepidation? Suga was all bark and no bite, you thought to yourself.

And the way he was acting was over-the-top. You bumped his shoulder as you went out of the room. “What are you doing here, my dearest and largest inconvenience in life?”

Suga followed you in your office after you handed the dog to the assistant. He of course had he audacity to plop himself down on your swivel chair as if he belonged there. You really had no energy left to deal with him. You had too much on your plate and you hadn’t really been sleeping well lately.

He looked around your office with a mask of indifference, taking in every nook and cranny. He eyed the framed photographs you had on your table, noting that the couple holding you must have been your parents. You were smiling at the camera, clutching your diploma and a bouquet of roses in your hands as your parents stood proudly beside you with their arms around you. You were smiling so wide at the camera that he subconsciously smiled. You looked good happy.

He wondered what made you so sad now.

His mind was still desperately attempting to figure out the mystery that you were. You were still young. He thought that you should be out there instead of holed up in this quiet town. You should be out there enjoying your nights instead of looking at the same damn sky every night, gazing at the stars as though it would be the last time you looked at them. It had been a while now since he entered into your life bloodied and bruised. Aside from knowing that you were an annoyingly kind person who had no qualms about putting him in his place, he knew nothing about you. You went straight home from work, as far as he knew you didn’t talk to your family, and you loved mornings and looking at the night sky.

You were a glaring conundrum, and he couldn’t separate the detective in him. He wanted to stop at nothing until he discovered every untold verity about you. Additionally, did he really want to know? Would it be the smartest thing to do?

Would he survive knowing everything?

“I was bored,” he answered with an air of nonchalance, “your house does not really provide entertainment, you know?”

You glared at him as you leaned your hands on your table, “Then leave.”

He was shaking his head slowly, “I can’t yet. You’re stuck with me until the foreseeable future.” Suga looked at the numerous frames again taking space on your desk. He couldn’t stop looking at them, his kind itching with the familiarity of who he presumed as your parents. “Seriously, angel, would you forget what they look like if you don’t have five frames on your table?”

A flash of sorrow crossed your eyes for a second before hiding it with annoyance. You marched to him, pulling him up by his thick wrists with all your might, to which he didn’t even move an inch. He was looking at you with raised brow as though in confusion to what you were trying to do. “Get up. If you’re so bored, go and look for a job. For heaven’s sake, it’s like feeding three people at the same time! Fifty percent of my salary goes to your food!”

“I’m a growing man, angel! I need to eat more-“

“You’re old! You stopped growing eons ago!”

He expertly removed your grip on him. He pulled you closer to him, his seated position still towering over you as he brought you closer to his face. His voice was deep…and enticing. “I’ll have you know that I’m only thirty-“

“No way!” you exclaimed exaggeratedly, putting your hands on his chest to stop you from completely crashing to him. “Then why don’t you act like it?”

Suga smirked. See, no one really talked to him this way. It was only ever you. All his men followed his orders. All of them dared not to cross him just because he might have maimed several people who crossed him. Cowards. Additionally, your quick wit and your personality that took no shit from anyone were a breath of fresh air for him. He could almost treat his refuge in this town as a vacation. Well, until he can return to ruling all the worlds.

Ah, you were really beautiful, he thought as he looked closely at you. Had he met you under his normal circumstances, he would have made a move on you already. But alas, this was the craziest of times in his life. He did not need any attachments to this godforsaken town.

He tilted his head, tucking your hair behind your ear. “Why, angel? How does a man my age act with a woman as beautiful as you?” he asked lowly, his voice deepened more than usual. Your heart skipped a beat at what he was asking, but you were you and he was him. And so you met his eyes, his scarred eye did nothing to lessen his beauty. If anything, his scar proved that he lived. You felt his other hand moved to the small of your back, ensuring that you stayed where he wanted you to.

“W-well. For one, a man your age should have a stable job-“

He nodded, his hand mindlessly rubbing your waist. “Got it. A stable and well-paying job.” If only you knew what he was in his life, he thought. He had a stable job in the police department and a well-paying job as the kingpin.

“-and a man your age should take care of a woman as beautiful as me. How else can you protect a woman without any means to do so? Honey, no woman would stay with you if you are incapable of providing,” you shot back with a smirk on your face thinking that he wasn’t any of the things you said.

Suga could only chuckled at what you were insinuating. He was more than capable, alright. “So, all I need to do is get a job so you won’t leave me?”

You nodded seriously. “I need a man who buys me expensive things.”

He smiled so widely at you that his adorable gums were visible. You were entertaining, he thought. He could buy you all the things you could ever wanted had he been in his normal life. If only you knew.

“Doc, are you going to the carnival later?” the office’s assistant asked as you bade her goodbye for the day. You had been working here since your arrival in this town. You thought you were extremely lucky to find someone hiring in the town as small as this was. It turned out, this was perfect for you.

You offered her a smile even though her eyes strayed to the man behind you. He looked as bored as he felt. He annoyed you into clocking out early because he was hungry. You told him straight off that he didn’t need to wait for you but if stubbornness has a name, it would be Suga.

“Is that your fiancé?” she whispered to you.

“What? No-“

“Angel,” he suddenly called you, his expression that of an innocent man and that was when you knew he was on his bullshit again. “You know it hurts me when you deny us.”

