#it tackles learning disabilities so well

[guess-i-do-art]

It’s fun being in a fandom that literally doesn’t exist

If there is anybody out there that enjoys the book series Upside Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins, please please make yourself known because I have been alone for too long

Dritten! 💜

[cy-cyborg]

How The Owl House did amputee representation right before Eda ever lost her arm - Disability in Media

[ID: A screenshot of Eda from The Owl House, an old woman with pale skin, very large, grey hair and pointed ears in a red dress. Beside the screenshot on a dark pink background is text that reads "Disability in media, How the Owl House got amputee representation right before eda ever lost her arm." /End ID]

Dana Terrace's The Owl House has some of the best disability rep I’ve seen on a Disney channel show in a long time, with Eda, the main character’s mentor, being one of many stand-out examples.

Plenty of people have discussed how Eda’s curse and the loss of her magic can work as an allegory for disability and how refreshing it is to see a story (especially one aimed at a younger audience) who’s focus is not on her “overcoming” it, but learning to accept it as a part of her and go from there. Eda’s story tackles a lot of subjects that are often mishandled in other examples of disability representation, from the subject of parents who refuse to accept, to glass siblings and much, much more, The Owl House handles all these topics beautifully.

But one thing that dawned on me during my most recent re-watch of The Owl House is how well Eda (and later Lilith) worked as amputee representation, long before Eda actually lost her arm.

One of the side effects of Eda and Lilith’s curse is that sometimes their body parts, mainly their limbs, can fall off. It doesn’t hurt them, and Eda is seen removing them intentionally at multiple times in the series, but they can always be reattached.

[ID: an image of Eda holding her sister Lilith's hand. Lilith is a pale woman with long, black hair, wearing grey clothes. She is looking at her other arm suprised, as her hand is missing. Luz, a Latina girl with short brown hair and a purple hoodie is looking on, smiling. /End ID]

While most likely unintentional, the way the show depicts this with Eda in particular is exactly what I wish more people would do with their prosthetic-using amputee characters.

Eda detaches her limbs, especially her legs, when they’re inconvenient or when she’s relaxing.

[ID: an image of Eda laying on the couch in a bathrobe, her hair in a towel. She has taken her legs off, throwing them to the other side of the seat. /End ID]

The fact that this is mostly played for laughs is actually a good thing in my opinion (though obviously, the show’s overall tone is part of that), as it shows the audience who are mostly children and teens, that in a world of weird and downright scary (from the perspective of the characters) things, this isn't one of them. It’s just a thing she and Lilith can do, and it can even be funny.

[ID: An image of Luz and Eda dressed as pirates. Eda is sitting on the ground, her legs detached and off screen somewhere. /End ID]

It does startle Luz and Lilith on a few occasions, but that’s more because they didn’t know the curse could do that, but once they’re introduced to it, it’s never really brought up as a big deal again.

I’d love to see more amputee characters who do this with their prosthetics. So often media is almost afraid to have amputees take their prosthetics off on camera or on the page. For some folks, our prosthetics are like a part of our bodies, but that doesn’t mean we never take them off. Show your leg amputee flop on the couch and throw their legs across the room. Have them go without on occasion, not because they have to, but because they just don’t feel like putting them on.

Likewise, the owl house creators never shy away from showing Eda when her limbs aren’t all attached. A lot of media, and kid’s shows in particular, will avoid having an amputee character’s stump visible if they ever do take their prosthetics off - treating that part of the character’s body the same way they treat gore or nudity. I’ve talked before how this actually does have a real impact on how kids in particular react to amputees - I’ve legitimately had kids I worked with cry when I took my prosthetics off, then immediately calm down when they see there’s nothing "scary" under my socks. As much as I love How To Train Your Dragon, it’s very guilty of this. Hiccup looses his leg at the end of the first movie, and wakes up with his prosthetic already attached. The Netflix series has a few instances where he has his prosthetic off, but the camera almost always avoids showing it until he can cover it up again, or is super zoomed-out so you wouldn’t be able to “see anything”. To their credit, they do get better with this in the last movie (though it's still always covered), but for the majority of the series, they are very reluctant to have any shots where hiccup’s leg is in view without the prosthetic (unless they’re very far away).

[ID: a screenshot of Hiccup from How To Train Your Dragon 3, a white man with short brown hair, and one leg missing, wearing armour made of black dragon scales and no prosthetic. He is holding onto toothless's head, a black dragon. /End ID]

Ironically, Eda does (permanently) loose an arm at the end of season 2, but I don’t really have much to say about her as amputee representation on that front, since she’s absent for a lot of Season 3, and when we do see her again, everything is so hectic, the story doesn’t really have any time to focus on her missing limb (which is reasonable). I will say, I do appreciate that they kept the amputation when she's in her owl-beast form in the finale, but there's honestly not much more to say about it. We do see her again in the epilogue after she’s had some time to settle into the amputation, wearing a hook prosthetic, but it’s, once again, too quick to really say anything from a representation standpoint. There's a few little nit-picky things I could bring up, like the fact they seemed to change the type on amputation she had (when she looses it, we see the split was very close to the elbow, but in the epilogue she has most of her forearm again) but those read to me more like animation mistakes or an odd prosthetic/clothing designs rather than a representation issue - and as someone who's worked in animation, given the stress the team was under for the finale, I'm not really worried about it. Like I said, it's more nit-picky than anything.

[ID: A screenshot of Eda, her hair tied back and wearing a red robe and a hook for her right hand. /End ID]

Despite all that though, I still think Eda is still good amputee representation, but mostly because of how they depict her curse’s side effects rather than her actual amputation. She’s honestly one of the only characters that I think you could refer to as “amputee coded” (outside of maybe Teen Titan’s Cyborg), and I genuinely wish more creators would treat their actual amputee characters the same way the Owl House treats Eda in that regard.

[azuremist]

A guide to all accessibility-related needs on the indie web!

I've been sharing this site around in all sorts of places, but I wanted to post it here, too - the Accessible Net Directory!

The indie web has a problem with accessibility. Namely, it seems like very few creators care to implement it. Which I get! It seems daunting to tackle at first. But also, it makes the indie web really, really difficult to traverse for disabled folks.

The Accessible Net Directory is two-fold in its uses.

1) It provides disabled people a list of safe indie sites

In order for a site to be featured on the directory, it needs to meet basic accessibility guidelines. This includes (but isn't limited to) no autoplay, unlabeled flashing images, low contrast, small / hard-to-read fonts, keyboard inaccessibility or non-described images.

Additional, non-required accessibility options for the directory are encouraged, and listed in a site's description on the directory. (Such as zoom-friendliness and different font options.)

2) It provides webmasters a ton of resources for implementing accessibility

It not only provides a list of steps one can take to make their site more accessible, but also provides the "why" of each step.

For example - one listed guideline for the directory is to use rem/em instead of px units for font sizes. Why? Well, the directory explains, "Users with low vision may need to increase the size of the text in order to be able to read and see better. Therefore it is important to always use scalable units for text."

Then, it goes on to list RESOURCES for changing px to rem/em!!

This site is an absolute treasure trove of resources for making your site accessible, and doing so with ease! I've used the resources listed to make my own site more accessible, and it's made the process seem so much more manageable!

So! If you run a personal site, then give the site a look, learn about accessibility practices, and apply them to your site! An inaccessible web is not a free web!

[cripplecharacters]

Hey! I’m writing a story that involves a lot of different perspectives of disability, I love scifi but god can it be awful about disability so I’m trying to make an anti that. It mostly focuses on the idea of the cure narrative. A big theme at the core of it is accepting your disability because you wouldn’t be the person you are without it. You’re an important piece of the richness and diversity of humanity etc etc. That’s a message that’s very close to my heart as someone who’s neurodivergent and physically disabled from birth.

But I also know my experiences and feelings are far from universal. I wanted to show other perspectives, other interpretations of that core message, so I added a character who was recently disabled a year ago which has significantly uprooted her life. He also doubles as showing someone who became disabled through doing dangerous things he shouldn’t have been doing because I want to have a way to tackle disability as a punishment or moral thing (another shitty trope that scifi is full of! :sob:)

Her acceptance is the most raw and recent of the group’s, happening over the course of the story. But since her experience of disability is so different from mine (never having lived without it), I wanted to look for outside opinions. What are some things I should keep in mind while writing him? Do you have any recommendations for articles/blogs/etc from people with similar experiences?

Thank you! I love what this blog is doing :) <3 Apologies if this is a little incoherent, it’s one of those days

Thank you for your ask! For a character with an acquired disability, one of the big things to consider is just how much recovery there will be. Even after leaving the hospital she will be on bed rest for a bit, and afterwards comes physical and/or occupational therapy for at least a few months. Recovery is a taxing, slow process that makes a person realize just how much process they’ve lost for tasks that they didn’t think much about. He would also probably have pain and maybe even a new routine to take care of the injury. It’s hard to give specifics of what your characters recovery will involve without knowing the injury though.

As for resources, here are some links I think can help! Thank you mod Sasza for the help compiling them :] (smiley face

Special Books By Special Kids - A channel with a ton of interviews with disabled people from all walks of life, mostly with developmental disabilities but there are interviewees with acquired ones as well.

Footless Jo - A youtube channel run by a woman with an amputation.

Born Blind vs. Becoming Blind - What Are The Differences? - A video comparing the experiences of someone who’s been blind since birth and someone who became blind later in life.

LEARNING FROM WHEELCHAIR FRIENDS! - A video of three friends with acquired disabilities talking about their lives and the disability community.

Sabia and Loren - A couples channel that mostly focuses on Loren’s life after having amputations.

22 & Suddenly Disabled: My Story | Functional Neurological Disorder - A video on living after suddenly developing FND.

Tactile Art - And article on making art as a deaf blind artist

Changing Faces - Stories by people with facial differences, has a filter for acquired disabilities.

Phoenix Society Resources - stories and articles by and for burn survivors about their experiences and coping with a sudden disability.

Girls with Grafts (podcast) - Two burn survivors talking about their experiences, can be listened to on most platforms that host podcasts.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication: How Becoming a User Changed My Relationships - An article by Alice Wong, who is disabled since birth but became no speaking after a medical emergency. She writes a lot about disability so I recommend checking out her other works as well, though this focuses on aquiered disability.

If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask again!

Have a nice day!

Mod Rot

[thevampiremarie]

Heartless

🔞 Simon "Ghost" Riley x reader 🔞

Fake marriage/marriage of convenience, smut in the next chapter (and the chapters after).

Reader is disabled/chronically ill (and so is the author)

You need health insurance. Ghost is sick of sharing living quarters with the rest of the 141. Soap, your childhood friend, thinks the two of you can fix each other’s problems.

