Frequently Strange

Kelsey. Fic writer. Science person. She/her. Intersectional feminist. Pokemon Go ID: 4770 9354 8458

[sadclowncentral]

i drunkenly scheduled a friendly brawl with an acquaintance of mine and we both completely forgot about it. that is until we were sitting next to each other in class and both of us get google calendar alert that reads VIOLENCE AGAINST LEW i about lost my fucking mind. what do you mean violence against me.

and then i fucking remembered i completely shitfaced told him to send me an invite to the brawl and even more that i insisted to type something into the notes of the meeting to make it look "less worse" and he opens the invite and it just says PREMEDITATED. most sinister calendar event ever created i laughed so hard i cried

[do-you-have-a-flag]

Text recounting of the full events below but oh my god please watch this person explain the wildest thing happening to them

[image text]r/trueoffmychest post by CptnSpaceCase

Today my aide cooked what should not be cooked

I have to get this out, because today feels like an actual nightmare I keep expecting to wake up from.

I'm disabled, and need help with stuff around the house. Today was the second day with a new agency and new home health aide, "Tina." I set it up so she would come by in the morning while I'm sleeping (insomnia is killer), and I texted her last night what I would need done today.

One of those things was to roast some precut squash I'd gotten so I could have it with my salads and pasta. I was very clear in my instructions: what it looked like, where it was in the fridge, how to use the oven, how to cook it. I also have a roommate who was up and told her she could ask them for help if she couldn't find anything. Or come get me if truly necessary.

Now, I have three pet ball pythons. They eat rats that I thaw from frozen in the fridge in a reusable plastic bag. Yes, that's where I'm going with this.

Tina couldn't find the squash, and so, obviously, that meant she should roast the first other thing she could see that was technically also encased in plastic, in a completely different area of the fridge. The FUCKING RATS. In butter and salt, in my nice baking dish.

And like, that's insane all on its own, but if you're going to cook any animal, you should at least clean and skin it first, right??? Like, do the crazy, disgusting thing properly so I can respect the effort, instead of sticking them in as is. Fur and guts and all.

And the smell. Good God baby Jesus the SMELL. It woke me up and had me gagging the moment I opened my bedroom door. Definitely not squash. Or food-smelling for that matter. At first I thought the squash had spontaneously rotted overnight and she'd tried to cook it anyway. That would have been slightly less insane and much preferable.

I had to pull it out of her what she was cooking instead when she said she couldn't find it (it was in plain sight), had to open the oven and see my snakes' dinners in place of my own and still couldn't process what the fuck was happening, what I was looking at and smelling. I don't like yelling at people and generally avoid it. Today was a day for exceptions. And at the end of my half-crazed, dissociative rant, I told her to get the whole dish and its contents and herself out of the fucking house. And to not come back.

Suffice to say, I've contacted the agency to report it and am requesting a new aide. Now I'm sitting at a cafe trying to calm down and eat something despite the scent memory that's taken up permanent residence and turning my stomach. The whole house reeks like musty, sewage-dipped pork that had been left out for a whole day before being cooked in rancid oil, and I'm not sure Febreeze is gonna cut it. I don't want to go home. 🫠😭

[the-scottish-bae]

adding screenshots of the archived updates:

[karbonring]

Oh hey it me

[karbonring]

M3 Fic and Health Update 4/5/21

Hello to all my Make Me a Map followers. A big, warm thank you for your continuing patience and well wishes. They’ve really done a lot to keep me going. <333

I’m afraid I don’t have much progress to report on either front since my last update, as my treatment can’t continue until I get on Disability, for which I’m currently in the appeal process. It’s something just about everyone has to do, as part of the barriers they put in place to keep people from getting it. It’s already been over a year since I first applied, and I don’t know how long this stage will take, or whether or not I’ll have to go on to the next one. If I do, I’ll have to get a lawyer to help me. It’s a nightmare. Gotta love America.

Thankfully, I have been able to get my first dose of the vaccine, and will get the second one in a couple weeks. Since I’m at high risk for covid complications, that’s been a huge weight off my mind.

As for the fic, I’ve only been able to add a little to the next chapter, as any time I’ve been up for writing, I’ve had to prioritize commission work. And even that has been very difficult to keep up with. 

