#like if i needed a wheelchair it wouldn't be for fashion either

[sherlock-is-ace]

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[laurasimonsdaughter]

Do you have any recommendations and ideas about writing around healing magic and disability?  How magical healthcare would affect disability, and more importantly allowing disability to still exist in a realm where supernatural healing exist? 

This is one of my biggest grips with healing magic across most fantasy media, that’s it’s often used in a lackluster, simplistic, and often accidentally ableist fashion. Completely invalidating disability by having it cure every ailment imaginable with just the wave of a wand. 

It's a complex concept to translate into fantasy! And a rather sensitive topic at that. As someone who suffers from chronic pain, the idea that it could be fixed with magic is sometimes a really nice fantasy. But a story with a character that lives with chronic pain the way I have to live with it, will probably resonate more strongly with me.

As to my personal opinion on writing about magical healing (and how it effects illness and disability), I think you have to weigh several factors as a writer:

What kind of world is this? In some fantasy settings death and illness are simply not relevant, so pain and disability might not feature either. But any world more resembling our own most likely would have to reckon with it. And if that world has healing magic:

Is it medical magic, based on research and knowledge? If so, it is highly unlikely that every single ailment and condition is perfectly understood and can be counteracted with magic.

Is it intentional magic, based on "restoring to health"? If so, who defines "health"? The caster of the magic, the recipient of the healing? I was born with overly flexible ligaments. They cause me pain, but I'm sure my body considers the way that they are the way that they should be. Even if I was given infinite magical energy to heal myself, my body probably wouldn't know how, while it would know how to use that energy to fix up a wound it was already working on.

Can the healing magic be used/accessed by anyone at any time? Even if there is a fantastic free magical health care system in place, unless every individual can do flawless healing magic, even on themselves, the answer is probably "no". And if so, that probably has consequences for how well something can be healed.

Personally, if you're writing in a world with loads of magical solutions, the best question to ask - after you have figured out what kind of healing magic you want - is: "what would my character want?"

Someone who has always worn glasses (like me), might feel very strange getting rid of them.

Someone who was born deaf, could have no desire whatsoever to becoming hearing.

Someone who was born with three fingers on one hand, could have no desire to change that.

And if we're getting grim: someone who lost an arm while defeating the chimera who killed their friend, might have strong emotional convictions as to why they wouldn't want that arm magically restored to them, even if it was possible.

There are plenty of reasons, either from a worldbuilding or a characterisation standpoint, for a fantasy world to include disability. And if it is not just a magical, but also a supernatural world, the concept of "disability" will likely be very different. When humans live among other species, who have entirely different bodies and abilities, it makes very little sense that the overall society's opinion on what is "normal" and "expected" from a body, wouldn't change.

But none of that means that you cannot give disabled characters cool magical solutions!

Wheelchairs could glide, hover, or fly instead of rolling.

Glasses could be enchanted to also give the wearer a different eye colour, just for fun.

Wrist braces could shift around the wearer's arm/hand depending on where they need the most support (and would never ever chafe or pinch).

Language barrier's between people who do not speak/hear the same (sign) language, could be solved with magic monocles, enchanted ear pieces, or a service creature that is able to translate perching on the person's shoulder.

Prosthetic limbs could be engraved with runes or inlaid with magical materials that make them extra effective for channeling magic or performing certain spells.

To me, those kinds of things would make a world far more fun and fantastical than a hand-waving "magic "fixes" everything."

[cripplecharacters]

Hi! I had two quick questions about one of my characters.

She lost one of her eyes as a child (she had it removed as a child due to cancer) and now she wears an eye prosthesis. She's a very friendly, outgoing, funny person and she's a fashion designer.

Question 1

I know a lot of people like to customize their canes/wheelchairs/etc. and have them in fun colors, put stickers on them, etc. and since she loves making and wearing tons of fancy, cool outfits, I thought it would be fun if she had customized eye prosthetics.

I've seen ones that look like gemstones, funky patterns, and even smiley faces and that seems like something she would love, but I'm not sure if that would be bad in some way?

I guess I just don't want it to come across as me saying disability aids need to look super cool and crazy or else they're boring? She does have a normal one that she wears most of the time, but sometimes she just likes to have fun with it and wear a wacky colorful one, especially when she's dressing up.

Question 2

She's a very funny person and she loves making jokes and pulling pranks. I know a lot of people with prosthetics like to make jokes with them (for example I've seen one of those "this outfit is super expensive" videos but the twist was that most of the cost came from their prosthetic arm, which they proceeded to swing around inside their shirt).

She's absolutely the kind of person to make those types of jokes, but I want to make sure it doesn't go too far or come off as offensive or rude.

One of the jokes I was thinking about is her pretending to sneeze, popping out the eye, and then going "omg I sneezed so hard my eye fell out!" only to reveal that it's a prosthetic.

Another one would be someone asking her to keep an eye on something and she goes "Yeah man I got this" so she pulls the prosthetic out and sets it down on whatever she's supposed to "keep an eye on".

(Don't worry she's going to clean the prosthesis after setting it on stuff lol).

Hello!

