[heads up, this post is outdated and terribly formatted]
Hi! I'm Laertes. I've been here a while, but introductions are hard. This blog is mostly a whump prompt blog and a home for my novel A Good Man's Heart, but I will often put other stuff in it like art and fibre arts. I am also disabled and it impacts every part of my life so that will show up here very often. If you are not a bot or fundraiser, please send me asks -- I'd love to chat! Especially about my novel and my OCs.
I have a post about this blog's boundaries here
A little about me I guess. I'm aroace, gay, disabled, and not American. I am an adult although I don't feel comfortable putting my actual age publicly on the internet (if that's a deal-breaker for you I respect that but I won't be changing this). I'm currently pursuing a degree in astronomy and I work in software engineering.
I enjoy exploring darker whump themes such as domestic violence, major trauma (especially painful or unsuccessful recoveries), and addiction although my prompts will contain a huge variety of things. I also love to research and write historical (especially military) whump no later than World War I (although it's mostly Canadian and British because, well, I'm Canadian).
(If you donāt know what whump is check out my post on the subject)
Please do check out what I've finished of my novel! I've never shared my writing before so I'm very proud of it!
A Good Man's Heart Table of Contents
Some notes on accessibility:
This blog is not terribly screen-reader friendly -- I do my best to add descriptions in alt text but what I end up posting usually takes all my effort to do so. A Good Man's Heart contains scene break embellishments in the text (similar to *** in printed books) which are just described as 'embellishment' so as not to break the flow too much. You can see the above-linked table of contents for a description of the embellishment (under the cut and under the cover image)
My tag system is a mess and I have yet to make a coherent one and corresponding post. The ones I stick by the most are: #whump+#whump prompt, #weird strange and awful art, and #disability
I post trigger warnings at the top of my whump posts (as well as some others) and I tag for as much as I can with just the term (no tw, cw, etc before or after). Do not hesitate to send me an ask or a message if you would like me to trigger warn a certain topic. I cannot commit to always tagging my disability related posts properly since I am often posting those when I am barely functional but I do my best.
I will tag symptoms like seizures or paralysis as trigger warnings. I understand some people feel this clogs the tag but I personally need these to be filterable so they are getting tagged for when Iām not engaging with whump. No whump post will be tagged without also using the #whump tag so block that one if you feel itās taking up search space.
If there are any accessibility improvements, please let me know! I may not always be able to accommodate because of my own accessibility needs but I do want to hear about what your needs are!
Also! @obfuscated-abstract is my sideblog which I use to summarise and post medical documentation on disabilities which would require someone outside of academia to pay for. Feel free to check it out and send in any papers you need access to.
We butchered 16 of the extra males this morning, put them in a marinade for the day, and cooked them in the air fryer for dinner! I dry plucked a few of them for the first time ever, just to see how plucking would be... It REALLY made a difference in the air fryer, the skin on birds were a lot juicier and tastier.
I haven't butchered quail in a while (I've just culled for feeders for animals for friends), but it was still really easy. We just got the air fryer a couple weeks ago, so this was also the first time cooking the quail in it.... They took about 15 minutes to cook and while they were resting Sark cooked the tater tots so it was all ready at the same time!
With how easy it was, it might be easier now to do a few on any given morning where I want to eat quail for dinner. It would certainly make better use of all the extra boys I have had during this breeding project, without having to take up freezer space or remember to thaw the day before. Convenient! Fresh meat!
Do you know how quail compare in size to Cornish hens? Obviously they'll taste different being totally different birds but they look kind of similar to me.
I've seen lots of depictions of hearing aids and cochlear implants in writing and art, and very few of them actually match what that character would likely actually use. An especially common mistake is drawing hearing aids like they are wireless headphones, which is not how the vast majority of hearing aids look.
Here's a guide on hearing device types, uses, and how to better decide which one your character would have!
(Reminder that this is not medical advice, or perfectly tailored to every single situation. I am not an audiologist, just a Deaf person on tumblr.)
