#self-balancing wheelchair

[ultimate-marysue]

I bring you a Batfam Wing!AU I've been cooking for a while:

Most of society have vestigial wings (the wings are there, but tinier and incapable of flight) from common species like sparrows, Pidgeons or [insert local bird].

Bruce Wayne has Bat wings (a very rare type from the Kane side of the family). Martha knew about it because she has heard the family stories about having to "cover them up" or letting the babies die because they're considered a terrible omen, but really no one outside the family knows. So, The Waynes and Alfred disguise Bruce's wings to avoid social ostracization. They try to keep a balance between protecting Bruce and avoiding self hatred, but it's a difficult line to ride. Having to hide his true wings is part of why he considers Batman his true self, Brucie Wayne being a disguise.

Kids have tinier bodies in proportion to their wings, so the can use them for braking falls or gliding from high places. You can rarely tell what your wings are going to be like as an adult, the fledgling plumage is always a muddy brown. Usually you get one of your parents pattern, but much like Bruce, some variants can skip generations.

Dick's parents had big colorful and powerful wings. Their tricks made even more impressive by their aerial maneuvering in a world where most people are bound to the ground. They still perform traditional acrobatics, tying their wings back like a magician shackling himself before jumping into the water tank. Their death made more ironic by the fact they could actually fly.

The Robin nickname is almost literal now, since Dicks costume made his chest read and his wings brown. Batman doesn't make as much use of the grapple, since he can fly, but it becomes Robin's signature gadget. The kid shoots up at the sky and gently glides down, his wings way more trained than the average kid due to his work at the circus.

He leaves the Robin mantle the day he sheds his fledgling feathers. Shocking Bluejay wings of quite the wingspan become Nightwing's signature. As a civilian he covers them with grey and iridescent powder, keeping them close to his back. Pidgeon wings are not the tiniest, so the disguise works well enough.

Barbara had big raven wings, at least until Joker took them from her. Being wheelchair bound is an adjustment, yes, but the phantom pain from her missing wings will always be the worst part. Dick trains really hard only so he can be strong enough to take her flying. The first time they clumsily soar through the Bludhaven skies she cries happy tears. She eventually learns to accept her dual disability, and all bat girls wear dark wings in her honor

Cass has batwings, and she doesn't try to hide them. They come from Shiva's side and Bruce takes it as an omen to take her in. She has the best wing control of the entire family, easily surpassing Dick and Bruce. When Barbara gives her the Batgirl mantle and shows her her old pictures all she says is "black, like mine!" (Barbara has to cry a bit about it). She helps Bruce and Damian learn how to use their unique wings to their own advantage.

Jason's wings were a complete neglected mess when Bruce first adopted him, taking almost a week to fix them. He had a bit more trouble getting the hang of Robin's flight. He'd always been a street rat, not used to relying on them. He hadn't even played the classic childhood games of seeing how far you can glide from the monkey bars (there were no playgrounds in park row). It's a matter of honor to him, trying to honor his predecessor's legacy. Bruce helps him out, since he had to figure out flight on his own as an adult (the game was too risky for his fake feathers). They bond about it, and Bruce almost cries when Jason manages to glide smoothly to him from a gargoyle.

As Red Hood, Jason has New World Vulture wings. He thinks it's quite ironic, since he never got to shed his fledgling feathers before dying. He'd blame the pit for it if he hadn't gotten to meet his biological mother. They're massive, I'm talking bigger than Batman's wingspan. When he tower's over Tim at Titan's Tower he practically shallows the hallway's light. His signature Red Hood mimicks the bird's red head.

Steph loves dying her wings in crazy colors (predominantly purple). When she inherits the Batgirl mantle she wears them black, just like Barbara's. For spoiler, she has big fluffy purple wings. She grows up to have gigantic African Grey wings. They're pretty smart birds, and she's a pretty smart girl, so she's quite happy with them. The dull grey color makes it easier for her to paint them whatever color she wants. She always teases Cass about having a bigger wingspan, even if she can't win against her in a race.

Tim got some practice while he stalked Batman, but Dick still makes it his job to train him. Bruce allowes it, too depressed to do it himself. Flight lesson's had been his and Jason's thing. He almost resents Tim for being better at it. Tim's wings are always a little messy since his parents are rarely around and he's too tiny to groom them by himself. He tries his best but he simply can not reach the back of them, and he's mortified by it. Alfred notices how upset the boy is at his untidy appearance and makes it his mission to sit him down once a week to fix them for him. At first Tim was horrified at the idea of relying in an unrelated adult to take care of his wings, but he can't argue with the results. It gives him even more confidence as Robin, finally looking the part.

He grows into his mother's gorgeous Magpie wings, too recognizible for Red Robin. Instead, he paints them black for his vigilante persona. He's the only one in the family to not wear his true wings when crime fighting. He thinks it's more practical that way, and the paint works kind of like their domino's adhesive (waterproof, only comes off with a special solvent). He takes really good care of his plumage, since it's the last connection to his mother. Anytime a rogue manages to pluck a handful of feather's off him he gets pretty upset, so he's gotten really good at maneuvering his wings around to dodge.

Duke has cockatoo wings, and his adult plumage comes sooner than most. Most kids shed from 16 to 18, but he already has them by 15. Leslie thinks it sometimes happen due to stress or lack of a stable environment. Both make sense for him, he hadn't really known peace since his parents got jokerized. He was loosing feather's all throughout his We Are Robin era, not caring about the disadvantage. His proper plumage didn't start growing until a month into living in the manor, having been practically bald by then.

As signal he uses his powers to make his wings light up with golden light. He jokes that he got the name because they look like the Bat-signal. When he's trying to be stealthy they turn into a shadow cloak, dancing around him. Everyone pretends really hard they're not jealous, except for Steph. She just asks him to light up her wings in different colors.

Damian has his father's wings, and he only agrees to disguise them for their secret identities' sake. He's extremely proud of his bat wings and not the slightest bit salty at Cain for sharing them too, thank you very much. His jealousy turns into bonding once she helps him learn how to take care and use his special wings. That was after Bruce came back from the time stream and found his son's leathery wings a peeled off mess. Dick helps him as much as he can, but much like Talia before him, he has no idea how to deal with them. To be fair, Bruce only found out by trial and error and his mother's old notes. Damian has to properly hidrate his wings and use oil to protect them.

People nickname him Bat-Robin for his wings, and he takes the name to heart. It makes him feel tied to his father even at those times were they don't understand each other. He's secretly a bit jealous of his brothers' gorgeous feather's (Dick's strikingly blue, Tim's shiny and iridescent, and Dukes incredibly soft pure white ones). Dick notices him staring and gifts him the prettiest one's he finds while grooming. Soon, Damian has a collection of random feathers from his family and friends.

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 5, Poll 4

Please be civil in the notes. We will block people if we feel it is necessary. A character being canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included. This is not a competition of who is better representation.

Check out the other polls in this round here.

Korra-Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Qualifications:

Korra is not only bisexual, having dated both Asami Sato and Mako, but was and still is disabled by the end of the series. She doesn't magically get better from being poisoned, she's forced to relearn a lot of things: how to walk, how to do things for herself, and even how to fight properly. Her physical disabilities are mixed with extensive trauma and PTSD that prevents her from doing her job as the Avatar throughout Book 4: Balance.

Canonically bisexual, has PTSD, and spent a while partially paralyzed and using a wheelchair.

Bisexual badass who ended up going through about 5038309340 traumatizing events, one of which involved mercury poisoning that had her unable to walk for about a year and left her with lasting PTSD and depression (though again the depression is a little less clear wheras the PTSD was obviously intended to be read as such). There was also her shadow self, but it's unclear whether that was a form of psychosis or a literal spirit. In short, she's bi and has PTSD if you want to stick with the more long term, obviously canon bits.

Propaganda:

She's the Avatar, you gotta deal with it! But, seriously, Avatar Korra was the first onscreen LBGT+ character in the Avatar franchise alongside her girlfriend Asami Sato. While limited in what could be shown onscreen, the two were explictly portrayed as a couple in the 2016 Dark Horse comic "Legend of Korra: Turf Wars". Likewise, her disability never quite went away. She still struggled with trauma, PTSD, and learning how to do things for herself again for two to three years in the time between books 3 and 4 that were shown off in flashbacks during her solo episodes.

She's canonically bi and has PTSD, and disability was an incredibly important theme for her in her show's final season.

i dunno I think i covered all my bases in the qualifying bit but also its 3am and i dont feel like typing more

Anything Else?:

The creators of Korra, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, fought long and hard for their show, including taking a massive budget slash circa book 4 to avoid firing half their staff. Likewise, they took to Tumblr and other social media in 2014 to state firmly that Korra and Asami were both bisexual and in love. Here's a link: https://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace

The qualifications and propaganda paragraphs correspond, @foulfirerebel is the first submitter and also did the ‘anything else?’ section.

Neil Josten-All For The Game

Qualifications:

I mean he def has PTSD even though it's never like fully fleshed out in the series and also he is demisexual

Propaganda:

Neil goes through so much it's amazing he is still functioning as a person. He bottles up all of his trauma but he still has nightmares and triggers that bring back the trauma he felt from his abusive mafia father and his abusive mother. However, once he lands at PSU to play D1 Exy, he finds a home with all of his other broken teammates and coach. This includes Andrew Minyard, another possible contender for this bracket. While he still has trauma to deal with, he becomes a much more well adjusted and happy person with his teammates. :)

Andrew Minyard-All For The Game

Qualifications:

He’s gay and has some sort of trauma disorder probably.

Propaganda:

Very gay, pretty commonly thought of to have some sort of trauma disorder, he’s neat. I have many thoughts about him as a character but I don’t really feel like writing them.

[period-of-nocturne]

I had random shower thoughts about the Shinonome and the Tenmas. How Tsukasa and Ena are the same age, same for Akito and Saki. But how different their relationship is despite that.

Akito and Saki are the younger siblings. Despite that, I doubt Ena and Tsukasa have any memories of their life without them being around.

And even so, the two siblings relationships are so different. Not just in the sense that the Tenma seems to get along very well while the Shinonome... Are your typical siblings.

But in terms of dynamic, while Saki is definitely Tsukasa's little sister, Ena and Akito acts in a such way you would wonder if they're twin, sometimes.

We know it's because of their different context. Saki, with her illness bringing her often at the hospital, quickly became the little sister Tsukasa felt he had to care for as much as he could.

Ena one the other hand, with her breakdown, insecurities, and depression, "lost" her "big sister role", and Akito took the responsibility to care foe her and handle her feelings instead of the opposite.

And now that the girls are recovering we can hope to see the dynamic with their brothers balance and adjust more, slowly.

Sometimes I like to think of a world where the two duos context are reversed.

Akito getting a leg injury and becoming unable to play foot (permanently), before he decides to quit.

(It can be anything. You can have him in a wheelchair, have him unable to walk for a short time or until forever. Give him something less apparent but not less annoying. Anything.)

Ena becoming the one who tries to cheer him up. Doing something cute, like drawing Akito and herself as some super hero in a self insert world. Making little comics where cool things happen.

She'd go the Tsukasa route in the way she wouldn't lose confidence. She might not act like the guy did, but she'd be as selfless and little-brother centered.

I don't know if Akito would still see Rad Weekend or not. I assume the Summer Festival still happens. Ena taking him with her to cheer him up. Akito heard of Rad Weekend here. Ena could take him there as well. (Would it impact her ? I don't know. I think not. You can think otherwise.)

Tsukasa with Ena's anxiety and self-destructive tendencies, but towards acting. I just realised I opened a door for free Tsukasa angst. I apologize in advance for whatever this could cause. I also need to think about what caused it.

Saki... Is the one I have the less ideas about in that context. Her past, aside those time at the hospital, has been dropped in little bits here and there in LeoNeed and some Tenma related events. But it's almost always tied to other people.

