The amount of abled people who are smugly like "it's an au, don't like, don't read 🙄" when disabled people complain about disability erasure in fic (which is deeply rooted in societal ableism) make me so sick. Like no, fuck you.

For one, 99.999999999% of writers don't tag the fact they've done this, so it's literally impossible to avoid. Especially in fandoms where the majority of AUs have erased character's canon disabilities.

Second, Canon disabilities, even acquired disabilities, being included in every universe are vital to maintaining character integrity, no matter how far you stray from canon.

There are countless ways for someone to be born or become disabled. Many of these ways are not as traumatic as canon! If the story isn't about them becoming disabled, you don't even have to include how it happened, you can just have them... be disabled already!

If you erase a disability because you can't be bothered, or you think disabilities existing ruin lighthearted stories, or if you intentionally replace a mobility aide with an accessory or tattoo: you're an asshole.

Disabled people exist in the real world, stop erasing us because you see our disabilities as burdens that can't exist in cute little fantasies, and can only exist in tragedy.

Also have realized that we may have worded things oddly to exaggerate the amount of the Wasp Kingdom that is actually in active conflict but in our defence the power structures we currently have there have it so that whenever there aren't things to fight something like 40-80% of the Wasp Kingdom military gets re-allocated to Basically Whatever The Wasp Kingdom Needs At That Moment since they're, like, the Designated Supply Of Able-Bodied Wasps That The Queen Uses To Do Shit.

Marble is also banned from the non-combat parts of that setup, btw. Their particular tendency towards volatile-yet-effective is not something that ANYONE wants designing things that will be used in day-to-day civilian things just Around The Wasp Kingdom because generally you don't want your heavy-use architecture to Fucking Explode if you don't read and religiously adhere to the 120-page manual.

I see a lot of discourse about what is or isn't allowed to be called body horror. It's a topic that is very close to home for a lot of people, namely, in the disabled community. Abled people will often tag things relating to disability as body horror, and that's understandably very upsetting when it relates to something that is someone's normal.

But on the other hand, I have also seen a lot of people, perhaps overzealous disability allies, or perhaps even overly sensitive disabled people, who more or less call for the complete removal of the term.

The term body horror exists for a reason

Not only is it useful in discussing the contents of something, but it serves as a pretty common and necessary trigger warning.

The question of what is or isn't allowed to be called body horror really comes down to

A) Extremity

And

B) Context

The term and trigger tag exist to shield people from content that is psychologically disturbing or triggering to them. You cannot simply divide the Okay uses and Not Okay uses by saying "if it's a medical condition, you can't call it body horror"

Extreme medical conditions involving missing body parts, prosthetics, visible transplants, extreme scarring, and so on can be triggering to a lot of people - and not just abled people who are bothered by disability in general.

These things can also be triggering to other disabled people, especially those who associate certain medical conditions, situations, treatments, etc with their own medical abuse.

Now, the most important fucking part of whether something can be called body horror or not is CONTEXT

If someone is talking about a video game, such as the new Legend of Zelda game, and giving warning to other people about an opening scene focused on nonconsensual grafting of a new arm while Link is completely unconscious, the use of the term body horror can absolutely apply. It is related to the body, and the situation is horrifying. Someone who is sensitive to body horror needs to be warned about the topic.

A photo of someone who only has one arm is not body horror.

You do not tag someone's fucking selfie as body horror, so help me god. If there is a visible prosthesis or it's a closeup of where their stump had been scarred closed, it's appropriate to tag those as Prosthesis, Prosthetic, Scarring, Scars, or Medical. If people are sensitive to these specific things, they can blacklist them.

Are we getting it?

Say it with me:

Body horror is a topic or genre.

Body horror is not a real life person.

A real life person comes with useable descriptors, and none of them include "body horror"

Fantasy genres and topics and situations, including medical subjects, can be called body horror. The term "body horror" is used to describe the topic or genre, not the character in the fantasy setting. If someone violently loses a limb in a game or TV show, them being an amputee is not body horror. It's the violent loss of the limb that's body horror. Please, go ahead and ask anyone who violently lost a limb if the situation that led to amputation was flowery and comfortable for them. I really, really doubt it.

In fact, I would hazard a guess that someone who lost a leg to a car accident may actually be very triggered by witnessing that happening on TV. Just a guess.

And on the topic of ableism, some of you abled people have no fucking idea the kind of shit disabled people go through on a regular basis and your ignorance is genuinely embarrassing to read, so please spare us all and keep your mouth shut about whether you think someone's medical trigger is acceptable to you or not.

I finally finished echo so if you’d like to listen to me incoherently ramble about it and my baby maya pls join me below ✨

first off the fact that there were only 5 episodes is fucking CRIMINAL

secondly alaqua cox is quite literally one of the most beautiful human beings I have ever seen

and thirdly I would die for biscuits and billy jack

side note- matt showing up just to be a dick and show off and then dip is so on brand but this isn’t his show and it isn’t about him so that’s the last i’ll talk about him

let’s get into it

not even two minutes into the first episode I was leaking from my eyes, and that happened several times throughout the entire series

the tone of this series reminded me so much of the netflix mcu and after watching echo, I have a lot more hope for future marvel projects that are darker and more gritty

the way this show dealt with themes of grief and generational trauma while also balancing sequences of violence and sprinkles of comedic relief was incredible. nothing felt cheesy or forced, the pacing was a little fast but again we were only given 5 episodes and echo definitely deserved more

the entire quileute tribe being cast is fucking ICONIC

the amount of work that went into making sure the indigenous representation was accurate and presented in a respectful way was very impressive. my father’s side of the family is native american and live in oklahoma and it was just really neat to see something so close to home portrayed in marvel without being over the top or exaggerated

I forgot how much I loved vincent’s version of fisk and getting to see him in the iconic white suit was incredible. i’m also super stoked to see the mayor fisk storyline and how that affects maya

I think they should’ve spent longer exploring how her ancestors echo through her and the healing abilities/powers that seems to grant her. it’s a lot different from her “power” in the comics and I honestly think it’s a more interesting concept and I would love to see them explore it further in the future

I loved that they weren’t lazy with the sign language and that the cast and crew all learned to communicate with alaqua

