#disabilities rep

[wolfstar-in-color]

Weekly Fic Rec

Fic: coming up through the cracks  by templeg

Rating: Teen and up

Genre: Romance, fluff, get together.

Word count: 2,983, one chapter, completed.

Summary: Remus has habits. Sirius notices.

Major CW: One scene that could be read from internalized homophobia lens, mentions of child neglect, description of sensory overload.

Mod Moth thoughts: A beautiful, delicate fic, with such a mindful portray of autism! This Hogwarts-get-together stole my heart with its fluffiness, humor and care.

Read it on AO3!

[desos-records]

“Dyslexia” in Six of Crows

as told by an actual dyslexic and dysgraphic person

I’ve seen people call Wylan dyslexic or say that he’s “coded” to be dyslexic/dysgraphic and the first time I saw that it made me so blindingly furious, but I couldn’t pin down why exactly. So I did my best to shrug it off until I had a concrete reason. 

Here’s my reason. While I know the books make sure to emphasize that Wylan is intelligent and capable, it still really bothers me that people saw Wylan can’t read or write AT ALL and thought that sounds like Dyslexia and Dysgraphia! Because that’s not how those disabilities work. I don’t know a single dyslexic or dysgraphic person who can’t read or write. It might be really difficult or painful even, but we can do it.

It’s totally on brand for Bardugo to take a disability and amplify it in a character to an unrealistic degree (I’m thinking of Kaz and his touch-aversion, which deserves it’s own post), and that’s fine. She’s telling a story here and it works. I just think readers need to understand that real human beings with disabilities don’t always function in such an all or nothing way. There is always nuance and every person’s experience is different.

For example, it’s incredibly difficult and painful for me to write by hand because of my dysgraphia, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I just prefer to use a laptop because then I won’t be in pain. My dyslexia made it really hard for me to learn how to read--and actually I just memorized word shapes instead of learning the way they wanted me too. For my dad, it’s physically painful for him to read, but he uses that in his job to make websites more accessible and easier to navigate. People have to remember those of us with disabilities are incredibly adaptive, because we have to be. There may be some cognitive or learning disability out there that prevents people from reading and writing entirely, but it’s not dyslexia or dysgraphia. 

I also think it’s really weird that Wylan’s “dyslexia” and “dysgraphia” somehow don’t affect his ability to read music or play his instrument, because I’m actually a flute player and I have both of those problems.

TLDR; Wylan isn’t good dyslexic or dysgraphic rep, find another label

[wolfstar-in-color]

Fic: Under the Eucalyptus, by @xinasvoice

Rating: Explicit (for sexual content)

Genre: Romance, get together, non magical AU, healing and trauma, disabilities representation (selective mutism, mobility/chronic pain) and accomodations, Australia’s 1990s AU.

Word count: 24,747, 4 chapters, completed. Podfic lenght: 2hr 45min

Summary: On his first day working at the queerest zoo in the Australian outback, Remus meets Sirius, whose smile is bright enough to knock him over. Sirius doesn’t speak aloud, but that doesn’t stop either of them from falling in love.

A soft romance about the value of slowing down enough to listen to each other and watch the sun rise.

Major CW: Past trauma, including family abuse that’s related to PTSD, ableism (but shown critically and mostly set in one character: Snape), references to animal treatment that can be considered abuse, sexual content.

Mod Moth thoughts: I know I’ve rec’ed Xina’s work before, but being able to find podficced works is usually a challenge, and Xina’s podfics are amazing - from her voice to the rhythm and the quality of the audio. I listened to this fic without even realizing it was almost three hours, and laughed at loud, blushed (because the smut is hot and I was in the middle of my weekly shopping), and enjoyed it overall so, so much. I loved Sirius’ portrayal in the fic - he’s full of life and he’s incredibly sweet, so learning through him about selective mutism was amazing. His relationship with Remus is short of perfect, and the attraction and care between them is so well done. If you are looking for a non magical AU that’s wholesome, romantic and soft, but that has also all the representation that you want in it in a way that’s not forced but integral to the plot, then this is the fic for you.

Read it on AO3!