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cripplecharacters · 13 days

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Navigation: Helpful Posts

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Complication of posts from CrippleCharacters, as well as other blogs providing advice on writing disabled characters!

This list will continue to be updated with new posts.

Last update: 23/04/2024

Character Making Basics and Ideas

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How to Start Doing Research When Writing a Disabled Character Ideas: crutch users Ideas: facial differences Ideas: rollator users Ideas: little people Ideas: intellectual disability General Ideas

How to Describe XYZ?

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Blindness Tropes: the "Blank Look" Describing Characters with Facial Differences as Pretty First Description: when to mention the Facial Difference How Often Should You Mention Mobility Aids? Dialogue and Speech Disorders Sign Language in Dialogue

How to Draw XYZ?

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Tips for Drawing Characters with Facial Differences Drawing Blind Characters Drawing Amputees

General

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Writing a Newly Disabled Character Writing a Visibly Different Character Including Disabled Communities Disabled Characters in Historical Fiction Coming up with Fictional Disabilities Tokenism Discussion Disability and Superpowers Curing and "Fixing" Disabled Characters Is It Realistic to Have Multiple Disabled Characters? "Jaws Effect": how media affect the real world Worldbuilding with Accessibility in Mind How to Let Readers Figure Out the Character's Disability

General Tropes

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"Super-Crip": Magic and Disability I Did a Trope but It's Too Late - What You Should Do - made with the mask trope in mind, but could be applied more widely Magical Cure - made with blindness in mind Including Healing Magic without Disability Erasure

Mobility Aids

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General Overview Overview, but with More Options - not writing advice, educational Magic Mobility Aids Tips on Writing Wheelchair Users "But Mobility Aids Wouldn't Exist in my Fantasy World"

Amputation/Limb Difference

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Constructing Characters with Limb Differences: Discussing Fetishization Do Amputees Always Wear Prosthetics? Does a Character with Amputation Need a Prosthetic? Does a Character with Upper Limb Amputation Need a Prosthetic? Designing a Prosthetic Arm Making a Character with Upper Limb Amputation Genius Amputee Mechanic: Discussing the DIY Prosthetic Trope Causes of Amputation

Blindness

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Making a Blind Character: what to add, what to avoid Designing a Blind Character: Discussing the Eye Covering Trope What to Give Your Blind Character Blindness Tropes: Daredevil, milky eyes, and blindness-negating magic The Blind Prophet Trope Guide Animals: Dogs, Horses, and Their Fictional Equivalents Blind Characters with Superpowers Portraying Photophobia in Pre-modern Times Characters with Albinism Fetishization of Albinism DeafBlind Character not Wanting to be Blind

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) Characters

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Creating Deaf/HoH Characters Writing D/deaf/HoH Characters Tips on Writing Deaf Characters Visual Indicators of a Person being Deaf Tips on Writing about Hearing Aids

Facial Difference (FD)

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Introduction to Facial Difference: basics, tropes, what I want to see Constructing a Character with an FD: Discussing Disfiguremisia and the "Mask Trope" Does My Character Need a Prosthetic Eye?: alternatives What Would Happen to A Character with a Scar Through the Eye? Personal Opinion on the Scar Through the Eye Trope How Scars Affect the Character, and How the Character Affects the Scar (in the technical sense)

Other

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Introduction to Writing Intellectually Disabled Characters: basics, tropes, how it actually works Down Syndrome and Historical Fiction Writing Characters with Tourette's Syndrome Introduction to Writing Characters with Speech Disorders Writing Little People (characters with dwarfism) Writing and Drawing Burn Survivors: basics and resources Caring for a Burn Scar: the everyday things Writing Characters with ASPD Dwarfism and Fantasy Stories Stereotypes around Characters with Dwarfism Writing a Character with Russel-Silver Syndrome

Making Your Content Accessible to Disabled Readers

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Image Descriptions Tutorial Writing Image Descriptions for People Who Can't Write Them "But how do blind people even use alt text" How to Tag Your Posts (Tumblr)

Recommended Blogs

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@blindbeta @cy-cyborg @a-little-revolution @mimzy-writing-online

#mod sasza #long post #navigation

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cy-cyborg · 7 months

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Writing disability: The Super-Crip Trope, and how to avoid falling into it's harmful elements

The "Magical disabled person" or as it's often called in disability circles, the "Super-Crip" is the name of a trope in which a disabled character has some kind of magic or special abilities, which is used to mitigate or erase the impact of their disability. While not a mandatory part of the trope, many super-crip characters are also stronger than their peers, specifically because of their disability's impact on their powers. So why is this trope so unpopular among many disabled people? There's a few reasons. The main one is because more often than not, Super-crips who are written by non-disabled people are often treated as an easy way out of actually having to deal with a character's disability, and a shortcut out of having to do the research into how a disabled character would deal with certain situations. When these writers encounter something they think their disabled character can't do, instead of actually talking to people with the same disability as their character and doing research, they just write that its not a problem because "magic powers go!"

In some cases, but not all, their powers all but erase their disability completely, at least from the perspective of it's relevance to the story. While, to my knowledge, this was never in the comics or movies, A good example of this is a "fan-theory" I've seen among non-disabled X-men fans who claim professor X could use his telepathy to walk, functionally bypassing his spinal injury (Or his leg injury, if we're going off some of the comics' timelines). This would functionally erase his disability, making it an example of both the super-crip trope and the miracle-cure trope.

ID: An image of Professor X from X-men, a white bald man wearing a suit, sitting in a silver wheelchair, and another unknown man in a suit standing beside him, framed by a circular doorway, both their faces are partially obscured by shadow. /end ID]

Another reason this trope is disliked is because writer's often have good intentions when using this trope, but they actually end up undermining the points they were trying to make. Often, super-crips are portrayed as badasses in an attempt to show that "you can still be a hero/useful to the plot and be disabled", but the way they portray it usually implies that disabled people, as they exist in real life, aren't useful unless they have something that compensates for their disability or have impossible powers.

So should super-crips be avoided entirely? Some folks in the community think so, but personally, I don't agree. Despite all of what I've said so far, I think there are ways to write characters who technically fit the definition of a super-crip, without it being harmful. There's an argument to be made that "super-crip" specifically refers to harmful version of the trope, so not everyone will consider characters who aren't part of it, but I do, and I think it's important to discuss both the harm this trope can bring, and how this trope can be used in non-harmful ways. Humans (and creatures with human-level intelligence) are adaptable creatures, and in a world where magic exists and especially in worlds where its common, disabled people will find ways to use it to help themselves. but help is the key word there. So let's talk about some ways you can write super-crips, without it crossing the line into becoming harmful. The following are some things for you to consider about your character's disability, how their magic/powers interacts with it, how they interact with the world (and vice versa) and more:

Are your character's powers an aid or a cure?

The first, and one of the most important things to consider, is if your character's powers function like an aid or piece of assistive tech, or a cure? If you boil it down, is the magic helping them or "fixing" them? This can be a cure in the literal sense, as in giving an amputee the ability to shape-shift to get their limb back, or a functional cure, meaning the power essentially by-passes the disability, like the above mentioned professor-X fan-theory. It's not literally curing him, but it might as well be. In a world where this magic or super-powers exist, it's perfectly natural that a character might use the magic to lessen the impact of their disability, but it shouldn't erase it entirely. Give the magic a trade off, make it imperfect. You character can cummon a magic prosthetic, but there's a time limit on how long it lasts for, or their magic needs to recharge it. A wheelchair using mage might be able to engrave magic runes on their chair that allow them to pass over rough terrain, but only to a certain extent. It might allow them to go up-stairs, but it can only be used so many times per day (and make sure you show the times where they need to get up the stairs, but have run out of uses!) Things like that.

Is the power directly tied to their disability?

