#and the responses i see from the creators/other disabled ppl...

[rose-chateau]

I would fucking kill myself if I was an able bodied healthy person playing devil's advocate or "um actually, disabled people have it EASIER than everyone else" in the comments of videos made my disabled/chronically ill creators...

[thescrappyraccoon]

A few months ago, I had a run-in with an online chronic illness content creator (say that 10x fast! 😂). Their video was entirely inaccessible to anyone with visual or some neurological issues (especially those of us with migraines or seizures), and I very politely let them know.

In the past, I’ve been on the receiving end of that, and I appreciated the feedback, edited my post, and changed how I posted moving forward. In fact, since learning how online content can be inaccessible to many, I have intentionally followed creators who share helpful tips about increasing accessibility across platforms. Because **everyone deserves equitable access.** Sadly, this person’s response was extremely ableist.

Ableism is “a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities, and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other” (Definition source: Center for Disability Rights).

Ableism reinforces messages like:

•Your needs are too much, or you’re just being difficult, lazy, etc.

•You aren’t welcome here. This space isn’t for you.

•If you’re still disabled or can’t access this resource, something is wrong with you that you aren’t working hard enough to fix.

But in addition to harming disabled folx, ableism harms *everyone.* If content is inaccessible to some people, guess who’s voice isn’t being heard in the commentary? It is a way of systematically silencing and exiling members of our community. That doesn’t mean it is always *intentionally silencing, but the impact is the same.

When people don’t have the opportunity to hear the voices of people groups who differ from them (for example, if neurotypicals never hear about the lived experiences of neurodivergent folx, if able-bodied people never see folx in wheelchairs, using assistive devices, etc, if white ppl never hear the experiences of people of color, etc) it’s easy to forget that those people groups exist, or take into account their differing experiences and needs, and especially their suffering. Content that is accessible to those with the most hurdles benefits *everyone.*

Disabled folx may be stuck at home for a variety of reasons. Often, online access may be the only access a person has. So let’s make it accessible to everyone. (And if my content or comments are ever inaccessible to you, please message me and I will make every effort to rectify the situation!)

If you see content online, ask yourself:

1. Who can and cannot access this content?

2. If someone can’t access the content, what does that mean for them? For the community as a whole?

3. Whose voices aren’t being heard bc of this inaccessibility?

Image descriptions:

All images have a cream colored square on top of a blue background. The bottom left of the slides have a watercolor paint splash and the blog name “the scrappy raccoon.”

Image 1: title slide with the words “Ableism in Accessibility”

Image 2: slide title is “Ableism”; below is the definition of the word of ableism (written in the caption above)

Image 3: screenshot of my original comment on the post in question which says “idk if anyone has mentioned this but it’s rally [sic] difficult for some of us with visual issues to read captions set over a short, quickly moving video. I would love to read the caption but it’s not accessible to me” followed my a sad emoji face.

Image 4: A screenshot of two of the creator’s responses which read “In fact, I’ve been disabled myself. Much worse than you currently” And “I don’t make content for people to stay sick. This is not a ‘chronic illness warrior’ page. I make content for people who want to heal and are doing so.”

Image 5: A screenshot of one of the creator’s responses to me which reads “As you don’t *have* to watch this one (if it’s a ‘hassle’ to click on it to read the caption- which I don’t see how it is). At the end of the day, this is my page too and I make decisions as to what type of content to make. Which (as it is now) will benefit the most people in fact and more will see it, as explained. But if I wanted to make content for the whole world and not want insta to promote it, I would make it so that it’s suitable precisely for that funding and only those people. Which would be fine too.

Image 6: A screenshot of the rest of the creators content which reads “because it’s my page. Clicking on a video to read is hardly not accessible. And again, even if it was…then that’s the kind of content *I* chose to have on my page. Have a great day!”

Image 7: Quote slide says “Inaccessibility isn’t a “hassle.” It is discrimination. And to refer to it as such is demeaning to those with accessibility needs.

Image 8: Slide title says “Questions to ask about online content:” The numbered list reads:

1. Who can and cannot access this content?

2. If someone can’t access the content, what does that mean for them? For the community as a whole?

3. Whose voices aren’t being heard bc of this inaccessibility?

Image 9: Quote on slide reads, “Making content and spaces accessible for those with the most hurdles to accessibility benefits everyone.”

[laterlavender]

Alright, how about 1 and 2?

Also who do you consider to be your tav's canon love interest?

Weeeee thank you for indulging me *^*

*cracks knuckles*

I italicized keywords in my responses if ppl are just skimming & want the TLDR

Tell us about your Tav! Name, class and subclass, race, pronouns. Do you have a headcanon for where they're from? Their family? Are they a Dark Urge? Or did you choose an Origin Character? Was it an easy decision? (1)

Answers below the cut!

[Original Post here]

•Name: My Tav goes by Jubilee, a virtue name meaning celebration & revelry. Her given name is Dianthus (a classification for pink flowers), but she doesn't tell people this because it reminds her of her family & makes her sad. Also she thinks it sounds kind of uncool LOL

•Info: She's a college of lore bard, Mephistopheles tiefling, Criminal background, she's from Waterdeep and is about 23-25 years old, she/her!

•Ho boy family. She's not born of tieflings - she's the kind that pops out of nowhere in the lineage, so she was seen as a bad omen. >>Her father works for the city as a creator of legal documents, such as proof of citizenship & the like. When things went south he became an alcoholic >>Her mother was a well-known harpist & singer, where Jubilee got her love for music. She died in an accident (which Jubilee may or may not have caused) which caused their family to fall apart. >> She has an older sister named Odette who she has bad blood with & has not seen for years (jubilee may or may not have caused this as well)

•Character creation: I made Jubilee before the game & tweaked things as I went along so I didn't spend too long in the character creator because I knew exactly what I wanted

Was there something about the character creator that just couldn't capture your Character? Please tell us about their hair, facial hair, tattoos, piercings, disabilities, their trans or intersex body, or anything else you're comfortable sharing. (2)

Her body type, for one. She's pretty curvy/thick, especially in the legs. The shades for her hair & skin are hard to get right so she looks kind of crazy in some scenes ngl. And the piercings!! I'll have to make a detailed drawing of how I imagine them. I really like double nasallang piercings with chains. I didn't expect them to have any of these things tho LOL. I had planned for her to have braids, but not sailor moon hair - it grew on me & now it's her canon hair hehe

Who do I consider to be her canon romance?

