#because they were never designed to be a mobility aid

[eldenringle]

Less cyberpunk and more biopunk please and thank you, cyberpunk is too real rn

[saphushia]

I would loveeeee to hear your weird creeper hcs 🙏🙏🙏

YES YAY THANK YOU 🌟

okay so i guess first off. i hc silverfish to be larval creepers. that, in addition with a creeper's diet (and silverfish's, of course) consisting of ore, is why creepers explode players. see, when creepers explode, their eggs are embedded in the surrounding terrain. as players often carry ores on them, a creeper managing to explode a player and drop their inventory means the silverfish that hatch are almost guaranteed a very generous meal upon first hatching. after that, silverfish burrow underground to continue eating, and to stay safe until they're ready to metamorphise into creepers

(bonus doc lore at the end of the post 🐐)

creepers emerge from the ground at night because that's when it's generally safest for them to finish the final stages of development and gather their bearings. creepers themselves cannot dig or burrow, so they stay on the surface (or in a cave, if that's where they emerged) for the remainder of their life.

the combustion is the result of a chemical reaction- they store reactive materials in chambers in their body, and when they're released and come into contact with each other it causes an explosion as a side note, creepers can eat meat, but are more scavengers than hunters, and only eat it when it's readily available with little to no risk.

moving onto doc (because i'll never pass up a chance for blorbo talk), his anatomy is somewhat different from a standard creeper due to all the modifications to give him a more 'human' bodyplan and appearance.

his forelegs were originally removed and reattached to act as arms, however his spine and leg joints weren't built for a bipedal upright stance, so it gives him back, knee, and ankle pain to walk like that too much. his retractable robotic forelegs were a later addition he made for himself as a mobility aid to help relieve that pain. because of that he has a slightly more 'taur' like body structure, vs standard creepers whose necks are centered between all 4 legs. originally both his arms had 3 digits each (as they were made by modifying his legs), but when he made his right arm prosthetic he gave it a 5-fingered, more human-like shape for easier manipulation of stuff designed for human use

his combustion chambers were also removed long ago, so he can no longer explode himself (which he doesn't really mind. not big on the whole 'one panic away from exploding himself to death' thing)

he can digest a larger range of food than standard creepers can, but he still needs to eat ores to keep a nutritionally balanced diet. mostly he eats non-mineral foods just because he likes the taste, rather than actual nutritional value. it's recommended not to eat anything he makes for himself, because even if it looks like smth a human can eat, it's probably seasoned with redstone or iron shavings (he is good at making human-safe food, but he has no reason to make his own meals human safe. only eat doc's cooking if you know it's meant to be shared)

his scales are also softer, fading into something more similar to rough skin on a lot of his body. his 'hair' is thicker than a human's but thinner than a creeper's scales- it has almost a quill like texture. he can still 'hiss' by rattling them, but it's a somewhat different pitch than your standard creeper.

he also has a lot of mods on his neck to allow him to speak, and his robotic eye sees far better than a creeper's (slightly above human average, vs creeper eyes which are far below a human average). also a lot of questional brain/head mods to give him a more human appearing face and human-level cognition. his horns however are purely aesthetic.

[gettinontopic]

Transandrophobia is real and it isn't about Trans Women opressing Trasn Men its about how the patriarchy attacks all masculinity that isnt the Cishetallo peri-sex able-bodied white man style that's been cultivated since this land was stolen!!!

It covers anyone who's felt like their identity was dictated by them not being allowed to be a man, or being forced to be a man due to factors they couldn't control. It covers anyone who's masculinity was punished because they aren't a man or weren't a man at one point.

It covers how the patriarchy treats masculinity like a prison and anyone who fights that is treated like an escaped prisoner.

[More under cut bc this got way longer than I originally meant]

Patriarcy hates you if you aren't cis no matter how well you preform, designed to try and make you feel like to relax you have to pass as their idea of man, even if thats not anywhere near who you are as a person.

God forbid you be assigned male and the go through and different puberty then they want. Or god forbid you have a physical traigh that the Patriarchy doesn't thing adds up to man. And go fuck yourself if they assign you male and then find something that makes them sneak off, change shit (possibly without parental consent either) and say "haha we were wrong its a healthy baby girl actually!" Only for your classmates to mock you as you start to have seemingly a "wrong" puberty for girld your age.

It hates you if you aren't white, and sees your masculinity as Femininity (in a derogatory way) or as a funny mimicry of its own. It laughs at you or marks you as more violent no matter how many of the acceptable White Words you use. It kills you if you inspire too many people to like you and agree with you. Your're treated stange and forgein no matter how many of you there are in the world around them.

It hates you if you aren't the ideal allo. If you look at romance as anything as Husband and Wife in a Nice White House and with at least Two White Kids and behind your White Picket Fence. If you look at friendship as anything other than secondhand to romance. It teaches you to see critisisms of centralizing romance and sex everywhere, as personal attacks to lash back on.

It hates you if you are a Women who likes masculinity. Because the Patriarchy doesn't see Women as somone who should have masculinity. Women bring new ways to look at masculinity and new ways to present it. Thats is a threat to the Patriarchies need to keep tight fitting boxes.

Butches, cis or trans, are treated like ticking time bombs who should be carefully wire cut so they don't explode and leave their self crafted masculinity where the Patriarchy has to see it.

It hates you if you aren't able bodied. It looks at you as something to be fixed to fufill a role that it assigned, not nature. It looks at you as a failure for not being able to preform the song and dance it choreographed. It mocks you and abandons you because it knows you can't keep up, the goalpost always moving past what you prove you can do.

No man has a mobility aid until he's old. No man has sickness in his body until he earns it (by being old) Men can always lift heavy things (and must hurt themslves being a proud old man). Men always work the Jobs. Men always have working bodies and big muscles (but not fat haha. Never fat thats gross).

The Patriarchy hates fat. Fat makes you a failure. Fat means you aren't a worker. Fat means you're probably greedy with food. Fat is something to be bred out of us or forced off of us and god forbid someone know they're loveable while fat. Patriarchy find fat people who love themselves and it tries to convince them with every breath that they should take it back. It's made to humiliate bodies that don't fit an imagined porn outline.