Is the power you're giving the character directly tied to their disability? There's 2 ways you could read this, and both should be considered. 1. The power is something you, as the author, gave to them specifically because it would help mitigate their disability (e.g. giving a character without arms telepathy so they can still pick things up/hold things because you couldn't figure out how they would be a badass swordsman without it) or 2. Does this character, in universe, have their power specifically because of their disability? e.g. Did our arm amputee develop telepathy through sheer-force of will because they really wanted to be a swordsman, and their determination manifested as telepathy/A god gave them the powers because they felt bad for them/a wizard taught them how to do it because they were inspired by the person's perseverance? If the answer to the first one was yes, perhaps reconsider and do more research. If the answer to the second one is yes, proceed with a lot of caution. Generally, if the powers originate from someone feeling sorry for your character, being inspired by them or anything to do with their determination and perseverance, I'd recommend changing that. However, if the powers came from your character having to adapt something to to their disability, that is really a case-by-case basis thing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. your success with it will depend on the character, the setting and the specifics of how.

Is this power common, or is this character the only person in the cast/only person we see with this ability?

Is the power you're giving your disabled character rare, or even unique? It's fine to give your disabled characters powers that are common within the world, but if they're one of the only people who has that ability (or similar abilities), ESPECIALLY if it directly helps mitigate their disability, you might want to reconsider that choice. In a world where everyone can fly, it would be weird if your wheelchair user couldn't without an explanation. But if no one else in the story can fly except your wheelchair user, it starts looking more like you just gave them that power so you don't have to think about accessibility in your world. If you really must give your disabled character the rare/unique power, consider making another character with a similar disability but no/more common powers so you aren't just avoiding the issue, or making the power not related to/impact their disability directly (e.g. giving your leg amputee super-hearing.)

Does this power solve a wider access issue in your world, or does it just make it easier for your character alone?

As a general rule of thumb, if you are writing a story where you don't want accessibility issues to be a thing (e.g. a story set in a utopia), focus on fixing the environment, not the characters. Instead of giving your wheelchair user the ability to fly upstairs, give the buildings ramps and lifts. That way, its a solution for everyone with that disability, no matter their access to things like magic or technology. When talking about super-crips, this is especially important, doubly so if your character's power is rare! I made a (mostly joking) post ages ago about an idea for an earth-bender character in the Avatar universe, who gets fed up with republic city being inaccessible and starts earth-bending all the stairs into ramps. This solves the accessibility issue for them, but also makes their environment more accessible for others without bending to get around. Of course, not every disabled character will want to help/care to help others, but often when non-disabled people write disabled characters with powers, they kind of forget that their character won't be the only disabled person in this world. It often feels like they honestly think fixing things for their character means there's no problem anymore, and that's not the case.

Avoid, "I may have [insert disability here] but I can still do stuff because of my power!"

By this, I mean give your character other ways to address issues relating to their disability than just their powers. One funny example I remember reading in a writing group I was a part of was this author who was bragging about how their paralysed character could still drive a car because they had electrokinisis (the ability to telepathically control electronics). Aside from the fact that wouldn't work on all cars - including the one their character drove, since not all cars have electronic components controlling their acceleration and brakes, the way they described it was extremely complex, and overall not worth the effort when the real-life solution, hand controls, was much, much easier and the setting allowed for easy access to that kind of tech. When I pointed this out to them, they said they had no idea hand controls were a thing, and they had no idea that real disabled people could drive. They thankfully changed it, but there's 2 things to take from this: 1, double check that disabled people can do the things you assume they can't, your magic solution might very well not be needed, and 2. variety is important regardless. No one device, or in this case, magic power, should act as a one-size-fits-all solution. IRL disabled people have lots of tools to help us, I have 2 sets of prosthetics for different tasks, a wheelchair, a grabby claw (for reaching things on high shelves when using my short legs and wheelchair) and hand controls in my car (or at least I used to but we won't get into that lol). My prosthetics won't "fix" all my problems, I need other tools too. keep this in mind when it comes to magic too - it shouldn't be the only thing at your character's disposal.

There's nothing to compensate for.

Remember, don't treat your character's disability as something they need to make up for (especially if they "make up for it" using their powers). Your disabled character is allowed to make mistakes, they're allowed to have flaws both related and unrelated to their disability, they're allowed to not be good at some things, and they don't always have to be the best at whatever their roll in the plot is. In most stories, they should be on par with the other characters, or at least in the same ball-park, but as I mentioned before, a lot of stories don't let disabled characters fail. In order to justify them even being present, they are often made out to be the undeniable best, almost to mary-sue levels of perfection and super-crips especially fall into this issue a lot. They can be good at things, but balance it out, like with any other character.

You don't have to use all of these points, but they are still worth at least considering. For example, Toph fails all of these points except the first three. Despite that, she's still one of my favorite disabled characters in media, even if she's not perfect, and I'm not alone in thinking that. I've seen lots of other disabled people say the same about her. Which of these points you should use will depend on your story, character, setting and tone. As I've mentioned a few times now, the key is striking a balance. At the end of the day though, these are only general pieces of advice and a lot more factors go into making a character like this work. only disabled people will be able to tell you if you've pulled it off, and that's where beta-readers and disabled sensitivity readers come in!

Also, remember, these kinds of tropes don't just apply to the more common/well-known disabilities like amputations and wheelchair users, that's just what I have experience with! Be sure to research any disabilities your character has to ensure you are not falling into these tropes.

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jmliebert · 2 months

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☾⋆⁺₊⋆quiet nights spent with Gale⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾

in Waterdeep (little bit of fluff, little bit of cozy)

The air is filled with the gentle glow of candles, casting warm light that dances across the walls. It creates an atmosphere of countless nights spent in the company of Gale. The open windows invite a gentle summer breeze, caressing your bodies as you both hunch over endless books, scrolls, and ancient parchments, studying and exchanging thoughts. The enchanted piano plays in the background. The night is starry and the moon is as beautiful as ever.

Sometimes you catch Gale massaging his temples while mumbling under his nose when he's reading his pupils' work. He shares some of his thoughts with you here and there, and you can't help but smile at his furrowed brows. It almost feels like you're teaching alongside him. When Gale looks particularly tired you massage his tense shoulders. (sometimes it ends up in the bedroom but that's a story for another time!)

Evenings on his balcony, now sitting in a favourite spot for both of you, involve conversations, wine and crips grapes. Heart to hear, you watch the horizon, enjoying each other's company. Sometimes words are unnecessary; you simply exist together, souls full of love and devotion. Blessed to be here, together.

As you prepare to sleep, Gale observes you with genuine interest and with those eyes that conveys pure admiration. He ask a lot of questions and is proven surprisingly knowledgable about skincare. Adores the smell of your damp, soft skin after a bath with some scented oils.

In bed, he reads "for pleasure", getting absorbed in the story. You can tell he truly loves reading and admiring the art of a good story. Sometimes Gale reads aloud, petting your hair or holding your hand gently until you fall asleep. And sometimes you're not sleeping at all, talking away the night, sharing your deepest thoughts. Eyes starry. You could tell him everything, and you feel like it's the same for him. Your connection goes far beyond being just lovers; you are soulmates.

you feel so loved when you are laying on his chest, hearing him hum peacefully, feeling his heart beating and magic coursing through his veins

you feel so loved when he kisses every one of your fingertips with such dedication

you feel so loved when he places his head on your tights; a gesture of profound affection and vulnerability

In the stillness of the night, Gale is even more loving, more romantic than he already is. Every night, he utters those three precious words,

" I love you"

as you fall asleep. His kisses your forehead gently, holding you in a tight embrace as if he never wanted to let you go. In the darkness, when it seems like there's only the two of you in this vast and strange world, Gale reveals the most exquisite, soul-ravaging declarations that leaves you breathless. It's a moment when time halts, and in the intensity of his words, you sense that Gale loves you with every fiber of his being.

*(and it's very vocal about it)*

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

you can find more of my works about gale ♡here♡

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easays · 3 months

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I'm getting a PhD, and last week, I was finishing my dissertation prospectus draft. A prospectus is essentially a proposal of my topic with details for why and a very long bibliography to show I know my field (which is 18th/19th c lit and queer-trans-crip theory). I listened to Aabria Iyengar's playlist for Suvi in Worlds Beyond Number (available on the Patreon!), and truly, I think it filled my fingers with wizard magic. Why?