I’m hopeful the overall situation will be changing for the better over the course of this year, and that I’ll actually make some forward progress. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Much love to all of you! Stay safe, stay healthy, and if you can, get vaccinated!

[kittysiinsarchive]

i almost fucking flipped out at this until i saw the last line

[tigerprimal-blog]

Really bad “advice.”

I wouldn’t say disowning unless they’d done something extreme? But kicking out I could get behind absolutely. The parent COULD just want to be safe I’m sure. For there to be that diagnosis there must’ve been a BIG pattern. It’s not something they diagnose early anyways? At least, from what I’ve known?

This isn’t being anxious about socialization. It’s not about just not LIKING to socialize. Boiled down to the bare necessities, it’s not being able to show any, sometimes only a TINY bit, of empathy and being willing to do what’s necessary for your own wants. There’s much more to it.

That being said, the only reason I stand behind the kicking out is that there must’ve been something the person did, or somethingS, ushered forth by their disorder. The way the person asked the question should’ve been phrased far better. Did you only kick them out upon realizing they wouldn’t ever be able to see things the way the ‘average’ human does? And by that, I mean empathy. Did you kick them out after something happened? Did the diagnosis confirm your already-present thought to kick them out?

Touchy subject, but if you have reason to fear for your safety, sure. If there’s been no harmony in your own home from it, that’s your decision as well. Check out them disorders before you toss things! The person can’t help what cards they’ve been dealt in this case, but by all means, keep yourself safe.

[cooltrainerzero]

Yeah, you seem big on empathy.

A pattern of behavior like, say, violently punishing your kid for having a disorder?

Advising abuse sounds illegal, btw.

[karbonring]

Ok, as someone who has read up on this disorder extensively as part of my psychological research hobby (because I’m a fuckin weirdo) let me just get in on this.

Do you guys not realize that anti-social personality disorder is the current DSM term for what we would colloquially know as Sociopathy? As in, this person’s son was a diagnosed sociopath. It cannot be cured. It can BARELY be treated, and only if you catch it when they’re pretty young. People with this disorder DO NOT CARE about ANYONE but themselves, unless they maybe have a very small circle of empathy, established at a young age (often a pet or single family member). People cannot be added to this circle later. And if you think you know about aspd from something like fucking Dexter or Sherlock then NO. NO NO NO. Those were bullshit. If anything, Sherlock is autistic, which is a completely different low-empathy disorder. Having aspd means NO empathy. None. No sympathy, no compassion either. They will fuck over any one they can to further their ambitions, which is all they ever care about. Winning, usually by way of wealth accumulation and establishing superiority at the deficit of someone else. Sociopaths become CEOs and lawyers, jobs where the stakes are high and feeling is not an advantage for success. Think Wall Street. And yes, a small portion end up as serial killers, dangerous because they do not care about their victims, they’re highly intelligent, and they have no concept of or respect for anyone’s authority but their own.

The only reason people with this disorder ever get married is because it is part of their finely honed act of appearing to be like everyone else. It benefits their image, and gives them someone they can get off on screwing with without worrying about getting in trouble. Because those partners will always be abused, every time. And then manipulated and gaslighted to shit.

You may be thinking, “well, obviously I’d just avoid someone who doesn’t care about anyone geez” hahahaha ok. The majority of sociopaths are, like I said, very smart and also excellent actors. They don’t think there’s anything wrong with them and that other people are inferior, but they learn very young to mimic neurotypical behavior, to act like they feel all the things they do not, like a hunter donning camouflage. They are the best manipulators among us, and if you met one on the streets, you’d probably come away with an impression of how charming and kind and awesome that person was. You’d never be able to guess, unless they wanted you to or just didn’t give a fuck.

So yeah, it IS a disorder, you’re right. And I am all for being understanding and compassionate toward those who can’t help being neurodivergent. I myself am autistic, and I suffer I-type ADHD, anxiety, depression, and C-PTSD. I get having a brain that works differently than most of society. And sometimes I fuck up. But I am not a danger to others because of my conditions.