“How could you, doc?” she accused you lightly, shaking her head at you as she fully believed his horrendous act. “It’s okay. The whole town knows, anyway.”

“What?! How?”

“Well, you’re hiding someone as handsome as him. Of course the whole town will talk. It’s not like we get new people in this town, anyway.”

Before you could answer, he was pulling your workbag and you were left with no choice but to follow him. The clinic was a ten-minute walk. In a town as quiet as this was, walking was more welcome than driving. He was walking with one hand in his pocket, the other pulling your bag which made inadvertently made him carry most of the weight and all you needed to do was follow his lead.

“I’m going to the carnival later,” you quipped up, watching his reaction from behind. He didn’t even spare you a glance but you could feel the annoying smirk showing in his face.

“Is this your way of asking me to come?”

“As if,” you scoffed, looking at the other side to hide your expression. Why the fuck did you want him there with you, you thought angrily. You couldn’t deny that you did, though… “B-but, do you want to come?”

“Nope.”

Yep. Your heart sure didn’t drop at that.

You had just changed your clothes when you heard a knock. You opened the door and immediately lighted up when you saw it was your friend and the owner of the clinic. “Hey, you ready to go?”

“Yup, let me just grab my--“ you trailed off when you felt a had pulling you. Your back was plastered on his front as he regarded who technically was your boss. His face was devoid of any emotion as he looked at him with his dark eyes.  

“You are?”

“I’m…Jackson?”

“Is that a question?” he scoffed. “I’m her fiancé,” he stated with enough strength that no one would think that he wasn’t staking claim. He said it with enough force as though to ask the man in front of you who the fuck he was in your life that he had the audacity to take you from him.

Jackson glanced at you with something akin to a teasing glint in his eyes before meeting Suga’s eyes head on. “Cool. Although I heard the news, I didn’t believe that Y/N has a fiancé now.”

“Well, believe it.”

“Okaaay,” you spoke with finality before turning to Suga. “I’ll be going now-“

“I’m coming with you.”

You watched him as he took in the bright lines from the carnival. He genuinely looked like a cat as he turned his head to look at every ride and stall the carnival had. This was his first time going to a place such as this with his father never allowing him to enjoy what normal children enjoyed. He was not allowed to exist for any reason other than to serve his father’s ambition. Simple pleasures such as this was deprived from him. He wondered if this was also the reason why he grew up as depraved as he was, he thought, to never have known and feel comfort and happiness, did those things make him the greedy and twisted man that he was?

He tugged you to the side when he saw what seemed like a toy gun and lines of cans on the wall. He watched as teenagers miserably failed to knock down the required numbers of cans. He shook his head before turning to you with his palm up in expectation.

See this was why most of your budget went to him.

“No.”

He frowned grumpily, “Why not?”

“Because games like that are rigged.”

“But I want to shoot a gun…”

You strayed on the other side when you got bored watching him shoot like a lunatic. You were drawn to the small band playing on the other side of the carnival. You joined the crowd as they swayed to the sweet melodies as they sang a rendition of The One by Kodaline. A smile graced your lips as you watched an elderly couple leaned into each other as they listened to the song. It must have been nice to have someone to grow old with, you thought. It must have been comforting to have someone…but you didn’t and you couldn’t.

Not with your situation.

You were going to grow old alone. You were going to live a life of solitary and never to have anyone to call your own. Your thoughts were louder than the music. Your emotions were higher than the volume of the instrments when you felt a familiar hand pulled you. And it was as though time moved a little bit slower as he turned you around to face his towering form. His skin was glowing underneath the sea of fluorescent lights from the carnival. His long, dark hair was framing his face. He was breathing hard as he stared down at you with his equally dark eyes. Your heart beat faster when you met his eyes.

“Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been looking for you, angel,” he reprimanded with an air or worry and annoyance in his voice. He frowned, loathing the fact that he looked everywhere for you. And when he couldn’t find you, he didn’t know why it unnerved him, nor why it felt wrong to not know where you were. Or why for the first time in his life, he felt the crippling panic in his heart.

Shadows engulfed his face as he looked down at you, the light behind him made him looked like an ethereal being, one that was too dangerous to touch, yet you were preconditioned to meet him. It was the cruelest of trick that you and him were always meant to cross paths, and neither of you could avoid it.

 “Don’t just leave like that.”

And you knew right then and there, you were fucked.

-Somewhere in Seoul, South Korea-

Park Jimin walked stealthily on the narrow street, his eyes on the bodies scattered on the ground. Finally, he could feel it. This was it. He was going to know who the betrayer was.

He smirked as he stalked to the last breathing man leaning on the wall. Jimin whistled ominously, his hand on his pocket and the other holding his favorite gun nonchalantly. He smiled angelically at the dying man as he squatted down to look at him eye to eye.

“P-pl-please…” he whispered pathetically, “e-end me, s-sir. P-please-“

Jimin smiled at him before lifting the man’s chin with his gun, “It hurts, doesn’t it?” he whispered tauntingly. “I should give you the mercy you don’t deserve, right?”

“P-Pleas-“

“I will. Don’t worry,” he assured him before losing his smile all together. He was not going to leave anyone alive tonight, he thought. That was never part of the plan. “But you need to tell me who your boss is.”

And he did.

“So it’s you, huh?” Jimin whispered to himself as he walked away from the crime, his men rushing in to clean the mess.

