💫Constellisys💫

Hope is not easy, and for it to get you through the darkest moments, that hope has to be stronger than it all, so no.

breaking news, artist finally breaks free of the tomodachi life addiction and stops playing it 24/7, only to then make art based on tomodachi life.

• Grace immediately clocks that Simon is just an itty-bitty baby boy. He sees how Simon looks at everything with such curiosity only little eyes can possess, how Simon flinches at everything even small noises- that's a real tiny boy right there!

• Oh Grace adores tiny Simon. He loves that he can pull out his teacher side (Grace jokes to himself that maybe he should've been a kindergarten teacher) as he sits Simon on his lap/infront of him and shows him all the cool science-y things, telling him in terms that a younger headspace can understand yet still makes it fun!

• Simon 1000% tried to surpress his regression, he didn't want to be vaunerable, especially around someone new! But, eventually he just broke down and started sobbing because he accidentally nicked his finger on one of the lab slides (he was trying to help Grace) and saw the little beads of blood and got very scared, he felt like he was back in the sub again!!

Grace is instantly there, grabbing a tissue and covering Simon's finger so the little guy doesn't see the blood! Grace starts talking, honestly rambling to distract Simon from his overwhelming fear! He tells Simon he's doing so good, Armando will fix him up, make sure no yucky bugs get in his finger and Grace will be right there the whole time!!

• When Simon is tiny he wants to be a helper! He likes helping Grace n' Rocky! Of course he's much too tiny to handle specimens so they give him smaller task of finding out which whiteboard markers are dried out, showing Rocky stuff in the screen room (aka: Rocky babysitting and the two are just watching tree videos) etc♡

• Rocky is so fascinated by this! Simon is much taller and stronger looking than Grace but here he is, seated on the ground clutching a blankie and curled in on himself while Grace is running his fingers through his hair. Someone so big is so very tiny!

× × × ∥ × × × ∥ × × ×

Markiplier stimboard for me because I'm crying and can't calm down ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

Today hasn't been a good day but it will get better!!

TW: mention of medical trauma/blood(basically any iron lung related triggers)

☀️Gaia Headcanons

🌱Mama caregiver. She never pressured Simon to call her Mama, especially with his trauma regarding the loss of his mother, but her heart melted when he did for the first time.

🌱She can always tell when Simon is spiralling, and wraps her tail around his waist when she can't hold him.

🌱Gaia love, love, loves to hold Simon; whenever he's willing she's 100% scooping him up

🌱Lets Simon play on the floor in her office while she works, although she usually keeps her tail within arm's reach so he can let her know if he needs her.

🌱Works as a Biologist for the Creel, and is studying creatures from AT-5 to figure out how their planet survived the Quiet Rapture.

🌱Is very careful to not mention her work or the Rapture around Simon, nothing sends him into a mental tailspin faster.

🌱Loves her baby and would literally do anything for him. Even if they can't stop the Rapture, Gaia is determined to give her little hatchling the best life possible as long as she can.

☀️Simon Headcanons

🌱Vent and puppy regressor. When he is sent to live with Gaia, it's strictly because C.O.I doesn't want another convict to feed/take care of, so he's very aware that he isn't wanted by most. As such, he tries not to ask for anything. Because this alien lady is already kind enough to let him stay with her, how could he possibly ask for more?!

🌱A bit stubborn; he's fallen off the counters a few times trying to reach something without bothering Gaia. Luckily she's usually not far, so he's been caught by her tail more than once.

🌱Once he realizes his needs aren't going to get him sent away, he tests her a bit. Asks for help getting things, or asks if he can have something (usually a sample treat he spots on their store outings). Testing his limits, seeing if she really means it when she says she doesn't mind him asking.

🌱It's through this that he discovers a love for garvek (basically a purple version of dried mango slices). They become the holy grail of snacks, he'd do just about anything for a packet of garvek. (Like Shaggy with Scooby snacks).

🌱Food scarcity means that he's less than picky. Good when food is limited, not so much when it's in abundance. Gaia has caught him more than once eating something he most definitely should not be, and as a result had to have his stomach pumped once. He was not amused, but neither was she truthfully.

🌱Loves stuffed animals and baby mobiles; if you need to keep him occupied, all you have to do is plop him down in front of a new stuffie. He'll be occupied for hours, babbling to it and giving it a name. (He names all his stuffies)

🌱Kind of a scaredy-cat when small, every little noise makes him jump, and has him running to his Mama.

🌱Super shy about asking for affection, most of the time he just slowly leans against her leg or belly or makes grabby hands at her with pleading eyes. She never denies him, of course. Even if she's busy and can't hold him, she lets him play with her tail or paws; because sometimes he just needs physical contact.