Reader, I passed with *no revisions* on my *first draft*. My committee said "we have no notes, this is amazing, you may proceed." WBN and Aabria specifically will be getting a shout out in my dissertation acknowledgments.

#wbn #actual play #aabria iyengar #worlds beyond number #wbn: www #wwwo #seriously felt like I got my namecloak #I claimed the wizard scream because that's how I felt while writing and I think I have to stick with it #thank you aabria #idk what magic you put in that playlist but consider yourself my academic warlock patron #that's technically multiclassing but idgaf did you see the part up there where I listed five things to describe my research

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helionpegasus · 1 year

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ceilings part 3

Azriel x Reader

Part 2

summary: Reader always had vivid dreams due her Seer heritage. But things take a twist in her life when she starts dreaming with a male she never seen, and wake up in a world that is not hers.

warnings: none :)

words count: 1458

author’s note: i’m sorry for not posting last weekend :( things gone out of plans. but i’ll update tomorrow as well!!! and the chapter will probably be huge lol. also, i changed the narration, do you guys thinks it's better this way? let me know. anyway, hope you all likes it! thank you for your patience :)

You woke up not feeling your hands. Not able to move them in fact.

With your eyes still heavy, your vision takes a while to steady and take the place you were in. Drawers on your right are full of little glass bottles and mixing pots, on your left side a window with a breeze slowly coming in, blowing the white curtain. The smell of flowers getting into your nostrils - It must be spring time - you think.

Your wrists are strongly tucked into the bed by the sides of your body, ankles free but it is not like you have the strength to fight with your legs anyway. At least the cut in your ribcage was not hurting anymore, fully healed. The fact made you question how long you stayed unconscious.

A groan left your dry lips when the tiredness of your muscles settle in. The sound must have warned whoever trapped you because no long after you hear footsteps coming closer to the door of the little room you were in.

The person walked in covered by the shadows. Your eyes slowly adjust to recognize the creature that may be a threat.

First you see the wings. The huge pair of leather wings similar to a bat, both stiff in the back as if sensing something dangerous.

Then you see the leather armor, hugging the most muscular body you had ever seen and by that you know you have no chance of defense.

The blue stones shine more brightly once he starts to step into the room. There were seven of them. You wonder what the purpose of them is. Should you be scared of it? Is it just jewelry? Is it magical?

The last thing you glance at is his face.

His face.

Your head starts to spin. This isn’t possible right? This must be another vivid dream. You must look more pale than the sheets you’re laying in the bed, because you feel the blood stop running through your veins.

This was the male.

But not the male that you know.

His hazel eyes were not warm and did not bring comfort like you remember them doing. His brows were furrowed giving a hard glance towards you.

The full and soft lips were closed in a thin line.

His muscular arms closed in front of his chest. A sign he was not open to anything or anyone.

The shadow cripping in his shoulder and ankles don’t go unnoticed by you. The sight of them was almost comforting for you somehow.

“Who are you. And what are you doing here?” He says in an old language, startling you from your thoughts.

You understood, from learning the language years ago. But hearing someone actually speaking it, was out of your expectations in life.

“I’m demanding an answer in case my tone didn’t make it clear enough.” He was harsher this time, sending goosebumps in your body.

“I-I’m sorry. I have never heard this language before.” Your throat hurts by sounding your voice out. Your strong accent is noticeable even by you. At this point it was quite clear you were not in your world anymore, you have no idea how you traveled through the portals.

A confused frown takes place in his face.

“My name is Y/N.” You said with more confidence this time. “I’m from Midgard. And I have no idea how I came to your world. I’m just confused as you are.” You say in an unsteady breath. A little breathy laugh coming off, not believing all this situation.

The recent events coming all at once for you for the first time. You’ve never felt so vulnerable. And what a situation to feel that way. You must be looking pathetic in his eyes.

“Our High Lord is coming to talk to you.” He says and leans in the wall on your left, next to the window. Eyes never letting go of your frame, as you were about to do something tricky.

The sunshines meets his face, exposing more of his beautiful facial features. You could help but stare. Mind still spinning wild about how this could be possible, how you could finally meet him, and him not having a clue who you o are, even with both of you living a whole life together in your dreams.

The dreams were just for you. Apparently.

You hear more footsteps approaching. Two more people, you recognize. The door opens revealing them.

High Faes.

Your breath stops in your throat when you take the male in. The dark hair, facial features and eye color. He’s exactly like Ruhn. But he has the same wings as the shadow male in your right.

The female beside him was just as breathtaking. Her blue and gray-ish eyes are warm and welcoming, but slightly tired.

The scent of their bond soon meets your nose. Strong and irreplaceable. How lucky they are, you think. The scent of a baby comes right after. A newborn, that explains why she seems tired.

“You kept her trapped in the bed?” The female asks, turning to the hazel eyed male. Her face is disbelief.

He only shrugs, the female only sighs and comes in your direction. Instantly going to the fabric strongly wrapped around your wrists, undoing them.

“You can sit by yourself?” She asked once you were free. Her words were slow, as if she knew their language was not the same as yours.

You nodded to her and used the last strength you had in your arm to sit yourself on the bed. You can’t help but contort your face at the feeling of the dried blood in your shirt.

The violet-eyed male comes to place himself next to her. His power is leaking from him, showing protectiveness towards his mate and mother of his child next to some stranger.

“I guess we need to present each other right?” He says with a forming smile. “What is your name?” He asked, meeting your gaze.

“I’m Y/N.” You said, voice low.

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I’m Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court. And this is Feyre, the High Lady.” Feyre gives you a small smile.

“The grumpy male on your left is Azriel. He’s the Spymaster of this court.” The male rolls his eyes at the High Lord.

When you heard his name something clicked for you. You asked yourself if he felt the same.

“Can you say how you came here? What do you remember happening?” Feyre asks you calmly.

You open and close your mouth a couple of times. Not knowing exactly how to start explaining.

“You can take your time finding the words. We understand it must be hard to speak a language that’s not yours.” Azriel says getting your attention. Rhysand and Feyre looked at him as well, but you don’t understand what their gazes were saying.

“I heard a chord, like an instrument. Then everything went black and I woke up in a forest. Some creature started hunting me, I knocked it out and went to a cavern to hide.” You said slowly, remembering everything in your head. “I was going unconscious from the blood loss, and started to hear voices.”

“What kind of voices?” Rhysand asks.

“They were almost like whispers.” Azriel shifts in his place at your answer. “I don’t know if I heard them when I blacked out. But it seems like it, because I was in a dark place. They asked what I needed help with, and I said for them to take me somewhere safe.”

They look at each other for some time. You don’t know how, but they were certainly speaking to each other at this point.

“I heard the same voices before hearing the chord.” You remembered. The three of them look at you expecting. “They were anxious, like they didn’t know what to do. And they kept saying ‘Save him’.”

“Save who?” The High Lord asks.

“I don’t know. It didn’t say a name.”

“When exactly did you hear the voices before the chord?” Azriel asks while getting closer to you. His tall figure towering and hiding the sunrays of your frame.

“Like 10 minutes before. It wasn’t much time.”

“Nyx.” He said. “The voices were saying to her save Nyx.” Rhysand and Feyre look at him at the same time.

“But how exactly is this possible? And it didn’t work after all, right? Nyx don’t need to be saved anymore.” Feyre says.

You were so confused. Looking at each of them, like watching the ball at a tennis game.