Still, by simply removing the illness with a magic eraser, I wonder what Saki would end up doing with all the time she got. And it leads to a lot of questions. Would LeoNeed still disband ? Do you think she could join Tsukasa in acting for a while ? Find her own thing to enjoy ? So many things could be done with her in that context.

And if course it would change the siblings dynamics a little. I don't think the Tenmas would get close to the current Shinonome relationship. But Tsukasa would be less big brotherly. Saki would carry herself just fine and maybe do her best to cheer Tsukasa. And the Shinonome would be less in conflict. The frustration Akito must feel and the way Ena always cares for him could cause some rocky moment, but they wouldn't have the distance they have now.

I like to add Toya and Mafuyu context swap in the picture as well. Toya never had Tsukasa tell him to live his life as he want to, so... Oof.

Thinking of way Mafuyu and Ena could meet and Ena would do something similar for her, though.

Ultimately those purple winter beings don't feel the same way or have the same family, so the outcome wouldn't be those we already know but in reverse. It's just that things would be a little easier and faster for Mafuyu, but way more complicated for Toya.

(And yes he can ultimately meet Akito. In every universe. Don't worry. It'd just be really different.)

I don't know what happened to the rest of their teams. Kanade, Mizuki, the Vivids... Emu, Rui and Nene. LeoNeed is presumably fine.

I apologize to More More Jump and the Hinomori for being outed from this post.

[ntls-24722]

Hey so... Have you thought much about how disability is treated in your various societies? Like with the Debus and stuff? I've been thinking about it for a little bit and got curious 👀

Yes actually!

For disabilities involving mobility, I had sketched out some really clunky ideas for a Debu crutch and some accessibility for their mountain cave-dwellings awhile ago, so I revamped them! The crutch was specifically made for the situation where, say you have an arm compromised, but it's an inconvenient arm like a back or front arm that's mostly tasked for stability, so your balance is off. So there would be a crutch/walker for that, where you could bring support to the back or front and balance yourself better. And for their cliff dwellings, there could be these adobe-rock torons to help climb up with your arms and your mouth. Ideally, a settlement would have terraces up to your residents, but that takes awhile, so torons and pulleys could be an option. (I got inspired by the Great Mosque of Djenne for the torons)

Then there's wheelchairs!

So, just a disclaimer, some of these wheelchair designs might not be around at the time that homo mousike is set in, homo mousike is set around when history just began and as you can imagine, technology isn't really that far yet (the first self-propelled wheelchair was invented 1655)

The bottom design was my first design before i realized, "hey, don't... dogs... have wheelchairs... why don't I just do it like that." The first/top design was my second try which eliminates most of the problems with the first, the main one being: Debu are really goddamn heavy. REALLY heavy. So heavy, in fact, that they can't actually lay down for long periods of time, because their own weight will cut off their blood circulation and get pressure wounds. It's why Debu caves are filled to the brim with bedding so they can lay down for longer - and why my first try at a debu wheelchair was less a wheelchair but a bed on wheels. I guess it's still viable and its design feels/looks more vintage to the point I think that this might become the OG Debu wheelchair that would've been present around now.

Then there's blindness and deafness. Blindness is actually much better to have in Debu society??? Debu are actually not that great at seeing in the first place - their eyes are uniquely sensitive to color, but not to sharpness. And besides, Debu dwellings are in complete darkness except for one room. And because of the fact they live in complete darkness, Debu are historically inclined towards tactile language rather than sign language, which is a mode that deaf and non-deaf individuals alike usually communicate through. Written language is actually equally tactile in some cultures, with valley debu writing stories with beads that can be read by being felt, or read "aloud" by dragging the hoof across the text.

I also find it cool that alphabet letters are physical objects so you can go and buy a bunch of A beads. Defeated teacher at the store, buying a lot of C's and D's after a spelling test

Now onto zebramen.

When it comes to mobile disabilities, interestingly... you'd have a lot less problems in zebraman society out of all of them, which is ironic considering they're constantly on the run.

Before I go into that, I have to describe zebraman society: Instead of civilization forming once populations began to settle down into one place permanently and grow their food, zebraman civilization began when they left sedentary settlements to herd animals, leaving behind the seeds of swaths of crops months in advance in order to harvest them during circular trips around their massive, plains territories. Zebramen are similar to humans where they're able to run for very long periods of time, and they use this less to be persistence hunters but to guide their massive herds along "crop stops" that both they and their herd gather and eat from. They do run along their herds on foot, but those are generally zebramen with the specific job for doing so.

When it comes to the rest of zebramen, they practically live in their carriages, drawn by cloe-mena. They're not particularly fast, but they're really damn strong. As a mountain cow, they were originally built for hoisting themselves up mountains and are perfect picks for drawing carriages for one or two zebramen - or a massive brigade carrying an entire community.

That is all to say that since zebramen spend most of their time riding in their carriages, not being able to walk isn't too much of a damper. Zebramen are, still currently in their ancient Sumer-adjacent technological era though, so they might instead have a wheelbarrow, or smaller wagon with a service animal that they ride instead of a wheelchair since those might still not be widely made/widely available. There may be a cultural result to this where people in wheelchairs are seen as wise and down to earth, the same way we see people with glasses as smart, since they'd have a closer relationship with animals, which is a big ideal in zebramen.

But in the future, Zebramen's wheelchairs would end up looking really similar to ours, except there's more footrests in the front to accommodate their frontmost and middle legs, a cutout in the back to rest the back legs, and the lack of an armrest. Zebrapeople naturally keep their arms in a mantis posture, so having an armrest would just get in the way of trying to propel themselves.

Zebrapeople have generally the same crutches as us, too.

Zebrapeople are inclined towards sign since they're more visually oriented than Debu, so that's another similarity between us, but also because their fingers are stupid flexible and weird freaky cool signs are able to be made. Zebrapeople have the benefit of their sign languages being less species-exclusive between them, since zebraelves and zebramen have the same hands and much of the same languages, they get to share the same sign languages.

Zebrapeople do struggle with written language for the blind though, since paper's a very recent and very popular invention that has yet to find itself a widely used tactile way to read its text. The ones currently around similar to moon type where letters are instead raised curves and angled lines.

So onto what zebraelves have different for mobility impairments!

So, the zebraelf wheelchair might be a little different. Their butts are at an angle, which is why they can seamlessly go from octopodal to hexapodal, so they sit as if they're leaned forward. And that gave me an idea because this was the first self-propelled wheelchair invented by Stephan Farffler when he was 22 and this fucks severely.

That's COOL. This is COOL. And it's the same principle that bikes were improved with, so thank him, every cyclist ever

But, I kind of get why this didn't completely stick around. You kind of have to reach forward for this, which you might not be able to do. You see where I'm going with this?

Zebraelves live in trees though, carts like this are primarily for walking on ground. Yet, I would argue this only makes things better for disabled zebraelves because zebraelves are also really good at living in trees.

Their bodies are small and compact, and their bodies are adapted for both walking and swinging/generally hanging on and across branches. Having monkey bars on just about everything is used by everyone. Even if you're without the use of arms, your legs are morphologically the same as your arms, and you're free to use those, too. When you can't use either, there's still pulley systems to help you to get places.

And to answer your other ask, happy disability pride month!

[sunset-skater]

we alternate whether Sam, Sebastian, or both of them are disabled anytime we're writing sambastian. we can't bear to write a story that doesn't include at least one physically disabled character so it's always present, and we embrace them both in cathartic ways

a chronically ill Sebastian who uses a metallic purple cane, to try and help teach himself to be visibly disabled even in public places. he finds joy in the shiny colour of it, and it's a good reason to use a cane that's his favourite colour. he's kind to himself, and tries not to push himself too far, but oftentimes he's so adjusted to his daily pain and fatigue that he doesn't even notice he's pushing himself until it's too late. he'll cry out of frustration at being forced to stay home a day or three to rest, but still he'll lay in bed or watch movies with Sam to avoid pushing himself. he's open about his disability, referencing it early if people can't see his cane outright, because he has so little energy that he refuses to spend his time with people who won't care about his well-being

Sam we instead characterize as restless and almost in denial of how bad things are - not quite, he does know how bad his flare ups get, but he'll sometimes choose to ignore it and accept the consequences of it getting worse later. there are times that he'd rather saddle his future self with extra pain if his present self can skate when it's a nice day for it, even if the energy isn't quite there. he struggles to use a variety of mobility aids because they tempt him to leave them behind, but when he leaves the house in a wheelchair he puts focus on the ways in which it helps him. he's still in the midst of coping with it all, still unfamiliar with how to grieve the type of life he no longer has access to, and so sometimes he ignores his own needs in desire of the blissful ignorance of forgetting about it for a few hours. he's getting better at things, he's learning to listen to his body when it asks him to stop, but he's still figuring it out. it's hard

when both together disabled sambastian, they are tired and aching in tandem. they trade bad days when possible to help when one of them is feeling better than the other - Seb will push Sam's wheelchair since it helps keep his balance, and Sam never lets his boyfriend leave the house without his cane. some days they lay together exhausted, thankful that the other understands them and is comfortable with spending an entire day resting. even on days when they both stay home, unable to so much as reach their boyfriend's house, they sit in voice chats or sync the music they listen to or simply text in between hyperfixated distractions so that they don't feel so alone

[squarebracketsmileyface]

I hope this is ok to ask. I know I've seen you post about a "Brian lives" au where he's in a wheelchair after the fall, and other wheelchair-related posts. And I'm attempting to do my own fic research, but like, I don't even really know what kind of manual chair options there are. I've got bad joints, my experience is limited to like, braces and canes. And I guess I was wondering if you had any advice, any things that annoy you when people get them wrong, stuff like that.

Okay, I don't even know where to start but I do have thoughts. So, for types of manual wheelchair I don't know how much you already know so I'm just gonna give like, bunch of stuff lol. This is also a bit all over the place, I just wrote about things in the order I thought of them.

Okay, this has turned out INCREDIBLY long, but I hope it's helpful? It was very fun to do, honestly, I love talking about my chair and writing and reading characters who are in wheelchairs, so this was a fun way to spend my afternoon before therapy.

Also for things that annoy me when people get them wrong, honestly not much, I'm usually so overjoyed at seeing a wheelchair using character that all mistakes and little things the writer gets wrong don't bother me at all. Because "omg they're like me and you weren't afraid/disgusted to write it :D"

So I guess there's like, the difference between just general manual wheelchairs and active manual wheelchairs? Like, yeah a chair can technically be self propelled, but some of them are very basic, like, not made to measure, pretty heavy and difficult to move around it because of that, especially if you have like, any sort of weakness or injury in your shoulders. A lot of it leans on what sorts of injuries and disabilities Brian has after his fall, whether it's just affecting his legs or if it's whole body, and how it's affecting his legs, paralysis or what.

Chances he'd want to go for an active wheelchair that's made to fit him, so it's got the right centre of balance for wheelies to get up little bumps and stuff. Cos god, idk about you but drop curbs where I am don't actually drop to flush with the road like they probably should, and until i took my whole chair apart and made it fit me myself like wheelchair services should have before giving it to me, my front casters would ALWAYS get stuck on that like, inch of a bump up. I nearly got tipped out of my chair so many times because I couldn't wheelie to get up that rise, because the chair was massively too big for me and had it's centre of gravity in the wrong place. I have what's technically counted as an active wheelchair, but its about as cheap as you can get for an active wheelchair so it has/had all the above issues. BUT even with a shit chair you can do things yourself to fix them at least a bit, they're all bolted together so you can lower the body of it so your arms reach where they're meant to on the wheels, you can change the angle the seat's at by changing the height of your casters which can make it more or less easy to do a wheelie (or top over backwards by accident lol)

There's also attachments for manual wheelchairs that can make them semi electric/power. Like, you can get all sorts of power assist devices, some attach to the wheels themselves, others push from behind, some attach at the front and turn your chair into a kind of three wheeled electric bicycle. And those can be insanely useful if you fatigue easily, have to do a lot of uphills, have weak or easily injured shoulders etc.

