#congenital amputation

[vireserein]

TL;DR: Obvious amputee struggles, hidden hEDS hijinks, failed attempt at mooning church ladies with my sexy yoga talents.

Invisible disabilities are still disabilities, and even if people can't outwardly see what you struggle with, you have the right to look "unsightly" or "inappropriate" in public to take care of yourself. This is taking medications, this is sitting down, this is doing whatever you need to do to keep your body happy and healthy. I'm used to being very obviously different with a congenital forearm amputation that doesn't really get in the way of my life besides the occasional inconveniently short microwave handles (can't get my residual joints behind them) or the way strangers and family often treat me in public for it (very poorly; this is my main struggle and I'd go so far as to say social separation is my main lifestyle difference. I am always unsightly in public.) . . . But the less notable side of my body, which is a progressively worsening diagnosis of hEDS that I've been dealing with for half of my life, is something I am still getting used to accepting and managing. With or without a lot of physical therapy, supplements, rest, and preventative care, I have issues that won't go away. Lately, this means that I can't sit up straight or stand for long periods of time, and very often need to do strange little jigs to get my ribs back into their parking spots in my poorly-oiled upper back— essentially, I can't look proper in quiet spaces. As a woman attending a tri-city snooty-suburb church primarily composed of prim-and-proper older ladies and their equally judgy sheltered tweenagers who would have a conniption at the idea our planet Earth being over 6,000 years old or, God literally forbid, people being themselves, I have at least one personal worst place to have three ribs twist themselves out of me so suddenly while mid- un-pretzelifying my body (to avoid back pain on a shitty pew) (also read: standing up like I'm an overburdened robot). That said, I love my community for the things they do correctly, and I love and prefer the church I attend while at my university for being much kinder, more open-minded, science-loving people.

So anyway, you do what you have to do, even if this means gasping like a fish with a harmonica stuck in its throat, squeezing past 10 of those people very forcefully, and lumpily skittering out of the room (picture a constipated armadillo. I'm fond of my parenthetical similes if you can't tell) to the aghast spite of plenty to put your rebellious skeleton back together in the bathroom, hands covered in napkins and ass directly to the door like this:

(I was taught this funny hot banana-pyramid pose by some very good friends of mine. It saves lives.)

Some people will still love you when they see your nice ass at church, and others will be offended over silly things, and even more will have the right intentions but a terrible mindset. . . But you matter most in this context, unless you're bowling over 95-year old grandfathers for bonus points.

And no, I didn't get caught. And, as a final addition, I think this whole connective tissue disorder thing has helped me to start accepting the visible part of me more. As I've mentioned before, I was raised to stamp out the idea that I was different, and to ignore my own support needs to convince others. Those needs were much easier to believe for something new and fresh that I could demand regular appointments for, and the wacky things I have to get up to to avoid pain have helped me to give less of a shit about others, even if it's hard to.

[thedudereturns]

[octoberarts]

I realised when I do amputee/limb difference characters I tend to make them acquired differences...so obviously I wanted to start diversifying that.

[Image ID: A woman with no arms stands relaxed with a soft smile. She has pink hair in two tiered ponytails, with blue hair decorations in them, green alien earrings, and purple glasses. There is a red heart on her face, and two heart shaped necklaces. She wears a pink and blue puff sleeved shirt with a rainbow patch. She has blue patchwork shorts, and blue knitted leg warmers over pink heart patterned toeless tights, and no shoes. There is a toe ring on her left foot, and she wears a pink heart shaped bag with many pins on it.]

[riding-with-the-wild-hunt]

vetted fundraisers from today. please keep engaging, it truly makes such a difference.

july 19th:

Helping Siraj Abudayeh, his wife, and their three young children rebuild their destroyed house ($7,254 CAD/$82,000 CAD) - @siraj2024, #219 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Walid Al-Qatrawi and his three little children (€1,884/€50,000) - @waled-family, verified by @/90-ghost

Ibrahim, his wife, and their two young children (£2,614/£30,000) - @ahmedrahaf2023, verified by @/drschnauzer (contact for details)

Reuniting the Helles family (five siblings and their mother in Gaza, father Yousef is abroad) (€6,518/€23,000) - @omarhilles2022, #206 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

The Al-Habil siblings (their oldest brother was killed), and their widowed mother (two family members need urgent medical treatment, one for shrapnel injuries and one for hepatitis and congenital heart disease) - @abeeribrahim2006, @nohaibrahim-2024, #240 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Mohammed Al Manasra (has already lost most of his family), his wife, their three little children, and their cat (Mohammed needs medicine for chronic respiratory illness and urgent treatment to save his leg from amputation) (€31,844/€35,000) - @save-mohamed-family, #192 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Ola Ahel, her four siblings, and their parents ($7,343/$20,000) - @olagaza, #205 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Nedaa and her parents (her father is elderly and sick) (£4,921/£15,000) - @nedaapalestine, verified by @/90-ghost

