Welcome to The Cyborg Perspective!
Set in the near future, this game is centered around the exploration of how the imposition of prostheses functions as a metaphor for dominant cultural powers seeking to control bodies they deem uncontrollable. The factors that qualify a body as “uncontrollable” in this game are ability, race, and gender. Each level of the game presents a deeper exploration of these intersections by offering you the choice of three different characters. The goal of this game is to impart some of the experiences faced by disabled individuals as we navigate society and the medical-industrial complex.
To accomplish this there are links that are hidden until certain requirements have been met and screens where the text appears on a delay. Furthermore, scattered throughout the game are a total of nine images^^[[1]]^^ that reflect the embodiment of the character being played. At times these images function as the link to the next passage, so be on the lookout for them!
Now that all the business items are out of the way, which narrative will you choose first?
[[EASY]]
[[MEDIUM]]
[[HARD]][[<img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/76d518eba2202d20593295a7287b93e5/1df7889010f5c301-3e/s1280x1920/28aa2c814f73d18202283061da348ab99886c8ad.pnj alt=A white man in a dress shirt and slacks>->Worldly Embodiment]]The world is built
for you
Futures shine brightly
Endless possibilities beckon you closer
You’ve never known fear
The dread that you cannot partake in what is offered.
Your wants [[control]] the world
Dictate the tides of history
What is normal and what is not
Set the stage for those who follow
Take the best and leave the rest
Surefooted knowledge that the cards are in your favor
Surefooted steps as you grab the next rung
Of the social ladder
Hands that do not tremor
A voice that speaks loudly
And does not crack
In your body resides [[power]]
The sounds and sights of the cityscape fade into the background as you step out of your office building, communicator wrapping its bubble around your head. The portion of screen in front of your eyes blurs out the holo-boards as the investors faces balloon into existence in front of you. It’s of the utmost importance that no one in the office knows what is said on the call you are placing. If word got out it would be the end for you. You walk through the streets without paying attention to where your feet carry you, secure in the knowledge that you have safety alerts on. This is your city and you are[[--]]The vehicle accelerates smoothly beneath you. You imagine the polished chrome body glinting under the daylight as you lay on the speed. 30-100 in 5 seconds, that’s what the seller boasted, but with the modifications you paid for that time should be halved. Smiling to yourself, you remove your hands from the steering, eager to see what the autopilot can do. People had said you were a maverick investing in the new mag-lev transports, but they were certainly proven wrong. A few dollars in well-placed pockets and they got certified in record time. They are perfectly safe and this third-generation beauty proved it. Technology is the future and the future is[[--]]
(after:15s)[Beep.]
(after: 16s) [Beep.]
(after: 17s) [Beep.]
(after: 20s)[The sound echoes in the darkness, a sharp knife against the warmth of the darkness.]
(after: 25s)+
(align:"<==")+(box:"X=")[The beeping continues and as it does half of the darkness dissolves, replaced by glaring lights shining far above your head which further resolves into a stark white room furnished with chrome and platinum appliances. You turn your head, and discover the source of the beeping to be a vital monitoring machine built into the wall, wires trailing from its base to connect to your body. A weight presses against your body holding you immobile even as you strain against it and the beeping of the machine grows more insistent.
As if summoned by the noise, an orderly rushes into the room, sees that you are awake, and rushes out. Several moments later a doctor walks into the room and begins speaking to you. Most of his words wash over you like tepid water, clearing up some things but leaving most of the confusion in place. Eventually, the reality begins to sink in. There had been an accident. The medical establishment had done everything in their power to save your life, but you did not come out unscathed. An eye, an arm, and a leg. You feel the difference in your body, the lack where once there was strength.
“It’s a lot to take in I know,” the doctor’s voice cuts through your thoughts, “I’ll be back to check on you in a little while to discuss your [[options]] going forward. If there is anything you need in the meantime just let us know.
]
(align:"<==")+(box:"X=")[Informational pamphlets on the different kinds of [[prosthetics]] available litter your bedside table. If the accident had caused even just a fraction less damage you could have had the option of any number of therapies, but you are confined to the choice(if:(history: where its name contains "cybernetic integration")'s length is >=1)[s] of [[cybernetic integration]] (if:(history: where its name contains "cybernetic integration")'s length is >=1)[or [[traditional prosthetics]]].]''Prosthetics^^[[4]]^^:'' No one immutable definition, familiar designs an invitation to reconsider notions of normality. Tools that not only seek to mimic function, but also enhance the body’s capacity. A do-it-yourself enterprise often preferred the valorous empty sleeve or pant leg--each human body and its prosthetic need are unique. Entitled to a modern limb--prosthetics as a means of physical empowerment. An important dimension of human experience; create a techno-posthuman world. Unlimited possibilities that can be gained through the use of advanced prosthetics. “Fix” bodies perceived as having deficits.
