@astagmatism - Tumblr Blog

me explaining goncharov to my mother: so tumblr made up this scorsese crime film and they're arguing about its themes and-

my mother, completely deadpan: well are they reviewing the theatrical release or director's cut.

me:

my mother: what does frances ford coppola think of it

dancinbutterfly

Your mother is the only one who understands me

phantom-of-the-keurig

I know in my heart this is what Cody looks like when shinies burst into his quarters at 3:23 am to tattletale on their squad mate

fox-trot

What Marshal Commander Cody wears in the sanctuary of his own quarters is his own business

cherryhatter-deactivated2015072

KICK THE CAN!

Let’s play the biggest game of kick the can on the internet.

To kick the can, reblog it. I wanna see how long this can go on for.

visibun

the oldest reblogs for this post that i can find are from january 2nd of 2013. this can has been getting kicked around tumblr for almost 13½ years now

tourdion

say what you will about the reserve bank of india these are some cracking coins

interview

human fanclub forever <3

music is “star” by mitski

[youtube version]

paintedhen

you’re not allowed to tell anyone about this

actingwithportals

Alright, because clearly some people need it, let's talk about writing blind characters (again).

So. You want to write a blind character for your story or AU, but you yourself are sighted and don't know any blind people irl. The media is not your best outlet for finding good or accurate portrayals of blind people, and you're a little stumped on doing your own research. Maybe I can help fill in a few gaps?

(Note: I AM a blind person but I am only one blind person with one blind experience. There will be others with different backgrounds, different acuity levels, different overall conditions, different points in their lives of when they lost their vision, all of these things that will color how their blindness impacts their lives. Please when doing any research into representing a minority group ALWAYS seek out multiple experiences to gain a better, fuller understanding. I will be offering a viewpoint as someone who was born blind (ocular albinism), uses a cane, grew up relying on old school screenreading and magnification tools (and mainly just uses magnification now), reads and writes Grade 1 Braille (but has begun Grade 2), and has participated in many blind programs and communities since I was a young teenager. There is no "correct" way to be a blind person, there are just "different" ways, and they are all equally true and valid.)

First things first, canes:

Give your blind characters a cane!!! Most blind people are very interested in being self-sufficient and independent, and one of the best ways for us to achieve this is the freedom to navigate our own surroundings. Your cane is your best tool for this!

A lot of blind folks will also want a guide animal and that does take place of a cane, but also there will be a lot of instances where you will not be using your guide animal! They will take breaks!! They will need to sleep or rest!! They will not be suitable for every outing or excursion! Blind folks, even with guide animals, will still own a cane for these instances.

(There is also an instance where a blind person will want to use sighted guide. It's most comfortable doing this with people you are familiar with, but it works in a pinch with strangers too who are willing. However, a lot of folks don't know how sighted guide works. So to explain, essentially all it entails is the blind person will hold onto the space just above your elbow, and will walk about half a step in pace behind you. You do not need to do anything with your arm besides leave it relaxed (do not fold it up), and give out some verbal cues of changes in direction, warnings of upcoming steps up or down, or pauses for other passerbys or traffic. Reading out signs or keeping the blind person informed of what street you're on might also be helpful, but ask the individual what it is they desire from the sighted guide. Sometimes we don't need much, just someone to keep us from running into things if the sun is in our eyes.)

(Relatedly though do not do not DO NOT grab a blind person without their consent. DO NOT grab them, move them around, or any other nonsense like this. Do not TOUCH THEM without asking first, and if they say no, that means FUCKING NO.)

Now, how do canes work?

Most blind folks will use a white cane that is about to the height of reaching your chin standing up straight, so that when you extend it outwards it will reach far enough ahead of you to anticipate things at a distance (and you can also just as easily pull your cane in a little more to better reach things closer up).

Canes are most commonly made of metal or fiberglass, and these days a lot of them are folding canes (easy for stowing away while in transit on a car or bus or when seated anywhere).

The grip is soft with a cord hanging from its top that is used to loop around and hold in place the cane when folded, and when you are holding your cane outward in use your pointer finger will extend downward for best control over your tool.