Shahd Muhammad and her family, including her young siblings who are very sick with hepatitis and her father, who needs treatment for a heart condition ($17,100/$50,000) - @shahednhall, #224 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Salahaldin Hor, his wife Sundus, and their three young daughters (€2,026/€40,000) - @salahaldinhor, verified by @/90-ghost

Safaa, her husband Abed, and their two little children (€9,383/€50,000) - @safaabed8, @abedalazeiz, verified by @/90-ghost

Safaa Jad Al-Hak, her husband, their baby Amir, and Safaa's parents, both of whom need urgent medical care ($1,273/$75,000) - @safaam199, @safaamiroo, verified by @/90-ghost

Helping Tawfik Satoom continue his education ($982/$20,000) - @tawfiksatooom, #238 on the operation olive branch spreadsheet

Amal Ashour, her husband, and their little daughter Maryam (€13,960/€30,000) - @amalashuor, #175 on @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi's spreadsheet

Ahmed Alanqar, his wife Dina, and their four young children, one a newborn (€32,519/€35,000) - @ahmedabuyamin, verified by @/nabulsi

Hanaa Al-Lulu and her family (€2,903/€40,000) - @enghanalulu, verified by @/90-ghost

Wafaa Alnhal's family of 15, including four young children and a newborn (Wafaa's account is getting repeatedly banned) (€35,594/€50,000) - @wafans-blog, #171 on @/nabulsi and @/el-shab-hussein's spreadsheet

Yousef, a toddler who needs lifesaving treatment for a blood disease, and his parents Dima and Samer (€4,145/€25,000) - @dima96yousef, verified by @/90-ghost

not yet vetted:

Aya Mahmoud, her eight siblings, and their parents ($70/$200,000) - @radstudentrunaway

Abdullah and Oday Al-Anqar (needs treatment for hepatitis), their three siblings (sister Farah is pregnant and needs perinatal care, sister Rafif is five years old), and their parents (€60/€50,000) - @abduallhalanqar, @odayalanqar

Mohammed Ayyad and his five young children (€25/€35,000) - @mhammed

with the possibility that the Rafah crossing may open at the end of the month and the situation in Gaza worsening all the time, it is more vital than ever that these families reach their goals as soon as possible. please please continue to donate and share!

[cripplecharacters]

Where to Start Your Research When Writing a Disabled Character

[large text: Where to Start Your Research When Writing a Disabled Character]

So you have decided that you want to make a disabled character! Awesome. But what's next? What information should you decide on at the early phrase of making the character?

This post will only talk about the disability part of the character creation process. Obviously, a disabled character needs a personality, interests, and backstory as every other one. But by including their disability early in the process, you can actually get it to have a deeper effect on the character - disability shouldn't be their whole life, but it should impact it. That's what disabilities do.

If you don't know what disability you would want to give them in the first place;

[large text: If you don't know what disability you would want to give them in the first place;]

Start broad. Is it sensory, mobility related, cognitive, developmental, autoimmune, neurodegenerative; maybe multiple of these, or maybe something else completely? Pick one and see what disabilities it encompasses; see if anything works for your character. Or...

If you have a specific symptom or aid in mind, see what could cause them. Don't assume or guess; not every wheelchair user is vaguely paralyzed below the waist with no other symptoms, not everyone with extensive scarring got it via physical trauma. Or...

Consider which disabilities are common in real life. Cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, stroke, cataracts, diabetes, intellectual disability, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, thyroid disorders, autism, dwarfism, arthritis, cancers, brain damage, just to name a few.

Decide what specific type of condition they will have. If you're thinking about them having albinism, will it be ocular, oculocutaneous, or one of the rare syndrome-types? If you want to give them spinal muscular atrophy, which of the many possible onsets will they have? If they have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which one out of the 13 different types do they have? Is their amputation below, or above the knee (it's a major difference)? Not all conditions will have subtypes, but it's worth looking into to not be surprised later. This will help you with further research.

If you're really struggling with figuring out what exact disability would make sense for your character, you can send an ask. Just make sure that you have tried the above and put actual specifics in your ask to give us something to work with. You can also check out our "disabled character ideas" tag.

Here are some ideas for a character using crutches.

Here are some ideas for a character with a facial difference (obligatory link: what is a facial difference?).

If you already know what disability your character is going to have;

[large text: If you already know what disability your character is going to have;]

Start by reading about the onset and cause of the condition. It could be acquired, congenital, progressive, potentially multiple of these. They could be caused by an illness, trauma, or something else entirely. Is your character a congenital amputee, or is it acquired? If acquired - how recently? Has it been a week, or 10 years? What caused them to become disabled - did they have meningitis, or was it an accident? Again, check what your options are - there are going to be more diverse than you expect.

Read about the symptoms. Do not assume or guess what they are. You will almost definitely discover something new. Example: a lot of people making a character with albinism don't realize that it has other symptoms than just lack of melanin, like nystagmus, visual impairment, and photophobia. Decide what your character experiences, to what degree, how frequently, and what do they do (or don't do) to deal with it.