Hearing Aids:
[Plain Text: Hearing Aids]
There are many different types of hearing aids. Which type someone uses will depend on their hearing curve, the features they want, and the type of hearing loss.
1. Receiver in Canal.
Receiver in Canal (RIC) hearing aids are the newest type, and currently the most commonly prescribed. They have a small behind-the-ear component with directional microphones and processors, and are connected by a thin clear wire to an in-ear speaker, which is covered by a piece called the dome.
RIC are most commonly prescribed for: mild to moderate hearing loss (although they can be useful for some people with severe hearing loss), high-frequency hearing loss, noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and auditory processing disorder. RIC are also available over the counter.
Benefits: small and discrete, fairly powerful, best integrated noise filtering systems, highest mapping customizability.
Drawbacks: sizing is not infinitely customizable, not good for more severe deafness, usually don't come in fun colors, difficult to use with low dexterity.
There are several different dome types, as I mentioned. Domes are soft silicone or plastic pieces fitted in diameter to the ear canal, but come in a few different shapes depending on the type of hearing loss. I'll talk about the most common ones, but there are a few other rarer custom types.
Open/Vented domes have slits cut in the silicone. They are the weakest at keeping sound trapped, but have the lowest occlusion effect (hearing your own voice loudly). They are good for mild to moderate hearing loss, but they can cause a lot of feedback, especially at higher frequencies, so they're most useful for high-frequency hearing losses. The amount of vents in the dome can be adjusted to reduce leakage.
Closed domes do not have slits or have very few slits. They keep more sound trapped, but have higher occlusion. They are good for moderate broad-spectrum and low-frequency hearing loss, since they allow less high-frequency noise to escape.
Power domes have no slits and often have multiple layers for maximum amplification. They have the highest occlusion effect, although people using power domes typically have hearing loss in the range of 60-80 dB, so occlusion is often necessary to hear one's own voice. Power domes can make the ear pressure feel unbalanced since there are no vents.
2. In the Ear / Completely in Canal.
In the Ear (ITE) and Completely in Canal (CIC) hearing aids are a less popular, but available, type. They feature a solid combined processor and speaker that sits in the ear canal. There is usually a small wire or clear plastic loop that fits along the curve of the outer ear both to keep it in place and to pull it out.
ITE/CIC are most commonly prescribed for: mild-moderate hearing loss when RIC is not preferred or available.
Benefits: no behind the ear component can be more comfortable, microphones in the ear have highest directionality, subtle.
Drawbacks: fewer features available, higher occlusion effect, can fall out more easily.
(There are some ITEs that have a behind-the-ear component for volume/power control and structural support, but the processor, microphones, and speakers are all in the canal piece.)
3. Behind the Ear.
Behind the Ear (BTE) are the most powerful type of hearing aid. The microphones, speaker, and processor are all present in the behind-ear component, which is larger than other types of hearing aids. This component is connected by a replaceable plastic tube to a mold, which is custom-fit to the user's ear and allows for maximum sound retention/amplification. Like domes, there are several types of molds.
BTE are most commonly prescribed for: severe to profound hearing loss, moderate or higher low-frequency hearing loss, children.
Benefits: sizing is fully customized, easy to use with lower dexterity, good for athletics (less likely to fall out), highest aesthetic customization, most powerful amplification.
Drawbacks: larger size, high occlusion, higher risk of ear infections, molds must be replaced as ear shape changes, tubes must be replaced regularly.
There are lots of different mold types. An ear mold is custom fit by creating a cast of the user's canal and ear shell. More or less of the "shell" of the ear can be covered by the mold. All molds have a vent hole to allow moisture to escape, but some molds have more holes cut into them to allow airflow or reduce occlusion. Some molds are hollow, while others are solid. (Molds can also come in lots of fun colors, including marbled or glittery, although insurance won't always cover these.)
There are too many types of molds and considerations to really get into exact types here, but if you look up behind the ear hearing aids there are tons of references online. [One type of mold I've seen a lot in real life but that I can't find the name of online are sort of square-shaped solid (often colored) plastic with lots of holes in them. They remind me of a waffle.] In general, the more severe the hearing loss, the less "air space" there's going to be in the mold.
