#like yeah me too bitch but we both have the capability of being ableist my guy

[piplupod]

neurodivergent/disordered people get SO angry if you point out that they were ableist 😬 esp if you're pointing out "hey thats shitty towards autistic ppl" when they're autistic themselves, WOOF the vitriol they'll pull out of nowhere is fuckin nasty.

you are not immune to ableism!! you most definitely have some internalized ableism, you are not immune to it !!!

[dameronalone]

The post you just reblogged about infantilizing autistic characters and specifically Steven Grant is actually one of my favorite things ever and I wished people talked about it more. I remember watching MK when it first came out and seeing Steven and being like omg he’s just like me!! because a lot of the times I don’t really connect with autistic characters for one reason or another but seeing Steven and seeing him have the same mannerisms and characteristics as me was so so wonderful and the fandom was great at first and it seems like the more time passes and the farther we get from when the show stopped having new episodes, he gets characterized so differently than how he was in the show. Like yeah he was awkward and unsure around Layla but also look at the circumstances!! Everyone’s turned him into an uwu baby child and forget that he got angry and he was smart and he was brave and he was an adult man and not a child regardless of him being autistic. Idk, I just really liked that post and I was so glad to see someone on the same page as me and I wanted to share my thoughts lmao

dearest anon you are more than welcome to come in my inbox and talk abt Steven, autism, and how irritating fandom ableism is, because I'm always ready to talk about any of it. I'm glad that you felt seen by my frustration! a lot of times I'll mention it or even post about it and it's like yelling into the void

I think the wonderful thing about Steven is that he feels so authentically autistic, him and Marc both (and im assuming Jake as well, but it's just too soon to tell in which ways he will experience/be visibly autistic) and I think that's both the uprising and the downfall of it because in not using the word "autistic" in the show it paves the way both for genuine connection AND the surface level ableist "aw steven" mentality we see a lot now

i was watching the first two episodes the other day, mostly because I'm rewatching for Steven- an aside, but fandom had honestly put me off Steven. ofc I loved him so much but I couldn't truly connect because the (imho) accurate Steven that I liked to think about and analyze is NOT the Steven we see in 98% of fanfiction or tumblr posts. but anyway I was watching the first two episodes and I gotta say, for as much nervous stuttering as he does in fanfiction, he really- listen I think he does a reasonable amount of nervous stuttering when he is IN truly stressful situations that have him completely off kilter.

you can't really script your way out of a conversation with a creepy guy trying to tell you abt his lord and savior ammit the croc

anyway. all this to say, I completely understand where you're coming from and I'm really glad you felt seen in my own frustration. it's always validating to see someone else verbalizing a deep rooted but glossed over issue that bothers you

just!! reiterating your point!! he's knowledgeable!!! he's angry!!! he's incredibly brave!!!! he's not afraid to stand up to Marc or khonshu or harrow or anybody!!!! he's an adult man with a job and a place to live!!! that doesn't make him any better or worse than someone who may not have a job BUT people just love to turn autistic ppl into helpless little uwu babies and its SO obnoxious and irritating and insulting. he IS capable!! Steven is SASSY he is a BITCH he fantasizes about killing his boss!!!!! he bargined the world for marc (and his) freedom!!!! hello?????

steven would not like the majority of the people who claim to like him..

at any rate lmao. my inbox is always open!! happy to talk 🫶

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

Crowley doesn’t want to hurt Aziraphale’s feelings. He used to like needling the angel and getting a rise out of him but never with intent to actually hurt him.

Sometimes though... one has to employ Tough Love to get their point across. Because if Crowley were to let it go on than he’d be letting Aziraphale walk around offending people unawares, which wasn’t something the angel wanted to do ever. So Crowley would do it, even if it was a Good deed.

It was an age-old argument between them. For years Aziraphale maintained that reading the book yourself was the only true way to appreciate it. That books should not be changed from their original forms and should be accepted as they are. That these newfangled methods were ‘ruining’ the history of the book. For years Crowley had disagreed with this thought process even if he couldn’t explain himself properly.

But now.

Just now he’d realised what bothered him about that stance. It wasn’t Aziraphale’s lack of interest in joining the modern world, though that too was aggravating. It was the lack of consideration for others’ plights.

Like the angel was completely overlooking some important facts when he criticised digital and audiobooks and books changed from their original form. 