Don't give your character only the most "acceptable" symptoms of their disability and ignore everything else. Example: many writers will omit the topic of incontinence in their para- and tetraplegic characters, even though it's extremely common. Don't shy away from aspects of disability that aren't romanticized.

Don't just... make them abled "because magic". If they're Deaf, don't give them some ability that will make them into an essentially hearing person. Don't give your blind character some "cheat" so that they can see, give them a cane. Don't give an amputee prosthetics that work better than meat limbs. To have a disabled character you need to have a character that's actually disabled. There's no way around it.

Think about complications your character could experience within the story. If your character wears their prosthetic a lot, they might start to experience skin breakdown or pain. Someone who uses a wheelchair a lot has a risk of pressure sores. Glowing and Flickering Fantasy Item might cause problems for someone photophobic or photosensitive. What do they do when that happens, or how do they prevent that from happening?

Look out for comorbidities. It's rare for disabled people to only have one medical condition and nothing else. Disabilities like to show up in pairs. Or dozens.

If relevant, consider mobility aids, assistive devices, and disability aids. Wheelchairs, canes, rollators, braces, AAC, walkers, nasal cannulas, crutches, white canes, feeding tubes, braillers, ostomy bags, insulin pumps, service dogs, trach tubes, hearing aids, orthoses, splints... the list is basically endless, and there's a lot of everyday things that might count as a disability aid as well - even just a hat could be one for someone whose disability requires them to stay out of the sun. Make sure that it's actually based on symptoms, not just your assumptions - most blind people don't wear sunglasses, not all people with SCI use a wheelchair, upper limb prosthetics aren't nearly as useful as you think. Decide which ones your character could have, how often they would use them, and if they switch between different aids.

Basically all of the above aids will have subtypes or variants. There is a lot of options. Does your character use an active manual wheelchair, a powerchair, or a generic hospital wheelchair? Are they using high-, or low-tech AAC? What would be available to them? Does it change over the course of their story, or their life in general?

If relevant, think about what treatment your character might receive. Do they need medication? Physical therapy? Occupational therapy? Orientation and mobility training? Speech therapy? Do they have access to it, and why or why not?

What is your character's support system? Do they have a carer; if yes, then what do they help your character with and what kind of relationship do they have? Is your character happy about it or not at all?

How did their life change after becoming disabled? If your character goes from being an extreme athlete to suddenly being a full-time wheelchair user, it will have an effect - are they going to stop doing sports at all, are they going to just do extreme wheelchair sports now, or are they going to try out wheelchair table tennis instead? Do they know and respect their new limitations? Did they have to get a different job or had to make their house accessible? Do they have support in this transition, or are they on their own - do they wish they had that support?

What about *other* characters? Your character isn't going to be the only disabled person in existence. Do they know other disabled people? Do they have a community? If your character manages their disability with something that's only available to them, what about all the other people with the same disability?

What is the society that your character lives in like? Is the architecture accessible? How do they treat disabled people? Are abled characters knowledgeable about disabilities? How many people speak the local sign language(s)? Are accessible bathrooms common, or does your character have to go home every few hours? Is there access to prosthetists and ocularists, or what do they do when their prosthetic leg or eye requires the routine check-up?

Know the tropes. If a burn survivor character is an evil mask-wearer, if a powerchair user is a constantly rude and ungrateful to everyone villain, if an amputee is a genius mechanic who fixes their own prosthetics, you have A Trope. Not all tropes are made equal; some are actively harmful to real people, while others are just annoying or boring by the nature of having been done to death. During the character creation process, research what tropes might apply and just try to trace your logic. Does your blind character see the future because it's a common superpower in their world, or are you doing the ancient "Blind Seer" trope?

Remember, that not all of the above questions will come up in your writing, but to know which ones won't you need to know the answers to them first. Even if you don't decide to explicitly name your character's condition, you will be aware of what they might function like. You will be able to add more depth to your character if you decide that they have T6 spina bifida, rather than if you made them into an ambiguous wheelchair user with ambiguous symptoms and ambiguous needs. Embrace research as part of your process and your characters will be better representation, sure, but they will also make more sense and seem more like actual people; same with the world that they are a part of.

This post exists to help you establish the basics of your character's disability so that you can do research on your own and answer some of the most common ("what are symptoms of x?") questions by yourself. If you have these things already established, it will also be easier for us to answer any possible questions you might have - e.g. "what would a character with complete high-level paraplegia do in a world where the modern kind of wheelchair has not been invented yet?" is much more concise than just "how do I write a character with paralysis?" - I think it's more helpful for askers as well; a vague answer won't be much help, I think.

I hope that this post is helpful!

Mod Sasza

[cy-cyborg]

Limb difference vs amputee

I've been seeing a rise in people using the term limb difference and also rise in (what I think are well meaning) folks shouting "Amputee is not a dirty word, stop talking over disabled people, just say amputee" and while I love the energy, that's not what's going on here lol.

