#you're telling me that one of ONLY physically disabled characters i have actually found relatable no longer has that disability?

[shawolsos]

They removed Ricky's disability from the script? Fuck.

[petrichormeraki]

The Blind c!Tubbo Post (Tubbost)

(TW: Scopophobia, Eye Scarring/Discussion, Ableism Mention, Death Mention)

SO! literally nobody asked but I would like to share with you all my headcannon for Tubbo after the Festival.

I'm one of the many who depict canon deaths as scarring left over after respawns, and my first depiction of Tubbo after the Festival was him with blast scars over his face, blinded by the firework shot into him at close range. I also depicted him with his eyes permanently closed in every art...

...which I have NOW learned is not actually how eye scarring works! (Or maybe burn scars specifically DO glue your eyes shut, I'm not a doctor, I've only done some digging.)

Then I started to wonder what Tubbo's eyes WOULD look like open after the Festival, since there would be no way his eyes made it unscathed from an explosion right between them. It was then I discovered macular corneal dystrophy!

Macular dystrophy is specifically the name for the corneal opacity caused by injury/scarring! And yes, while I know "cloudy eyes = blind" is an insulting caricature of blind characters in media, in this instance I think because the discoloration is a direct symptom from scarred blindness, it's not just another half assed able-bodied depiction (I hope).

(However; if I'm incorrect, I implore blind folks to let me know and I'll scrap it immediately 👍. Also, Tubbo's situation is very very specific, so I went more general with my research since I couldn't find anything about eye injury related to explosions specifically.)

So, I found how it'd look for Tubbo to be blind after his execution. The next thing was to figure out how getting around in canon could be explained with my fanon interpretation of Tubbo being completely blind.

This was obviously the bigger hurdle, since I was/still am an uneducated, inexperienced person with full sight. To tackle the task to have a blind interpretation of a character without being offensive or ignorant, I turned to @cripplecharacters, who were INSTRUMENTAL in educating me on disabilities. (MASSIVE thanks, y'all!! I would still be researching and not creating if it weren't for you :,3)

You can visit the blog for specifics, but what the mods have done was compile an FAQ about blind folks for those who genuinely didn't know anything about them (read: me)

It was through them that I learned the dos and donts of depicting a blind character in my work, hence why my final headcannon of Tubbo is a) completely able to independent and mobile, NOT infantalized, b) almost always has an earpiece to explain the surroundings of the SMP's constantly shifting environment so he can realistically move around without hurting himself, and c) IS NOT COMPLETELY INHIBITED BY HIS BLINDNESS, emotionally or physically.

Of course, there's always going to be things he can and can't do because he is now blind, but in the grand scheme of things, Tubbo adapted well to his situation after time to get used to it. Becoming blind did not depress him or confine him, and it certainly did not stop him in his journey of self growth as a character.

I struggled with this, as I didn't want Tubbo's disability to be obsolete in the long run; blindness is now a part of him, and it was important to me that that is shown; but I also didn't want his loss of sight to, well, completely cripple him. I know it's a slippery slope to maintain as someone who never has gone through or experienced any inhibition of sight other than run-of-the-mill glasses, and I know I definitely didn't learn everything about how to properly convey a blind character.

That said, I open the doors to educate* me if you wish! Tell me if I was offensive or incorrect in any of my above research! I want to be respectful over all else when I draw/write disabled folks.

Basically, TLDR: in my fanon interpretation, c!Tubbo is blinded after the Festival, and I did a lot of research to depict his blindness realistically and respectfully, and I made this post at 2:45 AM because 👉 insomnia 👉 so sorry if the wording is a bit funny in places.

*please only comment if you're a professional in the field of optometry/eye injury or a blind person yourself! To those who are full sighted and just as inexperienced; this literally cannot be explained by you, so please refrain :)

[leafcabbage]

While I’m here still (sorry for the spam!) I just wanted to say thank you? Back when I was a kid and this whole thing was new, I remember thinking after having bad days in succession with good days that I was failing, and the people around me thought that too.

Just,,, drdi!Ranboo’s support system acknowledging that chronic illness is, in fact, chronic and they’ll always need help and love won’t cure it and that the help they’ll need will increase and looking after him?? That line in the last chapter of winter break, where Tubbo avoids telling Ranboo that the situation isn’t forever? Hit in the f a c e./pos

So yeah. Thank you. Drink some water and stay safe, okay? I’ll just be here :]

DONT BE SORRY TO SPAM I LOVE THIS I LOVE INTERACTING WITH YOU ALL

im gonna open with two things: im terrible at writing when it comes to actually talking to people and im going to get just a tiny bit personal. you're going to get some [real name] instead of cabbage. incredible. yknow i have an old lady name maybe i should just start using random old lady names. today i will be.... Dorothy. (apparently my name was very popular in the 1930s so that's the decade i shall use)

ANYWAYS!

first off, the fact that this fic has been so... positive? for you? i dont know exactly how to say what im trying to say but i hope you get the idea. it's one of my goals that people can look at this story and no matter who they relate to, see that things can be good. things can be okay. even when they aren't okay, there can be hope. i already said it, but there's too much bullshit about living sad lives and stuff because of a disability or chronic illness or mental illness or whatever. ranboo isn't going to get better. there will be no miraculous recovery, there's no miracle cure. they have a severe tbi, drug resistant epilepsy, permanent physical damage to their entire body, chronic pain, etc. that's not gonna get healed by jesus or some shit. years of pushing themself past their limits is catching up with them. tommy and tubbo, at the point we are at in the story, aren't entirely aware of the extent of what ranboo is living with, but once they are, nothing will change about how much they care and how much they love ranboo and how willing they are to help and be there. another message i hope im getting across in the story is that help is not a bad thing to need! help =/= failure. and that's something ranboo is only starting to learn.

i think it's really important to tell stories of unconditional love through things that are hard, in relationships that are lasting, and we havent gotten it yet but its important to me that everyone supports everyone in it too, there's no one character always being the one struggling, i think that's also a shitty narrative.

some of this is for me. without going too into it, my brain? funky. i take epilepsy medication for bipolar, which is a fun fact i share constantly because its so funny to me. im also autistic but that is a surprise to absolutely no one. and part of life is finding out that some people are gonna support you and some aren't. ive found my lifelong support system. ive found people willing to adjust to my communication style and where i do and dont get "normal" things. people who will support me through manic episode and still acknowledge that being in that position can be hard. i really want to avoid any "babying" in this fic, clear communication on stuff like this is important. but yeah, im sure not gettin' rid of the good ol' bipolar or autism, so its something people who plan to be with me their whole lives have to accept, and ive found the people who do. i want that to be ranboo's story.

my biggest struggle in life is my IBS though-

jk jk, but thank you for this message, i really appreciate it, and i love hearing people's thoughts on the fic, it helps me make it better and realize what parts actually impact people :]

i hope you're staying safe as well!!