#ashleys

This is from chapter 2 of @honeylemoom 's fic! This scene was so well written! So I wanted to animate it how I imagined it

The Ashley’s (Ashley Armbruster, Ashley Boulet, Ashley Quinlan and Ashley Tomassian)

Okay so, do you guys remember a Disney cartoon called Recess?

Well, I was watching it today to remember the good old days, and in this cartoon there was a group of popular rich girls called the Ashleys

And something felt strangely familiar and it suddenly hit me! They are based on Heathers!

They even have the same colours and everything!!!!! It’s like mind blowing!

That’s it, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

So whenever someone asks me what I do with my life, I get really awkward, but today I tried something new...

‘What do you do?’

‘Oh, I run a few blogs about different topics. You?’

(Haven’t been asked about my blogs yet but my answers depending on how out I’m okay with being are; disabilities and my life in a wheelchair, polyamory and being a queer Christian)

I also discovered that one way to stop being seen as a pity story on wheels, when people ask me what I was doing before my wheelchair is not to tell them my shorthand goals from my past, but my long term ones. Aka: I was working towards being a dermatologist, my disorder held me back three different times and the doctors told me I had to stop trying because I was making my condition worse and was honestly because a health and safety legality to the schools I was going to and I was forced to stop. (Pretty true, I knew I had to stop that last time... but not till I had 4 trips to the ER, after that my GP also agreed and said ‘yeah, just stop for now’)

When they ask what I want to do? ‘I’m working on several long term projects I can do from home, but nothing that’ll be set up anytime soon, I’m working on *Whatever of my projects I feel will interest that person most, and then list some others: eg; Comics, fashion lines, religious studies, painting, DND goals of being DM next year... etc*. But right now I’m mostly learning how to look after myself and lower the impact of my disorder with my doctors help.’

... I also mention that I’m planning a wedding and creating baby plans with my fiancé because that’s something I am doing that young women especially find easy to talk about and a great icebreaker. But that’s a super personal thing and I only use it occasionally at Church.

It works wonders.

I’m no longer a ‘pity case’ and I’m not ‘an inspiration’ because I’m disabled, I’m a normal intelligent human being who’s funny and witty and caring and super resilient and persistent and passionate. And it works to get others to see that and I’m so happy.

Basically the formula for making non spoonies realise your disability doesn’t mean they have to be awkward:

- I do *insert hobbies you love, doesn’t matter if it’s not a career, it’s a thing you do*

- I was working towards this, but my doctors told me I had to stop because my health made it dangerous.

- Now I’m working towards these few things as long term goals.

- But I’m doing these *instert hobbies and cool things* while I work my way there.

And then deflect to them as much as possible but know if they ask you questions you can answer because it’s your hobby and something you’re proud of.😊