Having custom prosthetic eyes is completely fine and, at least in my opinion, doesn't imply that they need to be cool/fashionable/fun/etc. It's just another way for your character to express herself!

Something to consider, however, (Especially if you're going for realism) is that prosthetic eyes are expensive and, depending on your character's circumstances, her insurance would likely only cover one (And a fairly simple/basic one at that). Custom made prosthetics are always going to be a lot more expensive and a lot less likely to be covered by her insurance.

You mentioned that she's a fashion designer, however... if she has some connections in the fashion community, she may have easier access to those kinds of prosthetics than other people would. Maybe she knows people that make them? Or maybe she can trade favours/designs for them? Either way, it could be a solution or even just an interesting plot avenue to explore.

In response to your second question, writing characters making jokes about their disabilities is fine but you want to be careful about how you go about it -- especially if you're not disabled in that way yourself. It's a bit of a balancing act to make sure your character isn't being written to be the comedic relief (Which is, unfortunately, something that happens with a lot of disabled characters).

Although the jokes seem to be in fine taste, I do have some logistic concerns with them.

For the sneezing one, I'm not sure she'd be able to pop it out that quickly and, if she can, it wouldn't be the best idea. Popping the eye out quickly is a great way to drop and damage it and, as mentioned, they are EXPENSIVE.

Taking the prosthetic eye in and out frequently also increases the likelihood of causing damage to the eye by irritating the socket or turning the eyelashes inward which, trust me, is NOT comfortable. You would also want to be careful with setting it on random objects. Because the prosthetic eye is going directly into the eye socket, you really don't want it to be dirty when you put it back in and if they're out and about, it may not be possible to clean it properly right away.

This isn't to say you can't do this. It could be funny once or twice but doing it regularly could have some not-so-ideal consequences so it's good to keep this stuff in mind.

You didn't ask about this but I'd just like to mention: Be careful about writing self-deprecating jokes about her disability. It can get VERY uncomfortable for your readers very quickly, especially if you don't have that/a similar disability. Honestly, I'd advise that able-bodied writers avoid writing these kinds of jokes for their physically disabled characters in general.

Overall, your character sounds great and very well thought out! I'm glad to see more characters that are blind from illness/medical causes rather than the usual traumatic incident.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[20dollarlolita]

Heyy, I know this isn't really your thing, but do you think it would be bad for someone to get a wheelchair to cosplay at a convention, when they're not disabled? I know you go to cons in a chair.

That's a kind of complicated question.

So for starters, obviously there's not one person who can speak for every wheelchair user, so don't take my word as law or anything.

But the short answer is maybe? Probably?

First of all, if you want to learn how noodle arm your abled noodle arms are (and yes, you have abled noodle arms. Manual wheelchair users have arm muscles you've never heard about), try to propel yourself through a con for an entire day.

But to answer the question, first of all, it's not okay for someone who's using a wheelchair for a cosplay to take up limited resources that are intended for disabled people. If there's limited wheelchair seating at a panel, you better not be taking it up. You can get out of your wheelchair and sit, and you can't tell if another wheelchair user is able to safely and comfortably do it. If you're worried about people judging you for using a wheelchair and then standing up and walking, welcome to the reality that a lot of ambulatory wheelchair users, who can stand or walk, live all the time. Remember what that judgement feels like and make a note to never, ever pass it onto another person. Don't be using the wheelchair for cutting in lines or things like that. If there's a line for the elevator or the big bathroom stall, let other people go ahead of you.

But, I don't think it's inherently bad for someone to want to use a wheelchair at a convention, even if they wouldn't be using one outside a con, provided that they do not use resources intended for disabled people. I think that management of a convention seeing that there are more wheelchair users will be more likely to take into consideration wheelchair accommodations. I think that people who are using a wheelchair in public for the first time will learn very fast about how accessible their convention center actually is. There's a lot of things that I didn't realize were accessibility problems until they were problems that directly challenged my personal access. A lot of those things would cost zero dollars to change, but the people in charge either don't have the experience needed to know that they need to be changed, or they don't think it's a priority because wheelchair users are in the minority. Having more people aware of those kinds of situations is going to make a bigger pressure to stop those things from happening. For example, when was the last time that you noticed an a bathroom stall labeled accessible that had a door that opened inward? Most people I know wouldn't consider that a problem, but everyone who's been unable to pee because the stall isn't big enough for the door and their wheelchair is going to notice. The places I've been where moving the line over 5" to the left would make an inaccessible line able to accommodate my wheelchair (looking at you, Halloween Horror Nights). There's been "oh we have a ramp" and it's two 2x4's. There's all kinds of little things that cost no money that can be better, but no one cares until it's about them. You can get that perspective. You can learn how garbage it can feel.

I also don't want to ignore the fact that we frequently use cosplay to test out things that we want to do in our real lives. A lot of my friends who wear alternative fashion daily started out just wearing alternative fashion to conventions. Everyone my age or younger either a) has a friend that started out cosplaying characters of a different gender and then they later came out as that gender, or b) is that friend, or c) says weird transphobic BS all the time and so trans people don't want to be their friends. Deciding that you need to use a mobility aid is a really weirdly hard decision. I actually had a long period of time between "I need a mobility aid," and "it's okay if I use a mobility aid." I'm going to assume that there's people out there who are trying to decide if it's helpful and okay to use a wheelchair, who test it out by cosplaying a character in a wheelchair and seeing how they feel about it when it's part of a costume. I don't want to deny someone a chance to learn that it's okay to get a wheelchair and will help them.