“What I’m thinking is…” Rhysand starts, index finger coming to scratch his jaw. Putting his thoughts into place. “Maybe Azriel's shadows is more powerful than we think.”

taglist (users overlined i couldn’t tag) : @humanpersonlasttimeichecked @valeridarkness @his-sweet-nightmare @leeknows-wife @mich0731 @kristalhi @marina568 @brekkershadowsinger @cafe-inaaa @lovierhys @kenmaisacinnamonroll @alt-ghost @marigold-morelli @thelightnddarkness @amysangel @thecraziestcrayon @fall-myriad @a-court-of-milkandhoney @hungryforbatboys @allison-rosewood-maximoff

#Azriel #azriel acotar #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x reader #azriel imagine #azriel x you #azriel x oc #azriel fic #acotar #acotar fics #acotar imagine #acotar x reader #acotar x you #azriel

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siremasterlawrence · 5 months

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Moonlight On The High Seas

Leon Wild is a pirate on the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean well known for his bloody ire, harsh attitude and corruption consuming the world in dramatic fashion of horrific odds scenes.

He stood proud on his pirate ship using his binocular telescope reaching for it in his coat pocket he yanks it out elongating it to full form and places it on his eyes as he stares ahead on him.

Staring in to the see he can see the moon in all its glory the moonlight dances across the dark blue sea delicately free flowing for all to see and he is mesmerized unable to look away.

He is immobile at this point frozen I place his eyes growing a bit dim getting narrow he is starting to peer down seeing something very strange in the sea a wave of hand from in the ocean.

He is lost at the sight of a started looking boi well odd to him flowing in extremely high and fast speeds under the ocean as he flips upward and leaps in to the air then landing in to the ocean.

He dips down descending just a bit with his fin in the air it swings back and forth right in front of his eyes Captain Wild is in a deep like state catching his eyes their is magical glow to it.

The Captain’s eyes are now glued to the sea creature he walks forward ignoring the call of his crew closer and closer to get edge of the boat the sea man smiles so brightly at him.

He calls him using his hand to urge him to the edge of the boat he walks forward ever so closer to him and he falls absolutely in a state of love and pleasure to fully consume him.

The water suddenly rises up from the ocean in to the sky it floats in an encircling pattern on and around him changing into a colorful multiracial of arrays of covers to wave him on.

“Captain! Captain NO!” The crew screams as they race to his side trying to hold him back.

“I have to walk to him, I must be with him.” He begins to murmur a bit to himself but it only grows louder.

The crew is frighten for his life arranging on all four sides of him as they try to push him propelling him back.

Captain launches them back continuing to move to the only person that matters to him his true leader.

“Captain resist”

“Please wait for me”

“WAIT”

“Yes! I am on my way “

“Here I go”

He strips off his clothes bathing in the white light of the moon taking a plunge into the ocean and the mermaid takes his hand as they swim away.

“Yes, enter in to the void be like your ex Captain.”

The end

Debauchery Of The Night

It is a cool crips winter night in the darkness

with the air swirling as people enter the Lord of the manors Prince Leon sitting on a table awaiting the change that is happening all over the world.

He has no idea I am the young man who is bringing the massive mammoth of a wave that has brought down all of the last of the royal families and their connections in our existence.

The great hall soon fills up to the brim of the wall covering the area radius wall to wall in a great fan fair of excitement to meet the Prince himself enters with a power radiating from him.

He hops onto the chair sliding onto the main table in the great hall he starts to do a slow sweet dance so sexy he feels himself grow more confident with himself he lifts his pale hands in the air.

He pumps his fist in the air signaling for the event to commence as the trumpets sound loudly blaring through the window the whole entirety of the country shouts uniting in his and their downfall.

A few miserable hours earlier people were at work trudging around doing their daily jobs and activities exhausted from the grind of simplicity and complexes of what we truly experiment.

Barrels of lights hit including the spotlight

from the sky roof shining down on him as he is now given an aura of golden glow making him look all saintly because he is indeed a devil.

He hops off the dinner table dancing across the room as the spotlight hits him yet again as he attracts people to swoon through the hall the music addictive quickly swooping them up.

A young man takes the stage of the great room in the state picking up a microphone he begins to speak informing the crowd to keep dancing and to listen without a care of the world.

“Hey Prince Andrew! Great Party! You forgot one thing.”

“I would love to give you a gift”

“Would you like it?”

“Bring it on! Bring it on”

“Everyone silence! In three…two…one”

“Drop that shit down”

“Hell yeah!”

“That is glorious”

“Magical! What a beautiful sensation”

“By the way this is for one night only”

“The moon is being roped to you “

“The cracks, the lines all a sight to behold”

“Worthy of a king”

“Indeed”

“Sure you concur”

“What are you thinking?”

“I….i….why can’t I…..hahaha”

“Because you miserable oaf! I you met the orb of doom”

“Enjoy your final thoughts”

“The fog is eclipsing it all”

“Infact all you can do it be him”

“The dumb party animal”

“Everyones favorite Prince”

“A joke”

“This my kingdom now”

The end

#luke macfarlane #pirates #moon #male siren #voice #mind control #reprogramming #eye of beholder #andrew w walker #the Prince #hypnotic love #black and white ball

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otakubimbo · 8 months

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Throat Goat

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x f!Reader Warnings: MDNI, Smut, Face Fucking Fingering, Profanity, No Plot , Oral (m! & f! recieving) Not a single OUNCE of fluff DID NOT PROOFREAD summary: There is literally no plot to this, just shameless sexual interactions Day 2: Face Fucking

The moan that escaped your lips could have made him cum right then. Satoru was in his favorite place, between your legs, devouring you. His tongue moved skillfully between your slit and circling around your clit.

“Fuck Satoru.” You moaned, fingers flexing beside you unable to grab onto his hair because your hands were pinned tightly to your side by the strongest sorcerer. There was no way your body could take another orgasm, but you were reaching your sixth. “ mmm. Too much baby, too much”

He chuckles into your pussy which stimulates you even more, “But you taste too good to stop, let me enough my meal.”

Even that mere pause didn’t give you enough time to catch your panting breaths before he was back devouring you. Your breath hitches and back arched as he continued to suck on your clit, sliding two of his long strong fingers into your center. His fingers worked magic in you and with the combination of his mouth, the sounds coming from your throat could only be described as incoherent animalistic noises. Your acrylics were holding on to his roots for dear life the way he was making your body quake.

Satoru could feel the way that your tight wet walls were squeezing and sucking his fingers in, you tell for an upcoming orgasm. He freed your crip from his hair, face moving from your core to look at your sex drunk face. You were so gorgeous to him, his dick pulsating at the sight of your eyes practically rolled back into your head, lower lip about to split from how hard you’re biting on it.

“Oh my pretty girl.” He cooed as his thumb went to circling around your clit as his other hand gently pressed on your lower stomach. “Give daddy one more princess, I know you can. Cum for daddy, be a good girl for me.”

And like the good girl you were, you came and you came hard. Your body shook violently as you squirted all over his hand. You were spent from so many multiple orgasms. Satoru chuckles darkly at you, standing up by the bed, pants already down. You couldn’t even look up to see what he was doing.

“We aren’t even close to done, pretty girl. Now it’s time to return the favor.”

His large hands grab your legs dragging you to the end of the bed then turning you around so that your head hangs slightly off it.

“Open” He commanded, and your mouth reflexively obeyed without a second thought. In true Satoru fashion, he didn’t hesitate to slam his dick straight into your open mouth. Instantly you gag with the force entrance hitting immediately the back of your throat. You held back your instincts as he violated your mouth, his hands on your shoulders to fuck your face harder.

“Fuck yes princess. You take me so well. I love seeing my dick in your pretty mouth.”

His praises made your moan, throat vibrates his dick which makes him rut into your mouth. You do your best to take him and meet his thrusts with your sucks attempting to massage the bottom with your tongue. The pace he set himself was aggressive and hard to keep up with, his balls smacking against your face.

One of Satoru’s hands moves to your breast and molds the flesh under his hand, pulling more moans out of you which just encourages him more. He pitched and pulled at your nipple, fucking your mouth relentlessly.

“Princess.” His voice strained. “I’m cum, okay, and you better swallow every drop.”

