#disability chain

[jessequinones]

Stop Using Slurs in Children Stories!

I bet that caught your attention. You might be thinking, what stories use the N-word, or the F-word, well...none that I found. However, there are two slur words that are often used in writing mainly in children's literature because I don’t think enough people know them to be slurs. Those words are cripple and savage.

Before I begin, I need to address a few things. First, I'll only use these words in full for educational purposes so nothing gets confusing. Secondly, I’m not hating on any of these authors. I genuinely think these people might not know cripple and savage are slurs. However, I still need examples of what I’m talking about to explain how common these words are used in writing as well as explaining why it’s a bad idea to use them, so I’m using these authors, not as targets but as examples based on the books I have.

Both of these words (cripple and savage) have a lot of history behind them, and while I strongly suggest, not using them, if for some reason, they have to be used, you need to hire a sensitivity reader who’s a part of the communities that has been affected by said words before you publish your story.

Cripple:

Before I begin, please understand I’ve consulted with a disabled person who’s well knowledgeable in this topic to help smooth out my points. I’m not apart of the physically disabled community. As I’ve been told there’s a big debate going on within the disabled community in regards to if mental disabled people are allowed to use the word cripple or not. This is beyond my understanding of the word, and the community so when I mention the word cripple, I’ll be referring it to the physical disabled community and not the mental one. Everything I’m about to say has already been said by the physically disabled community. I’m not adding anything new or talking over them. If you would like to know more about the language of disability, please read Cy-Cyborg’s article on the matter: https://writingwithcycyborg.blogspot.com/2024/02/LanguageOfDisability.html

Cripple is a world that’s defined one of three ways, to either describe someone who can’t function properly, to describe a situation that’s overwhelming, or to describe an object that isn’t working.

Example one: DragonFire: Sphere of Eternity (book 1)

“I mean, this morning, no offence, you were crippled.” (Describing a person.)

Example two: “The economy was crippled.” (Describing a situation)

Example three: DragonFire: Age of Legend (book 3) (describing an object)

The word cripple, even when it was used in a medical sense has always been a word to punch down and insult the physically disabled community. It was used to attack them and point out their disabilities. It became a common replacement for the word injured because it has a more of a punch. Instead of calling someone “severely injured” use cripple instead, it’s shorter and a lot punchier of a word. Over time it became part of normal vocabulary to use it while describing something as severe, despite it still being used as an insult at the same time. Let’s look at an example of how it’s being used to describe an injury in Robert Vane's A Dragons Chains: Book one of the Remembered War

“I moved my three non-crippled legs…” In this example, the dragon has an injured leg. Why did the author use the word cripple instead of injured? I think it’s because of shock value. Is it cheap shock value? Yes, but shock value for the reader is still shock value. Tell me, what’s the difference would be if the author replaced the word cripple with injured? “I moved my three non-injured legs...” Does using the word cripple add to the sense of urgency? Add to the sense of how injured that character's leg is? Or was it merely just a place for shock value?

But how often is this word used? Let’s take a quick look at the DragonFire series. There are currently four books in this series at the time of writing, and the word crippled is used twelve times throughout four books. Knowing it’s a slur...that’s a lot.

Some of the examples in which it was used are in things such as DragonFire: Fallen Star (book 2) where it reads:

Or

“...he yelled, his scythed tail coiling round, only for the far less crippled dragon to kick him off.” DragonFire: Order of Enishra (book 4)

It’s not just the DragonFire series which does this, other examples include, The Last Monster on Earth by LJ Davies

Which uses it four times in one book with examples such as “Lock these two in the truck with the cripple…”

Warriors: Forest of Secrets (book 3) has this line. “As Fireheart said goodbye to Yellowfang and went back to hunting, he felt a new surge of determination to bring Tigerclaw’s guilt into the open. For the sake of Redtail, murdered; for Ravenpaw, driven from the Clan; for Cinderpaw, crippled...”

And even Wings of Fire, one of my favourite book series uses it.