The Patriarchy hates you if you're a child. Boy or Girl it sets you up to assume distrust in each other. It eagerly shoves away children who don't fit a future beauty and behavior mold and even children who can pretend they fit, are left empty because it's not what they want to grow into. It's what the Patriarchy told them they had no choice but to grow into, as it covers their eyes and ears to better things.

...

Are there other words too? Yeah. There is. There's so many words that overlap and explain lots of these. And this is one of them.

It's for the demonization of masculinity in a society that recognizes only 1 as correct. It's about the Patriarchy and it being a glutton for giving punishment. It's about the System and how it intsects with us as people.

Please find it in you to understand that we are all fighting this together, and that Patriarchy whats you to hate a word more than you hate the system that made that word real.

[rubykgrant]

I finished up all the outfit designs for my RVB OC, Junonia! I put her here in a line-up with Poppy (another RVB OC, but she's been finished a little longer). I wanted to get a good idea for what her vibe was, but also have some variation as well. Some casual looks, a few a little fancy. Poppy's style leans a little more boho-folksy, with a splash of sporty here and there (here armor is mostly white with tan accents, so she has lots of different rosy-brown tones in her outfits). Junonia has a more casual-elegant style, not formal exactly, but lots of feminine/chic clothing, and few different comfy street looks (her armor is dark purple with pink accents, so those colors show up in her clothes).

More info for them below~

Junonia is tall and chubby, but not very curvy. She has sharp and elegant features for her jawline and cheekbones (very pretty and striking). She uses a mobility aid, a cane and some knee braces that help ease stress. She has a cane with her armor as well, but it's more high-tech, and doubles as a weapon, while the suit itself helps compensate stress on her knees (the idea of having a character who needs mobility aids, specifically canes, actually came from seeing a different character from another series; the character used them in a civilian form, but when fighting bad guys, they just magically could walk fine... I thought, hey, if sci-fi magic is involved, shy not just give them a SUPER COOL cane, that can adapt to their needs in battle and what-not! so, I transferred this thought process to Junonia. the high-tech one can automatically fold-up into a gauntlet when she's sitting, and has several other adjustments, making it like multi-tool). Her armor would be dark-purple with pink accents.

She has two prominent tattoos; around her neck/collarbone is a design of a gold chain, pearls, and a seashell. On her arm is a design of a seahorse, with the tail wrapped around her wrist (the way they sometimes hold on to rocks with their tails~). She has most of her hair pulled back, in box braids (they are short on one side, getting longer as it goes to the other side, in sort of an asymmetrical line).

Part of her story involved getting tricked into working for an organization that claimed to help people without being "restricted" by government rules... which is a cool idea in theory, but unfortunately, the people in charge of this group were insidious a-holes. Junonia was in charge of gathering intel, a medic for her team, and occasionally helping with defensive fighting (not that she isn't perfectly capable in any forms of battle, but she's a bit like Doc, not entirely a pacifist, but reserves violence as a last resort, or to defend herself/others). When the organization began to fall apart, including the people running the show trying to take out the underlings to erase evidence, Junonia got out of there quick and hid under the radar for a while... more recently, she's been involved with helping people find resources for recovery, and she's also gotten back into her habit of collecting information (like what happened to other people in her group, and where the ones responsible for the problems are hiding).

Junonia is generally a calm and graceful person, but she's also VERY clever, and can have an icy form of anger when dealing with somebody unpleasant. She's very compassionate, but doesn't compromise in specific situations. She grew up being fascinated by sea creatures, but never got to visit the ocean until she was an adult. When she was hiding, she finally was able to find a place to stay by the water, and worked on putting all her knowledge of marine life into practice. Within the group, she's something like a "reverse" of Carolina, without being an adversary/antagonist. She has the same level of tenacity as well, but more tempered (if Carolina is a bit hot-headed, Junonia is more cool). It's a bit ironic, because she knows about all the others, and at first some of them wonder if this will somehow be "uneven", but Junonia is open to sharing facts about herself, and it's very easy to enjoy/accept her companionship. She really likes horror and action/adventure movies. She's in her late 30s, and is a trans lesbian.

Poppy is short, with a fairly thick and solid build, and soft features. Poppy didn't actually "join" the army. She was "selected" to be part of a "special training program", which turned out to be tricking poor and homeless people into working at dangerous outposts. When one area was getting attacked, a lot of the people running the show took escape ships for themselves. Poppy was able to find a set of armor, and now looking "official", she helped guide all the people who would have been abandoned to safety. When she got them all to a rescue ship, a soldier asked if she had been in charge of that outpost. She basically pretended that- she TOTALLY was the boss. Yep. Hired herself, and gave herself a promotion. Before she could back out or escape, she was thrown into a new "assignment". Whoops!

She was then sent to a different group of Red and Blue Flag Zealots, meant to identify needed supplies and order more ammunition. She was designated "neutral", and had white armor with tan accents. When the teams ran out of bullets, they kept fighting in non-lethal ways, which Poppy thought was preferable to a clearly pointless war, so she just never put in the order for more. Both teams considered her a friend, playfully fighting over who's side she was on. After a dangerous incident left her knocked-out and recovering, Temple's group arrived to recruit more Sim Troopers. Poppy's group refused to join. When she woke up, they were all gone, and she had to work on making cybernetics for herself. Because she's still considered part of the Flag Zealots, the UNSC decided to throw her back into a new training program (which was actually pretty shady in terms of motives), and that's where she meets Sarge.

Poppy is meant to sort of mirror Simmons. The fact that Sarge likes her, and she's a nerd, SHOULD make Simmons hate her guts... but after one conversation, he internally just clicked with her- "Oh, sibling? Sibling!". Also, she and Simmons are trans in opposite directions (Poppy never cared much about having surgery, but she always wanted really long hair). Poppy’s got a bit of a “cheerfully dismissive” attitude when she’s not in a mood to deal with somebody. She also likes making people laugh, and when she’s really close to them, she tries to be a source of comfort. She’s got a temper brewing under there, though (she can shout and rant with the best of them, but you really need to worry if she’s coming after you quietly). For the most part, Poppy is easy-going (because she’s been through a LOT, and knows what she’s capable of), and pretty quick with sarcastic little comments. She also feels her painful emotions VERY deeply, and freely cries when upset. One of her skills is messing with audio communication, and her favorite trick is to play annoying songs as a distraction. With white armor, the prophecy of Red Team being the lesbian flag has been fulfilled!