But yeah, the short version is if your enjoyment of a convention using a wheelchair for a costume comes at the expense of the accessibility and experience of people who are disabled and don't have a choice about if they're going to be using mobility aids, you're a piece of garbage.

But I haven't actually been wearing cosplay to cons for a while (though I did cosplay Barbara Gordon at the last SacAnime) so if anyone in the disabled cosplay community has something to say about this, I'd appreciate the input. Like I said, no one can speak for everyone in this subject.

[4-doctor-full-physical]

The Full Physical

I had been really under the weather. My glands had gone into overdrive

swelling and sensitivity. It was so bad that I had been taken into hospital.

Lots of different Anti-biotics as the doctors tried to discover what was

wrong. Every morning the Doc would pull the curtains round my bed pull my

bedclothes down and make me slip my gown off to check my glands in my groin

and all the other places. The only bit of discomfort was when he made me get

up on my knees doggy fashion to check my prostate. A bit embarrassing but

not too bad because it was only ever him.

"I'll give you a thorough check tomorrow morning Nicholas in my examination

room and then I think we will release you."

"Thanks Doc, I do feel ok now and I'm champing at the bit to get back in the

gym."

"Yes well don't overdo it for a couple of weeks or you'll be back here

again. It would be a pity to let those pecs and abs go soft."

He gave my body an admiring glance as he finished.

"You must be the envy of all your class mates Nicholas with that body. What

are your statistics?"

"I'm six two, 180 pounds, 42, 28, 36. Less than 5% body fat."

"Yes I can see that. Every muscle group looks as though it has been worked

on."

"Yeah my trainer is a great guy. I'm not a great sportsman Doc I just like

having a great body so I don't need to over develop one set or other of my

muscles."

"Judging from what I can see, the girls won't have any complaints either."

He laughed as he covered me again and drew the curtains before moving down

the ward.

I felt a little embarrassed at his comment but pleased as well. When he

checked my prostate I always got slightly tumescent and it looked good. If

he saw it hard he would probably flip and he could do that easily if he

stayed on my prostate for many more seconds than he did.

I told the chap in the bed next to me that I was going home tomorrow if my

final examination was ok.

"Doc's examination room Nick?"

"Yeah he said a thorough one tomorrow just to make sure."

"Oh you'll like that you have the zoo animals as well."

"What do you mean the zoo animals?"

"Have you seen the six interns that float around here?"

"Yeah the ones that look about my age."

"Mmm, well they are probably about three or four years older than you, four

boys and two girls. We call them the zoo animals because on Friday's they do

rounds and examinations with the Doc and always want to explore more than is

strictly necessary. So we call them the animals."

I didn't like the sound of that I hoped Doc wouldn't do a prostate check, or

my groin come to that with me naked. I didn't have any cloths here so I

couldn't even put on a pair of briefs.

I worried about it all day but when Doc finished rounds the next day he sent

the Interns off to do different things before telling me he would send for

me shortly for my final check. My thought was goodo he is going to do me by

himself. Huh how wrong I was.

When the orderly wheeled me in to the large examination room the Doc was

stood at an easel with a huge picture of a male showing his insides, he was

pointing out all the glands, including the prostate and explaining how to

check them to all the interns. I nearly wet myself, it would be bad enough

the male interns seeing me naked but the females as well, I would die.

No, I convinced myself he wouldn't strip me.

When he finished he turned to me.

"Ah Nicholas, I don't very often have such a superb specimen of man to work

with for my interns, so let's have a look at you. Stand up for me please,

and Jacob, just move the wheelchair out of the way."

I knew Jacob could see my butt because the hospital gowns didn't meet

completely at the back so I blushed a little.

"Undo the gown for Nicolas and just slip it off for him will you Jacob."

I wanted to protest, but what could I say. I was sure Jacob touched me more

than was necessary as he undid the ties, particularly the one near my butt.

As it slipped off my shoulders and fell to the floor I quickly covered my

groin.

"Come along Nick, don't be bashful, we are all doctors here and we have to

examine you before your release. Please put your hands behind your head so

that we can check your under arm glands and move your feet so that they are

under your shoulders."

I was blushing scarlet and it felt worse because all of the interns were

looking at my groin.

The Doc showed them the glands in my armpits and told them all to feel them.

They did but the two girls and Jacob did a bit of stroking as well. Pretty

erotic and I could feel a tingle in my dick. I thought `oh God, please don't

let me throw a boner.' Jacob was cute and it was him touching me that was

the turn on.

All my major muscle groups were pointed out as an aside and again I had six

pairs of hands feeling my muscle definition. Jacob got down on his knees in

front of me to feel my calves and with his face only inches from my dick and

his hands stroking the back of my legs I was almost erect when he pulled

away.