Or, Ghost and you have to convince his command that you didn’t just meet each other and your marriage is totally, completely, 100% legit. Not for any, more practical reasons. And, of course, your married-couple accommodations only have one bed.

Chapter 1:

This will either be the stupidest decision you’ve ever made or the greatest stroke of brilliance you’ve ever had. And there is no in-between.

When Soap ducks his head into the coffee shop, you’re more than a little relieved to see him in one piece, plus or minus a few silvery scars scattered across his face and peeking out of his sleeves, the collar of his jacket.

And the dumbass aviators you bought him as a high school graduation present hang from the dip of his shirt. You know Soap thinks he looks badass, but the placement reminds you more of ‘Patagonia dad who likes hiking’ than it does ‘mysterious hardened special forces dude.’

He’s so built that he has to carefully pick his way between crowded tables, just so he doesn’t knock over someone’s drink or trip into a random stranger’s elbow.

You more or less tackle him into the biggest hug you can. “Soap! You’re not dead!” Ever since he joined his super-duper-top-secret whatever the fuck, you’ve gotten used to the communication dead zones in your years-long friendship. The silence never stops worrying you, though.

Johnny chuckles and practically lifts you off your feet. “Neither are you! Congratulations!” You know he’s relieved to see you as well by the way he ruffles your hair.

You fucking hate it when he does that, which is, of course, why it’s become a tradition every time you see him.

He pisses you off, you piss him off. “Twinning!”

The glare he tosses your way has all the menace of a kitten attacking a curtain. “Fuck does that mean? You know I can’t keep up with your American slang.” You’re a good friend who pre-ordered his ridiculous caramel latte with extra caramel, and Soap sits happily in front of it.

He learned that he enjoyed heart-stoppingly sweet drinks on accident - a case of mistaken identity where you unintentionally grabbed Soap’s macho Americano, and he drank half of your caramel latte in revenge. And here you are, years later, watching him slurp down a milk foam heart.

“Awww, too much for the brain cells you have left?” Teasing him as easy as breathing and a welcome distraction for the anxiety attack-inducing question you must ask.

The general coffee shop ambient noise swells in your ears. An espresso machine malfunctions, almost loud enough to make you jump, and you try to disguise it by sipping your iced tea. No caffeine; you’re nervous enough without it.

“I could have you arrested for that,” Soap quips. Please. As if you’d let him try. One call to his commanding officer about his pre-service shenanigans, and you’d have his ass court-martialed.

“Abuse of the power of the Armed Forces? Very ethical.” You raise an eyebrow and lace your voice with haughtiness, even flicking some hair over your shoulder.

Then you need to pass Johnny a few napkins to mop up the latte dripping from his nose out of laughter. “I’m glad to see you,” He tells you, and the sober, knowing look in his eyes makes your stomach drop out. He doesn’t miss a thing. He’d probably be dead or fired from his job if he did. “Though I know this isn’t a social call.”

Well. You’re in for it now. “Yeah, unfortunately, it isn’t.” The words taste like dust in your mouth, and the lemony-black tea barely washes it out. Just to give yourself something to do, you pop the plastic lid off and tip a couple of ice cubes into your mouth before chomping down.

“What’s going on?”

How do you summarize the horrifically, brutally stressful whirlwind of the last few weeks without inspiring the annoying, patronizing pity you’ve gotten from literally everyone else you’ve vented to? You’re not a victim to be coddled or a child to be given advice you’ve already thought of, tried, and failed at.

“I’m losing my health insurance at the end of the month” is what you decide on in the end.

He knows exactly what that means for you. For your future. Soap shakes his head ruefully. “God, I’m so sorry.”

You’ve been sick for a while, diagnosed the year after the two of you graduated high school. The kind of sick that is simply a freak accident of nature, causing your body to attack itself over and over until the day you’ll drop dead from complications. It wouldn’t take much; maybe a regular infection burning you alive with a fever your crippled immune system can’t stop, or a benign cut from a kitchen knife that will bleed and bleed until you’re halfway to the coroner’s office.

And then there’s your shitty, damaged, degenerated spine that keeps you in bed for weeks at a time with crippling, numbing pain.

Without health insurance, things won’t look good for your quality of life. And you like your quality of life to be decent. You’d settle for passable.

Really, it sounds worse than it is, and you try to console him. “It’s okay. It was eventually going to happen. I had hoped to have a little more time, though.” You remember the call from the insurance company like it just happened yesterday. You were loading dishes into the dishwasher and listening to Fleetwood Mac on the radio. And some poor customer service representative told you they were increasing your monthly payments beyond what they knew you could afford, so they’d have to drop you.

You watch him open his mouth as if to tell you that you should’ve said something sooner. But he’s been deployed for the past four months. He pauses and resets to something a little more helpful. “How can I help?” That’s something you have liked about Johnny a lot since you were kids. He cares more about what he can do.

Your anxiety permits your lungs to take one big, fortifying inhale. “Well…” Dragging it out will only make this worse, you know, but you really, really, really hate that it’s come to this. “This is fucking embarrassing.” You tried to find a way to pay the premiums; you really did. But you work forty hours a week already and trying to get more shifts, maybe find a new job, do this, do that, appeal, all of that has been futile and draining. “Will you marry me?”

He drops his half-empty cup on the table, forceful enough that some of the coffee spills out. “What?”

Soap’s partially-scandalized shock is not what you hoped for as a reaction. But you suppose you shouldn’t have expected anything better.

The worst part of this conversation is over. It can’t get more nerve-wracking. “Marry me. Like. Get legally married. I could get on military benefits, and my meds would be covered.” He doesn’t swing your way, but surely signing some paper and standing before a judge is, like, not the most terrifying thing Soap has ever done. “And- and I know there’s stuff in it for you, too, like a better apartment or whatever. I can cook. Better than you, that’s for sure.” One of your friends had to teach him how not to burn water.

He just sits there in silence. “Please,” You add on softly. Desperately. This is your last-ditch attempt, your Hail Mary.

At last, Soap’s shoulders slump, and you know, from that alone, that he’s gonna say no. Miracles are rarely performed for ordinary people. “I would if I could, but… I’m sort of already married,” He sighs, then winces, waiting for your inevitable unhappy outburst.

…

You blink a few times, brain furiously recalibrating everything you know. John got married, and he didn’t even invite you? Or tell you? You’re supposed to be his friend. That’s so rude, ouch. You would have even gotten him some expensive shit off his gift registry.

A fucking Keurig, for God’s sake. “What? Who?” You demand, more outraged that he would leave you out of his life than you are over him declining your proposal

Underneath that deep, sunburnt tan, you see Soap blush. “Jeremy from final year.”

You’d throw your empty cup at him, but he’d just duck. “I knew you were fucking him! I knew it! You tried to gaslight me and say you weren’t, but I saw the hickies on his neck!” There were only so many times Johnny ducked out of a math classroom covered in sweat, followed shortly by your classmate, before you put the pieces together.

Oh, but the rest of your friends called you a conspiracy theorist and told you to mind your business. Now, who’s laughing?

Soap holds his hands up in the universal ‘don’t shoot’ sign. “He needed health insurance. We’re married on paper. Haven’t seen him in a few years, but I know he’s doing alright.” Naturally, he’s already selflessly committed marriage fraud. You honestly should’ve seen that coming; that’s why you wanted to propose in the first place and figured you’d have a slim chance of success.

“Shit.” Now you’re back to square one. And it’s a shitty square, with walls that close in around you with every passing second.

The regret in his eyes overflows when he sees your slumped shoulders, how you’re picking at your cuticles hard enough to bleed. “‘M sorry. If I wasn’t locked down, you know that I’d do it for you in a heartbeat.” The worst part is that you know he’s being sincere, not just parroting empty platitudes.

Right. Well. That’s it, then.

You rub at your closed eyes, then at the stress wrinkle between your eyebrows. “Fuck. It’s fine, I know. I will… I’ll figure it out,” You sigh. Less than convincing, but it doesn’t need to be.

There are probably options you just haven’t thought of yet. Or maybe you can work something out with your doctor, where you only get your meds every other month. “I got it covered. Don’t worry about me.” You instantly see Soap rush to shake his head, to tell you that he’s always worried about you. You want to chastise him, tell him that he has plenty of things to be worried about in his own life. “Shush. It’s fine.” But you don’t have the heart to rake him over the coals for it now, so you settle for that.

You should go. You have things to do, things that include crying in your bed with the curtains drawn and urgently refreshing your email to see if anyone's gotten back to you. New jobs, aid organizations for low-income people, any further bad news.

Soap catches your wrist before you can say the appropriate goodbyes and rush out of the cafe. “Look- hold on- let me… let me ask my… friends.” He wrinkles his nose as he says it with an odd, stilted tone. Like ‘friends’ is a replacement for something he can’t say out loud in a civilian setting.

You can put the pieces together. “Is that what you’re calling your coworkers?”

“That’s classified, shut up.” His Scottish accent pops out there stronger than good malt whiskey. Hope is an easily-caught flame and far more difficult to extinguish. When you smile at him, you find it’s not entirely false. “Let me ask around, okay? They’re good guys. You might need to do the heavy lifting with your sparkling personality, but I can try.”

‘Sparkling personality’ is sort of ominous. ‘Don’t give them shit,’ is what he means to say. That’s fine, you’ve worked in customer service before. You can be on your best behavior.

You’re not exactly sure what kind of dude would be willing to marry a stranger, even if that is the kind of dude you want to marry.

But desperate times, desperate measures. “Thank you. Really. It would mean the world and…  would probably save my life.” You didn’t mean to get as choked up at the end as you do. No one else has been willing to help you, though, and Soap’s answering hug feels like desperately needed hope reviving itself in your chest.

“I’ve got you. And I hope I can help in the end, even if it’s not what you originally had in mind.”

-

Soap runs through his team members in his mind as he waits for the gate guard to scan his ID, trying to recall who’s tied down and who isn’t.

Captain’s got a wife, he thinks, and he’s a wee bit too old for you anyway.

It takes a second for the starry-eyed guard to hand him back the card and lift the gate.

You picked a good time to call him up; not only is he in town, menacing the local army base, but so is the rest of the 141—a rarity.

Vargas would certainly charm you, but Soap trusts Alejandro with you about as far as he could throw him.

Out of all the idiots he went to school with, you’re the only idiot who stuck around through the early years of his service, and you pursued your friendship like a hound after a fox even when he couldn’t properly reciprocate.

So John feels some responsibility for looking out for you, as you’ve always looked out for him.

Garrick wouldn’t be a half-bad choice. Dependable, responsible. Friendly, so your sham marriage would at least be enjoyable.