[vivilingriphyn]

The Sham

Here’s my take on Jay’s design.

I honestly wanted to do this on digital so I could also show his color palette but alas my thumb could only do so much and how laggy my phone is I don’t think i could’ve finished this.

Anywho, let’s talk about his design. His design is honestly heavily mostly based on all the headcanons I have for Jay over the years that I haven’t watched Ninjago, hence why it survived in my mind and heart for so long. So let’s talk about those as well shall we?

Now first off his Facial features, I’ve always thought Jay had sharp features yet soft features to which he choice to emphasize more of his softness because I imagine growing up, he wanted to be as approachable and liked, instead of shun and unintentionally intimidate others, which would only make it harder for him to fit in and socialize than he already is. But ever since he turned into a serpentine and turned back, he didn't entirely turn back fully human one of those perks is being able to somewhat control the shape of his pupils, making them sharp and menacing to cute puppy dog eyes that you could never resist, making him look cute, innocent and pitiful or even creepy and inhuman in some cases. As well as some of his internal bone structure changing, ability to grow fangs or even being able to cover his mouth so wide because of those internal changes in his body that only developed overtime.

I would imagine that some days he would just be in constant pain because of these changes inside his body but no one knew what was wrong with him since these changes was happening in a slow pace where his body could also adapt but can’t exactly avoid those days where Jay is in pain because a major change is happening inside of his body.

Which I wanna imagine, only aided in his image as the weakness among the Ninja, with how often or not he would need to skip training, deeming him weak because of his mysterious health complications over the years, but that never stopped him from putting up a brave face when needed even if he’s in so much pain.

Another one of my head canon is his eyes, I always expected Jay to have brown or Blue eyes but went with Blue, both of his eyes were originally blue but after the events of skybound his right eye has changed, from Blue to Yellow and cracks, as well as his scars turning into lighting shaped marks instead.

I always has this headcanon of time affecting Lighting Masters differently and as well as how the mental state effects the element, since time effects lightning masters differently, the lightning marks where the most severe scars once were, and his eyes changing color from whatever happened to his eye (which I love the headcanon of Nadakhan just gauging it out with his hook) left a much more heavy trauma hence it’s color and appearance. The cracks being how his eye was damaged and the color being influenced by the one that caused it. I wanna imagine it held much more orange and amber color to it but slowly shifted to yellow as Jay begins to heal from his trauma but the color never turns back to its original color. Nor the marks left on him, a show of acceptance that he knows that things won’t be the same for him ever again since.

Next is his clothing, again with how I wanted for him to emphasize his softness with round shapes, overlooking most his menacing or sharp features or even entirely, with puff sleeves and pants, giving him more round edge, this also applies to the snake body on his clothes, which could easily dismissed as swirls or even the long body of a dragon, the Ninja’s are heavily associated with dragons, no one would bat an eye and think that isn’t a dragon’s body or just the dragon’s scales.

The design for his outfit also gives him a lot of mobility, and comfort, and as well as hidden pockets, one of course is are on the slit pants which is hidden in the lining, he has pockets inside his Gi which also has zippers to make sure nothing falls out, and as well as black pouch strapped near his ankle on his right leg and a dagger strapped to his left leg as well.

The color of the danger and pouch are black as well as his leggings and the inside of his slit pants which makes them hidden and blends in.

Which here comes another head canon of mine over the years is that, Jay stays low when he fights, especial when it’s close range so it wouldn’t be off to see him suddenly him crouched which gives it a bit of an element of surprise when one moment he has no sharp weapons then sudden a dagger is in their face and is inches away from stabbing em or when deceiving your enemies when he’s down only to have a knife stabbed in their throat.

Staying low and close to the ground as possible is kinda also his serpent side, showing a bit of that animalistic side, staying low and hidden till it was time to strike. But i wanna touch on my headcanon for his fighting style in another post.

Another part of the Ninja’s Gi for my design is that they have this feature, when the Ninja sweat the inside of their Gi actually gets cold, (this idea came from when a friend of mine lend me their jacket and they were really sweating at the time before their gave it to me and god it felt really cold when I wore it and i wanted to give this feature on the Ninja’s Gis)

I unfortunately couldn’t add this in the draw but Jay’s wrist guards also have blades in them, but Jay rarely uses them but uses them in case for emergencies, as well as good for hiding thin objects, like needles and paper, which also applies for his puff sleeves and the generate puffiness of his Gi making it had to see whether Jay does have stuff inside his Gi or not.

And that’s most of the things I wanted to talk about, in the design, I honestly wanted to make another page but with Jay’s mask on, weapons, facial expressions, poses, etc, etc. but maybe next time. I still have life breathing down my neck to finish my work ^^

[fashionbooksmilano]

Bob Colacello's Out

Bob Colacello

Introduction Ingrid Sischy, Design by Sam Shaid

Edition 7L Steidl, Göttingen 2007, 232 pages, 30x21,4cm, ISBN 9788654034

euro 50,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

Out documents a social era that seems so close and yet so far away: that wild, glamorous, disco-and-drugs-driven decade between the end of the Vietnam war and the advent of AIDS, when every night was a party night and such distinctions as uptown and downtown, gay and straight, black and white were momentarily cast aside. As the editor of Andy Warhol's Interview from 1971 to 1983, Bob Colacello was perfectly placed to record the scene, which he did in his monthly "Out" column, a diary of the frenetic social life that took him from art openings to movie premieres, from cocktail parties to dinner parties, from charity balls to after-hours clubs, often all in the course of a single evening. Although Colacello started writing his column in 1973, it didn't occur to him to take his own pictures for it until two years later, when the Swiss art dealer Thomas Ammann gave him one of the first miniature 35-mm cameras to come on the market, a black plastic Minox small enough to hide in his jacket pocket.