I loved that they also spoke in choctaw, and started the series with the creation of the tribe to set the stage for the rest of the series

the fact that alaqua herself is deaf and an amputee just proves that she was meant to play maya and she did a fucking PHENOMENAL job

I think they handled her disability so respectfully and perfectly. it wasn’t a hinderance or something that was heavily pointed out, it was literally just a part of who she was and that’s it

she’s so fucking smart and resourceful like she straight up made a gun out of a roller skate???

playing dragula at the skating rink was so real she’s just like me

the way they laced sound in and out of certain scenes to give us maya’s pov of what she experiences was such a neat thing to do

the little easter eggs confirming that the netflix shows are canon??? (fisk’s hammer, the roxxon gas station, etc)

y’all know how I feel about feral brunettes (especially ones in leather jackets)

“kingpin had his run. it’s time for a queen.” FUCKING ICONIC

bottom line is this show was fucking amazing and if you haven’t watched it yet, please do yourself a favor and check it out, especially if you enjoyed any of the netflix marvel shows. you will not be disappointed

i’m humbly appointing myself president of the maya lopez fan club and you’re all welcome to join we’re getting matching leather jackets

I can’t rave enough about echo or alaqua cox (I mean I could) but if you’ve made it this far thx for coming to my ted talk 🖤✨

part of me wants to write dilf aizawa but i just don’t feel like i could do him justice if he still had both legs and eyes, like just an au where many events in the war arc didn’t happen. a feel good au. i do that with a lot of characters already bc my goal is happy feels and i don’t usually want to focus on hard topics, but most if not all of the characters that i’ve aged up well past that were fully able bodied to begin with.

it feels like i’m… ruining his character and taking part of who he is by leaving it out. but the truth is that i think it might take him a long time to even give a shit about sex and relationships after that if hizashi isn’t in the picture. he’s got a whole grieving process to go through and relearn how to navigate life as an amputee and a hero forced into early retirement. that’s a lot. then there’s also the aspect of trying to understand and write sex with amputation in the picture. definitely not impossible bc that doesn’t stop normal irl people from having sex but as i’ve said before - particularly on stuff like that - portraying what’s realistic is incredibly important to me, especially as someone who has in small and big ways struggled with disability over the years….

idk. maybe my avoidance is just another reflection of internalized ableism bc i know i have plenty when it comes to myself.

So... turns out the whole "discovering my autism later in life" wasn't entirely correct for me. I don't know what to say, it's all confusing as hell (confused rant ahead)

I found 2 neurospyc reports, one from when I was 10 and another when I was 16/17 that list traits and test results consistent with what, today, would be considered level 2 autism and ADHD. but then they both turn around and say the neurospyc chose not to diagnose...

The first one had at least a good reason. From my understanding, at that point in time, autism couldn't be diagnosed unless all other possibilities had been ruled out, and the neurospyc says that these traits could also come from brain damage from meningococcol (the illness that caused my physical disability). Meningococcol's effects on a developing brain weren't well understood back then, so I guess I get it. It does, however, lay out some further testing that could be done by other specilists to rule it out, as well as mention what we should expect to see as I grow if it is autism. I met all the autism points, and I have the other specialists' reports ruling out meningococcol side effect theory. I likely still couldn't have been diagnosed at the time, though, because autism and ADHD were considered conflicting diagnoses, but the fact they were still considering it is a big positive to me.

The second one though... doesn't acknowledge any of this. It lists all the same traits (plus the new ones I developed that the other report predicted), talks about their severity and then... turns around and says it's actually not that bad and I don't need a diagnosis 😑. It doesn't say it explicitly, but the second report talks a lot about how friendly I was, how I was doing well in school (I really wasn't, I had like, one class I did well in because it aligned with my special interest, and the rest I was bearly scraping by) how I maintained eye contact and number of other things. It concluded that a diagnosis wasn't needed.

It's worth mentioning that when the second report was done, not only was I only doing high school part-time (3 days a week) because the 5 day week lead to burnout constantly, but I was also receiving the most support I'd ever had because my school recognised something was up and got me extra help (they didn't need a diagnosis because of my physical disability). I literally had someone who's job it was to come find me at lunch and remind me to eat and use the toilet, as well as to help me with assignments because in both yr 10 and yr 11 I almost failed so bad i came close to needing to repeat (i'd already repeated once). Not necessarily because I couldn't do the assignments, though some i definitely needed support on that front too, but because I just forgot they existed and never did them/handed them in. I was also in detention pretty much every day in yrs 7-10 because the same thing happened with regular homework. I either forgot to do it, or refused because I was so burned out, i just couldn't do it. This was all mentioned in the report, and it mentions that the school even provided letters to back the claims up (though i dont have those) and this doctor was like "hmmm, yes, this seems like a person who is well adjusted and in need of no further support! These traits definitely won't cause issues for them in adult life, especially in a country where we make disabled people do time-sensitive paperwork on every single aspect of their lives and have to update said paperwork constantly"

(what no, I'm not salty about something specific to do with government agencies in the Aus disability sector, what are you talking about...)

And shockingly once those supports were gone I nosedived. I've been in pretty much constant burnout since 2019, it was so bad in 2021 I had to stop working (which gutted me, I LOVED my job), and when burnout lasts that long it can do permanent damage.

There's even a report that was with the neurospyc report from one of my pediatric amputee rehab specilists that states I can not go unsupported into the adult sector, I will not cope. I will not be able to communicate my needs effectively. My health will decline. It was backed up by the senior peds. orthopaedic surgeon and the senior peds. plastics surgeon (who all knew me my entire life). The report says they had to bring me back into to the pediatric hospital for a few checkups even after I was 18 because the transition was so overwhelming I just stopped seeking medical treatment. I remember that. I remember trying to talk to the adult sector specilists and them just not understanding me and not understanding what the problem is. I remember the issue at hand (issues with my knee) getting so bad, but not knowing what else to do. I stopped going because i didnt want to be told my issue wasnt that bad. I still don't understand what I did or said wrong, and it's still happening today. My whole pediatric team was right, i needed help, but sure, I don't need extra supports because the neurospyc said "I was friendly".