4. Bone Conduction.
Bone Conduction hearing aids (BCHA) are probably the closest-looking in real life to those headphone ones, although many of the over-the-counter devices calling themselves BCHAs that look like headphones are in fact just bone conduction headphones. Prescribed BCHAs are often two individual rectangular devices, attached via stickers or a headband. There are a few that go behind the ear, although no component of the aid is in the canal.
BCHAs are bone conduction rather than air conduction, which means they get the sound to the cochlea by vibrating the skull bones rather than sending sound through the middle ear. BCHAs are often temporary aids (see BAHA in the CI section of this post).
BCHA are most commonly prescribed for: severe conductive or mixed hearing loss, microtia/atresia, and young children.
Benefits: more powerful and safer long-term for conductive hearing loss, typically no in-ear or over-ear component.
Drawbacks: require an external component (stickers or headband) to stay attached.
5. Airpods / Actually just headphones
Did you know, Airpods were recently approved by the FDA as over-the-counter hearing devices? The noise filtering technology makes smart wireless headphones a possible alternative for mild hearing loss, auditory processing disorder, tinnitus, or anyone who can't get prescription hearing aids. These are not a long-term solution, nor are they used by audiologists, but for people who just need a bit of a boost, having their headphones in all the time might be their way of navigating the world.
-
All hearing aid types have their benefits and drawbacks, and no aid will ever be perfect for someone. Even the best hearing aids available can't make someone become Hearing. Some people who are severely to profoundly deaf report hearing aids giving them around 60-80% of what a hearing person can hear, and this number improves with decreasing severity of hearing loss. Still, nearly all d/Deaf/hoh people struggle to some degree with auditory processing. They may use hearing aids to give them general awareness of background noise (eg fire alarms), or for a boost while lip-reading, even if they don't help in understanding noise more generally. Hearing aids can also die or malfunction, removing the benefits they provide.
-
Cochlear Implants:
[Plain Text: Cochlear Implants]
Cochlear Implants, or CI, are surgically implanted devices that stimulate the cochlea.
More on CI in one second, because I promised a return to BAHAs, which are a type of surgically implanted hearing aids. They get to go in this section because they are implants.
BAHA stands for bone anchored hearing aid (as opposed to BCHA, which stands for bone conduction). BAHA are the long-term alternative to BCHAs. A titanium plate is anchored to the skull, and an external hearing aid component attaches to the plate and vibrates it.
BAHA are most commonly prescribed for: severe to profound conductive hearing loss, microtia/atresia. (One of the major use cases for BAHA is Treacher-Collins Syndrome, which often causes bilateral microtia. Since the hearing loss is purely conductive, and traditional hearing aids do not typically fit people with microtia even without atresia, BCHA/BAHA are the best aids.)
Back to CIs. Unlike BAHAs, cochlear implants are implanted into the cochlea to directly stimulate the auditory nerve. They bypass the outer, middle, and inner ear systems, so they are useful for any type of hearing loss.
In order to qualify for a CI, one needs profound hearing loss across all or most frequencies, and the presence of both the cochlea and the auditory nerve (CI won't work without those structures). Someone can qualify for a CI in one ear but not the other; even if someone is qualified to receive implants in both ears, they're expensive and the surgery has risks, so many bilaterally deaf people have only one implant.
In the United States, CIs are approved starting at 9 months old, but not any younger. (This is a problem for auditory development--although CI are often billed as a "cure" or "complete treatment" to deafness, the reality is that even bilateral CI users who received speech and auditory therapy from the moment their devices were programmed still lag behind hearing peers in auditory development, because they are deaf. But that's part of a larger conversation regarding deaf development and audism.)
CIs have a small disc that magnetically attaches to the skull near the implant site. That disc transmits the sound through the bone, which is then transmitted to the auditory nerve. Usually, the disc is connected to a wire, which runs to a behind-the-ear processor piece. CIs have a couple different types, just like hearing aids. I'll run through them pretty quickly.