There's a lot of other attachments that can be useful to have too, though they're obviously not necessary. Like, you can have a "Free Wheel" (which I think is a brand, but I tend to see it used to just describe this thing in general honestly) that attached to the front of your chair and lifts up your casters so you can go off road without your casters getting caught in stuff. It's like a single wheel that comes out the front.

Yeah here we are, it's this thing

Also when it comes to casters, the larger your casters are the better able to handle tougher terrain they are (read: shitty and cracked streets in towns and cities as well as rough but solid paths). Though I've found that the tradeoff with having larger casters is that if your chair is a little too wide for you your feet will tend to sit near the outside of your footplate, and when you turn the casters will hit your heels and knock your feet off the plate, and then you can run them over 💀. I fixed that for myself (because I can't just make my chair narrower to correctly fit my hips) by making a strap to go behind my legs, and because it's a little loose my feet back sit back as far as they need to be comfy, and the casters won't hit my heels because the strap pushes me feet I to the centre of my footplates.

⏫ with strap attached (without shoes my feet then fall down between the footplates, but with shoes on they're fine lol)

⏫ without strap. It's generally much more uncomfy on my hips, as well as my feet having to sit really far forwards to stop the casters hitting my heels.

There are straps built into the footplates, but so far I haven't found a way to use them that doesn't push my feet further apart and into the path of the casters, so I've got them wrapped out of the way instead. Occasionally on really bumpy ground, e.g. cobbled/really old bricked streets I'll put the toes of my shoes under those straps with them still wrapped just to make sure my feet don't get bounded forwards out of the footplates just by the rough terrain.

Different chairs also pack down differently. On most (maybe all but I don't 100% know) active chairs the big wheels come off, usually using a button in the centre, which can make the chair a lot smaller and lighter for lifting into the car, especially if youre having to lift it in over yourself. Some chairs can fold in on themselves down the centre which can make them way smaller to fit in a car, and others I've seen only have their backs fold down (if they have a tall enough back. Mine does both which is very useful, though I have noticed that in certain terrain my chair tries to shut on me 💀

I think the chairs that only fold at the back and not down the middle are called rigid framed wheelchairs? I think lol

And as you can see from my chair, you can make it your own, not just by making it fit you better if it doesn't when you get it, but you can put fun little things on it. I've obviously got my foot/leg strap thingy, but I also put bicycle spoke covers in the spokes to make them fun, as well as getting a couple of bicycle bottle holders and attaching them to my chair. I use them to carry little things I don't want in my lap, so water bottles sometimes, random bits and bobs, even my phone and wallet sometimes because of their placement.

They don't get in the way of my legs, but for anyone to get their hand into them they'd have to crouch down beside me, avoid my wheels, brakes and the frame of my chair if they're going in from the side, or they'd have to crouch in front of me and go through my legs, so they're honestly really secure. Way more secure than my rucksack which I sling over the back of my chair. The water bottle holders also touch either the side or the back of my calf at all times, so I can feel if they move at all.

You can also get wheelchair specific bags (or just use a fannypack/bumbag) that sit under the seat of the chair, which can be pretty secure to keep things in. Definitely more secure than a bag on the back of your chair. My chair also has a little pocket attached to the fabric seat my cushion sits on, which is very good for keeping things you're not gonna constantly be wanting to grab completely safe. Mine just holds all my Alan keys and the little wrench for adjusting the chair.

Oh yeah seats! You can also get solid seats on chairs, rather than the fabric sling style ones like mine has, as well as all sorts of different cushions depending on your needs. Some people have seats that mold to the shape of them to help with pain and reduce pressure sores, especially if they're a full time wheelchair user and can't easily move around to take pressure off their butt and thighs etc. though, you can lift yourself up with your hands pressing down on your armrests (if you have them) or just on the top of your wheel which can give you a break from any pressure on your butt and thighs etc, which is good. I often find my back gets very stiff and compressed feeling if I have to be in my chair for a long time and using my armrests to lift myself up can help loosen that all out again and reduce any pain I might otherwise end up with.

Backrests are something that can be customised too, some people have a very low backrest because they don't need much support for their spine, others might have one that only comes up about halfway if they need a little support, and some have backs that come up further. Mine reaches the bottom of my shoulder blades which is okay for leaning on (once I got the adjustable straps in the back sorted so it gave me the right support where I need it) but can also get in the way of your arms when you reach back to push, as your arms can hit the backrest.

My backrest is just fabric with velcro straps under it, so it's pretty soft, not rigid except for the metal uprights on each side, but other chairs can have rigid backrests with a cushion.

Alongside backrests, for support, some chairs have seatbelts which can help keep you in the chair if you need it. It all depends on what support someone needs, the type of injury or disability they have, and most things with a good wheelchair can be completely tailored to what you need.

Push handles go along with the backrest and are also customisable. Some chairs have none, especially a lot of active chairs because the people using them might not need to be pushed by anyone, but others have rigid push handles if the person using them often needs to be pushed around due to fatigue or pain etc. some chairs also have push handles that can be folded down out of the way or pushed down entirely to be out of the way so that people have a harder time just grabbing you and pushing you out of their way. Which, yeah, that's annoying, that's a thing :/

You get a lot of stares sometimes and in shops sometimes people will just pull or push you out of the way like you're an abandoned trolley blocking the aisle. This has never happened to me while I've been with someone, though, only when I've been alone. I guess they see the walking person and remember I'm also a human not an abandoned trolley? Idk lol.

Oh yeah you can also get anti-tippers which are often recommended when you're new to using a wheelchair, so that you don't go over backwards as easily. Mine spin round so they can either be useable or not. They don't stick out too far behind the chair, but it is a good couple inches, and the lift up to my therapists office doesn't fit my chair in if I have my anti-tippers out. They were very useful when I was first learning to use my wheelchair, because with the centre of gravity off I either couldn't do a wheelie, or went all the way over backwards with no in between. Now that I fixed my chair though, I can do wheelies really easily and with a fair amount of control (even tho I'm still learning)

Chair tippyness is a thing too. Some chairs are much easier to tip backwards than others. A lot of sort of "beginner" chairs aren't very tippy, which means you're less likely to go over backwards generally, but you have to throw a lot of weight into a wheelie, which can then make it a lot easier to go over backwards once you're in the wheelie, and a lot harder to hold the wheelie. A lot of active chairs are more tippy, so you can do wheelies easily to get up and down small steps etc. that's something that anti-tippers make a little harder too. They stop you from being able to get your front casters up very high.

Mine let me get my casters get about 7.5cm off the ground (my ruler doesn't have inches I'm sorry lol) which is okay, but definitely not ideal for getting over a surprising amount of things.

Gloves. Gloves have saved my hands when it comes to using my wheelchair, especially out and about (aka on any surface that isn't about as flat and smoother as a super market floor). I use bike gloves with silicon grips on the palms and gel padding in them, and that's stopped me getting blisters when I use my hands to slow and turn, as well as giving me more ability to grip my pushrims with my palms. If I don't push with my palms I tend to overextend the tips fingers. They also help grip the pushrims when they're a little wet. a LITTLE when they're very wet it's almost impossible to get a grip no matter what. Well, almost no matter what, I think there are certain pushrims covers and paints that can give you more grip, and I've seen people say that leather gloves or sailing gloves can be very good for grip in wet weather.

Gloves in general are also good for keeping your hands warm, because I find that touching the cold metal of the pushrims absolutely saps the heat out of my fingers and they get very painful very fast.

Going out as a wheelchair user in the rain or snow or just generally bad weather can be really difficult. Because you're sitting you get soaked, and water can collect up on your cushion, so you can't dry off very easily. Heat can also be very annoying, especially if you don't have a mesh backrest, heat gets trapped between you and your chair and you can get very hot very fast.

Lengths of sleeves are also something to consider, that I didn't even realise until I got my chair. My favourite jumpers to wear when I'm in my chair are the ones that are a little too small. The sleeves are short enough on those ones that when I have my arms down to push myself along, the cuff of the sleeve doesn't fall over the heels of my hands and make it hard to get a grip on my pushrims. Even tight long sleeve tops tend to have the same issue, even if you wouldn't usually think their sleeves would fall down and get in the way.

Honestly you have to think a lot about your clothes when you're in a wheelchair. If you're wearing a jacket or hoodie that's open in the front you'll need to zip it up at least a little otherwise with wind and movement it'll fall open and onto your wheels, which at best makes an annoying noise, and at worst can get in the way of you being able to start or stop moving.

If you wear skirts (which probably doesn't apply to Brian, but I don't know what you're writing to hey, maybe it does apply) you don't want them to be too long, or they can get caught in your wheels, or too short in case you accidentally flash someone. The tightness of the skirt plays a part too, even a shorter very glowy skirt can get in your wheels, and a tight long skirt will probably be fine.

Even shoes can be something you need to think about, despite the fact that you're not walking on them. Open toed shoes can be a drawback if your feet fall off your foot plate and get dragged along the ground, you could injure yourself that way, and depending on the level of sensation you have in your legs you might not notice straight away that it's happened. Shoes with thin heels could be a little tricky to keep on your footplate, and platforms and high heels can lift your knees up so your body and thighs aren't at a right angle to each other, which can cause discomfort and pain for some people, if they're too high.

Obviously a good shoe thing with wheelchairs is you're not getting your shoes dirty or wearing them out. So a pair of cheap shitty shoes that would usually break after just a few wears? Yeah those might be fine for years :D

Also a little shippy thing you can have fun with, if you're so inclined. When you're in a wheelchair and have a partner or whoever walking alongside them, you can hold their hand and they can help pull you along a bit when you're on nice, smooth flat ground. Which is very cute and also gives your arms a bit of a rest :D

Inaccessibility is another thing to think about, as well as when places are technically wheelchair accessible but in just kinda an unpleasant way. E.g., my dentists office is wheelchair accessible, but the ramp has to be put down by someone inside, so you need to have someone with you to go inside and request it, and the door the ramp fits is down a little alleyway, which is kinda gross in that way alleyways can be, y'know? And there's the example I gave earlier of, yeah my therapists office has a lift, but it's tiny. If I go in it forwards, I have to go out backwards, if I want to go out forwards, I have to go in backwards. And while I'm using the lift no one else can because there's just not space.

Accessibility inside your house is sometimes hard too. A lot of houses just aren't accessible, narrow doorways, corridors that are too short before they turn too sharply so you cant fit your chair through them and most of the time you can't just move house like that when you start needing a wheelchair, especially if you're a full time wheelchair user. Moving house is expensive, and finding an accessible home to move into might just not be possible if you want to stay in the same area. Also, especially in a lot of town houses, the bathroom tends to be up stairs, and hauling yourself up the stairs on your butt with your hands lifting and dragging you along is tiring, as well as just generally kind of humiliating. Also CARPETS you wouldn't necessarily think they'd get in the way, but oh my god they do. Very thin rugs are fine, but those thicker, woolier carpets? They're surprisingly hard to push over. Like, you can do it, definitely, but it just uses up that but more energy, and if you already struggle with energy, or your shoulders aren't great, that can end up being a big thing.

Transfers are a whole thing too. Getting from your chair into bed, from your chair into the car, from your chair onto another chair, without the use of your legs can be pretty difficult, especially at first. I've done a lot of faceplants into my bed on the days where my legs aren't working. Thought it's definitely a learnable skill and a very useful one. Being able to transfer safely from your chair to the floor, and the floor to your chair is super helpful.

Okay that's all I can think of for now. I'm sorry this is so stupidly long, I hope there's something useful to you in there? You gave me the opportunity to info dump and I, as always, took it and ran.