Wyll! I had created her with the intention of romancing Astarion, but as I played I realized Wyll was the perfect match for her?? She & Astarion would trigger the shit out of each other & be awful as a couple lol. They had their little night in the woods (for bad reasons on both of their parts) but didn't sleep together again - not even at the party because he pissed her off with the 'I love you' comment

I think she & Astarion are similar in that they need someone more steady & down to earth to ground them; they'd make each other worse in the not-funny way

Wyll is a good fit for her because he's attentive & observant, & most importantly very openly affectionate. He isn't afraid to say how he feels & how much he adores you which she really needs in a partner. His openness makes it easier for her to be open as well. He sees the good in her when she can't; she helps him center himself more and to not always put everyone else before him. She also puts HIM first which he has a hard time accepting because he isn't used to it.

Surprisingly they have somewhat similar backstories in some ways - they just went polar opposite directions in how they dealt with their issues

And they both have a love for corny books and romantic fairytales & what more do you need than that??

TLDR Jubilee is a mess

[t4tlawlight]

Occam's razor is the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the simpler one is more likely to be correct.

this post is going to cover traits specific to the manga and the television drama, since those are the best adaptations to showcase L’s autism. THIS POST is required reading before you read anything i’m about to type, because it explains what kind of character niche L falls into--an unintentionally autistic coded character. i’ll talk more about that at the end.

i’m going to talk about manga L first, since he’s the original version after all. i’m going to go in order of physical traits, to behavioral, to his character writing. also, tumblr eats posts that have outside links, so i’m going to have my non-tumblr sources in a separate post, here.

anyways, more under the cut!

MANGA/ANIME:

sitting with his legs up and spine bent / sitting on the floor

this is such a big one and its extremely common in ppl with autism. sitting in chairs normally is uncomfortable to outright painful w many ppl with these disorders, myself included. L sitting like that (which, to recall, is a blatant homage to sherlock holmes, another character that is so blatantly autistic coded you can find absolutely ridiculous amounts of writing on the topic) and being like "I HAVE TO SIT LIKE THIS TO THINK PROPERLY" is so autistic. like sitting in a certain way to give you specific sensory stimulus/avoid distracting discomfort and pain is a thing. i found this post (1) written by an autistic person on the topic of sitting in chairs being uncomfortable, and it says as much:

“I suspect that seating discomfort is common in autism (though by no means limited to autistic people). Many of us, particularly as children, benefit greatly from chairs designed to be non-stationary: rocking chairs, “fidget” chairs, and so forth. These can improve focus, compensate for proprioceptive hypo-sensitivity, and alleviate restlessness. In short, many “attention issues” can be fixed simply by providing a little motion for the person sitting. Small change, huge results. That's what accommodations do at their best. They make (often minor) adjustments that have profound impacts.”

so when L says that sitting the way he does, for a specific sensory experience, improves his ability to think, it’s perfectly in line with this idea. Also it’s a good pressure stim.

standing with a slouch / shifting his weight around

to begin: yes! it’s very common for autistic people to stand or walk oddly for a number of different reasons, from physical comorbidity to other issues such as dyspraxia (see: movie L). From an article by YAI (2), an I/DD (intellectual and/or developmental disabilities) community program:

“Kyphosis (a curved spine), collapsed chest, dropped shoulders and even scoliosis are observed in many of our patients. These myriad of postural issues may result from reduced strength, decreased biomechanical stability, or from a sensory impairment, such as apraxia. 

Depending on the scene, L has mild to severe kyphosis which is very common in autistic individuals. Other things mentioned in that article if you want to click on it is instability in standing, where you sort of shift your weight around a lot between your  feet or rest all of your weight on one foot, which L is literally doing the first time we see all of him.

speaking with a monotone voice.

i obviously can’t show a picture for this one and it honestly depends on the voice actor you find for L, but in the anime in particular L has a very flat tone. a lot of this is bc he has a dry sense of humor but. just know that it’s very common for autistic people to have a flat affect (or go the other way into being too loud/emotive).

his eating habits. 

a lot (a LOT) of autistic ppl myself included can only eat certain kinds of food for texture and flavor reasons. HOWEVER there’s a term in the autism community called “samefoods” which is really well put by tumblr users candidlyautistic and autism-asks: 

“Samefoods or samefooding is a community word to describe the autistic trait of eating the same food over, and over and over . . . It is part sensory, part routine driven in most cases. A lot of times we samefood because we need that particular mouthfeel / texture / taste, and a lot of times even after that need passes, it turns into a need for routine until you actively dislike that food again.”

“Samefooding on the other hand is closer to a special interest. When I have a samefood (chocolate ice cream, currently), I really, really want that food. I could eat that food endlessly and not get tired of it. I will get upset if I’m not able to have the food in a day. For me, it usually is kind of routine based as well. For instance, with my current samefood, I have some in the evenings and it’s become part of how I wind down from my day.”

we don’t know exactly why L specifically desires sweet food or if he considers it part of his routine, but what we do know is that he really wants to eat sweet food and avoids eating anything other than sweet food, so it could either be that he’s a picky eater and can’t handle savory or he’s samefooding on sweets!

wearing the same clothes

L wears the same clothes every single day. It’s also worth noting that what he does wear is baggy, too-big clothing, the kind that wouldn’t be tight and uncomfortable. once again, sensory issues are a huge thing for autistic individuals. one of my favorite aspects is that in no adaptation does he wear socks. even L wears shoes, he wears them like slippers, not putting them on all the way. people comment that he seems like he’s poor, but we know for a fact that he’s very rich and that wearing these clothes is a personal choice he made.

not caring for himself/outsourcing his self-care

i don’t think one day is exactly canon, rather it’s an exaggeration of what might actually happen--i.e. L doesn’t have a huge closet full of the same outfit, but he does have several versions of the same outfit on rotation; L doesn’t use a human washing machine, but Watari might help him/encourage him to bathe regularly. One Day is a parody comic, but it was made by the creators for a reason and that reason is that L pretty obviously relies on a caretaker (Watari) for his personal needs. Watari, in the manga proper, cooks and cleans and does most things for L. we’ll come back to this topic when we get to the drama though.