Here’s a question for you. Is it ok to use that word if the impact is meant to be insulting? In the Wings of Fire example, Queen Scarlet defeats Dune in combat, and is about to kidnap the main characters. Dune, still breathing can barley move upon which Scarlet killed him. Scarlet is one of those pure evil types of characters, this is something I could see her saying, but let’s take a step back and put your eyes in the eyes of a disabled child.

Here you are, a disabled child. You already know what the word cripple is, and it’s been used against you (don’t act like this doesn’t happen). You read Wings of Fire and you come across that sentence. What is the intent behind that sentence in the eyes of a disabled child? Are you supposed to be scared of Scarlet? Angry? Or are you upset, because even in a fantasy book with talking dragons, you can’t escape from real life or that word?

Some of you might say, “What if only the villains use that word?” While I can see Queen Scarlet calling Peril a stupid retarded motherfucker. It’s not something you want in a children's story, so why does cripple get a past?

I hope you’re getting the picture, it’s a very commonly used word, one which the disabled community has begged able-bodied people not to use. The word injured gets the same point across and it doesn’t have a history of it being a derogatory term. While replacing the word cripple with injured or severely injured isn’t a perfect fix, it’s at least getting rid of the other word which is a start at least.

Now before I continue with the other slur, I can hear some of you say you’re aware disabled people are using cripple to describe themselves. Why can’t able-bodied people use it? Here’s the thing. Not everyone in the disabled community is doing this, and it’s not a monolith. The word cripple has been used as an attack against the disabled community for decades. It targets them, puts them down, and it’s only used against them. You only use the term to refer to something as injured so there's no reason to use it on an able-bodied person. The community in which it was used against is taking that word and trying to empower it amongst themselves. You’re not gonna complain if someone who’s black uses the N-word, so why are you upset when disabled people use the word cripple to describe themselves but are saying you can’t? That word belongs to them and their community, not yours. Also, one more thing before I go, not everyone in the disabled community uses this word or wants to hear it. There have been plenty of disabled people who are fine using that word to describe themselves but won’t say it around others if other disabled people express they don’t want to hear it. So be mindful if you’re gonna use it and please hire a sensitivity reader.

Savage:

This word...I have a lot of history with it because it’s a word that’s used against my community, (indigenous) people. And yet, just like the word cripple, it’s used all the time and while it’s a very common occurrence where indigenous voices aren’t heard, we’ve been telling everyone to just drop this word. Unlike the word cripple, we aren’t trying to claim this word, we just want it gone.

The definition of this word is an easy one to understand. It’s to describe a person, object, or an action as barbaric, wild, aggressive, unintelligent, or barely even human.

Example one: “They’re savages, savages, barely even human” Disney, Pocahontas (1995). (Used against people)

Example two:DragonFire: Age of Legend (book 3) by LJ Davies

“I opened my muzzled to respond, but another savage roar drew our attention…” (Used as an action)

Example three:

(Used against a group of people)

Example four: “Savage weaponry” (Use to describe an object)

I’m gonna be using the series DragonFire a lot for my examples, because out of all the books I got, that series uses the word 19 times throughout books one, two, and three. It was used twelve times in book three and I guess someone told LJ Davies about this problem because it doesn’t appear in book four. But it DOES appear in the spin-off series “Tales of DragonFire: Rebellion” twice, and THIRTEEN TIMES in “The Last Monster on Earth”. Overall, that's THIRTY-FOUR TIMES in the course of five books, all meant for children.

LJ Davies isn’t my only example. Chester Young, used it nine times throughout books 1 and 2 of the Celestial Heir books Rowan Silver, used it once in Eyes of Silver: Dragons and Skylines (book 2) And Robert Vane, used it once in the Remembered War series in book 4

Let’s start by showing off some examples and the impact they have and please note, that this might be something you’re just not experienced with. So just like with the disabled child, try to imagine yourself as an indigenous child. You’re fully aware of the word savage, it’s been used against you, and your people. So when you read a text like “Trade with the savages...they wouldn’t understand the concept!”

It feels awfully familiar to lines you read in your history books about your people. Keep in mind, that you wanted to read a story about dragons so you could get away from real life.