His mind drifts to his own errant mostly-platonic husband as he parks the borrowed car in his numbered space. Jeremy. The last time they spoke was over three years ago? Maybe four. Jeremy had found himself a new boyfriend and called to let him know, asking if Soap wanted a legal divorce. He was moving to some godforsaken corner of America. Florida? Maybe. That place has got too many fuckin’ states for him to remember them all.

They worked it out - they’d stay married, and Jeremy would keep out of his way. No love lost.

Roach could do it for you in a pinch as well. A little quiet, but maybe you’d work out something like him and Jeremy. Staying out of each other’s way.

Soap dismisses Lieutenant Riley without a second thought. On his best day, Ghost is about as inviting and amenable as a particularly hungry great white shark. And even if God himself came down from Heaven and changed Ghost’s heart to be interested, Soap would worry about you.

A lot. Even more than he already does, since the day you sobbed in his arms after school when you were first diagnosed. Since that day he had to help you out of bed because you could neither walk nor miss any more class.

Does he trust Ghost enough to fight alongside him? To have his back when there’s a gun against his head? Absolutely. Does he think Ghost would treat one of his oldest friends properly, befitting of the funny, kind, vibrant person you are? Abso-fuckin’-lutely not.

So that puts Gaz and Roach in his top choices for you and Vargas as a last-tier resort.

Armed forces worldwide, in Scotland and America, are all about efficiency. Eliminating redundancy.

And if that’s the excuse Johnny uses to justify blindsiding his whole team at once, so he doesn’t need to have this conversation three damn times and hear three separate rejections? That’s between him and God.

He herds them like sheep, plucking the Captain from his office, Garrick and Alejandro from conditioning in the gym, disturbing Roach’s book. Ghost appears out of nowhere as if summoned by the disturbance and falls in behind Soap. Not a single damn sound, of course. While that’s useful on deployment, he still has to tamp down on the instinct to jump every time he sees a skull mask hovering out of the corner of his eye in everyday life.

No matter. The lieutenant will likely wander out when the subject matter is revealed. It would raise more red flags if he told Ghost off.

He barely gets Lt. Riley through the pool room door before Captain jumps him. “Sergeant. What’s the trouble?”

That’s fuckin’ rude. “Why’d you assume I’m in trouble?” He indignantly replies. Except… yeah, there was that time he borrowed a humvee he had no permission to touch, and Captain covered for him to Laswell. Shit. “Well, I’m not.” At least, not this time.

Soap opens his mouth to argue this because it’s hardly fair for Cpt. Price to point fingers only to be cut off. “What is it?” At least Price has the decency to file the sharp edges off of his voice this time.

Right. He almost feels guilty getting sidetracked over something so stupid when he’s gathered everyone here for an infinitely more important reason.

Where does he start? How the fuck does he proposition them without sounding absolutely mental? “I… Hear me out.” Instantly, Garrick shakes his head ‘no,’ and Cpt.’s face remains as unmoved as a brick wall. Definitely not how he should have opened. “Wouldn’t be asking if the situation wasn’t desperate.” Soap opens his hands in the vain hope that the gesture will make them listen, at minimum.

You loathed hospitals and doctor’s offices when you first got sick. Now, you see the inside of them so often that it hardly fazes you. Still, Johnny always went along when you asked. So you wouldn’t have to be alone.

The countless memories of holding your hand as some faceless nurse sticks an IV in your elbow is the motivation that steps on the gas. “I have this friend,’ He tells them.

“You have friends?” If Vargas weren’t separated from him by the pool table, he’d reach over and stick an elbow in his side. What is it, official ‘piss off Sgt. MacTavish’ day?

They get in a laugh at his expense. “Shut up, you reprobate.” He puts enough bite in his tone to cut through the ruckus with the keenness of a knife. “I have this friend. Since I was a lad. She’s a good girl, good person. She needs our help.”

Everyone knows what he means by ‘good person,’ and the mere mention of a civilian girl in distress softens Gaz’s scowl and Alejandro’s scorn.

Their Captain nods, now significantly more amenable to this conversation than he was at the beginning. “Help?” Progress is progress, and for the first time, Soap allows himself to think he might be able to persuade someone.

“Yeah, well… you know these fuckin’ Americans. They don’t give a damn if people die like dogs in the streets. She lost her health insurance, and she’s… She’s ill. She’ll be ill for the rest of her life.” That’s something Johnny will never understand about this side of the pond. The NHS was never good, but at least it exists. All that freedom and shit, for what?

“Sorry to hear that. Fucking shame,” Price murmurs. 

“I was wondering if any of you might be interested in marrying her. For the fuckin’... benefits. I dunno know what exactly they are, but she mentioned new living quarters for her soldier.” He really ought to have looked this up beforehand and found some other things to sweeten the pot. “I’m already married. Had to turn the poor lass down, and I told her I’d at least ask you lot.”

Their captain gets up and off his ass like the stool’s on fire. “Alright. MacTavish, I’m leaving the room now. I’m going back to my office, and do not disturb me until you’re done,” He orders, mustache practically fuckin’ bristling with urgency. “I didn’t hear or see a thing.” With his parting words finished, Johnny watches the man book it out of the pool room in double time.

While he understands and appreciates the discretion, was that truly necessary? They’ve all done exponentially worse things than this.

His first choice makes a break for it, too. “Sorry, Soap,” Garrick declines. “I’m out. I’m sure she’s a delightful person, though being friends with you doesn’t speak highly of her life choices. But that’s a big ask, and I just don’t know her.” The sergeant taps him on the shoulder as he walks out in a silent show of support.

“‘Course.” With each man who leaves, his worry increases.

What voicemails will await him after he returns from the next mission? That things went horribly wrong, and you’ll be hospitalized for the rest of your life, or maybe even dead?

Whatever it is, there won’t be anything he can do by then. That’s the worst part.

“Yeah, can’t do it either, Sarge. I got a girl already.” Right. There goes Sanderson.

At least Alejandro has the decency to look genuinely sympathetic. “Let us know if there’s anything else we can do.”

Soap watches him leave and wonders if you’re still awake. It’s not late for him, but who knows? Maybe you keep normal hours now. “Yeah, I will.” You’d prefer to hear the bad news as soon as possible, but he would hate to wake you for it.

But he can’t ignore the ghoul haunting the corner any longer. “What are you still doing here, Lt.? I’ve gotta tell her I can’t help, and I don’t think you’d care to overhear that conversation.” His voice is a little sharper than is nice and proper, overflowing with prickly irritation like too much tea in a cracked cup. Of all the times for Ghost to not mind his fucking business…

“…what she look like?”

“What?”

And Riley’s got the audacity to repeat himself, slower, as if he’s stupid. “What does she look like? Got a picture?”

“Is this a joke?” Simon should stick to shitty quips about goldfish. At least those are tasteful.

The man doesn’t laugh, shake his head, or leave now that he’s successfully rattled Soap. He just stands there, as grave as always. Motherfucker. He means it. “Fuckin’… yeah, hold on,” Soap sighs as he fumbles for his phone.

He’s desperate because you’re desperate. He tells himself that, over and over, as he looks for a half-decent selfie. You’re a big girl, you knew what you were risking when you asked him for help.

Ghost takes his phone in his gloved hand. “Not bad,” He murmurs after a while. “I’ll do it. Marry her.”

A beat passes. Soap lets another one go.

Alright. The grace period is over and done with. “This is a really shitty, serious thing to mess around about. Genuinely. Don’t do that to her or me. This is about her health. Her life.” Johnny likes Lt. Riley. Really, he does. Even under all the freaky mask shit.

But this is mean-spirited. It would almost be out of character. It’s one thing to be careless if his sparring partner walks away with permanent nerve damage. This is fucking cruel if he doesn’t mean it.

Ghost can read minds now. “I mean it.” His chuckle makes Johnny fix his surprised expression into something more stern and imperceptible. “She’s desperate, isn’t she? I’ll do it.” When he walks closer, the changing light makes that skull on his face flash in and out of existence.

“Why?” If he can’t come up with a somewhat satisfactory answer… Soap’s fist can probably reach him fine from here.

And in a rather remarkable show of humanity, he watches Ghost pinch the bridge of his nose through his mask. “Think I like listening to you snore? Or fuckin’ Roach chattering on Discord at four in the morning?” Johnny never knew Ghost was such a little princess about that. Who would’ve thought?

The other man huffs a laugh. “Need my beauty sleep.”

“Yeah, you do, the mask’s not doin’ you any favors,” Soap retorts as if on autopilot. That’s only their longest-running tiff. You’ve got your work cut out for you to deal with that ugly mug, he thinks.

“You want me to help her or what?”

Right. Right. “Sorry.” He examines Ghost’s body language, searching for any hint of dishonesty. “If you so badly want out of the shared bunks, how come you haven’t found someone else yet? Or some other way?”

“You think girls are lining up outside my door proposing marriage? You can’t even find me off duty. Now I ain’t gotta find… some other way,” He says before leaning back against the wall, at ease now that his argument’s been made.

“Fair point.” Fair, but fucking dumb. “I’ll tell her. She’ll say yes, I know she will.” Jesus, does he wish he’d been able to persuade Garrick.

Soap considers exactly how much you should know about your intended before this shit goes down. On the one hand, it might be better for you not to know much, other than that he’s found someone relatively trustworthy and willing. On the other hand… interacting with Lt. Riley is something that should only be done after signing a covenant not to sue.

“Whatever you do, don’t hurt her. She’s been through enough already. And I meant it when I said she’s a good person. Too good for either of us.”

Nobody gets through secondary school untouched. Especially not at that prissy international school you met him at, filled with over-privileged rich kids and army brats scraping the bottom of the barrel. Like the two of you.

When you were fourteen, you picked him up by the scruff of his Scottish neck with a smile on your face, then hit the bastard who hit him first. Thick as thieves ever since.

“And if you can’t find it in you to be nice, just… promise you’ll leave her alone.” At least you’re more than capable of making Ghost’s life a living Hell if he fucks with you. He takes comfort in that and a healthy amount of glee at the possibility of watching that play out. He’s got a front-row seat, after all.

Riley shakes his head. “As long as she ain’t a burden, MacTavish, no need to fuss and cluck.”

For a moment, Soap almost pities him.

“Don’t hurt her. Promise me that, right now,” He stresses. Just in case. At least eliciting this agreement might remind Ghost in the future to stay his hand.

The other man sighs. “I won’t,” He says at last. And Soap can tell he means it.

“Get out. I’ll let her know.”

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

How to Write Disability: SPOP vs ATLA

(TW: ableism)

(before i start talking about this, i have to tell you that i am not physically disabled so my observations may not be a 100% correct. i'm only writing this post in relation to my experience with autism. if you feel like something i've said is inaccurate or insensitive, please feel free to let me know!)

so the two characters i wanted to talk about, in reference to writing disabled/neurodivergent characters, is Entrapta from SPOP and Toph from ATLA.