doing stimming behaviors

if you don’t know what stimming is, it refers to self-stimulating behaviors, usually involving repetitive movements or sounds. everyone stims to some extent, but in autism it tends to be more obvious, go on for longer, and sometimes be more disruptive to others. it’s often used to help deal with sensory overload, or used to express feelings--think of an autistic person being happy and flapping their hands in the air.

there are a LOT of instances of L displaying stimming behavior, from stacking his food or things on his desk, to spinning in his chair, to biting his fingers/using them to press on his lips, to wriggling and tapping his toes. here are some specific instances:

there are a lot more. i’ll talk about more when we get to dramaverse, but if you rewatch/reread death note it’s definitely worth noting whenever L does something like this!

detective work as a special interest

ok, first and foremost i want to establish what a special interest is. Tumblr user cartoon has my favorite explanation of what a special interest is that i’ve seen to date: 

“To have a deep, intense, passionate and incredibly focused / narrowed interest in a certain area of study, subject, topic or thing - to the exclusion of other interests. This interest is something that exists for the long-term, most often lasting for multiple months, years, or even you’re entire life “

L says that he only does detective work because it’s a hobby, and he finds it entertaining. We’ve also seen that he’s been at it for quite some time--if you take side content (the wammy’s house comic, LABB) seriously, then he’s been at it since childhood, with unwavering interest. it definitely comes across to me as L having a special interest in detective work, rather than it just being a normal hobby or a job for him, especially since he says it isn’t out of any moral obligation.

germaphobia

Germaphobia is very common for individuals with autism. a lot of the time it’s actually sensory issues associated with “dirty” things, and a lot of the time it’s because features of OCD are heavily comorbid with autism, including contamination OCD and such fears. regardless of the reason, though, L’s aversion to touching Bad Things is a very autistic behavior, and so is his resulting quirk that he tends to hold things in a very odd manner!

muted emotional expression

this is getting more into L’s character, but L tends to feel and express emotions in a very muted way. not to say he doesn’t have them, but for instance in the example above, L doesn’t have a solid grasp on what exactly he’s feeling. he thinks he might be acting irrationally and overemotionally because he logically should be afraid, but he isn’t sure, and none of these emotions present themselves visibly. 

i’ve also seen it said that Ukita’s death is another good example of his muted response to emotion--he tells Aizawa to stay rational and his voice doesn’t waver as he tells him as much, but he holds himself tightly. for someone with poor emotional competence, these physical signs of distress can be hard to read in oneself, but Aizawa (a man who is extremely in-tune with his emotions) can tell immediately.

high logic, low empathy

L is also a character who, like many autistic people, lacks a certain degree of empathy. it’s not that he doesn’t have any, but it’s limited enough--and he values logic over it enough--that he’s willing to make extreme decisions and take a “ends justify the means” approach (such as using people as bait.) in the example above, L takes a moment to work through what it must actually feel like, which rings as very autistic.

bluntness/not caring about social convention

there are so many examples of this i honestly could list them all day, but L is a character who is very to-the-point and doesn’t care about mincing his words. he can be outright rude to the people around him, especially if he considers them not worth basic courtesy. see: Matsuda. 

DRAMAVERSE

if you all knew me you should have known this section is inevitable. i’m not going to talk about every single adaptation because i do not have the time and the only other adaptation that is meaningful in that regard is the movieverse (i am fairly certain that movie L is dyspraxic) but on account of the fact that i don’t care about them i won’t subject you all to them here.

anyway, drama L shows much the same traits as animanga L above (they are, after all, technically the same character) but he displays them in different ways. 

he has a much more advanced degree of germaphobia, with Watari saying he’s sensitive to outside air and spraying everyone who enters his space with disinfectant, but not making them wash their hands or anything like that, so we can kind of tell that his issues are more rooted, again, in a fear of germs rather than any actual medical issue. he wants to feel as though he is clean, not necessarily actually be clean. this is very common in contamination OCD, which has a high comorbidity with autism. (my girlfriend has a very good headcanon post about drama L and OCD that isn’t so much analysis than just plain fun, but it’s worth a read!)

he stims, but he has a different array of stims than animanga L--he chews on his jelly pouch bottles, 

he tosses it between his hands, 

he kicks his feet,

and he bounces in his chair.

he still sits in an unconventional manner. he still samefoods, this time even more exclusively--he only eats Lucky Charge jelly pouches and nutritional bars. Watari onscreen puts his shirts on for him, as well as cooking, cleaning, and mending his clothes for him.

however, there are a few traits that are drama-exclusive that i think really add to an analysis of his autism!

social scripting

social scripting and echolalic scripting are both commonly described as “scripting,” but are very different! echolalic scripting is like echolalia, but echolalic scripting is the recitation of longer passages of dialogue from things the individual has heard before. but social scripting is when you memorize common conversations so you can rattle it off without worrying too much! this can be very handy, such as exchanging basic pleasantries or ordering food, but it can also backfire if someone responds in a way your script’s not set up for. you can find more information on the difference in this video (3). 

now, this relates to L in that there are two separate scenes where L says the same thing, rather inappropriately:

L: When I consider Kira’s personality, could it be that the strong-willed daughter is Kira? Or could that sweet-looking son of yours surprise us by proving to be him? You never know what humans are hiding beneath the surface... Soichiro: Enough. L: Sorry. It was just a joke.

-- Episode 2

L: Light-kun. Oh, I’m sorry... If I called you “Yagami-san,” it would be the same as what I call your father.  Light: That’s okay. Call me whatever you want. L: Then what about Kira? (silence) L: It's a joke.