(if:(history: where its name contains "Works Cited")'s length >= 1)[[Works Cited]](align:"<==")+(box:"X=")[The doctor sits across from you, hands steepled on the smooth surface of his desk. The way he explained it, opting for cybernetic integration would involve undergoing surgery to connect nano-tech to the deadened nerves and muscles of your damaged body parts. Once the nano-tech is in place, the doctors would attach appliances that would fuse with your body and totally replace the missing limbs and eye in both form and function. These prosthetics would even give you heightened abilities once you become accustomed to them.
“This is technology that most people have to pay an enormous amount to acquire even a fraction of what is being offered to you. If you [[choose this treatment|After integration ]] then new opportunities will abound for you, and you’ll be able to do things us mere biologic forms can only dream of. But if you need to think on your [[options]] take all the time you need and explore the other options. This door will always be open to you.]
The doctor explains how opting for traditional prosthetics means you will never regain sight in your eye, and will have to learn how to move in entirely new ways with the traditional arm and leg replacements.
“The truth of the matter, is that society is not built for these kinds of appliances and not many would willingly choose this path. If this is [[the path you want to pursue|Prosthetic Fitting]] then I will set up appointments with the necessary people. However, I encourage you to [[think on this|options]] and approach your decision with a fresh mind.”
(transition:"fade")+ (text-colour:green)+(after: 5s) [01101100 01101111 01100001 01100100 01101001 01101110 01100111]
(after: 7s) [=
You are laying on a soft bed in a private room. At first, you are unable to pinpoint why things feel different, but as the world comes into focus the memory of going into surgery for the cybernetics surfaces. You are surprised at the lack of pain you feel, the clarity of your vision, the smoothness of the seam where the cybernetic meets the skin and muscles of your left shoulder. The machinery is warm, emitting a soft hum when you shift yourself and try to bend the fingers on your left hand. You scarcely have to think of the action before the command is executed.
A few minutes after you regain consciousness, a nurse enters your room and sets up a reflective image-display. She helps you stand and accompanies you for the first few tottering steps before you find the rhythm of walking and are standing on your own, staring at your new reflection.
[[<img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/570027cf50e85eb0d7d5a96f5093eb77/b1cda3497aa8adc4-87/s1280x1920/6b2e647873dc7914fd28c00d32f4b51ba25cf788.pnj alt=A white man in blue scrubs with a robotic arm, leg, and eye>->Back in the world]]The world is different now that you are integrated. The most startling difference is how people treat you. They stare when you pass, call you [[cyborg]] not with malice or fear, but with jealousy. Some even comment, ask how much these upgrades cost and what doctor you used. Navigating the city has changed too, you are able to walk faster than you ever could before and call transports with a flick of your cybernetic wrist. Integrating with the technology that is catapulting society into the future has put you at the forefront of society. You are a symbol of human ingenuity. As you walk along the familiar streets, briefcase in hand, you are eager to see how this change in status will affect your [[work]].
''Cyborg^^[[3]]^^: ''Rarely defined transformation of subjectivity, a hybrid of machine and organism. Found in the transgression of the human-animal boundary. A metaphor in order to gain political and conceptual leverage. Synonymous with lived experience, a useful classification of technologies for people with disabilities. The ambiguities of technologies raise this issue--containing both positive and negative aspects--its integrity violated and its sanctity challenged. Avoid mortality after the procedure--an evolutionary state--it is all very well to fantasize about.
I would rather be a cyborg.
(if:(history: where its name contains "Works Cited")'s length >= 1)[[Works Cited]]The murmuring of the open office floor stops when you step off the lift, people quickly averting their gaze as you walk between the desks and tables. Paying no heed to the feeling that you are the common topic of conversation, you make your way to the closed door of your office, but when you wave your identification key over the handle it remains locked. You try again but to no avail, just as you are about to try a third time when your supervisor appears, informing you that you have been given the new position as the public face of the company.
“In recognition of all your abilities bring to our mission.” Your supervisor smiles widely and without giving you a chance to respond, steers you towards the central boardroom and into a holo-maker’s care.
