A Blog (but made by me)

and it is as the title foretold

[canineoccultist]

Modern AU / disabled Arthur Morgan headcannons

Maybe it’s just my woke disabled ass but I wish more modern AU Arthur Morgan’s have him disabled.

There’s SO much you can do with it. Arthur already is a disabled character in canon- I think he should be disabled in modern AU too.

I would imagine he develops Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and POTS, as well as Post Tuberculosis Lung Disease and chronic pain.

He used to do a lot of hunting but can’t anymore, so he has to settle for laying on his couch with Charles and watching nature documentaries.

He used to be an avid smoker and gets annoyed when Dutch and John take smoke breaks outside. It makes him itch.

Hosea commissioned a custom sticker for his inhaler, using one of Arthur’s drawings so his inhaler is all pretty. Arthur tried to be nonchalant but cried for hours about it later.

Bandanna maskinggg!! Not very realistic- but PLEASE let me have this uhg my outlaw uhggg

He plays a lot of stardew valley during flare ups, it’s low effort, he can do it on his side, reminds him of ‘If Strawberry were a livestock town’

Charles hand carved some push bars for his manual chair, they look like buck antlers, again, tried to be nonchalant, but he sobbed.

John, Tilly, and Arthur all guilt trip Dutch for not getting Arthur vaccinated as a kid. They do not do this to Hosea or Susan, even though the two of them ALSO didn’t get him vaccinated against TB. The guilt tripping works quite often, it got him a power chair.

Arthur routinely makes his family incredibly worried when he is too tired to reply to texts. Charles is his caregiver and has to update them like ‘he’s alive, just been passed out for 18 hours.’ And ‘he’s okay. Laid down with his heating pad and hasn’t moved. Breathing, though, I checked.’

[ameliathefatcat]

In my high school au Arthur has CF. He’s got a feeding tube and sometimes needs oxygen. He also has survives guilt/ wasn’t planning on making it to adulthood. Is cool to see what others think his health/lung issues would be in a modern au

[canineoccultist]

Yes!! My Arthur also had a feeding tube. It might just be me being starved (no pun intended) for representation, but he has a PEG tube to supplement his diet since he can’t always get food down. Love the survivors guilt concept for him too!! In my lil AU everyone is still alive, but I do absolutely love the concept of him having survivors guilt or PTSD of some kind.

Bodies and brains are so fragile, I yearn for more characters to have good, accurate depiction of disabilities after events that will 1,000% injure them mentally or physically!

[canineoccultist]

Modern AU / disabled Arthur Morgan headcannons

Maybe it’s just my woke disabled ass but I wish more modern AU Arthur Morgan’s have him disabled.

There’s SO much you can do with it. Arthur already is a disabled character in canon- I think he should be disabled in modern AU too.

I would imagine he develops Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and POTS, as well as Post Tuberculosis Lung Disease and chronic pain.

He used to do a lot of hunting but can’t anymore, so he has to settle for laying on his couch with Charles and watching nature documentaries.

He used to be an avid smoker and gets annoyed when Dutch and John take smoke breaks outside. It makes him itch.

Hosea commissioned a custom sticker for his inhaler, using one of Arthur’s drawings so his inhaler is all pretty. Arthur tried to be nonchalant but cried for hours about it later.

Bandanna maskinggg!! Not very realistic- but PLEASE let me have this uhg my outlaw uhggg

He plays a lot of stardew valley during flare ups, it’s low effort, he can do it on his side, reminds him of ‘If Strawberry were a livestock town’

Charles hand carved some push bars for his manual chair, they look like buck antlers, again, tried to be nonchalant, but he sobbed.

John, Tilly, and Arthur all guilt trip Dutch for not getting Arthur vaccinated as a kid. They do not do this to Hosea or Susan, even though the two of them ALSO didn’t get him vaccinated against TB. The guilt tripping works quite often, it got him a power chair.

Arthur routinely makes his family incredibly worried when he is too tired to reply to texts. Charles is his caregiver and has to update them like ‘he’s alive, just been passed out for 18 hours.’ And ‘he’s okay. Laid down with his heating pad and hasn’t moved. Breathing, though, I checked.’

[canineoccultist]

See also:

Leaving a date with Mary early because he got super fatigued- he’s all pale “oh, Arthur…” “don’t you ‘oh, Arthur’ me, Mary.” Internalized ableism he needs to worth through BADLY, very reluctant to accept care and help unless it’s from the people absolutely closest to him.

Refused to upgrade from a cane for a long time because of his internalized ableism, thinking it made him ‘weak’ to use a more appropriate mobility aid. He wanted so badly to be ‘strong’ that it took a whole intervention to get him to use a manual wheelchair.

Dutch balled out on his gear- got him the newest airpods for sound intolerance, the nicest apple watch for heart monitoring, led undercarriage lights for his power chair that Arthur had Charles take off. They agreed to never tell Dutch they took those lights off. He hasn’t seemed to notice yet, it’s been three years. They’re in the clear for now.

