#oc witek

[valentines-wolf]

imho, knowing how real-life people handle real-life issues and using that in fiction is not evil. i think OP would rather have people realistically portray disabilities and hardships rather than guess and get shit wrong and be disrespectful about it. but what do i know, the way they worded it was rude af

I did think about it? The post I talked about in the tags is the one directly after that, about protecting your mobility aids from being touched or worse, assaulted. I have this not-quite-OC, Witek, who's basically V from Devil May Cry, set in modern Poland. Just like his canon counterpart, Witek uses mobility aids; canes, and crutches mostly but I can imagine him using a wheelchair later in his life.

Witek's character is meant to represent everything wrong with my country's policies and healthcare regarding disabilities, as well as society's view on the issue. Policies? He can't get a real job because he would lose his disablement benefit (if he can even get it, it's crazy difficult in my country to prove that you're disabled). Societal issues? He was cast away from his family for not being able to work in the family's traditional job, mining (in the Silesian region of Poland, the mining industry is a big fucking deal). And healthcare? This is where I have to say don't come for my ass for writing a disabled person and not giving him a particular disorder, because. It's also crazy difficult in my country to even figure out what's wrong with you. It can take even a year of waiting on the list just for diagnostics in public healthcare, not even mentioning the wait time for treatment. Sometimes, here, in Poland, it's best to shrug, say "I/They don't know", and use whatever means you can to ease the pain.

And how Witek deals with it is by being the most "fuck you" person about it. The disability-punk. And putting barbed/razor wire or nails on his aids. Oh that would fit his character so much. Especially because I imagine him using his cane and crutches as weapons when getting attacked by homophobes, because yeah that does happen in my country.

The problem is, I'm very much abled. I don't know how it is to live the experience I just described. I can only listen to the voices of disabled people and be respectful towards them and learn. I recently said something very stupid in a post made by a black person and I'm still embarrassed about it. It was a misunderstanding but solely because of my poor wording. And that got me thinking about what I learn as a white, able-bodied person when listening to people who deal with problems that I don't deal with. I may have gotten a bit paranoid about what I say, I tend to run my mouth in the tags. I know that yeah yeah you're allowed to write about problems outside of your experience if you research them and approach with respect yadda yadda. But where is that fine line between respect and romanticizing, fetishization? And that post about protecting mobility aids from unwanted contact felt appropriate for an idea for this character. Aaand then I saw that post about not talking about fictional people in posts about real people's problems and I had this "ah shit I did it again" moment.

I'm still unsure, but I hope I explained my train of thought a bit.

[cassidystclair]

I saw as ask meme about what your character’s go to drink is so here’s a bunch of drinks for characters w/o context <3

Helen gets a medium americano, 4 shots, iced in the summer, hot in winter.

Cassie gets a large iced white mocha, no whip, all year round.

Aaron gets a medium hot earl grey tea (and puts so much sugar in it) and gets it even in summer to seem “cool” and “mysterious”

Amanda gets a medium hot vanilla latte in winter, and an iced chai in summer

June gets a pink lemonade, no matter where she goes or time of year.

Susie only drinks shitty gas station cappuccinos and Arizona iced teas.

Bonus:

Helena brought over a tea recipe from the old country that the old folks make in winter. It’s recipe is a closely guarded town secret but it’s extremely beloved by all and a warmly held tradition to drink when the weather gets cold

[valentines-wolf]

Mirabella . Sigmund/Zygmund

Witek . Louis

Wiliam . Lucas

Casimir . Felix

Israel . Maurice

Here's the picrew.

i found such a good picrew yall not ready for my ocs