-- Episode 4

one could say that L just has a terrible sense of humor--and, of course, having a poor grasp of humor is common with autistic individuals--but the fact that he says nearly the same thing as a defense twice makes me feel as though he has it rehearsed as a defense when people react poorly to things he’s said, which happens often.

mirroring and echolalia

echolalia was briefly covered in the previous example, but for those unaware, via wikipedia (4):

Echolalia is the unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person (when repeated by the same person, it is called palilalia). In its profound form it is automatic and effortless.

mirroring, on the other hand, is explained as such, also via wikipedia (5):

Mirroring is the behavior in which one person unconsciously imitates the gesture, speech pattern, or attitude of another. Mirroring often occurs in social situations, particularly in the company of close friends or family. The concept often affects other individuals' notions about the individual that is exhibiting mirroring behaviors, which can lead to the individual building rapport with others.

both of these are very common in autism, and they’re exemplified while L’s character is established watching his favorite TV show, Owarai Paradise. On one occasion, he’s watching the show and this dialogue happens:

Hiroshi: Despite never telling her how I felt, I still got dumped. I am Hiroshi.  Watari: Who was this one again? L: He is Hiroshi. Hiroshi: I am Hiroshi. I am Hiroshi.

-- Episode 2

it’s important to note that in Japanese, “He is Hiroshi” and “I am Hiroshi” are said, at least in this instance, exactly the same, so L is echoing precisely what he’s heard.

On another occasion, L is again watching the show with a glass of wine (seemingly acquired simply to imitate the characters onscreen, as he never drinks it) and when the characters onscreen toast their glasses, L does the same, mirroring them. 

CONCLUSION

I linked a post at the very beginning of this analysis talking about how characters are unintentionally autistic coded, and it’s important to understand how this unintentional coding is different from a headcanon--i didn’t make up these traits. they aren’t something that only exist in my head that i ascribe to L for fun. 

i made this analysis both because i wanted to share L’s autistic coding in one cohesive place, because plenty of people have made lists before, but none that i could find that included so many examples with images and explanations--and i also made it because of the old ryuzaki persona “theory.” 

for those unaware, the ryuzaki persona headcanon suggests that L faked all of these traits in order to make people uncomfortable, to put them off-guard and better mask his identity. i’ve seen posts about people claiming that nobody could actually behave in these ways, that L would surely be unhappy and uncomfortable sitting like that, or eating like that, or engaging in any of these behaviors. I’ve seen some people outright say that L isn’t autistic, but his persona is--that is, he’s pretending to be autistic.

i named this essay “occam’s razor” because, to me, L being autistic is the simplest answer to account for all of these traits. claiming that an autistic coded character is faking it is ableist and it just doesn’t make sense with anything else we know about his character.

but if you want to know more about that, i recommend reading eyecicles’ first!L tag. it’s debunked it in more ways than i ever could.

anyways, in conclusion

[enthusiasticmusicalquotes]

QUESTION OF THE DAY #12: What is your opinion on theatre bootlegs? Spill as much or as little tea as you want.

MY ANSWER: it would be incredibly hypocritical of me to say there’s nothing good about them. i discovered a couple of my all time favorite shows through bootlegs, and when i was a high school/college-aged theatre nerd stuck in the midwest (which i still am, just a bit older now), they brought me a lot of comfort that i could relive my favorite shows again. that said, i can understand POVs re: they weren’t filmed with consent from the actors. however, actors who are speaking out against them need to realize that mainstream theatre needs to be made more accessible in one way or another for poor, disabled, and international theatre fans. tldr: bootlegs aren’t going to go away if celebrities disavow them, but theatre might be able to become more accessible if more of them talk on THAT instead of how evil bootlegs are.

SUMMARY OF ANSWERS: out of 41 responses: 21 were an enthusiastic heck yeah, 13 weren’t as enthusiastic but still along the lines of yeah i support them, 3 answers were like eh i can see both sides i guess/leaning towards no, and 4 people outright said nah bootlegs are not the answer. All the answers under the cut!

if you wanna fight or agree with anyone, refer to the # and send in an ask or reply to this.  

also: while i agree with much of what was said under the cut, i will not come out and say which ones i agree with and what i don’t. my opinion is above and that’s all you need to know about what i think. i do not necessarily condone or agree with anything below. okay, enjoy reading.

1. Anonymous said: I may not be the biggest fan, but I totally get why they exist and have watched a few when they pop up

2.  Anonymous said: for the qotd: bootlegs are godsends

3. Anonymous said: oh god i literally just went on a tangent on twitter just now but bootlegs good!!!! people willingly watch blurry footage of a show bcs they want to know what the show is like, want to experience it live. bway shows arent accessable for everyone (due to prices and distance) but ppl still want to know what its like performed on stage. bootlegs literally dont harm the community. ive seen poto boots, proshots and the tour yet id willingly pay 2 watch again. boots make theatre more accessable imo !!

4. Anonymous said: Boots are good to get a glimpse of different productions? Like even despite Proshots existing of certain musicals, I'd still be curious regarding other interpretations of it! And also besides this it definitely helps make shows accessable to people who physically cannot watch the show!

5. galactic-greens said: I truly see no harm in bootlegs as long as they are treated respectfully. While the creation and consumption is technically a crime, it by no means whatsoever makes you a bad person. It's essentially documenting theatre, and ensuring generations to come will be able to experience what could have been so fleeting. They maintain a community, and as long as NFT dates, masters, and general spread of bootlegs are respected then there really can be no problem. It's just a way to immortalize the art!

6. Anonymous said: On bootlegs: oftentimes they’re the only way someone could be able to see a show, because not everyone can afford the tickets or even the cost to just go to New York for a show. However, it should be acknowledged that filming obviously in the actors’ faces is pretty rude, but at the same time bootlegs at least give a chance for people like me to see shows I might never get to see otherwise.

7. Anonymous said: I love bootlegs because I don’t have the means to be able to travel to see shows or afford tickets, i also do theater and i feel like the point of the art is to share it as much as I can

8. Anonymous said: i've never seen a large-scale live show bc they are not accessible to me. bootlegs are amazing. truly glorious.

9.  Anonymous said: i understand that this is a rather unique experience, but i live in nyc, so bootlegs never measure up to the real thing for me. i know that this isn't something everyone can be lucky enough to say, but live theatre could never be captured in the form of a bootleg-- i don't even like released proshots as much as the real thing

10. Anonymous said: for me bootlegs are fine for those who can't see it live because of the price and they are living from another country though i know there are a lot of actors disagrees about it

11. Anonymous said: as someone who can't afford to go to a professional production of anything, absolutely gimme a bootleg. obviously I wouold prefer, like, a proshot of a show and I really hope that becomes more of the norm (I watched the Newsies proshot on Disney+ and had the happy wiggles for hours afterwards, and I can't wait for the Hamilton one to come out) but until that starts happening I'll take a bootleg any day.