Supine kind of guy. He will just sprawl the hell out. He’d rather lay down than fall down- either way he’s on the ground, one just comes with more yelping and pain, the other is more controlled. John was in him and Charles’ apartment and saw him in the hallway, legs on the wall, back flat. Stared for a second. Stepped over him. Grabbed the thing he needed to, stepped back over him, didn’t acknowledge it.

Huge fan of hobby horsing, even though he’d never do it. Kieren got him into it. Him, Kieren, John, and Tilly genuinely get into it and have little watch parties on discord whenever a competition is streaming on Youtube.

Sean broke his first wheelchair, which he called Boadicea. Charles almost went to jail that day, he was PISSED. Arthur gets mad when he thinks about it, even though it was years ago. Sean isn’t allowed anywhere near Arthur’s equipment, Arthur routinely brings up Boadicea when around Sean. He will hold this grudge forever, and he is justified.

Has a PEG tube he supplements through.

Deluxe bath scene RDR2 but it’s just his boyfriend and caregiver, Charles, getting him squeaky clean because Arthur’s exhausted.

Touch aversion got worse after his TB, chronic pain and fatigue make him just hate it so much more than he already did. Works well with Charles, because Charles doesn’t like to be touched either. Their cool with Arthur resting his head on Charles’ thigh, or Arthur on one end of the couch and Charles on the other, their legs close enough that they theoretically could touch if they wanted to. They don’t, but it’s an option.

Praise kink but it’s just being told he’s strong and capable and handsome and brave in general. Abigale told him she’s proud of him, he teared up. She followed it up with saying she always feels safer around him, and hopes Jack grows into the kind of man Arthur is. Immediately sobbing, hiccupping, snot running down his face.

[canineoccultist]

Modern day Arthur Morgan playing tomodachi life

Mii Arthur gets a crush on Mii Micah

Arthur tells Mii Arthur they aren’t allowed to date

Arthur Miigan does it anyway.

Arthur makes a new save file, Dutch was watching over his shoulder.

“Oh so even your little character guy insists, hm?”

“Dutch, I will kill us both and I am so serious, do not fuck with me right now.”

[grace-is-tired]

I try to surround myself with whimsy in order to make being disabled and tired and in pain suck less but sometimes it just. sucks. no matter how much you try to romanticize your life.

Sometimes you are just stuck in bed in a messy room, surrounded by trash you couldn’t sit up to throw away, dishes piled on the floor by the bed. Your body aches but you’re too tired to get up to get a hot pack or some pain meds. Not to mention you’ve needed to use the bathroom and have for hours but no one is home to help you get up so you just have to wait. And you’re dehydrated but ran out of water by your bed. But you can’t get up. So you just lay there and it’s not whimsical at all.

[nohopethiswillallendintears]

you’ve been moving around a lot? FATIGUE!

you’ve not been moving around? FATIGUE!

you’ve been standing? FATIGUE!

you’ve been sitting? FATIGUE!

you are simply conscious? FATIGUE!

you’re sad? FATIGUE!

you’re apathetic? FATIGUE!

you’re happy? Headache…AND THEN FATIGUE!

[ayronaught]

Why is touch often hard for disabled people

(Plain text: why is touch often hard for disabled people)

A large part of the disabled experience for many people is that you just get touched the whole time and it manifests in a lot of different ways

Receiving daily care (dressing, toileting, feeding, turning, etc)

Being visibly different means people often want to touch your limb difference/scars/even your face

Visible medical devices often get touched or grabbed at

Consensual help with mobility (being guided, being pushed in a wheelchair) is a form of touch

Blind/visually impaired people are often grabbed to be "guided" by complete strangers

Wheelchair users are often pushed out of the way or leaned on

Medical treatments, even "non invasive" ones

Requiring hand-over-hand help with activities

Being petted or stroked like an animal by strangers and known people alike

And there are more examples that i couldn't think of

Not all of these are negative or harmful (and i deliberately avoided mentioning outright abuse) but over a lifetime they add up especially when they are essential (cares, mobility support, medical treatment, etc)

As someone who grew up disabled, i can say that these things disproportionately affect children who already have even less autonomy than disabled adults and other children

As well as people who cannot communicate traditionally, people with learning (intellectual) disabilities, and severely disabled people

A lot of disabled people, myself included, are adverse to "casual" touches like hugs because constant physical contact is draining

Furthermore factors like pain, allergies, sensitive skin, sensitive hardware, etc, can make even "casual" touches physically unbearable

Trauma from medical and social experiences can make it distressing

This is why it's always good to ask consent, every single time, before hugging, high fiving, etc, your friends, especially disabled friends

I am very lucky that my friends irl know this and let me decide whether we hug, high five, bump shoulders, or just wave.

And for the love of all things holy do not ask random disabled people on the street for a hug or high five. We are not your friends. Piss off.

