#Paralympic

[cy-cyborg]

So, there's a lot I want to say about the paralypics, but every time I try I just... can't articulate what I want to say without it turning into a monster of a post that puts my writing advice posts to shame lol. This includes in response to the anonymous asks I got on the topic btw. So I'm going to try and summarise my thoughts here.

As someone who was working towards the Rio paralympics - who was basically one of the people they were actively training to be the next paralympians and who got to go if their choice first athletes had to drop out, the Olympics and paralympics are a... touchy subject for me. I loved playing. I loved my sport. I loved the people I played with. I loved the people I played against. But the way the public and people in power treats disabled athletes sucks. It Really really sucks. and it hurts to talk about.

The vast, vast majority of us aren't paid. We are expected to train at the same intensity as the Olympians with none of the breaks and none of the support to do so, resulting in injuries that are disabling in and of themselves, while juggling normal jobs. many of the paralympians are also in school or at university as well. both schools and jobs see these elite athletes as dedicated hobbiests at best.

I had a friend who were fired from their job because they were denied time off to compete at the paralypics and well, if i had to choose between the paralympics or stay at a shit job paying minimum wage, I know which one I'd pick, and so she didnt have a job when she came back. I have friends who are still in the closet because their sponsors would drop them if they came out as gay, who ended years-long relationships to keep the funding that allowed them and their teams to compete - funding that just covered the costs of travel by the way. They never saw a cent of it themselves, but it was the difference between us having to pay $50 each for our plane tickets and accommodation and having to pay $2,000Aud + for every away game. I have friends who were supposed to go to Tokeyo but were kicked off the teams weeks before the games because of a rule change that decided they weren't disabled enough anymore, wasting years of work with absolutely no warning. They weren't even given the decency of an appology from the people who made the call. Several went through terrifying mental health spirals over it. It was their life's work, gone. I saw so many friends just give up because their disabilities were "too hard to classify" into the International Paralympic Commity's boxes and who were made to feel they weren't welcome by the system spouting off about its diversity and inclusion and empowerment of disabled people.

And then with all that, the best we can hope for is for the social media teams to turn us into a joke for ableds to laugh at or into inspiration porn to make them feel good about themselves - because at least theyre not us. Because obviously, there are no other options in how to show us/sarcasm.

My phone doesn't even have "paralympics" as a recognised word. I have a Samsung. The company that is currently at the paralympics using them as a marketing opertunity. We aren't even recognised as a word in the phones made by the company that is currently using the paralympics as a marketing opportunity. The phones they're giving the athletes won't even recognise the name of the event that they got it at. If I've spelt it wrong, it's because it autocorrects it every time I try to spell it right, and im dyslexic and can't see the difference until I stare at it for a minute or so.

I just... this isn't even scratching the surface of my thoughts. But I wanted to say at least some of it. It will be the last I'm going to talk about it, at least until the event is over.

[iventig]

BEHOLD

THE OLYMPIC NAZGÛL ON HIS WAY TO THE FIRE

A FRENCH ASSASSIN

AND THE BURNING FAKE PIANO

OLYMPICS OF THE GAY,BEGIN!

It was a great show though.

[cemeterygrace]

snoop dogg lady gaga peyton manning celine dion these were not people i was expecting to see at the olympics what is this a crossover episode

[waffles-my-beloved]

the crows as olympic athletes

kaz

hear me out — table tennis

he'd definitely be one of the more precise players

nicknamed "dirtyhands" for his use of unconventional techniques and trolling his opponents with snake shots and hidden spin

his role models include natalia partyka and ma long

like partyka, he competes in both the olympics and paralympics (classification 9)

inej

i think the obvious choice is artistic gymnastics; she'd be absolutely unbeatable in beam with her amazing balance

her fans have started calling her "the wraith", alluding to the way she twists through the air with unbelievable grace and strength

her biggest rival, dunyasha lazareva, is one of the only gymnasts who can match her in skill

jesper

skeet shooting

ithink the variability of the sport would definitely be something jesper prefers over something like air rifle/pistol

he's a star in the sport shooting world and made his olympic debut at 17 after switching sport from equestrian

(he met wylan at the riding club and the rest is history)

wylan

modern pentathlon

there was a brief scandal with his father and former pentathlete which put him in the public eye, but now he's famous only for his performance in the modern pentathlon

he first appeared at the youth olympic games where he claimed gold by a large margin

now at his first olympic games all eyes are on him as the favourite to win

nina

at tokyo 2020 she's just a random competitor in judo, unknown to most of the world — and then suddenly she shocks the entire world with a gold medal that almost looked easy

now everyone knows not to underestimate her, as she looks to defend her olympic title

matthias

i mean, he's made out of pure muscle, so is it really a surprise to see matthias in olympic wrestling?

he has made a name for himself as six feet and four inches of pure strength and power

he makes the team for the second time, up against competitors like jarl brum, three time olympic gold medallist

[zoeyserpentluck]

I need them to bring the masked torchbearer back for the Paralympics opening ceremony

[l0n4t1csfan65]

cursed phryge images

[sw1tchbackli]

A very moving commercial by El Al Airlines reassuring that Israel 🇮🇱 and its athletes are never alone, as they gear up for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. Am Yisroel Chai 👍🏻

[silver-linings3]

i'm curious because i really like watching the winter olympics but not so much the others, so i want to see what other people prefer.

if you have any particular reason for your choice, feel free to say :))

[the-fandomgremlin]

I hope everyone will have the same energy for the Paralympics as you had with the Olympics.

