mold-skinned

[mold-skinned]

Happy disability pride, but are you normal about people with visible disabilities and deformities/differences?

Do you think the actor with marfan syndrome who always plays the horror monster is scary? Do you judge your classmate with cerebral palsy who walks with a limp and always has? Do you still stare at the double amputee homeless vet you see downtown? Do you avoid eye contact with your friend’s kid who has Treacher-Collins? Do you ask a sexual partner if their hidradenitis flair is an STD? Do you ask for censorship when the scarred guy in your discord server posts photos? Do you compare the girl at the beach with pectus excavatum to “looking anorexic?” Do you ask if your fat disabled friend really is disabled or they instead just need to lose weight?

Congratulations, you might be ableist. Yes, you yourself might even be disabled as well, but if you think these ways, you are ableist.

#disability #Disability Awareness

[mold-skinned]

people have been so afraid of and disgusted by visible congenital conditions (especially with i/dd) for like, literally centuries, annnnd nothing about that has fucking changed at all

like, you can "accept" a pretty person in a wheelchair (accept is in quotation marks on purpose) but you start having discussions about whether or not it's ethical to let people with down syndrome be born on a post about how people should care about people with it. people with visible congenital conditions (especially with i/dd) are alienated and ostracized both by abled people AND other disabled people- where do we fucking belong? we're the same thing as both of you.

our existence is a fucking trolley problem, our existence is an idea it's a concept it's not a reality we're not people, we're a stepladder for you to make yourself feel better, there's a million articles where someone is nice to an adult with a visible congenital condition and everyone goes "awwwh faith in humanity restored", my own fucking 1st grade(?) teacher took pics with me like i was a fucking theme park mascot, i saw a FUCKING MEME SOMEONE MADE OUT OF A PHOTO OF A CHILD WITH FACIOSCALUPOHUMERAL MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, because when you see us you don't see us as people. we're just an idea

there are people who look ways you think people can't "naturally" look. people who look ways you would consider "uncanny" (<- me. i only blink one eye often and my face moves kind of like those fucking ai videos) and find some ridiculous "actually it's natural to be afraid of disabled people because humans are afraid of illness and "things that look human but aren't"" excuse to rationalize your fucking cruelty about. fuck you

there are young people who look old and old people who look young. there are people whose bodies are big but their arms and legs are small, people whose bodies are small but their arms and legs are big, people who have atrophied faces and ears that stick out and no eyebrows, people whose eyes are far apart or close together, people whose smiles are "too wide", people whose foreheads are tall and wide, people whose spines are crooked and sharp, whatever the fuck you think people "can't look like", they can. people who look like frankenstein. me. me, i do

we're beautiful and normal fucking human beings btw

we went from abled people actually killing people with visible congenital conditions to isolating them to making fun of them, while also doing all of those other things, just in subtler ways. they still do those things. they still do all of those things. they reject us for financial relief programs. insurance rejects our treatments, medicine we've been taking for years, equipment we use. they starve and neglect us and gaslight and blame us. they want us to fucking die.

like

can you care about us? please? can we be seen in public with you? can we exist alongside you? can you invite us into the warmth and light of your house when they shut us out in the cold to die? fuck

we deserve to fucking live and to be seen, OUTSIDE, IN PUBLIC, and loved and cared about and respected and cared for. we deserve to be represented in art, writing, on tv, in movies. we deserve to be seen as beautiful and fashionable and cool and handsome and natural. we are just as fucking normal as you are

there is nothing uncomfortable or disgusting or uncanny or horrific or unnatural about us. fucking grow up

also we don't have to be successful and impressive with 20 phds to deserve to live. no one does.

#disability #disabilties #congenital #i can't fully relate but recently i developed something that's been making me twitchy and my facial expressions weird #and even just something as simple as that has really fucked up how people see me #and interact with me #people seem to find me unnerving and scary #and that's literally just because of some weird expressions and movement #and i can imagine how fucked it must be for everyone whose more obviously different #sorry if the rant in tags was annoying #awareness #disability awareness

[mold-skinned]

#even though i have a bit of a phobia of roaches #i will defend literally all of these

[mold-skinned]

How to write a cane user character

(Written by a cane user)

A few months ago, I wrote a small guide on good disabled characters and why they were good that gathered quite the attention, and I thought that doing another more specific guide this time would be interesting for writers or just people that are curious ! This guide will include general informations, some things to do, some things to avoid and some ideas that might revolve cane users's lives.