1. "Button" CI.
These are fairly new. They only have the magnetic disc; all the processors and microphones are inside it. They're less visible, but less powerful.
2. Behind the ear microphone.
The BTE component contains the microphones and processors. There is a hook to keep it in place on the ear, but no part of the CI goes into the ear canal. These have similar directional power to BTE hearing aids.
3. In-ear microphone.
The processors are on a behind-the-ear component, but they receive signal from a microphone positioned at the opening of the ear canal. These give the best directional sound filtering, since they receive the auditory input from the same place as a hearing person, often with the benefits of the shape of the outer ear.
4. Mixed type CI + hearing aid.
These are also very new! Previous CI techniques, and many surgeons today, destroy residual hearing, so when the CI processor is disconnected, the user receives no auditory input, even if they had some before getting a CI. However, some new techniques can preserve residual hearing, and the cochlear implant can be combined with a hearing aid. This device looks like a BTE hearing aid with either a mold or power dome, but also connected by a wire to the magnetic disc of a CI.
-
What type of CI a person has depends on the technology when they were implanted, what sound quality they want, or what they can afford.
The sound from CIs don't match how hearing people hear things. CI have way fewer neural connections than the cochlea has. Bilateral CI is often more effective for oralism than unilateral, but even then, CIs do not replicate natural hearing.
A CI can be implanted at any age, although it's most "effective" in infancy or adults with new-onset hearing loss, rather than people who have grown up d/Deaf. Getting a CI in adulthood is a very personal choice and can have a lot of meaning for a Deaf person.
-
Gene Therapy:
[Plain Text: Gene Therapy]
This post has gone on long enough, and this isn't a hearing assistive device, but it is something to consider in a sci-fi or post-modern setting, and something we (the Deaf community) have to deal with right now.
There are currently new therapies (around 3 years in trial) that target OTOF mutations that cause severe to profound congenital deafness. OTOF mutations cause the loss of a protein that turns cilia movement in the cochlea into neural signals. The gene therapy introduces the gene that codes for this protein into the inner ear.
A small study on around 20 children, teens, and young adults with profound hearing loss (>100 dB) saw hearing curves change to 56 dB +/- 30 dB. I couldn't get the raw data because I couldn't access the study, but that means the average participant is still moderately hard of hearing and still needs hearing aids and accommodations. Depending on the metrics for calculating that error, there was likely at least one participant who remained severely to profoundly deaf after the gene therapy, and no participants became medically hearing.
We still have no data on if this gene therapy lasts forever or what kind of side effects it has. It also only works for a specific class of OTOF mutations, which account for many cases of congenital genetic deafness, but not all. Every single study on the gene therapy is produced by one company. This technology has not yet been peer-reviewed or tested for long enough. Nevertheless, hearing people are treating this as a cure, that the Deaf community doesn't want.
If a deaf person wants access to a technology like this, that is again their choice. Forcing this onto infants and children without autonomy or the ability to make an informed decision is horrible. The push to "cure" deafness goes hand-in-hand with the destruction of Deaf culture. It is eugenics. If you're going to include gene therapy or some other magical "fix" to deafness in your story, think about that.
there is no downside to voting for Count Binface. its not taking away from other candidates bcos they aren't any and the more votes he gets the stupider Farage looks.
Nigel Farage is the leader of Reform UK, a far right party who are currently in the process of a serious bid to become the UK government. they are just straight up evil.
Count Binface is an intergalactic space warrior with a bin on his head. he likes to run as a novelty candidate in general and mayoral elections. a big thing he likes to do is run as a candidate against the incumbent prime minister:
(Also pictured: Boris Johnson, Elmo)
Anyway, in brief:
Nigel Farage is currently in the midst of a big scandal about his finances
He has decided to deal with this by 1) making a show of nobly resigning from parliament and then 2) immediately running in the resulting by-election
He has stated that he is letting 'the people' judge his actions and implied that if he wins that will prove that he has been exonerated in the court of public opinion
His goal was presumably to get a big resounding win over the other parties, proving that The People still love him.
the other parties have thus far decided that this is a 'vanity election' and, well, there is one very easy way to ensure that he will not beat any of them, and that is simply not to play.
and as a result the only person who has so far confirmed they are running against him is Count Binface. no matter the outcome this makes Nigel Farage look like, u know, a fucking clown.