Sociopaths are. Always. Even to their own parents. You cannot help them. They do not want your help. And if you try, they will draw you in and then use you up until there is nothing left. And they won’t feel an ounce of remorse. This is not stereotyping. This is not blaming or punishing a disabled person for their disability. This is holding someone accountable for their malicious actions against others.

Not everyone can be saved. And in this case, trying will never be worth it. Your own well-being has to come first, because it never will to a sociopath. And if you ever find out that someone you know is one, run. Run as fast as you can and do not look back.

(Also it’s really fucking patronizing to say that people with disorders can do no wrong or should never be held accountable for their actions. That isn’t helping that’s just showing that you don’t see us as real people. Also also, since when is disowning and kicking someone out violent abuse?? That was not abuse, that was taking appropriate measures against a (likely) abuseR. Fuck you and your self-righteous high-horse.)

[dynamight-rising]

I like how you claim to have read up on ASPD but still spout outdated, stigmatising bullshit adding to our discrimination as is. You’re an idiot, frankly. You have no idea what you’re talking about and choose to describe an entire, extremely varied, demographic as all being criminals or murderers with no compassion. Maybe do some actual reading or talk to ppl with ASPD before you tout your nonsensical ramblings as absolute truth.

[karbonring]

You’re right, I apologize. That was something I posted a few years or so ago, and I have since changed my views on the matter. I now recognize that there is a spectrum, and that lack of empathy does not necessarily translate to a lack of compassion. And though I never thought all were criminals, I’m more careful now about any assumptions I might make. I am ashamed at the un-nuanced vitriol I displayed, and am deeply sorry to anyone who read it and was hurt by it. 

For what it’s worth, I was still coming to terms with and healing from the effects of my C-PTSD, and angry about it. My abuse was severe and came from people on the ASPD and NPD spectrums, so I’d lumped them together in the category of Dangerous People to Avoid as part of my establishment of barriers and agency, things I was never allowed growing up. Not to say that justifies what I said, because it doesn’t, but hopefully it gives context to those who need it. 

(I certainly don’t put those two disorders in the same camp these days, because while there can be overlap, it’s really narcissists who treat people the way I described, not those on the ASPD spectrum.)

I wish you all the best.

[somethinginthestatic]

i wonder if the xf writers ever realized that their refusal to make msr explicitly romantic or sexual was actually the thing that made the ship so widely popular and revolutionary.

like, because they wanted mulder and scully to be the core of the show but they didn’t want to make their relationship a relationship, they showed them doing other things to signify closeness — such as working as a team, respecting each other, choosing each other over everything, supporting each other unconditionally, and growing together. there was no unnecessary flirtatious comments, no unreasonable jealousy, no sexualization of scully. the dynamic they presented didn’t have the power imbalance that was associated with heterosexual relationships, and scully’s characterization lacked most of the key components that a female romantic lead would normally have. because they left out all of those things, they assumed that the fanbase wouldn’t see scully as his love interest, because she was presented in an entirely un-sexual way.

but their mistake was in their neglect of acknowledging the female audience: women who had always wanted a romantic relationship with teamwork and mutual respect and unconditional support and love. women who did not see themselves as sexualized or even conventionally attractive, and who saw scully, strong and career focused and not afraid of butting heads, as what they wanted to be. women who saw mulder and scully determinedly portrayed as equals who cared deeply about each other with no condescension or objectification, both of them portrayed as actual people, and went absolutely insane, because that was what they wanted more than anything and no love story before had ever felt so profound and real.

so as the writers (read: chris carter) were creating a dynamic without objectification and sexualization in an attempt to take the focus completely off of romance, the female fans were watching this dynamic and perceiving it as the absolute height of romance, because it lacked the male perspective that they saw everywhere else. the writers were saying this isn’t a romance, and the female viewers were saying then you have no idea what romance is.

[gangler]

Barnes and Nobles is gonna start serving food and alcohol.

Everybody’s cracking jokes about how it’s a desperate attempt to stay relevant in the age of Amazon.

But you know what? Props to them. This is exactly what Blockbuster didn’t do. At no point was Blockbuster like “Hey, movie rentals aren’t the lucrative enterprise they once were. Perhaps it’s time we become known for our cheesy garlic bread.”