"As you can see, Nicholas is very lucky in the male genitalia stakes. He is

particularly well endowed. Sorry Nick, I guessed this would happen, but try

not to be embarrassed, we have all seen this before, maybe not as

excellently displayed but nonetheless, nothing new."

I still hadn't risen above the horizontal so the final embarrassment hadn't

happened, until that is Doc touched the inside of my thigh alongside my

balls to point out the glands in my groin.

"We'll have a closer look at these when Nick is on the examination table."

He was stroking me slightly as he talked and I was now erect with my monster

hugging my belly, the worst part of that was the animals watching my

foreskin slide back over my glans as I came to full erection. The gasps were

indication that all six of the animals were more than impressed with my

dick. It looked over a foot long viewed from the underside but in reality it

was only about 10 ½ inches. Uncut, thick and straight, I was proud of it but

not an exhibitionist so this was too much and it got worse. They all walked

behind me and again my muscle groups were discussed and felt. I knew it was

the girls and Jacob who stroked my butt cheeks and Jacob who ran his finger

down my crack just touching my pinky, I jumped. The Doc laughed gave my

bottom a playful smack and told me to get up on the examination table. The

final humiliation, or should I say series of humiliations then took place.

"Jerry, Adam, get the stirrups and fit them to the table."

I hadn't a clue what they were talking about. They got these two

contraptions, fitted them to the side of the table and slipped my shins into

the leather rests, holding them in with straps buckling over my legs. My

legs were only slightly spread and about six inches higher than my butt was.

Not for long though.

"Alright now adjust them for an internal examination."

I nearly died. My legs were spread wider and lifted so that my butt came off

the table. Doc put a firm cushion under my lower back, walked between my

legs and looked at my ass and genitals.

"I think a bit wider and further back, and I'll support Nicholas with

another cushion as we are going to be longer than normal."

My butt was now nearly a foot clear of the table and my legs were spread as

wide as they would go comfortably. I had no secrets anymore, the interns all

jockeyed for positions to look at my anus and my cock and balls.

"Now pay attention, we are unlikely to be lucky enough to have such a

beautifully developed male to play with again so look and learn. First the

glands in the groin, here and here. When Nick coughs you will be able to

feel them and notice they are now normal size. Three each side and check."

Quite unnecessarily my cock and balls were continually being moved around

with loads of unnecessary stroking. I felt embarrassed but at the same time

strangely thrilled. Next was the prostate check and I was seriously worried

that too much stimulation of that would make me cum. They all donned

surgical gloves, lubed up a couple of fingers and took turns feeling my

prostate, they all appeared to have problems finding it except I knew

different. They were stroking my insides driving me crazy. I wanted to die,

the girls were almost the worst. No chick had ever put a finger inside me

and now two of them were routing around inside me with two fingers. Jacob

made it the worst of all. He was talking as he did it and used his other

hand to supposedly hold my balls out of the way but in reality he was

massaging them and stroking my perineum as well. It was bloody fantastic.

"His sphincter is quite loose Doctor Martin, is that normal or do you think

it has been stretched by all your checks this week?"

I wanted to die, this guy knew too much.

"Mmm, I don't want to embarrass Nick more than necessary but if you all

check again, only this time just ease in with three fingers you will find no

resistance. I would guess that Nicholas has been opened up regularly with a

reasonable size object. Is that correct Nick?"

I wanted to die, I whispered a yes and Jacob had a grin from ear to ear.

They all finger fucked me for about half a minute each with three fingers, I

was going ballistic it just felt incredible.

"I think we might take this opportunity to have a visual inspection of his

anal passage as well. Jacob use the speculum from the tray and open Nick up,

then using the torch we can have a look at what we have been feeling with

our fingers."

Jacob did it again, one hand spreading the speculum, the other gently

caressing my balls pretending he needed to hold them out of the way. When I

started to wriggle as it became more uncomfortable, Jacob watched my face

and said.

"That looks incredible Nick, tell me when it becomes too uncomfortable and

I'll stop."

He was grinning as he said it so I knew he was having fun. At last I

couldn't take any more and begged him to stop. They all looked in amazement

and one of the girls said,

"My God Doctor Mike, he could give birth to a baby through there."

I nearly died, I must have been spread wider than a champagne bottle.

The Doctor looked end on and agreed.

"This all has to do with your incredible development Nick, all of your

muscles are so well exercised as we can see but I didn't expect your

sphincter to be as well. I think you deserve to see this as well. Get me a

mirror someone."

My whole body must have been glowing I was so embarrassed. Seeing what

everyone else was seeing almost freaked me. While the mirror was held in

position I could watch as they all shone the torch up inside my anus. The

girls used their fingers to have another feel around, as did Jacob, all

three of them taking a lead from Jacob and caressing my balls as they did

so. I was so close to ejaculating I was panting.

"I am going to check Nick's testicles for any abnormal growth and that will

be his examination out of the way, but before we let him go I want you to

see how we can check for rape in a male anus."

My thought was, 'what the fuck is he going to do now, shove a huge cock up

my arse to make my anus distend?'

I wasn't far wrong.