Things to know about cane users

Cane users are pretty diverse, and putting us in little boxes usually isn't the best idea if you want to make a character that has substance and isn't just "the disabled one". Here some infos about cane users that might be helpful knowledge !

Canes don't have ages. Most cane users in media are portrayed to be old, but truly, anyone can have the need to wield a cane ! I've been using mine ever since I was 17.

Can users can have a large variety of problems for their canes. Some canes are used to avoid pain from effort. Some canes are used for balance purposes. Some canes are to make walking less exhausting (works the same as walking sticks !) And sometimes, it's multiple problems at once.

Not everyone needs their cane 24/7. Some always need it, some can make small efforts without it but overall often need it, and some people, like me, can spend quite a lot of time without it. I almost never use my cane in my house, and mostly take it outside !

People with canes can run. We're not necessarily slow, I'm even faster than a lot of my friends.

Not using a cane can come with consequences, but not always. Some people might be able to walk without a cane but then suffer horrible consequences, but for others, canes are just a commodity for specific occasions.

Canes don't have to be looked down upon. Look at some characters with canes that look cool as hell ! Arsène Lupin, Roguefort Cookie, Brook ... Their canes serve their style !

We can be pretty healthy. Some people can have canes just because they were born with a bent leg and that's it. Our cane doesn't define our health status.

Canes aren't a curse. Think of them as something positive. It's a tool to make our lives better. You don't see someone sitting on a chair and think "awh, it's sad that they need a chair". It's more something like "hey it's cool that this chair is here so they can sit down"

Things to do

Make them use their cane. And when I mean use, I mean that canes are just funky long sticks usually made out of metal. Have fun with it ! Let them use it as a weapon ! Trust me, one hit in the knees with a cane and you're DOWN. Use it to reach stuff that's too high for everyone ! Have fun. Be creative.

Let them decorate their cane. It's an extension of their body ! You usually put on clothes that you like, don't you ? It's the same for a cane. If they like cutesy stuff, let them paint in it pastel colors ! If they like a more flashy style, add some stickers on it ! If they're a fancy person, give them a beautiful crafted cane with jewels on it !

You can make them a little shy or uneasy about their cane. Some people don't feel worthy of confident enough to wield one. It's not rare to see people think they're "not disabled enough to do so"

But on the other hand, you can do the complete opposite !! Make them proud of that cane ! Make them act like they're feeling pretty and more confident with it ! One thing i like to think about with my own cane is that I look like a cool gentleman. That boosted my confidence immensely.

Things to avoid

Don't make it their whole world. And by that, I do not mean that their cane shouldn't be a defining trait of their personality. Think of Toph from ATLA. She is blind, and you usually can't think of her character without describing her as blind. However, that isn't her entire personality trait. Make cane users have a goal in life, friends who enjoy them for who they are and not just pity them, have fun ... Don't just make them the disabled one.

Don't try to make the character's life just a plain disaster unless it's the focus of your story and you really know what you're talking about. Having a character who's always in pain, who feels bad about relying on their cane and/or who's angry at the entire world for being disabled is a REALLY tricky subject to use if you don't want them to be either a mass of unhappiness and angst for no good reason or some inspirational porn of the character who inside is deeply tortured but outside keeps up a facade because they shouldn't cry to avoid making others uneasy.