Amputee refers to anyone who has lost a limb or was born without one/multiple of their limbs.

Limb difference is a broader umbrella term to refer to anyone with a physical disability the effects the person's limbs specifically, usually (but not always) in ways that are visible to others to some degree. It can refer to amputees, but also people with single-limb paralysis, people who's limbs didn't develop properly (even if it's not severe enough to be considered an amputation) and more!

All amputees have a type of limb difference, but not everyone with a limb difference is an amputee.

As far as I'm aware, the term actually started in congenital amputee circles (people who were born without a limb) because they felt the word amputee didn't really fit them properly. amputee implies they had the limb but it was removed, but they never had it to begin with. It eventually spread to become an umbrella term, but it was created by and for disabled people.

I do understand some people's hesitation with the word, it does sound kind of similar to "differently abled" but I promise, it's not.

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

hello! sorry to bother you but i am currently working on character designs for my next d&d campaign. i am creating a winged elf inspired by avariels, and he will have some form of physical disability which causes them to be unable to fly. however, i am not very educated about physical disabilities, so do you know any which might affect limbs such as wings and any ways i could portray life with them and accommodations for them in a respectful way? any tips are appreciated. thank you :)))

Wing disabilities are a bit harder to research than regular human limb disabilities, but you might be amused to learn that the very first thing i found upon a quick search for bird wing deformities was something called "angel wing", found in many different bird species. I've linked the article I found. It develops over time and can be corrected, but obviously when it happens in wild birds they have no means to fix it on their own and it becomes permanent.

Angel wing is a deformation of the wrist area, making it droop and then turn outwards. Once it's permanent, the crooked shape of the wing makes flight impossible. If a winged humanoid had this problem, they would need to worry about things like how far the crooked wing sticks out, maybe bracing it to alleviate chronic pain. I'm sure something like that would cause pain, even if it wasn't mentioned in the article. It may be helpful to clip the feathers on that part of the wing, so they're not in the way. Finding a comfortable sleep position may also be a bit tricky.

Other possible wing disabilities which I have not researched at all but sound like plausible congenital issues for people with wings:

- underdeveloped wings. They never get big enough for flight, maybe the feathers never grow in properly, possibly they're also shaped wrong for flight. Could come with chronic pain, weak muscles/atrophy, etc.

- missing wing. Somehow just didn't develop a wing, or developed a nub where the wing should be. Could also be missing just the "hand" part of the wing.

- general feather growth problems. Weak feathers, feathers that come in short, chronic molting that causes a lot of unhelpful bald patches, etc.

- chronic joint pain. Wings appear to be normal, but the joints hurt a lot and movement is difficult.

You can also go the route of disability by injury, having a wing broken or amputated or otherwise harmed in a way that is difficult or impossible to recover from.

Overall, the accommodations needed could include pain relief, a brace to keep the wing in a comfortable folded position, feather clipping, massages, etc. Mobitiy aids to let this character fly without the use of their wings is easy to handle in fantasy because you could give him an enchanted flying device of some sort. Magical prosthetic wing might work, but that depends on the disability you're working with and also wing prosthetics are pretty tricky. It would not be as functional as a real wing. If the wings are fully grown and intact, but the problem is something like joint pain, then a flight brace to steady the wings could be useful. They'd only be able to fly for short bursts though, probably. But it would be akin to giving someone leg braces so they can walk, while also having access to crutches or a wheelchair. You can work with your dm on figuring out what's allowed in the campaign setting.

As for being respectful in how you portray the character, I think the most important thing is to let them be a full person. The disability is obviously a major part of their life, but they ought to have more personality than that. Hobbies, interests, attitude.

They're also allowed to be sad about the disability, but this should not be their main defining trait. I think it is pretty normal to be sad that you have a physical difference preventing you from doing something other people can easily do. The problem in fictional characters who are sad about their disabilities is that it often becomes Their Entire Thing and then the character arc is either "so I became evil about it" or "and then they died" or "but there was a magical perfect fix!" all of which obviously don't respect the reality of being disabled. But making them totally happy go lucky about it also doesn't work. So you just need the middle area there, as that's the most realistic one. How does it feel to have a permanent disability? Well, it ends up feeling pretty normal when you're used to it. Sometimes it sucks a lot. Sometimes you hardly pay attention to it. Focus on making your character emotionally varied and give them an interesting personality that makes their interactions with other characters more fun.

Roleplay games are great for that, because you'll have to mesh with the group and really flesh out your character relationships as you go.

Anyway I hope that was all helpful! No illustrations to show, because I'm sleepy today. But good luck with your character! And maybe go check out @cripplecharacters for extra advice on generalized disability rep if you haven't already!

[thelifeinmyshadesofgrey]

I will try to do this on a weekly basis, where I post the fundraisers I've received in batches like this. I'm sorry if you sent me a message and I've yet to share your fundraiser. I prioritize older messages first, but I will get to yours eventually 🙏 Please consider donating if you're able or help to reblog this post!