Just FYI, when they finally did an MRI of the knee it was literally falling apart. The pain I was complaining about was constant dislocation and a bone infection. That knee had to be amputated. It was serious.

My therapist asked me to find these neurospyc reports if I could. I knew I had them but not what they said, and she hoped that there would be something in them that would allow her to make a case to the NDIS that even though we "don't know the reason" because there's no official diagnosis, it's clear I need more support, and theres been proof of it for years. And now I've read through them... Just knowing how well documented it all was, knowing that my pediatric care team, my doctors, my specilists, my parents, my teachers etc all knew I was struggling and tried to get me help, but one person decided "nah" has me just... confused beyond belief. I have a binder full of everything I can find that I'm going to bring to my therapist. I hope we can do something with it now.

Stumbled upon your master list of SW meta you wrote, and enjoyed reading through some of them, especially the ones that examined and defended the jedi order. I point to the jedi order in particular because when you pointed out that the number of jedi in the galaxy are proportionally smaller compared to a planet with a population in the trillions, it reminded me of a bad take regarding the order (which is conflated with the whole "the jedi are actually the bad guys" in SW): that the jedi are eugenicists because their adoption of force sensitive children. This never sat right with me given that the jedi never seemed the type to be concerned with propagating their numbers in some form of "purity" (genetic or force sensitivity wise). Any chance you can gleam into the nitty-gritty of this take's unsavory implications?

OOf, that's an old ask, and that reminds me that I really need to update that masterlist 😅 (and me saying that is an even older draft, oops 😂)

Okay, the idea of the Jedi being *eugenicists* is SO out of left field that I feel like it doesn't even deserve to be really addressed so much as mocked, because words mean things.

To be quite fair, I don't think I've ever seen anybody seriously use that word. (It may very well have happened tho, I just can't remember somebody seriously making the claim and sticking to it.) Even the infamous KT rant (see below) doesn't call them that - the extremely weird and frankly absurd take is that they embody supremacist ideas and that people who are into them believe there is such a thing as an inherently superior person. She does use the word "Nazi" (just wow), but I don't think she was going for the eugenics part, just the run of the mill white supremacy theories. People on both sides of the argument may have misquoted/misinterpreted her on that though.

(Seriously woman, why were you even writing for Star Wars?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN LIKE IT!)

Now, eugenics? (This post is so weird to write, I can't even) ⇊

It is LAUGHABLE to use it in relation to the Jedi Order, because as you accurately put it, the Jedi just aren't interested in... making babies.

Do they force their members to procreate, even artificially? Absolutely not.

Are they seeking to improve the Order by only taking in the healthiest, strongest, most powerful children? No. They were ready to reject Anakin, for one thing.

Are they studying how to arrange reproduction in the rest of the galactic population? No.

Is there a ban on non-Jedi Force sensitives having children of their own? No. Are they forced or even strongly encouraged to have children of their own? No.

Do Jedi control who Force-sensitives are allowed to have children with? No.

Do Jedi test for Force-sensitivity and keep records of it? Yes. But they don't seem to keep genealogies - there's nothing that says the list in the Holocron is a permanent one either - rather, the way it's phrased and the way there's only babies on it, names are probably erased eventually. And the purpose of the list has nothing to do with increasing the occurence of Force-sensitivity.

Are non-Jedi Force sensitives forced by law to give up their kids? No.

Do Jedi automatically take in Force-sensitive children anyway? No. Bardotta and Dathomir are right there and nobody's bothering them.

Is the Order ableist? No. We even see plenty of disabled Jedi and nobody is throwing them out. (Amputees like Anakin and elderly people like Yoda and Tera Sinube, for starters. Also Prosset Dibs, or Tahl in Legends).

The Force isn't even proven to be reliably 'transmissible' from one generation to the next - the Force 'being strong' in particular families may just as easily be for more spiritual reasons depending on how you want to look at it. Because, you know, Star Wars isn't all literal.

IT'S JUST SO DUMB.

NOTHING ABOUT HOW THE ORDER WORKS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT THAT WORD MEANS.

(I'm sorry I'm not dissing you for the ask I just don't get how anybody could ever have said that 😂😭)

Hi. I hope you don't mind me asking your opinion, as a disabled person, about comments I've seen about Sousa's new prosthetic. I realize no group is a monolith, so you won't provide THE difinitive answer, but I would like hear from someone who actually lives through it.

So, why is Sousa's new prosthetic considered ableist but his old prosthetic was not? Is it because his disability is no longer obvious? But if the new prosthetic works better, why is that a bad thing? Sorry, I guess that's three questions. I really hope this didn't come off offensive, I genuinely just want to understand.

I hope your having a great day and have fun blocking the anti-Dousy trolls😊

Hi there! <333 Thank you very much for the question! It's not offensive at all!

As you pointed out, we're not a monolith, so I definitely can't speak for every disabled person out there, nor am I trying to! If someone is legitimately offended, they completely have a right to their feelings. I'm also not an amputee, so I can't speak to that either.

I think there are some people who feel that because his new prosthetic made it so that he can walk completely normally, they feel like it's erasing his disability. There are a few reasons I heavily disagree with this mindset:

It doesn't erase his disability at all: He will still have to care for his leg the same way he would with any other prosthetic. He will still have to keep it clean and take care of the skin to keep from getting it irritated, injured, or infected. He will have to keep up care of his remaining leg muscles too to be able to use it. It's mechnical and electronic, so the prosthetic itself will require maintinence and upkeep as most tech does. It's not going to be like poof! His leg is magically healed! When you get down to it: his new leg is still not his real leg.

I do think there is room for criticism in the sense that Agents of Shield didn't show this on screen. In fairness, perhaps they thought in showing Coulson and Yoyo previously struggling with their prosthetics, they thought maybe it would be enough since season 7 was already crammed. I do think they should've given us at least a little something though. But still: it didn't erase Coulson or Yoyo's disabilities, so it wouldn't erase Sousa's either.

Technological advances: With all the technological advances of the Marvel world and all of Fitzsimmons' inventions, giving Sousa a high tech prosthetic is completely within reason. It isn't like the Agents of Shield writers magically pulled special technology out of nowhere to specifically "erase" his disability, there was already a precendent set with Coulson and Yoyo (and Bucky Barnes). And also LMDs. Even Daisy's gaunlets are prosthetics in a way, since they keep her bones from breaking when she quakes.