The tip is made of hard plastic that can be slipped on and off because it will need to be regularly replaced as frequent use will wear it down, and these tips can come in a number of shapes, but the most popular you will see are a marshmallow tip (large and, well, shaped like a marshmallow), or a pencil tip (long and thin, this tip is my preference). People might switch out which tip they use depending on the terrain as well.

When in use, you hold your cane extended outward in front of you, and while you want the tip on the ground to be angled centered to your body, you are going to want the grip resting somewhere off to the side around your hip or just above (this way if you encounter a crack or something else in front of you that your cane will snag on, you will not wind up stabbing yourself in the gut with the grip. That shit hurts, avoid at all costs).

Depending on your specific needs, the terrain, and other factors such as lighting, crowds, or space available, there are a few different ways you'll actually use the cane. You can either have it running straight in front of you, tapping to the sides of you at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, or shorelining (where you keep a regular tap at your center and then at whatever edge your are walking by, whether it be the edge of the sidewalk or a wall, etc). When at rest, your cane should be pulled to stand up straight and held close so that it does not become a tripping hazard for others.

Your cane is an extension of your arm, it is a part of you. Treat it kindly, and if you see a blind person with their cane, do not touch it!!!! Even when folded up, leave that cane alone!!!!!

While not all blind people will want to use a cane, especially those with higher visual acuity, it is HEAVILY ENCOURAGED that all at least own one just in case they ever find they need it. Your blind character SHOULD own a cane and know how to use it. The likelihood of your blind character being one of the few who do not use one/do not find a need for one is so unlikely that at this point if you choose to go that route it's uh. It's just kind of insulting, that us needing such a tool is seen as so unnecessary, by sighted people no less. Give your blind character a cane.

What about Braille?

Braille is a tactile way of reading and writing, and it is very useful for a lot of blind people! There are a couple of different ways to write Braille: with either a slate and stylus, or with a Brailler.

Slate and Stylus:

This (older, but still useful) method is simpler in that it is much less cumbersome than a Brailler, but it does take a bit of brainpower as it requires essentially writing upside-down. How it works is your slate is sort of like a long metal sleeve that opens for you to slide a piece of paper in between the two sides of the slate. On the slate itself is the shape of a Braille cell (two columns of three rows of dots), and with your stylus you poke holes into that cell to make up whatever shape constructs your letter/word/number/punctuation. Most slates will have several cells along a line, and several lines to work with so that you do not have to move your slate around the page too often.

Brailler:

A Brailler takes the job of the slate and stylus and makes it a bit more streamlined, but it is more cumbersome to transport as a Brailler is not too different from the size and shape of a typewriter (don't worry, it IS smaller, at least, and has much fewer keys). You roll your paper in and clamp it down just like on a typewriter, and you have six main keys that make up the six dots within a Braille cell. When typing, you will press down whichever of those six keys at a single time that makes up whatever letter/word/number/punctuation you are trying to write, and then move on to the next (there are also keys for entering down, a spacebar, and one other that, I will admit, I have never once used so I do not know what it does lol. I think it is some kind of backspace for if you miss something? Backspacing is very difficult to do in Braille, for obvious reasons, so there are more limited scenarios in which backspacing is going to be beneficial).

Braille, being what it is (a tactile form of written language that requires the reader to run their fingers over the words repeatedly, allowing for erosion of those shapes overtime) necessitates using paper of a thicker size and shape than normal 8.5x11 printer paper. And even with the use of contractions (you begin learning these in Grade 2 Braille, and it is A LOT) Braille takes up a lot of space to write, so Braille books themselves are often very large and weighty.

This often means that a lot of blind people will prefer audiobooks over Braille books, as that is simply more practical in this day and age, but Braille is still an incredibly important resource that we should not be quick to overlook. We can read and write our own Braille, and this freedom of accessibility should not be taken for granted. Though a lot of blind people who still have residual vision might not be taught Braille growing up (I myself was not put in Braille classes outside of the few things here and there that my vision teacher taught me — it was not until my teenage years of spending more time around other blind people that I started self-teaching), I think this is a massive disservice to the community, that EVERYONE (sighted people included) could benefit from learning Braille.

What else do blind people use to help them in their daily lives?

Your mileage may vary on what you as an individual might need, but I will try to break down a few other helpful bits of information that you might find useful in writing blind characters!

