- Nichelle Nichols
I take a two year break from tumblr and when I get back all blogs are deleted and there's just one post from staff that says CROATOAN
catatonicqueer
[Image description: two images from same scene in the 70s cartoon Scooby Doo of Fred, with a person in a ghost costume who’s tied up. In the first frame, it’s been edited so Fred says: “Alright bisexual, let’s what your real sexuality is.” The word bisexual is written over the face of the ghost. In the next frame below, Fred has unmasked the ghost, revealing the text “Still bisexual, but now annoyed.” beneath the mask. End description.]
Make sure to get your vaccination! Starfleet is counting on you!
A comic about being (possibly) neurodivergent, deeply rooted fears and overthinking
do NOT repost
sassenachsansa-deactivated20201
The narrative of ‘this person was disabled but their disability was cured as part of their story’ is ableist
The narrative of ‘this person is disabled but “overcame” disability in order for them to be a hero’ (e.g. a paralysed person finding a way to walk) is ableist
And just for clarification for the non-disabled, using adaptive technologies, like prostheses or whatever, is not ableist as long as you never forget. Ask yourself questions about the benefits but also the limitations of whatever adaptive thing you’re giving the character.
- They have to take a pill every day to treat a chronic illness or chronic pain? Okay, what happens when they forget, or are in a bad situation and run out of pills?
- They lost a limb or are paralyzed and now they have a sci-fi cybernetic prosthesis/exoskeleton to replace the lost functionality? Cool. What does maintenance look like? Does it ever malfunction? What happens if they don’t or can’t take care of it? Do they still get phantom pains even with the adaptation?
- They’re deaf or blind or anosmic, but they’re a wizard who uses magic to adapt to the lost sense? Fine. What does it take to maintain that magic? Do they have adaptive strategies for when the magic fails?
- They’re autistic or have ADHD or schizophrenia or some other cognitive disorder, and they have a chip in their head to make it easier to communicate when non-verbal? Okay. What exactly does it do for them? Does it ever malfunction or give them headaches? What are other ways they’ve adapted to their disability apart from this chip?
Other questions to ask that go for all kinds of things:
- Do they have a service animal? For what tasks or situations is it trained?
- Do their family/friends know how to help if their adaptive technologies/strategies fail?
- Is their disability (or the adaptation) visible or observable to others? How do others react?
- Has their society adapted to accommodate disabilities, and if so, in what ways? (Ramps, closed captions, sign language, etc.)
Basically, think about what it adds to the story to have your character disabled. If you were just going to completely cure it with no ongoing repercussions or adaptations, why did you bother making them disabled in the first place? What story were you telling?
really good addition
A really good example of this is Geordi La Forge from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
He is not “fixed” he is always blind, but has a noticable technology that allows him to interact with his surroundings with a type of sight. He gets headaches from his device, but has actively denied surgeries that would “fix” his sight because it goes agaisnt what he values in his ablities. There is a risk of the surgery failing which would remove his ability to use the visor and he would still be blind.
He (and eventually others) views his blindness as an advantage because his visor gives him sights others can’t have. But if the visor fails he still has ways to function as a blind person. However, his limitations come to light because he can’t serve his usual job without some form of sight. While I would have liked to see them explore an idea of accomedations for him that Star Fleet has standard, at least they make sure it’s known that he is still a valued member of the crew despite his current inability to contribute like he usually would.
This is all protrayed in a combination of Geordi centric episodes and episodes that have little or nothing to do with his disabilty. It is as usual to find out about how he lives and experiences his blindness as it is to find out about Troi’s empathic abilities.
Could it be done better? Did they really miss on some parts? Of course, but Geordi is a fully fledged character with a sci-fi fix to a disability where the disability doesn’t just go away or change his worth. In fact, more than once, it makes him more valuable.
Please forgive any spelling, grammar, or formating errors. I’m on mobil and somehow its WORSE than when I first got it years ago.
I’m bored so anyone who reblogs this I’ll make you a DnD character sheet of what I think you’d be based on your tumblr
Spock finds Jim and Bones…endearing. He likes how they banter back and forth. He looks forward to seeing them exchange soft touches with loving ease and finds himself wanting that touch focused on him whenever he’s gone a time without it. This soft and easy appreciation of Jim and Bones was he first time Spock found himself truly unbothered by how unchecked his emotions were. It was so natural to have these two men by his side, so perfectly easy and joyous that exerting effort to fight it would have been illogical.
Headcanon: Jim has absolutely told someone to shoot him during a very intense stand off without expecting them actually shoot him. He of course somehow managed to be quick on his feet and play it off like he had been planning it from the start. A phaser shot was a minimal sacrifice and all that.
Only Bones standing in the side lines, eyes narrowed, lips pursed, tricorder and med kit ready, knows better.
Spock has his suspicions, though.
✨all bitches do in star trek is be gay and fall over, and that’s just fine by me✨
(click image for optimal quality)