🌱He deals with a lot of soreness from his healing injuries; broken bones, starvation, dehydration, CO2 poisoning, and everything else he endured. There are good days, and there are bad days. On good days, Simon can be playful and silly. On bad days, sometimes all he can do is cling to his Mama and cry. It breaks Gaia's heart, but she helps him do his exercises and take his medications to ease his pain.

☀️Mama and baby

🌱The first time he regresses, Simon is in the SM-13. After the eel attacks for the first time, he gets so scared that it shocks him into a smaller headspace.

🌱Since then, he feels the urge when under stress. Simon does his best to resist, thinking that it's the eel still trying to take over his mind. Eventually he talks to a Creelean doctor about it, and from there they decide he needs more extensive mental help.

🌱The Creel have strict regulations regarding the care of patients post-op, so C.O.I is ‘encouraged’ to release him to them after his sanitization treatment. C.O.I are more than willing, not wanting another Convict to take care of.

🌱Since Simon is unable to care for himself, and in need of both mental and physical therapy, a message is sent out to a Creelean organization called 'The Nest' to find someone willing to take him in. From there, a volunteer named Gaia is contacted.

🌱When Gaia arrives, she is unsure if she would be able to care for a human with Simon's medical needs, but one look at the exhausted human has her scrambling to sign.

🌱Gaia is allowed to talk with Simon, meeting with him a few times before talk of custody is discussed. He's distrustful, of course, but after a while the soft way she looks at him and the gentility of her words slowly ease his fears.

🌱As he slowly begins to trust her, Gaia is absolutely enamored by him. She read his history; she knows what happened in the iron lung, at least what was reported, and studied the vessel herself as part of her research as a biologist. She knows what he endured, and greatly respects his strength and determination. Seeing him so broken by the ordeal breaks her heart, and she wants so badly to help him heal.

🌱Eventually, his placement is discussed. Simon is hesitant, but agrees to go home with Gaia.

🌱The next time he fully regresses is the day he is brought home. Gaia surprises him by getting supplies for him the day before, including a cozy bed, blankets and pillows, some books, and a few odd things like puzzles and drawing supplies. He's overwhelmed by the gifts, and quickly breaks down.

🌱Gaia, of course, worries that she did something wrong, and immediately tries to comfort Simon. He gets spooked by her advances, and ends up hiding under a couch. Gaia stays a comfortable distance away to help him relax, and eventually slides a stuffed dog under the couch so he has something to hold as he cries.

🌱The dog helps, and he's eventually able to crawl carefully out from under the couch. Simon hesitantly lets Gaia pick him up, and is so glad he did.

🌱She loves holding him, and Simon finds that he loves being held. From there, Little Simon's heart is captured.

Bonus art as a treat!

Our home, once filled with warmth, laughter and memories, has been reduced to rubble. We have been displaced more than thirty times from place to a place with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Each time we returned, we found more destruction, we always clung to the hope of rebuilding, but in the last attack, our home was completely destroyed, we are now homeless, living in unsafe conditions with no shelter to protect us from the cold nights. The loss of our home is not just the loss of a building, it’s the loss of safety, stability, and the place where our dreams were nurtured.

With my father unemployed since the beginning of the war, we have no income to provide even the most basic necessities. Water, food, medicine, warm clothes and blankets-things that many take for granted-are beyond our reach. Every day is a battle for survival, and every night is a reminder of the dangers and struggles we face. I am determined to care for family and give my younger brothers and sisters a chance to grow up with hope. But I cannot do it alone.

My mom’s parents said “We don’t care who you love.” At that point she’d only ever brought home white guys. She brought my dad home-her mother called her a nigger lover and damned the relationship as much as possible. Her father grew around his prejudices after I was born but never apologized, just wasn’t a blatant fuck.

The day she introduced my father to her family was the last time she spoke to her mother for over twenty years. When I was getting sick and she called and asked her mother and grandmother if anyone in the family had anything strange happen similar what I was going through they told her “it’s because you married a black man. You made your bed, you lie in it.”

Cops pulled them over all the time and asked my mom IF SHE WAS OKAY AND IF SHE NEEDED HELP BECAUSE MY FATHER-A BLACK MAN-WAS DRIVING A 100 POUND WHITE WOMAN AROUND. HE WAS HARRASSED AND THREATED WITH ARREST.

My father ended up getting into a fight in self defence because some entitled hick decided he didn’t like seeing a black man and white woman in the bar together. Thankfully other patrons helped my father but he still couldn’t go to the er for his injuries. My mom patched him up and they were terrified the cops would take him away.