Latibule V

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for hanging out with someone less in-person, and more online?

Here me out first please.

My buddy Austin (he/him) and I usually hang out at least every other week, if not every week. We've been doing this for the last few years after we both got more conformable doing in-person hangouts after the covid vaccines reached the general public in our country.

About a year ago, Austin was in a car accident (not a major one, don't worry) and walked away with a mild concussion (doctor's description). Ever since that car accident, Austin has been super sensitive to sound. In his words, walking across his floor in socks sounds like elephant stomping. His floor is carpet. Typing on a phone is so loud and distracting he can't hear anything else. Birds outside his house sound like they're chirping directly into his ear. He vents to me often that having a regular-volumed conversation sounds so loud it's painful to him.

When I'm over at his house, I try to be as quiet as I can. I'm careful to soft-step around the house and not take my shoes off. I try to shuffle or slide through the kitchen and other rooms that are not carpet so I make less noise. We whisper or half-whisper half-speak to each other in conversation. Movies we have subtitles on and the volume turned down to almost 0%. But Austin still looks like he's in pain by the end of a couple hour hang-out. Sometimes he'll get up and put in earplugs and then come back to continue the hangout. I feel really bad that he's putting himself through so much.

The last few months, instead of always hanging out in-person, I've been suggesting doing something virtual and letting Austin decide which he wants. I figure that if we're gaming, he can wear his earplugs or mute the game and we can use game chat or text each other to communicate. Same with watching movies, we can both adjust our volumes to our comfort levels (and leave subtitles on still. I don't mind them). Sometimes he wants to just do things online, and sometimes he insists on hanging out in-person. It's been about 60/40 online to in-person so far.

We hung out last weekend and first Austin said let's hang out in-person, but the night before we were supposed to hang out, he told me he rather hang out online this time. I was cool with it, but when I let my roommate Geoff (who is also good friends with Austin) know that actually I'd be home most of the day Saturday and answered Geoff's "why are you hanging out with Austin online again?" with "i don't know, Austin probably wants a quiet weekend instead", my roommate started accusing me of infantilizing Austin by hanging out online instead of in-person, that I'm abandoning Austin because his "auditory disablility is too inconvenient for fragile able-bodied feelings" (Geoff's words), and how since Austin hasn't explicitly said that in-person hanging out is too loud for him, then I'm being ableist by assuming things are too loud when he hasn't directly said that I am too loud. I argued that I don't think of Austin as lesser, I just don't want to cause him any unnecessary pain, and it's pretty obvious when things are too loud for him without words, because you can read the "Make it stop" / "No more" expression on his face. But Geoff doubled down really hard and told me i should be ashamed of treating Austin like he's incapable of making his own choices.

I was pissed and just walked out with my laptop. We did our movie day with me on the local library wifi instead. I don't think for a second I've taken away Austin's ability to choose, since I let Austin make the call on in-person or online!! But I'm also completely able-bodied. I haven't even experienced a temporary disability-experience like needing crutches during injury recovery or anything. Geoff has a chronic pain and fatigue disorder, so he has more experience with microaggressions than I do. So I don't know if I'm right about this being a non-issue, or if Geoff is right about me being ableist against Austin's noise sensitivities. It keeps eating at me now, and I don't want to bring this up with Austin since I already know he's really insecure about his new volume tolerance levels. Am I an asshole for doing online hangouts with Austin instead of sticking to only in-person stuff?

[hallowpen]

The Influence of Thai Culture on Attitudes towards Disabilities as it Relates to Last Twilight

(This is a combination of personal experiences/observations having lived in Bangkok and my learned academic knowledge/own personal research. I am not an expert by any means, but I wanted to offer some insight from my own personal point of view.)

While Thailand has certain provisions in place to prevent disability discrimination, it is still very much present in Thai society. Disability legislation is not strictly enforced and accessibility is extremely limited. That is not to say that efforts aren't being made to promote education and inclusivity, just that views and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities have been slow to reform. As such, there is a negative stigma that exists in Thailand where disabled individuals are, for the most part, seen as a burden or an inconvenience. There are certain cultural aspects that, unfortunately, contribute toward this outlook:

Collectivism and Tradition - Thailand can be labeled as a collectivistic society. What that means is, there is a tendency to favor the 'grouped' majority over individual interests. As a result, individuals with disabilities are less likely to be integrated into their communities. The urge to conform to group rules and traditions hinders Thai society from accepting "disruptive" change. Communities prefer to avoid the uncertainty and ambiguity of the unknown, which reduces the amount of conversations centering around disability education. I stated in my review of LT, that there needed to be a deeper conversation surrounding the experiences and realities of the disabled community in order for the series to have the impact it intended to. And this is why. It needs to be talked about, otherwise nothing will change and, much like the last part of that final episode, ableist views/language will prevail.

Religious Influence - At this point (if you are a fan of Thai dramas), you probably already know that Buddhism is the predominant religion in Thailand. We are taught to be merciful towards the weak and to give of ourselves to those who are less fortunate. While helping others should absolutely be seen as morally good, these viewpoints can also give rise to societal stigmas surrounding disabilities. Receiving unsolicited assistance as a disabled person became a constant question of: are you genuinely concerned out of kindness OR because you somehow see me as 'less than' and therefore feel you have a moral obligation to step in. In LT, I understood Day's insistent worry of being on the receiving end of someone else's pity. There was a reason why it was so prevalent in his story and why he questioned the motives of others' actions so frequently. Because Thai culture has inadvertently labeled disabled people as being 'frail' and 'in need' and who should, therefore, be met with sympathy.