With their skewed angles, multilayered compositions, and arbitrary lighting effects, Colacello's pictures have an immediacy, a veracity, and an aesthetic not often found in the work of professional party photographers. He wasn't standing at the door pairing up celebrities and telling them to smile; he was in the middle of the action - "an accidental photographer", he likes to say, catching his "subjects" off-guard. And what subjects he had: Diana Vreeland, Jack Nicholson, Raquel Welch, Mick Jagger, Yves Saint Laurent, Nan Kempner, Gloria Swanson, Anita Loos, Willy Brandt, Joseph Beuys, Robert Rauschenberg and Warhol himself, at his most relaxed and private. Here as well are those who didn't survive the endless party - Truman Capote, Halston, Studio 54's Steve Rubell, Egon von Furstenberg and Tina Chow. Because space in Interview was limited, only a handful of Colacello's pictures were published each month, so most of these images have never been seen before. They bring to life a carefree but reckless moment in history when social mobility and personal expression were played out to the limits.

23/12/23

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

In honor of Disability Awareness Month here are some Cyrus Borg headcannons of mine

He's Transgender FtM deadname Cerise is close to his current name as he wanted to honor his parents who supported him throughout his transition

His full name is Cyrus Hassan Borg and he was born on October 13th 1975

He has a prosthetic and is an ambulatory wheelchair user having been born with a severe case of spina bifida

The closest to our real life heritages that would compare to his village and family is Pakistani

My guy has legitimately been clocked in at going 10 mph in his wheelchair. It is now a goal of all employees to see if they can ever catch him going faster then this.

He's the quiet imp in the corner the one you don't assume is up for causing trouble but oh boy you ask him and he can and will leap on it

Legitimately made 16 versions of Pixal because ADHD hyperfixation wouldn't leave him alone about perfecting the program

Was accidentally inspired by a legend that came out of Birchwood Forest about Zane

All 16 of his Nindroid kids are still currently online and running around, he is a very proud dad and takes every opportunity to show them off to whoever will listen

His children give him flack for this haha

Skylor once tried to give him a meal on the house as a thank you for bringing the community back together he instead slipped $100 bill into her tip jar she still makes jokes towards him as a result to this day over it. Pixal lost it laughing when Skylar told her

The reason he did this he is very very charitable maybe a billionaire but even he is confused how he has so much money since he's donated so much back to the community through various charities

Cyrus is also he reason Kryptarian constantly has upgrades and the right equipment. The prisoners have a certain level of respect for him as a result of this.

He lives in Borg Industries publicly it is not known that there are five levels above his office these are personal Apartments but to throw people and would be kidnappers off he does own several vacation places nearby that he frequents to make it look like he lives there

He is a very sneaky mother fucker Pixal found out this the hard way when she told him no coffee and he got a co-worker to smuggle it into him

The community absolutely loves Cyrus like he gets so much fan mail and fan art from the public that they have their own designated spot and room to sort it all out

He actually does have a weapon of choice throwing daggers he picked this up after season 7

The reason Pixal is so good at dodging things being thrown is because Cyrus in his anger and fury will sometimes let loose any tool in his hands that he has

whether this be screwdrivers, one time it was his shoe, another time it was a pen. It's never really anything that can actually cause harm it's more so him just letting them know he's absolutely Furious

Which brings me to my second point it is very very hard to get him absolutely angry at you if he is throwing things at you that means you have definitely crossed the line somewhere

His wheelchairs are all custom made by himself but he is known if a worker comes to him and requests he will make their own Mobility aids or repair them

Borg Industries is a Forefront leader of workers rights there is literally a plaque on the door that reads

Borg Industries is a Safe Haven for anyone that Society deems a minority, if a worker is caught discriminating against any of these groups they will be immediately be dragged upstairs in front of the CEO, footage reviewed to make sure they are seeing what they were and you will be personally handed a pink slip and fired.

Cyrus also has made it well known that the company will not work with anybody who does not also uphold this there have been many companies made bankrupt by borg Industries stepping out after they were caught discriminating or cheating people out of their well-earned income.

Although it doesn't appear so the stairs outside actually on one side collapse in on themselves and a elevator switches into place lifting the person up to the level of the doors

Cyrus and Pixal visit Children's Hospitals around Ninjago at random, they will also randomly pop into universities and teach a class on Nindroid technology Pixal showing her tech. Zane occasionally joins as well,

[gayaest]

hi!! i was wondering if there is a reason you have characters hold their cane on the same side as their brace (when they only have one leg brace) - i mainly use a wheelchair now but when i was using a cane i was told to keep it to the opposite side of my brace. since canes have never been my main mobility aid i also figure different people probably find different things work best for them - and was wondering if there were any little story details that were part of that for your designs.

You can go to this post for some more detail.

Honestly, it’s because when I was still able to walk at least a little bit (which was back in, like, 2018) thats the way things helped me the most. I think it’s just deep in my subconscious now that it we what helped me specifically and I like adding experiences like that into my art.

[mellowgoop]

bnha 425 spoilers//// ROBO-JACK

two years. two years I waited to see what the heck was going to happen with this. bnha is just so stupidly inconsistent that I didnt know if she would be healed in a flash, or maybe it would regrow, or maybe shed always just have one ear.

its was always my one major hangup about the fight, that it seemed so stupid to lose half her eficiency for her entire life of recon over this. it felt like an unfair reduction of her power, that one blast against AFO was worth more than her whole future as a hero (sonar support is a way way more powerful use of her quirk than sonic damage in my opinion even if its less flashy)

I always figured Horikoshi just wanted to redesign her and liked the visual of this injury as a horror author (i remember seeing people post on Tumblr yeah, homegirl just took the most violating injury in the series fuck you man) but had no idea what the redesign Was. A few times he drew a pretty clearly one-jack design (like the back cover of volume 37 right?) so I resigned to that

but this is... a great recovery. no, im not happy he maimed my blorbo for this. three people see in the hospital after the battle are the main three dudes.. and the other injuries were only, I swear to god, stupid fucking endeavor/hawks... and then goddam jiro and miriko. why would you go THAT FAR down the relevance list to injure them? no hero deaths and yet two random women characters were gored up... its obvious to everyone he just finds women in pain beautiful

setting the meta layer aside... having grown alongside this battle for 2 years, i appreciate it. in a war full of everyheroes, jiro was THE everyhero, the run of the mill somebody.that haunted afo worst. she was willing to stake everything to mess with him, and it worked, and it definitely served as one of the biggest surprises in the series. tokoyami was made for the frontlines with his quirk, and there was no surprise about him aiding hawks. but jiro was a HUGE trick and frankly, in-universe, I do think tokoyami and jiro were portrayed authentically. even if shes best as support, she can make those tough decisions and, as evidenced by the fight, has the nerve to pull it off. shes also among the smallest in 1-A, and had the perfect quirk for hands free aerial combat! they did a great job and were surprise standouts of the stupidly long and side-chara-loaded last arc

so then... "you knew what you were signing up for." "im glad the demon king didnt take more." jiro had to be one of the only people to pay for her heroics. does that fit her? it's not like home girl has a lot going on, her arc is just like.. I care about my friends. but she does have the theme of thriving through amplifying your powers with technology.