If they'd retconned his missing leg or used some kind of hand-wavy magic to get it back, then yeah I could see the argument. But that's not what happened.

Real world technological advancements are catching up too: there are already prosthetics in development that use the electrical impulses of the brain to move the prosthetic limb and allow the person to feel sensations! There are also battery powered mechnical ones. Should real amputees be barred from using these because it "erases" their struggle? No. (btw I am not aiming this at you anon, this is me speaking in general! <3)

Sousa's wish to walk again is in character: Sousa expressed in episode 2x08 of Agent Carter: "I know desperation. You know what I'd give to be able to walk again? A lot." He even uses the word "desperate." This is fulfilling a character trait he had in Agent Carter. It didn't come from Agents of Shield. He wants to be able to walk and is accepting of the prosthetic.

It grants him more freedom of movement and less pain: Especially considering they were in the middle of a dangerous mission, giving him more movement and less pain to hinder him is extremely helpful. And in general, why shouldn't he be able to use something that helps him be in less pain and do more every day? No one should be forced to struggle just to prove they're disabled! (Again not directed at you anon, in general <3)

Anyway, my brain is turning a bit mushy, but I hope this helps you anon! <333

Neil Josten’s adventures in Exy as an (unwilling) Amputee (PT2)

We’re back and wondering how the rest of the first book goes. I’ve changed it so that the foxes do know Neil is an amputee, and Seth is a dick about it

Also just want to point out I’ve been doing research on Amputees just to make sure I can represent amputee!Neil as accurately as possible. If I got something wrong, please let me know. Im trying to show with this AU how sometimes, physically disabled people are treated differently and how that can be a bad thing (Most of it happens in the beginning of the series, especially during Kathy’s talk show) Like I said though, I want to hear your feedback on it all.

Neil forgot how much he enjoyed running until he tested out his blade, he was fast, fast, and the thing moved like his leg was still there

Being fast, though, didn’t stop Kevin from tearing his confidence apart every practice

So summer practice is about to start up, which means Neil’s physical happens, and it goes a little something like this: Abby tells him she has to check his leg to make sure the stump is okay, check for track marks and thats it.  Neil is not happy and predicts the horrified expression Abby makes at the knotted burn scars and healed hacks that surrounded the stump. “Neil this isn’t a car crash scar-”

“Shut the fuck up.” 

Abby hurries through the rest of the physical and Neil is out of there as fast as he can be

The foxes are friendly enough, a couple asking about how to practice on his new leg is, but most just ignore it. 

Except Seth because of course. “Great, now we have two cripples on our team. Fan-fucking-tastic!” 

Seth ran over five miles their first practice back

AND WE CANT FORGET THE BEST SCENE IN BOOK ONE

“Put your pet monster on a leash or I will.” “A broken cripple like you?”“Fuck you, you crippled, dead weight has been” 

Disabled on Disabled violence now happens often on court. The other members have a drinking game where they have to take a shot everytime Neil or Kevin refer to each other as a ‘cripple’

And then the crew goes out to Colmbia

As soon as Neil cant stand straight from the dust, andrew yanks off Neil’s leg to keep him from running and shoves him into the crowd with Nicky. Neil has no choice but to hold on. 

He wakes up with his prosthetic missing in an unfamiliar bed, Nicky at his side and being absolutely terrified. He can’t exactly run and his mom isn’t there to carry him away. They don’t give him back his leg until he says he cant shower without his leg right there when hes done

Now imagine you’re walking past the house, this is what you see: A prosthetic leg flies out the window and lands in the bushes, following is a short and desperate man missing a leg who tumbles out behind it. Just ignore him and walk away

Neil tries not to think about it but he really hopes no one took the slip off of his stump

also this conversation happens: “I took a different route””What’s you do, run here?””walked, luckily. They stole my leg for a bit and I planned on just hitchhiking the whole way if I didn’t get it back”

Wymack gives Neil permission to bash anyones head in if they touch his leg. Neil knew he didn’t need permission but the idea was nice

When Andrew gets Neil’s first truth, Neil does tell Andrew that it wasn’t a car accident that took his leg. That he blamed on his father, who got cocky and the Moriyamas retaliated with a surprise amputation 

leading up to their first game neil learns a lot about his leg, as does the team

Like if Neil angles his leg just right he can hook the curve of his blade behind the knees of anyone trying to bodycheck him and send them flying. Matt and him found that out the hard way when they body-checked each other during a scrimmage and Matt faceplanted into the floor

Or that if Neil pushed off on his blade runner he got a couple extra inches on players like Seth jumping for the ball

That didn’t mean he wasn’t a nervous wreck when the first game of the season came, and the ERC dropped the bombshell that was Neil Josten, striker for the Foxes and first college-level Exy player to be sporting a prosthetic leg 

And that night when Kevin dragged him out onto the inner court that night, telling Neil not to waste their time, Neil refused to believe that any of the the screams of “hero” and “inspiration” were for him

Neil winced at the noise of the crowd as he stepped up to swap Seth. If they thought that Neil’s leg would somehow save their asses, they would be sorely mistaken

The Jackels threw creative insults at him as they prepared to restart the game. “A National cripple and an amateur cripple, I think old Wymack’s finally gone senile.” 