He did the testacies check first, as did everyone else and Jacob finally got

what he was asking for, I orgasmed, so violently I nearly bounced off the

table. My only consolation was that I spread cum over all six of the

animals.

I was cleaned up first and then the doc produced a huge dildo like object.

It was about ten inches long and a good eight inches round. I gasped at the

sight of it.

"I'm sorry it is so big Nick, but because of how far we have managed to

stretch you I need a large object to get the right effect. Emily, why don't

you lube the dildo and feed it to Nick carefully."

Oh Christ how embarrassing was this. A girl was going to be fucking me with

a huge dildo with the others all looking on. I nearly died because besides

the embarrassment and humiliation I was shamed by getting a rock hard

erection before she had more than a few inches in me. She gradually

increased how much was going in before Doc gave her the next instruction.

"Very good Emily, now push it in and out with as long strokes as you can."

I looked at Jacob's crutch and nearly laughed, I could see the wet patch, he

had cum in his pants.

Emily fucked me for a few minutes and then Doc told her to pull it out

completely quite quickly

I squealed, it bloody hurt as the glans of the thing exited my sphincter, it

also felt as though she had pulled half of my arse out with it.

"Now if you have a look, quite a lot of the soft tissue from inside Nick's

rectum is now outside. You can see the difference in colour and very gently

I want each of you to feel the tissue as well"

Oh fuck, how erotic is that, fingers softly caressing the skin round your

anus. I shot another huge load, this was getting ridiculous.

"His anus will remain quite obviously distended for sometime depending on

how many times he is raped and how big the objects are that he is raped

with, but even several hours after the rape you would be able to tell that

anal intercourse had taken place."

I was cleaned up again, Jacob, of course volunteered to put some cream on

and in my anus so that I wouldn't be sore and then I was released, I put my

gown on, with help from Jacob of course and sat back in my wheelchair as

they discussed their findings

I was deemed to be fit to leave and in discussing me as a man they concluded

that I was probably gay and a bottom rather than a top.

Jacob got in the last word on that score trying to make a joke of it.

"Yes, well I don't suppose there are many souls in the gay community brave

enough to take what Nick has to offer."

Doc was going to call for an orderly to push me back to the ward but Jacob

volunteered. On the way back we talked.

"Nick I would love to do that examination again only in my flat and at the

end of it I would be delighted if you wanted to lodge that fantastic man

rammer deep in my bowels."

I looked at him and grinned.

"Mmm, I think I would like that, provided I can carry out the same

examination on you."

"Oh yes please."

Telephone numbers exchanged and I was on my way home. Life looked as though

it might get more interesting. My trainer could carry on screwing me and I

would screw Jacob, well he was cute.

No planned follow up to this but if I have time and you give me enough

encouragement I will take you to Jacob's apartment for a lust session with

Nick. Just let me know if you want it.

[rxttenfish]

@wheelie-butch replied to your post:

Do u have any miranda wheelchair design thoughts bc i have half an idea that i want to do wheelchair redesigns for the main ROs at some point 🤔🤔

okay so this is going to be primarily about my personal merfolk redesigns because this is where my thoughts are, so this is what i've been chewing on

also disclaimer that i am not an engineer and still need to put WAY more thought into this

the design is mostly based off of dog wheelchairs, as the best example i can find of a wheelchair designed primarily for quadrupeds. the wheels sit under the hips and are designed to be level with the arms, which are used as the primary means of locomotion, and thus connect up to the chest to provide support. there's a seat beneath the hips/stomach (more on that), and would have footrests for the back legs.

for most there'd probably be a latching mechanism activated either by reaching back with the arms or by pushing with the feet (as merfolk feet can act as somewhat less dexterous hands), to let the wheels back to sit closer to the tail, allowing the merfolk to sit and lay down, and some kind of wench to pull it back into position.

this is far from my full design for several reasons, the biggest of which is: merfolk spines move from side to side, and there's a lot more side to side motion their wheelchairs would need to be designed for to handle the movement of them walking. this is why there are bars by the tail - the tail is large, and drags on the ground, and moves side to side, which could interfere with the wheels, so the addition of bars limits the movement the very base of the tail does.

there's also the issue of their legs. pulling them up like this would be most comfortable for the merfolk, but it also puts them right next to the wheels, with a high risk of getting caught. add in the fact that there's a membrane of skin/scales/cartilage/fat/Meat that runs down their limbs to smooth them out for hydrodynamics, and getting caught would be an issue enough that there should probably be a shield between the legs and wheels. another option would be leg binding, which is pulling the legs back and binding them to the tail, based off of a practice that some merfolk do for fashion, but this could have circulation issues, be less comfortable, remove the possibility for control with their feet, and limit their ability to lay down and sit.

here i've also added a very large seat for the abdomen and hips, which could probably use to be smaller for some other merfolk. for miranda's uses, however, she'd need a larger seat that supports her stomach, because the reason that she needs a wheelchair would be a long-term strain injury caused by walking on land, especially the bad habit that she has of walking bipedally. merfolk aren't designed to be bipeds, or be very terrestrial at all, anymore, and part of this issue for miranda is the gastralia in her stomach starting to come detached and pull away from where it sits parallel to the spine. this would provide relief and an additional way to support that weight for miranda, and so it's what i included, through it'd probably also limit movement and the ability to sit.