Entrapta is an autistic woman who grew up in solitude, only surrounded by robots. as a result, she is desperate for human etherian connection while at the same time, struggling with social interactions because of her autism.

she was pretty heavily autistic-coded, even before the writers confirmed that she was canonically autistic; she has a hyperfixation on tech and machinery, she is shown to stim a lot, she has a preference for tiny food (likely a sensory issue) and she is not good at reading social cues or communicating in a way that neurotypical people would understand. she is also an extremely intelligent and intuitive person who is not only good at handling tech but also shows love and affection towards people in her own way.

Toph is a character from ATLA, who was born blind. not completely unlike Entrapta, Toph was also raised in solitude, although she had her parents and servants to look after her.

her parents were convinced that Toph was incapable of being independent, because of her blindness, and were unwilling to look past her disability and treat her as a person. as a result, Toph is extremely rebellious and stubborn. she is an incredibly capable individual who learned how to navigate her way through earthbending. however, she still faces difficulties due to her disability and has to rely on her friends every once in a while.

the trope that these two shows share in relation to their disabled characters is the humor. there are jokes made about Entrapta's and Toph's disability in both shows. however, the key element that differentiates these jokes is the target.

Toph was never the butt of a joke in ATLA. in fact, she was the one making jokes about her disability 90% of the time. Toph was comfortable enough with her blindness that she didn't mind joking about it or even pranking the others sometimes.

in fact, one of the running gags in the series is that the other characters forget that Toph is blind because of how insanely capable she is.

Toph is never the butt of the joke, she's the one making fun of the others for forgetting about her disability. and it's all done in good faith.

and whenever someone is being ableist towards Toph, it's taken seriously. it's not played off as a joke and the narrative doesn't act like people mistreating Toph is this funny gag that everyone should laugh at.

now let's come to Entrapta. there are “jokes” in the show made about her disability as well, except these jokes are often made at her expense.

one of the most problematic parts of the show concerning Entrapta is the way Perfuma leashes her TWICE, because she was worried that Entrapta would get distracted and leave the group. so instead of holding Entrapta's hand or something like a normal person would, Perfuma decides that the best way to tackle this situation is to treat Entrapta like an animal and put her on a leash.

this is shown as a joke and is never addressed seriously. the show writers think that Entrapta being dehumanized and infantilized is supposed to be funny and quirky. Entrapta never gets to confront Perfuma about this or gets any kind of closure.

this was the main example of ableism in the show but there are also other minor scenes where we see characters treat her in a way that other characters aren't treated.

examples being Catra using Entrapta's trauma and loneliness to manipulate her, and Mermista literally yanking on Entrapta's hair and yelling at her, because she couldn't understand social cues.

there are also multiple examples of what i'd like to call the “translate nerd language” trope, where one of the other characters get irritated at Entrapta for using technical terms while speaking, and she has to dumb it down for them.

there's a way to write disabled characters and while Entrapta was a very relatable and sympathetic character, the ableism towards her is never addressed. the princesses are never called out on their actions, while Catra gets off scot-free after a vague apology.

when ableism was portrayed in ATLA, it was always taken seriously. Toph was allowed to leave her toxic parents and find people who accepted her for who she is, she was allowed to prove people wrong and be a powerful character in her own right. meanwhile, Entrapta was forced to be friends with the people who mistreated her and she was only kept around because she was useful.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Hayley Gleeson

There wasn't a dramatic "lightning bolt" moment when Colin Kinner realised he needed to roll up his sleeves and start tackling what he'd come to see as a pernicious problem: the largely unchecked spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Australian schools.

What spurred him to act, in the end, was the growing pile of evidence that COVID was a serious health threat, and his concern that school communities seemed to be shrugging their shoulders at it.

He was tired of hearing about schools allowing teachers to come to work while COVID positive. Of sick children being permitted to stay in class and infecting others. Of schools asking parents not to tell them if their child had COVID, but routinely sending home letters about head lice or chickenpox. Of teachers and kids catching the virus and not recovering.

"As a parent, I want my son to be safe at school, so that was a key part of my motivation to do this," says Mr Kinner, the Brisbane creator of COVID Safety for Schools, a free online course that aims to correct misinformation and teach school staff and parents how to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. "But also, having spoken to lots of other parents and teachers, it's clear that most schools are lacking an understanding of some of the absolute basics of COVID. And in the fifth year of the pandemic, I find that very troubling."

Every week in Australia too many students and teachers are catching COVID at school, Mr Kinner says, resulting in disrupted learning, teacher shortages, increased transmission in the broader community and disabling chronic illnesses like long COVID. It's hardly surprising: a packed classroom can be the perfect place for an airborne virus to thrive, with one US study finding more than 70 per cent of COVID transmission in homes began with an infected school-age child.

Schools aren't necessarily at fault: in most states they've been starved of good public health guidance, Mr Kinner says — they've been told "they can treat it like any other respiratory illness, so that's exactly what they're doing".

Step one: correct misinformation A science and technology communicator and startup mentor, Mr Kinner's solution was to assemble a team — some of Australia's leading experts in public health, medicine and engineering — who could explain in simple video tutorials the health risks of COVID, the science of how it spreads, and strategies schools can use to keep staff and students well. The ultimate goal of COVID Safety for Schools, he says, is to change minds and behaviour and, since it launched in February, 600 participants have signed up, about half parents and half teachers.

But perhaps its greatest challenge is engaging people in the first place, particularly those who believe COVID is harmless or no longer worth taking precautions against.

For the past couple of years Australians have been encouraged to keep calm and carry on as if the virus is in the rear view mirror, even as it continues sickening and killing people, albeit in smaller numbers than years gone by. News reports often downplay its severity, if they cover it at all, while political leaders, public health officials and doctors have claimed it is no cause for concern, especially in children, and that catching it is not just inevitable, but necessary.

But mounting evidence shows the opposite. Even in vaccinated people and those who suffer "mild" infections, COVID can trigger a range of health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurological conditions and immune dysfunction. Then there's long COVID, a debilitating multi-organ illness that has upended the lives of hundreds of millions of children and adults worldwide, many of whom do not fully recover.

"COVID is like an accelerator for all the other diseases that we hate — it's actually an aging accelerant as well," Professor Jeremy Nicholson explains in one of the course videos. "And we don't want that for our kids or anybody else."

Simple steps can stop COVID spreading Once apprised of the health risks, course participants are taught about evidence-based tools schools can use to reduce viral transmission. These are not outlandish or burdensome interventions, but common sense steps like encouraging teachers and students to stay home if they're sick; improving indoor air quality with ventilation and filtration — with air conditioning systems, air purifiers and good old-fashioned open windows; and promoting mask wearing particularly in high-risk settings like crowded indoor gatherings or bus trips.

Of course, some education departments already require schools to take similar measures. In Victoria, for instance, all public schools must "maximise" external ventilation, ensure air purifiers are used, encourage good personal hygiene and make face masks available for those who want to wear them. But that doesn't mean schools actually follow the guidelines or use the tools at their disposal (in 2021 the government delivered tens of thousands of air purifiers to schools across the state, but many are no longer used and some have since been listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace).

The federal president of the Australian Education Union, Correna Haythorpe, says any initiative that educates people about COVID and what schools can do to prevent infections is "welcome". Teachers who have to take sick leave because they've caught COVID or developed long COVID are an additional burden on schools, many of which are struggling with the "chronic" national teacher shortage, she says. Then there's the disruption to learning: "A contagious disease can very quickly … take out significant numbers of students. And fundamentally, we want kids to be engaged, we want them to be well, we want them to be learning."

Improving the situation, though, requires stronger leadership from education departments, Ms Haythorpe says. "Current government approaches to limiting COVID infection, repeat infection and long COVID demonstrates a lack of concern for the health and wellbeing of students, teachers and broader school communities," the AEU wrote in its submission to Australia's parliamentary inquiry into long COVID. Mitigation measures in many public schools are not adequate, it said, "and a lack of capital investment … since 2017 means that conditions are often cramped with inadequate air flow".

'Long COVID basically ended my career' For Amanda Sharpe, these problems are personal. Before she developed long COVID after catching the virus from her children in 2022, Ms Sharpe taught advanced maths at a high school in Bundaberg, Queensland. She used to spend full days on her feet, relishing the buzz of helping her students solve complex equations, preparing them for careers in fields like medicine and aerospace engineering.

Now, just sitting upright for a short spell or reading a simple news story can quickly worsen her symptoms and wipe her out for days. "Long COVID basically ended my career and I doubt that I'll ever be able to return," she says. "Unless there is an actual cure, I think that will be it for me."

It's bewildering that schools aren't taking stronger action to protect their staff and students from COVID, says Ms Sharpe, who tells her story in the COVID Safety for Schools course. A major issue is that many people still think of COVID as a respiratory illness, she says — they don't realise it can also attack the vascular system, damaging blood vessels and increasing the risk of clotting abnormalities, stroke and heart disease.

She also wishes more people knew that the virus can cause brain changes and cognitive impairment: one study, for instance, found people who recovered from "mild" COVID infections had lost the equivalent of three IQ points.

"With the maths I teach, you really can't afford to have your IQ drop," Ms Sharpe says. "I just don't understand why schools aren't implementing simple measures like improving indoor air quality — especially private schools, where academic results link directly with enrolments and success."

In response to previous disease outbreaks like Spanish flu and tuberculosis, schools moved lessons outdoors — sometimes in freezing winter temperatures — to stop children from getting sick, she says. "But we don't want to have classroom windows open in Queensland? It just seems insane to me."

What about WHS laws? It may also be unlawful. Australians may have been led to believe that public health orders in force until 2022 were the key reason employers, including schools, had to take steps to protect staff from COVID, says Michael Tooma, a partner at the law firm Hamilton Locke. But schools have always had to comply with workplace health and safety laws — "there has always been a duty of care", he says. "COVID presents a risk to health and safety and, like any other risk, it needs to be managed with proactive policies and procedures that try to eliminate the risk or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable."

At the very least, Mr Tooma says, schools should be excluding people with COVID from the workplace, improving ventilation in classrooms and auditoriums and maintaining sensible cleaning and hygiene regimes.

Schools that fail to meet their WHS legal obligations may be reported to and investigated by state regulators, which can issue improvement notices and in some cases bring prosecutions for serious breaches of the relevant legislation.

Still, Mr Tooma says he's not aware of any schools being prosecuted for COVID-related breaches and in general, regulators tend to focus on industries that have higher risks of serious physical harm and death, as well as "campaign" issues like mental health. "Regulator activity tends to follow public interest and so as public interest in COVID and COVID safety has waned, so has regulatory activity around it, in my experience."