(From the Last Monster on Earth by LJ Davies)

I know the United States called the Native Americans savage monsters while stealing their land, it was used as a way to justify their actions, make the natives appear barley even human or in most cases, not human at all, let’s not forget, for a good majority of the building of the United States, those founding fathers didn’t see anyone other than themselves as humans. Reading text, asking how people became savage monsters overnight should remind you how people labelled indigenous people in the past and still do today.

"To confirm the princess’s words, yes, there is an army out there whose numbers vastly exceed our own. Nevertheless, they are a crude mockery of the noble kind they once were, and they are now nothing but savages….There was a series of grunts and nods at that statement...” (DragonFire: Age of Legend, book 3)

I think, this text is a great example of what I’ve been trying to say. In this text, the character who is speaking and the grunts and nods are all dragons with human-like intelligence. They're a stand-in for us. The Elder (who spoke in said text) has been seen and viewed as one of the good guys. He calls his kind noble, and he’s working with a princess, (let’s not forget our history books on how the royal family treated indigenous people). He calls his attackers “nothing but savages”. In translation, their monsters, who are no longer noble or righteous. There’s an agreement with his statement, as if what he says is right and we should be agreeing with him.

In that sentence, understanding everyone is of human intelligence and is a stand-in for humans. We have an old white knight, calling the enemy savages while the royal family are the heroes who are trying to protect their land from those filthy, disgusting, savages. You can kind of see why I’m saying we really shouldn’t be using this word.

“Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages…” Warriors: Into the Wild (book 1)

Savages...indigenous people, they aren’t warriors, they would’ve killed Yellowfang, and left her to rot in the wilds, Thunderclan is better than those monsters. Am I making my point clear enough when it comes to the history of this word, who it’s targeted against and how it comes across when reading in children's media?

You might’ve noticed I’ve mainly been using examples when it refers to a group of people, not necessarily showing off how commonly it’s used as either an action or an object because honestly...those are just kind of dumb. A savage roar? What does that mean?

Ah yes, because we really needed the use of the word “savagely” to get the point across that Misuk just destroyed a person's skull. The “turning his head into a bloody pulp” wasn’t enough on its own. Without the use of the word savagely how else could we get the aggression and power across? When savage is used as an action it’s mostly because said character loses control of their humanity. They become savage when they attack and the end result is a bloody mess because that’s the only way indigenous, I mean, monsters, I mean barbarians, I mean savage people know how to fight. You often see these kinds of moments when the good guy who’d never hurt a fly loses control and unleashes hell, they turn into something that’s not themselves, they turned into a savage and these moments are meant to be shown as shocking as the character forgets who they are for a couple of seconds.

Indigenous people were savages, with savage strength, and a savage kind of culture. They scalp people, beat them to a bloody pulp, and ate your children. Those monsters needed to be killed. Whenever you use the word savage, it circles back to a group of minorities who were just trying to survive. This word has been used so much, that I don’t think many people realise the history behind it, which is why I said I’m not hating anyone who uses it, but please try to get a sensitivity reader. Get disabled and indigenous sensitivity readers, even if there’s no indigenous or disabled representation in your books, the words you use, still affect us and it’s a good thing to be aware of the words of which you speak and write.

Please be aware of these words, especially if you’re writing stories meant for children because the more children see these words, the more normal they’ll think it is and the more often they’ll start repeating it. I think there’s a time and place for these words, but saying them as an excuse to make something more shocking, isn’t the time or place.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

The Monsters' Rhapsody

We come from regions at the edge of maps Where details of the landscape are left out. Those who journey there are warned of traps; Our histories are vague, and filled with doubt.

We crouch in corners of cathedral towers, Peering from the ledges high above Jeering at the milky, gilded saints With their songs of torment in the key of ‛love’.

We gather in the margins of the page, Drawn there by those minds too quick for text Cavorting in the space between the lines And looking out beyond the screen of Time At what has gone before, and what comes next With our piercing, wide-eyed, wild, gaze.

Cartographers of power fear us most. Perhaps by accident, or secret pledge, They were the ones who pushed us to the edge. To them, we are the “evil (demon) host.”