additional things would be that there almost certainly needs to be some strap or securing over the back to prevent the merfolk from falling out, and thinking about how they would secure things like the chest harness. to be fair, most things merfolk make are created with the presumption that there will be another merfolk there to help them regardless, so limited movement of the user to secure themselves wouldn't be as much of a concern to a merfolk than otherwise. they'd probably be able to get in by moving up from behind and laying down into the wheelchair, fixing on the chest harness, and then adjusting any straps across the back.

why yes i am a “miranda and aaravi both are chronically ill” truther

[ceasarslegion]

Glasses are, by all intents and purposes, an accessibility aid, yet bad eyesight is not treated like a disability in the slightest.

I've needed glasses my whole life. My eyesight is disgustingly bad and I wouldn't be able to function without them. I don't notice any difference in my quality of life when I'm wearing them, but if I lost or broke the only pair I have, it would severely and negatively impact my life. But again, I don't even notice when I'm wearing them because no one ever points them out, no one ever others me about them, if someone does mention them it's to compliment me on how the style fits my face or to inform me that I should probably clean them. In other words, they're never brought up unless it's in a positive or helpful way.

Which gets me thinking about why other accessibility aids aren't treated this way. It's clearly possible, it's clearly within the realm of possibility if we can manage it on a societal level with glasses. It's not like glasses aren't noticeable considering they're big plastic or metal frames that sit right in front of where you're supposed to look when you address somebody. It's not like they don't require maintenance and specialists and money to get and upkeep. And there's nothing stopping anybody from making wheelchairs, canes, prosthetic limbs, or any other aid fashionable and individually expressive like you can do with your glasses.

And i guess it's not like glasses being normalized was entirely "good" either, for lack of a better term. Considering the thing I need to see isn't covered under our public healthcare and I had to get my frames online and on sale lest they cost more than my phone. They're a millimeter too big for that and fall off my face if I look down too fast, but at least I can see, right?

I'd like to see without getting hit with a paywall, though

[killian-spey]

Death Would Be Kinder [Prologue]

Next Ch.

[Drusilla/Spike/Calendar!Reader]

Words: 1591

Fic Concept: Jenny Calendar’s sister spends some “quality time” with the Season 2 Vampire Squad.

TW/CW: violence

AN: Idea came from @prose-for-hire ‘s submission to the fic title game. It's a tad different from the original concept, but I just had so much fun with it! (Planned to be somewhere between 5-10 parts.)

It was Buffy’s 17th birthday today, but the mood seemed too heavy in the car for any giggling between the two of you. Truth be told, you both had a lot on your minds; not that you would have actually told her anything about your problems. You were staring out the window, picking absently at some dried paint on your arm; you never were able to master being tidy while you painted. Your older sister, Jenny, was driving the two of you to The Bronze, where the rest of the group was lying in wait to surprise her with a birthday bash. You made eye contact with her when she looked through the rear view at you, and you could tell she was just as worried as you were about recent developments.

Your Uncle had come into town recently and berated the two of you for letting Buffy and Angel get so close. Unfortunately for you and Jenny, if something didn't change quickly, Angel could lose his soul. All the work of your ancestors taken to curse him would be undone, and there would be no way to fix it. It's not that you wanted Angel to be unhappy, but the vengeance curse against Angel was not only important to your people, but possibly the thing that kept him from being a monster. If anything jeopardized that, it would crush Buffy and the gang. You didn't want to let anyone down.

Jenny pulled into the side street -having arrived at The Bronze- and you undid your seat belt. Before you could open your door, Buffy pulled your hand away from the handle.

“This looks funky, stop for a sec.”

You and Jenny both squinted, trying to see what she was even talking about. It took you both a moment, but sure enough there were two vamps clambering around on a truck in the shadows. Jenny tried to talk Buffy out of fighting them, but she left anyway. Something about destiny and all that. You were just impressed she could see that well in the dark.

Watching Buffy fight the vamps left you wincing, pitying the undead for having to go through such a beat down. You hung on the edge of your seat and leaned on the passenger seat in front of you. The two of you left in the vehicle hadn't had a chance to talk in private since Uncle had spilled the beans on the Angel problem.

“What are we going to do about the curse, Jenny?”

She made a face and shook her head, she didn't know what to do either. She knew more about the curse than you did -magic was never your strong suit- and if she didn't know, you both were stuck.

“If only there was a way to separate them.” You were spit-balling.

“Right, and how do you suggest we do that?”

She had a point, Buffy and Angel had been practically attached at the hip recently. You opened your mouth to speak, but paused as Buffy tossed the last vamp through a window into The Bronze. You and Jenny both made reactionary sounds that could only be summed up as “Yikes noises” and scrambled out of the car. Buffy hopped through the broken window and you both inspected the window. Jenny picked up a crate one of the vamps had been carrying and carried it inside.