Mr Kinner suspects it's probably going to take successful litigation for schools to start taking COVID more seriously. He points to a UK case in which 120 teachers with long COVID are suing the Department of Education for allegedly failing to protect them at the height of the pandemic. Those involved say they were not given good enough guidance for managing the risks the virus posed, with data showing teachers suffered high rates of infection and long COVID.

"I think it's only a matter of time before we see similar legal action in Australia," Mr Kinner says. "It could be from teachers, it could be from families who caught COVID because it came into their household via the school. I think it's inevitable."

In the meantime, he will keep trying to get COVID Safety for Schools in front of as many teachers, parents and principals as he can — even if it takes a while, even if they don't want to hear its message.

"I've been very surprised at how school leaders don't act when they're presented with this information, even people who go through the course and understand — or should understand — that this is a virus we should be taking very seriously," Mr Kinner says. "Because facts remain facts. Even if you don't like them, even if they make you feel uncomfortable, they're still facts."

[jesncin]

Hi! I'm sorry if this an inappropriate question to ask, but I was wondering if you had any advice on how to accurately portray characters of color? I'm White and my creative fiction includes a lot of diverse characters, and I don't want to just ignore how their races impact their stories but at the same time being a racial/ethnic minority isn't something I've personally experienced and I don't know how to walk the line between good representation and some White dude telling stories that aren't his place to tell. Do you have any advice on how to accurately present characters of color without appropriating?

Luckily I have time today so I'll give my 2 cents! For one: there is no such thing as "accurate" portrayals of POC. Our experiences aren't a monolith. Something personal I would write and pull from my lived experience might not be relatable to, say, another queer Indonesian. And characters I write that are outside of my identity (Black, disabled, etc.) are inevitably going to be less authentic compared to someone of those identities tackling those characters. That's just something to make peace with- we can only do the best we can with the perspective we have.

With that: the usual platitudes are "do your research" and "listen to POC", I dislike both of these sayings! I get what they mean, but I don't love the insinuation of "doing research and listening" as a means of personal creative benefit. So instead I encourage different mindsets:

Instead of "do your research" (where identities can be treated as subjects to be learned and not people) I prefer "expand your perspective". Art is so cool because it's self expression. Stories are awesome because it's a shortcut to a person's deepest feelings. They get you fascinated and invested in a life so unlike your own. I can't stand "I only read queer books" people because it's an admission that they refuse to engage with identities they can't relate or project onto. There are so many important stories out there outside of your bubble. Get into the habit of earnestly learning about perspectives outside of your own. And not with the mindset of "this'll make me a better writer if I consume the identity and can become them" but with the mindset of getting to learn about a new friend. I think people take "stay in your lane" too literally sometimes where they focus so much on writing about their own experiences that they miss out on empathizing with other people.

Instead of "listen to POC" (I hate this one. Because our opinions aren't a monolith, it essentializes all of us to being media critic savvy experts, and white people tend to cherry pick the POC opinions they like instead of looking at the wider conversation) I prefer "improve your media criticism skills, and supplement with different perspectives". Not only should you "expand your perspective" as my last point said, but you should also be critical of things you read and learn! Learning about how ableism, racism, classism, etc. operates in life helps inform your opinion of how an identity was portrayed in a story. Recognize that earnest, and well intended attempts at representation can still be flawed or performative (the amount of times I'm told "I'm sure they weren't intending to be racist" like I truly believe the writer is a mustache twirling racist villain is too much). It's important to be opinionated! Do the work to find different perspectives to inform your own.

Lastly, don't ask for labor from marginalized people haha. I know that's what you're doing now (and this always happens to me whenever I voice a critical opinion of race representation) but I happen to have time (I'm still waiting on my editors to get back to me, such is the life of publishing). Most people don't, and are exhausted with explaining themselves. I don't bother my other marginalized friends whenever I write perspectives outside of my own. I do as much of the work reading articles, history, criticism, art etc. first. Especially if it's going to be a published work, then find Authenticity Readers and pay them for their labor. Avoid asking general, easy to google answers y'know? A lot of people have done the work writing thought pieces in their own time about a variety of perspectives.

[sixty-silver-wishes]

FINE because all you fancy scholars are too busy talking about sigmund freud, I'm going to write a disability reading of "caligari" MYSELF

so a while ago. I was looking for critical readings on "the cabinet of dr. caligari" through the lens of disability theory because that's what I do for fun. but it turns out, despite the theme of disability being central to the film, I couldn't find any criticism explicitly focusing on the matter. so I wanted to tackle it myself, albeit in an informal context, because I think there really is a lot to say.

disability is defined as "a physical or mental condition that limits one's senses, movements, or activities." some definitions of disability include those recognized by law, but I don't think a disability has to be legally recognized as such for it to inhibit or otherwise impact someone's life. this analysis will not attempt to diagnose characters with recognized disabilities or disorders, but rather will discuss the theme of disability and how it ties into the wider theme of the abuse of power, as embodied by the character of caligari, who exerts his influence onto multiple aspects of the film in different ways. (I've written already about caligari and the intersectionality of his character here; this analysis does touch on the disability angle some, but mainly focuses on who caligari is and what he represents.)

so, the most obvious instance of a disabled character in "caligari" is cesare (and there are others, but we'll get to them later). obviously, he's impacted by sleep disorders; he's a somnambulist, but we also see him asleep for much of the time, even in the short scene before he comes under caligari's influence, suggesting that he also suffers from irregular sleeping patterns as well. while cesare's somnambulism was an existing condition before he was institutionalized, caligari also disables him further by destroying his mental and physical autonomy, through exploiting his pre-existing sleep conditions. cesare's disability is not only caligari's means of controlling him; it's also how caligari completely redefines his identity, and how he's perceived by outsiders as well. as we learn, "cesare" is not his original name; caligari had renamed him after a previous somnambulist named cesare, who had also been forced to murder. but aside from that, we see him frequently referred to as just "the somnambulist," both by caligari and other characters. this is also how caligari presents him as an attraction at the fair- he is first referred to at the town hall as a "spectacle," then as "a somnambulist;" it's not until caligari's exhibition that we see him referred to by a name. it's commonly pointed out that cesare is a highly dual character, and is portrayed simultaneously as both a victim and a threat; his somnambulism is specifically representative of this. because of it, he is not directly accountable for being forced to murder if he's asleep at the time, but caligari also uses it to turn him into a killing machine. I think this may be interpreted analogously to how society may view disabled people; they may be viewed as helpless, but also as threats to abled perceptions of normativity.

I've already talked about how caligari's position as an asylum director ties into the wider theme of how he represents multiple abusive systems of power, but when we read cesare specifically from a disabled lens, this only comes more sharply into focus. in the film, caligari is said to specialize in somnambulism. he has wanted to "become caligari" before cesare entered the asylum. these two details immediately make clear another aspect of the predatory nature of his actions; if cesare's condition is severe enough for him to be institutionalized, there just so happens to be a specialist in his condition nearby who is eager to treat him. meanwhile, caligari had been preparing to experiment on a somnambulist with the goal of making them committing murder, even before cesare came in. so, cesare's lack of autonomy is implied before he comes under caligar's control- he is brought into the asylum while asleep (who sent him there to begin with?), and the one person with the knowledge and credentials to treat him is intent on harming him for his own gain. once under his control, cesare is entirely dependent on him for basic functions, including eating and waking up.

again, caligari's treatment of cesare is a microcosm of the tyranny he exerts on a wider scale. as stated in my previous analyses, caligari takes control of cesare because his disorder presents a vulnerability that he exploits. as seen in real-life abusive situations, especially from those in positions of power, caligari's exploitation of cesare is projected onto a wider scale- he uses him to murder other people in town. if we take the common interpretation of caligari symbolizing a head of state, we can tie this to the idea of cesare being disabled, and therefore the "other." caligari first oppresses this individual in a marginalized position due to his societal and physical vulnerability, then turns this oppression outward. therefore, we can even create an intersectional postcolonial reading from this interpretation, as it suggests caligari's particular brand of authoritarianism works similarly to a colonizing power, wherein those with authority will restrict the rights of or otherwise endanger the population they initially have power over, before doing the same to the colonized population. to further the postcolonial analogy, cesare, in the microcosm of "caligari," may occupy a similar role to the subaltern- that is, a population excluded from the social hierarchy created by colonialism, who is depicted as lacking power or self-determination. while caligari oppresses the people of holstenwall in addition to cesare, we don't see cesare acknowledged as entirely human by anyone in the film, including its protagonists. he is a sideshow attraction, a monster, a means to an end, but never depicted as deserving of sympathy for all he's suffered, although the film makes it clear that he's undergone some form of severe abuse and has forcibly lost his autonomy.

previously, I've examined how caligari's position as a carnival barker plays into his symbolism as an authority figure, but with regards to cesare, I think it's also worth discussing how his position as a carnival attraction may play into a disability reading. historically, circus sideshows were known for exploiting disabled people in exhibitions (along with people from the global south), wherein their differences to the viewing population were treated as sources of fascination, horror, or amusement. cesare's exhibition, similarly, not only draws crowds within the film, but also entices the audience to view him as a spectacle. the camerawork builds up our anticipation before he's revealed, and the long close-up shot of him opening his eyes allows us- the audience of the film- to participate in viewing him in this way. but while cesare's sleep disorders are primarily how caligari advertises him to the audience (in addition to his somnambulism, caligari also claims that he's slept for all 23 years of his life. this claim is likely untrue within the film, as caligari is implied to have done the sideshow exhibit in which he wakes cesare up before, and he details that cesare found murder "abhorrent" in a waking state. nonetheless, caligari seems to be largely in control of when cesare is awake or asleep.), caligari further claims that cesare possesses psychic abilities. While it's not clear if cesare is actually psychic or not- after all, the only prediction we see him make comes true because he kills alan- the idea that cesare's disability would be linked to some supernatural power suggests another way in which disabled people are exploited. when abled society views disabled people as "exceptional," perhaps due to a skill seen as a "trade-off" for disability, this perception often serves as a tool for further marginalization, as the disabled people in question are not viewed as human. when disability is treated as a "superpower" by non-disabled people, it risks the possibility of one overlooking the struggles it may present for a disabled person, along with their humanity. likewise, cesare's supposed "superpower" of omniscience draws crowds to caligari's exhibition, but it also contributes to cementing his status as the "other."