12. Anonymous said: I like that it helps people get into fandoms/musicals that they wouldn’t’ve otherwise but I would prefer if theatres professionally films them.

13. maycombhoney said: they will be a part of theatre culture until live theatre is made accessible for more people

14. Anonymous said: bootlegs are great and until the theater community decides to produce pro-shots i’m all for them

15. zoueriemandzijnopmars said: I would personally feel kinda bad for watching bootlegs, because it won’t directly bring money to the people who worked on the show. I don’t judge people who do watch bootlegs though, because let’s face it, bootlegs are not a replacement for actually going to the theatre and it’s not gonna lose the creators actually money. It might even make them money, because people will listen to the album/buy tickets anyway when they can. I’d just personally be more comfortable watching a proshot

16. Anonymous said: I don't pretend bootlegs aren't stealing but whatever harm they do is abstract enough - and my decisions are drop-in-the-bucket enough - that I do it anyway

17. Anonymous said: I’m totally fine with bootlegs. I’ve watched so many of them that it wouldn’t be fair if I wasn’t. The fact is most people just aren’t able to see shows. Either they live too far away or they can’t afford it, and if this is the only way someone can experience a show, it’s better than never seeing it at all

18. Anonymous said: i think bootlegs are important for accessibility but i really wish more theatres would release proshots. i wouldn't even mind if it were after the broadway run or after the original cast is switched out, but i think it's valuable to have those recordings out during the run of the show to get more people interested and actually wanting to go out and see it. plus, if they're worried about money, they wouldn't *have* to be free. just cheaper than tickets and travel.

19. Anonymous said: about the question of the day, honestly i think bootlegs are fine as long as they're done respectfully and the filmers aren't distracting with it

20. locke-writes said: For the question of the day: If there’s absolutely no way I can see the show live or from a professional recording then I’m going to watch a bootleg. Theater should be more accessible and sometimes a bootleg is my only way to access a show. Having been part of film crews who have shot live theater I think a lot of the lack of pro recordings is the idea which that theater is difficult to record. It isn’t. Give me a pro shot show over a bootleg anyday but I’ll take what I can get

21. Anonymous said: My opinion on bootlegs is I prefer professional recordings ONLY because bootleg quality is terrible for my auditory processing problems and I hate the washed out quality. But since professional recordings are rare (unless you are, interestingly enough, Sight & Sound Theatre); for everyone else: BRING ON THE BOOTLEG! ~ Stripe Conlon

22. Anonymous said: Bootlegs are complicated! As a fan/consumer I think they’re okay, especially considering how inaccessible theatre is for people living in other countries, people who can’t afford to experience shows live, and disabled folks. But as someone who also performs, i understand that it can be distracting and legally complicated for actors who are trying to do their best and did not consent to being filmed that night. I just hope that pro shots will become more common.

23. penguinated said: Bootlegs are fine. They don't cost Broadway a thing since people will literally never not pay to see live shows (except during covid of course). and for many people, seeing a certain show with a certain cast will NEVER be possible, so what's the harm in watching the bootleg? The bootlegs aren't the problem, it's the inaccessibility of live theater, ESPECIALLY Broadway shows. If more things were available to stream (i.e. BroadwayHD) there wouldn't be a need for bootlegs. Bootleg away, imo.

24. Anonymous said: until theatre is made accessible to everyone and there is a proshot released for every show, bootlegs are absolutely necessary for the prosperity of theatre

25. Anonymous said: It's so sad that people think bootlegs are necessary! and it's even sadder that in a way they are. however, too many people use them as an excuse to not pursue alternate affordable alternatives for theatre (such as broadway hd, pursuing local shows including high school and college theatre, and utilizing legally free shows online). In addition, bootlegs absolutely CAN be unethically sourced- recordings of locally produced shows can get theaters in trouble and bankrupt them with legal fees. and if you're recording something from Broadway (which is fine imo usually), if you're actually making people PAY for your illegal recording, that's profiting off the work of others and is both very unethical and exploiting the very people many bootleggers claim to work for the benefit of. When it comes to bootlegs, it's one thing to pass around shows that have finished their runs on Broadway for free- but there's too much unethical and even HARMFUL bootleg behavior and it needs to stop.

26. Anonymous said: since Broadway is too rich and doesn't wanna spend money(for some reason) streaming their shows, then bootlegs are the only option.

27. Anonymous said: Theater is so inaccessible that bootlegs are necessary for a lot of people because with a lot of shows you can’t get a good idea of the show just from the soundtrack but people that share nft boots are assholes

28. Anonymous said: Bootlegs do more good than harm. Those against bootlegs are elitist and don't understand some people cant afford hundreds of dollars in theatre and plane tickets. Bootlegs make people crave the live experience more, a dark and shaky video with shit audio doesn't satiate the desire to see a show live. And if the show is closed all the more reason to watch a bootleg!

29. lynntjeeee said: Theatre bootlegs are amazing and are why there are fans. I live in a country with no musical theater (except the occasional sucky original production with a local celeb who can't sing) so if it not for bootlegs I wouldn't be able to watch any shows and wouldn't be a fan (thus not spending money on cast recordings, etc). People need to realise this, bootlegs do not harm the theater, in fact it only helps it. If there were official recordings, there would be many more fans (and thus more profit!)

30. Anonymous said: Opinion on bootlegs: They wouldn't be necessary if the theater industry would get with the times and release professional shots of their shows on streaming services/cable.

31. Anonymous said: I think that people are really overreacting about bootlegs. ESPECIALLY bootlegs if shows that have already closed- you may never get a chance to see that show! Ever! Now there’s an affordable and accessible way to see shows that people would kill and die for. It isn’t losing Broadway money, in fact it is bringing more people into the medium. Maybe if full proshots were more common I would feel differently, but since there is literally no other way, boots are fine.

32. Anonymous said: Bootleg opinion: just go absolutely hog wild. Fuck it. Be gay do crime.

33. Anonymous said: Bootlegs are one of the few things that are keeping me sane right now, plus the fact that not everyone has dat cash money to see the shows live, so yeah they're good stuff (as long as they are available online w/ at least vaguely good sound quality anyway 😆)

34. Anonymous said: I see it both ways. I can understand why those in the profession are against it; it’s their hard work that’s getting pirated. But I’m also poor. I have no access to theatre outside of cast albums and bootlegs. I don’t watch bootlegs because I personally feel guilty, but I will not and do not judge others if they do.