[misslavenderlady]

Baby Come Back 🥀

Dwayne/Female!Reader (She/Her Pronouns)

Summary: After a year and a half of being Dwayne's brainless little doll, he finally realizes how much he misses the old you. It's not going to be easy going back to normal though.

This is a sequel to @ghoulgeousimmaculate's story T.L.C. (which I recommend you read before this!!). It has references to her stuff, and takes place in the modern world, not 1987. This takes place before my other fic F is for Fight.

WARNINGS: N.s.f.w./Smut/18+ Readers Only, References to other fic, Infantilization/Dumbification, OCs, Character based off an OC, Mind Control, Vampire Powers, Hypnosis, Panic Attacks, Paralysis, Yelling, Fighting, Needles/Injections, Medicine, Physical Therapy, Memory Issues, Fear, Anger, Trauma, Submission, Making up, Stockholm Syndrome/PTSD, Dark Fic

No matter what, Dwayne would never regret the actions he took with you. From the moment he laid eyes on you and watched you struggle with your shopping bags, he knew he had to take care of you. After all, you were just so sweet and helpless in his eyes. Never had he ever wanted a human so badly.

So, he took you in and spoiled you rotten. You never had to lift a finger or let your feet touch the ground. Every moment you spent together was pure bliss, and he wanted to keep his girl as happy and healthy as possible.  

That's why he didn't feel any guilt for taking your mind away.  

You had threatened to leave, and he wasn't going to have that happen. All the knowledge, thoughts, and intellect were tucked away safely in his brain while yours was left empty and dumb. He even used his power on your cerebellum, taking away your ability to walk properly. You would be far too shaky and off balance to move on your own, meaning you would have to rely on him to get around.  

Dwayne was in absolute heaven. Every evening his baby greeted him with an adorable smile, holding her arms out for a big hug before he helped her start the day. You looked so beautiful in your flowing dresses and soft sweaters. Even if you never walked, he always helped slip on pretty knee socks and dainty flats. Your hair was always shiny and styled perfectly. The only makeup he put on you was some kind of candy-flavored lip gloss. You were true to your nickname, becoming a pretty little babydoll.  

Naturally, he wanted to show off his beautiful darling to the world. Whenever you needed a night out, Dwayne was happy to push you in a wheelchair along the wooden planks of the boardwalk. Poor dear, you couldn't get around without it, but you didn't care. You would simply giggle and fawn over Dwayne, constantly squealing about how happy you were.  

If the two of you ever went somewhere to eat, the locals knew to mind their own business. They wouldn't dare watch as Dwayne cut up your food and cooed at you to open your mouth for him. If someone was caught staring with a look of judgment, Dwayne would send his brothers their way for their dinner.  

The two of you were perfectly happy, and for over a year, things stayed that way. But then reminiscences of your old self began to trickle back into your lives.  

Dwayne bought you ice cream from a shop downtown. While he went back inside for extra napkins, you had been doing some people-watching outside. Your pretty eyes wandered over to a couple that was walking down the steps of a very familiar building.  

The old museum you used to work at. Before your mind had been altered, you had loved working there. Your knowledge of artists and their works was quite impressive, and your colleagues all respected you. Now, you could barely label a color wheel correctly.  

Your smile fell as you watched the couple laugh happily, both of them having just enjoyed a date night. Something within you felt sad taking such an image in. The memories were gone, but there was a tug at your heart. A reminder that you were missing something important.  

Dwayne could see the look of heartache on his mate's face as he kneeled in front of you.  

"What's the matter, lovey?"  

The sound of his voice was enough to snap you out of your spell. With a shake of your head, you flashed a smile his way.  

"Daddy, ice cream, please!"  

Though Dwayne was delighted to spoon-feed you the frozen treat, he didn't let that moment escape his mind. He found himself pondering over what had caused you to zone out like that. It didn't take long for him to take notice of the museum too.  

Days passed by, and the handsome vampire couldn't stop thinking about his babydoll. You were always on his mind, but this time was different. He now found himself thinking back to the woman you were long ago. The one he had fallen in love with when you still had control of your mind and body.  

Seeing the outside of the museum made him think back to all the facts you used to tell him about art. How the two of you would wander the halls as you went on and on about each story behind the variety of paintings.  

"So, this was the first version of 'Susanna and the Elders' that Artemisia Gentileschi painted. Unlike other versions made during the time, Artemisia actually depicted the gravity and fear of the biblical tale. An x-ray was done on it a few decades ago and revealed a much more anguished and enraged version of Susanna. It's one of her most powerful paintings." 

"I never knew how serious this painting was, babydoll. You're so brilliant." 

Dwayne hadn't enjoyed a deep conversation with you in ages. Even with his need to take care of his baby, he was starting to miss your adult side. The intelligent, creative, and fascinating woman you had once been. Dwayne missed the late nights drinking wine and sharing flirtatious banter with you. Going on dates that ended with incredibly passionate sex. Listening to you talk about all the ideas and dreams you had.  

He missed the real you. It was time to bring your true self back.  

It was going to be the hardest thing Dwayne would ever have to do. He still held no regrets for taking away your precious mind all that time ago. He would do it again in a heartbeat if you ever hinted at leaving the family. The real struggle would be dealing with your reaction when he restored your brain. It wasn't going to be pretty. He would most certainly need backup.  

"You're really doing this, huh? After all this time you're finally seeing how extreme this was?"  

Sis was walking side-by-side with Dwayne as they made their way down the cave halls. While Dwayne had been happy to infantilize his mate, Sis had continued to treat her sister with the respect she deserved as an adult. Whenever the dark-haired man was out with his brothers or caring for the kids, Sis took over making sure you were fed, clean, dressed, and cared for.  

It was like she was a personal nurse to you. She just felt terrible seeing the lovesick dummy her sister had been transformed into. The least she could do was treat you with dignity.  

"I love her so much. I don't want to stop taking care of her, but I miss the woman I fell in love with." 

Sis shot Dwayne a glare, silently telling him to try that sentence again.  

"I mean the other woman I fell in love with, of course, baby," Dwayne said, giving her hand a loving squeeze. "Did you bring the stuff I asked for?"  

The vampire queen nodded, giving her jacket pocket a small tap. She had a special tool prepared at his request if things got out of hand and the younger vampire girl needed to be calmed down.  

"Alright, let's do this." 

Both of them stepped into the nest you had for yourself. What was once a room filled with sketches, paintings, and various books on art history, was now a room fit for a princess. The walls were decorated with cute posters of cartoon characters. A lilac canopy curtain was draped over a bed covered entirely with soft blankets and cute pillows. There were dozens and dozens of stuffed animals that Dwayne and the boys had gifted you over the months. It was all the perfect space for someone with a childlike mind. 

You were feeling peaceful, all nice and cozy in your room. Dwayne and Sis found you perched on your bed, all snug in a soft, baby blue pair of pajamas with the latest addition to your teddy bear collection tucked under your arm. Whenever you were left alone, you would watch movies or shows on your tablet. All picked out by Dwayne, of course.  

Your attention shifted right to your caregivers once you noticed them. With a dreamy smile on your face, you reached out for Dwayne since he was closest.  

"Daddy! Missed you!" you said sweetly. Seeing you so cheerful made Dwayne's heartache. Soon you weren’t going to be very happy to see him.  

"Hey there, angel," Dwayne greeted you. He sat on the edge of the bed and gathered you close to him. You nuzzled against his scruffy cheek as he positioned you on his lap.  

He savored the last moment of affection before speaking up.  

"Babydoll. You know I love you, right? That I would do anything to take care of you and make you happy?" 

You didn't always understand longer sentences or big words. Being dumbed down made it harder to talk to you, so he tried to make things as simple as possible. All you understood at that moment was he loved you, so you just nodded eagerly.  

"Uh-huh!"  

"Then please know Daddy's very sorry for what he's about to do." 

There wasn't even a second for you to try and comprehend what he meant. Dwayne had your chin tilted upward so that your pretty eyes stayed on his as his color faded from chocolate brown to a sinister red. They swirled slowly, drawing you in as Dwayne took control of your mind.  

He let go of everything. All of the parts of your mind that he stole long ago came flooding back into your brain. The more information restored, the wider your eyes got. Tears were trickling down your cheeks as he used his power. By the time the last few memories settled in, your face was soaked from the silent crying.  

Dwayne's eyes faded back to brown. He watched you carefully, worried about just what you were going to say first. You were too quiet for his liking, no doubt in stunned silence.  

And then it happened. You freaked out.  

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME??"  

Sis and Dwayne were afraid this would happen. Any carefree feelings you had before were long gone, replaced in an instant with panic. A new batch of tears ran hot and fast down your cheeks. Your breathing became fast and ragged, soon leading to your hyperventilating.  

Dwayne hated seeing you like this. So scared and confused. He reached out a hand to comfort you, not knowing what else to do.  

"Baby-" 

You immediately slapped his hand away, striking his skin in disgust. The last thing you wanted was for him to touch you.  

"Get away from me, you monster!!"  

Adrenaline was pumping through your veins now. Your ears were buzzing and your blood pumping fast in your veins as your heart practically crashed into your ribcage.  

You pushed yourself out of bed, hoping to make a run for it. Instead, you found no support from your lower body. You hit the cave ground in a split second. That only amped up your terror.  

"M-My legs…I c-can't walk…I-I can't fucking walk!!!"  

It shouldn't have surprised you, given the fact that for the past year and a half, you had no balance or coordination in your legs. That meant you hadn't walked at all in that period of time. Your legs had since atrophied, and the realization was only making matters worse.  

Inhuman sobs and screams fell from your mouth as you helplessly lay on the floor. All the time you had spent without a proper mind was catching up to you. It was only making Dwayne more worried. 

You still didn't want to be touched by him. When he leaned down to help pull you back up, you threw a punch at him. The shock was clearly shown on his face as he held his cheek. You had never hit anyone before.  

"Sis-" 

"On it." 

There was no sign of you calming down anytime soon. Everything was happening so fast and suddenly, and they needed to settle you down so you wouldn't hurt yourself.  

Sis pulled the item she had brought out of her pocket. It was a syringe filled with a sedative. In a flash, she pulled off the safety cap, grabbed hold of your wrist, and stuck the needle into a vein. She held you firmly in place as the medicine worked its magic and finally got you to calm down.  

With your thrashing stopped and your eyes fluttering shut, she finally let go of you. Even with you successfully calmed down, she was still incredibly stressed.  

"Well, that went as well as I expected it to." 

"Look, I can help her get through this," Dwayne said. "She's a little scared now, but with some time, she'll come to her senses." 

Sis shot him a look of disbelief. It shouldn't have surprised her to see him so nonchalant about putting you through more stress. When he and the other boys had put her through her own "training", they did so without mercy. They only saw their shared goal in mind: getting their mates to love them forever.  

Still, it hurt her heart to know you were going to have to adapt to having your mind back. It would be like a coma patient waking up and having to cope with all the things they missed.  

"You better let me, and the girls be the ones to help her readjust. Until she's fully back to normal, she's only going to freak out when she sees you," Sis said to him. "You're gonna be in the doghouse for a while, Daddy." 

Dwayne could live with that. He was a patient man. No matter how long your recovery would take, he'd be waiting in the shadows for you to return to him. His baby would come back to him, one way or another.  

It wasn't a pretty recovery period. The first few days involved keeping you heavily sedated so you wouldn't have another freakout and accidentally hurt yourself. With the right amount of drugs, you were calm, but also conscious enough to talk. 

Your pack sisters were so relieved to see you back to the person you were before Dwayne took your mind. They all hugged you and brought plenty of flowers and gifts to welcome you back. You were so grateful for them, especially since they were eager to talk to you like an adult.  

However, you soon found that returning to normal wasn't as easy as you hoped it would be.  

A vampire's influence on one's mind tends to leave lasting effects if done for too long. The human brain can only handle so much before it gets damaged. Thankfully, being half-vampire had kept it from breaking to the point where you were a lifeless husk of your former self.  