With the way his dick was so far down your throat you had no other choice but to swallow all of him. You barely understood how you were able to breathe with how deep he was and how aggressive his pace was, but you moaned in understanding.

“Fuck. Yes. Princess.” His thrusts were impossibly deeper and violent as you well his dick pulse, his sign of coming to his own peak. With one hand still on your tit, another grabs you by you by your throat. A few last thrusts into your mouth and he’s spilling down your throat spasming into you. He stops thrusting which gives you the opportunity to swirl your tongue around his leaking member as you swallow all of him. He squeezes on your throat, overstimulated , getting you to stop and then slowly pulls out of your mouth. You turn over, smirking at him, licking the rest of him off your lips. His dick starts to come back alive again at the sight of that. He grabs you by the shoulders pushing you back on the bed.

“Oh we aren’t even close to done, princess.”

#smut #jujutsu gojo #gojo x reader #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #jujustu kaisen #gojonsfwweek2023

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sommerregenjuniluft · 8 months

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@jegulus-microfic august 22 — vulnerable — 887 words — this one's a little dark guys, they're not good people! You might not like James' characterisation in this one!

(i was writing for aug 21 still when suddenly Family Line by Ethel Cain came on, that's basically all you need to know)

James hates him.

Can’t stand the cool indifference, the perpetually unshakable air of superiority shimmering around him the same way the ancient, powerful magic clings to him.

Loathes when he can’t seem to bait a reaction out of him when all James wants is to fucking hit him somehow. Land a blow, somewhere. Push and prod and search for chips and cracks in his walls until he finds an opening where he can slip carefully placed venom in his words, wrapped as the harmless sort of quips James always veils his malice with in case someone that shouldn’t be listens too closely, like hostile chisel to noble stone under the cover of the dark of the night.

And sure, everyone that knows of him would tell you, James Potter? The embodiment of Gryffindor, that boy is, but honestly, fuck nobility and honor for a moment, because if the only way James gets to kill the Prince is out of the cowardice of ambush so fucking be it, as long as he gets his fingers on him long enough to watch him crumble underneath the grip.

They’re at it again now.

James had been walking back from the library alone, taking the secret short-cut that’s on the Map.

The others had already gone ahead but he still had to finish extra work, History of Magic, which was boring James out of his brilliant mind and he honestly would have rather had someone hit him with a skull splitting hex than succumb to Binn’s stupid assignment, so he’d been putting it off.

He was irritated and exhausted and had felt a headache forming and that was before he’d caught Regulus slipping out of one of the abandoned classrooms, dark magic practically wafting after him through the slit in the door and before he had time to spell it incognito.

James doesn’t know how it had started, hadn’t paid particular attention to what was coming out of his mouth as long as it was laced with as much arrogance and disdain and backhanded sarcasm as he could muster after that long day. And, what can he say, it felt good. It was healthy giving yourself an outlet for pent up frustration so who better to direct it at than a spoiled little blood-purist that’d harmed his best friend two times over enough.

And James had crossed his arms at the small of his back, aloof and appearing the definition of relaxed, chisel in a tight crip behind his body, unseen to the eyes of the enemy, and had started knocking away quietly drowned out by the sound of rushing wind as his loyal disguise.

And there’s an old proverb about a hot gust of air, not really doing anything, all bark no bite and wasn’t it a beautifully chilly winter’s evening?

Because then James had leisurely stepped his way forward and said something, almost absentmindedly, of course, something he’d picked up from when Sirius had vented to him one too many times.

“— so spineless, do you not question anything you’ve been brought up with in that house? Brainlessly following—”

And the next thing James knows was the tip of a wand digging into his throat and well, how about that, huh.

He’d picked right up where he’d left off and it barely took five words and then Regulus was shoving him. And wasn’t that curious?

Abandoning the prime hold on his wand in James’ vulnerable position, arms behind his back, defenceless and Regulus had forgone that position in favour of getting closer and being able to touch James.

Slamming him into the hard stone of the castle, grabbing by the lapel of his button down and yanking him back in only to throw him back against the wall harder. Skull knocking and pain blooming instantly, throbbing and racing down his spine. And Regulus was strong to handle James around like that, a Seeker’s built and James could only imagine the slim form of his torso, ropy muscles under lean flesh, and Regulus was seething, spitting insults and flushed skin and wasn’t that something?

And effort always pays at the end of day, doesn’t it? Because James had steadily been walking up and down those damned walls for years, had kept his eyes wide open and attentive, straining his ears and then he’d finally found the vulnerable spot.

Is gleeful in his victory and Regulus keeps hissing and growling at him, all up in James’ face and then their noses are nearly touching and—

Regulus pants, is a little out of breath and has tapered off and James’ grin is falling.

Because the bloodbath only really starts when you’re past the walls and now James has successfully ducked through the hole where the stone had disintegrated and with no idea what actually awaits him on the other side.

There’s a tension in the liminal space between them.

The bated breath of soldiers, the men of the front line, waiting for the war cry, the horn to blare, the first torch to be risen signalling their inevitable doom, the kickoff- the start of their end.

When Regulus closes the distance between them James thinks he can hear the rumble of magnificent, ancient stone imploding on itself in the backgroun. Can almost smell the grimy dust wafting off the debris in thick clouds of dirty smoke, settling on the back of his tongue with the addictive taste of ruin.

#i love this one #i went into this wanting to make arrogant!James be bent over a desk but then #as usual he started waxing poetry and now we're here #the spirit of Ethel guided me #jegulus #jegulus microfic #jegulus fic #starchaser #sunseeker #regulus black x james potter #lune’s tiny fic

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witch-crip-is-this · 1 year

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My basil plants are still growing happily in my bathroom in November, I’m so happy I could propagate them indoors successfully!

I never catch the flowers in time to prolong their season, though. Any tips on catching the buds earlier for a low energy gardener who only waters every few days?

Image ID: Two photographs of an old window sill with a messily-painted rim, showing a clear bottle with a little basil cutting with roots shooting down eagerly into the water below.

Another basil propagation is next to it in a green container, and beyond that is a woody beast of a basil propagation growing in a recycled soda bottle. Next to it is a lean thyme plant pressed against the window, somehow still alive. End ID.

#kitchen magic #garden magic #gardening #indoor garden #herb garden #crip magic #disabled gardener #spoonie gardener #goblincore #cottagecore #psi speaks #my garden #psitography

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thiswyrmdraws · 3 months

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Heard you are making dragons, here, have some inspiration:

Leafy Sea Dragon, a species of seahorse.

Good luck!

A melmanta evades the hungry jaws of a leafy seawyrm after their pearl. Unlike the chosen Guardians of the Isles, seawyrms have no magical pearl. A lust for power drives seawyrms to hunt their draconic cousins, just as the Demons do.

HOOHG this brush test / daily sketch took up more attention than I was expecting to spend. Thanks for the inspiration Kawa!!

Thanks as well to @thedawner for the brushes ::D

If you like my art and would like a piece for yourself, I’ll draw you a dragon if you donate any amount to Crips For E-Sims For Gaza! 🍉

#isles of cascadia #||#art #oc art #oc artist #sketch art #dragon artist #dragon art #dragons #concept artist #concept art #character design #creature design #creature drawing #fantasy artist

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saphirered · 2 years

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caleb spice with 16 or 9 from the prompt list please :) ty

One Spicy Magic Touch coming right up for all your hot and bothered wizard desires! Please enjoy! 😘

Caleb sits on the couch, cozy knit blanket across his shoulders, legs crossed at the ankles, book in his hands, flipping the pages at a more leisurely pace than usual. He has been here for a while. The room has been a silent blessing, not but the crackling fire in the hearth to remind him he is still within this world, and not wherever his book has whisked him away to. The passage of time has forgone even him because he’s almost done with this book, and the sun has long since set. He is alerted of this fact when the door creaks open and the quiet is vanquished. Feet move across the wooden floor when shoes are discarded near the door along with a bag. A light hum follows along a nonexistent melody. Even the air grows heavier, but not uncomfortable. More like a warm embrace on a cold night. He welcomes it. He feels your presence as you move about, allowing his ears to focus on your movement. You stop briefly, and he feels your eyes on him. You notice he had not turned a page in a while so he does now. You continue.