35. whatdoscissorsdo said: I think broadway bootlegs r okay?? eat the rich amirite

36. Anonymous said: I trade and watch bootlegs and don't plan on stopping, but I've recently realized that it must be super uncomfortable for actors to be filmed without their knowledge or consent, or just to have to have on their minds that they might be being recorded at any time in a performance. Like, I've happily watched Many™ Spring Awakening videos in the past year, but I doubt Alexandra Socha is that thrilled knowing there are videos up on YouTube of featuring her nude at age nineteen.

37. i-am-having-an-emotion said: they will remain a necessary evil until theater is more accessible to the masses. seeing real live theater is always better than a boot but literally like 95% of people can’t access live theater, especially at a broadway caliber, so like..... do The Poors not *deserve* theater??? what are we supposed to do BUT make bootlegs?

38. ope-okay said: bootlegs are blessings from heaven and no one can convince me otherwise

39. Anonymous said: I think it can really hype up the want for the musical. And a really good boot release can bring new creations to an otherwise small fandom. Personally I’m more interested in seeing the musicals I’ve seen boots of than the musicals I haven’t

40. Anonymous said: On the topic of bootlegs, I think they’re great but like especially for people who do not have the means to go see the shows during their runs, I feel like if you do have the means to go see the show you should do that instead

41. Anonymous said: I have a REALLY hard time with bootlegs. Because artists deserve to be paid for their work, and there are a whole host of copywriter issues that come with the mass production of a show. In addition though, I understand the anger you feel at not getting to see a show live, however there are so many resources available to help people get the idea of their favorite show even if they never see it. Honestly Wikipedia is my favorite resource, as often that has a full synopsis of the show. I’ll read that and then listen to the recording a bunch so I can understand the story and imagine what it may look like. A lot of shows put clips on YouTube, the Macy’s parade, the Tony Awards, NBC does a whole broadway week, there are so many ways that you can get glimpses into these shows without resorting to bootlegs (which at this point are still illegal) I’m not a supporter of the “theater must be seen live” idea. While I LOVE live theater (and as a performer I like feeding off an audience) but I’ve see shows with just proshots or just the movie version and they are still just as good. Unfortunately I think the only way we’re are going to make theater more accessible to audiences is through time. Bootlegs I think only make people less inclined to record shows and mass produce them. There are a whole lot of legal things that go into that as well. What I can say is what I’ve done. Read up on the show, watch all the clips you can, sometimes scripts are posted online maybe read those, listen to the album, look at pictures. It SUCKS that theater is exclusive, but bootlegs are not the solution.

let me repeat: if you wanna fight or agree with anyone, refer to the # and send in an ask or reply to this post.

[hoshees]

I contacted Tumblr about the reposting issue last night and I’m still waiting for a response. I’m a content creator myself and although it hasn’t happened to me, I always see gifs from the ppl I follow being reposted and that is not okay. I hope this issue gets fixed 😭 No one should have their gifs that they work so hard for stolen and reposted. Someone suggested that maybe Tumblr adds an option where you chose if people can save your gifs/gfxs/edits and honestly thats such a good idea!!

yeah if it was disabled on mobile that would be GREAT. i have right click disabled on my desktop theme but it doesn’t apply to dash or searches. they rly need to get with twitter and work out a reporting form for gif reposts and other stolen work

[codependencytendencies]

This was supposed to be better than the capitalistic b.s. we are sold but it's still pissing me off so I'm gonna scream into the void. Fuck this assessment.

Physical self care

I eat the same thing every day i don't think about it

Who has the fucking money for prevention or medical care

Fashion is overrated bullshit made up by thin ppl who dont even make shit in my fucking size

I'm disabled. I don't do physical activity. I exist and that's enough.

Hot take, it's not my fucking responsibility to constantly try to think positively about myself in a world that tells me they want me dead. I'll be a fucking realist and not lie to myself about shit.

What is it with these pretentious fucks and massages? Noone is fucking touching me and I'm sick of it being so fucking normalized. I will NEVER get a fucking massage and you can't fucking make me.

Psychological self care

Who the fuck has money for vacations? What even is a "day trip"? Driving is exhausting.

What the fuck is "my own personal psychotherapy" even supposed to mean? If it's just a more pretensious way of saying get a therapist, fuck no. I'm not going back to therapy until therapists stop being dicks who gaslight with cbt and work with cops.

The internet is the only place I can interact with other ppl that I don't hate. Taking breaks is harmful.

Who is this written for? How much reading did the creator of this little list think the average person read for work? Bc I don't know anyone who reads for work honestly.

Do you not notice your own thoughts 24/7? How does that even work?

Engage my intelligence... this is one of those ppl who can turn off their brain to watch trash toxic stuff like reality TV isn't it?

Bold of you to assume I'm an expert in anything

This list is so fucking weird. It's like stuff that I don't even think about or stuff that is not helpful at all.

Be curious... this is why I hate so many ppl. If you have to be reminded to be curious I honestly don't understand why you are alive.

Yeah work stays at work but that's just fuck capitalism don't be taken advantage of.

Journaling is such a basic ass thing and after a while it's pointless. I haven't done that since I was like 16. Not to mention it's exhausting. I'm not writing stuff down by hand esp if I'm the only one that's gonna see it. I'll rant out loud in my apartment bc that's at least not a waste of fucking time. Like who even has a thought long enough to write it down like that?

Emotional self care

I.have.no.support.system. that means no fucking ppl to hang out with.

I HAVE NO SUPPORT SYSTEM. Fuck those toxic ppl that gave birth to me and all the fucks related to them. They can go dissolve in the toxic sludge they created.

I am autistic. Rewatching things is kind of required.

Express outrage... ironically that is what I'm doing right now. Again, fuck this assessment

Fuck affirmations. I'm not lying to myself. It's not actually healthy to tell yourself you're a good person. Bc you're not. Nobody is. That's black and white thinking bullshit. I am a person that does good and bad things depending on my capabilities and I know that bc im not a fucking lying allistic that thinks they don't suffer from black and white thinking.