So here they were in the bookshop, rehashing an old argument because Aziraphale saw Crowley listening to Harry Potter on his mobile and demanded to know why he didn’t just buy a book.

“I did buy it. I bought the audiobook and downloaded it multiple times so I can have it in various places and on various devices if need be,” he’d answered simply, feeling the incoming argument rearing its old head.

The angel’s mouth twisted in displeasure and that slightly pompous attitude that he’d shed for the most part since Armageddon’t, shined through. He reminded Crowley too much of Gabriel in that moment and the demon despised it.

“Those just aren’t real books though! They’re a mockery of the art.”

And here was where Crowley decided that being nice about this topic was not the best way to go about it. This was where Tough Love came into play.

He waited several seconds, decidedly staring at his screen even though he coudn’t really see any words. “You know, it’s very ableist when you do that.”

Instantly the righteous fury that had been building up between them went cold and he peeked over the top of his mobile to see Aziraphale frowning in confusion and offense.

“You realise that there are people who cannot read? Either because of a level of blindness, or dyslexia, something else that makes it difficult for them to understand the written word, or just they’ve never learned how to because of how underprivileged they are in life?”

The angel blinked.

“Such people have to rely on Braille or audioooks or friends and family reading aloud to help them. Just because you’re some art purist doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to experience books in the only ways they can. These people are paying the same price as one would for a physical copy. They just want to get involved in something. Happiness shouldn’t be limited to the abled and privileged.”

Some sputtering followed those words as Aziraphale tried to find words to reply with, but Crowley was on a roll.

“And many people do not have the space available for physical books. Downloading an entire library onto a device that fits into your pocket and can be carried everywhere with you, saves time, energy, trees, and space. One would think you’d be happy about those facts but all you do it get on your high horse and pontificate about how these things ‘ruin everything’ for you.”

Dealing with it was just so aggravating! And he could finally explain why and it was a relief to do so! Crowley was only minutely offended but he knew that many humans wouldn’t have put up with it for as long as he had. Nor would have withheld from swearing when they finally exploded.

“You may not have realised it, Aziraphale, but my eyes are more snake-like than you’d think. The one thing I’ve never been able to control as firmly as I wanted is my vision. I have to put so much effort into the miracle the makes me capable of reading for a short period of time. And it’s exhausting. It gives me a splitting headache. I was thrilled when the original version of audiobooks became a thing because reading takes so much effort that it leaves me stressed and tired enough to sleep for weeks.”

He memorised things by pattern and colour. And he would avoid reading if he absolutely had to. This also meant he didn’t do a lot of writing. He somewhat could but didn’t like to.

It was just stressful overall.

The cushion beside him sank a bit as Aziraphale seated himself at Crowley’s side. He placed a hand on the demon’s arm, encouraging him to look over. His blue eyes were soft with concern.

“I never realised, my dear. I’ve simply been concerned by the growing lack of interest in reading this past century alone. It didn’t occur to me that many people simply didn’t have the same chances. The very series you were just listening to sparked an interest in reading again, but it just didn’t feel like enough. It felt like things were slowing down.

“I apologise for my callous words on the subject. I never meant to be inconsiderate toward you or anyone else.”

He practically poured wounded sincerity, and Crowley knew he wouldn’t hold it against the angel because Aziraphale had never been a malicious person at heart. Sure he’d done or said some things in his quest to be God’s Perfect Little Angel, but half of the time he hadn’t even believed the things he was saying. He was just scared of Falling.

He had his moments of being a complete arsehole too, but those were few and far between.

Crowley just wanted him to understand, and it seemed like he finally was. That was all he’d wanted.

With a sigh, the demon said, “You’re forgiven. And if you have any questions about modernisation and concerns about things, we can talk about it and remain open-minded to each other’s points, yeah? We’re both experts in different parts of humanity so listening to each other’s experiences is prudent.”

Aziraphale beamed and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Yes! It’s a very Kind thing for you to offer, dear.”

He grumbled about four-letter descriptors and went back to listening to Voldemort monologue himself hoarse for a whole bloody chapter!

With this success under his belt he couldn’t wait to get on the topic Wikipedia’s usefulness!

A/N: Saw a post today bitching about how audiobooks were for ‘lazy’ people and ‘weren’t real books’. and Aziraphale kind of feels like he’d be the sort to think that until put in his place. So here’s some angst.