how many do you need?

Since it's Disability Pride Month, I thought I'd make a post about the party and their associated disabilities. The character art for this post was commissioned from the wonderful @goldiation <3

(See below the cut for a lil' ramble and a disclaimer on the language use in this post)

WARNING - this post contains potential spoilers! Proceed with caution☠️

DOCTOR DAISY GRAY: Autism, ADHD/ADHD-traits, Severe Alexithymia

Growing up, Daisy was regarded as 'uncannily gifted', and often found other children insufferable and tedious. Social cues, etiquette, and emotions are concepts that consistently elude her, and though she enjoys being somewhat of an iconoclast, she still masks and has anxieties regarding the people she cares about. Daisy also possesses ADHD traits, which causes her to seek out dopamine-inducing activities. This includes seeking out novel experiences, (dangerous) knowledge, and throwing herself into perilous situations. (This predilection for danger may or may not have put her in the path of a certain eldritch entity.)

LILA SASSOON: CPTSD, Anxiety, Depression

Lila has nightmares & extremely vivid dreams of 'unknowable things' that causes her to sleepwalk. These dreams can linger well into her waking hours, which has her questioning the state of her reality and memories. Fluctuating bouts of anxiety and depression has persisted into her adulthood, and even now she slips into episodes when going through difficult events. And in her social interactions (of which there are many), our lovely librarian has a tendency to mask and script for Reasons™. While she does enjoy talking to people and socializing in general, it takes a mental & physical toll on her. Lila also suffers from mild chronic pain that is seemingly random and without explanation. While long hot baths and rest are ideal, she finds the most comfort in her books, writing, and of course, Daisy.

LORD PAXTON CROSS: PTSD, BPD/BPD-traits, Depression, Chronic Pain (TBI/CRPS), Cane & Wheelchair User

Paxton was wounded in action during the Civil War which left him with chronic pain and reduced mobility - predominantly in his left leg. And upon his return from the war, he experienced acute PTSD and severe depression that took years to recover from. Paxton's internalized ableism gives him a complex about using his wheelchair in public: while his cane could be mistaken as a fashion accessory or a clever disguise for his blade, a wheelchair makes his disability undeniably visible. Fear of abandonment, emotional dysregulation, and intense emotional attachments has caused him to become the black sheep in every facet of his life. Past romantic entanglements have always been intensely passionate and all-consuming - and painfully, distressingly brief.

WAYNE SAWYER: PTSD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia

Wayne never enjoyed school, since he was constantly punished and mocked for his difficulty with letters & numbers, absentmindedness & poor emotional regulation. Despite having a natural intelligence and giftedness in subjects such as creative arts (drawing and music), trade work, engineering/mechanics, agriculture, etc. he was always made to feel impotent in a household that valued a specific type of intelligence. Wayne also struggles with PTSD-induced anxiety and panic attacks, as well as bouts of derealization & depersonalization that can persist for weeks and months at a time.

[Ramble under the cut]

Howdy friends!

Just a few important announcements:

1. PEEP THIS ART

First of all: Lay your peepers on this gorgeous tarot card artwork from our very own @sizzypheanloop! Izzy kindly allowed me to share it for this announcement post (and just LOOK AT THE COLOURS Y'ALL SDLJFBSDJHK)

Thank you for blessing us with the such breath-taking art of the most disastrous disaster gays to every disaster <3

2. BONUS EPISODE RELEASE

The first A Day in the Life bonus episode, 'GOSSIP', is available to listen now on the MERCY feed! Prompted by @sizzypheanloop (sans Mrs. Herrera, but d/w her time will come).

In this episode, Lila & Paxton enjoy tea and gossip and all the womanly-doily things, much to Sawyer's chagrin.

It's short, but it was super fun to record, and we aim to get the next ADITL on the feed next week if stars align.

[See below the cut for future release schedule & context on what's happening behind the scenes]

a little rendering practice <3 I still am absolutely obsessed with lineart but I'm trying out some different render stuff too timelapse under the cut

I was trained in the dark arts of the cover letter by my mother, who is a hiring manager. And her training has paid off: I've been consistently told my cover letters are excellent. Let me pass on the wisdom.

The job of a cover letter is to give a prospective employer strictly more information than is on the resume. This is where you take the resume contents and put them into context. You look at the job requirements (you are looking at the job requirements before applying, right?) and look at your resume and ask the question (in your head) "why would a person think this candidate would be good for this job?" and your cover letter is the answer to that question. If you don't answer that question, the hiring manager is going to have to do it themselves, and you have way more information to work with than they do.

This is especially important if you're moving from one industry to another, because then the relevant connections aren't obvious. It's also very important if you're overqualified, because then you can use the letter to say "I know it looks like this job would be too entry-level for me, but I'm interested to pursue it for reasons x, y, and z". You can also use this space to explain away something that might otherwise be disqualifying, like job-hopping or a long break in employment. The tone to strike here is always matter-of-fact and constrained to topic - don't go into detail about health stuff or personal tragedy, just tell them what they need to hear: that this period of your resume was affected by [bad thing] but that it's now in the past and you're looking forward to the next chapter. Remember, one of the things they're trying to learn is whether you'd be content in this role, or whether you'd be miserable and leave after 2 months, which would force them to do all the work of hiring again. You're trying to establish that you will fit right in and not cause problems. Knowing what drew you to this job in particular (and don't just say 'money', that's true for everyone) helps with that.