The entire stadium’s energy was not like that of any other game, not even a Ravens game.  Even the referees were more tuned in than Neil had ever seen, half the stadium’s eyes on him to see what he could do with one leg and what tricks he may have that would get him carded

Neil was doing good, his leg giving him the freedom he needed in a game so intense. He recovered faster after bodychecks and was able to jump and run like he used to. Neil had gotten so used to his leg being a bother, and now it was as if he’d never lost it in the first place

Neil made two goals that night, and thought he knew it was bad, that he wasn’t what the crowd had expected, he made two fucking goals that night with one functioning leg

He wouldn’t call the feeling in his chest pride, he wasn’t proud of their score or himself, but he was content that he could hold his own on a college Exy court

Neil could trust his aching stump of a leg to get him through the season

And then came Kathy’s talk show

The bus ride was fine, Neil had put on his day leg instead of the blade runner but still wished to have the thing nearby. He could escape on it, he trusted it more than his own teammates at that point

Kathy greeted Kevin warmly but had no hesitation in turning her hungry eyes on Neil and eyeing his right leg

“Neil Josten, the walking miracle himself-” Neil inwardly growled, he hated that word-” Did you hear the news, as of last night your name is the highest searched for NCAA Exy Strikers! That beats even Kevin and Riko out! I guess people want to know how someone is able to stand on the court despite his disadvantages!” Neil did not like her at all

And then Neil found out he was going to be on the show and felt like throwing up. All anyone wanted to know would be about his leg, and if someone dug deep enough they could possibly find ends that didn’t match quite right

Unfortunately Neil couldn’t afford to have Kevin dump him like an ex  so he was forced to agree

Neil decided he was gonna kill Kathy when he wiggled into his pants and realized just how much of his leg the pants showed

Like a new toy the entire nation was eager to get their hands on

Eventually, Neil forced out the question stuck between his lungs “Why’d you tell the ERC I would make court?” 

“Because you will-” Neil’s vision cut out for a sec when it hit him Kevin genuinely believed he would make it to Court. 

“I’m a cripple.” He tried, and Kevin only raised his battered hand in response. 

“And yet we’re still playing.” “We have nothing else.” Kevin changed the topic after that

It seemed like only seconds passed before he was listening to them talk about him

Kathy: Let’s talk about Neil Josten for a moment, shall we? 

Kevin: Of Course

Kathy: You really know how to stir up trouble here, don’t you? What were you thinking about recruiting someone as fresh, and excuse my bluntness, not quite as able-bodied as him? 

Kevin: Neil is the exact thing the Foxes need right now. His experience is inconsequential, as is his missing leg. Out of the hundred files we went through, he is the only one we approached after Janie. We knew it didn’t matter if he was an amputee or not, he plays well and that is what matters. 

Kathy: You took a huge risk to get him all this way. You didn’t tell the ERC anything about him, his condition, or even his name

Kevin: Let me put it this way: Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. I mean no offense by that, but let’s be honest. Sixteen people are assigned to the ERC and none of them is a coach of a fiercely competitive team. Even gossip shared in confidence can get out and destroy a man’s life.

Kathy: Even if he’s physically disabled, don’t you think they needed to know about that? 

Kevin: (laughs) Last year, I would have been considered disabled, but yet here I am. I mean what I said, we all saw last night, he’s like any other member of an Exy team. If he couldn’t keep up, we wouldn’t have selected him. He’s just another Exy player at this point.

Kathy: Such impressive work and effort you’ve put into him, I can’t wait to see what you make of him.

And then Neil was onstage with bright lights and camera’s in his face and an uncomfortable pit of nerves in his stomach

Kathy: Isn’t this an interesting picture? Kevin is not only paired again but with someone taking the first steps, well, step, into uncharted Exy territory. I’m not exaggerating when I say you’re the talk of the nation. An amateur who caught the eye of a national champion while only playing on one leg. Kinda sounds like a fairytale, hm? How does it feel?

The entire show seemed to keep coming back to his leg and it was honestly pissing him off

Neil: Undeserved. I gave Millport everything I had because it was my last chance. Kevin was the last person I expected to see in Arizona.

Kathy: Lucky for us he found you and looked past your leg. You have a natural talent for the game, it’s a pity you started so late. Imagine where’d you be if you started a couple years ago. Maybe Edgar Allen or USC would have beat Kevin to it. Why wait so long to start?

Neil: I never considered doing a sport before, but tried out in Millport because I figured, why not? I was new and wanted to meet more people, and wanted to do more than being regaled to the sidelines as a cripple, I had no idea I would end up here. 

(he really hopes she got the message there)(or that his last comment would shift her attention away from him)

Kathy: If it bothers you I can take your spot, I wouldn’t mind cozying up to Kevin.

Kevin: Would you really come between two strikers?

Kathy: Is it possible? It’s no secret there was hostility between you and the Foxes’ strikers last year. You and Seth made that clear last night. But that doesn’t seem to be the case between you two.

Kevin: Seth graduates in May, there’s not a need to rehabilitate or change his style to mine. Neil is just starting out, we have all the time in the world.

Kathy: That implies you see this as a permanent gig. Do you really have no intention to return to Edgar Allen? 

Kevin: (beat) I would like to stay as long as Coach Wymack will have me. 

The talk show goes on as normal like in the book, Kathy toning down her comments directed at Neil and his leg in favor of digging the gossip out of Kevin

And then the crowd starts chanting, and Riko is there and Neil is praying to whatever God is in the sky that his leg is enough to keep recognition out of his eyes PART ONE || PART TWO ||PART THREE|| PART FOUR 

Look at my boy!!!

He!!!!

For those unfamiliar, a bit of background:

I stumbled upon the headcanon that Lloyd Garmadon is an amputee a while back, and have since adopted it as my own. Lloyd canonically lost his arm in the movie (it got put back though (because legos)), but this theory suggests that when Lloyd broke his arm in season 8 he damaged it enough that he later had to get it amputated. He fell out of the sky and broke his arm then was lost in a forest for a day or two. I think it’s reasonably plausible that it either got infected or that the wound was exasperated by his battle with Harumi. Considering everything that went on after, it’s safe to assume he didn’t get medical attention for a while, and that by the time he did, the damage was done.

This headcanon primarily finds itself in Lloyd consistently having an alternate pattern, color, or texture on his right sleeve in later seasons which some have interpreted as a prosthetic. This is most likely not intentional on the creator’s part (especially considering the ninja all have asymmetric sleeve designs at one point or another) but it makes sense and it’s fun.

I also think it adds a lot to his trauma surrounding Harumi’s betrayal if he lost his arm protecting her. Lloyd’s always been a forgiving person and it makes sense that he’d latch a lot of his resentment and hurt onto her if she not only betrayed his trust, but also left him with a physical wound that would last. His disposition was irrevocably changed after Harumi’s manipulation and I think him having a constant physical reminder of the pain would add a lot of depth to his lingering anger and hurt.