its part of why momojiro is so great! any tech they can imagine, they can make. since the very first fights momo has been able to arm her, and she's been utilizing tech like the boot speakers and ultimately those mobile plug-in attack boosers. i quite like that probably her ultimate skill in sonar used nothing but her jacks and listening skills, but you cant deny shes always synergized with tech and equiptment more than most characters.

so.. ending off her story as someone who has hearing loss and relies on an aid is pretty powerful. this robot jack might be even more useful than her flash jack was, who knows. It can probably be modified while still connecting to her body systems! she may even be able to listen at a superhuman level. it's surprising that I never saw it coming after all this time because it fits great, and I think she's going to have a great future using it.

I'm shocked honestly. this was a truly inspired choice and it opens up the floodgates to a whole world of new techniques and opportunities that she can only have as somebody biologically connected to assistive technology, sort of an ultimate form that she arrived at through unfortunate means. I truly hope this resonates with some people in similar situations, even if real life doesn't always provide those silver linings.

[normal-with-adhd-is-a-joke]

Greer (keeper of tumblr famous cats Pangur and Grim) was talking about how much they enjoy walking now that they're off crutches from an injury. I didn't want to interrupt their simple post about the little joys of life with a deep dive into physical disability and mobility aid usage but I do want to talk about how absolutely true it this is and how it applies to mobility aid users.

Someone who is 100% able bodied or 100% recovered from the condition that caused them to need a mobility aid won't enjoy using a mobility aid. Even people who are still experiencing some level of pain or disability won't enjoy using a mobility aid. I use the mobility aid that I would consider the physically easiest to use, which is a group 3 powerchair. I don't have to walk using my legs or push using my arms, I don't even have to hold my own body upright if I don't want to. And let me tell you, I will still choose to walk when I can. It's not often, but if I can go to the mailbox or run into a store myself I do. The world was built for people who are an average amount wide and long (this can also pose an issue for fat people, but I digress). It was not built for someone with extra width and length from a mobility aid. Cars were built to be stepped out of, meaning my chair needs a (expensive, annoying) ramp to get out of our car. Thresholds were made to be stepped over. Stairs were made to be climbed. Our bodies were also not built for mobility aid use. I love that my chair lets me move when I would otherwise be couchbound, but it's not the same as moving my body unassisted. My body is designed to absorb the shock from each step on uneven ground in a way that even the best wheelchairs can't. My body is designed to climb inclines my chair couldn't dream of. My body easily steps over small obstacles, slides through narrow spaces, and creeps up quietly to get a closer look at a bird. My body releases chemicals when I move it that aid with my mood, digestion, pain, and general wellbeing. Mobility aids are inherently limiting compared to walking unassisted, the reason we use them is because walking unassisted isn't an option or will cause significant pain or illness.

You can certainly have the wrong mobility aid for your level of ability, have it poorly adjusted, or be using it wrong, all of which would warrant medical concern. But I think that we need to remove "I'm worried you'll overuse your mobility aid out of laziness" from the world forever, because mobility aid use takes more work than just walking, and is less enjoyable. A truly lazy person would just walk. I know, because I am incredibly lazy, and I sometimes choose to walk distances I know will fuck me up because using my chair is a hassle. My chair is freedom for me when I am otherwise unable to walk, not for an able-bodied person who is almost never unable to walk.

[kitkatyes]

Oh god, the voices

Agent Phoenix headcanons because the illness won. There's gonna be spoilers for all the games so be warned! Buckle in, It's gonna be a long one

During the events of ieytd 1, Phoenix would always write in cursive cause they liked it. Their handler always had trouble reading it cause half the time it looked like indecipherable squiggles. But after the events of Operation: Death Engine, Phoenix injured their hand- some very nicely broken fingers- and despite their best efforts (agency-mandated physical therapy sessions), they could never get their handwriting the same. Phoenix decides to take up journalling as a hobby in attempt to remedy this.

They've been told they look like an art kid but if prompted, they would only be able to draw a stick figure or one of those triangle-body people you'd draw when you were four.

Phoenix absolutely loves cats and, if they weren't a secret agent constantly moving around, they'd have at least five. It always did seem like their office was surrounded by stray cats and their van in the second game was no exception.

They actually loved camping out in that cramped van. They binged Van Life videos on YouTube when they were assigned to the mission and learned to adore the cramped space. This is a secret they'll take to their grave. They were very annoyed when they saw that Juniper stole their rug during Operation: Safe and Sound and immediately stole it back after they signalled their handler via the glowing water tower stunt.

They're mute and are fluent in most sign Languages. Phoenix will often communicate using Morse code by tapping their earpiece when they're on comms with their Handler. Their Handler still doesn't know Morse Code fluently, so he always has the alphabet on his desk. Sometimes, if they're really stressed or pissed off, they may actually speak- as a treat.

Phoenix is non-binary and makes it everyone's problem. Sometimes, they get really sombre and proclaim that they lost their tits in the war (Operation: Death Engine). When asked about their gender, they always give a cryptid shrug.

On the topic of cryptids, they absolutely adore them. Oftentimes, Phoenix will claim to have seen Mothman and given him a high-five. With the knowledge that aliens do, in fact, exist, no one really questions it. They've binged BuzzFeed's unsolved and will randomly quote it at times.

Phoenix 100% has Autism- I mean, have you seen their souvenir collection? No neurotypical person would decide to keep the sponge they used to clean a skyscraper.

