“some birds are not meant to fly.”

I have a friend I know from when we were both 6. She is the only person living nearby and so she saw me go from walking through limping to wheelchair on a daily basis. I keep her updated on my health even tho we rarely hang out anymore. She was gonna come over yesterday and I had to cancel. She asked if I can’t hang out later that day. When I said i won’t feel better later, that if I feel that bad in the morning later will only get worse she got annoyed and “joked” that I’m just finding excuses. And I was surprised, she knows all about me being disabled after all? So, a bit taken aback, I told her it’s a normal thing for me.

“But you got the diagnosis now, aren’t you better?? I thought you’ll get better now”

I planned to continue to play volleyball by finding local clubs to join, and rollerblade at rinks.. I wanted to learn how to ride a skateboard. I wanted to work with animals (via shelter work, training instructor or pet grooming, pet sitting, etc). I wanted to achieve so much more.

I loved my jobs, but I couldn’t hold them for long because the higher-ups just thought I was being ridiculous for asking for accommodations, even when they promised I would be accommodated in the interview(s).

But that wasn’t to say I was terrible at the work. I was AMAZING at my jobs. I went above and beyond what they asked of me to the best of my abilities, just for it to never be enough. I was amazing with the people, and diligent with the assignments given.

Even when I started showing symptoms for POTS and began getting my (still ongoing) evaluation, I pushed and pushed to be a good employee, because I take pride in being useful.

Even when my cycles were excruciatingly painful because of (suspected) PMOS and Endometriosis, I still pushed until I HAD to leave early or call in, because I didn’t want to lose my job over things that were well out of my control. It still wasn’t enough.

My employers always assumed it was a quick fix, a ‘go home and rest and come back tomorrow because it’ll be better by then’, but it’s not. It never is.

A lot of people, I’ve noticed, tend to see only a disability, and ignore the things we are capable of, and fire you for it. Even if we’re REALLY good at the work, they look at the 2-4 times we left early due to health in a month and let us go. It stings. And so many other people face this too. It’s not as simple as ‘getting better’, it becomes ‘managing symptoms to barely function’, it isn’t like how able bodied people think it is.

I loved going places and attending meets, and making new friends— being social, attending college. Going out just for a breath of air and to get out of my stuffy room. Now I’m lucky if I can move around the house without collapsing from fatigue or shortness of breath, or pre-syncope symptoms.

The worst part is talking to people who act like being able bodied makes them the one on a high horse.

What they don’t realize, what they can’t fathom, is what I always say: everyone on this Earth is just one step away from being disabled themselves— one wrong move, one accident, one slip-up, and they’ll become the same as the people they act so awful and ignorant towards. And sometimes that’s the only way they learn; sometimes they STILL don’t learn, and that makes me even sadder.

Please don’t take your health for granted. You only have one chance at it, and once it’s gone, it only goes downhill from there. We aren’t pessimistic for saying this, we are being realistic. Life can still be enjoyed when disabled, of course- but it is infinitely harder like this.

I have a friend I know from when we were both 6. She is the only person living nearby and so she saw me go from walking through limping to wheelchair on a daily basis. I keep her updated on my health even tho we rarely hang out anymore. She was gonna come over yesterday and I had to cancel. She asked if I can’t hang out later that day. When I said i won’t feel better later, that if I feel that bad in the morning later will only get worse she got annoyed and “joked” that I’m just finding excuses. And I was surprised, she knows all about me being disabled after all? So, a bit taken aback, I told her it’s a normal thing for me.

“But you got the diagnosis now, aren’t you better?? I thought you’ll get better now”

Edit: And here's a 5 minute video from the same exhibition.

It's never used to harm them.

He genuinely wants everybody to walk away happy. He doesn't cast this on people to take advantage of them. He doesn't do it to cheat them or defeat them.

The only reason people aren't trusting him in the first place is because they don't know his intentions. But I have yet to see him use this spell in a way that doesn't have everybody's best interest at heart.

He himself even says the spell is mean, but it's really only making them see Molly for what he really is; someone worthy of trust, that wants everyone to be on good terms if at all possible.

And in that context; the spell isn't dishonest. In the wrong hands, it absolutely could be, so it seems unfair that it exists. But from what I've seen, Molly is aware of that, and he's handling each of these situations with care, and trying to find a happy resolution for everyone.

🌗 Many faces of Exandria 🌒

Every story leaves a face behind.

It's strange to think how many stories, laughs, tears, and unforgettable moments can fit into one world, and somehow still leave room for more.

120+ hours of drawing later (which is only about 30 episodes of Critical Role 👀) here’s my tribute to the world of Exandria. 3 campaigns, all guest characters over 10 years of streaming and a moon full of villains.

Hairy baby!