I'm autistic and for me that means i have uncontrollable bouts of crying. There is no allowing myself. Privileged ass person who made this can apparently controlled their crying. How nice for them.

Now here's where the REAL anger starts

Wtf is going on with this whole "spiritual self care" bullshit? Why is it so hard for ppl to grasp that not everyone thinks like them? And they say autistics have a lack of theory of mind.

Causes aren't spiritual. They are opinions and values.

Reflection isn't spiritual, that's just using your fucking brain to analyze yourself, we already covered that, how many reminders do you boring allistic ppl need??

Non material aspects of life? Wtf does that even mean? Am I aware that there are abstract concepts? Yes, social constructs are abstracts, like Religion is a social construct and im not interested, it's boring.

Find spiritual connection or community?? This bullshit is why atheists are so lonely. Yall can't build any community outside religion.

Relationship self care

Partner. No. Fuck that amatonormativity.

Relatives? Fuck those toxic ppl.

What posting on tumblr isn't enough?

Personal correspondence? Did someone forget to upgrade to modern language? Why does this sound like some 19th century person talking about writing a letter to send along the pony express.

There are no people to do things for me. I have been asking for help and there is noone. I hate this fucking state, I have nothing in common with these ppl. There is nothing for me, I don't like any of the things that ppl do here, and they don't have any of the things I like to do.

Literally all I have is my cats, and I had to Pavlov them into loving me.

Workplace self care

Chat with coworkers??? Why the fuck would I want to do that? At best I tolerate ppl enough to do my job. Peers?? There aren't even ppl my own age here. I can go days without talking to anyone at all. support groups at work??? This is some fancy blue state shit isn't it?

Can't balance shit when you don't have shit.

Fuck self care

[unproduciblesmackdown]

i was just going to quickly mention hating ads for the good doctor series but then i went off about things for a ways

i hate seeing ads on youtube for a lot of things but im especially sick of the previews for the god damn series from The Creator Of House about the guy who's good at being a doctor but he's an immature self-centered jackass incapable of any emotional regulation he's autistic!!!

like look i never really was Into house but i mean i get that it was there to be reliably dramatic like, here's some possibly shock-factor weird medical scenario, rule out boring stuff, have a fancy idea, find out some new twist info abt the patient, condition worsens, have a few twists to discover the real thing, then end with teaching the patient to value themself or else to feel terrible b/c they deserved it or some third thing. like, sure. but its definitely extremely annoying that it sort of kicked off a trend of gloomy white guy protagonists who meet that "He's Good At His Job.............But He's An Asshole" role. as though being needlessly rude to everyone around you doesnt make you bad at what you do and is also justified in this concept of "Smart(tm) people are allowed to be mean to the point that their being mean is proof that they are smart, because they are constantly irritated and hampered by the clueless shitheadedness of those around them"

oh god this made me go off on a mental tangent about shemlork. god nobody wants that. it makes me forget i'd like read thru all the sh stories before the guy ritchie movies came out, which are a much truer adaptation anyhow and look at the completely different way in which they chose to exaggerate how the Genius protagonist relates to other ppl. god

anyhow i respect that house is entertaining and stuff but i dont think i can ever watch it coz i hate that trope. the idea that some guy can demonstrate his superiority by being petulant and snarky w/o consequence coz since he's a dude that doesnt make him a Total Bitch it makes him cool. and completely insulated self-assured impulsivity based on the first emotional response that enters your head = also uhhh, being driven, and knowing your brain is always the right one to the point that anyone else is superfluous, because you're a genius and a man and not Bitches Be Shopping. and that one dude is Wise enough to tolerate him b/c he knows that he gets results dammit! and everything else he does thats blatantly out of line for any human towards another human, much less a doctor towards colleagues or patients, is just the price you have to pay for him to figure out its the bubonic plague mixed with an allergic reaction to scrubbing bubbles

Anyways Besides Being Annoyed With The Trend Established By That Show...

so now we get "what if this guy is good at his job but he has autism", and of course everyone with an ounce of sense and decency should know that's not a "but", except that we get a lovely reminder that in this year of 2017 a general tv audience (and tv producers/executives) think it needs a But. and since its autism, it's gonna be a feel-good show. look how well he does wow!! and in this show its not just him being a Good Doctor(c) because he chooses not to let his autism affect him just as all people should do when they arent nt or are disabled, this is being taken a step further and he's a good doctor Because he's autistic. coz thats what autism should be ideally, either Suppressed or hidden away or else the idea of it being a magical superhero that lets its bearer be acceptable into regular society for normal good people but, more importantly, lets the person use their Power to aid allistic people!! a happy ending all around

like in the horror genre where anyone implied to have any kind of generic mashup of a mental disorder or something is either A Monster or a burden to the team until the team discovers that this person who was previously regarded as "useless and we should just leave them behind to die so they dont hurt our own chances of survival" actually has a flawless superhuman ability that is directly related to helping them escape whatever situation theyre trapped in!! point them at the problem and we'll get to live!!!!! maybe they'll live til the end too, or maybe they'll have to be left behind or prove they have feelings too by nobly sacrificing themself for the rest of the group, who are now sad because they just learned that person's life has value too after all!!! :'(

anyways, tldr, ugh. this is a shitty foundation for anything and a shitty reminder how ppl see autism. ppl with autism having different strengths and talents than any particular allistic person isn't some kind of "novelty" and god knows ppl only like that idea if its one that happens to seem "useful" to them. the idea that its secretly a superpower and autistic people see the world in some mystically different way b/c thats how autism works is shit. i am just so annoyed. fuck off

P.S. again it is funny that people love to describe someone w autism as like "having the _______ of a __ yr old", despite that being meaningless and inaccurate, because they think that being autistic = just being an allistic person but lagging behind, becoz you know who Actually fits the description of "an allistic person who apparently has never spent a moment developing certain social skills?" The Man Who Demonstrates His Superiority By Freely Insulting Those Around Him And Acting On Emotional Whims Without Real Consequence". i mean the "house" figure

pps remember how shitass benedict cumberbatch rejected the idea that his dumpass character could be autistic b/c he didnt think one should give real life autistic ppl "false hope"? lolololololol punch him full force in the nads ten times. is he just portraying himself. i hate his crap character and his stupid lemon face. is that damn series over yet. make a third one of the movies and why is martin freeman in everything, dont put him in. jfc.