After some pleasantries and some “Yeah, sorry! Vampires exist” talk with Oz, the group crowded around the mystery box. It was no secret that those vamps were Spike’s men, so whatever it was, it was definitely not good.

Your worry was confirmed when an arm shot out of the box, strangling Buffy before she and Angel managed to rip it away from her throat. According to Angel, it was the arm of The Judge. That meant Spike was building a one-man-apocalypse like some kind of demonic Lego figurine.

You glanced at Jenny, trying to communicate your plan silently as you addressed the group. “Someone has to take this thing as far away from here as possible- separate it from the other pieces.”

Jenny was quick, immediately understanding your idea.

“Angel, it has to be you. You're the only one who can protect this thing.”

It took a little convincing, but a plan was soon agreed on. You and Jenny shared a “Thank God” glance, secretly pleased that Angel and Buffy would be separated, at least temporarily. You could rest easy in the fact that Angelus wouldn't be loosed on the world in a freak accident of soul-losing proportions.

Or so you thought...

A couple hours later, you were back in the library doing research. Angel and Buffy had lost the box, and had everyone regroup to study up on The Judge.

To be entirely honest, you were doodling in your notes. Every text on The Judge said exactly the same thing, sometimes even verbatim. The Judge cannot be killed by any weapon forged by Man. It was exhausting!

Luckily for you, Buffy decided to break up the research with some good old fashioned recon, and Jenny suggested you go with them. Buffy was about to protest, but you cut her off.

“With the exception of you supernatural folks, I do have the best track record of holding my own. No offense, guys,” Xander seemed less than pleased with your not-so-subtle brag, but you continued anyway. “And, I’d be able to map parts of the facility super quick and easy. We’ll need that info if we plan on making a move.”

Reluctantly, Buffy and Angel agreed to take you with them and you snatched your notepad and pencil from the table, glad to be free from the texts and tomes… Even if it meant putting you in direct danger. You briefly wondered if maybe you shouldn't see a therapist about that someday, but shrugged it off as the three of you left the building.

---

Upon reaching the factory, the three of you climbed the fire escape and ducked into a broken, old window over a set of rafters. You had already begun sketching the layout of the rooms as you took in the sights below. It looked like some kind of party, to be plain. Vamps were crawling all throughout the place, a crystal bowl of what looked like punch rested on a table covered with cups in the middle of the warehouse space, and tall lattice-backed chairs were loosely strewn around a banquet table. You and Buffy creeper ahead on the grate walkway above it all. Your eyes were locked on the party, but you could assume Angel was following behind; he was too quiet for you to hear.

Your eyes fell on Spike, he was in a wheelchair. He seemed to be enjoying himself despite his weakened state, talking to someone just out of your line of sight. Not a second later, you saw Drusilla dancing her way across the floor, swaying to her own beat and sweeping the red chiffon ribbons of her dress through the air. Buffy gasped softly, but you didn't see whatever she'd seen.

“That's him. The Judge,” Angel whispered from behind you both and pointed.

You saw him, just as he craned his ugly blue head up to spot the three of you gawking. Fuck.

You spun to face the window, finding two vamps in the way of your escape. Buffy and Angel had flanked you from both sides, but fighting this many vamps was completely futile. Before long, the three of you were dragged in front of Spike, Drusilla and The Judge. Spike rolled his chair forward to get a better look at Buffy.

“Well, Well- look what we have here! Crashers.”

“I'm sure our Invitations just got lost in the mail,”

You almost rolled your eyes at Buffy’s one-liner. How she managed wise-cracks at a time like this was beyond you. Ignoring the monologues, your eyes darted around in search for an escape method. Nothing came to mind, but when you turned back into the conversation, Drusilla’s eyes had locked with yours.

She was ever so slightly swaying to music you couldn't hear and your eyes followed her intently. She raised two fingers, pointed at each of your eyes and gestured to her own. She beckoned you. She was enchanting. Beautiful. She was- she broke contact as Buffy suddenly made a move and you took a second to follow suit, twisting out of a vamp’s hold and knocking him -and accidentally yourself- off balance. You were suddenly unsure of your footing, almost groggy as you fought.

Angel pulled a chain, crashing a pile of video monitors you hadn't noticed down from their perch onto The Judge. The three of you scattered. You ducked behind some crates and heard Drusilla call for the lackeys to chase. You spotted Angel and Buffy slipping into a sewer drain and psyched yourself up to book it twenty feet to get there to join them. You took one last look behind the crates -Drusilla locked eyes with you- and you booked it, not entertaining her gaze this time.

As you dropped down the sewer drain, you caught a glimpse of her, just staring at you. You scanned both directions of the sewer system, but found no trace of Buffy or Angel. In a split second you picked a direction and ran. You didn't stop running. Not for breath, not to look behind you, and certainly not to entertain the nagging memory of Drusilla’s eyes, staring into your soul as they'd done just minutes ago.

Read Next Ch.