But after being without your intellect for a year and a half, it still had left some damage. You talked about it with a doctor that Sis recommended. One that specialized in undead patients.  

"You'll experience quite a few memory issues," the doctor explained. "It's similar to what some humans experience with accidents. You'll remember long-term memories with no issue, but you'll most likely struggle with short-term-related matters. Things like following along in a book, keeping track of time, remembering things in your schedule, and so on." 

"But I'm only half-vampire," you explained. "When I fully turn and feed, won't it heal my brain?"  

The doctor sighed, feeling sympathy for this predicament you were in.  

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Cuts and broken bones are one thing, but the brain is something far more complex. Whether you're human or vampire, there are just some things medicine can't heal."  

Sis squeezed your hand tightly. She completely understood what you were going through. Back years ago, she had suffered a concussion from the fall David set up. It never properly healed, even getting worse thanks to the torture the boys put her through. It ended up playing a role in her relapse when they used booze and drugs against her, and it was why she went into states of deranged mania.  

She had her fair share of bad days. It didn't help that she was married to the very men who damaged her in the first place. But it was different for you. This recovery was something you wouldn't have to go at alone. Your sisters would be in your corner. 

"And my legs?" you asked with a soft pout on your face.  

"Thankfully, that can be fixed. It would normally take a human six months to regain the ability to walk in such a situation, but in your case, the healing process will be cut in half in terms of time. We can get started with physical therapy sessions as soon as possible." 

Once the final details of your appointment were completed, the doctor escorted you and Sis out. While you were being pushed in your wheelchair now, you were already thinking about how hard you were going to work to get out of it.  

"Don't hurt yourself trying to rush this," Sis gently told you. You frowned to yourself as she helped get you into the passenger seat of the car. When she went to buckle your seatbelt, you snapped at her.  

"Stop it! I don't need any help!"  

Her brown eyes widened in surprise. It was still so surprising to see you act so snippy after being a cute little sweetheart for so long. When you realized what you did, you let out a sigh of frustration. You didn't like how you were behaving. 

"I'm so sorry, Sis," you said. "I just…I want to get my life back. I've already lost my mom and my job to what…he did to me. I can't lose control of my life entirely." 

She was understanding of that sentiment. It was a nightmare losing that control to the boys. If her sister wanted to put in the work to be her strong, independent self again, she would be by her side every step of the way. 

You smiled at her as the two of you prepared to leave. Tonight, you would get plenty of rest to prepare for the journey ahead of you. Even if the physical therapy and exercises would be agonizing, you were willing to take it on. Whatever was necessary to get back the independence you lost. 

Before Dwayne took your mind away, you had adored the way he cared for you. Anything you desired was granted, no matter what. But now you weren't going to let him do anything. 

Whenever you weren't in physical therapy pushing your body to its limit to walk again, you were by yourself, relearning how to take care of your needs. You were going to get your life back together.  

However, that was sooner said than done.  

Getting dressed was tricky, and you were clumsy whenever you tried to pull on shirts or zip up pants. You had thrown out all the dresses Dwayne gifted you, but after some time, you wish you hadn't.  

Going shopping was ten times harder. As you progressed from wheelchair to walker to cane and finally no mobility aid at all, you had to figure out how to get around the store with your devices each time. Even when you could move on your own, you found yourself getting confused and lost a lot. You accidentally forgot items on your list all the time and would occasionally forget to bring money with you, meaning the items had to be abandoned. 

You remembered how to cook but struggled with proper timing and following recipes because of how your mind worked. Whenever you were too tired to do that, you just ordered takeout. Even so, you found yourself fumbling a lot with cutting up your food. It was something so simple to others, but unfamiliar to you since Dwayne did it for ages.  

I don't need him, you thought to yourself. Whenever you struggled, you recited that mantra in your head.  

Dwayne hated this. He hated it with all his heart. After ages of caring for his beloved little doll, he was completely deprived of the chance to do anything for you.  

He respected you enough to stay out of your way, watching from the shadows the entire time you struggled. As much as he wanted to step in, he couldn't. Not when it wasn't the right time. He had to play the waiting game and let you come to him. If you were going to be his baby again, then he wanted it to be your own choice. 

So, he didn't feel bad about asking his brothers for help. 

"Don't worry, Dwayne," David assured him with a smirk. "We'll make sure she can't function without you." 

"Please do. It kills me seeing her struggle." 

Each one played a special role in this devious plan.  

Paul would use his ability to fly to hide all your stuff on high shelves so you couldn't see or reach it. Even being a half-vampire, you struggled with even levitating an inch off the ground.  

Marko would purposely mess with your sense of time passing, often changing the time on your watch or your phone when you weren't looking. It made you disoriented and confused.  

David was the worst. When you were asleep, he filled your head with nightmares of being broken and alone with nobody to help you. You were often whimpering in your sleep because of it. When he gave you a happy ending to your dreams, it was always about Dwayne swooping in and saving you. The more positive thoughts you had of him, the better.  

The more the boys pushed you, the more your strength broke down. You didn't like being independent as much as you thought you would. It was nothing but struggle and pain. 

You even found yourself missing Dwayne himself. The stuffed animals he gave you made you feel safe when you were in bed, but you longed for his strong arms to hold you. You missed the sweet nothings he'd whisper into your ear after you had a long day. And of course, your body ached to be pleasured by him again. You couldn't reach the spots deep within that he could.  

One day in particular, you were having a really tough time. You were trying to tie your shoes. Something completely simple that you wanted to do on your own before going for a walk as your doctor recommended.  

The laces were not working out properly, no matter which way you tried to tie them. With all the frustration and stress building up, you gave up, feeling a wave of tears build as you began to cry. It was just so embarrassing, and you didn't know what else to do.  

That was until a familiar voice spoke up. 

"Hey, baby."  

You snapped your head upward to see the handsome, brunet vampire standing above you. For the first time in months, there was no anger or disgust when you looked at him. The familiar sense of love for the man was slowly filling your heart again. 

Not wanting to let him know you were getting upset over something so small, you hurriedly wiped your eyes, brushing the tears away.  

Dwayne kneeled in front of you, watching you carefully with his chocolate-colored eyes. They were so warm and gentle. You forgot how much they made you melt.  

"Need a little help, love?" 

You didn't say a word but rather nodded as an answer. With your foot stuck out, Dwayne began to tie the shoe with ease. It made you feel like Cinderella, and Dwayne your Prince Charming.  

"There we go. All good now."  

As much as you didn't want to rely on him anymore, it was all you could think about. Part of you wondered if he was still messing with your mind. Yet in your heart, you knew he wasn't.  

You missed him. Even after everything he took from you, the love for Dwayne would never go away. 

A few days passed, and you were working up the courage to finally talk to him again. You had been struggling for the longest time to read your beloved books again. What once was so simple for you was now a challenge that took three times longer since you often lost your place or got confused with the plot.  

Dwayne knew you were having problems. He could hear all the frustration and confusion going on in your head. So, he sat on the couch in the main room of the cave, silently waiting for you to come crawling back to him.  

"Um….hi.." 

The dark-haired vampire had to fight back a smirk with all of his might. He kept the perfect poker face as you timidly walked up to him with your book in hand.  

"Hi, babygirl," he cooed. "Is something wrong?"  

Your cheeks warmed with a deep blush at the sound of that nickname. It felt a little too good to be called that again. Feeling extra shy now, you held out your book for him to see.  

"Will you…um…read to me? Please…Daddy?"  

Game. Set. Match. Dwayne had won. You were his helpless little girl again, and the best part was that you had chosen to do so willingly.  

"I would be delighted, babydoll," he purred, gesturing for you to sit by his side.  

You snuggled up to him, resting your head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around your body. It relaxed you to be in his arms again. With his gentle, baritone voice reading out your story aloud, you thought about how much you missed this. How right it felt.  

There was no way you'd ever fight Dwayne's love again. 

Tag List: @britany1997 @6lostgirl6 @thesirenrealm @pixielostboy @bloodywickedvamp @michael-after-hours @legal-lost-boy @american-idiot-jpg @ghoulgeousimmaculate @queen-bunny

[insipid-drivel]

Getting a new wheelchair! The XTSO M4

If you're wondering what model of power chair this is, it's this in the readmore:

Here's the website.

Here's my family friend's website with even more variety and options.

I'm brand new to wheelchairs and power chairs, but have recently invested in this one as my mobility has been an increasing issue as I'm getting older. A family friend of mine has MS and owns a wheelchair and powerchair company, and just recently went to a floor-show of new models in Miami, FL, and emailed me back with the XSTO M4 as a recommendation for my first chair.

These chairs are expensive. They may not be affordable for you. I'm only getting one because I know a guy who sells them and he's willing to help me out when it comes to the financials. However, if you're curious, shopping, or interested to know what kind of new tech is starting to be incorporated into electric wheelchairs, here are some product deets about the M4:

Comes with an automatic balance system, which balances out the seat even when I'm going uphill. This prevents the "I'm going to fall and hit my head" sensation if a slope is steep.

Can clear vertical obstacles of up to 2" vertically or 6" horizontally (such as rolling over grass between paving stones) , so if a city's infrastructure sucks for chair-bound people, I can at least brute-force to a sidewalk or park when necessary.

Can handle slopes of up to 15°

Breathable back and memory foam seat for no more Ass Sweat Prints on warm days.

Designed not to slip or skid on slippery surfaces or going up or downhill

Self-adjusts the seat to stay level even when on a slope so I don't tip over or fall off the chair. Also has a safety-wheel in the back so it can't be tipped backwards, either.

Travels up to 11 miles on a single charge

Has both "casual" (indoor) and "off-road" settings.

Can adjust the seat up or down up to 8" to Reach Things Better or Be More Visible To Traffic.

Has no rear handles for assholes to grab and try to move me around without permission.

Comes with an app (ugh I know) that makes my phone make an alert noise when the battery is low or a part or component is malfunctioning, gives me the ability to remotely control it to wheel it closer to me if it's out of reach and I can't walk to it (honestly a selling point for me; I never know when I'll have Bad Issues and need extra help), switch its modes from casual to sport mode, and make it fold/unfold for space.

Breaks into 3 separate parts for easier storage in the back of a car.

Goes up to ~4mph, which isn't bad for me, since my normal mph at home without a chair is 0.

Has a tight 32" turning radius courtesy of the front tires, making it good for moving around indoors too.

Seat reclines and has a small leg-rest for if I want to lean back.

The manufacturer recycles parts, so if something like the battery needs replacing, I can send the old part in and receive a new, replacement part for free.

Almost every feature covered by the app is also available on the LCD readout beside the joystick, so I don't need to use the app if I don't want to.

It doesn't look like I stole it from a retirement home or a WalMart.

[packcoventhing]

Some of the physical disability rep in me and @romeave-wives-club's rewrite because lets face it the lack of disability rep in MCD is unrealistic and even in MYS it was still "how do you know so many people and not one of them has a physical disability??"

[this isn't all of it, but it's some of it]

So, excluding the two entirely new OC characters because look they may be self inserts but Aph herself was one

Zane in both MCD and MYS has troubles with his balance, so, walking stick. In MCD he has this fancy and sleek one, while in MYS it's covered in stickers and paint and no that's not a pinkie cake sticker what do you mean. He's blind in one eye, in MCD it was from a relic incident and in MYS it's the infamous snowball incident. He finds it too much of a hassle to have it uncovered, that fucks with his perception of things more than it helps. He's also immunocompromised in MYS, which I thought was canon but now that I'm thinking about it it was never said in canon that he still gets sick a lot.

Laurance was partially blinded upon his return to the overworld, while Ungrth took the blunt of the void burns- he got a nasty one covering his entire left eye. It healed, slowly, but it left his vision severely blurry and hazed over with a dark-tinted film. He pulled a Zane, covering it with his hair or an eyepatch, for a while. But eventually that stops, and he adjusts to it the best he can.