Caregiving - While there are social welfare programs and services available in Thailand, generally, it is the responsibility of the family to care for and provide for their disabled relatives. Intergenerational care is a big part of Thai culture, but in this instance it's not entirely positive. The broader Thai society infantilizes people with disabilities, which means they are often disallowed from making their own decisions by those who care for them (sound familiar?). As a result, they live under less than ideal conditions that exclude them from being active members of their communities. It's upsetting that people with disabilities exist largely out of the public eye, when opportunities to be present in society and engaging with their community could potentially change their status and offset stereotypical attitudes. One of the best parts of LT that I will continuously praise it for, is Mhok's version of caregiving that completely turns these views on its (their?) head. He's not afraid to stand up to Day (or how Day's been conditioned to feel toward his blindness) and gently pushes him toward self acceptance and engagement within his community. Mhok is subtle in a way that he does what is required of him as a caregiver without ever taking away Day's agency. And that was extremely important to see against Day's mother's more 'traditional' care.

Treatment - I'm not well versed when it comes to Thai healthcare. I do know that outside of traditional medicine, access to more advanced modern treatment is highly dependent on income and social standing. Other than that, it is a disabled person's prerogative to seek treatment if a treatment exists for their disability and is accessible to them. It is also their prerogative to refuse treatment. Neither decision should be judged or actively swayed by outside perspectives (though this happens more often than not). It is highly plausible that someone in Day's position, coupled with his mother's status, would have both the access and the desire to receive a corneal transplant surgery. The outcome of Day's vision being restored was never the issue for me. The fault lies in its execution and what was implied in the aftermath.

...that's all I got. I don't really know how to end this...I'm tired.

(Please note, this is not at all meant to paint Thailand in a bad light. Thai society is fairly accepting of individuals with disabilities and positive attitudes do exist, but certain perspectives need to change!)

tagging @lurkingshan @waitmyturtles @shannankle

[littletealights]

What makes you think that Arthur is a person of color? :0 just curious.

gladly.

so, at first, i thought it was me projecting but i think the first clue i got was eddie. yall might think i’m being dramatic but eddie was…suspicious from the get-go. in a normal situation like this, there’s actually 0% chance that it turns out the way it did for arthur.

but that’s beside the point. eddie knocks on the door and receives an unhurried response. he walks away to do.. whatever it is he was doing. arthur comes to the door, opens it, looks around and picks up some trash, muttering to himself. suddenly eddie has urgent business inside the office with a. flimsy excuse at best. strike one.

we, as the audience, know that arthur is being shifty because he’s just killed a man. eddie has been told, quite convincingly, that arthur was moving… boxes or something (im looking at the transcript, arthur just says ‘not furniture’ so…). and that arthur is working with sensitive documents. not sure if you know this but private detectives have to work with proper authorities to be allowed to operate legally. that means they work with the police and the courts. when a PI says a document is sensitive, they mean legally. they mean eyes only. they mean ‘come back later or i could lose my fucking license because you got the wrong look at classified documents.’ a building manager, especially their building manager, should know that. strike two.

he also asks for arthur’s partner, peter yang (who is, i can only assume, an east asian man). i should hope that i dont have to remind you that this is massachusetts in the 30’s we’re talking about, and what that means logically. but i will. america hated asian people the most they ever did until COVID in the 30s through the 60s. the only people they hated more were black and brown people. no matter how shifty and suspicious arthur was acting, eddie would’ve been… let’s just say ‘incredibly unlikely’ to ask for peter instead of the white man. strike three

there’s some little bits about subvocals and tone that i could say, but it’d be a lot and i don’t fully understand it enough to explain well why eddie set off alarms for me. because i dont have to. it takes 5 minutes (from 11:48-16:09 on spotify, so nearly exactly) for eddie to go from inconvenient, to annoying, to suspicious, to violent. and he ends the conversation with a very real threat of violence that essentially boils down to ‘don’t come back to the building again.’ eddie is a maintenance man. he did not have the power to evict anyone. unless, of course, they were a poc. so why was arthur worried about eddie when sneaking back into the building?

but, like i said, i thought i was projecting. projection and being-on-the-lam can easily explain arthur’s hesitance when delivering the baby and asking for a ride. or the gunshop in part 6. but the lighthouse? no, what really solidified it for me was the end of part 8.

here’s what officer collin knows so far: a visibly disabled man has stumbled, confused and upset, away from a lighthouse and a body that CANNOT have been killed by a human; and it is dark outside. that’s it. using this knowledge, he then proceeds to beat said man. brutally. repeatedly.

in part 9 they learn he is blind and when that timid little fucker (mitchell) expresses doubt, collin says this

this is something we like to call coerced confession. arthur did not kill that man (the lighthouse keeper). officer collin knows that arthur didn’t kill that man. (dont play, he knows.) but because it is convenient to say that he did, they’ll threaten and torture him until he says that he did.