They are the definition of lazy. They often abuse their TK implant, using it for the most mundane things. Do you need a snack? No need to get up, they'll magic it over for you. Also, they have 100% bent a spoon with their mind as some stupid party trick.

Y'know, like this:

Phoenix is obsessed with fieldwork. Often their Handler will find them passed out from sleep exhaustion because they don't know the definition of a break. (They never learn from their mistakes.)

After Operation: Rising Phoenix, they are forced to take a very long break from fieldwork after losing a leg. ("Agent, you can't even walk!) They are very impatient but thankfully, are able to annoy their Handler as they're staying in his apartment.

Dr. Prisim actually designed their leg before defecting. The leg itself isn't hellishly futuristic, it was her first time designing a prosthetic, so she decided to base her design on most modern-day prosthetics. Sure, it's got a few more features (in-built shock absorption to allow for exercise without switching to a running blade and is kinesium-powered) but it's largely the same.

Phoenix also has a few different covers for their prosthetic. They mainly stick to an orange cover with flames on it but they have a black and a tan one in case they need to go undercover.

Phoenix is absolutely ALLERGIC to using mobility aids. Their Handler will often have to force them into a wheelchair or push their crutches into their hands in order for them to use it. Their Handler may even resort to stealing their leg if they're pushing themself too much. Trust me, they'd sleep in their prosthetic if they could.

Escaping from Zor's Project KBOOM messed with both their TK implant and their leg. So, much to their chagrin, they allow their Handler to drive them back to the Agency for a check-up.

Phoenix has always had a penchant for escaping death, even before they joined the agency. Some of their escapades include: falling off their school's roof, getting hit by a truck and even an attempted murder. Not even they knew how they managed to piss that guy off.

[lore-of-throughline]

Further Reading:

Master Thread

Meet the Cast: 1, 2

Meet the Cast 1:

The Roommates:

Seph lives in a 5-bed apartment with six other tenants, they're able to cobble together enough to the abhorrent Columbus rent with their combined incomes.

From upper left to lower right: Brynn, Caleb, Seph, Becca, Nicky

Roommate Character Sheets:

Becca Hardy

Allie Stafford

Brynn Malloy

Luke Lehman

Caleb Joyle (no sheet yet)

Nicky Idrissi (no sheet yet)

Becca is Seph's best friend, and has been since they were assigned roommates in college. She was born in London and has a naturally thick accent that she actively suppresses since she moved to Wisconsin in High School. No one knows she has an accent, not even her step-sister Nicky. She took up burglary from her father, and has been moonlighting as the Black Cat for over almost a decade.

She works as a security guard to help cover rent.

[Nicky sheet]

Nicky is Becca's step-sister, ever since their parents got married around the same time they moved to Wisconsin. She is the reason Seph and Becca ended up in Columbus after college, inviting them to join her at a new place she was moving too.

She is a graphic designer for a milk company.

Allie is a jovial, charismatic grad student. She is arguably the only "normal" person in the whole apartment. Though, the normalcy of a person willing to do deep ocean dives to take geological surveys should definitely be questioned. She rooms with Brynn, and the two of them are near inseparable. She spends most of her scant free time tending to her hydroponics.

Allie is unemployed, but grows weed and assists with Brynn's scams to make a bit on the side.

Brynn is a stoic, smooth talking twig of a woman. She is the tallest member of the friend group, as her parents were obsessed with the status of having a "designer baby" but could only afford increased height. Brynn is a fashion school graduate, but has struggled to land any jobs.

Brynn is unemployed, but performs various scams such as tarot readings to cover her part. She is very good at it.

Luke is one of the original tenants of this apartment, having lived with Caleb for several years before the rest of the current motley crew moved in. He spends his time coming up with the most trend-chasingest, tech-broest, stupidest ideas you can imagine and investing everything he currently has into that idea, only inevitably fail. His personal enemy is Seph, mostly because he loves Becca.

He contributes nothing to rent, as Caleb covers for him.

[Caleb Sheet]

Caleb is the longest tenant living in this apartment, despite being the youngest of them. He never went to college, instead he immediately started work in trade and labor jobs out of High School. He would probably have enough to buy a house if he didn't constantly cover for Luke and get suckered into Luke's terrible ideas. He's the only person in the apartment who can afford a car.

Caleb is currently working as an electrician.

The Workplace:

Seph works at Iliad's Reclamation and Fabrication, a salvage shop that turns scrap into various tools and other useful items--notably mobility aids. She models and fabricates using pirated Stark tech.

Old Man, is a renown figure in the local community, and has become someone that people can rely on to help wherever is needed. His daughter, Danna, is more abrasive, but still will always extend a hand to help anyone in need. The two of them plan to surprise Seph with the idea to adopt her at her next birthday.

Further Reading:

Master Thread

Meet the Cast: 1, 2

[ronqueesha]

Since I’m currently in a Star Trek mood, here’s one of my oldest video game OCs, who ultimately became the springboard for a lot of characteristics of all of my later characters.

- Kwesha Yvaar, a female Bajoran.

- She was born shortly after the Cardassian occupation of her homeworld ended. This makes her around 40 years old by the time the game begins.

- Because she grew up hearing endless stories of the heroes of the resistance, she developed a chip on her shoulder about not being good enough or brave enough, since she was raised in a time of peace and reconstruction. This developed into an attitude problem and a set of anger issues rooted deep within.

- She joined Starfleet largely as a way to escape her self-imposed pressure of not measuring up to the heroes of the past. Although her attitude earned her no favors, and she had to work ten times harder than anyone else to rise through the ranks. 

- One thing that helped stabilize her mood was an on-and-off romantic partnership with Arif Chandra, a human engineer and aspiring designer of his very own starship. They never spent a lot of time together, mostly finding each other when Kwesha was around Earth. Their careers kept them apart, especially as they both rose in their fields. Kwesha became a captain, Arif achieved his dream of designing a ship from the ground up, to be used in the next generation of Starfleet ships.

- Kwesha’s attitude problem meant that her captaincy hit a brick wall shortly after promotion. She was assigned to a “last chance” ship full of other people deemed too problematic for any other assignment, but not incompetent or malicious enough for official reprimand or punishment. (Star Trek Lower Decks recently introduced a similar idea into canon: Starbase 80.)