Do not, and I repeat, do NOT try to heal them, especially in a magical way. Bad idea. A lot of disabled people's goal isn't to be healed. It's to live a normal life. Making it so the ultimate goal for them is to be healed makes it as if they were worthless as long as they were disabled. Making their situation better physically or mentally is one thing. Curing them completely is really bad. "But some disabled folks want to be cured !" True, true. But if you are able bodied, I'm not sure if you can have the right mind to understand all of the complex details about this situation that leads to someone's life choices and the end result may look like you think the only thing that can make disabled people happy is being freed from their condition. I think it's best to just avoid it altogether. If you need a more nuanced idea, try to give them a solution that still has a few downs ! For exemple, a prosthetic that feels like a real arm, acts like a real arm and basically replaces it perfectly is a full cure. But a prosthetic that takes time to adjust to, needs repairs sometimes and doesn't look 100% like an arm can be a better narrative choice

Smaller thing, but don't make the handle uneasy to wield if you draw the character design. You can decorate most of the cane, but if you have chunky spiky decorations on the place you're supposed to clench your hand over, you're gonna hurt yourself. I've seen quite a lot of jewel handles or sculpted metal handles and usually their not good. If it's detailed metal, your hand will end up cramped in little parts and it can hurt. If it's a jewel, it's so easy for it to slip out of your hand it's unpractical.

List of tropes/ideas of scenes/details about canes to help you write new situations !

If you walk with a cane during winter, you can't put your hand in your jacket to get warm and there's a high chance your hand will get freezing. So after a long walk, you get an excuse for another character to hold their hand and warm them up.

If the handle is metallic, you get the opposite problem during summer. You can burn yourself so easy ! Easy accident if you want someone to help and get closer to the disabled person without it necessarily involving their disability.

Canes are SUPER useful when you're walking upon heights. They make things really easy, just like hiking poles on mountains ! I live on volcanoes and whenever we clim on a harsh slope, I'm always the first to get up there. Good moment for your character to get a boost of confidence if they get all the way up somewhere before their friends !

The first time using your cane feels magical. If you have chronic pains, it makes you feel like your pain disapear. If you can't walk right, it feels like everything is suddenly alright. The moment where a character chooses to wield a cane can be huge for character development. It's a moment of fear because of the impact a cane has on their appearance, but also a moment of confidence and relief.

Canes fall. All the time. And after a while, it becomes fucking comical. Trust me, putting a cane against the wall, seeing it fall and doing it three times again in a row while it doesn't want to stay up makes you embarrassed but also makes you want to laugh because of how stupid it looks.

When you get a cane, you stop being invisible. When you walk outside, generally speaking, people don't look at you. They don't care about you. But when you get a cane, people start to stare at you for no other reasons that you have a cane. Half of them are just curious, especially if you're young. The other half has a very specific look. The "oh, you poor thing" look. Which is, trust me, particularly awful to get, especially when you're just existing and doing nothing special. How does your character react to this ? How do they feel about it ?

I believe that is all I had in mind. I may add some more details in the future if I get other ideas, but this should already be a good start. I would be thrilled to answer questions if you have some, either in my askbox or through DMs.

I will tag this post with characters holding canes that aren't necessarily considered cane users but that some people may be interested in writing as such. Feel free to tell me if you'd like to see tags being added !

Edit : I'm highly encouraging everyone to look at the tag section under this post where a lot of other can users are sharing their experiences !!

#Writing tips #disability #writing disability #canes #good advice

[mold-skinned]

#hole under an abandoned shed

[mold-skinned]

For the love of god don’t fucking do this. Listen, i’m going to apologize in advance because this is gonna be a fairly harsh rant, but that seems to be the only way to get a point across to people like this.

Anyway there is no fucking reason to turn Remus’s scars into vitiligo. For one it’s fucked up to people with any amount of major scarring or facial scars. They fucking need representation too. They need fucking positivity and support, in my opinion tbh a lot more then us folks with vitiligo need it right now. Why the fuck would you take that away? And secondly, using vitiligo as a scapegoat for when your too cowardly and lazy to do actual fucking character design is not fucking support of positivity. it’s laziness, that’s what it is. Here’s something you can do for human remus, have him had been attacked by a dog. Dogs go nuts all the time, and they can cause some serious damage. Also not to mention, equating vitiligo to a curse is fucking disgusting. seriously. Not that equating scars to a curse is any better, it’s just as bad.

Anyway, all you people who do shit like this do not “love” vitiligo, and all us people with vitiligo can fucking tell. If you did you would actually be listening to and supporting people with the condition, not doing shit like this.

again, sorry, but for fucks sake i shouldn’t have even needed to say all this in the first place.

a way to “mugglefy” remus’s scars (people are very creative but like it’s a bit more difficult to explain in muggle aus i feel) is that you could have him have vitiligo. there is a bunch of untrue stigma around it (just like scars in the wizard world) and it makes him appear “different than normal” (obvious bullshit but ya know looking at it from those people’s perspective).