Putting your belongings where you usually leave them, you go through your usual routine for returning home. Home. Still such a weird thing to say. Neither you nor Caleb have called any place home in a very long time but you have found the word suitable for your abode because it does feel like home. You put on the kettle, waiting for the water to boil. Surely you could have asked the wizard but you did not feel like interrupting him any further. Besides, a little lightning can warm up a metal pot too. Luckily you are in perfect control of your magic and so the water boils within the minute. You prepare some tea, set in two mugs and carry them with you over to where Caleb sits. He turns the page as you set the mug on the table in front of him and sit down on the other side of the couch with yours. You pull your legs up onto the cushioning and enjoy your tea in front of the fire, keeping you warm on this crips autumn night. From here you notice Caleb’s eyes dart to you every so often and the turning of his pages slows once more, to a pace you know he normally would deem far too slow to bear so you grow suspicious. You poke his thigh with your toes to draw his attention and wait for a response. When you do not get one, you try again. No response so you simply sit and drink.

He has to finish this chapter but it takes to deviously long because every time his eyes land on you, he loses half the page he reads and has to start over. Worst is this happens every other page. He has no hopes of finishing the book but he can put it aside and fully out of his mind once he reaches the end of the chapter. Then your toes press into his leg, twice but he tries his best to ignore it. You know him and he knows you’d take no offence, especially given you simply lean back and enjoy the rest of your tea. Finally he reaches the end of the chapter and he sets the book aside. He smiles at you faintly when you wave your hand an an invisible force lifts up the mug and floats it over to him.

“Danke.” Caleb takes the mug, allowing the warmth he summons within his fingertips to reheat the liquid before he takes a sip.

“So what have you been reading?” You reach for the book and you inspect it. “Ooh, Wizard and the Warden? Have you gotten to the good parts yet?” You smile as Caleb just raises an eyebrow. He knows all too well what parts you are hinting at. It was Jester who insisted he’d read it after all and it was a best seller at the Chastity’s Nook so how could he not know.

“Not yet.” He replies as you flip through the pages, looking for a certain passage which you are all too quick to find.

“”-His touch pulsed with magic when he ran his fingers along my curves, sending shivers through my body. The mere thought of him left me with goosebumps. Oh how I long for so much more. How I long for him to touch with me, fill me with that arcane prowess.” Are you taking notes, Caleb?” You joke as you leaf through again.

“I’ve read better.” You chuckle at his reply; such a bold statement. But not entirely wrong. This writer gets pretty much all usage of magic wrong and when you have two spell caster readers, that quickly breaks the believability and immersion of those readers. Still, it was an enjoyable enough read.

“Have you now?” You close the book as Caleb turns to face you better. You prop your chin on your bent fingers with an inquisitive look gracing your features. It promises mischief.

“There are far more convenient and creative ways to take spellcasting into intimate practices.”

“And since you are an expert on such things, what would you do?” You half joke. You’re curious. You want to know. Caleb puts down his mug and sits straight so he is more on level and but a few inches away from your face as you lean forward. “I’m all ears.” You wink.

“For starters…” Warm light like fire dances between his fingers before it disappears. Then you feel his fingers brush over your knee, warm and comforting. You feel the shivers trail up all the way along your spine. Caleb looks at you, makes sure you’re alright and the look you give him, rushes blood to more than his cheeks. He might not shy away from these subjects but your slightly parted lips, bedroom eyes, the brief catching of your breath, it leaves him excited like some adolescent living through fantasy. This is real. Very real.

“Colour me intrigued. Keep going.” You muse. He needs not be asked twice. Caleb has plenty of ideas in mind. He takes your hand in one of his, sending light pulses of that arcane energy within him through your fingertips. It races through your veins and spreads through your whole body. Your satisfied laugh gives him the courage to continue, take it up a notch. He slides his hand up your arm, over your shoulder, to your neck where he brushes along your clavicles. You make such lovely pleased sounds once more. he drifts lower, to your chest, trailing along, circling close to those covered sensitive little peaks, that tense with each passing brush, so light yet so striking and then he pulls away entirely. You moan in disappointment.

“It is an interesting concept to explore. Though, I think your own skills are more suited for these purposes?” Caleb thinks out loud as you scoot over further to his side of the couch. Swing one knee between his legs while the other rests on the outside. You let the barest of electricity dance between your fingertips, watching it move, and hum.

“I suppose that could be true. I’d hoped your preview would have been more of a demonstration but I suppose I could give one of my own.” You look at him, study his eyes and look for any sense of hesitation, or refusal. Instead Caleb shows to you enthusiastic consent. You let the lightning die down until it is nothing but a tremor so light, and invisible to the naked eye. You trail your fingers along Caleb’s arm as it comes to rest on your hip. Then you brush aside the hair that had fallen out of the tie he keeps it in, caressing the shell of his ear, and along the underside of his jaw as you gently urge him to keep his eyes on you. He is not one to deny you.

You trail both your hands down his chest, up and down his sides, inching lower and lower over his abdomen. Not once do his eyes leave yours. When you turn up the pressure you extract moan after moan, until they turn into pleas for more. That’s when you dismiss the magic from your touch, drape your arms across his shoulders, and lace your fingers at the back of his neck. You place your lips on his, sending a surprise shock through your lips and into his, teasingly so. Caleb, jumps a bit but smiles into the kiss as he allows that magic within him to spark to life when he lifts your hips, and pushes you back onto the couch. You simply let this happen. You’re excited to see what he comes up with and so you are perfectly content to lie back and let him do the work before you take your turn. Caleb’s lips leave yours and instead they kiss down your throat, and chest, lower and lower and lower until he settles at the apex of your legs. His hands trail along your legs with that delicious touch again and he gives you a devious smile. You are prepared for whatever comes next for you’ll be at the mercy of the wizard for however long he deems satisfactory.

#critical role x reader #caleb widogast x reader #critical role fanfic #critical role fanfiction #critical role imagine #critical role #mighty nein x reader #mighty nein #critrole x reader #caleb widowgast #caleb x reader

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creepymutelilbugger · 11 months

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so when you start doing shadow wizard magic. what school of learning are you supposed to start with? spell casting, crip walking, nuclear physics, or beekeeping ? asking for a tiny, magic friend

#196 #shitpost #wizardposting #wizard #wizblr #rule

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cy-cyborg · 5 months

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Disability Tropes: The Miracle Cure

The miracle cure is a trope with a pretty negative reputation in disability circles, especially online. It describes a scenario in which, a disabled character, through either magic, advanced technology, divine intervention or some combination of the three, has their disability cured throughout the course of the story. Sometimes this is literally, as in the disability is completely and entirely cured with no strings attached. Other times, it looks like giving an amputee character a prosthetic so advanced that it's basically the same as "the real thing" and that they never take off or have any issue with, or giving the character with a spinal injury an implant that bypasses the physical spine's break, or connects to an exoskeleton that allows them to walk again. Sometimes, it can even look like giving a character some kind of magic item or power that negates the effects of the disability, like what I talked about in my post about "the super-crip" trope. Either way though, the effect is the same: The disability is functionally cured and is no longer an "issue" the author or character has to worry about.

But why would this be a bad thing? In a world with magic or super-advanced tech, if you can cure a character's disability, why wouldn't you?