I've talked a lot about cesare and caligari with regards to disability, but I also want to discuss francis here too. at the end of the film, francis is revealed to be a patient in an insane asylum, along with most of the other characters. this twist is highly controversial among those who have interpreted "caligari" with regards to its potential implications for its message on authority, but I think it may also offer some valuable insight into a disability reading as well. for much of the film, francis is presented as having several positive traits- he's fiercely loyal to his friends, has a strong sense of justice, and for the most part, is largely presented as intelligent and rational. however, as soon as francis is revealed to be mentally disabled, the entire perception around him shifts. his credibility is suddenly thrown into question as he interacts with jane and cesare, who themselves are also patients, and when he attacks the asylum director, accusing him of being "caligari," he is suddenly portrayed as violent and irrational, when before, this same action was understood by the audience to be a noble confrontation of injustice. while I don't believe that francis being disabled necessarily devalues anything we've come to learn about him, the film does call his trustworthiness into question as soon as we learn he's a patient. because he's revealed to be mentally disabled, some people even theorize far-fetched claims about him without textual evidence; for instance, I've seen many speculations that francis killed alan, and that's why he doesn't show up at the end. others theorize that because francis is depicted as disabled by the end, caligari is suddenly rationalized, reversing the film's anti-authority themes. I don't think this interpretation holds ground, either; after all, we see the director claim he knows how to "cure" francis, while incorrectly concluding what francis believes him to be. I believe this ending salvages the anti-authority themes, while lending sympathy to francis as well. after all, even if he's an unreliable narrator, when we last see him, he's terrified, alone with who he believes to be his best friend's murderer, whose "cure" will likely be ineffective.

anyway, to wrap this up, "caligari" has a lot to talk about when it comes to the theme of disability, which is why it's surprising to me that I haven't seen a lot of interpretations from this angle. as it's from the perspective of a character who's later revealed to be mentally disabled, but this fact isn't made clear until the end, it's fascinating how many ways we can interpret its themes of disability to be. disability also plays a key role in its more well-known interpretations, including that of caligari as an authority figure, as well as cesare's dual nature. I wouldn't necessarily call "caligari" either a pro-disability or "ableist" film, but I believe it is a film about disability (among a great deal of other things), in which it's largely used as a metaphorical vehicle for many of its other themes.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Why So Serious? This is a Dinosaur Blog?

So we live in a world that has built its entire mythology off of hierarchies. The idea that the rich are better than the poor. The whites better than people of color. Men better than women. Able-bodied and able-minded better than the disabled and neurodivergent. Straight, cis folk better than queers. christians better than any other people of any other religion. That's the society we in "western" places live in. Another fundamental component of that is that humans are better, more important, more "evolved" or "chosen" than any other living thing.

and that is just as false as all the rest of them.

you can't dismantle it without dismantling the others first, of course. since humano-supremacy is the one the rest is built off of, you won't properly unlearn it unless you unlearn white supremacy first. that's why we see countless vegans being real racist pieces of shit all the time.

but you do have to unlearn anthropocentrism, too. you do. because the biosphere is all fundamentally equal. we are one part of nature, of the ecosystem, connected to all the rest. we are partners in the evolution of life. understanding that is necessary: to combat climate change, to fight against ecofascism, to ensure the survival of our species and the world. we are not uniquely evil or uniquely good. we're just some naked apes that made a bunch of mistakes, but we can fix them, too.

I live with five parrots. every day they remind me that the idea humans are "more evolved" is ridiculous. they understand things I would never expect. and they remind me that they're dinosaurs every damn day. and that's just another type of tetrapod, something so close to us its easy to empathize with them. Now apply it to fungi. It gets harder, right?

But that's why we have to keep working.

And that's why we have to see the history of life not just as an interesting story, but the story of us. The history of all of us. and it explains so much! The quirks of geology lead to the geography of slavery in the united states. Humans wouldn't have even evolved if a rock hadn't randomly hit the planet at the right time. We have hiccups because we descend from fish. The list goes on.

We need to produce a human population that thinks ecologically and evolutionarily, so that we can tackle the real problems and move forward.

And that's why I'm so gd-damned serious about dinosaurs. Because dinosaurs, in that western mythos, are the "lumbering, dumb lizards" that went extinct because they sucked, so the cool mammals could come in and run the show - and we, the coolest mammals of all, took our rightful place as the leaders.

But that's not what happened.

Dinosaurs were well adapted for their environments, intelligent and active animals - and were thriving right until the end-Cretaceous. Nonavian ones only went extinct because of a giant space rock. And dinosaurs are STILL WITH US - as birds - and doing better than ever. There are more species of dinosaur alive today than there are mammals. and humans just kind of, happened, thanks to some lucky accidents. we are as much a product of random chance as the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs was.

All of our anthropocentric myths are just that - myths. frankly, how can we call ourselves "more evolved", when we're destroying the planet - gleefully and rapidly? We have to unlearn this myth.

And, in between crying about my thesis, I will do everything I can to help people unlearn that myth and see the true beauty that is the history of life.

so, yeah. come learn with me. it's the only way to liberate us all.

[marveltrumpshate]

Education

We’d venture to guess that one of the common threads that unites our fandom is a belief in the power of education and all that comes with it. Taking down barriers to literacy, higher education, and other forms of knowledge-building, these organizations are working to ensure everyone has access to the transformative power of ideas and resources for personal and professional development.

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

Amputee Coalition

The Amputee Coalition supports and advocates for people impacted by limb loss and limb difference as well as their families and caretakers across the globe, and one of the ways they do so is through their educational programs. They developed the National Limb Loss Resource Center which offers information on a plethora of topics related to limb loss/difference, provide educational publications and webinars, and have a youth engagement program that covers everything from life skills and training programs, career development, and more.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network 

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

The Pad Project

Period stigma and lack of access to affordable, safe, and effective menstrual products are a global problem, one that disrupts and limits access to education and employment for many people who menstruate. The Pad Project tackles this issue through increasing access not only to menstrual products but also education. They conduct workshops on menstrual hygiene management and sexual and reproductive health and have an award-winning documentary, Period. End of Sentence. Additionally, they aim to integrate menstrual hygiene management and puberty education into school curricula internationally.

Southern Poverty Law Center

If there is injustice against a vulnerable and/or marginalized group in the U.S., SPLC aims to address and fix it through a myriad of ways including their education program, Learning for Justice. Learning for Justice offers free resources, such as magazines, podcasts, films, training sessions, webinars, etc. to more than 500,000 caregivers, teachers, administrators, counselors, and other practitioners who work with children from kindergarten to high school. Their justice-focused approach helps students and educators learn how to become involved in activism, tackle prejudice, and create more civil and inclusive communities.

World Literacy Foundation

Reading opens doors, both to other worlds and in real life. When someone acquires literacy skills, they're able to access better opportunities and societal integration; they can gain better healthcare access, fill out job applications, and more. The World Literacy Foundation provides disadvantaged children with books, educational resources, and literacy support, and they use innovative tech, e-books, and digital activities to advance the learning of children in remote areas. On a community level, the WLF equips parents to support their children in their learning through mentorship programs and empowers people to advocate for literacy in their communities.

[wjehfshs]

Hello, hello!!

I wanted to request a m/n who is a new recruit in tast force 141 but he is disabled, well not physically but mentally and m/n was also born prematurely which causes m/n to be much skinneir and shorter then the rest of the tf141 (hes about 5ft 5, but still very strong, can lift up ghost like hes a bag of cotton). And when he joins tf141 he doesnt even know the basics and the team is like "how tf did he even pass the standard test??" And everyone in the base thinks that m/n is a lost cause and he will prob be transfered somewhere else and one of the tf141 members (maybe price or ghost) takes m/n under their wing and teach them the basics and they are SHOOCK by how fast m/n can learn, like you could leave m/n in a room with a rifle he's unfamiliar with for an hour and m/n would have mastered the rifle. M/n also takes advantage of his disabilities (such as: autism? Tricks himself to hyperfixate on military and survival things. Permanant little lines in his vision? Uses it as a sniper telescope and can get a clear headshot from 4000 meters with a pistol. His 5 senses are hypersensitive? Uses it to detect and locate enemies and pick up small changes in the wind which helps him be a good sniper. M/n also cant remember anything for the life of him but he creates a technique that lets him memorize pages upon pages of things in mere minutes, m/n also learns languages for fun (that includes sign language too), also knows body language very well so he is usually there during interrogations to confirm if the prisoner is lying or not. And in one scenario m/n and tf141 are cornered and the soldiers are giving up going "we are not gonna win this one" or "its over" and then m/n gives an inspirational speech which somehow works. M/n also just... refuses to die, like he could have multiple gun and stab wounds but still be fighting like a tank. And when off the battlefield m/n is just... so metally disabled, you could walk up to and tell him something ,he will stand there for a few seconds to understand what you said and then respond as if he didnt just stand🧍 completely still for a solid 10 seconds looking like he was re-loading, also bumps into things right infront of him, trips over everything, most likely dyslexic, does dangerous stunts for fun and bets.

And thank you very much!!♡♡

I’m disabled myself so M/N is so me 💪 love when people ask for disabled reader

Reader is disabled/prematurely born, reader is 5,5 but strong asf, reader is a bit slow but also a walking book at the same time, reader knows multiple languages, please let me know if I got anything wrong as I am disabled but I’m only autistic, sorry I wasn’t feeling up to writing the speech, roach appears briefly

You had been born before 35 weeks

You had some seeing issues, which meant you needed glasses, not a problem apart from the fact that you where quite literally blind without them

You where also diagnosed as autistic at 9

You where heavily bullied throughout school so you decided to not only get strong but also join the military

When the 141 first saw you, how short you where, how skinny you where and your files listing your conditions they all silently agreed you wouldn’t make it through and either die on the field or be transferred

God they couldn’t be more wrong

Once during sparring, even with your short stature, you easily tackled Ghost down

He didn’t even have any time to react

Once the 141 was struggling on the field, you decided to give a motivational speech to cheer them up

It worked

A lot of the time when someone would tell a joke you didn’t understand, you took awhile to understand it but once you got it you usually always laughed

You where a sniper which concerned all of them considering you has seeing issues but Shepard was adamant that you where the best of the best

They only actually understood this when you got on the field

You where taking down the enemy from far away with no issues

They all thanked you for saving their asses out there, without you they would’ve all been dead

They asked you later how you managed to get so good at this stuff and you went on a 2 hour rant about how you forced yourself to hyper-fixate on the military so that’s how you got so good in such a short amount of time

Once they had a prisoner from the other side, you wouldn’t let up on being in there with Ghost

Eventually they agreed

First question you immediately pointed out how the prisoner was lying

How could you tell?