[yewstronaut]

if ddisability mechanic definitely a spoons mechanic though I think a diff name than spoons, maybe something in-universe-ish?

disabled pokemon, pokemon wheelchairs, pokemon anxiety meds, pokemon braces, seeing-eye guides for pokemon, deaf pokemon, pokemon missing limbs, pokemon who injured whatever gland is responsible for its moves and now it can't do anything other than bite and scratch, pokemon with PTSD, just yeah disabled pokemon

dream version: online/local* multiplayer where you can connect your shelters and they become partnered shelters so you can send pokemon to eachother (got a fire type that is Not doing well in your tundra biome shelter? send them to your friends shelter over on Melé Melé Island) Maybe also send gifts of equipable items, room decorations, herbs, etc.

pokemon trainer/battle mechanic where you can go to the local pokemon fight clubs/tourneys which are for the more causal trainer and whilest they have prizes (poke coins or rarer items) they're largely for fun and keeping a battling pokemon skills sharp. maybe they're also the intro-level competitions for the big leagues (so like theyre not weak sauce but they're not crazy hard). potential to earn ribbons, medals, or trophies?

pokemon fashion contests too or instead of battles? same kind idea as above

pokemon trivia nights at the local tavern (do they have tsverns/bars in pokemon games? no right?)

local multiplayer where you co-own the shelter and run it together (best on a console/pc)

ability to build a fossil revitaliser machine? maybe? if so maybe mechanic where you can go dig somewhere?

habitat restoration mechanic? like maybe you get called to someone's house/land/whatever and give advice on how to make the area either better suited to the pokemon type (houses and private residences) or how to restore the habitat to its more natural state (ie reccomened natural predators for pokemon "pests" thta have had out of control population growth, reccomened different plants to attract the local bug-type pollinators) I think this mechanic would have stages so like you'd start as an amateur/beginner/apprentice(chance for mentor npc?) level and as you complete related missions/quests your level goes up (and as does your knowledge as you'll learn what mons are indigenous to the region, which are invasive, which are not indigenous but not harmful/actively beneficial as well as with the plants) and you can unlock higher certifications (testing process mini-game?) and more complicated problems

if doing the shelter-pokemon center building combo have a mechanic where you switch between the shelter owner and nurse joy where you diagnose and treat mons as nurse joy (and chansey) before sending them to the shelter side once they're deemed in good health. if done this way then the shelter owner over sees just the healthy** mons and can add the like habitat consualtion and other mechanics to the SO (shelter owner)

maybe if above instead of it being a nurse joy and pokemon center it's the in-house doctor/vet/surgeon, either an npc (no diagnostic/heal mini-game/mechanic?) or a customisable, playable character, could also be a combination (not customisable but not nurse joy keeping mini-game) also could level up the Dr's skills so that they will start to auto-diagnose and treat the more milder/common ailments without needing your input

shelter capacity management, can only care for so many mons so maybe if you start to get too full you can hold 'adoption days' where you go into town/somewhere and bring some mons to try to adopt out on the spot? maybe a fliers mechanic?

I wouldn't want it to feel like a tycoon/idol simulator. the idea would be that the pokemon can keep coming if you keep playing but at some point you'll finish the npc story lines and the main plot line and the side story quests. I also wouldn't want it to be so big that it's overehelmingly prohibitive (so maybe only a few regions to chose from and maybe some repeat NPCs like one or two that show up/live where ever you choose no matter what (but with slightly diff dialogue depending)

maybe also a pokedex mechanic? actually definitely a pokedex mechanic but maybe also a like tracker for various alliments identified and cured?

a record book of all the pokemon you've had through the shelter complete with name, image, size, weight, type, intake date, adoption date (either in game calendar or real-world not sure which?), person who adopted?, adoption fee (do people care about that stuff)

cool-down mechanic? some stuff I feel like for sure like if eggs then an incubation periods but maybe also for injuries/illness or even a minimum amount of (in-game) time the animal has to be at the shelter before their "profile" (the mechanic that lists like what their likes/dislikes, habitat requirements, care requirements, and temperament are) is finished and they can be adopted out. for sure the mon would need a clean bill of health before they can be adopted out

locally synced time, date, and weather (option to manually input location and date/time)

oh! maybe instead of a "patrol" mechanic it's a 'pokemon watching' mechanic where you can go out to spot pokemon to add their data to your Dex (how much info based on what is observed/number of encounters maybe) and whiles out you have a chance of running into a lost, injured, rabid/feral(? rabies mechanic??), or otherwise-in-need-of-assistance pokemon which will have varying interaction mechanics depending on what's up with the mon including the ability to take the pokemon back to the shelter for care/to find its trainer(word for pokemon "owners" that doesn't imply they use them to battle please)

CUSTOMISABLE POKEBALLS!!!! (plain text: customisable pokeballs) like how some (real life) shelters do custome harnesses or bandanas or something to send home with the animal on adoption or give out at events? like that but it's the pokeball the pokemon goes home in. Customisation feature, I'm thinking dslite era, ms-paint can auto fill neón Colors and write in crappy handwriting with clashing colors kind of mechanic as well as some maybe present decals/base textures. maybe also a couple of options for the like rim/clasp colors/designs. ability unlock new designs through leveling up skills or winning completions maybe?

oh we're stuttering again brb

I want a pokemon shelter game, where you run a pokemon rescue shelter