Walaa Ahmed and siblings @burningnightgiver (fundraiser link) (vetted by @90-ghost and @vetted-gaza-funds)

Walaa, 17-years old, suffers from type-1 diabetes and is currently stuck in Gaza with her three siblings. Their mother had traveled to Egypt last year for medical treatment and has been unable to return to her children after the war escalated. Donations have slowed down, with only 1 donation in the last 24 hours. As of 27th August, they have raised $11,131 CAD/$50,000

Aya Alanqar and family @ayaalanqarsblog (fundraiser link) (vetted by @90-ghost)

Aya and her husband, Jihad, are displaced with their 3 young children, Abdelrahman, Jori, and Adam. Their family has had to move than 13 times since the beginning of the war, in search of safety. Donations have slowed down, with only 5 donations in the last 24 hours. As of 27th August, they have raised €9,906/€15,000

Mahmoud Khalaf and family @mahmoudkhalafff (fundraiser link) (vetted by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi #151 in this spreadsheet)

Mahmoud is a Phd student at an Irish university, and urgently needs help to evacuate his family of 8 who are still trapped in Gaza. They have been displaced four times, and once barely escaping with their lives when sniper bullets hit the house where they sought refuge. As of 27th August, they have raised €25,428/€30,000

Hadeel Mikki and family @hadeelmekki (fundraiser link) (vetted by @mohammedalanqer)

Hadeel is seeking funds for her family, including her husband, two daughters, mother, and two brothers. Her daughters are traumatized by the war and the recent passing of their grandfather. Hadeel herself is 5 months pregnant and needs proper health care and medication. Donations have slowed down, with only 3 donations in the last 24 hours. As of 27th August, they have raised €15,712/€35,000

Osama Al-Anqar and family @osama-family (fundraiser link) (new fundraiser, not yet vetted)

Osama is seeking funds for his family, including his wife, Rana and their little girl. He has recently lost his brother, Mahmoud in a bombing at the Baptist Hospital, leaving behind his wife and children. His other brother, Ahmed's front leg was also amputated in the same bombing. As of 27th August, they have raised £1,367/£50,000

Abeer Al-Habil and family @abeeribrahim2006 (fundraiser link) (vetted by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi #157 in this spreadsheet)

Abeer is the son of Ibtisam Al-Habil, whose husband was martyred in 2014. He lost his eldest brother, Omar in November and his other brother, Muhammad was injured earlier this year. Abeer also has a younger sister, Nour who suffers from a Congenital Heart Disease. Donations have slowed down, with only 6 donations in the last 24 hours. As of 27th August, they have raised $14,645 CAD/$70,000

Nour and family @noor678 (fundraiser link) (vetted by @90-ghost)

Nour is a 5-year old girl who is currently displaced in Deir Al Balah with her family, including her parents and sisters. Nour's father has a herniated disk in his back, making their effort to evacuate even harder for him. Donations have slowed down considerably, with no donations in the last 24 hours. As of 27th August, they have raised $3,146 USD/$25,000

Ahmed Al-Habil and family @ahmed-omar0 (fundraiser link) (shared by his brother, @aya2mohammed who is #166 on this spreadsheet)

Ahmed is the brother of Mohammed, whose fundraiser I've shared here. He is a father to four young children, and is also caring for his elderly parents who are suffering chronic diseases. They have been displaced for more than five times and are currently in Deir Al Balah. Donations have slowed down, with only 4 donations in the last 24 hours. As of 27th August, they have raised €1,499/€50,000

Fatima Alanqar and family @fatma--gaza (fundraiser link) (vetted by @90-ghost)

Fatima is raising funds for her family including her husband and five children. She was forced to wean her youngest daughter Basma, only a year and a half-old, due to the lack of milk. Their family has also been displaced 17 times since the start of the war, barely escaping death each time. As of 27th August, they have raised €5,984/€20,000

[namecantbeblank]

I have nothing to post today bc I've been incredibly busy so I am reposting headcanons I posted a while ago. Mutual who will likely see this shhh. Also this is going to be a LONG post so buckle up

- Foolish and Bad are both minor deities from seperate sides of life. Foolish is a god of life and living, while Bad is a minor trickster god that wriggled his way into a grim reaper position on the weekends. In a way, they're enemies, but one can't exist without the other.

- The Cucuruchos (aka 'Smile Bots') are robots. However, they don't hold a collective consciousness, meaning you theoretically could make friends with one of them, while another barely knows who you are.

- The Cucuruchos don't write in books, they print a piece of paper from their mouths. Adding on to that, their mouths never move, though they can blink and look around, which makes them have an unsettling nature to them like animatronics. The Federation is constantly making changes to make them seem more friendly.