[ID: a screenshot of Roy mustang from Full metal alchemist Brotherhood, a white man with short black hair in a hospital gown. In the corner of the screen is the hand of another person holding a small red gemstone. /End ID]

Well there's a few reasons. First, lets talk about the purely writing related ones. If you've been around the writing or even media critique communities for a bit, you've likely heard people voicing their frustrations with tropes like "The fake-out death" where a character is either implied to have died, but comes back later, or is explicitly shown to be dead and then resurrected. Often when this happens in media, it leaves the audience feeling cheated and like a character's actions and choices don't really matter if even the worst mistakes and consequences can be undone. In the case of the latter situation, where they die and are brought back, it can make the stakes of the whole story feel a lot lower, since even something like death is shown to be reversible, so the audience doesn't really have to worry about anything bad happening to their favourite character, and once you've used this trope one time, people will constantly wonder why you wouldn't use it every time it comes up.

The same is true for "fixing" a character's disability. It sets a precedent that even things as big and life-changing as disability aren't permanent in this setting. We don't have to worry about anything major happening to the characters, there's no risks associated with their actions if it can all be undone, and it will lower the stakes of the story for your audience. Personally, I also feel like it's often used as a cop-out. Like writers wanted to include a major injury the leads to something big like disability for shock value, but weren't sure how to actually deal with it afterwards, so they just made it go away. Even in cases where the character start the story with a disability and are cured, this can still cause issues with your story's stakes, because again, once we've seen you do it once, we know its possible, so we won't feel the need to worry about anything being permanent.

Ok, so that's the purely writing related reasons, but what if that situation doesn't apply to the story you're writing? What if they're "fixed" right at the end, or the way they're cured is really rare, so it can't be used multiple times?

I'm glad you asked, because no, this is far from the only reason to avoid the trope! In my opinion, the more important reason to avoid it is because of how the a lot of the disabled community feels about the miracle cure trope, and the ideas about disability it can perpetuate if you're not very, very careful.

You might have noticed that throughout this post, I've put words like "cured" and "fixed" in quotes, and that's because not every disabled person wants a cure or feels like their ideal to strive for is able-bodied and neurotypical. For many of us, we have come to see our disabilities as part of us, as part of our identities and our sense of self, the same way I, as a queer person might see my queerness as a part of my identity. This is an especially common view among people who were born with their disability or who had them from a young age, since this is all they've ever really known, or who's disability impacts the way they think, perceive and process the world around them, how they communicate with people or in communities who have a long history of forced conformity and erasure such as the autism and deaf communities. Many disabilities have such massive impacts on our lives that we literally wouldn't be who we are today if they were taken away. So often though, when non-disabled people write disabled characters, they assume we'd all take a "cure" in a heart-beat. They assumed we all desire to be just like them again, and this simply isn't the case. Some people absolutely would, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not as universal as media representation makes it out to be.

Another reason it's so heavily disliked is because this trope is often used in conjunction with other ableist and harmful tropes or it's used in ways that perpetuate misinformation about living with a disability and it can have ableist implications, even if that's not what the author necessarily intended.

If the miracle cure is used right at the end of the story for example, as a way to give characters a happy ending it can imply that the only way for a disabled character to be happy in the long run, is for them to be "fixed", especially if they were miserable all the way up until that point. If it's used earlier in the story as a way to get said character back into the action, it can also be read as the author thinking that disabled people can't be of use to the plot, and so the only way to keep them around is to "fix" them.

Of course, there's also the fact that some authors and writers will also play up how bad being disabled is in order to show why a cure is justified, playing into the "sad disabled person" trope in the process, which is pretty much what it says on the tin. Don't get me wrong, this isn't to say that being disabled is all easy-breezy, there are never any hard days and you should never show your character struggling, not at all, the "sad disabled person" trope has it's place (even if I personally am not a fan on it), but when both the "sad disabled person" trope and the miracle cure trope are used together, it's not a great look.

This is especially bad when the very thing that cures the disability, or perhaps the quest the heroes need to go on to get it, is shown to be harmful to others or the disabled person themselves. Portraying living with a disability as something so bad that it justifies hurting others, putting others at risk, loosing yourself or killing yourself in order to achieve this cure perpetuates the already harmful idea that disability is a fate worse than death, and anything is justified to avoid it.

I've also noticed the reasons the authors and writers give for wanting to cure their characters are very frequently based on stereotypes, a lack of research in to the actual limits of a person's disability and a lack of understanding. One story I recall reading years ago made sure to tell you how miserable it's main character, a former cyclist, was because he'd been in a car accident where he'd lost his arm, and now couldn't ride bikes anymore, seemingly unaware of the fact arm amputees can, in fact, ride bikes. There are several whole sports centred around it, and even entire companies dedicated to making prosthetic hands specifically for riding bikes. but no, the only way for this to resolve and for him to be happy was to give him his arm back as a magical Christmas miracle! It would be one thing if the story had acknowledged that he'd tried cycling again but just had difficulties with it, or something was stopping him from being able to do it like not being able to wear the required prosthetic or something, but it really did seem as though the author was entirely unaware it was even possible, which is an issue when it's the whole point of your story existing. This happens a lot more often than you'd think, and it's very clear when an author hasn't even bothered to google search if their character would be able to do something before deciding the only solution is to take the disability away.

There's also the frustration that comes from being part of an underrepresented minority, finally seeing a character like you on screen or in a book, only for that representation to be taken away. Disabled people make up roughly 16% of the population (though many estimate these numbers are actually much higher), but only about 2.8% of American TV shows and 4.1% of Australian TV shows feature explicitly disabled characters. In 2019, around 2.3% of films featured disabled characters in a speaking roll, and while it's slowly getting better as time goes on, progress on that front is very slow, which is why its so frustrating when we do see characters like ourselves and so much of their stories focus on wishing to be, trying to become or actually being "cured".

An finally, there's the fact this is just a really common trope. Even if we ignore the issues it can cause with your story's tone and stakes, the harm it can do to the community when not handled with care, the negative perceptions it can perpetuate and everything else. It's just a plain-old overdone trope. It shows up so often that I, and a lot of disabled people, are just getting tired of seeing it. Despite everything I've said, there are valid reasons for people to not want to be disabled, and just like how I made sure to emphasise that not everyone wants a cure, it's important to recognise that not everyone would refuse it either. So long as it's not done in a way that implies it's universal, in theory, depicting someone who would want and accept a cure is totally fine. The issue is though that this trope is so common and so overdone that it's starting to feel like it's all we ever see, especially in genres like sci-fi and fantasy (and also Christmas movies for some reason).

[ID: A Gif of a white man in a top hat nodding his head with the caption "Merry Christmas" down the bottom. /end ID]

Personally, because it's so common, I find even the few examples of the trope used well frustrating, and I honestly feel that it's at the point where it should be avoided entirely where possible.

Ok but Cy, you mentioned there are ways to use this trope well, what are they?

So, like I said, I'm of the opinion that this trope is better off not being in your work at all, but if, for whatever reason, you can't avoid it, or it's use is really that important to the story you want to tell, there are less harmful ways to implement it.

Don't have your only disabled character take the cure

If you really must cure your disabled character's disability, don't make them the only disabled person in the story. Show us another character who, when offered the same cure, chooses not to take it. This at least helps push back a little against the assumption of "of course everyone would want this" that these kinds of stories often imply and doesn't contribute (as much) to disability erasure in the media.

Don't make it a total cure

In real life, there are cures for some disabilities, but they rarely leave no trace. For example, an amputee's limb can sometimes be reattached if it was severed and they received medical treatment fast enough, but it usually results in at least a little nerve damage and difficulties with muscle strength, blood flow or co-ordination in that limb. Often times, these "cures" will fix one issue, but create another. You might not be an amputee anymore, but you're still disabled, just in a different way. You can reflect this in your fictional cures to avoid it feeling like you just wanted to avoid doing the work to write good disabled representation.

