The Promised Neverland

Oracle isn't just a name. It's an identity that is inextricably intertwined with Barbara Gordon reclaiming herself and her sense of agency over her body and life after becoming disabled.

The last 13 years of dedicated activism have gotten us back to a point where Oracle is acknowledged and Babs is portrayed as a competent adult woman, and I'm grateful she finally has her team back. But DC still refuses to acknowledge and uplift her as disabled, undermining the core thesis of Barbara's character in the modern era. And as long as she's not visibly disabled…she's still not Oracle.

Oracle was created because two people (Kim Yale and John Ostrander) saw a horribly misogynistic story and went "no. We can do better. We SHOULD do better." Oracle was a rebirth, a revitalization, a refusal to allow women to be relegated to the sidelines and margins of superhero comics regardless of physical ability.

To refuse to portray her as visibly disabled undermines everything that Babs as Oracle stood for, both in-universe and in real life. It betrays the identity's foundations as a reclamation of agency and heroism. It betrays her creators' intent as an avenue for disability representation and a revitalization of a character summarily discarded because the company saw no further use for her. It betrays the millions of readers who read her stories for nearly 25 years and enjoyed stories brimming with strength, independence, and heroism that depicted a disabled character at their center.

It's doubly frustrating because it's clear that DC is slowly moving Cass back into the "primary Batgirl" role, allowing us to have a semblance of Oracle back, but they seem to think of Oracle as an interchangable identity with Batgirl that Babs would have had even if TKJ had never happened. And outside of Batgirls (which ended last year), they won't even meet people halfway and make Barbara an ambulatory wheelchair user who uses forearm crutches and/or a cane when she's mobile.

Again: I'm grateful that Oracle is being acknowledged again. I'm grateful Babs is back to being a competent adult and team leader who has friends outside of Gotham. But I continue to be frustrated at the company-wide sexism keeping her from fully moving on from Batgirl and the ableism prohibiting her from being shown as visibly disabled.

Sometimes I think the batfam forgets they’re not biologically related (and that’s because my dad was adopted but he’d talk about his adoptive family’s health history, traits and be like ‘yea be on the look out for that. It runs in the family’ like SIR)

Anyway here we go with the post

Tim: [is a short king]

Old gala lady: “aw look at you! Bit on the small side for 17, don’t you think?”

Bruce: “not necessarily, the doctor sai-“

Lady: [pinching Tim’s cheeks] “don’t worry about it, love. You’ll grow up into a fine young man just like your father”

Bruce: “oh, um-“

Tim: [looks hopeful]

Bruce: “yes he will”

Dick: [filling out paperwork for superhero things] “hey Bruce, does diabetes runs in the family?”

Bruce: “uh, not sure. I don’t think so”

Dick: “ok great, what about…heart problems?”

Bruce: [thinks for a moment] “I think my grandfather had a heart attack in his mid fifties, hold on I have records”

They proceeded to spend 20 minutes looking at medical records and histories

Bruce: “wait”

Dick: “what?”

Bruce: “we’re idiots, you’re adopted Dick”

Dick: “… dammit, so what’s my families medical history!”

Jason: [talking with some friends] “yea and I have my dads curly hair, he also started going grey kinda early so that’s probably why I have this white streak”

Roy: “oh nice! Same thing with my red hair. Was your dad tall too?”

Jason: “he is pretty tall, 6’2” I believe. Built like a brick wall too, also a stubborn asshole”

Artemis: “you must be spitting image of him, I wish we could meet him”

Jason: “what? You’ve met Bruce”

Roy: “… aren’t you adopted?”

One More Match

-YouTube Link

I really really wanna see Donnie cuddled up with Big Mama cuz we have so many asks and stuff about Mama comforting him when he's sick and kot feeling good but no pics and that's a shame in my eyes. Unfortunately artblock keeps me formd racing it myself

I had been meaning to draw that Sick donnie going to Mama scene for a while so thank you for the excuse!

MEANWHILE!

Yes, Donnie stole Raph's hoodie b.c it's big and warm. And is secondary and spider limbs are tucked in it b/c he's cold (and there's no holes for the other arms b/c it's raph's hoodie.) He's also still very much in his pajamas and slippers : )

Thank you!

Do you think people used to have ADHD Text Reply Anxiety back in the day. Do you think there was some girl in the 1870s going "Oh, a letter from Esther, how delightful! I must make time to write her a reply this evening!" And then later she was like "It has been 5 months since Esther wrote me, and I am yet to reply. I fear I have tarried far too long, and if she receives a letter from me now it will seem terribly rude and she will want nothing to do with me. And yet, it is ruder still to not write her at all! I fear I am the only one to blame for my current predicament, as I am most terribly forgetful. Ah, but what a fool I am! I shall pray this evening for guidance from the Lord"

i feel like Norman still gets headaches even after the lambda symptoms have stabilized in the human world, and like every couple of months a migraine will just take him out for a day or two

Life is a journey, don’t be afraid to see where it takes you.

[TW: Ableism] [TW: Rant]

Begging y'all to not say 'It's a miracle' when someone stands up from a wheelchair or spends 30 minutes without their mobility aid—  I'm so fucking tired of being accused of faking pain, I've already been refused disability accomodations and can't bring my cane out during my work shifts because "you can walk around just fine without it" or "I saw you doing ___ yesterday!"

There's a spectrum of people who need mobility aids.  

Brought this up before in a non-ranty way, but just damn sometimes it gets a lot.  Just so damn much.    It's frustrating knowing that I end up worsening my own physical condition because others don't think I "really need the support."

Many young wizards have taken to transmuting swans into humans and marrying them. One day, you are lucky enough to find a swan in the wild, and without hesitating, you turn it into a beautiful lady. Unfortunately, that ‘swan’, was a goose. You have just given a goose a human form.

mischievous nomads