Aaron was fully blinded when his village was wiped out, he was also very soon after turned into a werewolf. He can make out levels of light if the change is extreme enough, but that's about it- lets his hair cover his eyes, or a blindfold, just because the light tricking him into seeing movement was more of a hinderance in battle than a help. (Post S6 in MYS he's also blind, and either has a white cane or a service dog (or both) to help him around)

Post MYS S6, Travis is an ambulatory wheelchair user! He switches between his wheelchair and crutches, but if he's out and about he's probably in the wheelchair.

MYS!Aph has a walker, when she first got it she went over to Zane's house arms filled with stickers and "dragging" my OC along and the three of them had a hangout of just decorating their mobility aids

They're both background/more minor characters unfortunately, but both Nana's sister Shi and Blaze's sister Adira are deaf!

Some additions

Aaron has died 10 times over and will not stay in the ground, he has some form of chronic pain and will probably join the mobility aid crew at some point

Hayden uses a walking stick because yes

also there's a plethora of mental disabilities ranging from learning disabilities with Blaze's dyspraxia, all the meif'wa being autistic (this comes from the theory of cats not being able to be diagnosed with autism because they're all autistic, and you can pry this out of my cold dead autistic hands), dissociative disorders like MYS!Gene with chronic dissociative amnesia and Travis with DID

and more!

[t4tozier]

thinking about the intimacy of disabled reddie after derry 2.0

cw: internalized ableism, accidental self harm (via tics)

eddie has really bad imposter syndrome when it comes to his symptoms because he finally came to terms with the fact that his childhood illnesses were fake and so he gets in his head about it a lot

it doesn’t help that he gets phantom pains even though he can’t feel his legs anymore so it freaks him out a lot

but richie’s always there for him to vent or talk about his fears with and he always seems to know exactly what to say to calm eddie down, reminding him that it’s okay to need a wheelchair now and for richie to help him with certain tasks and that it doesn’t make him weak

richie really tries to balance helping eddie with things and not being overbearing so he does worry sometimes but they learn to communicate more openly so that there’s no built up resentment or anxieties on either of their ends

richie gets tic attacks where he hits himself repeatedly and his neck jerks and he tenses up and can’t stop it or unlock himself and he can’t get any words out because he’s just humming every second and eddie doesn’t try to stop him because he knows it won’t do anything but he strokes richie’s hair and distracts him with stories of his last outing with bev or the phone call he had with stan and it helps richie to have something else to focus on

and after it’s over eddie will massage the knots out of richie’s neck and shoulders and rub icyhot into his skin (their house is always stocked) and he lets richie lay on the couch with his head in eddie’s lap so he can rest

when it’s rainy richie’s joint pain tends to be worse so they typically don’t go out much those days, they stay in and order takeout and watch silly movies and eddie will massage his feet even though he hates feet because he knows it helps for when richie stands back up even with his crutches

richie ties eddie’s shoes for him every morning. eddie has an album that’s just richie in different positions tying his shoes. kneeling down, laying on the floor, hanging off the end of their bed—it’s silly and eddie loves it because it makes him feel better about not being able to bend down even in his chair

they take turns making special baths for each other when they’re in more pain than usual, lighting candles and putting epsom salt and essential oils in the water, and then they’ll wash each other’s hair and body so so gently

decorating each other’s aids. cleaning them as a nice surprise when it’s been a little too long since the last time. making sure to always have at least one bottle of tylenol and tube of icyhot in the house at all times. reminding each other to take their meds. like i love them so so much i just think they’d treat each other so well

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 4, Wave 2, Poll 3

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and round here.

Korra-Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Qualifications:

Korra is not only bisexual, having dated both Asami Sato and Mako, but was and still is disabled by the end of the series. She doesn't magically get better from being poisoned, she's forced to relearn a lot of things: how to walk, how to do things for herself, and even how to fight properly. Her physical disabilities are mixed with extensive trauma and PTSD that prevents her from doing her job as the Avatar throughout Book 4: Balance.

Canonically bisexual, has PTSD, and spent a while partially paralyzed and using a wheelchair.

Bisexual badass who ended up going through about 5038309340 traumatizing events, one of which involved mercury poisoning that had her unable to walk for about a year and left her with lasting PTSD and depression (though again the depression is a little less clear wheras the PTSD was obviously intended to be read as such). There was also her shadow self, but it's unclear whether that was a form of psychosis or a literal spirit. In short, she's bi and has PTSD if you want to stick with the more long term, obviously canon bits.

Propaganda:

She's the Avatar, you gotta deal with it! But, seriously, Avatar Korra was the first onscreen LBGT+ character in the Avatar franchise alongside her girlfriend Asami Sato. While limited in what could be shown onscreen, the two were explictly portrayed as a couple in the 2016 Dark Horse comic "Legend of Korra: Turf Wars". Likewise, her disability never quite went away. She still struggled with trauma, PTSD, and learning how to do things for herself again for two to three years in the time between books 3 and 4 that were shown off in flashbacks during her solo episodes.

She's canonically bi and has PTSD, and disability was an incredibly important theme for her in her show's final season.

i dunno I think i covered all my bases in the qualifying bit but also its 3am and i dont feel like typing more

Anything Else?:

The creators of Korra, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, fought long and hard for their show, including taking a massive budget slash circa book 4 to avoid firing half their staff. Likewise, they took to Tumblr and other social media in 2014 to state firmly that Korra and Asami were both bisexual and in love. Here's a link: https://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace

The qualifications and propaganda paragraphs correspond, @foulfirerebel is the first submitter and also did the ‘anything else?’ section.

Lan Wangji-The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi

Qualifications:

Canonically gay, pretty heavily coded as autistic (esp in the show)

Additional qualifications by @lovewanxian : I would like to add that Lan Wangji also has extremely extensive scarring on his back from getting whipped 33 times and spent an extended amount of time bedridden because of it

Propaganda:

He's an absolute badass - in a series full of morally ambiguous or outright immoral characters, he's one of the only people around to consistently show he's reliable, honorable and strong. Some examples include Lan Wangji defending Wei Wuxian, his love interest and eventual husband, against his own clan and other clans because WWX went against their rules and tried to save innocent people, or LWJ raising WWX's adopted son for years and being a great father and mentor to him. While LWJ isn't *technically* canonically autistic, (not that this word would exist in the setting), he has flat affect, fixates on rules and his difficulty in understanding people's emotions is explicitly brought up and a minor plot point.

[aesopsharpmybeloved]

To Leave the Abyss

Professor Sharp hates to recognise himself in your eyes.

&

A thirty something Auror Aesop Sharp is failing to come to terms with his predicament.

This was supposed to be a part of one of my WIP. But then I got into it and thought; oof, that's heavy. So it's a standlone. Gif amateurly made by me.

Note: Sharp, Hecat and Ronen knew each other in school. Ronen was oldest, Hecat was youngest and they were in the "I hate PNB" club before it was cool.

TW: Depression, Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, swearing

Sharp wasn’t usually fond of going to the Astronomy tower - the amount of stairs! Tonight however, he felt a certain pull towards the place, and he was glad that he did. It took him a long time to finally climb that spiral staircase, but once he managed to do so, he immediately noticed that he wasn’t alone there. Standing just ahead was a student, and he didn’t even need to guess which student it was. You were shaking like a leaf, your hand holding the handle of your broom in a vice grip, and you stood with your back to him. “What do you think you’re doing here?!” he asked loudly, making you flinch violently and turn around to face him.

The look on your face terrified him, haunted him, because he knew it all too personally. That wide-eyed panic, tinged with chaos and madness. You reminded him of a wounded, caged animal and he could almost feel you considering whether to just throw your broom away and toss yourself off the tower without it.

He remembered that look so well. 

—

He saw it in his own eyes, shortly after he was released from St Mungo’s. He moved around mostly on a wheelchair, using his cane only when absolutely necessary - to dress himself, get into and out of bed, sit on the sofa, use the bathroom. He drank heavily that evening. Like he did everyday since he got home, actually. He was just washing his hands, trying to balance himself on his good leg, the strong liquor making it even more difficult, when he made the mistake of looking up. He saw himself in the mirror. He saw the look. He saw his scar, red and angry and fucking painful. He saw his face. His face was overgrown, scruffy, and his eyes were red, the circles under them so dark they were nearly purple. His hair was a mess. He was a mess. A cripple. He’ll never be able to do his job again. He’ll never see his partner again. He’ll be forever haunted by the memory of seeing her with her wife and son, together in an embrace. He lost everything. He lost everything.

The pain in his leg seared, raw and agonising, and Aesop screamed. He brought his arms up in unhinged madness and he lunged forward, bringing his fisted hands against the mirror. There was a cathartic sound of glass shattering and he nearly felt relieved when he felt pain somewhere else than his leg and face. Blood. Blood was falling freely from his shaking hands. A few hard hits later, he was covered in it. He was trembling. With a final hit, he let his head join in on breaking the mirror. He saw red. Hot wetness ran down his nose, his cheeks.

Pain. His leg cramped up and with a shout he felt it give up on him, sending him plummeting to the ground. He sat there covered in cuts, in shards, in blood. He screamed. Aesop screamed as loud and long as he could, tears streaming down his face, red from exertion. He screamed even as his throat began to hurt, screamed until he no longer physically could. 

He didn’t know how long he sat there, head hung low, shards of glass all around him, some of the smaller cuts having stopped bleeding. The blood was drying up, becoming crusty. Tears still streamed down his face. He was filthy, his clothes were beyond salvation. His leg hurt like shit, so much he barely felt the glass cuts anymore. His hands were a mess. Two of his fingers were broken, protruding in odd directions. He was still shaking. 

One of his hands picked up a larger piece of what used to be his mirror. He observed the sharp edge of it. How long would it take to die if he was to slit his throat? How long would it take to bleed out like the pathetic animal he was, if he was to sever an artery. He unconsciously lifted the glass.

“Aesop Theodore Sharp, you put down that shard RIGHT NOW! ” He startled so much, he gripped it harder, cutting it into his palm. He winced and his hand released. It took a while before it hit the ground, having got stuck under his skin. Fresh blood started running down his arm.

Dinah Hecat stood before him, the look on her face terrifying. Her work injury years ago left her looking like an old woman despite being younger than him by two years. However, Aesop knew very well that she would have been able to take him on when he was in full health and strength. This was not a woman to be trifled with. “What were you thinking?!” she roared. The former unspeakable, current teacher observed him. He must’ve looked positively pitiful. “We’re going to St Mungos. You’ll be staying there until term ends, even if I’m to personally shackle you to the bed. And I won’t let you out of my sight during the summer. Aesop Sharp, heed my words, you are going to hate me before September comes!”

He didn’t argue. There was no point. He was as weak as a kitten right now and whatever Dinah wanted to do, he wouldn’t be able to stop her. 

He could not speak, when a healer in the magical hospital inquired about his injuries, his sore throat only producing strangle gurgling sounds. He drank so many potions, he felt as if his taste buds were permanently burned away. Wiggenweld, Blood-Replenishing potion, Skele-Gro, Calming draught, Draught of peace and of course Dreamless Sleep. A dose larger than he ever had before. 

When he woke up, he realised just what he’d done. He remembered everything. He sat up in the pristine white hospital bed, his whole body sore, his leg positively pulsing with pain. He put his face into his hands. He wept again. A warm hand touched his shoulder. Watery brown eyes looked up into the kind face of his former ministry colleague. Dinah stroked his shoulder, before moving her hand up to his face, to his hair, petting him softly. 

He cried into her shoulder that day, his hands laying limp in his lap. He heard a clock ticking somewhere to his left. He heard Dinah’s soft shushing sounds. He heard movement on the corridors - nurses, healers, patients, visitors. He heard his own heavy breathing, and he heard the beating of his own heart.