- The winged people (ex. Phil and Jaiden) that have been on the island for long enough have noticed their feathers growing back after being clipped, leaving them hopeful for a chance out, but before they ever grow back enough, they wake up to them clipped all over again. I believe this affects Phil the most, especially the first time it happened. He went as far as to hide his wings when he first saw them growing back, just in case the Federation wouldn't notice, and when he saw them clipped again he was distraught. He was furious. He punched a hole in his wall. Think of him yelling at QSMP when the eggs came back with cracks, like that. How dare they clip his wings? How'd they get in his house? This could have been a chance to escape the island with his family. But it was gone. He still hurts every time it happens after that, but it's not as bad as the first time.

Jaiden is more sad and humiliated. Whenever this happens, Roier understands that she needs to be alone, and takes care of Bobby for the day. Later that night, Bobby finds her in her room and crawls into her lap, telling her about his day while Roier makes dinner downstairs. Now that Bobby's gone, it's harder, but often times they both just lay together in Bobby's old bedroom, comforting each other with just their presence.

- Fit smoked cigars before he got Ramon. Spreen didn't really give a shit, but when Ramon started teething he found one and tried to chew on them, so Fit threw them out. Now he just stocks up steroids

- With the tickets, each pairing was given something to connect them to their partners. Colored bracelets, necklaces, earrings, patches, anything. They give off different signals- when the partner wakes up, is injured/downed, and gives off a ping to locate the other. That is, of course, if they wear them. Bads link pings, and he follows it, but no matter how far he goes, he never gets any closer. His match is out there, somewhere, he knows that someone is wearing his link. Quackity, though, isn't so lucky. His pinged at first, but it quickly died out, and he spent weeks searching. He refused to believe he didn't have a match. But, well..

When Slime first left for exile, he tried smashing his link, but it didn't work, so he just buried it. Mariana tried for days to try and get it to ping again, but Slime was gone, and since he wasn't wearing his link, he couldn't find him.

- Tallulah and Richarlyson both have physical conditions! One of Richarlysons legs is underdeveloped, he has a congenital LLD. As soon as they realized, Pac and Mike set to work making all kinds of assistance devices and treatments for him. From shoe lifts to canes to crutches, they made sure Richarlyson had whatever options he wanted depending on how he's feeling. Sometimes he just prefers being carried bc he's eepy. A lot of people see him as having an amputated leg as well! Same deal for whatever u headcanon

Talluluh has hyperacusis and type 1 narcolepsy. She's sensitive to most sounds, so Wilbur and Phil got her ear plugs and noise cancelling headphones, of course decorated, to help her. Though they don't have access to the proper medication to help her manage symptoms of narcolepsy, they found ways around it. Her beanie is padded and snaps on under her chin, protecting her head if she ever collapsed (think seizure helmets!). They work on identifying triggers and symptoms, and at times she'd prefer to be carried or use a wheelchair. Anyways I'm physically disabled and just projecting a bit 💀

[mammoth-clangen]

ohh, i already love Bat and his singular brain cell… was he born without his leg, or did he lose it?

Tyyyy! He's my special little guy, I care him a lot ❤️

And he has amniotic band syndrome! Aka congenital amputation.

Discussion of medical nonsense below ⚕️

Bat was technically born with all 4 legs, but the constricted one was already dead and had fully withered away be the time he was a few weeks old. People who have cared for kittens with ABS have said the limb tends to die even with intervention- so I imagine it's sort of like band-castration in steers.

Bat doesn't remember ever having his right leg. It already had no feeling when he was born, so thankfully, he's spared from phantom pain that later-in-life amputees get. He does have a fully developed scapula and part of his humerus, hence him wiggling the stump in Moon 4 part 2!

I don't want to get into spoilers, but while Bat doesn't get phantom pain, he's not free from amputation related health issues. Little/domestic cats aren't a 1:1 comparison because Homotherium is (obviously) much heavier on their joints, and much more reliant on grappling large prey.

Make of that what you will for now...

[vireserein]

Was very excited to have the chance to discover and talk to other congenital amputees since it's disability pride month and you'd expect to see more people talking, but literally all I can find is amputee p/rn. Probably because literally everything anyone can find is exactly that. Can we make a new tag or something? Two or more even? I'm in a sea of smut and I can't find my community.

[theogclownboy]

If you get the time at some point we would love to see a drawing of Charlie with her two littles Max and Vesper. We have references for them. Max is a blind little pup/fawn and Vesper is an imp with congenital amputations on both arms.

@princess-of-hells-littles

@puppy-max

@vesper-the-littlest-imp

sorry this took so long for me to make

[randomgooberness]

Decided to design Joshua and make Gordos an ex-spouse :3 Mostly cause I wanna put them in a fanfic or make lil arts but also I got carried away fleshing them out. Dw they’re a great person stuff just didn’t work out between them :(

headcanons under the cut from when I was rambling to my buds on discord and broke the word limit!