#seriously #why would you say something like this??? #vitiligo #vitiligo positivity #remus lupin #scars

[mold-skinned]

i hope everyone with acne, eczema, vitiligo, psoriasis, dermatitis, dermatillomania, and skin conditions have a good day today

#health #skin health #acne #eczema #vitiligo #Psoriasis #dermatitis #dermatillomania #skin disorders #postivity

[mold-skinned]

Hello!! How are you? I’m a writer and I’d like to incorporate someone with vitiligo into my story, however, I don't know much, which is kind of a problem seeing as I want to be sensitive to the community. Would you be so kind as to tell me some things you do/don't want to see in characters that have vitiligo? Thank you so much!

Hi! Im good thanks for asking, hope you're also doing well!

That's a wonderful question! Before I start I'm just gonna say these are my views on the subject so if anyone else with vitiligo wants to chime in please do so! I'm probably gonna miss a few things!

Let's start with the donts first, and I very much appreciate the fact that you also asked for dos!

I think one of the more a major issues I see around vitiligo have to do with the way in which it's designed. I've made a few posts about it in the past with more details, I think theyre tagged under "character design( tips)". So doing things like making repeated shape patterns like hearts or animal prints or like skulls or whatever is Not Great. This includes making humanized versions of animals. Like recently for the new Puss in Boots movie a lot of people were drawing Kitty Softpaws as a human with vitiligo, and that just...does not feel great lmao. I am aware that things like that don't come from malice but it feels like being compared to an animal in a way.

Another issue I've seen is when it comes to how the character developed vitiligo it happened due to some curse or magic or (demonic) possession something along those lines. This is also a very bad idea, seeing as it's basically demonizing the condition.

Vitiligo is also complicated when it comes to its genetic. There are working theories/plausible explanations for how it occurs but there are a lot of varying factors. However, it is NOT passed down genetically (to an extent) so having a child does NOT mean that you're character's child will also have the condition. It is also not something you get get at birth/in the womb.

Don't change the coloration of it! Vitiligo is DEFINED as a lack of pigmentation, not a change in it, so you can't have characters walking around with pink and patches. You could make an argument with yellow if its for legos I guess but unless you're drawing every white person lego as that neon yellow I'd avoid it still.

Don't only give it your characters of color!! Especially if you only have a few! I feel like this is something I see frequently unfortunately, but having a character with vitiligo or albinism or pibaldism or whatever doesnt make a character less or more of one race or another. I saw a post where someone said it's "curing POC" so....yeah big yikes. I know because it's not as visible on white people some people dont think they can have it, and it doesnt get used frequently in examples which doesnt really help so yeah.

Also try not to make them a villian especially if theyre the only character with vitiligo

As for the Dos:

I'd love to see a character embrace this aspect of themselves. I know a lot of people and for a very long time myself include feel a sense of shame about it. It took me years to get to a point where I feel comfortable let alone happy about having it.

I'd love to see another character comment on it with a compliment, and have the majority of other characters reacting positively and/or neutrally towards its.

However this is technically a disability and there are people out there that do make fun of people for having it so maybe lightly touching on that would also be a good idea. if you don't feel comfortable out-right writing a scene like that, mentioning things in passing like "oh yeah I got bullied for it when I was younger" or "I actually used to cover it up with clothes and makeup" are good ideas.

Having your character also be aware of things like the time and UV index and whether or not they have sunscreen on is also important. Vitiligo is essentially the lack of melanin, which means that there's no real natural defense against sun exposure at play so being sensitive/aware of these things is a good idea especially if they're fairly new to the condition.

Maybe there's another character that also has vitiligo present in at least some aspect. Whether its just some person that your character looks up to and doesn't know personally, but knowing that they have it makes them feel better about themselves. For me this was Michael Jackson!

This is technically kind of a dont but vitiligo spots are very different depending on the variation that a person has! Spots seem to have a relatively slow progression and, as I mentioned, depending on variation, might not progress at all past certain areas. So if the character has a more progressing variation like Universal or Segmental maybe another character can note that a patch or few have gotten larger since they've last saw them especially if its been awhile and not like last moth.