Magnifiers:

(Side note: Not every blind person is totally blind. In fact, most blind people do have some level of residual vision. This might only be some small perception of light and shadows, but sometimes it is a usable amount of vision. There is some relativity in what is considered "legal blindness" depending on where you live, but if you find yourself with vision even at its most corrected with glasses or contacts to still have an acuity that falls below a certain point (for example, in the US this point is 20/200), you would probably benefit from considering yourself blind and seeking out resources to help!!!)

But yes, magnifiers. Whether they be glass ones you hold, or digital software on your various devices, magnifiers can be useful for both looking at things up close, and even perceiving things far away! A magnifier with built-in lights for reading, a screen magnifier with various contrast options for browsing your computer, a stand magnifier you can jury rig with a shoelace to tie around your good eye for hands-free Lookin (shoutout to 13yo Awpie on this one lol), bioptics for watching live theatre or films or even reading a menu at a coffeeshop (designed as tools to help people with low vision drive, these binocular lenses mounted onto normal glasses lenses have countless uses beyond their original intent), or, yes, even your standard everyday binoculars if you wanna sight-see beyond your usual scope. Most blind people with some amount of residual vision will have an arsenal of preferred magnification tools to choose from, so you should put a fair amount of consideration into what your character might most enjoy!

Screenreaders:

Used by both blind folks with total vision loss and blind folks with some residual vision, screenreaders have been around probably a lot longer than you think, and are indispensable tools that almost every blind person has at least some experience with, even if they do not prefer to use it in their daily lives. Most magnification software comes with its own built-in screenreader, but there are plenty that have existed on their own without being part of a magnification software (shoutout JAWS), but even devices and operating systems now are being designed with screenreaders built in-house too. The quality does vary from program to program, and people who use these regularly are going to Have Opinions on what they prefer, but if your character has low enough vision that using magnifiers would be more tricky than helpful, then they are GOING to make a lot of use out of screenreaders. I recommend attempting to use the screenreader on your phone sometime, just to see what it's like. It's actually a lot of fun!

Large print, tactile tools, color-coding, etc.:

There are a lot of ways in which blind folks will help themselves navigate the world without/with limited sight. Whether it be large print/Braille labels put on all of their household appliances, everything in their bedroom or office organized by color/in specific orders/marked with something tactile (puff paint was a popular go-to when I was a kid), or otherwise, blind folks will make their spaces heavily curated to their needs, and if we've been doing it for a long time (years or even our whole lives) we're going to be very good at it. Don't move a blind person's things in their space around without their explicit consent — everything has a place and we for the most part are going to be very used to keeping together a carefully constructed mental map of our surroundings, DO NOT INTERRUPT THAT.

And on the subject of mental maps...

Orientation and Mobility!!!

Not every blind person has gone through some degree of O&M training, but if you grew up blind and had access to resources in education to accommodate your disability, you are probably familiar with this class. What this entails is essentially being taught the tools and tricks for navigating out in the world independently, and if you've already spent years of your life needing to do this, you likely already have learned plenty of things on your own without the instruction.

But what the instruction does often cover is using your cane, identifying landmarks around you (whether by sound, smell, keeping mental track of how many right and left turns you make from a specific location you can remember), how to navigate crossing streets, keeping track of what other pedestrians are doing to assist in your own understanding of the flow of traffic, and how to orient yourself in a situation when you find yourself lost.

Not every blind person is going to have the best memory or mental map, but it is something we do have to more heavily rely on than sighted people, so the likelihood of your blind character being pretty adept in navigating familiar stomping grounds or adjusting quickly to new terrain after going over it once or twice with assistance is, all things considered, going to be pretty high.

And while we're talking about what blind people are and are not likely good at...

Heightened senses???

Blind folks, and I cannot stress this enough, do NOT. HAVE. SUPER. SENSES. Our hearing is AVERAGE. Our taste buds are AVERAGE. Our sense of smell and touch is AVERAGE. What MIGHT be above average is the amount we rely on these things, and thus our proficiency in utilizing them is going to be HIGHER THAN PEOPLE WHO DO NOT. But even still blind people are not immune to comorbidity of disabilities. Sometimes blind people are Deaf as well!!!