THEIR BEST FRIEND GOT LICENSED TO MARRY THEM SO THEY COULD ACTUALLY TIE THE KNOT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WOULD AND CITED JIM CROW ERA LAW AS TO WHY.

When shopping with just me my father wouldn’t hold my hand if there was a group around. Why? I’m far lighter than him and people had stopped and asked him “whose child is that?” Or “little girl where’s your parents?” and were stunned when I grinned and pointed at my dad and proudly proclaimed “my daddy’s right here.” You know where else mixed kids couldn’t hold their parents hands? Apartheid South Africa. We live in fucking FLORIDA.

Before applying for the federal program SSDI, we married. This was to prevent losing the life-saving insurance I needed. At that point, I was still on my parents’ insurance, but would soon age out of being able to use it.

After we married, I applied for SSDI, which takes about two years. Everyone is denied by default, so I was prepared with an SSDI lawyer (they only take the case if they know they can win, and their payment is a very small portion of your backpay; my lawyer was paid just 15% of my backpay)backpack. When the rejection letter arrived, I immediately went to her for help.

I inquired about the state program SSI. She told me I didn’t qualify because I’m married. I applied anyway, because I ad nothing to lose. Here’s what the person at the SSI office told me I would have to do before I could apply:

I need to divorce my husband.

I need to live alone. We could not be living together because this would be seen as us basically being married.

I need to have less than $2k to my name at all times.

I cannot work.

I cannot live with my parents because their income would count against me.

I cannot own expensive things that could be sold for money.

If I was approved, I would have to continue following these rules with a few additions.

I cannot receive gifts of money.

I must have a bank account, and they would monitor it to make sure I never went even a single cent over $2000.

I cannot have a savings account.

I cannot have a safety deposit box.

I would have to continue living alone.

They can stop by my home at anytime to inspect how I’m living. They could talk to my neighbors to see if I had anyone who visited and helped me as more than just a friend. This means I could not have my former husband turned boyfriend stay overnight, and he cannot be perceived as taking care of me.

I cannot have anyone help me financially. This means no one else can pay my bills. If I cannot afford those bills on my own, I would have to apply for programs that would. Most of those have long waiting lists, like section 8 housing (we had applied for section 8 housing in 2008, and three years ago I received an email telling me we qualified. They had only the information we gave them in 2008, and have since moved across the country).

My SSDI, if approved, would count against me financially.

The most money I would receive from SSI, if I did everything they demanded and was approved, was $618/month.

This is enforced poverty. It’s also the onky way may of those Disabled would be able to receive the medical care that keeps them alive, like Medicaid. My seizure medication used to cost nearly $2k/month. My neurologist gave me free samples of it every month and helped me apply for free medication through the manufacturer’s financial aid program (you should too if you can’t afford your medication). I was receiving medical care through the hospital’s financial aid program when I married and lost my parents’ insurance coverage.

I refused to do as SSI demanded. My SSDI lawyer was, in fact, relieved when I told her I’m married. Why? Because marrying afterwards would have caused serious and life-threatening complications. She encourages everyone who applies for SSDI to marry if it’s possible a ble for them to do so. Because of her, I was approved for other programs, things I didn’t even know existed, but for two years, it was Hell-on-Earth. I couldn’t work because it would count against me. At that time, rent was $650, but my husband was making federal minimum wage, worked full time, and his employer kept changing his schedule, which made it impossible to apply for a second job.

I know many who are on SSI and need it in order to remain alive. One of my friends nearly fell out if the program because a nosy neighbor saw her and her boyfriend cuddling in her couch watching a movie. They assumed he was secretly living with her. Said neighbor was frequently seen just outside my friend’s windows, watching her. When she met my lawyer after getting the automatic SSDI rejection, she married, got into the programs I had been in, and filed a restraining order against her neighbor because my lawyer absolutely insisted on it. The bitch violated the terms three times and was put in prison for six months. She’s now on SSDI, married, and much happier.

As a disabled person, I hate the whole dance we have to do to stay alive because enforced poverty

I just wanted to add, in 1992 or thereabouts, my friend group of college age people took a high school kid under our wing. (He was a sweet kid and studied at our dojo and liked table top gaming.) He had had a hard time of it for a variety of reasons, so we befriended him.

His Mom was white and his dad was black.

He was a latch key kid and had been since upper elementary. He’d get home from school and several times a week one or more grown men would phone him up knowing he was alone and threaten to kill him because he was mixed.

It was still happening 1992-94, until he graduated and could move out of his parents home.

We lived in the North.

It’s living memory in a large town and it’s not just the South.