and what does he even mean lol they already put in that stupidass line about "high functioning sociopath" or whatever like no!!! youre really not!!! just tossing in some mangled up nt idea of Jargon like clearly nobody gives a shit abt being accurate or not and youre just picking out some random "this means their brain is weird and bad right" concept and tossing it out there to be brilliant and justify any "magical ability" you want to use as a visual device so that you dont just have to show the character staring at the wall for a while. fuck off

they also shouldntve thrown in any mention of will graham in hannibal being autistic or whatever. seeing as he has a Magic Ability. like actually magic. there doesnt need to be any mention of autism especially as its never given any actual relevance to anything in the series. if its just being Representation is that truly the best? i wouldn't say that character or any other couldn't be autistic. but the fact that its a character with a Magic Ability / social isolation and virtually no characters on tv are mentioned in the show to be autistic unless to explain their magicalness / social weirdness!! means its not a great movie & even if it was just meant to be "progressive" or whatever independent of those factors( it wasnt) they shouldntve done it. the optics, man

final note: you know who's a good example of the sherlock holmes type observational genius / guy who doesnt fit in with his associates in his line of work coz he operates outside their rules, man? shawn spencer from psych. he doesnt treat his partner gus as beneath him or a hindrance ever coz he's not? he's essential to their success and shawn never even implies to have Superior Faculties than him. he just notices things. that one classic line of "i can notice things too, shawn. and i dont have to make this face *narrows eyes, furrows brow for several seconds* when i do it." and shawn kind of annoys the cops and everyone else and they have to Tolerate Him coz he gets results and he's allowed to be immature and also impulsive but thats not at all related to His Genius being a god given excuse to do whatever he wants at the expense of any others who happen to be in his path. he's just being zany

at least theyre doing that psych movie?? we need you!!!!!!

[emilygcaplan]

RESEARCH // DOLL HOSPITAL

4.2.2018

BRIEF THREE.

Doll Hospital is a bi-annual art and literature printed journal that focuses on the conversation of mental health. It has an interesting outlook on mental health, compared to the other two magazines that I have talked about - as it draws upon the history of mental health and its ties with race, class, gender equality, sexuality, colonialism, chronic illnesses and disabilities. They aim to offer an alternative to the limited stories that are focused on through mainstream media, and to provide a platform for those who experience mental health firsthand in their own words, and on their own terms. 

"We are a doll hospital. We explore notions of growth, trauma, chronic illness and childhood, and identify how this lives in conversation with mental health. Constructs of white girlhood continue to exclude and alienate women of colour, particularly black women. This is unacceptable. We are interested in reclaiming these spaces, redefining innocence, and standing, unapologetically, in our trauma.” // “We don’t care about ‘success stories’, we care about surviving”

In 2014, Bethany Rose Lamont tweeter “I’d love to make a zine about mental health in relation to feminism/queer stuff - would that be something u nice ppl would like to submit to?”. Following on from this tweet Bethany got an amazing response, and on October 1st she launched the first zine via Kickstarter. The first issue was a huge success, being shared and mentioned by others on their social media pages - as well as it being the topic of conversation for talks at Oxford University. At the end of 2014 Bethany managed to reach her goal on Kickstarter, and this meant she was able to produce the magazine as a whole. now Doll Hospital is onto its fourth issue, and is doing incredibly well!

PRESS FEEDBACK.

“The defiant mental health zine made by and for survivors. There’s nothing much out there like Doll Hospital. It’s an art and literature mental health journal which encourages an intersectional focus. Rooted in self-advocacy, it centres the voices of those who are largely unheard in the mainstream narrative of mental health. It aims to be an alternative and does an excellent job of it. It takes submission from anyone who has experienced mental health illness firsthand and wants to talk about it in their own words and on their own terms.”

Dazed and Confused

“I especially want our readers to know that you don’t need to have a corny head shot and a blue tick on your Twitter to talk about your experiences; you don’t need to be “over” your mental illness to talk about your mental illness. You don’t need a PhD in psychology to speak with authority. You don’t need to sound like some Better Call Saul style Ted Talk dude for your voice to matter. It already does. And we’re listening.”

Interview with our Editor-In-Chied by Lydia for Germ Magazine

“No matter where you come from, mental health is the one thing that affects us all. But most of us are sick of only seeing the typical tortured male eccentric and white manic pixie dream girl. Doll Hospital aims to move past these stereotypes, giving a voice to those who have felt silenced. Combining touching comics and literary mediums, Bethany Rose Lamont’s journal has shed some light on far-reaching mental health topics in the realms of women’s prisons, Muslim society and disability.”

Too Radical for WHSmith: Seven Awesome Indie Zines You Need to Know Right Now

THE NAME.

The creator of the magazine, Bethany, was herself struggling with anorexia and her mental health, and was told by her friends to stop posting about her suicidal thoughts on Twitter, which encouraged her to kickstart her zine. She feels passionate about the fact that you do not have to be a celebrity, or be verified on social media to be able to talk about your mental health. She also explains how the name for her magazine came from the 2012 Spring Summer issue of AnOther Magazine, where they published the quote...

“The doll hospital in Paris is piled high with disembodied limbs Henry Launay has repaired over thirty thousand dolls. They’re sick, they’re broken and I give them new life.”

Bethany explained that this stuck with her, as it gave off notions of deconstructed childhood, painful growth periods and disembodied trauma.

EXTRA NOTES.

“I’m tired of romanticized notions of the young mentally ill white women as a static figure of divine inspiration.” 

- This comment made by Bethany has resonated with me, especially after previously discussing ideas about how I felt Ladybeard magazine was romanticising the idea of mental health. 

- A beautiful feature of the magazine is also that there is a ‘pay as you wish’ option, so that users can access the magazine for as little or as much as they would like to pay. There is also the option to read the magazine online. Copies of the magazine are also donated to rape crisis centres, and mental health words. Bethany expresses that as the journal grows she would like this to be the central mode of distribution. 

I love it this magazine!

http://www.dollhospitaljournal.com

http://www.germmagazine.com/doll-hospital-an-art-and-literary-journal-on-mental-health/

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/4wbpqn/doll-hospital-journal-mental-health-729