Do not write your blind characters with super hearing. Do not write your blind characters with supernatural abilities to tell who a person is by smell across an entire fucking room (unless that person is particularly known for being...odorous (in a good or bad way!!!). Do not write your character able to feel a piece of cloth and know exactly what its weave and fiber is unless they HAVE REASON to be so familiar with textiles. DO NOT WRITE YOUR BLIND CHARACTERS TO MAGICALLY HAVE VISION (METAPHORICAL OR LITERAL) UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS WHEN THEY OTHERWISE DO NOT. Commit to your character Being Blind, or do not bother at all.

And on this note, if you want to supply your blind character with some magical ability that allows them to bypass some pretty average blind person needs like using a cane/sighted guide/guide animal, reading Braille (or otherwise utilizing magnification or audio tools), or taking the time to put in the effort to learn how to navigate, organize, plan ahead, or customize their space to be accessible to them to their specific needs, If Your Blind Character Can Essentially Pass For Sighted Except When Being Blind Will Look Cool, you need to rewrite your character. Full stop.

What else are bad stereotypes, inaccuracies, or otherwise offensive mischaracterizations that should be avoided when writing blind characters?

We do not, have never, WILL never, want to touch your face. Cut that shit out right now.

Barring very specific conditions, a lot of blind people do not have white/cloudy eyes. For a lot of us our eyes look not too different from how a sighted person's eyes will look. But please please PLEASE actually research what condition your blind character has that caused their blindness so you can accurately portray what that would look like (for example, my albinism doesn't really effect the color of my eyes beyond they do SOMETIMES look red under certain lighting due to how easily light passes through to reflect off the blood vessels in the back, but this is under specific conditions and is not ALWAYS. Also people with albinism often have nystagmus, a condition that causes the eyes to constantly shake in a specific direction (mine shake from side to side). Knowing these details will allow you to most accurately describe/draw your character's features).

Also barring specific conditions/light sensitivities/personal self-consciousness in how the eyes might look (again, depending on very specific conditions), blind people typically do not walk around in sunglasses outside of any same reason a sighted person would have them on. A blind person with total vision loss will, quite frankly, probably not a give a fuck about ever paying for a pair of sunglasses that they do not need. It is so uncommon for blind people to needlessly rock a pair of sunglasses that at this point it's just a weird trope that y'all need to slow the fuck down on. We have pretty eyes that we will want to show off too!!!

Characterizing blind people as not having opinions on looks and appearances or even being above racism/colorism (????) is uh. Not true. Just not true. There is a degree to which blind people will not care about theirs or others appearances, especially to the point of really small details that a blind person might not even be remotely aware of if it does not come up in regular conversation (your clothes being wrinkled in a certain way being very easy to miss on a social level vs. something like, fatphobia), but we are just as capable of bigotry and prejudice. We do not have to see a person to have biases about them, and we are not immune to sucking in this way.

Characterizing blind people as being "wiser" or more open-minded about others and the world around them, having an "inner vision" of beauty or some shit... also Big Fucking No. Being disabled does not make you a more patient and understanding person. It does not make you smarter or more kind-hearted. It does not make you gentle. Cease this. We are all Just Some Guy like any other non-disabled person.

This is a lot of information, but I really do hope more people take the time to get to know what real blind people in real life are like. I hope that more sighted people take the time to care about viewing blind people as people, and not an interesting commodity to put in their stories for angst or spice or whatever the fuck. I hope that sighted people start pointing out ableism and bigotry in their communities so that we are not always left to do it ourselves, where other sighted people are less likely to listen to us, anyways. I hope that more people think about inclusion of blind folks in their spaces, of accounting for translating visual mediums into something we can engage with too, of acknowledging that we are just as likely to exist on the web and irl as sighted people are. I hope that including us is seen as less of a burden, less as something to complain about, less as something that sighted people feel the need to get our sympathy over when we simply ask to be given just as much of a chance to participate as anyone else.

I hope that you see us, and you treat us as one of your own. Not as something other. We are far more alike than we are different. So wise up and start acting like it.

derinthescarletpescatarian

phantomrose96

A master to his action-hero trainee says, "Your movements are sloppy. You lack awareness of your body when you fight. Your hands move and yet you do not hold them in your mind's eye. Come. We will remedy this."