You explained his body language gave it away

Later on they asked you how you knew that and you revealed you knew multiple languages, including body language

You and Roach would regularly have conversations in sign language

Most of the time it was too fast for everyone else to read your hands

Honestly yes it did take some training from Price to get you to this skill level but that doesn’t mean you weren’t fucking terrifying

What confused them was you somehow managed to forget your own last name but you’re able to answer any question about the military

You where like an infinite pit of knowledge

Once you where out on the field and you got shot right next to your heart (later found that out when you where in the infirmary)

Even with blood spilling out and some other stab wounds here and there you went on

It’s like you weren’t even shot

What shocked them more was once you where on a stealth mission with them and you heard footsteps that no one would’ve been able to hear

You shot the guy with your silenced pistol as everyone quietly thanked you

They have major respect for you and honestly a few of them including the rookies look up to you

[dr-eepy]

Hi! You offered so uhhh

My biggest problem right now is the first two gyms, the so called “beginner” ones, are bug and grass. I only have my bounsweet and azumarill. And I know they could do it, eventually, but I also don’t want to push them too hard. Like, Lapis (azumarill) could probably take on the bug gym but she’s still getting back in the swing of battling after becoming disabled. And she’s still learning signs for battles. So it’s not fair to expect her to take on three bug types (well. Ones a normal type terastalizes into bug) in a row, and Bowsette can’t support very well because. Grass type. So I called the battle off when lapis was getting overwhelmed. But also the other “beginner” gym is grass type and neither lapis or Bowsette can do much there.

I’ve tried catching a third Pokémon to add to the team but… I haven’t been able to.

-💎 ( @flowerandjewel)

your pokemon definitely don't have great matchups, but let's see what we can do.

long post + battle strats under the cut

I've never trained or battled with a disabled pokemon, so I can't give you much advice there. keep working on teaching your azumarill battle signs, because that will help with speed and ease of communication. a lot of battling is learning how to work with your pokemon, and your pokemon learning how to work with you. battling is hard work, and takes time. make sure not to push your pokemon too hard. it can be a detriment if they're under a lot of pressure. focus on being encouraging, and reward behaviours you want to see more of.

now for battle strategy.

bounsweet, as a grass type, is obviously a bad matchup against bug types, and it's a similar situation with azumarill and grass. neither pokemon are known to have access to moves that change their type, so that's off the table.

the bug gym will probably be easier to tackle (ha ha) first.

according to research, most azumarill know rollout from a very young age. I'm going to guess and say that your pokemon aren't very experienced yet, but if your azumarill doesn't know/has forgotten rollout I'd see about talking to a move reminder.

rollout is a rock-type move that gets stronger with consecutive uses, though it's a bit more likely to miss than most moves. rock is super effective against bug type pokemon, so I'd give that a shot.

if your azumarill has defense curl and is having trouble, I might use that once or twice at the start of battle before committing to rollouts. azumarill tend to be tanky, and as a fully evolved pokemon they tend to be a little stronger, so you have that on your side.

tail whip is inferior for this purpose because you lower the attack the opponent pokemon, who in an optimal scenario are going to be fainting, and you don't want to break your rollout streak by tail whipping the next 'mon. defense curl raises your own defense, and given what you've told me you're unlikely to be switching out of lapis, so that should last you the battle.

this strategy also has the advantage of only needing two signs, so it shouldn't be too hard to teach.

if you want a bit of an edge up going in and are willing to give your opponent a free hit, you might try sending bowsette out first and having her use sweet scent before switching out, which will lower the evasion of the first pokemon you face and make getting the ball rolling (ha ha) on rollout easier. it shouldn't be necessary, though.

if you are still having trouble, my advice is that you're probably just not ready for the gym yet, and you should practice some more before trying again.

however, if you're willing to spend the time/money, getting your hands on a wide lens will increase the accuracy of rollout so that it almost never misses, but you should make sure it's worth the investment first. they're around P20,000 new in paldea, which is obviously a lot, but you can get them secondhand for around P5,000, which is a lot more reasonable. just make sure they're in decent condition (not scuffed, broken, etc. a bad lens can actually lower your accuracy).

a fire-type pokemon would obviously be a lot of help with both these gyms, and I'd recommend it for type coverage in the future as well. I can't give many tips on catching mons- most of mine picked me, if I'm being honest. there are always pokemon shelters, if you're desperate, and you'll be helping a pokemon in need of a home.

I'd recommend avoiding the grass gym until you get another teammate or are much more experienced unless it's necessary. paldeans don't have a set order for the gyms, right?

my only tip for the grass gym with your team as-is is that grass resists grass, so avoid using those moves on your opponents. go for rapid spin instead, which hits for neutral effectiveness.

[bluedalahorse]

Here’s a random Young Royals ask:

What career do you think Sara will have in the future? Or what do you think her dream job would be?

I hope your day is lovely and amazing!!

Thank you! I hope your day is lovely and amazing too.

This is a great ask, and one where you might get more than you asked for. In part because I’ve thought about it a lot. I have not only a dream job in mind for Sara, but also some nightmare jobs as well. (Don’t worry, it’s all related to fanfic plots living in my head, and I promise they end in a good place.)

Is it okay if I start with Sara’s nightmare job? This one sort of popped into my head as I was envisioning what a Second Chance Romance could look like between Sara and August, maybe a decade after canon where August has done a lot of work and made various restitutions to Simon and gotten much more of his shit together.

As for that story… I thought it might be interesting, as far as like, what generates a plot and character arc, to put Sara at a job that’s taking advantage of her compassion and desire for justice. In my experience it’s pretty common for younger people to end up in situations like that in their first jobs, and I think it’d be interesting if Sara was in a place where she won’t deal with that in a romantic partner anymore, but she hasn’t learned to recognize it in a work situation yet. (This is pretty common in growing up—you tackle one issue in one part of one’s life and it sneakily migrates to another part.) So she’s working this nightmare job for an autism charity I’ve sneakily called PuzzleChildren (it’s a reference, shout if you get it!) which is trying to rehabilitate its image after news breaks that they haven’t really hired any actually autistic people. Sara’s hired by them, and they sound sincere at first so she’s trying her best to make things work with her coworkers and bosses, but over time she just kind of realizes that this place is shit and has no intention of changing. And then she moves into a line of work that’s much more fulfilling for her.

And what might that be? Well, I’m still deciding, but there’s a few career paths where I can see Sara being particularly happy:

Some sort of career in Environmental or Disability Justice. I’m not exactly sure why. It’s just vibes. I do think Sara is a person who cares deeply about people and causes, and both of those are areas where I can see her learning more at university and just finding a place that makes sense for her.

Helping people, especially other neurodivergent people, using some kind of animal therapy. Doesn’t have to be horses! Or maybe Sara will train service dogs or something. It’s possible Sara’s affinity for horses could translate over to other animals, and she could find a career path in that general direction.

Graphic novelist or picture book writer. We see Sara drawing in one scene in season 1, and for that reason, she’s always been someone who likes to draw in my head. We also know she’s a keen observer of human behavior and could have some interesting insights if she ever decided to write a story. I can see her doing memoir graphic novels with a similar tone to like, stuff by Marjane Satrapi or Maggie Thrash. Of course if the monarchy’s still around they might want to sue her for her honesty. But they shouldn’t.

What do you think? I can see lots of possibilities for Sara in the future!

[rei-caldombra]

Yubisaki to Renren - Anime First Impressions Review

This review is based off the first 3 episodes of the anime and does contain spoilers. Please be aware that I have not read the manga and am not spoiled. 

It's been a while since I've watched a proper Shoujo romance anime. It's not the most common anime/manga demographic for me to check out but I have watched or read quite a few of them over the years and have loved most of them. Some of my favorites are Ore Monogotari!!, Kimi ni Todoke, and Ouran High School Host Club. As of now Yubisaki to Renren absolutely has the potential to be one of my favorites. I'm loving this show!

I really enjoy learning about the experiences of different people and am not super knowledgeable in the life experiences of deaf people. I am glad we are seeing more anime like this and Ranking of Kings that help enrich people's perspectives on disabilities. To me this show is incredibly engrossing and informative towards the deaf experience. In the first 3 episodes we have already gotten so much rich characterization and details into Yuki and her experience as a deaf and mute person. It brings up a lot of detail surrounding basic interaction as a deaf person. Such as how things that could are normal and inoffensive between friends like going up to someone from behind could have a different impact on someone deaf like Yuki. Her having that feeling that people are talking about her, even if she is not reading lips or was communicated.

I have to imagine this is a relatable feeling. Most people seem to be able to pick up on that type of thing to an extent, but I imagine people with disabilities like deafness are more receptive to it. Likely out of getting more attention towards them for being different and feeling excluded. Her wondering how Rin asked for his number and having trouble doing it is very sad, because she is unable to approach it in the same manner. It's great seeing how she goes about tackling problems differently. I appreciate them bringing up how she has hearing aids but still can’t hear. I was wondering about that as I figured you would not bother to wear them if they weren’t working, but I can see how there is still value in it even if Yuki only hears noises she cannot properly understand. I imagine there could be emotional reasons for wanting to wear them as well as well. I also did not know there were separate schools dedicated to teaching the deaf and hard of hearing. I had really only thought of individual tutoring, but it makes sense proper institutions dedicated to it exist. These would provide much higher quality of education to those hard of hearing, but it’s also understandable that it would make someone feel like they are in a protective bubble. Which is how Yuki felt. Another informative detail I like is how one girl in the deaf school called to Yuki verbally, reminding the viewers that there are varieties of deafness. Some have the capacity to speak clearly, some do to the best of their ability, and some like Yuki cannot or choose not to speak at all. It’s easy for people to stick to a simple idea of disabled people, so it’s great that this show is addressing the complexities of the condition. It’s especially great that it accomplishes this by showing rather than telling. I also like when Yuki brings up how the way people sign conveys emotion outside of the words being signed. It’s very cool to learn about how body language also comes through with signing. I had not properly thought about how signing would show bodily expressions the same as any other bodily movement until I saw it here. Such as how Oushi’s signing is aggressive while Itsuomi’s is soft. Yuki can read into someone’s personality based on how they sign. Just within these first few episodes this anime is filled with rich detail that get help you understand Yuki's experiences and empathize with her. It strongly succeeds in engrossing you in Yuki's world. All of these glimpses into how deaf people communicate and intake information is very informative and interesting. This on top of the sweet nature of the show makes it a lot denser than a traditional romance. I'm greatly looking forward to learning more about the life experiences of deaf people through this show.

I also think a strength here is that it takes the experiences of deafness with great care while also using it for jokes. I like the simple miscommunication humor of her not reading lips perfectly leading to her taking something the wrong way. This fits very well and is great for adding comedy in between the dialogue.

The romance side of things is also starting off strong. Itsuomi has me swooning over here with his smooth moves.

I can see the chemistry between these characters already. Both of them are people who desire to gain new experiences. Expanding your world seems like it is a central theme of the show. I really enjoy these early interactions. They feel fairly natural, being awkward in a way that doesn't feel forced or strange. It is natural for him to not know exactly how he should act around her, where it doesn't come across as negative when he acts how he normally does. I like seeing characters' dynamics and feelings toward each other grow. They are still feeling each other out and going with the flow. This really encapsulates the early stages of falling for someone. And these interactions are just so sweet. I love Itsuomi's personality of being very curious. Just within the first few episodes I can tell he has a lot to him and really like him. The fact that he head pets her too makes this feel even more like it was made for me. Watching these episodes really warmed my heart. I'm very interested in seeing the overarching theme of expanding your world be explored as the story continues.