Do something interesting with it

I got a comment on my old tumblr or possibly Tik Tok account ages ago talking about their planned use for the miracle cure trope, where their character accepts the cure at the cost of the things that made her life enjoyable post-disability. Prior to accepting the cure, she had found other ways to be independent to some extent and her community and friends helped her bridge the gaps, but they were all taken from her when she was "cured" forcing her into isolation. Kind of like a "be careful what you wish for" sort of thing. The story was meant to be a critique on how society ignores alternative ways of getting the same result and how conforming to other people's ideas of "normal" isn't always what you need to bring you happiness. This was a genuinely interesting way to use the trope I think, and it's a perfect example of taking this trope and twisting it to make an interesting point. If you must use a trope like this, at least use it to say something other than "disability makes me sad so I don't want to think about it too much". Alternatively, on a less serious note, I'm also not entirely opposed to the miracle cure being used for comedy if it fits the tone. The Orville has some issues with it's use of the Miracle Cure trope, but I'd be lying if I said Isaac amputating Gordan's leg as a prank, knowing it could be reversed in a few hours did get a chuckle out of me.

If your villain's motivation is finding a cure for themselves, don't use it as justification for hurting people

Disabled villains need a post all their own honestly, but when a villain's motivation for doing all the terrible things they do is so they don't have to be disabled anymore, it's especially frustrating. Doubly so if the writer's are implying that they're justified in their actions, or at least that their actions are understandable because "who would want to live like that?" Honestly, as a general rule of thumb, avoid making your villains disabled if you aren't disabled yourself (especially if they're your only disabled character), but if they are disabled, don't use the disability as a justification for them hurting people while finding a cure.

So are there any examples currently out there to look at where the trope is used, if not well, at least tolerably?

Yeah, I'd say so, but they're few and far between. Two examples come to mind for me though.

The Dragon Prince:

[ID: A Gif of Ava the Wolf from the Dragon Prince, a light brown, fluffy wolf who is missing her front right leg. /End ID]

The Dragon Prince on Netflix uses the miracle cure twice, but I still really enjoyed the show (at least I did, up until my Netflix subscription ran out, so I've only seen up to season 4). The first time the trope is used in the series, it's actually a fake-out. Two of the main characters, while looking for someone to help them heal the dragon egg they're carrying, encounter a young girl named Ellis and her pet wolf Ava. The two explain their egg is not looking good and they need to find someone to help it, but no one they've found had the knowledge or ability to do anything to help. Ellis says she knows a healer who can help them, and tells them that this healer even restored Ava's amputated leg when she was a pup. When we actually reach this "miracle healer" however, she is revealed to be simply an illusionist. She explains that Ava is still missing her leg, she simply made it look as though she had restored it because Ellis's parents were planning to throw the puppy out, believing it would not survive with its disability and would only be a drain on supplies. This was not actually true and Ava adapted to her amputation very well, she simply needed more time, and hiding her disability and making her appear abled gave her the time she needed to fully recover and adjust. When they return to the healer with the main characters, she removes the illusion and explains why she did it, emphasising that the real problem was never with Ava, but with how people made assumptions about her.

While I do feel it was drawn out a bit too long, I do appreciate the use of the trope as the set up to an overall positive twist. Disability does come with down-sides, it's part of the deal and it would have been nice to see a bit more of that, but for disabilities like amputation in particular, the worst of our problems often come from a lack of adequate support and people's pre-conceived ideas about us, and it was nice to see this reflected, even if it is a little overly simplified.

The second time this trope comes up in the series is when one of the antagonists, Soren, is injured during a fight with a dragon, becoming paralysed from the neck down. His sister, Claudia is absolutely beside herself, believing it was her fault this even happened in the first place, but Soren actually takes his new disability very, very well, explaining that he understands there are things he can't do now, but that there's a lot of things he can still try, that his previous job as a soldier just didn't allow time for. It's possible this reaction was him being in denial but it came across to me as genuine acceptance. He is adamant that he doesn't want a cure right from the beginning because he knows that a cure would come at a cost that he doesn't want his sister to pay, and that he is content and happy with this new direction his life will be going in. Claudia, however, is not content. It had been shown that she was already using dark magic, but this event is what starts her down the path of using it in earnest, disregarding the harm it will cause to those around her. She ignores Soren's wishes, kills several animals in order to fuel the healing spell that will "fix" him, and Soren is pretty clearly shown to be horrified by her actions. What I like about this use of the miracle cure trope is that it touches on something I've seen happen a lot to disabled people in real-life, but that rarely shows up in media - the fact that just because we accept ourselves, our disabilities and our new limits, doesn't mean our friends and family will, unfortunately. In my own life, my mum and dad were always accepting of my disability when I was younger, but as I got older and my support needs changed, my body took longer to heal and I stopped being able to do a lot of things I could when I was little, they had a very hard time coming to terms with it and accepting it. I'm not alone in this either, a lot of disabled people end up cutting contact with friends and family members who refuse to accept the reality of our situations and insist "if we just try harder maybe we won't be so disabled" or "Maybe you will get better if you just do [xyz]". Unfortunately however, some disable people's wishes are ignored completely, like Soren's were. You see this a lot in autistic children who's parents are so desperate to find a cure that they hurt their kids through toxic and dangerous "treatments" or by putting them through abusive therapies that do more harm than good. Claudia has good intentions, but her complete disregard for Soren's decision still harm them both in the long run, leading to the deterioration of their relationship and causing her to spiral down a very dark path.

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

[ID: A Gif of Ed from full metal alchemist, a white boy with blond hair, staring angrily at a jar of milk on the table. His brother Al, a sentiant suit of armour, is in the background looking directly at the camera. The caption, spoken by Ed, says "So we meet again you little bastard" /end ID.]

The show does begin with Ed and Al looking for a way to cure their disabilities (which they gave themselves when trying to resurrect their mother as children went horribly wrong). However, when the boys discover that the object needed to do that - a philosopher's stone, can only by made through absolutely abhorrent and despicable means, and using one, likewise, comes at the cost of potentially hundreds or thousands of people's souls, they immediately stop, and shift their focus on finding the stones that had already been made so it can't fall into the wrong hands, and preventing the creation of new ones. The core theme of the show is that everything has a cost, and sometimes the cost is simply too great.

However, right at the end of the show, several characters are healed in a variety of ways. Ed gives up his ability to do alchemy to get his brother's body back, as well as his arm so he can save his friends in the final battle, but neither of the boys come away from this completely "healed". Al's body has not been used since he was a child, and so it is shown he has experienced severe muscular atrophy that will take a long time and a lot of work to recover from, acknowledging that he has a pretty tough road ahead of him. When we see him in the epilogue, he is still on crutches despite this being several months after getting his body back. Likewise Ed is not fully healed, and is still missing one of his legs even if he got his arm back.

The more... interesting use of the trope, however, is in the form of Colonel Mustang who was blinded in the final season. Mustang is shown to take to his blindness pretty well given the circumstances, finding a variety of ways to continue doing his job and reaching his goals. When other characters offer to let him use the philosopher's stone to heal himself however, he takes it, acknowledging that this is a horrible thing to do and that Ed and Al would be extremely disappointed in him if they ever found out. He uses it both to cure his own disability, and to cure another character who was injured earlier in the show. While I'll admit, I did not like this ending, I can at least appreciate that the show made sure to emphasis that a) Mustang was doing fine without the cure, and b) that this was not morally justified. The show spent a very long time drilling into the viewer how morally reprehensible using the stone was, and it didn't try to make an exception for Mustang - you weren't supposed to like that he did that.

When I talk about these tropes, I do try to give them a fair chance and discuss the ways it can potentially work, but I really do want to reiterate that this particular trope really is best avoided. There are ways to make it work, but they will still leave a bad taste in many of your viewer's or reader's mouths and you have to be exceptionally careful with your wording and framing, not just in the scenes where this trope is used, but in the lead up. If you really must use it, I highly recommend getting a few disability sensitivity readers and/or consultants (yes, even if you are disabled yourself) to help you avoid some of the often overlooked pitfalls.

#writing disability With Cy Cyborg #very long post #I could have sworn I talked about this trope already but I couldn't find the post. Apparently I had a lot more to say anyway lol #long post #disability #Disabled #Disability representation #Physical Disability #disability Tropes #Writing #Writeblr #Authors #Disabled Rep #Writing Advice #writing Tips #Disabled Characters #writing disability

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