[canineoccultist]

There is a fly in my room and he keeps bugging me (no pun intended)

[canineoccultist]

He know’s I’m bed bound and can not escape him. He taunts me with buzzes and hand rubbies

[canineoccultist]

Evil fly DESTROYS woke disabled teenager

[inability]

killjoy here but yes there is a difference between disabled and can keep a job & disabled and cannot work to have an income.

there is a difference between disabled with a visually average body & disabled with limb, face and/or chest wall differences.

there's a difference between disabled with on and off sensory sensitivities & disabled with a sensory disability that prevents you from percieving or interacting with that sense.

there is a difference between disabled with occasional communication differences & disabled and unable to communicate without a device, an interpreter, or at all

there is a difference between disabled and struggles to shower & disabled and cannot maintain basic hygiene without intervention

there is a difference between disabled and has difficulty walking & disabled and cannot walk a single step, no matter what, no matter when

if we want to do 'disabled community', community should center the voices of those most affected. if awareness that you are not the most affected makes you feel uncomfortable or invalidated that's a personal issue to sort out on your own time. hope this helps

[canineoccultist]

Trying to get diagnosed for two years is weird because it finally happened and they gave me 10 FUCKING THINGS??? AT ONCE??? 10.5, my CFS has a Long Covid overlap

We’re still doing more testing grahhhhhhh

[insidestory1]

When you tell someone about being mistreated because of your disability, there is a common response that goes something along the lines of, "But did you explain to them properly why you can't do x thing?" "Did you make sure they understood why you need x accomodation?" "Maybe they just didn't understand?"

For example: "Did you properly explain that the reason you don't do hugs is because of your autism?" or "Maybe they don't really understand how bad fibro fatigue is and that's why they got upset at you for concelling plans."

I hate these kind of responses. They give me the same vibe as being asked, "Yeah, but what were you wearing when you got catcalled?" They put the responsability for the problem onto the person who was discriminated against, instead of the one doing the discriminating. Disabled people should not be expected to go through grueling explanations or justify their needs before those needs are respected.

[canineoccultist]

After a year and a half of decline in health, dropping out of high school because of my medical issues, and reaching 95% bed bound status-

I HAVE FINALLY BEEN PUT ON THE WAITLIST FOR A CHRONIC ILLNESS CLINIC!!!!!!!!!

Bad news: suspected wait time is currently 1 year 8 months to 2 years

[canineoccultist]

Being chronically ill as a teen is this weird limbo where I’m not old enough for doctors to believe I’m in pain, but I’m too old for them to care or want to fix and treat the issue.

[hellyeahsickaf]

I found an extremely dope disability survival guide for those who are homebound, bedbound, in need of disability accommodations, or would otherwise like resources for how to manage your life as a disabled person. (Link is safe)

How to Get On

How to have a great, disabled life.

It has some great articles and resources and while written by people with ME/CFS, it keeps all disabilities in mind. A lot of it is specific to the USA but even if you're from somewhere else, there are many guides that can still help you. Some really good ones are:

How to live a great disabled life- A guide full of resources to make your life easier and probably the best place to start (including links to some of the below resources). Everything from applying for good quality affordable housing to getting free transportation, affordable medication, how to get enough food stamps, how to get a free phone that doesn't suck, how to find housemates and caregivers, how to be homebound, support groups and Facebook pages (including for specific illnesses), how to help with social change from home, and so many more.

Turning a "no" into a "yes"- A guide on what to say when denied for disability aid/accommodations of many types, particularly over the phone. "Never take no for an answer over the phone. If you have not been turned down in writing, you have not been turned down. Period."

How to be poor in America- A very expansive and helpful guide including things from a directory to find your nearest food bank to resources for getting free home modifications, how to get cheap or free eye and dental care, extremely cheap internet, and financial assistance with vet bills

How to be homebound- This is pretty helpful even if you're not homebound. It includes guides on how to save spoons, getting free and low cost transportation, disability resources in your area, home meals, how to have fun/keep busy while in bed, and a severe bedbound activity master list which includes a link to an audio version of the list on Soundcloud

Master List of Disability Accommodation Letters For Housing- Guides on how to request accommodations and housing as well as your rights, laws, and prewritten sample letters to help you get whatever you need. Includes information on how to request additional bedrooms, stop evictions, request meetings via phone, mail, and email if you can't in person, what you can do if a request is denied, and many other helpful guides

Special Laws to Help Domestic Violence Survivors (Vouchers & Low Income Housing)- Protections, laws, and housing rights for survivors of DV (any gender), and how to get support and protection under the VAWA laws to help you and/or loved ones receive housing and assistance

Dealing With Debt & Disability- Information to assist with debt including student loans, medical debt, how to deal with debt collectors as well as an article with a step by step guide that helped the author cut her overwhelming medical bills by 80%!

There are so many more articles, guides, and tools here that have helped a lot of people. And there are a lot of rights, resources, and protections that people don't know they have and guides that can help you manage your life as a disabled person regardless of income, energy levels, and other factors.

Please boost!

[cringecorp]

they say you can't pour from an empty cup but i've been doing it my whole life and aside from all of these mysterious ailments it's working out great for me

[panulyx]

Too much movement makes your joints hurt and too little movement also makes your joints hurt. This would imply that there's an optimal amount of movement that allows your joints to not hurt. This is a lie.

[crippled-peeper]

“survive out of spite” sounds cool and all but I miss feeling like I was a human being worthy of love

[canineoccultist]

Guy with undiagnosed chronic illness: Dude I’m tired all the time- like I’m chronically fatigued

Doctor diagnosing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: You’re never going to believe this