now, friends, i’m not going to lie to your face and say that white folk are safe from the cops, youre not, i know. but what im also not going to do is pretend like there os any world in which this happens and arthur is visibly white. not in the thirties, not in america. despite being forgotten or unmentioned they are in the midst of the great depression, the exact last thing these small-town cops need is the arrest of a blind white man on their hands. regardless, i have never ever heard of a cop speaking this way to a white person unprovoked. i, on the other hand, have been spoken to this way myself.

this is already quite long and it doesn’t even cover the sheer magnitude of people who feel comfortable calling arthur (at his grown ass age of visibly-an-adult) ‘boy.’ or the wicked and downright racist way that larson says it, (genuinely. it sounds like he’s a middle school boy who discovered the word ‘fagg*t’ for the first time the way he says it. i couldn’t tell you how many times that word (boy) drove an ice pick through my fucking skull this season.) but i hope you can at least get the picture.

original post is here

[badolmen]

Why are they BURYING people in the disabled PARKING LOT??

Because normally, if my car isn’t parked there, they just pile all the snow IN THE DISABILITY SPOTS instead of over and out of the parking lot because it’s less work for them <3

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

i shared something a few months ago about allergies and food disabilities and it recently started accumulating notes again and now it's at 5.7k, so obviously my activity page is just people trauma dumping about their awful experiences with allergies in the tags which is. Fun.

but what's really getting me is how i made a comment early on in the reblog chain about how many personal and professional activities revolve around food and how much it sucks to have to either put yourself at risk or miss out on those opportunities, because people often react badly either way if you cause them even the slightest inconvenience

and EVERYBODY who has responded to that comment. and I mean everybody. has focused on "personal" and made comments about how "if your friends don't respect your food disabilities, they're not your friends" and "you'll meet more supportive people in future" and all of that

and not one of them has paid any attention to the "professional" part of that. I'm talking about work Christmas dinners where if you don't go you're not a team player and will probably get passed over for future opportunities, but if you go, you'll get sick and HR will be mad about the extra time off. I'm talking about networking dinners and business lunches and meeting people at the buffet table at events, all of which are fraught if not impossible. I'm talking about travelling for conferences or other events and having to bring an entire extra bag with food because the venue can't cater for you (hand luggage only just ain't even an option at this point, so yay, extra costs if you're travelling further afield)

and also! smaller things like job interviews where you have to wear "smart" clothes (fitted waistbands and IBS? A Nightmare). dress codes in general. working in a building where the nearest toilets are on the opposite side. not being able to trust the work kettle/microwave because it might be contaminated but not having the facilities to bring/use your own. not being able to use communal tea/coffee/milk supplies for the same reason. all of those little everyday things

it isn't just about friends. it's about LIFE. i'm in an industry where events, lunches, etc are a common occurrence, and a nightmare for me. in academia, it feels like every other event involves a wine reception, which is shit when you don't drink and don't love being around people who are drinking a lot. in the office, i can't participate properly in any of the seasonal social gatherings, whether they're tea and biscuits or a Christmas meal

food disabilities have PROFESSIONAL impacts. because they are disabilities. it isn't just about having fun or hanging out with friends. it affects my career and my opportunities and it is INVISIBLE because people don't even know to recognise the ableism when they're doing it

i am tired of people ignoring that facet of it all

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

A rant about Jedi Stans from an ex-Jedi fangirl

After some time I've had to reflect on my own behavior as well as my time in the pro Jedi fandom, I decided it's time to call this shit out. Some people take it really personal if someone criticized your favorite characters or their beliefs. Ironically, you all act more like the Sith than the Jedi with how obsessive you can be and insisting any criticism is equal to wanting genocide.

I'm going to start by saying I was in the pro jedi fandom for a few months. Truth be told, I was using it as an outlet for some of my anger issues with my hate towards Anakin, seeing him as similar to a lot of people I've had to deal with. Some of it was wanting more followers and fear of being disliked by the majority. I would pick fights with Anakin fans and was a bit of an asshole and I apologize for that. I still don't like him but no longer HATE him. Seeing how fandoms treat abuse victims who aren't perfect angels like Shinji Ikari or Lapis Lazuli has caused me to loosen up a bit. Many Jedi stans would probably hate those characters for not being “perfect” victims. In retrospect, this wasn't a good community for me. It was very puritanical and I often felt like I was wrong for enjoying media that went against the beliefs Jedi Stans put on a pedestal. Three of my favorite ships (Madohomu, Reishin and Hodaka x Hina) involve "burning the world for one person" and I felt like I couldn't talk about them without being a hypocrite. That and me agreeing less and less with Luca's beliefs pushed me to leave.

It's fine to enjoy a fictional character and defend them if you feel that they're being unfairly criticized. I've done it myself and have written essays defending my faves. The problem is that Jedi stans don't know when to stop. So many are quick to compare the Jedi to minority religions or marginalized groups as a shield against criticism, not recognizing how insulting that can be. Jewish, asian and aroace people are the ones normally used due to the Jedi beliefs being based off Eastern religions as well as Judaism as well as some aroace people identifying with the Jedi.