I've seen some people saying he would have to give up his title but it would seem that is no longer the case as of 1999; so, no, he can keep his ceremonial bin if he wishes.
Important to note also that Count Binface is the alter ego of comedian & political satirist Jon Harvey who seems to be an intelligent individual with reasonable politics. As I said no real downside.
"Kill them with kindness" Nah, fuck that, CRICKET BAT š ššš*SMACK* ššššššššššššššššššššš*SMACK*ššššš*SMACK*ššššššššššššššššššššššš*SMACK*ššššššššššššššššššššššššš*SMACK*ššššš*SMACK*šššššššššššššššššš
One thing I noticed since using platform crutches and then a wheelchair is that people feel a lot more comfortable making conversation with me. I kind of hate it sometimes to be honest.
Can the sum total of our interaction not be 'credit card please. yes, I'll take the receipt'? Maybe I don't want to hear how your day's been actually. I heard how the day was of the person in aisle 3 as well and the person in aisle 7 is allergic to pollen and felt the need to complain to me so no I'd rather not hear about how many overtime shifts you've worked this week but I'm sorry you had to do that.
It's a really weird phenomenon given the majority of the public avoids looking at or engaging with me to the point of tripping over me. It's all or nothing I guess.
So I have a notetaker accommodation for school because the wheelchair accessible seating is at the back of lecture halls and I'm hard of hearing and have VSS. This basically means that another student in the class gets paid to take notes for me. In my case this is helpful for filling in things I've missed in my own notes but a lot of students also rely on this completely.
But I just got this email:
Beginning in September 2026, students approved for note-taking support accommodations (previously provided through peer note-taking or audio-recording accommodations) will instead receive access to Genio Notes, a purpose-built note-taking platform designed specifically for post-secondary learning environments.
Genio Notes enables you to record lectures, generate transcripts, organize course materials, and create personalized notesāall within a single platform. The tool has been reviewed and approved through UBC's privacy and security processes and provides a consistent, accessible, andĀ effective approach to note-taking support.
Essentially, 'to accommodate your inability to hear lectures properly, we will require you to hear lectures'
Most of my courses are done on blackboards. Voice to text sucks for scientific terminology and math. I have never had a problem writing. Hell, I can write faster than my note takers -- the problem is that I can't hear or see the things to write down. WHAT. THE. FUCK.
At least I got my ambulance bill before the deadline to claim for this year. I think I had another ambulance trip in the last year and, if they don't send me the bill in the next two months, I won't be able to claim it.
Not to mention I live in fear of the bill from January 2025 that I never received and that I definitely can't claim on insurance and which would come with a hefty amount in fines and interest if they ever do send it.
I'm trying to claim my ambulance bill and I fucking can't because my health insurance is an american company and it requires me to provide the provider information for the ambulance service. I don't know what the fuck to tell you??? My provider is the provincial emergency service? I can give you the receipt? What more do you want me to tell you????? The province doesn't have a phone number???
I ended up finding a non-emergency ambulance number and using that. Which will probably get my claim rejected because the address is the one on the receipt and the bill which is for the provincial revenue service, not emergency health services. Fuck you Blue Cross. Can't be arsed to make your UI compatible with the country you're operating in.
You know what? Fuck it I'm adding more context. Sesame Street has talked about the topic of death more than once and it's done with such gentle carefulness without watering down or censoring the heaviness of the situations. It treats heavy subject matter with respect and dignity and has been for DECADES.
From the early 1980s:
To 2025:
Hell, they even cover the devastating heaviness of MASS SHOOTINGS without censoring or watering anything down.
