Here be Dragons

im reminded of when i went to sit my philosophy exam and had an ex-officer as an invidulator. he asked me if i was trans, something i had no obligation to answer. but if i didnt, i would be cagey. i would now paint an image of all trans people being rude in his mind, so i said yes

that invidulator asked me why, as a trans student, i should have my rights respected if there are so few of us

and instead of rightfully getting pissed off, i had to remember that i am currently representing a community of millions to a single man in a room with just the two of us in it. i could be the deciding factor on how he conducts behaviour with trans people in the future. what if he gets called to invidulate again in 20 years time and has another trans student? what if he remembers the one he met before, and instantly assumes he knows our community?

so i explained to him why i should have rights. and i used my words carefully, because if i slip up even once i have now put a trans person in danger, because he has made a choice based on me

trans people dont get to be angry. cis people always joke about how we demand a space, or we demand the right name, or we demand they bow down to us

think very carefully, did that trans woman demand that you use the right name, or did she correct you? did that trans man hold you at gunpoint, demanding you let him piss in public, or did he look like he wanted to use the disabled toilet to avoid bothering you all together. did the nonbinary trans person have you on your knees begging for forgiveness, or did they ask nicely for you to be mindful of their pronouns?

the transphobic narrative is one of victimhood, meanwhile if i even use the wrong tone cis people will act as a child does, and they will demand that the next trans person they meet apologise

every trans person you meet is aware of this too. we're all very tuned into the fact that we are ambassadors, and that we never asked to be that. i dont want to have to very carefully consider 'will a curt answer mean someome later dies', but every day of my life i do

and cis people need to know that. to be trans is to literally walk on constant eggshells of cis fragility. its why when we see a new trans celebrity we have to desperately hope they dont do stupid fucking shit like caitlyn jenner did. because now everyone thinks trans women are like her. because now negotiations for our right to exist unmolested have gone back another 20 years

and tbh, cis people are pathetically weak. a trans person asked you to use the right name? that did not happen in a vacuum. that trans person has met 50-60 cis people today who refused

Some Chibis I've done! Click for better quality!

I feel like I’m supposed to post links to my work here? I guess? ^.^; (Sorry. Mikau doesn’t know how Tumblr works.)

Here’s the summary and link to the first chapter of my Marichat/Adrienette work on AO3, The Reject’s Club:

Alya’s scheme to find out how Adrien feels about Marinette goes awry, leaving Marinette heartbroken and vulnerable to akumatization. Chat Noir just happens to be in the right place at the right time to save her, leading to a series of afterhours meetings, pastries, and shared secrets and wounds. In helping one another get over their respective unrequited loves, Marinette and Chat Noir slowly begin to see each other like never before.

Chapter One

And here’s the latest chapter:

Ladies and Gentlemen, you might want to take off your trousers and slip into a bathrobe because things are about to get pretty steamy in here.

I’m beyond excited to officially unveil for you the beautiful cover of my upcoming book, “Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse!”

I’m sure many of you temporarily lost consciousness when your eyes fell upon the sheer sexiness of my girlfriend, Hannah, and I posing in such a sultry position, so I’ll give you a minute to regain your strength before I continue. I hope you’ll wipe up your drool and keep reading because I have a few very important things to say about this book.

My name is Shane Burcaw, and I was born with a lovely muscle-wasting disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I’m working really hard to use my time on this earth to create a positive, lasting impact. Specifically, my goal is to change the way society looks at disability. This book is the next step in that journey.

One of the biggest stigmas about people with disabilities is that we are incapable and unworthy of romantic relationships. To give you an example, I run a YouTube channel with Hannah, and every time we post a new episode, people inevitably comment with theories as to why on earth we are dating. Here are just a few of my favorites:

“Don’t get me wrong - he seems like a good dude - but I ain’t buying it. She’s either his nurse or good friend and this is an act, or she’s got a couple screws loose.”

“Ask yourself, would you date him? NO, YOU WOULDN’T. What is the catch here?”

“This [relationship] is abnormal and frankly disgusting.”

Aren’t these fun? Jokes aside, this is but a small indication of the vast and innumerable ways that people with disabilities are discriminated against on a daily basis. I am determined to change that situation.

My strategy is humor. In “Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse” I use funny stories from my life to show readers that using a wheelchair is not some horrid, depressing existence. I’m a person, and my disability should not invoke pity or aversion, but rather, respect and love and kindness, just like we all deserve.

If you personally support that idea, please please please consider sharing this post. My ability to make a difference in this world is solely hinged upon spreading my story to as many people as possible, and YOU hold that power for me!

In celebration of my new book, and to raise funds for my nonprofit organization (which teaches children across the country about disability awareness and pride), I am hosting a HUGE online event scheduled for 8pm EST on November 27th. Entertainment will include a reading from “Strangers Assume”, an open Q&A where you can ask me anything you’d like, never-before-heard stories, and other special surprises! Your ticket purchase will help us provide adaptive technology to individuals living with muscular dystrophy in December 2018.

Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share this exciting news. Below are all the important links you need regarding my new book and the live event on Nov 27th.

Pre-order “Strangers Assume” - https://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Assume-My-Girlfriend-Nurse/dp/1626727708

Pre-order autographed copy of “Strangers Assume” - https://www.laughingatmynightmare.com/shop

Nov 27th Exclusive Event Tickets - https://www.laughingatmynightmare.com/events

So. Here’s the skinny:

A friend of mine, after grappling with some pretty severe health issues, pushed through and made her childhood dream come true to boot: she opened up her own bookstore in Edmonds! HELL YEAH!

But running a bookstore ain’t easy, and they’ve recently had to shift locations, so they haven’t had a ton of foot traffic lately. Which is a shame, because look at this place. It’s adorable. Here’s just some of the perks this place has:

Themed displays to showcase marginalized and underappreciated authors and character types! Their current display is based around disabled main characters, and as a disabled writer myself, that’s incredibly rad.

Flash writing/poetry slams that are free for anyone to participate in! You want to go up and read your memoir? Your vent poetry about politics? Your Sonic x Reader fanfiction? Knock yourself out.

Themed book group meet-ups! There’s a sci-fi/fantasy book group, an audiobook and crafting group, a romance book group, even a group dedicated specifically to reading books from non-American authors and expanding people’s cultural palate.

Readings and Q&As from local authors!

Nanowrimo write-ins!

An adorable dragon mascot!

Anyway, my point is, if any of y’all are in the Seattle area, I would definitely, definitely recommend you check the place out. Or stop in on April 5th for the writing/poetry slam if you want to see me slap words into a mic.

If you can’t do either of those things, reblogging this post and helping it blow up would mean a lot, if you want. Thank you!