One thing I noticed about Jedi stans is their similarities to Jumblr which is full of religious chauvinism reworded to sound progressive. Many of them talk about how the Jedi shouldn't have to change their traditions with the times or to accommodate a few individuals like Anakin or Ahsoka. This can be similar to how a lot of people are quick to defend minority religions from outside criticism based on how they were treated by Christian colonists or missionaries. The problem is that this can veer right into ableist or queerphobic territory. You know who else believe that their religion shouldn't have to change with the times to accommodate people? Conservative Christians who hate being told to be affirming of LGBTQ people. Also, schools and parents/guardians do have a responsibility to accommodate kids with disabilities, mental health issues or trauma, even if it may be inconvenient or force you to bend the rules. Claiming they need to just suck it up is honestly disgusting.

This was all a big reason for why I left this garbage pit of a fandom. While there are some who hate the Jedi because they stan the empire or think people need 50s nuclear families to live fulfilling lives, not everyone does that. Believe it or not, some people have faced abuse and bigotry under Judaism and Buddhism. People can also criticize how Lucas presented their beliefs as some Buddhists think he didn't do a good job. Libsoftiktok is a vile transphobe, an Orthodox Jew and her beliefs are said to be fairly common in her community. Many people of color identify with the clones and dislike how even the nicer Jedi treated them. When Obi Wan told Anakin, "It's okay to have romantic feelings, but you must let them pass," that hits different for queer people who have been told similar things from "polite" homophobes. Some queer people do choose celibacy like Side B christians which is fine as long as they don't treat it as a moral failure to want a relationship. There are many neurodivergent people who don't like the Jedi beliefs as they hit close to home. Lucas may have not intended to come off as ableist but the Jedi did with their beliefs about negative emotions. To some people, platitudes like "just let go" aren't helpful and treating it as bad for not living up to those principles is gross.

I deleted the post, but a while back I made a post asking a popular pro jedi blogger their views on adoption since they claimed Anakin not viewing the Jedi as his "found family" was a moral failure. I found their response to be tone deaf and insulting. I responded in a decent way of course, but felt a bit judged and unhappy for wanting to know my birth mother. Adoptees are another set of people this fandom is insensitive and gross to. The Kenobi series I find insulting for that reason too, having Leia be a foil for Anakin and Obi Wan romanticize his recruitment as a child.

Jedi fans are also shitty to those with religious trauma and who faced abuse. Accusing anyone who criticizes the Jedi of projecting their issues with Christianity while simultaneously talking like conservatives as shown above. Tumblr in general has a weird habit of treating religion as if it’s either conservative evangelicalism, liberal reform Judaism and some vague pagan or eastern spirituality with little nuance. Some Jedi stans really come from a place of privilege. Claiming "they can just leave" is insulting to real religious abuse survivors who were raised with harmful beliefs like creationism or homophobia. I'm no antitheist but treating non christian religion as inherently progressive dismisses a lot of people's experiences.

Let's be real, the writing in this franchise was always a bit sloppy. Lucas's issue was wanting to simultaneously create both a black-and-white morality tale for kids based on the fairy tales and serials he grew up and a deep socio-political commentary about the Vietnam and Iraq wars which required some morally grey themes. Thus, along with his terrible dialogue that made the characters seem unlikable, is why the fandom is so divided over whether he intended people to agree with the prequel Jedi.

To wrap this up, I found the pro jedi fandom to be a terrible experience. It was a mix of faux progressivism mixed with fear of judgement for disagreeing. I ended up editing a post I made, and eventually deleted, comparing Yoda with Garnet from SU because I included a tiny bit of criticism and didn't want to get backlash. As long as it’s not gross or bigoted criticism of your favorite characters isn't the end of the world. People don't have to like George Lucas or his beliefs and put them on a pedestal. I feel like the fandom's worship of George comes in response to OT purists who claimed he "raped their childhoods" but there's fair criticism to be made. Just like how not everyone who criticizes Disney SW or any Disney media in general is an "anti woke" grifter. To the pro jedi fans reading this, here's a suggestion. Just block and ignore people, write an essay if you feel it's important, but don't act like an entitled bully if a blog or even a SW writer disagrees with the Jedi, interprets the story differently or criticizes your favorite characters.

[liminalweirdo]

Hi, sorry to bother you, but I recently came across some of your posts and was curious about the tag "not wearing a mask is eugenics". Can you elaborate on that? I'm genuinely curious, as this isn't a view I've seen before and want to know more about it

Sure! Basically one-way masking (one person wearing a mask in a group of unmasked people) is not nearly as effective at preventing covid spread as universal masking (everyone wears a mask).

Masks are the best way to reduce covid spread and help to keep everybody safe. Basically, masking even if you think you aren't sick -- covid is not always symptomatic and people are still contagious before symptoms show up /source/source/source/source -- is community-oriented. You are invested in protecting other people.

People who choose not to wear a mask and are leaving masking up to the people who "have to mask" or are covid-vulnerable or covid-cautious is a form of practising eugenics; it's the extension of "well only vulnerable and elderly people die from it," which is designating a group of people as "weak" and less deserving of a high quality of life. Or deserving of life at all. Basically, whether you want it to or not, choosing not to mask says. "If I get covid I'll probably make it because I'm able-bodied and have fairly good access to healthcare and medication. And if someone gets covid from me, and they get really sick or they die... oh well! Wearing a mask is such a bother."

It's casual eugenics. It's not caring enough about vulnerable members in your community to go through the minor inconvenience of wearing a mask, including events like Pride, protests, etc., but also just to protect your literal neighbours. The people you share clinics, and grocery stores, and libraries with.