My personal headcanon is that he started off using a prosthetic that matched his skin tone. He was never really ashamed of it, he’s always known he and his friends were in danger. He was more upset about how it happened than that it happened. Still, he got hurt protecting someone that he cared about. He ended up losing his arm because of it but Lloyd’s always been ready and willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. With his friends’ support he bounces back pretty quick. His first prosthetic is pretty stealth, he’s not ashamed of it, but he doesn’t exactly want to advertise his weaknesses. After some time passes, though, Lloyd decides he’s not gonna be able to keep it quiet for much longer and having an openly disabled protector for people to see themselves in is more important. Bouncing off of the energy and support from fans and the disability community alike, Lloyd becomes more comfortable in his own skin and begins to try out the more showy and customized prosthetics his friends (mainly Nya and Pixal) have made for him. He soon comes to enjoy wearing his prosthetic over his gi and even cuts a whole is his sleeve to allow greater movement (and keep it from getting caught in the fabric but shhh).

But yeah. Proudly disabled Lloyd Garmadon my beloved

Pet Fic: Lucky, Alpine, and More

It's dogs. And cats. And the occasional ferret. Come on, of course we love them! This sampler offers a variety of animal-centric fics: in some, pets and animals are what bring Clint and Bucky together; in others, they serve as key components to helping Clint and Bucky figure things out; in one, we get some of Lucky's actual POV. Animals act as therapists, as cockblocks, as the absolute best pillows. This is a (literal) fluff, humor, and pizza dog filled theme, but don't be too surprised when some of these furry facades are actually vehicles for processing complex winterhawk themes like trauma, PTSD, and figuring out how to be human.

Space to Run, Space to Hide by: @ialwayscomewhenyoucall length: 1.1k | rating: T | tags: free verse poetry, barton farm, fluff, avoidance, podfic available, shifting POVs summary excerpt: Clint is spending some time at his farm. Not because he's running away. Nope. Not at all. He just missed the farm. Why this one? In this incredibly beautiful, sweet, and lyrical fic, the author utilizes Lucky's POV to help capture a classic example of Clint's emotional avoidance. bonus: podfic by @flowerparrish

Rescue Me by: NotEvenCloseToStraight length: 25k | rating: M | tags: PTSD, depression, service animals, misunderstandings, amputee!Bucky, Deaf!Clint, h/c, no powers au summary excerpt: Still struggling with PTSD and nightmares a year after leaving the Army, Bucky goes to a shelter to find a therapy dog. He finds companionship in Beef the Pitbull, a purpose in volunteering on weekends, and when the dog trainer starts smiling his way, Bucky finds something else that feels a little like love. Why this one? This heart-wrenching fic situates a post-military service Bucky struggling to find a new normal alongside a disaster human/pet-trainer Clint. C&B's journey to recovery in this fic is realistic, rife with struggles and mistakes, and filled with enough feels to make you want to rush to hug the nearest animal you can find.

Through the Streets of Long Gone Dreams by: Rivulet027 length: 11k | rating: T | tags: canon-adjacent, Bucky Barnes recovering, mutual pining, bed sharing, Lucky as the best bed buddy summary: Bucky’s having trouble sleeping until Lucky decides to adopt him. Now Bucky isn’t sure if he’s sleeping better because of a dog or the archer that comes with the dog. Why this one? This one feels like a more classic Bucky recovery story, in that the setting is the tower, and there are PTSD and nightmare themes throughout. Lucky here helps push Clint and Bucky together and helps Bucky ground and find himself. bonus: art by prompt_fills

A Christmas Miracle: Getting Lucky by: Lissadiane length: 11k | rating: T | tags: veterinarian!Bucky, performer!Clint, temporary animal injury, fluff, holidays, no powers au summary excerpt: Clint Barton’s absolute worst nightmare comes true on a snowy highway in the middle of Colorado on a cross country drive — he hits a dog. It’s just his luck that the only vet he can find hates people — especially those who hurt dogs — and happens to look amazing in a pair of kitten scrubs. Why this one? A sheepishly adorable Clint, an adorably grouchy Bucky, and the cutest Lucky in a pair of reindeer antlers to ever attend a holiday festival make for the most fluff-and-feels-filled fic, possibly ever. A dash of misunderstanding, a sprinkle of enemies-to-lovers, and you're in for a fic streaming from the hallmark channel straight to your ao3 account.

Lucky in Love by: @drgrlfriend length: 59k | rating: E | tags: no powers au, mutual recovery, PTSD, depression, veteran!Bucky, h/c, roommates, pining, touch-starved, canon disabilities summary excerpt: Clint is only a couple of sips into his cardboard cup of coffee, his brain barely out of neutral, which is probably why it takes him so long to realize that some damn psycho is trying to kidnap his dog. Why this one? This classic au blends a variety of canon and fandom favorite tropes in a beautiful story of mutual recovery. Lucky brings Clint and Bucky together in a disaster of a meet-cute, and is there to support them through every nightmare, every flashback, and every shaky and sweet step towards trust and healing. bonus: art by @drizzledrawings

The next nine fluff-filled fics are sorted in descending order by length.

Look What The Cat Dragged In by: @flawedamythyst length: 22k | rating: G | tags: Bucky Barnes Recovering, Lucky, Alpine, co-raising a cat with the Winter Soldier

Making Me a Habit by: @kangofu-cb length: 20k | rating: T | tags: war vet! Bucky, Clint owns an animal shelter, no powers au, PTSD, kittens, + 1 ferret, bonus: art by @soapyquartz and art by CountessofLovelace and art by noxnthea

Barking Mad by: @xria-rose length: 4k | rating: T | tags: magic, pre-relationship, established stony, Steve and Tony are turned into a dog and cat

Ready to Hear it by: @noxnthea length: 3.7k | rating: T | tags: feelings realization, love confessions, Clint treating Lucky like his therapist

How to Prevent Sugar Bloom by: @tawryn length: 3.7k | rating: E | tags: flipped A/B/O, humor, dog park meet cute/disaster, STEVE IS A LITERAL DOG

Winter Puppy by: @pherryt length: 3.5k | rating: G | tags: werewolves, towerfic, Clint wants a dog so bad he's willing to believe the random wolf in the tower is one

Modern Drift by: @claraxbarton length: 2k | rating: T | tags: alpine, no powers au, Nurse!Bucky, pre-relationship, covid, best cat dad Bucky

Five Facts You Need to Know About Clint and Bucky by: @skylarkevanson length: 1.8k | rating: G | tags: domestic fluff, one fact is=Clint is the type of man who stops in the street to pet every dog

it's got to be you(r cat) by: atheoryon length: 1k | rating: G | tags: no powers au, firefighter! Bucky, meet-cute, alpine is not stuck on a fire escape

What other animal or pet related fics would you include? reblog or add in the comments for your fellow readers!