- Despite this, Kwesha and her crew slowly came together into a dysfunctional found family after several adventures. Arif Chandra even found a way to temporarily assign himself to the ship just as things started to look up for this supposedly dead-end assignment, much to Kwesha’s delight, and the two of them spent a lot of time catching up and igniting their old romantic flame.

- Then came the Iconian war. Her ship was one of the first to encounter the hostile ancient species, and their bottom-of-the-barrel ship was no match for the Iconian’s advanced technology. In the fight, Kwesha was badly wounded on the right side, almost losing her arm. Arif ultimately sacrificed himself to get the last survivors aboard an escape pod, Kwesha included. Despite her screams and protests for him to come back, he died in the ship’s destruction.

- In the aftermath, Kwesha required extensive surgery and physical therapy. However, she chose to keep the scars of that terrible day, which in some ways made her look somewhat like the wartime heroes of Bajor’s past. At the same time, they served as a constant reminder of what she lost, and what was sacrificed for her sake. Her right arm suffered the most damage, and would forever be in constant dull agony, as well as have severely limited functionality due to the severe nerve damage she sustained. Rather than undergo a relatively simple procedure to repair her nerves, or even replace the limb with an identical biosynthetic prosthetic, she uses a clumsy mechanical aid to restore most of her mobility. The pain is constant, and the brace is uncomfortable, but she thinks she deserves the lifetime of discomfort.

- But this was not the end. After months of recovery, physical therapy, and mourning, Starfleet requested Kwesha and her crew return to service. At the time, they were some of the only people in the fleet with any real experience against the Iconians, and the war was not going well for Starfleet. They needed everyone in the field, no matter who.

- But Kwesha would not go back to some wreck of a ship Starfleet pulled out of mothballs. No, as it turns out, Arif Chandra had made several requests before his death, including a strong recommendation that Kwesha be placed in command of his newest prototype vessel. And as one of Starfleet’s most respected ship designers, plus the desperate situation the fleet was in at the time, it was decided that she would indeed be placed in command of this brand new ship.

- Except, that the ship is SO brand new that not all of its systems have been fully fleshed out. Especially the computer, which uses a template voice recorded by Arif himself. In fact, many of the ship’s onboard systems, and even a friendly AI assistant, were recorded using Arif’s voice and personality. In effect, Kwesha is now aboard a ship haunted by someone she loved.

[rjalker]

Martha Wells is happy to write about neurodivergent characters, but absolutely refuses to let anyone be physically disabled in any way.

Murderbot gets shot at and blown up multiple times and has limbs ripped off, but even though it no longer has access to Company fucking magical healing cubicles, it still managed to keep being healed 100% back to normal without a single fucking scratch or scar on it to show for the absolutely ridiculous levels of physical trauma.

She's happy to write about Murderbot being autistic and having anxiety and paranoia but oh, letting it actually become disabled from even a fraction of the physical trauma it goes through every book?

Even though she was "inspired" to write The Murderbot Diaries by reading a series of books where the protagonist does literally become physicaly disabled in the first book and that damage never goes away and does indeed keep progressing?????

Nope!!! Can't have that! Letting Murderbot become physically disabled would mean it's no longer the Overpowered Badass that all her main characters have to be at all times!!!!

Even though it makes no fucking sense that it keeps being able to heal all its injuries like they weren't there!

When it was still in the hands of the Company, sure! I'll fucking buy that! They made it, so they have the technology and techniques to heal it!

But Murderbot should be the fucking anthroid equivalnet of a fucking Iphone. You cannot take it anywhere else to get it fixed, or at least not properly. If you try to fix it it'll break even fucking worse!!!!

Murderbot after book 1 should have to struggle to hell and back to fix any fucking injury it sustains. Because it no longer has access to the Company Proprietary cubicles that were designed to fix it.

It should walk with a limp from being shot in the hip multiple times. After Network Effect it's fucking wrist should never stop hurting and that whole fucking hand stops functioning properly.

For fuck's sake, even the most basic fucking chronic symptoms of that thing it did when it broke its fucking brain should be a constant fucking thing it has to deal with now.

But no. Because Martha Wells has already decided that physically disabled people in this universe aren't human anymore because they have fucking cybernetic mobility aids and shit, so why would she make Murderbot physically disabled?

She would rather just keep blowing it up and chopping its limbs off for cheap fucking pointless drama that means literally nothing because it'll never have any long lasting consequences, not even giving Murderbot any more PTSD than it already fucking has!

How the fuck do you read The Imperial Radch series and then write The Murderbot Diaries and think you've done a good job. The Imperial Radch series starts talking about pronouns and gender in the very first scene and actually lets Breq become permenantly disabled after the first fucking stunt she pulls that's not even as bad as half the shit Murderbot's done half a dozen times now.

Martha Wells loves writing about neurodivergent characters. She loves writing about characters who have anxiety and paranoia and abandonment issues.

But letting any of the characters be physically disabled? Fucking nope! That's asking too much, even as she's literally having the protagonist become grievously injured almost once a book.

Even fucking Malachite, who was covered in scars, was not in any way disabled or impaired by all those old injuries. They might as well have been fucking tattoos for all they fucking meant anything.

Reading The Imperial Radch series just makes The Murderbot Diaries even worse than it was before because Martha Wells herself said she was inspired to write it by reading The Imperial Radch Series. And she just fucking decided to ignore all the shit about trans and nonbinary people existing and actually having pronouns be a topic of conversation and actually letting the characters become physically disabled after being in a horrible accident.

I'm fucking infuriated. How do you read The Imperial Radch series and then write The Murderbot Diaries and be proud of yourself. You fucking missed every gods damned point.

[chronicbeans]

Here's my Welcome Home OC: Pinkie Patience!