[mackasaurussex]

Okay but…if someone wants to take me on a date to a Barnes and noble and get me dinner and a drink and then let me peruse the stacks like I’m not saying no. A sandwich, a beer, and 2-5 books on various topics I hope I’ll someday read about? Good night.

[silvysartfulness]

The Swedish equivalent of Blockbuster is now best known for its candy, snacks and sodas.

[thestraggletag]

This is El Ateneo Grand Splendid, an old theatre turned bookstore in Buenos Aires:

The stage itself was turned into a cafe:

You can’t even begin to comprehend the massive amounts of money this place makes, despite the fact that they turned the theatre boxes into reading nooks like this:

I’ve literally spent days holed up in there reading books for free while also consuming massive amounts of coffee and pastries.

Adapt or die, people.

[frayedcobweb]

Take me to Buenos freaking Aires… Leave me in this bookshop… Never look for me, you will not find me again.

[dontshootmespence]

My original story was literally inspired by seeing El Ateneo in pictures!

[gearhead66]

I love this building 😍 it makes me want to sit and hang around even if I don’t finish a lot of the books I buy..

@alicedopey look at this bookstore

[porterr-robinson]

[tooiconic]

GOTTEM

[daco-broman]

this shit killed me wtf

[mad-hare]

bruh what

[rosslynpaladin]

If you ever get confused by an ancient object, show it to as many traditional handcrafters as you can. Odds are one of them will see it and go Huh.

Cross Discipline Input is vital to us all

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

This was mind-blowing and i would LOVE to see more examples 

[3000s]

just remembered last summer when one of our old lady neighbors realized i was on testosterone and asked me if i liked cars and when i said no she was like “oh haha you will”

[3000s]

hormone that makes you like cars

[nickyflowers]

what does html stand for?

[theantigovernor]

hypertext markup language

[nickyflowers]

no i mean like, what does it believe in?

[somnolentsuggestions]

reminding you again in case you’ve forgotten: you deserve to be talked nicely to

[nonbinary-hawke-deactivated2021]

Idk how to explain to people that the US isn't declining into fascism, it's been a fascist state since the moment it started with genocide and slavery.

[nonbinary-hawke-deactivated2021]

People on this post keep insisting that it's not fascism because of lack of authoritarianism and not realizing that that's the fucking point.

There was a lack of authoritarianism for most people, most notably white people.

But what about the Native people who were forced into reservations that they weren't allowed to leave without permission? Who weren't allowed to speak their languages or sing their songs or dance their dances?

What about the black people who were forced into slavery and then into segregation? Who were separated from their families and weren't allowed to read or write?

What about the brown immigrants who were paid next to nothing for backbreaking work building a country that they weren't considered a part of? Who were forced to live in controlled housing where their every movement was monitored in case they tried to leave?

The US is and has always been a fascist state. Some people just have the privilege to ignore it.

[thewizardknownasfinehair]

Not to be /that guy/ but let's not forget about Chinese immigrants who built the railways and truly industrialized our nation, only to have the Chinese exclusion act passed

[mamapluto]

Don't forget immigration laws being passed specifically to keep out Jewish refugees.

[d1ecast]

[karbonring]

It all makes sense now

[headspace-hotel]

All those “draw your otp/ocs like this” prompts but it’s just 80s romance novel covers

[headspace-hotel]

okay so, the secret is to lean into how fundamentally absurd these poses are

how are they comfortably bending that way? how long can a reasonably fit person remain in this configuration before their limbs give out? Irrelevant

please draw your ships like this. In the same clothes if possible. But. And this is imperative. if it’s a het ship. You MUST. draw the guy in the dress looking limp, waifish and moony eyed and the girl standing strong and bold with her boobs out

[ardri-na-bpiteog]

A lot of people are genuinely terrified about what will happen if Donald Trump wins reelection and it's really weird how some of y'all are acting like everyone begging you to vote for Biden is some privileged, rich, out of touch, neo-liberal when a lot of them are just vulnerable people who don't want to like...die in a brutal civil war or watch all their remaining rights get stripped away by an increasingly authoritarian Republican Party.

I do not know how to express to you how much worse it can get.