Find other themed winterhawk samplers here. Suggest fics for us to include on future lists here!

gundam: the witch from mercury cour 2 ep 2/ep 14, spoilers ahead!

okay okay i did make a post freaking out about this episode, but i'm a bit normal again. if you haven't watched the prequel episode, i highly recommend doing that! my personal watch order was watching gwitch ep 1 season 1 and then doing the prequel, it made for a really cool experience and gave me much to think about and OH BOY ep 2 has me THINKING HARD.

we get more of prospera's evil schemes... is it evil? she wants to end all war... by the end of the ep... YEAH it's fucking evil lol.

i am so glad that the earth students aren't just being tossed aside for the main plot, they are being included as a part of the stakes. nika's involvement with shaddiq's plans and them all having personalities, it's so nice to see! martin is becoming more and more upset with nika and nika we are seeing both a bit of nika's backstory as well as her personal wants and dreams beyond the mask that she has put up for everyone. her story about her being in extreme poverty and working on machines and being really happy about being able to go to school, if viewers haven't picked up on war is bad themes yet... this episode for sure solidifies so much. even still, she wanted to bare the burden of everything after realizing how bad everything was turning out to be. even still, she didn't want her fellow earthians getting involved and wants them and suletta to have a normal school life... but nika is just a kid too 😭🥺

also lol...elan is so annoying oh my god.. i know he is like desperate to live, but damn lol 😭

also just a side note but lilique is so cute!! she's very sweet and was just trying to share goat milk with space ppl, they did not have to be so disgusted with it!! also one thing i appreciate is that there are characters with a variety of bodies. lilique is a plus size teenage girl and she even had normal teen boy troubles in season 1 when things were more normal... <3

okay onto the rumble ring: um another side note but lauda having a moment with petra while that other girl is like HUH...dat cold hearted boy is capable of having feelings?

anyway,.. the emotional beats of the rumble ring happening with like all of the pilots personal goals and thoughts coming together on a "mock" battle field while belmeria confront prospera is so chef's kiss. like ugh so much is happening and then chuchu in her usual anger at the elite/spacians is about to blast them in her machine, but it thwarted by flashbacks from the plant quetta incident... i really think that plant quetta is such a major turning point for all of the earthians. they have had to suffer the most already, and now they realities of war are starting to sink in. i'm also just assuming that chuchu's rage is mostly from experiencing the prejudice and aftermath of war as well as wealth inequality and being raised by her 9 dads who are amputees or disabled in other ways from warfare, but she herself has never experienced it first hand until plant quetta. all these earth kids are being haunted by the consequences of imperial and capitalist violence and they are the ones who must endure the most. it's such a noteworthy moment for me in this episode, especially after sophie and norea make their appearance and nearly kill lauda. chu, even after everything knows the reality of war violence and moves to protect them because she doesn't want to see anymore people die.

but chu isn't the only one in the aftermath of war, that's all of the earthians, including sophie and norea... when sophie gives her mini monologue about the things she wants, the things she will kill for "meals big enough to fill my stomach, a fluffy bed to sleep on, warm showers, [...] and also.. a family who will always love me" despite the killing, you can't help but feel for them too, they also took on the "GUNDAM curse" to pilot killing machines to hopefully change their lives. and they fully believe in what they're doing because they have no other choice. the fate of the witches from earth is tragic because children fighting wars in machines that kill them is tragic.

new elan clone doesn't want to die, so he is also fighting for his life, nika has been kidnapped, suletta is starting to realize the weight of taking a life. sophie and norea... i shan't go on... there is so much happening and at the centre of it all is prospera and truth about eri samaya... "creating a world where eri will be happy" AAAHHHHHH

any way i'm going to become a villain now 🚬🐀😭 we're really in it for real now... earth students PLS survive!!

More

Charlie Weasley X Long Shouren

Warning: Fluff, talks of burns, talks of missing body parts, disabilities, crude humor