That's all I can really think of as of now, but I'll reblog this if I think of anything else to add!

#all very great points #though tbh i would love to see more people discussing the roles vitiligo plays in mythology #like making it actually a curse would be bad #but there's some interesting things about mythology and the condition #though it would be risky writing territory for anyone without the condition #so perhaps best for this writer to avoid it #however i think it's a little dumb for people to ignore myth's and vitiligo altogether #idk i'm ranting now #but again all very great points! #writing #writing tips #vitiligo #btw i love the mention of having to be careful about sunburn #everyone seems to forget that one #sorry for the ramble

[mold-skinned]

Me seeing a bunch of human versions of kitty soft paws from the puss in boots movie on TikTok suffering from the “animal pattern = vitiligo” troupe and dying a little inside.

So just as a reminder: don’t fucking do that shit :D! We are not animals, and no, a human version of a tuxedo cat wouldn’t fucking have vitiligo just because it has white patches on it :)))

#vitiligo #vitiligo positivity #Character Design #the fact that people STILL think this is acceptable is insane

[mold-skinned]

I’m probably forgetting some really obvious ones but yeah. If you do have a character with vitiligo and don’t have the condition yourself, please make sure you’re not doing any of the things listed above!

#hate hate hate the animal comparisons #polls #Vitiligo

[mold-skinned]

every time I see an artist boasting about how inclusive they are because one or two oc’s of theirs have vitiligo, yet never ever representing any other appearance altering conditions I loose one year off my life.

like your dumb asses are not inclusive and stop turning vitiligo into this token condition! Like god. for fucks sake.

#vitiligo #vitiligo positivity #skin condition #skin disorders #inclusion #inclusive #oc #character design

[mold-skinned]

Hey fellas! This is a blog mainly dedicated to educating but also venting about vitiligo and the stigma it faces, however I also want to support and talk about other appearance altering conditions, so don’t be surprised if you see other conditions represented on here!

asks are always open! you can use them to (respectfully) ask questions, vent, or share information on any conditions you want to see supported more!

lastly I want to introduce myself a little-

You guys can call me Rot. My pronouns are They/them.

I have had vitiligo for as long as I can remember. Well it has affected every area of my body, it has mainly been on my legs and torso, so it is usually easy to hide. not to mention I am white. That being said i still have been treated differently quite often because of it. Reactions have ranged from fear, to bullying, to sexualization, and that’s why I want to talk about it

There are 2 reasons i picked this blog name as well that i want to share with all of you. those are

1- historically vitiligo has been equated to white mold.

2- i have been treated as gross because of it, and i intend to reclaim this.

anyway that’s all for now! enjoy the blog :)

#intro #blog intro

[mold-skinned]

Vitiligo culture is getting this🤏 much closer to loosing it every time someone says “But youre so white!” as a response whenever you tell them you have vitiligo

#i hate this shit #it's so weird #and rude #vitiligo

[mold-skinned]

need to get this off my chest augh

me watching artists absolutely mess up how vitiligo works when they draw human Sun n Moon (along with so many other characters)

like. vitiligo isn't an accessory. if you want to give a character vitiligo, don't make it out to be some kind of decorative thing?? it's a skin condition, not a cute add-on. it's harmful to our community when artists make it out to be something it absolutely is not.

I could understand if there were not as many negative things we vitilignes get thrown at us everyday. but that's not the case. and having a bunch of artists treat it so decoratively just makes me eee

#character design #art tips #art advice #vitiligo #skin condition

[mold-skinned]

Any and all people with a skin condition, I love u and hope you have a great day, I giv u smooch mwah

#skin condition #skin disorders #vitiligo #eczema #psoriasis #i love all y'all

[mold-skinned]

I love the support for people with viltigo but im a bit jealous because i feel like its the most represented just because its visually appealing to people. As someone with eczema, it can be ugly, but the only eczema rep i see is from other people with eczema. But everytime I see it i pop off. More love and rep for people with skin conditions please

#as someone with vitiligo i just want to say #it makes us uncomfortable too #because we know it's not actual support #it's not actual postivity #it's just like #sexualization #people should support conditions because they need support #not because it's easy to see them as beautiful #eczema #skin #skin condition #body postivity

[mold-skinned]

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone talk about this before, so I figured I’d take it upon myself to do so.