I also really like the other two main characters so far, Oushi and Rin. Oushi seems like he will be the rough person who acts out of strong care. I like his interactions with Yuki, their catty rapport being funny while laying the groundwork of his overprotective behavior having the effect of being demeaning. I like this set up so far, feeling positive that there will be good execution for this issue. Rin feels like a good supportive friend. Her also having a crush at the same time as Yuki adds a lot to their interactions and gives her more to do than just be a wingwoman. I look forward to seeing how her relationships develop and if each of their crushes will cause any conflicts with each other in the future.

From my perspective the anime production seems to be very respectful and taking great care to portray the manga as great as possible. This is primarily shown through the animation quality for the signing. It comes across very smooth and has the finer movements portrayed well. Stiff animation would greatly harm the signing coming across properly in animation. I cannot speak for any removed or added detail compared to the manga, but I feel that the production truly believes in the importance of the visuals. And this elevates the show greatly.

I hope this show continues to be a sweet romance while getting into the serious issues it is setting up. I hope we get a lot of great growth for these characters and for the character interactions to continue feeling natural, rather than leading to forced melodrama. At the very least if it continues to be rich and enlightening, I will continue to love this show. Thanks for reading! I hope I talked about this topic well, please let me know if I came across negatively at all.

[cutekittenlady]

Tumblr Plays Pokemon White 2 - Part 4

Well my overall philosophy of exploration bore fruit!

Always remember kids, in a good game you can find pretty good items you may otherwise miss if you just take your time and explore a little!

Regardless my training at the Virbank Complex was interspersed with a guy asking me to "fire up" some of his new employees. Needing to train my team anyway, I took him up on the offer.

After defeating the first foreman with Aries I got a great surprise;

Aries evolved into Flaafy! She also learned Charge!

This training session is already bearing some pretty great fruit!

As I was defeating the workmen I also saw this scientist guy walking around the complex. Talking to him and hearing what he had to say netted me an ether! An item that actually restore pokemons pp! Its harder to find in the early game so I think I may hoard this for now.

Reporting back to the boss nets me the tm for rock smash. I'm collecting a decent number of tms!

After leaving in the VIrbank Complex I head to the pokemon center and buy some healing I get a few potions and antidotes, as well as soem super potions juuuust in case. I also decide to buy one heal ball and one net ball on the off chance they come in handy down the line.

Now its prep time!

I decide to start off by replacing Bentleys tackle attack with return. I also teach the same attack to Molly as well. I consider teaching one of the team work up but it turns out none of them are able to use the move. I then give each of my team members a pecha berry to hold so they can heal themselves if they get poisoned at the gym.

With that prep work complete I head to the Virbank gym.

While the last gym was a school, Virbanks Gym is an underground rock club of sorts.

This is where we find Roxie, but she and her band are rocking out so hard that she cant hear us asking for a battle! Guess we'll have to beat her bandmates to bring the music down enough to start our gym battle.

I choose to start with the drummer on the left.

I start off with Molly and he sends out a grimer. Mollys intimidate takes down his attack a stage and i opt to start out with an ember. Unfortunately Grimer immediately uses disable rending ember useless. I have Molly use return (cant remember if grimer can have poison point) and it hits, but grimer hits back. I have molly use leer and grimer uses poison gas which sadly poisons molly. Thankfully she eats the pecha berry I gave her and heals up. With grimers defense lowered I have Molly use return again which hits Grimer down ino the yellow, but unfortunately Grimer uses poison gas again and poisons Molly. Not wanting Aries or Bentley to use their pecha berries just yet I opt to keep Molly in. Ember is still disabled so I take grimer out with a return.

Next the drummer sends out Koffing and I get a message that ember is no longer disabled. I have Molly use Ember and manage to get a burn on Koffing. Koffing hits with assurance and molly is hurt by their poisoning. Luckily though Koffing is also hurt by their burn. I use an antdote on Molly to heal her up. Koffing takes the opportunity to hit with another assurance but is again hurt by their burn. I have Molly hit with return but it doesnt do much. One more ember and a bit of damage from the burn damage is enough to take koffing out.

I use a couple of potions on Molly to heal her up before taking on the guitarist on the right.

Once again I send in Molly and hte guitarist uses venipede. I have Molly start off with Ember which, it turns out, is super effective and takes venipede out in one hit! It must be the bug typing. This victory levels Molly up to level 16.

There is now only Koffing to deal with, and remembering how the last koffing tanked return I decide to rely on special attacks here and have Molly use Ember which takes Koffing down to half health and burns it. Another ember is enough to take it out.

Molly is really the MVP of this gym! Tbh I was expecting it to be Aries. I dont even need to heal up with a potion before facting Roxie. However before I face the gym leader I do take Bentleys pecha berry and give it to Molly while moving Bentley to the front of the party. I then give Bentley the silk scarf in the hopes that it will power up his Return attack.

I don't expect Bentley to do much in this fight since grass is weak to poison, but given what a murder bean Bentley was at the start of the adventure I doubt he'd be content with sitting out.

With that I face off against Roxie.

Roxie starts off with Koffing naturally enough. I opt to Bentley start of with Growth increasing his attack. Koffing hits with a supereffective smog, and I have Bentley set up another growth. I'm hoping to get a very stron ghit here. Koffing hits with assurance bring Bentley into the yellow. I then make a critical mistake and misclick another growth rather than an attack and Koffing hits Bentley with another smog. Not wanting to waste al those growths I opt to have Bentley use vinewhip. even though it wont be very effective. Which it sadly is not. Bentley is then KO'd by Koffing.

This ones on me not Bentley. Really could have played that smarter.

Wanting to save Molly for whatever pokemon Roxie has next, I send in Aries. Remembering that Koffin tanked return, I'm guess this guy must have high defense so Aries special attacks should do better here. Even so just to be safe I start off with a thunder wave to paraylze koffing and then use charge to power Aries up. Koffing hits with a tackle but it does barely anything. I have Aries use thundershock and its enough to take Koffing out in one hit!

Booyah Aries!

Roxie then sends out her next pokmeon, Whirlipede. If Whirlipede is a bug type like Scolipede was swapping in to Molly should be effective here. However I decide to leave Aries in. Her paralysis may be the best way to keep Whirlipede from using any moves that might poison my team.

So I do just that and have Aries use thunderwave right off the bat. Whirlipede gets paralyzed but still manages a pursuit. I have Aries use cotton spore to slow whirlipede down, and Whirlipede hits with venoshock for half of Aries health. Hoping to get lucky with paralysis I have Aries use charge to power up for an attack. Whirlipede used Venoshock again, but thanks to charge increasing Aries special defense it doesnt KO. Whilipede is paralyzed the next round and I have Aries use Thundershock which doesnt do as much as I hoped. I decide to use cotton spore again next round. If Aries cant beat Whirlipede i can at least make it slow for Molly. Whirlipede hits with another pursuit and I have Aries use another thundershock. Unfortunately Whirlipede uses protect and the damage fails to land. I repeat the same tactic next round but it only chips whirlipede. Whirlipede hits with another pursuit taking Aries out.

While two of my team members are down I'm not out. I send in Molly knowing Whirlipede is weakened alread and with Mollys intimidate its attack drops as well. Aries part comes through as Whirlipede is paralyzed and one ember is all it takes to beat Whilipede and win us the badge!

Thankfully Roxies a graceful loser and gives us the Toxic Badge for beating her. Now any pokemon up to level 30 will obey us. She also gives us the tm for venoshock.

yes they did Roxie yes did.

I'm fairly certain Bentleys disappointed he lost, but he'll rebound.

Immediately after we step off the stage a stranger approaches and asks us to go to pokestar studios. Mention of the place sends Roxie running off after her dad.

C'mon Roxie whats the worst that can happen here?

I head towards pokestar studios but stop at the pokemon center on the way to heal up my pokemon after that gym battle and head to the north of Virbank

So we walk in and the same stranger who talked to us back in Virbank Gym sees us and introduces us to the boss Mr... Stu Deeoh.

Stu Deeoh

I am not making this up.

Some parent out there really had the last name Deeoh and named their kid Stu. And that kid then proceeded to go into filmmaking.

I just.... what life does this man have?!

Be honest dude. Did your parents hate you? Are they dead? Did you kill them to inherent their money but mostly because they named you Stu Deeoh?

You and Alder must go to the same bar or something because you are dodging the question.

Well now I just want to slap your bald head.

I get a tour of the studio and meed Roxies dad in the lobby. Hes apparently just shot a film? Which was... fast? Are... are these cheap B movies? I hope its cheap B movies cause otherwise its something else and this is supposed to be a kids game.

So Roxies dad pressure me into watching his movie to get "acting tips" from a "professional".

Hahahah okay Pop Roxie MAAAAAAAYBE chill out a little? Yeah?

You've been in one low budget film shot in an open lot probably in front of a green screen. If your lucky its not something that'll make your daughter never wanna look you in the eye agian.

I don't gotta see your film, right talent seeker guy?

Arceus damn it!

UUUUUUUGH

Oh....

Oh wow...

You uh.... You okay Pop Roxie? Your knees okay?j

(missed my chance to screenshot this next bit so I got a screenshot from youtube. Original Vid here)

Wow man... tone death much?

Then Pop Roxie goes on this heartfelt speech about having always wanted to pursue his dream of being on the silver screen and being inspired by his daughter, and then he just... goes back to his ship saying he would return to the screen one day.

OH Pop Roxie!

The guy then just... drags me to the studio to see the Boss.

Call me Dahling again and Alder and Pop Roxie won't be the only older men around here who need new knees.

I WILL NOT BE IN A POR-

.... Ah. Thats significantly less bad. Well... I guess Hugh wouldn't mind if I take a few hours out of my day to-

YOUR KNEES ARE MINE OLD MAN

Oh right sure. Get your Kung Fu star five pokedollar Brycenman look-alike phony out here to protect you. I have a murder bean, a lightning ram, and a firebreathing dog. I aint afraid of your security detail!

.... Holy shit you're... you're actually Brycen.

Shit, uh... well if you heard anything about knees just know it was a HUGE misunderstanding eheheheh.

.....

My mom has a picture of you in our fridge.

She kisses it good night.

For years I thought she actually murdered dad so she could- I MEAN SAME TO YOU MAN! SAME TO YOU!

Your knees are spared this day old man.

Actually will I be getting paid for this? Yknow like in cash money? Cause, like, moms been single a long time since dad died and we could really use the-

aaaand he walked away.

Shit.