[bundibird]

NonAmerican perspective here, but like....... do some of you really not see how bad it already is? Look back at 2016 and picture what you thought Trump's America would look like, four years into the future.

Did the 2020 that you predicted back in 2016 look like 197 thousand Americans dead of a virus that your leader deliberately downplayed the severity of for months? Did it look like your entire eastern coast in flames, the air across half the country unbreathable, the skies a hazy orange from the smoke and the glow of the fires, and your president saying "climate change has nothing to do with this"? Did it look like over two thousand missing children, who were taken from their parents by "the authorities" and then lost by those same authorities? Two thousand children in the care of a government agency have gone missing, and has your bossman even commented on it, or has he just continued extolling the dangers of immigrants?

Did the 2020 you imagined look like months of civil unrest, because police murdered yet another black man, and instead of condemning the act, your leader said "the answer to this problem is worse police violence, and to beat the protestors into submission."

Like, fuck me. Do you not see how bad it already is? This is what's happened under Trump in four years, and some of you are really out there going "hm yeah but Biden has weak policies tho." Would Biden take a global pandemic seriously? I suspect he would. Would Biden be open to working to stop climate change? He's already said loads about what he'll do to combat climate change. Would Biden completely fail to address the fact that women are being forcibly sterilised in ICE and children are being assaulted and going missing? I would be really surprised if he did nothing about that. Would Biden react to public outrage over cops murdering a civilian by sending in the national guard to attack peaceful protesters, assault journalists, permanently blind innocent civilians, and pepperspray children in the face? I really doubt it.

But Trump has done all that shit; is still actively doing all that shit, right at this very fucking moment. And some of you won't vote for Biden because you're not really a fan of his????

"Oh, Biden's too moderate for me" BIDEN IS TOO MODERATE, SO YOULL GO WITH DONALD "THERES NO VIRUS," "ITS BECAUSE THEY DIDNT MANAGE THE FORESTS WELL ENOUGH," "IMMIGRANTS ARE CRIMINALS," "SEND IN THE TROOPS" TRUMP INSTEAD?? You wanna let that guy win by default, to get another four fucking years, when he's already done this much damage?? WHAT THE FUCK, GUYS

[commandtower-solring-go]

This is genuinely what I don’t understand. How do you have such a fucking warped perspective on the world that you think not voting is somehow better than voting for Biden. Like, its actually boggles the mind.

Actually, you know what, I know what it is. Its fucking privilege. Its the privilege of every fucking middle class white person on here who thinks they somehow are taking the high horse because, well, both sides are really as as bad as one another. I mean, Biden is 100% a sexual predatory. 

Like this is some fucking cult of personality. Like this is some contest about whose side is the most morally high. Maybe y’all are too fucking close to the issue to see the impact Trump has had, so let me spell it out for you.

Trump has opened genuine concentration camps, which have left babies alone in cells for days and forcibly castrated people.

The Trump administration has openly admitted to collusion and tampering with the previous election with no negative side effect. 

There has been a steep rise in the number of Nazi/White Nationalist movements in the last four years, to the point where its actually normalised.

The Trump administration has had bleed on effects into other countries such as Australia whose government seems to revere Trump and, by extension, enabled a number of alt-right movements.

The murdock press has had almost unrestrained freedom to tear apart anyone they want because extreme right winged beliefs are now so normal

People are simultaneously doubting the press more than ever, and yet believing it more than ever

Flat Earth and QAnon conspiracy theories exist as a directly result of Trump. WTF. 

There are more extreme cases of police brutality, egged on by self righteous cops who feel empowered by Trump and the rise of the alt-right.

Trump defunding the CDC, completely bungling COVID, resulting in America remaining the largest country effected by COVID and, as other countries are coming down from it, America is still in full force resulting in the highest death toll so far

That’s also ignoring all the people who feel as though they can justify this decision on the grounds that the economy would suffer a bit or the belief that people dying isn’t so bad, as long as its not the worst thing killing people (re: COVID & Flu Deathtoll). 

The fucking wall. 

The continuation of the belief that unemployment is good regardless of whether or not the money provided is enough to live on. By extension, he introduced a new tax cut, promises to help the middle/lower class. It didnt, and actually made their tax worse while cutting it for the upper class.