It starts with full-body scans and virtual configuration, the images all featuring your cybernetics at the forefront. As the weeks pass and images of you appear on all the holo-boards throughout the city, the company begins writing speeches for you to deliver to huge crowds about what your new embodiment means to you and the gift of access working for them granted you. You are kept so busy, that it almost takes you by surprise when you are driven back to the hospital for your [[six-month evaluation.|Evaluation]]
“I must say, your integration turned out better than I expected,” the doctor claps his hands together and leans forwards across his desk, “I might even undergo a similar surgery to take even a small slice of the advantages you’ve gained. Now tell me, how do you feel this process has gone?”
(force-input-box:"=XX=","I am pleased with how everything has gone and am grateful for the opportunities you’ve given me.")
(after: 40s) [Would you like to play again?
[[yes|Introduction]] [[no|This story does not end here]]](align:"<==")+(box:"X=")[The technician pulls the strap over your head and tucks it under the collar of your shirt, pulling the false arm into place. The fit is tight and there is friction where the silicone rubs against your skin. Leaving you to sit in the harness for a moment, the technician grabs the replacement for your leg from where it lies on the table and shows you how to pull it over the small piece of your thigh that remains. After everything has settled against the numbed nerve endings, the technician talks you through the motions of how to bear weight and stand, encouraging you to walk to the mirror attached to the back of the door to see how everything looks.
[[<img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/c2f33e03e39071bd444e683c7d8925aa/a86fe1503c78cac1-04/s1280x1920/2219233baed50be4660cea57fea9c5e1b5ba760b.pnj alt=A white man in brown scrubs with an artificial arm, leg and eyepatch>->Discharged]]
“If, at any time these devices prove to be inconvenient, the doctor has asked me to reiterate that you have an open invitation to [[accept integration|After integration ]]. But, if you’re happy with what you see here we can discharge you today.”]
(align:"<==")+(box:"X=")[It’s been two weeks since you left the hospital, and it’s hard to believe how much the world has changed. At first, your focus was solely on learning how to move with sight in only one eye, how to take steady steps, and hold things with only one hand. It’s only after the stutters of your new body fade into the background of your consciousness that you notice the stares. Eyes follow you every time you lurch across a room, voices offer unsolicited opinions and advice when they see you struggling to board a transport because you can’t hold your identification card in the appropriate hand.
Maybe things will be better when you [[go back to work]] where there will be activities to take your mind off things. Besides, if things prove too difficult you can always [[accept cybernetic integration|After integration ]]]The story does not end here. Across the Western world, disabled individuals face analogous situations to the ones presented in this game. As technology advances and “cures” are pushed onto bodies that do not adhere to the norm, disabled individuals are left without choices and without voice. The technology we are forced into accepting in order to participate in society becomes unaffordable as companies raise prices; as the businesses that create the hardware and software fold we are left with means of communication and participation that fade into obsolescence. These problems can be felt particularly by marginalized groups of people who are already ostracized by the dominant cultural powers. It is all well and good to dream about a future with advanced technology and cybernetic integration, but until we confront the issues faced by disabled individuals today the future will just be more of the same.
To learn more about these issues and see the readings that inspired this project and whose language I used in the four cento poems scattered throughout the game click [[here|Works Cited]].
(align:"<==")+(box:"X=") [The murmuring of the open office floor stops when you step off the lift. People do not bother to avert their gaze as you lurch through the narrow spaces between desks. You feel their eyes follow the disjointed line of where your shoulder meets the artificial arm. You make your way to the closed door of your office, but when you wave your identification key over the handle it remains locked. You are about to try once more when your supervisor steps past you, saying that your workspace has been moved and your current projects reassigned. They do not give you the chance to protest, and grab the identification card before walking you to a small windowless room behind the security desk.