And then the master paints his trainee's fingernails and orders the trainee to complete a series of complicated tasks without smudging the nail polish.

phantomrose96

Trainee grumbles that this is stupid when the first set of tasks is just cleaning the dojo. Within two minutes he reaches for the dustpan and knocks the edge of his pinky nail against it in a way he's never noticed before. He's staring at the baby blue smudge and suddenly he understands things differently.

phantomrose96

There's a montage of days passing as he fetches water, chops wood, hoes crops, washes clothes. His nails are a different color during each cut. He's sprinting up the mountain with a fresh wet pedicure and the master is nodding in approval. The master's nails are flawless tech art.

phantomrose96

He's reached his final assessment and it's a sparing match against his master. The air smells of acetone. His and the master's nails are all freshly painted. He must land a blow on the master with his mani and pedi fully intact.

Suns and moons pass. Streak in the ring finger. Smudge on the pinky. A full-handed block at the cost of three nails of paint. A hit on his master, and he hoots in delight until the master points out the unguarded toe whose polish is now streaked across the master's robe.

Days pass in frustration and exhaustion. By day 40, he has every digit of his acutely in his mind's eye. He senses the master's attack, ducks, dodges, all fingers all toes all himself, aware, and he strikes with his wooden sword.

It connects with the master. The master pauses. The trainee raises his left hand into view--5 digits of flawless sunflower yellow. His left foot. His right foot. And finally his right hand, raised in triumph.

The master smiles. "You have passed. I have just one more technique to teach you."

The technique is how to draw little flowers into the nail art. So really this one is optional.

counting-horses

These posts contain 146 horses (49.1% of the post)

🍎 @phantomrose96

And then the master paints his trainee's fingernails and orders the trainee to complete a series of complicated tasks without smudging the nail polish.

🍎 @phantomrose96

The master smiles. "You have passed. I have just one more technique to teach you."

The technique is how to draw little flowers into the nail art. So really this one is optional.

Posts are selected by humans, processed automatically and queued to post. Click the link for more information about each horse. You can send a link or text to be counted to my ask box.

phantomrose96

oh my god........................ the hornses.......... 🐴

famouspainterwombat

itsbenedict

#france in shambles. automation truly comes for us all.

organicmatter

Being hairy is so awesome #mammal

mist-the-wannabe-linguist

Did a brand new kind of bowling shot today

we called it the "trust the Force Luke" shot or the "through God all things are possible" shot

sayahbayahboo

One pool floatie to rule them all

lady-merian

in case anyone besides me wanted to see it in use :)

wheelie-sick

sometimes people experiencing psychosis and/or mania will come up to you on the street and talk in confusing or upsetting ways. your job is to either have a regular human-to-human conversation with that person or politely leave. your job is not to call 911. do not call 911. you might kill that person if you call 911.

wheelie-sick

I don't even have the energy to screenshot and respond to your tags- what the actual fuck is wrong with you? "the cops are scared and rightfully so" "mental health calls are the scariest for cops" OH so this isn't about the safety of psychotic & manic people this is about piggy feelings?

and no, actually, this is not USA specific and no, actually, people from other countries should not ignore this post. police violence and sanism weren't invented in the US and they are certainly not unique to here. if you (or anyone) thinks that this bullshit doesn't happen elsewhere then you are not listening.

headspace-hotel

cops r Some Guy with a Gun

do we want Some Guy with a Gun in this situation? answer is usually "NO"

uncivilliberties

This is legitimately useful reframing. A while ago I started replacing the word "cop" in my vocabulary with "a man with a gun." It really puts things into perspective.

This homeless person is making me uncomfortable. Should I call [a man with a gun]?

My neighbor is having a loud party. Should I get [a man with a gun] involved?

There are some teenagers skateboarding. Do you think [a man with a gun] would get rid of them for me?

It makes it very clear what you're saying. I can call a man with a gun to threaten or hurt someone mildly inconveniencing me. You're not calling the cops, you're calling A MAN WITH A GUN into a situation that does not warrant a firearm handled by a volatile lunatic who will not be held accountable for his actions.

headspace-hotel

^ ^ ^

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