To curry favor with their patron lords, They pondered, and they toiled, and they forged A chain of being strung ’tween God and Earth To justify the privilege of their birth. With words of silk, and blood-black ink, They braided ropes to every link To bind each living creature into place Then doled out dwindling portions of God’s grace. But for themselves, they kept the greatest share – In sight of angels in the shining air.

But we – the vast and secret multitude, Who move through narrow spaces in between, Traversing landscapes they have never viewed – We slip through gaps in their great chain.

We are the neithers and the nors – Exceptions to each rule they write: We are the maids with fishy tails, Who sing the doom of sailing ships, And giants, standing miles high, Who scrape their knees on mountain peaks, The gryphon, werewolf, and the king Who’s neither frog, nor yet a man. The mother who can only crawl, As if she were a tiny babe, The boy who reads with fingertips, Poets who shape words with hands, And those who have divergent minds. We are the neithers and the nors – Exceptions to each rule they write.

And whether shy and shifting, or rudely bold, We can’t be collared by their ready names – Their inky, silky, fetters do not hold. They say this is our crime – that we’re to blame.

That we exist at all is proof enough The world is more complex than first it seems They claimed a single truth. And thus, they lied – Their mighty chain was forged from human pride, A false conclusion, and a foolish dream. But we are here. And we can call their bluff.

And even as we wander city streets, Along with all the rushing, bustling crowds, The questions rise in every gaze we meet, And mystery surrounds us, like a cloud.

We span the borders by which this world’s defined – Not on the globe, but rather, in the mind.

[t4tozier]

happy disability pride month feel free to throw ur local chronically ill queer some dollars for a mobility aid !! v3nmo: ksages or kofi 🩷😎

[literarysiren]

In a year surprisingly awash with disabled characters in genre film, I made these two companion pieces, and one of them even inspired a podcast episode. I'm a Franklin Hardesty apologist.

[ionlytalktodogs]

Idk how Picrew chains work but I want to see you all in this Picrew so reblog with yours

Mine is this

Here’s the link

https://picrew.me/image_maker/1322863

[yourfamilyfriendsatan]

I'm making a post and reblogging from myself to keep track of how many of these scams I get. If others want to block be free.

(To be aware. I do check the blogs and they're all made the day they make their donation post/a couple days prior)

[nonbinarychaoticstupid]

i mentioned this in the tags of another post somewhere but there rly is something so theatre kid core insane in rehearsing les mis and learning how to build a barricade and playing the role of a student in the rebellion at the same time as an awful winter is descending on you and you have no real way of knowing how much money you're going to have left and the coronation of king charles, which will most likely be millions of pounds worth of money spent on watching another racist idiot put a hat on, seems to be a more important use of the government's expenses than feeding and heating the homes of the rest of the country. like idk i really would love to hear the people fucking sing. or something.

[c0ntr0lledchaos]

Febuwhump day 1: Helpless

 The scenery would have been pretty if the circumstances were different. Snow drifted down before softly settling onto the ground. It hadn’t been snowing very long, many areas of the forest floor still being bare. Snowflakes blended into Elio’s white hair as they landed on it, dusting the top of their head as they walked. The forest was quiet, only being broken by the sound of the snow and twigs crunching as Elio was escorted through the trees.

 The four of them came to a stop and Elio was pushed to the ground under a tree. Their back hit the tree roughly, bark scraping against the back of their head. One of the guards grabbed their hand and pinned it to the tree above their head as the other secured them to the tree. Cold metal fingers held their arm tightly, not allowing any wiggle room as they worked. Elio glared at the guard, but got no reaction from her. Black eyes barely even glanced at Elio’s face before returning to watching the other guard work. A pair of horns sprouted from somewhere under her dark hair above her pointed ears and bent forward slightly. Elio noticed there was a metal band around the base of the horns with an eye hook attached to it. The guard’s ear twitched slightly as the other finished, testing the strength of the binds before letting go of their arm.

