my controversial fatt take that I haven’t seen anyone say yet is their portrayals of disability... need work.

I feel like Cascara’s narrative would be ok if she like. wasn’t the Only Person In A Wheelchair. But as it is it just rubs me the wrong way that the only wheelchair user is like... using it because she doesn’t want treatment because of her faith. Which, again, fine! But-

She can’t be the only person in a wheelchair. That can’t be the only narrative. I don’t give a shit how utopian your society is, if you can’t see disabled people moving around and living their lives, it isn’t that they don’t exist it’s that you’ve built an inaccessible utopia.

We are always going to be here! Always! Our absence says something.

Besides, the portrayal of sign language as DIVORCED from deaf people and deaf culture? Iffy! Feels bad! Not to mention the fact that facial expression is a huge aspect (in asl, anyways, can’t speak for all sign languages) and if it’s robots you’d need a new grammar system!

IM NOT DONE YET LETS TALK ABOUT CHRONIC ILLNESSES!!! FOURTEEN FIFTEEN, WHO I LOVE, BEGINS AS A CHARACTER WITH A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR BEING A PORTRAYAL OF ILLNESS, BUT THEY JUST DROP IT? THEY JUST DROP IT. ITS SO FRUSTRATING.

A lot of plot lines get dropped in really disappointing ways in tm, which is!! My favorite season!! but!!! it is a frustrating one...

Over all, fatt lacks follow through on its portrayals of disability and chronic conditions. Echo should have run into accessibility barriers, 14 should have actually experienced symptoms, Hella and Ephrim in sih could have struggled with chronic illness in a really cool way but -

We never see it! I know portraying disability is hard, there’s a lot of pitfalls and tropes to avoid, but that doesn’t make it impossible, it makes it IMPORTANT! Media either never takes that risk or relies heavily on gross tropes. We deserve better than that.

Again, a lot of this stuff is like. Nitpicky a little bit? Like!! I’m happy for the rep that we do get in fatt, and tm is still v close to my heart. I just. Scifi is so ripe with potential for narratives about disability but we. Do not see them. Ever. It’s heartbreaking...

I’ve written AT LEAST two games about this and I should just. Bite the bullet and figure out how to edit and publish them.

Austin talks about mech stories being really about bodies, and he’s right! But disabled bodies aren’t really discussed and that! Makes me so fuckin sad.

Even when they’re present in the story, it’s never really... THERE. A characters disability should impact the way the move and think and talk just like them being... I dunno, a vlogger, or feeling jaded, or knowing how to use a sword. It should be an intrinsic part of them.

THIS IS A LONG THREAD IM SORRY I JUST- I JUST FEEL LIKE WE GET SO CLOSE SOMETIMES TO GOOD REP IN MEDIA BUT WE JUST DANCE AROUND IT AND ITS KILLING MEEEEEE JUST LET ME HAVE A CHARACTER I CAN PROJECT ON W/O NEEDING TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES AND IGNORE BITS OF THE STORY

LIKE!!! Give me Alyosha using a cane. Give me Ephrim dealing with chronic pain. Give me 14 with brain fog, Aria with phantom limb pains, Echo with a struggle against inaccessibility, give me deaf characters, sick characters, characters with mobility issues, GIMME THEM,,,,

Ok I need to be done now I just!!!! I have a lot of feelings..... fatt is good. It could be better,,,, give me. disabled characters I’m begging u