“Thanks for taking over for me.” The ginger would sigh, as he snuck out from behind Hagrids hut. The class having been dismissed, as it was the first day. The orphaned Opal eye would give a curious head tilt at the new face. A test sniff was given, before it was seemingly enchanted. Charging over, only for the man to scoop it up. Drowning the blue dragon in kisses, as the Dragon Professor gave a fond smile. Watching the freckled face pepper the baby in affection. Charlie Weasley. Quite the man. A myth, a legend, a friend. He owed him one, as the other man saved his hide when he had a incident long ago. The dragon he was watching had escaped, and nearly attacked a muggle village. Charlie was his hero, so now he would be his. “It is no trouble at all. Family is very important to you, after all.” The amputee would admit, as he came closer. His human hand coming to gently stroke the Dragons head. A few chirps left the baby, as it snuggled under the chin of the freckled fiend. Enjoying the texture of the slowly growing stumble. Blending in with his tanned, burnt, flesh. “You deserve to catch up with your siblings. How rare it is for you to even be on this side of the globe. You go and spend time with them. Especially George.” He would nod, as big brown eyes would look over to him. The burnt ends of his hair brushed aside, as he tossed his braid behind him as well. “Hey, you are here to.” He hip bumped, making the taller man roll his eyes. Such contrast they were. Ginger, deep reds and blacks, a smile that could melt snow. Salt and pepper, greens, and a gentle expression to calm the most dangerous of beasts. Despite such contrast, they were so similar anyway. Long hair, wounded complexions, hearts made to love. That’s what made them work. The contrast, yet deep connections. Just the two of them, standing together, as the Opal eye slept. Curled up in the Weasley’s arms, as the poor thing started to naw at Shouren’s hand. Fake one, luckily. “Poor thing is teething-“ Shouren sighed. “I’m not nursing him, you do it-“ Charlie teases, as he watched the dragon threaten to tear his fake arm off. “Assistance, please-“ Shouren would gently ask, as Charlie came to save the day again. Able to gently stroke the dragons neck, and caused the beast to release his hand. Now having bite marks in the metal. His normal fingers would feel it over, as Charlie watched. “Guess there are some perks to that thing. Still has to suck. Was hard as hell when George lost his ear. Can’t imagine a whole ass arm.” Charlie admits, as the Asian nodded. “It’s been hard. Painful especially. The phantom pain has kept me up.” He admits, as he could still feel the dragons breath on a arm that doesn’t exist. How the flesh melted away so fast, he hardly had time to register the nerves were gone. Happened so fast. He didn’t even realized he zoned out, until a hand was on his back. Charlie may not understand the pain, but he has had someone suffer a lost of ability regardless. He sure can try, which is better than most people. A tired smile was given, as the Opal eye was resting on his hip. As if a child. Shouren found it comical, and oddly cute. “Come on. Give him here, while you go and see your brother. No one will ever know you are here. I promise.” Shouren reassured, as the trade off was given. “I owe you one, I mean it.” He said, as he made sure he had all his things. Wand was strapped, as the two would make eye contact. Charlie now having his turn at the cute sight. How the Opal eye was a cuddle bug. “You are the best.” Charlie winked, before he snapped out of existence. “I think someone’s being a bit modest.” He chuckled to himself, as he would gently stroke the Dragons head. Humming as he did so. Able to have the comforting thought that his fellow Dragonologist was able to spend time with his family. Something rare, with a job like theirs. He would do it again and again and again. Lie a million times for that man. If only he learned to stop lying to himself, and accept that maybe they were more than just work collages. More than friend. Simply just more.

Ok but having your tongue removed because someone didn't like what you had to say is a genuinely terrifying concept, both the act itself and the aftermath. The perspective of someone in that situation could be nothing but a bone chilling horror story, and I can't imagine what it would do to your psyche. Like I know Sean is a magical functionally immortal personification of the concept of the nation/people/landmass of Ireland/Éire and it turned out to not be permanent in his case but like... that actually opens up the even MORE horrifying possibility that he was in that state for FAR longer than a human would have had to endure it and there was literally no escape, up to and including death. Knowing there isn't really anything he can do except hope that his superhuman regenerative abilities, which are incredibly unpredictable and basically impossible for anyone to fully understand, don't let him suffer forever.

Eventually he'd forget what food is supposed to taste like, maybe even the sound of his own voice...

You've presented me with a uniquely horrifying situation and I am obsessed, Steven King could never.

I love horror so much, aye. And body horror especially can be chilling.

Losing your tongue also means that you can't swallow properly so if I may, please consider: he would choke, it would hurt, and for the worst of it he is alone.

You are very right that the fact that it might be permanent would shake him to his core. I think we don't often touch on that when we talk about things beyond permanent scarring. I have a WWI AU where Alasdair becomes an amputee permanently but even that is a one off where in most AUs I think I've been remiss of permanent disability in favour of aye focusing of regenerative abilities and how that in itself is a kind of body horror. Growing out tissue and past injury must be excruciating, and how would things like phantom limb pains affect personifications when the limb in question does grow back. Lots of areas to explore! All of them interesting and compelling in their own right. Historically what happens to bodies determined society and progress as much, if not more, than any other phenomenon.

Given that getting paralyzed in the Volume 7 finale was one of the most interesting things to happen to the character, I'll never not be disappointed that Winter regained the use of her legs in the Volume 9 epilogue.

Especially given that this means that Winter's disability was tied SPECIFICALLY to her time as an antagonist, meaning we have another example of the Atlas Arc tying physical disability to moral failure.

As dehumanizing as Winter casting off her mobility aid to literal rise above an amputee was, at the very least she was STILL paralyzed from the waist down.

Imagine if Yang's arm just grew back in the Volume 9 finale, and you'll understand why this is so disappointing from a writing perspective.

Sorry to bother you, but what was it like deciding to amputate your legs? Unfortunately it's come up as an option for me, as other long term solutions aren't viable, and Idk how to feel about it, scary as hell tbh.

You're not being a bother at all!

Full disclosure, my case was a little bit different. I had both my legs amputated below the knee what I was a year old, the circumstances there didn't allow my parents a lot of time to think about it (and well, I was a baby, I wasn't doing much thinking about anything lol). I did opt to have my right knee amputated in my 20's but I had already been living as an amputee for my whole life, so I knew more about what to expect going in which stopped a lot of the anxieties most folks experience.

In saying all that, I used to work with a lot of new amputees as a kind of mentor and feeling scared is perfectly normal. It's a big decision. If it does turn out amputation is the best option for you, just know there's support out there to help you through it. In Australia, each state has an amputee association, and I'm fairly certain this is true for The US and UK too. Id recommend seeing if there's one near you and getting in contact with them, even before your amputation. often times they have mentorship programs available where you can be introduced to someone with a similar type of amputation to what you're expecting to get and they can kind of help guide you through it - or at the very least, be someone to talk to who knows what you're dealing with. Alternatively, a lot of organisations have events like meet-and-greets where you can meet others so you can get a better idea of what to expect going into all this. If you don't have anything like an amputee association specifically, look for a disability sporting organisation. Even if you aren't a sporty person, they usually have a LOT of connections and can help you get into contact with other similar support services/organisations.

I will also say, while its important to listen to your doctor and surgeon(s) for medical advice, when it comes to telling you what life as an amputee will be like, they...kind of suck lol. Doctors, especially the surgeons, only see their patients when something is wrong (or has just stopped going wrong), but there's more to life than what they see. Listen to what they say, but when it comes to "quality of life" type stuff, take it with a big grain of salt.

Things might be hard when it first happens, but I promise, it will get easier.

If there's anything more specific you want to know, please don't hesitate to ask and I'll try my best to help out if I can! You got this ❤️