He just fucking lies, constantly. not even shitty politician lies, but outright, fabrications with no weight behind him.

He’s taken more leave than any other American president in history

Trump ought to have been kicked out several times over and still hasn’t been

He has used his presidency to promote and sell products

He has used his presidency to avoid conviction. In fact, two weeks after his election he settled three fraud lawsuits related to his university. And that’s among many, many others

He called African countries ‘shitholes’, Mexican people ‘Racists’, and Nazis ‘Very fine people’.

He’s paid people off

He’s incited violence against several groups

Nepotism

And that’s, legit, not everything because his reign of hot fucking nonsense is so thick that we beginning to mistake it for the air we breath. 

I actually don’t care why you don’t like Biden. I don’t care if you think that Obama isn’t actually that good because he was directly involved in the killing of hundred of people during the Iraq War. I don’t care if you think voting means being an active agent in choosing. Trump is among the worst presidents the world has ever faced. Such to the point where the world is beginning to believe his BS, and the only way to cope is to turn a blind eye to it. But fuck that, and fuck you. I’m pulling you out of your ignorance to tell you this. Passivity is a privilege that those who are directly affected by his actions can’t afford to that, and by not voting you are putting lives in danger. 

Get off your thumb, and go fucking vote. Vote because your life depends on it. 

[teaboot]

Wait what's a buildings fire evacuation plan if you aren't supposed to use the elevator to get down

[lazodiac]

You go down the stairwell/fire escape. Is that weird?

[teaboot]

But what if you have a walker or a wheelchair??

[durpacerangerrogjro]

in america at least, in this situation, there isnt one. either your loved ones or the firemen can get you out using the emergency fire escapes or stairs, or you die 

[teaboot]

That's fucking horrific, thank you

[official-lucifers-child]

“fun” little story:

last summer my friend who is an amazingly talented artist and i were in this super tall building, and she’s in a wheelchair and i’m pushing her around the room. it’s an art exhibit and some of her art was chosen to be showcased there and so it’s all fine and dandy until suddenly an alarm starts going off

a FIRE ALARM

everyone starts running for the stairs and my friend just looks at me with this forlorn look on her face

“i can’t go down the stairs”

but i’m a stubborn bitch “i’ll carry you”

“what about my chair? it’s too expensive for me to be able to get another one if i can’t get this one back”

“i’ll carry that too”

and i did. we went to the stairs (by then most people from our floor were gone) and i lifted her up in a fireman’s carry over my shoulder and then lifted her chair up and used the ridiculous amount of adrenaline that was coursing through my veins to make it down approximately 20 half-flights of stairs until we met some people exiting lower floors, one of which who kindly took the chair. I changed positions so i was holding my friend bridal-style which was, somehow, easier and the person who took her wheelchair (with her permission to handle it of course) accompanied me to the ground floor and then out the doors

basically there is no real protocol for people who can’t use the stairs in an emergency. it’s up to the people with them, if anyone, to help them or the person to somehow make it down the stairs alone, unassisted

thank fuck that it was just a faulty alarm system, because if i was unable to carry her down those stairs and the building was on fucking fire???? then i don’t know what would have happened to her, but i don’t think it would have been very good.

it’s fucking ridiculous and ableist to the absolute max.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

I use a cane. When I did a day-long fire safety training at my northeast American university (UMass Amherst), I asked that exact same question: “what am I supposed to do if the fire alarm goes off and I’m in my lab on the twelfth floor?” 

the fire marshal hemmed and hawed for a while and then said to take the elevator- you’re supposed to leave it free for the fire department to use and they want able-bodied people out fast not waiting for elevators. if the fire alarm has just gone off the building probably hasn’t suffered enough structural damage to make using the elevator dangerous, and modern elevator wells are heavily reinforced. many large and high-trafficked buildings on my campus have fire rated elevators that link in with the fire alarm system so they won’t let you off on a floor with a possible fire. 

if the elevator isn’t working, wait in the stairwell and call the fire department to let them know where you are. modern stairwells are also heavily reinforced- it might not be pleasant but modern building code usually requires fire-resistant stairwell doors in office and big residential buildings, also to help firefighters get in and out safely. older buildings’ stairwells may or may not be retrofitted with fire-resistant doors but a stairwell is generally the safest place to wait if you can’t get out. 

what happened to your friend was horrible, and i’m very glad you were there to help her out, but you can absolutely use the elevator to evacuate if it’s not shut down. those don’t-use-the-elevator rules are for abled people.  