A couple years ago, I developed a skin condition called hidradenitis suppurativa, specifically in my armpits (though it can develop anywhere that the skin rubs together). The hardest part of coping with this for me (apart from the shame, cause skin conditions are so stigmatized) was the fact that I couldn’t wear deodorant anymore. Like, at all.

No one had any advice for me, my doctors shrugged and told me to get a deodorant without antiperspirant but those deodorants still caused it to flare, and it was painful.

So what the fuck was I supposed to do? I tried showering multiple times a day, but that caused flareups as well. Was I just doomed to smell all the time?

Nope! Turns out there’s plenty of solutions.

Here’s what to do if you find yourself unable to wear deodorant for long periods of time (or just if deodorant isn’t even working anymore)

-First off, accept that you’re gonna smell for a while, fuck anyone who makes fun of you for it. Humans smell, they can get over themselves.

-Buy an unscented face wash, my friend’s an aesthetician and she recommended cerave, and so far it’s one of the few that doesn’t cause a flareup!

Face wash is an underrated armpit cleanser. It’s less harsh on your skin (and armpit skin is sensitive!) and everyone I know who uses it says it works wayyyy better than body wash. Lots of soaps just mask the scent of sweat, but I’ve found that face wash actually helps get rid of it.

-Exfoliation is your friend, but be gentle! Dead skin can cause a smell buildup. Also, all the deodorant society tells us to wear can build up and clog your sweat glands (I think this is part of the reason that you will 100% smell a lot worse when you stop using deodorant. You have freed your sweat glands, they gotta adjust). I personally use a sugar scrub, which is harsher than I’d recommend to others, but it helps me prevent flareups which is all that matters to me tbh.

-And finally, trim your armpit hair. I don’t recommend shaving if you have a skin condition in that area, shaving irritates your skin, but trim your hair. Hair catches the scent of your sweat, and overtime it can just keep the smell, even after washing it.

——

That’s all of the advice I can think of rn, so you can stop here if that’s all you’re looking for, but I want to talk more to help de-stigmatize skin conditions (under the readmore)!

First off, it’s not gross if you don’t wear deodorant. Give it time, you’ll naturally start to smell less (and if you’re going through puberty? I’m very sorry but you’re going to smell until your hormones chill. It’s life). Deodorant can actually clog your sweat glands, cause buildup, and cause inflammation of your skin, making you smell worse. My aunt (without a skin condition affecting her underarms) stopped wearing deodorant and reports that she smells less than she ever had before.

If you find your skin in the armpit area (including towards your chest and a bit down your ribs) becoming itchy, tender, or forming lumps? Do yourself a favor and stop using deodorant then and there. Don’t wait for it to get worse, because let me tell you, skin irritation in areas that constantly rub? Not fun. Also get any lumps checked out by a dermatologist if you can, there’s a lot of lymph nodes in your armpits, it’s a prime spot for a lot of health conditions that are better caught early (also breast tissue extends to under your arms, so if you’re at risk for breast cancer, remember that).

If you still smell, please don’t give up and go back to deodorant. Fuck anyone who gives you shit for it. Humans smell and they can learn to deal. Your right to exist comfortably within the realms of your health conditions is more important than anything else. Also, a dermatologist might be able to help figure out a solution, so check with one if you can!

Skin conditions aren’t shameful, and I honestly think deodorant is the devil. It’s harsh and antiperspirants have been linked to negative armpit health. Armpit skin is thinner than most of your other skin and more prone to irritation, like the skin on your face or genitalia. It’s pretty commonly accepted that you shouldn’t be putting harsh chemicals or scents in those areas, I don’t think armpits should be treated any different.

Anyways, shoutout to those of us with skin conditions. Sores, rashes, lesions, bumps, wrinkles, and whatever else they might entail. They don’t make us gross, they don’t mean we’re unhygienic, and we deserve to be comfortable and exist without shame.

#skin condition #body postivity #health