 Heavy chains felt like overkill as they tightened onto their wrist and chest. They had already been stripped of everything on their person that they could possibly use to escape, including their own metal prosthetic. It wasn’t nearly as advanced as the guards were, being made mostly for everyday use instead of being weapons. Both guards had different prosthetics that disappeared under their uniform and who’s joints glowed with a pale blue light. Elio would have admired the technology if it was not currently being used against them.

 “You know, you can still spend the night inside. All you have to do is agree to work with me,” Their captor, Dr. Somsny said, watching as the two guards finished securing Elio to the tree.

 The guards returned to his sides, standing at attention as they waited for the next instruction. They looked similar now that Elio was able to get a good look at them; both having the same shaped horns and standing at the same height, almost a foot taller than Dr. Somsny. The main difference being that one had prosthetic arms while the other had prosthetic legs. They all looked pristine and formal when Elio had first met them, Dr. Somsny dressed in a suit with a freshly groomed beard and the guards standing perfectly at attention in their uniforms. Now they seemed to be more disheveled. Dr. Somsny still wore a perfectly pressed suit but his hair and beard were more unkempt and there was a madness in his eyes that Elio didn’t notice before. The guards looked worse, dark circles under their eyes stood out on their pale skin and they slouched ever so slightly when the doctor wasn’t looking.

 “I used to dream about you asking me to work with you,” Elio said, putting as much venom into their voice as possible. “Now I would rather die.”

 “Oh don’t be silly. You are no use to me dead.”

 Elio spit at his feet, feeling a bit of pride swell up inside them when his smile faltered, turning into a look of disgust. He pulled his leg back before swinging it forward, dress shoe kicking them in their stomach. Their mouth opened in a wordless cry as the air was knocked from their lungs. Elio’s back scrapped against the tree and their arm strained under the chains as they fought to regain their breath. Their vision blurred with unshed tears and they barely noticed the doctor and his guards turning and walking away. By the time Elio was able to focus again, they were already starting to disappear through the trees.

 “Someone will come collect you in the morning,” Dr. Somsny called back, smirk in his voice as they fully disappeared between the trees.

 The snow was still falling, slowly building on the ground. The grass was nearly covered now, only the tallest patches still poking out from under the snow. The dry patch of ground Elio was sitting on was also steadily growing smaller. Snow creeped towards them steadily, like a slowly rising tide. It wouldn’t be long before the snow reached their boots.

 The guards had luckily given Elio their coat back, despite the fact that they were pretty sure Dr. Somsny had not instructed them too. Even with the extra layer of fabric, Elio could feel the cold starting to seep into their bones. They believed the doctor when he said he didn’t want them to die, but even so, Elio knew that the possibility of frostbite or getting sick was still there. Their hand being held above their head and the metal connector for their prosthetic in their residual limb were areas of concern especially. Their toes, ears, nose, and lips were next on the list. They brought their knees up closer to them in an effort to conserve body heat in the mean time.

 Taking a deep breath, Elio started mentally going over all their options. They had nothing but the clothes on their back and their bindings were to tight to try to wiggle out of. They looked around, trying to see if there was anything they could use but it looked like the area had been cleared of debris before they were brought out here. They squinted to see through the trees, attempting to get some sense of their surroundings. It was hard to see but with the sun setting, Elio caught a glimpse of the light reflecting off a metal fence that most likely surrounded the area. The woods seemed to be absent of even animals as Elio noticed just how quiet it was. Besides the footsteps that lead back the way they came, there was no sign of life.

 The sun would be setting fully below the horizon soon, taking the last of the warmth with it. Elio’s heart-rate started to pick up as they realized that they didn’t have any way to escape. The only thing they could hope for was that Celta would find them, but they had tasked her with protecting the house and Rye. How long had Elio even been gone now? At least a couple hours now, seeing as it was still morning when they had left. Even if she did leave and come looking, it was nearly impossible that she would find them out here. There was also the chance that Rye would sneak away and go looking for them but Elio would rather freeze to death than for Rye to possibly end up in danger himself. They were sure Dr. Somsny would love to use the kid against Elio given the chance.