[tisfan]

This is GOOD TO KNOW. why do they not tell people this??

[ravynfyre]

Okay, firefighter here. If you are not physically able to use the stairs, and the elevator is NOT compromised, use the elevator. But you MUST be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the elevator is NOT compromised before you get into it, because there is always the chance that once you get into it, you may not exit it. Power could go out. The elevator may actually BE compromised and you just couldn’t tell from where you were until you were in there, and it suddenly shuts down on you. Something else could happen. 

Understand that once you enter the elevator, you could POTENTIALLY be taking your life into your hands there.

It is NOT LIKELY, to be perfectly honest. It’s only in a pretty catastrophic scenario - think the Twin Towers, USA, on September 11th - that the elevators will be compromised and out of service. But there is a NOT ZERO PERCENT CHANCE and you need to understand that and accept it.

As for leaving the elevators free for the firefighters, okay, here’s the deal. Unless your nearest fire station is literally right next door? Your first on scene fire truck is NOT likely to be there on scene and needing that elevator before you get to the ground. It takes us TIME to find the address, gear up, and drive to the building. Then we need to hoof it into where the elevators even ARE, so YOU HAVE TIME to use the elevator to get down to the ground floor... BUT ONLY IF THERE’S NOT A RUSH ON THE ELEVATOR! And THAT is WHY we don’t tell people this shit. That’s WHY we tell people to NEVER USE THE ELEVATOR... because every self-entitled asshole will use it because they don’t feel like walking, and then put YOU in danger by delaying the elevator’s arrival to you.

IF, however, the elevator IS compromised, or you just can’t get it to come for you, or whatever, and you either don’t have anyone with you who has the adrenaline fueled BALLS to be able to toss you over their shoulder and hoof it down the stairs with you - because, let’s face it, that is RARE AS FUCK, then HERE IS WHAT YOU DO:

You call 911 and tell the call taker that you are in the building that has a fire alarm going off, and you are not able to evacuate because of a physical disability, and you tell them what floor you are on, and EXACTLY what stairwell you are waiting at. And the very FIRST thing that the firefighters are going to do once they arrive, if it is, indeed, a REAL emergency, and not a false alarm, is come get your ass and bring you down. Whether that means carrying you down the stairs, or whether that means locking out the elevators so that no one else can override them and coming to get you themselves, they WILL come get you FIRST THING if it is a real event. And if it is a false alarm? You will probably be the first person who is not involved with the building to know, because the call-taker is going to stay on the line with you until you are under someone’s care and out of danger, or until the scene has been sorted out as real or false, and you are out of danger that way.

These are pretty standard operations in the fire service throughout the United States. There may be some minor variations based on specific municipalities, but, for the most part, this is pretty typical: LIFE BEFORE PROPERTY. So, as long as SOMEONE knows where you are - hence why you call 911 - Firefighters will come get you. You are NOT alone, and you have NOT been abandoned. I PROMISE. It’s like, our whole reason for doing the shit we do: to save lives and to break shit. Sometimes, we get lucky enough to do both at the same time.

High rise fires suck ass, and I always hated them. But the very FIRST thing I asked anytime we got one was if we had “any entrapments” - which is what we call anyone who could not self-evacuate for ANY reason. We ain’t leaving you behind. And yes, your friend who doesn’t have the stamina to carry you down can stay with you, too. Because I would never ask that of someone, honestly. 

Also, just a little FYI... MOST fire alarms are false alarms. Not to make anyone complacent or anything, but, yeah. Most of them are either system malfunctions, someone accidentally hit a pull station, or someone burned popcorn in a break room. So don’t let a fire alarm freak you out until you need it to - by smelling or seeing smoke or flames. 

[gentle--riot]

i have had multiple nightmares about this very thing because NOBODY BOTHERS TO ACTUALLY TELL WHEELCHAIR USERS THIS STUFF

[renthebarbarian]

Spock’s one weakness