[ashleyrowanthewriter]

Worries for the Future - Life and Times of Ashley the Crow (Crow HRT 2)

Previous/Next

*************

That day Arja visited me for a study date since we had some exams to retake. Nothing we shouldn’t handle. In fact we had to study history, which I would always get into once I started digging really deep. But this time it was obvious that I was not concentrating as much as I could. And Arja really noticed that I wasn’t in the best mood.

“What is going on, birdie?” Arja asked me.

“There’s just a lot on my mind,” I said. “I’m worried about our future. Whenever I read the news I feel like our progress is regressing.”

“What do you mean?” asked Arja.

“I just want people not to look down on us,” I said. “But there has been so much stuff going on recently. You know that scammer pretending to be a monkey recently?”

“Yeah, that was a strange story,” said Arja.

“But wouldn’t it have unforeseen consequences? Our country is already so otherkinphobic that somebody might see it as the last straw.”

“Maybe, but I bet people will forget it soon,” said Arja. “That’s just our little zeitgeist.”

“And have you heard about that scandal with that boxer at the World Pet Fair?” I asked about one more story.

“But she isn’t even otherkin,” said Arja.

“Exactly,” I said. “And if she isn’t then why people won’t even try to find out what dog they are protesting against?”

“Some people just don’t touch grass,” Arja said.

“I don’t think it’s even possible to encourage them to,” I said, sighing.

“I guess we should just focus on the positive, huh?” said Arja.

I tried finding a story I could mention that seemed fitting.

“Hey, there actually is an otherkin tortoise in the World Parapet Fair!” I remembered.

We both celebrated the revelation. But then I relapsed back into doomthoughts.

“I don't know whether I should cheer for her or against,” I said. “I want people to understand that at some point the difference disappears. And for that to happen we need to show that we are playing on equal footing. And does that mean we should just constantly lose?”

“Birdie…,” Arja tried to stop my rambling.

“It just feels rotten that this whole thing revolves so much around gambling and trying to keep things fair so that bets would be interesting…,” I continued.

“Birdie, what did you promise yourself recently?” Arja said suddenly.

I knew exactly what promise Arja was talking about. “That I shall stop worrying about stuff I can’t change with my voting rights.”

“People are always gonna get angry about sports,” said Arja. “About everything. Just enjoy the show and root for your favorites!”

“You know what? You may be right!” I said. “I am gonna root for the tutel!”

“Heck yeah! We’re gonna root for the tutel!” said Arja. “Anything else on your mind?”

There was one more thing worrying me. But that was a bit personal and I didn’t think it was worth sharing.

“Um… Yes, but… This is going to be a little bit silly…,” I said.

“That’s fine, go on,” said Arja.

“Well… There’s that remake of The Raven coming to the cinemas soon,” I said. “The original was kind of my egg cracker and I just really want the remake to be good. But the vox populi is already calling it bird crap.”

“Yeah, that was silly,” said Arja. “I guess there’s only one way to find out if people are right and that is to wait.”

“Hey, you wouldn’t want to get a bad sequel to How to Raise a Dragon, would you?” I noted how Arja might find herself in a situation similar to mine.

Arja opened her eyes more wide than I’d ever suspect her dragon body would let her. “True,” she said and we both laughed.

Maybe laughter is the best weapon against bad news from the world?

*************

Yeah, the recent stuff around the Olympics made me worried. Same with that remake of The Crow. But I guess sports and movies are about enjoying the show. So yeah, remember to cheer for Valentina Petrillo in the 400m T12 run!

[monachopsis-11]

I’m so excited for the start of the Paralympics but with the constant inspirational ads and stuff coming out I just want to remind everyone that disabled people who can’t exercise or get out of bed or complete daily tasks are just as valid as disabled people who compete in worldwide sporting competitions. Disability is so diverse and every version is valid.

[theivorlegov1]

Nikolai by josh.beck22

[iventig]

…it's A NAZGUL!

Srl though, we just watched the opening ceremony of the olympics and my Father just spent at least half a hour talking about tHIS!?

[nem4mp0jma]

Yes, can confirm, the Paralympic muffin is THAT good.

[zoeyserpentluck]

I’m so sad I will be on my matura trip the whole duration of the Paralympics. I’ll try to watch a day recap at the hotel but the opening ceremony I will stream no matter what

[thecolorprince]

im honestly very confused. this woman boxer from Albania(it is criminal to be trans there), has a medical condition over which she has no control, that causes her to have elevated testosterone. she is not a man, she has a MEDICAL CONDITION. who was she supposed to compete against? do you think it would have been more appropriate to have her participate in the paralympics? that would be the only other *logical* next step.