Zain

-any pronouns, just switch them up and make it interesting -mixed Black and Arab. He’s Muslim :3 -met Gordon at MIT when they had a class together with the same minor, Engineering -very caring and sweet, but not afraid to stand up for when a situation has gone wrong. Also a little sillaayyyy -very fun and colorful fashion -cares very deeply about Joshua and what's best for him -divorced Gordon on mutual terms, they were young and rushed into everything, and by the time the relationship started falling apart, they were fighting over nothing- mostly Gordon instigating these fights because of stress. He blames himself that the fire died out but they’re still friends- not close friends at All but will hold conversations when picking Joshua up or at an event for him. They care about one another very deeply. -Joshua was a complete accident, they got married shortly after they found out, a very short and quick ceremony with only close family and friends at the courthouse. It was the same one they divorced at. -Gordon was absolutely stressed with both trying to get through MIT and taking care of a baby, which caused him to accidentally leave a lot of the load to his partner- which started the rift between them. Its also a huge reason she takes care of him more than him(they have him two weeks and he has him every third)- because she’s, in both their eyes, much more capable. -divorced when Josh was only a year or two old -ARCHEOLOGIST!!! 

Joshua:

-born with a Congenital amputation, his leg stops above the knee. Recently got his first prosthetic(that wasn’t either of his parents messing around with pet projects)! -premature, via Gordon's stress. -autistic and mostly nonverbal, uses a tablet a good 80% of the time, though if he doesn't have that he uses sign language. -normal Joshua stuff. Foghorn cowboys eels neopets ect -SIX YEARS OLD!!!  -shit was rough at first but Gordon loves him lots :)

[dear-indies]

Disabled actors with ungiffed roles (of course any roles are welcomed) for disability pride month:

Michael J. Fox (1961) - has Parkinson's Disease - Designated Survivor (2018), See You Yesterday (2019).

Mat Fraser (1962) - has thalidomide-induced phocomelia - Loudermilk (2017-2020).

Daryl Mitchell (1965) African-American - is paraplegic - Fear the Walking Dead (2018-2023).

Warwick Davis (1970) - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita - Willow (2022-2023).

Selene Luna (1971) Mexican - has dwarfism - Mayans M.C (2022-2023).

Cherylee Houston (1974) - has Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - Coronation Street (2010-2023).

Callan Mulvey (1975) ¼ Maori, ¾ Scottish - is blind in one eye - has been in a lot of things including Last King of the Cross (2023), Firebite (2021-2022), Till Death (2021), and Mystery Road (2020).

Shannon Murray (1976) - is paraplegic - Viewpoint (2021), Get Even (2020).

Kurt Yaeger (1977) - is a leg amputee - Another Life (2021).

Katy Sullivan (1979) - is a double leg amputee - Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022).

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (1981) Cuban / Ashkenazi Jewish, Romaniote Jewish, Sephardi - has multiple sclerosis - Big Sky (2021-2023).

Prince Amponsah (1985 or 1986) Ghanaian - is a double arm amputee, with his right arm amputated above the elbow and his left arm amputated below the elbow - Avacado Toast the series (2022) and Station Eleven (2021-2022).

Rana Daggubati (1984) Telugu Indian - is blind in one eye - Rana Naidu (2023).

Rick Glassman (1984) Jewish / Italian - is autistic - As We See It (2022), Not Dead Yet (2023).

Ali Stroker (1987) - is paraplegic and bisexual - Echos (2022), Only Murders in the Building (2021-2022), Ozark (2022).

Josh Thomas (1987) - is autistic, has ADHD, and is gay - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Jillian Mercado (1987) Domincian - has spastic muscular dystrophy - The L Word: Generation Q. (2019-2023).

Ruth Madeley (1987) - has spina bifida - The Almond and the Seahorse (2022).

Tim Renkow (1989) Mexican Jewish - has cerebral palsy - Jerk (2019-2021).

Melissa Johns (1990) - is an arm amputee - Grantchester (2021-2022).

Steve Way (1990) - has muscular dystrophy - Ramy (2019-2022).

James Moore (1992) - has cerebral palsy - Emmerdale (2018-2023).

Arthur Hughes (1992) - has an upper limb indifference - The Innocents (2018).

Madison Ferris (1992) - has muscular dystrophy - Panic (2021).

RJ Mitte (1992) - has cerebral palsy - The Unseen (2023).

Mei Kayama (1994) Japanese - has cerebral palsy - 37 Seconds (2019).

Ryan J. Haddad (1995) Lebanese - has cerebral palsy - The Politian (2019-2020).

Lauren Spencer / Sitting Pretty Lolo (1996) African-American - has Lou-Gehrig’s disease - The Sex Lives of College Girls (Season 2).

Annabelle Davis (1997) - has dwarfism - Hollyoaks (2023).

Kayla Cromer (1998) - is autistic - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Micah Fowler (1998) - has cerebral palsy - Speechless (the latter seasons!)

Daniel Monks (?) - is quadriplegic - Sissy (2022).

Matthew Jeffers (?) - has dwarfism - New Amsterdam (2018-2023).

Ben Mehl (?) - has macular degeneration called Stargardt's disease, which causes one to lose central vision- You (2021).

Gloria May Eshkibok (?) Mohawk, Ottawa, Irish, French - is Two-Spirit (she/her) and has one eye - OChiSkwaCho (2018).