Right now, disabled, immunocompromized, and other covid-vulnerable people have to severely limit their time spent in grocery stores (for example), and are avoiding accessing healthcare, haircuts, the movie theatre, restaurants, pharmacies, in-person jobs, socialization with family and friends, a quick trip out to a café, etc. -- basically all the things that they need, or that make life worth living -- and all because no one is bothering to mask in those public places, and that makes those places too unsafe. I'm one of those people. I haven't been inside a restaurant or a café or a real grocery store in three years. My partner cuts my hair for me because no barbers mask. I have avoided going to the doctor and getting new glasses even though my prescription no longer works for me. I can't go to the dentist because the other patients aren't required to mask in the waiting room, and no one has invested in HEPA filters or good ventilation.

Not wearing a mask says, "I don't care if those people can't access a decent quality of life." It says, "those people might die if they get covid, or become more severely disabled, but I probably won't, so I don't need to bother masking." It's the way no one cares if they can't access public places they should be able to access, and the casual attitude towards the eradication of "those" people if they get covid and suffer severe consequences. That's why it's eugenics.

If you're curious to learn more about this, follow tags like covid vulnerable, covid cautious, long-covid, me-cfs, myalgic encephalomyelitis, or blogs like @i-still-mask-because

[peachsukii]

hi rei! i’ve been on a big tokoyamki kick lately, so that’s what i’m bringing to you today.

the last few days i’ve been dwelling on tokoyami x disabled!reader. i could see tokoyami as someone who keeps a close eye on those he cares about. who doesn’t mind handling the difficult moments with you. in general, i think he’d be really kind and handle it well.

being that tokoyami is a very private person, i think he’d be very particular about preserving your dignity when others are around. dark shadow gets better at helping, too. he butts in and keeps you surrounded when symptoms get bad or you’re suddenly not able to stand because nothing feels worse than being stared at for the wrong reasons. yet neither of them are overbearing; tokoyami doesn’t blow it out of proportion or feel embarrassed by it, so dark shadow follows suit. he’s learned to be pretty good at keeping his cool, and that’s soothing to be around when shit hits the fan.

tokoyami isn’t one for pda, but he’s sweet on you when little things crop up - maybe a hand on your back or intertwining his fingers with yours. he laughs with you at the right moments and does or says small things to keep you smiling. but just like you, he’s still prepared if something goes wrong.

etc. etc. etc.

hope that’s okay for a softie sunday! 🥰

The way this made my heart MELT, Bunny!! Because you're right, Tokoyami would be one of the gentlest and most caring partners out there. Dark Shadow learning about all the telltale signs of when you're not feeling well, too just makes it that much sweeter, since he's an extension of Tokoyami that doesn't need to help, but does anyways.

He'll hold your hand when you're feeling down, make you tea when you need a pick me up, and never ever complain about your aches being an inconvenience. He wholeheartedly loves you, the whole package.

Also.......what if you're spending the night with him, and you end up having pains or some sort of issue in the middle of the night when Tokoyami's asleep, and Dark Shadow pops out to console you the best he can until he wakes up! 😭😭

((Tokoyami deserves more love like this!!))

『 #reis softie sundays 』

[sillybayo]

Can't sleep. Time for me to elaborate on this

Notes:

-This is a copy and pasted ramble from discord with some tweaks now that I'm further into the game. This was originally written when I have only just started the third semester arc, and even now, I haven't finished the game. So no spoilers in the reposts or comments please :(! If you want a good idea of where I am, then I've only just started the actual change of heart mission

-The characters discussed in this ramble are high schoolers and below the age of 20. I don't know how old they are in strikers or in any other spin off, and I do not plan on playing them. So please do not leave any gross comments about them, I will only block you. (If you're familiar with my rgu rambles then this isn't anything like them,, I'm just annoying and scaring away half the fandom)

-Warning for a lot of ableism in the school system and beyond

----

Ok so its like. How ableism in school effects people in different ways and how to cope with it. This is semi headcanony? I don't know how bonkers of a statement it is? Basically its like Ryuji being mentally + physically disabled and constantly trying to fight for the best. Makoto is mentally disabled and masks for adults approval and just accepts how things are. Sumire could VERY easily be read as physically disabled I don't think I need to explain it that much. Neither of the phantom thieves fit into society in some way or another but with those three its a much more of a like. They will never fit in kind of thing.

Something that stands out to me the most is how Makoto is the only one who understands Ryujis "dumb moments".

(Sorry for the weird combination of video and screenshots. Tumblr is weird)

I don't reallyyyyyyyyyyy read it as "Makoto is smarter than everyone else which is how she even begins to get him". Its more like she actually understands. She gets it.

Like lets be for eel. Makoto was basically pressured into working super hard. Theres no way she struggles with it that is only and simply in the "everyone wants me to appeal to their expectations" way.

She is smart but I feel like her studying hard is something she forces herself to do with the weight of ableism on her shoulders, which only makes it harder. I'm not sure if I'm making sense???? but Ryuji and Makoto can easily be read as having adhd. Ryuji as the typical LOL RANDOM 🤪 boy that inconveniences everyone whos actually really tired and struggling really badly and working as hard as he can. Makoto can be read as "oh, no, she isn't disabled :). She acts normal" when she really is and it pushed to the limits and can't fight against it and create a better school experience for herself because of how everyone just denies it.