 They leaned their head back against the tree, trying to control their breathing as they squeezed their eyes shut. If they just kept thinking they could work this out and figure out a way to escape. As much as they tried to think of escape plans, they were starting to find it hard to think straight. Panic was starting to cloud their mind. Their heart was racing and instead of thinking of all the ways they could escape, their mind started thinking of all the ways this could get even worse. What if Dr. Somsny changed his mind and decided he actually didn’t need Elio alive? What if they let Elio freeze to death? What if they survived and the torture just got worse? What if Dr. Somsny found the house, or Celta and Rye were caught while looking for them? What if Elio agreed to work for Dr. Somsny?

 A snowflake landed on their nose and the slight sting from the cold along with that last thought snapped them back to reality. Were they really considering working for that monster? Did they have much of a choice? Elio had a pretty good pain tolerance but how far would he go to bend them to his will?

 Elio hung their head, sighing as they made up their mind. They couldn’t escape, but they could at least hold out for as long as they could. It was the only thing they could do.

Characters from my WIP: Dimension Traveling and Other Mistakes

[megscarbieart]

etsy shop reopening 20th nov @ 7pm (gmt) 🥳

I’ll be open for 2 weeks, and posting UK only.

[crimmson]

between my computer deciding to rebel, and work, and life, and I feel like I have a perpetual minor cold with that kinda slightly stuffy feel and that taste in the back of my throat,

I am kindly requesting someone to just Old Yeller me at this point

[tsukihigui]

deleted my twitter app (not account) bc i really can’t handle the intense no-nuance high-stakes takes right now. not that here is all that much better but it’s definitely less of a time sink

[tragedykery]

oougughh boiling over with rage about people’s attitudes towards accessibility again

[romangoldendreams]

With every look he got from her he only got her soul broken into pieces, her fragility not hidden, that porcelain doll facade, helpless, broken.

She was weak, and they both knew it. She was intelligent and determined in her work, for everything in life, but not for problems or difficult situations. All of her was torn from top to bottom, and depression, sadness and everything that makes up the word strength disappeared from her person. She totally lacked the energy that he had, and it was precisely because of that weakness and disability that she openly showed that made him fall in love with her, lose himself in her gaze, in that tattered body, and heal his soul stained by fear, broken by injuries, because she was coward while he was brave enough for both.

[timeisacephalopod]

I absolutely hate when people accuse me of like writing myself into story (similar to Mary sue claims) because something I wrote about or a subject or some other aspect I chose is similar to or (according to my accusers) ripped straight from my life. Like the saying is "write what you know" for one, for two a "friend" I had acting like giving a character a job I had was some sort of self insert shit is dumb when every job I've ever had is somewhat unusual and a conversation starter in real life so- shocker- sticking it into a story makes a good story.

Writers having experience with something or a similar life experience to their characters doesn't mean we're writing about ourselves. I had a therapist mistake a robot story about a dad who's kid dies getting turned into a robot despite her father's distinctly anti robot politics as a reverse of my dad dying as a kid. It was actually meant as an exploration of the ownership father's feel over their daughters and the way death makes us insanely selfish to the point of ignoring any and all potential wishes for the person we lost. Bringing people back from the dead for nothing but your own self soothing is selfish and cruel, but no because my dad died as a kid this was a Trauma Reversal of that situation and like no lol. The character may have been similar to my father (who was wildly abusive but extremely charismatic, but those traits describe everyone from sports players to fuckin Ronnie Regan so it's Not That Deep) but that does not mean that is who I was writing about. He was not I was just fuckin writing a story with themes that, frankly, were more reflective of my relationship to feminism than my relationship to my father.

Anyway if you think a writer had ripped their own story off consider: maybe you're the one who is projecting because like even if that was true zero people bag on (white) men who do this, I know this because a teacher I had in film school straight up said that show he wrote about inter office law politics was about his life as a lawyer and immediately I was like "if I ever said that about something I wrote whatever story that was would be mocked to death" and I'm sure I'm not the only one in a minority group that feels that way. I can't even write Super Basic Kinda Connected to my life shit without being accused of writing about myself let alone a full blown show I'm happy to say was Me Inspired.