My self-imposed challenge was to design him using the pastel crayons and markers my bff bought me, so he looks like a little dork, and I love him! Also this is my first time trying to draw/design a puppet (besides Wally), so expect it to be poor- (feedback is always liked and welcomed OwO.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He's a laid-back, chill neighbor who likes to play games with friends, relax, and eat delicious foods! Due to his disability/disabilities, which was/were never specifically named in the show, books, or any other media, he sometimes needs to take breaks or ask for others to accommodate for him to be able to join in on activities. While his condition or conditions were never named, some difficulties that have been mentioned or observed are difficulty swallowing, food allergies, joint pain, the use of leg braces and other mobility aids, and sensory issues, such as hypersensitivity to light and sounds.

He often worse glasses, which he mentioned helped with the bright light of the sun and lights inside his house, even though they were clear and not tinted. It is believed that the decision to keep his glasses clear was to allow children with poor eyesight to still be able to see his eyes well. His mobility aids were often bright and colorful. He also wore clothes that didn't quite match in colors, or was all one color. One instance, where he was asked about his clothing style, had him say "I dress more for comfort than appearance. I think my personality makes up for it, don't you?" He is also noted as the only character with colored eyebrows and that changed outfits often, regardless of weather conditions. He also has visible pink stubble on his chin, which a design note mentioned was to try to express being laid-back and relaxed in his physical design.

His segments usually included themes of patience, accommodation, and acceptance for peers with varying levels of ability. It tried to demystify some of the various aids that others may need, such as walkers, braces, wheelchairs and the likes to young kids, as well as show them some accomodations you might need to make to let them join in on activities. Pinkie also showed a very healthy level of self-confidence, mentioning how he sees his disabilities not as a burden, but as a little hurdle that he can and does overcome daily. In the rare times where he felt down about not being able to join what the others were doing, or feeling like he was ruining their fun by needing help, the others would cheer him up and tell him that he's always welcome to ask for help and that they would rather make the changes he needs to join in than exclude him. The others would also ask him for advice on what he needs, listening to it intently and doing everything that they can to help.

He was only shown in a couple of the episodes on television, mostly appearing in the books and other merchandise. There are a couple of theories as to why this could be. The main two are that changing out the various accessories, like his leg braces, which needed to be taken off when he was in a wheelchair and his wrist compression wraps which were only worn in episodes where he mentions having joint pain, was too taxing and difficult for the puppeteers, or that they were hard to puppeteer around. This could be because the accessories were usually made of plastic, while to puppet was felt and stuffing, which comes with the risk of ripping the puppet on a sharp, plastic edge.

The other theory was that parents felt that the themes of disability were too intense for the young target audience, so the channels they were broadcasting odd requested that he be taken out of the show. This stems from letters that were found, usually from the late 60s to early 70s, from angry parents upset by episodes including Pinkie, some even saying that him asking for accomodations was him bullying or bossing the others around and that he didn't actually need them. If this was true, the fact that he was still featured in books and merchandise could be the studio's way of still showing their support for people with disabilities, as well as making sure that children who connected with him didn't feel abandoned by his sudden disappearance from the show. Letters from children, most dated in the few months between his disappearance from the show and his slight higher presence in the books, mentioned how they missed Pinkie or related to him. Some even asked if he was okay or moved out of the neighborhood. It is possible the heightened presence of him in the merchandise could've been in response to the letters from those children.

[livesinthebalance]

GENERAL TO SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE BACK

IN REFERENCE TO ABIGAIL "ABBY" DEKKER'S IMPLANT FOR HER BACK…

I have done a fair amount of research for myself and for my characters on this topic, but I am by no means an expert on backs or on paralyzing injuries. I know only what I have researched and what I have learned from those who do have working and everyday knowledge. I will try to portray this injury well both prior to the implant and afterwards—as threads demand—as accurately as possible. If I am inaccurate in something, please feel free to let me know and I will make the necessary corrections.

Now, to start, Abby's injury was at the lower part of her lumbar vertabrae, around the L4-L5 section, which largely prevented her from walking without the constant use of tools to aid her, until such time as she received the implant, after which she had to do a great deal of physical therapy to rebuild the muscles and regain her coordination and mobility—insomuch as she could.

This is what the implant looks like internally on her spine.

Most of the implant itself is not visible but part of it is above the skin. This is likely the access point where components would be replaced when it was necessary for general upkeep—short of things that would require major surgery like the sections along the bones themselves and at the spinal cord.

Due to both the way the implant is set and the fact that it was experimental at the time, there are issues with it, among them:

1) It created a limited range of movement with its design, at least where the lowest sections of her spine are concerned. You will not see her twist too much. You'll usually see her completely turn her body instead. She can also only bend forward or backward to a certain point.

2) The purpose of the design was both to reinforce the spine itself after the injury, as well as to convey the signals from the brain past the incomplete spinal cord injury, almost acting as a bridge—which is where the inner section of the device that I didn't draw would come into play.

3) That said, though it accomplished the main goal of allowing her to walk and resume other such functions that were difficult to impossible due to the injury, it did not solve everything. She can walk. She no longer needs a catheter or anything of that nature. Anything else on that list for the lower sections of the spine are functional again because the signals are conveyed. There are flaws with it, however, up to and including how quickly and how precisely the messages travel around the damaged nerves. As a result, she is clumsy and will trip over her own feet, sometimes over air, sometimes misjudged steps/mis-relayed messages. You will not likely see her running [ short of emergency ] or dancing or anything like that [ unless she has simply already resigned herself to the fact that she is going to fall ]. Feeling is also not 100% in her feet/lower legs, almost like someone with neuropathy. She is at least happy that she can [ mostly ] work the pedals on a piano again [ an organ, however, would be very unlikely due to the amount of precise footwork required to do so ] .

4) She does deal with pain/nerve pain. Some days are fairly minor, what would typically just be considered soreness or stiffness. Then, though they are fairly rare, there are days that the pain makes it difficult to impossible to get out of bed, and it leaves her actually holding her breath until whatever spike or spasm passes, until the next one. On those days, her business partner and friend [ I am considering the partner being an omnic ] handles all of the business at their shop—as well as venturing upstairs to check on her occasionally.

5) Random facts: while it is not very obtrusive, she tends not to lay on her back as it is uncomfortable, she often pivots in solid back chairs when possible so her back is not flat against it, and she tends to shy away from anyone touching anywhere below the natural waistline. Again, she is almost never seen NOT in layers to hide both the implant and the lights that show it is functioning properly.