Theres also Sae actively trying to make sure Makoto gets the recognition she deserves. Yes, this is because Makoto is a girl in a world where men control everything. But I personally feel like theres also this intersectionality of misogyny and ableism, which only means Makoto has to work even harder and has more weight on her shoulders.

Additionally, adhd is already ignored when it comes to girls having it, because to society, its mainly a boys thing where they jump up and down and run everywhere. Girls aren't thought to have adhd because not only do they have to mask harder to be taken seriously, but also because society ignores other symptoms and just views them as normal or not as much of an inconvenience to them personally and not to the person who actually has the disability.

You can also VERY EASILY add the idea of Makoto being japanese into all of the intersectionality stuff. Mental disorders are even HARDER to get diagnosed when you're colored,, and nobody cares until its too late. East asian readers who live/have lived in east asia are completely free to add on to this and correct me, as I don't know what it would be like when the mass majority of people you're surrounded by everyday are the same race as you, as you wouldn't have to deal with stereotypes or the system being against you (unless I am wrong :<!), but I still feel like this is DEFINITELY worth mentioning

I'm not physically disabled (I suppose? Saying this because of depression aches but they likely don't count) so I can't really be as personal about Ryujis leg and Sumires,,,,,, everything. I feel like Sumire could be read as having an invisible disability thats not taken seriously. Something something internalized ableism something something the school being so hard on her is making everything worse something something chasing to be someone else when in the end it'll never work.

Even with Sumire becoming Kasumi just because she can't imagine living as "her murderer", theres something about living as someone with different privileges and expectations than you. Theres something about not being able to be "as good" as them, especially when everyone thinks you are them. Theres something about having to struggle with something that no one can see. "This is Kasumi, not Sumire. So why is she failing so much?"

Theres also something about Ryujis "perfect world" being focused on his leg healing. Yes, hes a part of the track team again. But they aren't really the focus. Think of characters like Sumires dad, Mika, and Shibusawa. They have character portraits/sprites. While this doesn't 100% mean that they're important, it does make you remember them better. It establishes their personalities better and they're mentioned quite a bit.

Meanwhile, the side characters in Ryujis social links are just known as, well, "the track team" and "the coaches". They do have names, but, please be honest with yourself, do you remember them? And they don't have actual sprites either. Just typical modules.

Meanwhile, when you go up and talk to Ryuji, Akira/Ren/The Protagonist doesn't ask about the team or anything. Its about Ryujis leg (and also how they met I guess which is quite romantic but thats not relevant). And its normal to wish your disability wasn't there at all. I wish so everyday. Its a very common experience, especially when your disability is a roadblock to achieving your dreams.

It kind of makes me think of Maruki as........kind of ableist? At least in the context of this headcanon. Because all he is doing is encouraging Sumire and Ryuji to conform into an identity that they'll never truly be, which only hurts them more in the end.

(If any physically disabled readers than to add onto this or correct something then feel free to! I'd love to hear it :3)

Basically what I'm saying is that these three specifically should come together and kiss. And snuggle. Maybe make out a little. Maybe burn down shujin. I came up with a ship name for them (niijimoyoshizawa) but as you can see, its ass. So theres that.

Even if you don't end up shipping them,, then I hope you imagine them being sweet friends to each other,, or that I've gave you a different perspective on their arcs

[problemnyatic]

little fact about me

If I had to pick one single thing I can't reconcile with more than anything else, it's cognative dissonance. Specifically choosing cognative dissonance. At best, i can't respect it. At worst, it triggers my kill it with fire psychological horror response.

As you can imagine, this makes living in the 2020s kind of like bathing in boiling acid for my brain. But moreover, it makes me the kind of person that people love until they hate.

Because I'm honest. About who I am, about what I like about others, and I love learning other people's truths, no matter what those truths are. But I also don't let people pretend things are fine when they're not and need fixing. And that is, generally, the single most cardinal sin possible, especially among white folks.

It's why I'm always swinging bats at hornets nests on here. Besides just needing an outlet for my frustration, so much of what I pick at is, to me, cognative dissonance, people telling themselves that this or that is true when it's not, but they'd rather plug their ears and shout than face the mere possibility of being wrong, if they even consider it at all.

I hate that more than anything.

Because being wrong is inevitable. Not about everything, but about some things, and it's far more likely around emotionally charged issues. And even worse, if it's not about being wrong, it's about.. deciding that the truth isn't worth the effort of respecting.

I don't understand it. How can you not mask, while covid is still disabling people for life, still killing people, left and right? How can you still be engaging with moral purity, with sex and kink negativity as a queer person? Why do so many insist on dismissing the forest because they've found a favorite tree to love or hate?

I don't know. But I do know I'm not afraid to make people upset in the name of being fucking real. I'd rather keep it real, be messy, be honest, and espouse the inconvenient than be easy and likeable and simple. There's too goddamn much in the world going wrong, there's too much working against us. We need to be fucking honest about the ugly and scary truths if we're gonna have any hope of actually changing them.

You can't fix a problem if you're pretending it doesn't exist. You'll feel a lot better once it's actually fixed. Yeah even if fixing it sucks shit the whole time. At least that way it actually fucking ends.