They've been doing this for YEARS, and it's ALWAYS handled with dignity, respect, seriousness, understanding, and love.
Whenever I see people censoring words because it "might offend" someone or the big ad companies that are currently trying to run everything? I just want to say to them: "What? Is Sesame Street too mature for you?" Because really...what the hell are we doing.
I'm back with even more examples! Sesame Street once again to this day is out here handling extremely difficult subject matter with incredible care and respect. "We can't let kids learn about uncomfortable things!" Oh, really now? Even though they're things that happen in everyday life that they'll face one day at some point anyway? Interesting. Let's see what else this show has covered that people (for some reason) think should be avoided and hidden. Here's more on death of loved ones and greif:
Or how about when someone is put into the foster care system because their home isn't safe anymore and their needs aren't being met?
Maybe some discussions about group therapy/getting help and support?
Hey look! Here's a segment about gender expression vs taught expectation, including unlearning harmful biases and what to do when you hurt someone on accident because you didn't know it was wrong!
Look! The topic of race and diversity! The importance of unity and equity!
They even also have a more allegorical take on discrimination and being looked down on for who you are, featuring Big Bird. The conflict is about how he's not being let into a club because the one bird running the club personally decided he didn't want someone like Big Bird there.
Big Bird goes out of his way to keep changing parts of himself in order to "prove" he can fit into this club if he just changed enough. The truth comes out though, and there's nothing he can do to gain the approval of that bird. He will never be good enough in his eyes, and Big Bird starts to hate himself. His real friends see this finally put their feet down, emphasizing that you should never change yourself just to fit into one singular narrow idea someone else has.
There's A LOT of different situations this can be an allegory for. Racism, sexism, homophobia, basically ANY form of exclusion is put on full blast in this 15 minute clip. Sesame Street can be both blunt and allegorical when approaching difficult topics, and it NEVER misses or looses the point.
It does an exceptional job in both styles of representation WITHOUT watering anything down. The more sanitized everything gets, the more radical Sesame Street is suddenly considered, hence why so many "particular groups" want it gone. Hmmm! I can only imagine why that could be, in this current political climate! (I'm being sarcastic)
When Sesame Street is suddenly labeled as "questionable" or "politically/agenda motivated" content...it says A LOT about where we currently are and who gets to decide what's "best" for kids or not. Don't fall for the censorship and topic-dodging excuses that are covered by the "But think of the children!!!" movement. Never fall for it, because you know which side you're on if you do.
Sesame Street proves kids can be taught and trusted with learning about these topics when it's handled with the right amount of understanding and care. It shows what all this "controversy" is all really about. What it's always been about, actually.
Don't fall for it, always side with Sesame Street.
I love injectable medication but I so desperately wish it werenāt such a logistical nightmare.
Oral medication: go to pharmacy, pay for pills, get pills, take pills
Injectable medication: go to pharmacy, get insurance denied for medication, convince insurance that injectable medication is required, pay for medication, get medication, get sharps container, order needles and syringes online because pharmacies donāt carry them and if they do they can only give you one, get alcohol swabs, take medication.
And thatās saying nothing about how healthcare workers are allowed to deny you care if they are uncomfortable being in the home of someone who uses needles (even if theyāre properly stored/disposed of and in no way a hazard).
Iām considering trying to get my medication refilled early even if itās expensive. There was a shortage so I was given a substitute and itās working fine as far as I know but Iām also mildly allergic to it so every injection causes way more pain than it has to and I keep procrastinating.
Iām considering trying to get my medication refilled early even if itās expensive. There was a shortage so I was given a substitute and itās working fine as far as I know but Iām also mildly allergic to it so every injection causes way more pain than it has to and I keep procrastinating.
Second day in a row where Iāve been too sick to get work doneā¦ I canāt believe I havenāt lost my job or something. Itās wild to me that no oneās noticed. And I have so much work to do and a meeting at 7am tomorrow.
Torture and strife and everything nice @weirdstrangeandawful - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