“Listen to me, Aesop,” she spoke later. He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but the sun was taking on an orange colour. Her hands were on his shoulder. “I am choosing to believe that yesterday-” her breath caught, but she recovered quickly, “yesterday was a moment of madness. Never again do I want to find you like I did. You have to realise that your life is not your own to take. Once you do, you’re not the one who’ll hurt. Everyone around you, your family, colleagues, your friends, they’ll be the ones to bear that pain. Think of your mother. You would really make her bury her son next to her husband? 

“You would have her suffer all alone until the end of her days? You would have her, and me, and Abraham, and your partner’s wife stand at your funeral? How could you be so selfish?” Her words were harsh, but Aesop felt he needed to hear them. He felt them grounding him. He felt ridiculous and pitiful. He wept on.

“Aesop… you won’t stay in this darkness. I know you won’t, because you won’t be allowed to. You’re one of the strongest people I know and you never knew when to give up. And now, giving up so easily? That’s not you. Get yourself together. I want to see that Aesop I know, that witty, brave, sarcastic, strong man, who’d always find a way to do what he felt was right. Even if it meant breaking a rule or two.” The broken man held his hands together in his lap, rubbing them slowly. Old habits die hard.

“What if-” he started, his voice still hoarse from yesterday. His throat felt numb. “What if I’m not able to… remember that man?” A smaller hand closed around his rugged ones. “Then you’ll have me to remind you. I’ll do everything in my power to help you, and if I’m unable to help, then you can be sure I’ll stand by you, every step of the way.” Aesop could have cried all over again.

“Okay,” he said instead.

–

Dinah did good on her promise, and really checked in on him every day of the summer. She was driving him up the wall, actually. She threw out every bottle of alcohol she found, and regularly made sure he didn’t buy any more. He started eating more, because not doing so resulted in the former unspeakable giving him an earful. He decided fairly quickly that it’s simply less of a hassle to get something into his stomach, than having to endure her wrath every day. He gained back some of the weight he lost, no longer looking so gaunt. 

She forced him to start walking, using his cane for support. It hurt like hell. It made him determined. He was not going to give up. Slytherins don’t just give up. Dinah made him go outside, being so obnoxious he was almost glad to get out of his house. The first breath of fresh morning air made his sore body buzz appreciatively. He didn’t walk far the first day, choosing to just sit in his little garden. The DADA teacher appeared with tea and sat next to him, looking awfully proud of herself. With a flick of his wand, he disposed of the dead plants on his herbology table nearby.

The next day he walked around the little hamlet. He tried not to notice the stares he received from his neighbours. He tried even harder not to notice their pity. He pushed his chin forward, proud and defiant, as he made his way to the merchant nearby. He needed new seeds. 

—

He wasn’t entirely happy to be in the Three Broomsticks, if he was being honest. But, once more Dinah pestered him until he agreed. That is, until he gave her his worst angsty-teenager ‘Fine!’ . He knew people were staring. The curious glances were easier to handle than the winces. A girl appeared at their table, taking their orders. She could have been fifteen, maybe sixteen. She didn’t look at his scar, didn’t look at his cane. She observed him as if he wasn’t a cripple, who’s obviously in pain. She just smiled and took their order. He was grateful for it. “That’s Sirona Ryan, one of my Ravenclaws,” smiled Dinah, “wonderful girl. She really came out of her shell once she embraced who she is.”

—

Having grown tired of spending his compensation money and the little sick leave pay he received every two weeks on buying potions for his pain, he soon started brewing his own. Wiggenweld, for a start, but also various other potions, as well as salves, each of which have had various success in diminishing his pain. He forgot how much he always loved this subject. He started experimenting, too, trying new ingredients, new combinations. The healers in St Mungos may have been convinced there was no cure for his ailment, but Aesop wouldn’t give up. 

When summer ended and Dinah could only visit him during the weekends, he was equally glad and disappointed. He thought he looked forward to being alone again, alone with his thoughts, alone without her constantly pestering him to eat something, to go outside, to shave, to cut his hair, to dress in fresh clothes. He found himself slightly lonely now.  

However, he found a rhythm, a routine. He’d wake up in the morning and go about his day. Aesop would do his morning hygiene. He’d make and eat his breakfast. He’d tend to his plants. He’d have lunch. He’d go for a walk, leaning on his cane. The pain never went away, but it was more bearable now. On most days, that is. He’d be hunched over his potions station long into the evening, brewing and brewing. He’d run his experiments. He’d fall into his bed, but not without taking either Dreamless Sleep or Draught of Peace.

Rinse and repeat. 

He ate, he wore clean clothes, he took care of himself and his home. He visited his mother, who always fretted over him. Then there was Dinah who would also fret over him when she came over. He saw Abraham a few times, the jovial man always full of stories. He let his hair and stubble grow in defiance. He was offered a different job in the Auror office. Auror recruitment programme… the very thought made him shudder. To think he’d be buried under parchment, dealing with children straight out of Hogwarts, who thought they were some heroes who would save the world, only for them to soon realise how horribly they were mistaken… Often brutally. Bloodily.

He didn’t want that. Such a job held no appeal to him whatsoever.

Aesop Sharp retired from the Auror office at 34 years old.

He still received a small amount of monetary support from the ministry every month, and he started selling some of what he brewed. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Aesop. In any case, it was enough until he found something better to do, some new job that could fill him with fulfilment. Dinah came around, sometime during April with a smug smile on her face. She found him the perfect job, she claimed.

Four months later, Aesop stood before Hogwarts.

He found it rather funny. He didn’t want to deal with children straight out of Hogwarts who pursued an Auror career, only to deal with them in the school itself. If anything, he could make sure they were well prepared, that they were humble, that they knew everything they needed. That they wouldn’t end up like him.

He also thought about the vast expanse of Hogwarts library, of the Greenhouses, of the ingredient stores. If he was to find a cure somewhere, it would be here.

With every limping step towards the castle, he grew more and more sure that this was the right decision. That this was fate. 

—

The worst time of his life flashed before Aesop’s eyes. He saw your sorrow, your desperation, your pain. He saw you, entirely, and he saw himself, too. It was raw and painful and he hated it. He hated to see someone so strong, so ridiculously brave, so kind and selfless like you feeling this way. Damn ancient magic, damn the keepers, damn Ranrok and damn Eleazar for leaving you like he did.

“Come here,” he said, his voice so quiet you almost didn’t hear it. Not knowing why, you obeyed. Your broom hit the floor. You moved slowly, still shaking violently, tears already appearing in your eyes. It was Aesop who took the final two steps to you, and, without further ado, closed his arms around your smaller form, pressing you to him entirely, imprisoning you in his warmth. You’ve grown during the year, but being as tall as he was, he easily tucked your head under his chin. Sobs soon started leaving you. Gut-wrenching and raw like his screams were before. It seemed like a lifetime ago. 

He made it on time, he made it before you did something stupid. Like he did. He wouldn’t let you be like him. He held you tightly, stroked your hair, let you cry on his shoulder. He made soft shushing noises. In the distance he heard bells, it was midnight. You clung onto him, your hands gripping the fabric of his coat so tightly, your fingers went white. He was a solid, steady warmth against you, and you felt safe, protected, and you weren’t alone. When your sobs began subsiding, you felt utterly exhausted, numb, your throat was sore from crying so hard, and your head was starting to ache.

Two large lean hands grabbed your face, gently, yet insistently. The potions master pulled you back, tilted your head and looked into your eyes deeply. His face was so close, his large nose almost touched your own.

“You listen to me, (F/N)(L/N), and you listen well,” he started, his tone soft, yet very serious, “I know your pain. I know the darkness - you won’t stay in it. You won’t be allowed to. I won’t let you, your friends and teachers won’t let you, and you definitely won’t let yourself.” He remembered what Dinah told him, all those years ago, word for word. He never forgot. He never stopped being grateful to her. She pulled him out of that void and now he had to do the same for this young witch.

“You’re stronger than you know. I simply won’t accept you giving up, not after you single-handedly defeated Ranrok, after you saved this school. That’s not you. I want to see that absolutely brilliant girl, who excels in school by day and rescues beasts by night, who’s untamed and unafraid, and who’s always ready to defy anything and anyone, even me, in order to do what’s right. Whatever you need, I’m here. If you cannot bear to be alone, I’m wholly prepared to give you detention every evening until you graduate. I intend to pull you out of that abyss, even if you hate me for it.”

At some point your hands covered his own on your cheeks, and fresh tears rolled from your eyes. Aesop pulled you close again, grounding you, letting you fall apart in his arms and putting you back together with his quiet comfort. “I could never hate you,” you whimpered and clung on tighter, not wanting him to let you go. He wouldn’t. Just like Aesop was not alone, he wouldn’t let you be alone either. You were not alone. He was not alone.

Hello, I hope you enjoyed reading. You can also find this story on AO3. I appreciate your feedback!

[princess-of-the-corner]

So, feel free not to publish this as I really don't wanna fight with swap in your inbox or in general but... I tend to think the "Loss of humanity" thing is rather taken out of context in regards to Ironwood.

For reference, one of the four main characters is Yang Xiao Long, who also lost her arm and has a mechanical prosthetic. One she wears proudly and comfortably, while in contrast Ironwood always hid his prosthetics.

What's more, a huge theme of the Atlas arc is dehumanization and various ways it can manifest, either by being done to a person or done to themselves, or by society, IE:

The people of Mantle are viewed by Ironwood as "A few city blocks" and a source of "problems" and paranoia.

Cinder Fall was "adopted" into literal slavery and their "Rights" to own her always had precedent over her suffering.

The Ace-Ops refuse to grieve and end up turning said grief into violence against others because they aren't allowed to view themselves or their fellows as people that matter. Thus they just "Move on" when someone dies, just interchangeable parts.

Penny is easily one of the most sympathetic characters, but is consistently de-humanized by much of Atlas because of her mechanical nature. Even when she was made "Human" though not really it was weird magic stuff, while she enjoyed some of the sensation of her new form, she was also shown to be incredibly vulnerable, off balance and generally disadvantaged by it. SO much so it ended up leading to her falling in battle compared to how she'd stomped that same foe in a previous brawl.

Plus, as I said, Ironwood hates his own prosthetics. He always hides them whenever he can but his new arm was too bulky to do that. He is one of the people who most dehumanizes Penny, he can be superficially 'nice' but the moment he feels his authority is threatened she's an object. He very much embraces & encourages the Atlas, "You are expendable & don't matter save as a cog in the machine that keeps Atlas running" mentality.

All of which I think provides context for the "Giving up his humanity" angle, because and I need to stress this. In that very same scene, where Ironwood flayed his own arm (Because he stupidly didn't bring one soldier with him so he could beat up Salem's tech guy 1 on 1 to vent his frustration) Ironwood says that he will sacrifice anything to stop Salem. Watts, the villain, just smirks, seeing that Ironwood's self destructive mentality is still large and in charge and that it will doom him. Which it does.

Basically, what I am saying here is that comment very much feels more reflective of Ironwood's thinking. IE, the author saying, "This is Ironwood showing he will sacrifice his humanity" they are speaking for how Ironwood views the action he is taking. Not what the author actually thinks regarding prosthetics.

If they did think that then Penny wouldn't have been so consistently emphasized as a person before now & Yang wouldn't wear or show off her prosthetic with such confidence and comfort.

Ironwood is the one with weird attitudes regarding prosthetics, most other characters broadcast their use of them. Pietro's wheelchair s vibrant and also technically a miniature mech. Maria's prosthetic eyes take up more than a third of her face. Hell even with the villain Tyrian seems very fond of his new tail.

Its exclusively an Ironwood hang up.

Basically, I think there's far more to this than what swap is saying, because the shows writing does not reflect the attitude they claim it does.

so it could vibe less as the writers saying it and more the character's views on himself then?

