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New Blog Coming

The new blog I will have will be a Minecraft fandom blog with fan stories by me. These stories follow the adventures (and misadventures) of a plucky pair/dynamic duo. Both parties have multiple disabilities and learn to cope with them over the course of these adventures. I don't want to spoil anything, so I want to just leave a link here.

http://mcmusicalmisadventures.blogspot.com/

I'd Like You To Know...

How This Works

• Create a blog post titled "I'd Like You To Know..." and list some things (any amount) that you would like people to know about you, your life, or a particular cause you wish to promote.
• This is kind of a disability awareness thing, but you can do it for anything that's misunderstood and/or stereotyped (like pit bulls or snakes).

An Example (And Also Personal Post)

• I can understand your body language and facial expressions. I pick up easily on social cues, but I may not know how to react appropriately. If you act like I am oblivious to such things, I will know. 
• Your "helping" won't help at all. If I look lost, ask me if I need help. If you rattle off information while I am processing, I will lash out at you. You have been warned.
• If you wish to support autistic people, look no further than autistic advocates and autistic-run organizations. Going to neurotypical-run organizations is like going to a toilet for drinking water.
• Preventing stimming is mistreatment. If someone gagged and bound you for talking or destroyed your router for blogging, how would you feel? An autistic person would have similar feelings if you prevented them from stimming. Let them have loud hands and if their stimming hurts them or someone else, redirect them to an alternative.
• I am not your pawn, charity project, or trophy. If you use me like one, I will know that I am being objectified.
• I can help other people. Obviously, I can't do everything, but I can do some things and do them skillfully. I don't always need to be on the receiving end of a good deed (not that I want to be).
• In my eyes, the only wrong kind of friend is the kind that mistreats you or others, but such a person is not a friend. Someone who is nice to you, but not the waiter, is not a nice person. The most accurate judgment of a person's character is by the way they treat those who they can easily take advantage of (but, hopefully, don't). Do you want friends that take you to the highest heights or friends that make sure you don't die when you fall?
• Your judgmental comments won't help. Think about the other person. What might be another reason for their actions? Do some research on that reason. Find out more options and then examine yourself. You are farther from perfect than you think. When in doubt, abide by the golden rule.
• Fair is not always equal. People are not a factory-manufactured product, so not all of them are the same. Therefore, different people have different needs that need different things to meet them. A cellist needs a bow, a vocalist needs a mouth, and a handbell player needs an ensemble.
• No one is perfect, so don't expect anyone else to be.

Let it Burn

Yes. It's a Minecraft Let it Go parody that takes place in the nether. This is Herobrine singing as he claims the nether as his home and kingdom after he's been banished from the overworld.

The lava flows in bright rivers here,
Where my past is history.
Dimension of conflagration,
I will claim it as the king.

Its fires mirror the
Resentful pain inside.
Sorrow, anger, hurt
All too much to hide.

Just hold it back
Like all these years
Drowning, fighting
In seas of flaming tears.
Please quell the flames
So they can't learn.
How can they learn?

Let it burn, let it burn.
Let the flames run unrestrained.
Let it burn, let it burn.
I have lost and now I've gained.
Light's not bad.
What evil is day?
Let the blaze spread on.
It was be burnt or burn anyway.

Bitter is the flavor
Of ashes in my mouth,
But the taste of freedom's sweeter;
They can't control me now!
Here by myself,
Don't have to fight,
Freed from the bonds
Of wrong and right.
No stone, no sword
Can limit me.
I'm free!

Let it burn, let it burn,
Going up in roaring flames
Let it burn, let it burn
And melt away the pain.
Sparks ignite.
I'm burning bright.
Let the blaze spread on.

Away from trees, strongholds will topple to the ground.
Chaotic power surges through my veins and all around.
I'll doff my sorrows in a radiating blast.
To what should I go back? The nether's all I have!

Let it burn, let it burn
Like a phoenix, I will rise.
Let it burn, let it burn.
They'll see it through my eyes.
Sparks ignite
Where chaos reigns.
Let the blaze spread on!
It was be burnt or burn anyway. 


Note: You are welcome to sing and make a Minecraft animation for this. If you do so, credit me as the author of the lyrics and send me the video.

Kindness Report Series Introduction

How It Works: I will log on as a new player for any amount of time (in one day) on a new (to me) Minecraft server and take screenshots of the chat, a kindness rating (1 is worst, 5 is best) and other things that reveal the overall character of the server. Then, I will post screenshots and a description of my experience. I will also list possible biases that might have made me misjudge the server's character.

Why I'm Doing It: This will help new players get the "feel" of a server by showing what existing players are really like.

The Motivation Behind This: I want to make sure that everyone is the salt and the light to another person, even on someplace like a Minecraft server. Your words affect other people no matter where you say them.

How the Scale of 1 to 5 Works
The server will be rated 1-5 in these categories. The mean of these ratings is the overall rating.

Attitude Towards Other Players
Treatment of Others' Property
Respect For Staff (if applicable)

Going the Distance: On Achievement and "Inspiration"

The video above features Lea Salonga's version of "Go the Distance". 

I had to overcome a lot to get this far--and I still have a long way to go. Anxiety and a fear of failure are my main pitfalls when it comes to success. The reason why I might hesitate before saying "Hi" to a prospective new friend is a fear of rejection. I may not take a leadership position as readily because I know I will become corrupted and cause people misery. If I didn't receive the proper support in my childhood, I would spend my days languishing in bed where I can't hurt or disappoint anyone. As "perfect" as I may seem, I am still human--awkward, imperfect, sinful and very much human.

If someone slapped an image of me maxing out on a squat on the Internet and captioned it with something along the lines of "This girl is autistic. What's your excuse?", people would call it "inspirational" for the wrong reasons. (A lot of these things have to do with physical feats. Why not celebrate the strength of the mind or faith?) For one, it undermines the hard work I did to even get a bar on my shoulders. It shows one moment of strength without putting the frustration, failures, sweat, or previous success into context. The image would objectify autistic people with an achieving athlete stereotype and make non-athletic autistic people seem worthless. If you don't see how "positive" stereotyping would hurt remember this: Positive stereotyping hurts because it subjects the affected group to undue and/or unrealistic standards (i.e. most Asian stereotypes).

Being inspirational for the right reasons is serving as a role model for people with similar or different disabilities or people in general. I want to lead the way for other students like me, who get good grades (like As and Bs), but need help in school. I'm still waiting for the far off place with my hero's welcome, but I know it will be there if I can stay strong. I want to show that autistic people can live fulfilling lives and that they are not a tragedy, mistake, burden (at least not more of a burden than a human would be), or something to be fixed. I hope people will see this through what I do.