Zack Weinstein (?) - is quadriplegic - Sing It! (2016).

Angel Giuffria (?) - is a congenital arm amputee - To the Dust (2022), Good Trouble (2022), Impulse (2019).

Joci Scott (?) - is paraplegic - Smash or Pass (2023).

Jacob Mundell (?) - congenital hand amputee - The Expanse (2021-2022).

+ HERE'S MY DISABLED FC MASTERLIST FOR MORE!

+ let me know if you have suggestions!

+ let me know if anybody wants suggestions with youtube content!

[cripplecharacters]

hey! I recently realized that one of my stories has a serious lack of physically disabled characters (one secondary character has a facial difference) and I'd love advice on what physical differences and disabilities are in more intense need of representation. I know one of my characters is going to be missing a limb, but idk whether they should be an amputee or just born that way, and what limb/ where it should be missing/if it should be underdeveloped or just totally gone. I want to know what type of limb differences are most underrepresented so I can do some research and see if I could feasibly add it to my character. I'd also like to hear some other general physical disorders and disabilities that need more rep (all physical differences need more rep but yk what I mean)

Most if not all of my characters are autistic/adhd or both, although it isn't mentioned (they're just like that because I as a person can't write neurotypical people)

Hello!

As mod Rot has said before, every disability is currently underrepresented (and those that seem represented are often, well, not getting the best rep to say the least). With that said, I do know what you mean, and there are some that are less represented than others.

For a missing limb specifically it might seem like it's "overrepresented", but in reality there's a ton of limb differences that I have absolutely never seen represented in any way, shape, or form. There's simply way more options than creatives ever consider.

The most common cause of acquired amputation is actually not represented much at all - diabetes. Almost all amputations in media are traumatic, but that's not necessarily how it is.

In most cases, the smaller the amputation the more common it is. A lot of characters in media have a shoulder amputation (with a prosthetic, of course), but that's probably the rarest possible one in real life. It's also worth mentioning that the fewer joints you have, the harder it is to use a prosthetic. A knee can change everything.

If they're missing a leg, consider giving them a mobility aid - connecting to the previous point, the higher someone's amputation is the higher the chance they will use them over a prosthetic, but anyone can use them.

Or, they can use both a prosthetic and a wheelchair/crutches at different times. Or they can use prosthetics with mobility aids, like a cane, crutches, or a rollator to help with balance!

Losing a leg is also incredibly more common than an arm, but in media it's the other way around for some reason.

Congenital limb difference of the not-full-amputation variety isn't seen much either, and it has more types than I could possibly list here, but I'll try; phocomelia, symbrachydactyly, micromelia, radial aplasia, ectrodactyly, tetraamelia, polysyndactyly... The only character that I know of with any of these has been made by my friend. Certainly not a popular thing to represent.

To go with the above, think about syndromes that cause limb differences! Some examples could be Ellis–Van Creveld syndrome, Otopalatodigital syndrome spectrum disorders, Pfeiffer syndrome, Joubert syndrome, or the VACTERL association. Or a thousand other things!

Limb loss due to cancer is also a thing! It also relates to a very specific kind of amputation, called rotationplasty, and it's when a person has their knee replaced with their ankle, and their foot is well, rotated. That's how important having a joint is.

Also I know that you said limb and not limbs, but remember that multiple amputations are a thing as well! For example bilateral above knee (often called BAKA), or quadruple amputation are greatly underrepresented :-)

As for non-limb loss underrepresented physical disability ideas, well, all of them, but just for the sake of some new ideas I will try to list ones that AFAIK haven't even been mentioned on the blog at all before (at least as of writing this).

CHARGE syndrome

Hyperthyroidism

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia

Hereditary trochlear nerve palsy

Harlequin-type Ichthyosis

Locked-in syndrome

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Primordial dwarfism

Addison's disease

Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Apert syndrome

Charcot Marie Tooth disease

Usher syndrome

Nager syndrome (also, causes limb differences)

Peripheral Artery Disease

[links lead to very basic information pages]

These are just some ideas for disabilities that are 1) physical and 2) very underrepresented, some visible, some not - I hope it gives you some ideas for what to research for your character(s)! I tried to list both very common and rare ones :-)

You can also take a look at our #disabled character ideas tag, or posts like this (there's a lot of facial differences listed, mostly at the end) :-)

I hope this helps!

mod Sasza

[gay-jewish-bucky]

this has been said before but if you take a character who is canonically an amputee and you not only erase that aspect of their identity (which is already an issue in and of itself), but go as far to give them tattoos where their prosthetic would be? you suck the most ultimate shit imaginable

an au isn't an excuse to erase a disabled character's disability

there are many different avenues that you can chose from that could have led to them becoming an amputee (including being born with a congenital amputation) that would fit.

not only are there many incredible advances being made in responsive neuromusculoskeletal prosthetic technology every single day, this is fiction! you aren't bound by the technological limits of the real world!

it's so easy to use your imagination!