Also yeah if y'all wanna go back and forth on it take it to each others' inboxes not mine.

[pink-andwhite]

jake sully nsfw alphabet

 jake x gn! na’vi! reader 

warnings: nsfw content 

first time actually creating a post, and not reposting, so i figured i’d keep it simple.

a = aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

he’s unbelievably sweet. holding you close to his chest, running his fingers through your hair and pressing soft kisses to your temples. he won’t let you go for a good 20 minutes.

b = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and their partner)                       

jake loves his legs. after being deprived of working legs for so long, it’s pretty obvious that the man would be obsessed with them. 

his favorite body part of yours would either be your thighs or biceps. he can’t get enough of watching your muscles flex. 

c = cum (anything to do with cum)                   

let’s be honest, this man would be obsessed with finishing inside of you or on your stomach. he’ll never willingly admit it, but he loves cumming on your stomach at night while your freckles are glowing. gives him something to aim at.

d = dirty secret (self explanatory)               

 lowkey wants to fuck you in the hallelujah mountains. has debated on flying the two of you up there and just going for it. 

e = experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) 

this mans definitely has the oral skills of a god. being in wheelchair definitely didn’t stop him from getting busy, have you seen the man. but in general, he’s still learning a few things here and there. practice makes perfect ;)

f = favorite position (self explanatory) 

he tends to go for either missionary, doggy style, or cowgirl.

g = goofy (are they more serious? or humorous?)                                       

 jake is a well-balanced mix, occasionally laughing at an awkward movement or a face that’s pulled. 

h = hair (how well groomed are they?)     

he’s probably well-trimmed, but not bare. keeps it tame but doesn’t stress too much about it. 

i = intimacy (how are they during the moment? romantic aspect?)                       

definitely a very loving partner but can get rough. there’s a balance of both that’s maintained. 

j = jack off (masturbation)       

occasionally does it while he’s away from you, but honestly, he rarely has the time, and would much rather save it until he’s home.

k = kinks (self explanatory)   

any type of markings, whether it be scratching, biting, or bruising. also a big fan of praises (giving and receiving, sfw or not.)

l = location (favorite places)       

jake loves fucking you in the water. period. don’t get me wrong, he loves being at home, but if he can get you in the water with him, all bets are off. 

m = motivation (what turns them on/gets them going)                                         

lets be honest, he’s horny 24/7 and gets turned on by everything. you’re swimming? shooting your bow? eating a fruit? he’s already hard. not to mention the sounds you make during sex and just the way you look at him.

n = no (something they’d never do.)               

 a threesome. this man wants you all to himself.

o =  oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)                                           

as i said earlier, this man has the oral skills of a god. definitely a giver more than a receiver, but will never deny good head. oral isn’t practiced by the na’vi, so when he pats his chest and tells you to c’mere, you’re more than confused. 

p = pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual?)                                       

jake is a bit of everything, just depends on his mood. tends to be slow and sensual, leaning over you and giving deep thrusts.

q = quickie (opinions on quickies?)       

jake prefers to take his time, but would 100% pull you behind a few trees before dinner or whenever he’s really pent up. 

r = risk (do they take risks?)     

no doubt in my mind, jake loves the idea of being caught, thrives off of it actually. he just wants everyone to know you’re his.

s = stamina (how many rounds can they go? how long do they last?)

depends on his mood, but i’d say a good two rounds, lasting around 20-25 minutes. not including oral.

t = toy (do they own toys? etc.)                 

let’s just be honest, jake doesn’t need any toys. 

u = unfair (how much they like to tease)       

an absolutely huge tease. loves to make little remarks, get you all pent up and just be so condescending. eventually gives in, but loves watching you beg for it.

v = volume (how loud they are)               

 it really just depends on the setting, time, and his mood. typically, he’s fairly loud. lots of groans, grunts, sighs, and lots and lots of praises. 

w = wild card (random headcanon)   

is the type to fuck you hard and rough after a failed hunt. “shh baby. you’re ok. i jus needed to let out some stress, that’s all. you can gimme one more right? yeah, you can.”

x = x-ray (what’re they packing)

he’s around 13-14 inches and decently girthy. it’s similar to his skin tone, but the tip is a slightly darker shade of blue than the rest. and he’s definitely a bit veiny, with a larger vein running along the right side.   

    y = yearning (how high is their sex drive)   

he can go without intimacy for a day or so, but goes stir crazy after that. he needs it.

z = zzz (how quickly they fall asleep after sex)   

jake doesn’t fall asleep for a while. he always makes sure that you’re fully taken care of before he even begins to relax. makes sure that there’s water, a snack, and even a damp cloth, if he can manage. besides, he loves snuggling you close and putting you to sleep. 

[couchie]

as an on-and-off elbow crutch user, lemme tell yall abt my experiences

it got kinda long so im putting it in the read-more

it slows you down

especially in stairs, you have to put both your feet in one step to go to the next. that means it takes me twice the time to go up or down stairs than an abled bodied person, and that is when they're not speeding

you really cant speed much, be it on flat road or on stairs. it doesnt speed u up much and the only thing that happens is you get tired from using so much effort

people having to wait for you makes you self-conscious, even if they are understanding about it

carrying anything is a nightmare. backpacks can throw your balance off. you cannot hang a bag on the handles of your crutches cause you have to LIFT those bitches. and if you're only using one crutch, carrying the bag in the empty hand also throws you off balance

you only have a maximum of one hand available at all times

you need people to get out of the way. you need more moving space and standing space for moving with crutches

the crutches make your hands sore. you're carrying your weight with them after all. you can need to take a moment to rest only to soothe your palms, even if your legs arent tired

sitting is always a hassle with leg injuries, and that becomes a bigger mess when you need to also find a non-obstructive place to put your crutches to. they need to be easily accessible to you

standing up is also very hard. it depends on what your disabilities are but the faster you find a way to comfortably stand up, the better

people *will* try and take your crutches. Do Not do that. i dont care if you're fascinated by them or if you wanna play around and swing urself or if u wanna hold onto them while i sit. unless i explicitly ask you to, do Not take my crutches. and if you do, don't set it down anywhere, hand it off to somebody else, or leave it somewhere i cant get to. wait for further instructions. do i want you to put them at somewhere specific? do i want you to give them back to me? do what i want you to with them, nothing more and nothing less

people get curious and it gets really tiring to answer the same questions. i dont owe you an explanation and i dont want your curiosity or your pity

yes it's real sad that your distant relative also had one accident so they had to use crutches too. yeah there are canes and underarm crutches and wheelchairs but this is what i am using. yes people may need them for different reasons and it's not your place to judge or question it. can i please keep walking?

crutches get dirty from being used everywhere and the handles sweaty from your palms and they need cleaning

you will get looks no matter what aid you are using

idk if it's just me but going downhill is very hard with crutches. uphill too but when it's downhill i'm also afraid of falling and rolling downhill 😭

getting in and out of cars is a hassle. btw, for safety, you should put your crutches on the ground under your feet

acquiring a shower stool might just be what you need. also get non-slip plastic rugs to lay on the bathtub/shower floor. getting someone to help you shower isnt shameful

if you drop something, woe is you. where do you put your crutches? how do you crouch to get them? the best thing to do, in that case, is to ask for help. people wont mind, believe me. and if you're alone, be careful and take your time

creaky crutches are the worst💔💔

being able to walk without crutches doesnt mean ur faking. not having more pain without crutches doesnt mean ur faking. stop being so hard on yourself

it's not our duty to educate people. if you're so curious go do a basic google search before questioning me. because, consider how many times i get the same questions in the same day

seeing another mobility aid user brings a sense of belonging and you bring the same feeling to people without visible disabilities

be unapologetically yourself. take up space. dont be sorry for needing aid

take care. i love you 🫶

[fawnforgold]

| Perfume |

Warnings: Selfship coded, No pronouns for reader, He/Him for Albedo, Reader is physically disabled, Technically this is self insert but it’s in x reader style so anyone can enjoy this, Reader has Asthma/Asthma Attack (mild one), Reader uses a wheelchair, Reader has chronic pain (back pain to be exact), almost 1k words.

Albedo x Gn!Reader

A/n: I’ve had this idea for a while now and I’m so glad I got to finally execute it. All things that Reader goes through are things I personally struggle with or experience, so please be nice! Anyway if you like this don’t be afraid to leave some love in the tags for me. <3

Summary: A story in which your fiance teaches you how to dance in time for your big day.

Tags: @tighnarly, @suyacho, @themovingcastlez

“Take one step forward, then another back.” His voice was calm and his movements steady. 

You did as he said, slowly and carefully, but you were scared you’d trip over your own feet. Although, with the way things were going you could’ve done that regardless. It was getting closer and closer to your wedding date, and you wanted to be prepared to dance with your husband, as a happy married couple, but things were proving more difficult than they should’ve been. Thankfully, Albedo was patient as ever when it came to teaching you to dance. It had been a long time since you’d really attempted to, and were admittedly nervous to do so. Knowing this, Albedo offered to kindly ease you back into it with his expertise. 

It was a struggle at first. You stumbled on your own feet more times than you could count, but with Albedo holding your hand there wasn’t anything you couldn’t achieve. Even though your balance was off and your legs shook with every step you took, you managed to make your way through an entire dance lesson with Albedo, but that was only the beginning. Every other day after the two of you would come to the spacious field and practice slow dancing with each other. Some days it was a breeze, but others, much like today, were stressful and exhausting.

“I.. I need a break, ‘bedo.” You pant, barely getting your words out as your body hunches over. 

Your back begins to cramp in a painful and harsh manner, as if your body was cruelly punishing you for wanting to live your life just like everyone else. Beads of sweat drip down your face and you huff out air, trying desperately to maintain a steady airflow, but it soon became clear after a handful of seconds that you were way too out of breath and needed your inhaler.

“Here.” Albedo hands you your inhaler without a second thought, not needing to be told anymore when you were having an attack. You were blessed to have someone as on top of it and smart as Albedo. Fuck, you were forever thankful for that man and all he did for you.

You quickly grab the inhaler and press it to your lips, inhaling the air as it hits your lips and then holding it for the necessary amount of time. You took a few seconds more to yourself, sitting yourself on the ground with Albedo following soon after. He watched you closely and carefully, deducting whether you were okay to continue or not. If you were in fact not okay, then he would ease you back into your wheelchair and return you home, but even if that weren’t the case he’d still be hesitant to continue. As much as he wanted to dance with you at your wedding, he wanted you to be okay more than anything else.

You took a deep breath before looking up at him with a weak smile. “I’m okay, I just needed a break.” 

Albedo looked at you with concern. “Is there anything I can assist you with?” He asked you. 

You took a moment to think before answering. “Yes, actually there is.” 

“Yes?” He asked.

You sigh and reply. “Take me home, please?” 

He smiles and helps you up and into the wheelchair. “Of course, anything else?” 

You think for a brief moment before you finally reply. “Just be here for me. Okay, ‘Bedo?”

He smiles and leans down to kiss your forehead once he’d settled you into your seat. “Yes, of course.”

After quite some time the two of you finally arrive home, where the both of you curl up under the blankets by the fireplace. The both of you cling to each other for safety and comfort, but especially you. You never really had what people would call a normal or ideal life, but you can confidently say that Albedo Kreideprinz was the best thing to ever happen to you. As you laid in his arms you thought of all the practice that still needed to be done and how much more you had to go before the big day, but Albedo gingerly stroked the side of your head and hummed you a sweet lullaby to help ease you into a blissful sleep. 

As much as the two of you needed to practice more, you needed your rest most of all. So, you and Albedo rested on the couch, near the warmth of the fireplace and dreamt of the moment you two would be swept away on the dance floor by each other, not a care in the world for who watched. All either of you worried about was each other and spending that big day as a married couple, and you couldn’t wait for that day to come, but for now sleep needed to come first before anything.