“We called the hospital. They advised that moving you here and giving you lighter tasks is the best way to accommodate your new needs,” your supervisor pauses, almost as if waiting for you to reply, but instead they turn and leave. You are left to wonder if you should go back to the hospital and [[accept the cybernetics|After integration ]] or settle into this [[new status quo.|six months in]]]
(align:"<==")+(box:"X=")[“You’ve coped remarkably well, but I’m afraid that we’ve hit a snag in continuing to support your use of these appliances.” The doctor leans away from you in his chair, “As I said when you first chose this equipment, society is not built for it and as the future approaches the gap widens. Put quite simply, the technology you have attached yourself to is obsolete. Within the next 2 months they will be discontinued. The only option now is to [[undergo integration|After integration ]], otherwise,” the doctor smiles, "You don’t look like the kind of person who wants to be [[left behind|This story does not end here]].] (t8n-depart:"dissolve")[[ <img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/dd72382883f2f8b1f861cc608713e2b0/77013c81bda4fd2f-c1/s1280x1920/04e3993f62fd9d5f183c799451cad08607bfe04c.pnj alt=A biracial woman in a pink dress sitting in a wheelchair>->A different Embodiment]][[<img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/b0bc95bf764fe8f5e663fecdc0d24dc0/68997850ae6b312f-c9/s1280x1920/4e39f4607b1377a0a07bae74725aa98929c626cb.pnj alt=a short person of color wearing a facemask who has robotic legs, is missing an arm, and holding a cybernetic cane>->Seen by the World]]You were built for the world
Instilled with knowledge
Always encouraged to reach great heights,
Use your strength to pull up your bootstraps
Difference is temporary
Until the world is not built for you
Tragedy strikes and you were left adrift
Well meaning hands drawing away
Leaving you without balance
On a path devoid of light
Waiting for dawn
You tire and fall
Until you make your own light
Fashioning tools from what others discard
You’ve found your way
Building a place to rest
A chance to get ahead
If only they are willing to give you the [[chance]]
The air is brisk against your arms and face as you make your way across the fifth-floor patio of the office building, the uneven ground causing you to bounce in your seat with every rotation of your wheels. You had just come outside to enjoy the rest of your lunch break before heading back to your cubicle to finish the last calculations of the day. Warm air blasts your face as you cross the threshold into the building, leaning back in your chair so the wheels can make it over the slight lip of the doorframe. You follow the familiar path to your desk, careful not to bump into anyone else’s workstation and are just starting up your computer when your supervisor calls you into his [[office]].
Your boss is already settled, folded hands resting on the top of his chrome desk by the time you roll through the doorway. With a wave of your supervisor’s wrist the door closes behind you, clipping the back of your chair and pushing you further into the room.
“Well…” he lets the silence hang for a number of seconds as if waiting for you to respond. Eventually, he pulls up a file on his computer and turns the display towards you.
“Management and I have been going over the requests you’ve made and have come to a decision,” he turns the display back towards him and purses his lips, “This situation we’ve brokered with you, it is no longer working for us. We’ve already given you an extra-large workspace for your position and now you want us to change our doorways and office layout? It’s beyond reasonable [[accomodation]] so really we have no other choice.” He pauses, gauging your reaction, “Unless, of course, you undergo integration--a chance many of your colleagues would jump at I might add. We have made an appointment for you with a surgeon. Are you willing to see him?”
[[Yes|In the transport]] (after:20s)[or [[No|Void Employment]]]
''Accommodations^^[[2]]^^: ''Sometimes referred to as “productivity enhancers”. Do not impose “an undue hardship” physical changes, accessible and assistive technology, should not be viewed as “special treatment”. Costly endeavors--the impetus to recalibrate the baseline for everyone. Accommodations cost very little enabling a qualified individual--too limited a model. Freedom from interference; shadowed by what it has meant, altering the environment to respond to disability. A dirty word.
(if:(history: where its name contains "Works Cited")'s length >= 1)[[Works Cited]]“Excellent,” Your supervisor claps his hands together and pulls out a business card for you, “the appointment is scheduled for 17:00, you’ll have to leave the office shortly to make it but we have a transport waiting to take you there.” Without further ado, your supervisor stands and waves his office door open. You are dismissed.
The transport barely vibrates beneath you as it glides across the city. You look out the window as you leave behind the familiar business district and enter the higher-tech neighborhoods. It takes almost an hour to reach the surgeon's office, but when you do it’s nothing like you expect. Old-style columns line a paved ramp bedecked with twinkling lights of different colors. The door to your transport opens and before you can wheel yourself out, a pair of hands pulls you from behind and begins pushing you up the ramp [[into the office|In the Dr. Office]].
“Well then,” Your supervisor frowns, “you might want to think this through. It would mean you are terminating your employment contract and that includes losing the housing that our company provides.” He leans back, smiling slightly, “This is your only chance to [[change your mind|In the transport]]. If you leave this office without agreeing to go see the surgeon you are [[on your own]].”
The doctor is young--younger than you by at least 5 years--but he smiles warmly as he enters the exam room. A cursory exam follows, the doctor spends quite a while examining what is left of your knee from your childhood incident, but that’s to be expected since that’s what this appointment is meant to address. Once he is satisfied, he stands back up and begins typing on his tablet. As he types, he explains that there are a variety of procedures that you are eligible for in terms of integrating cybernetics to your missing limb and how these procedures differ from traditional low-tech [[prosthetics]].
“Ah,” the doctor pauses in his explanations as something pops up on his screen. “Well, aren’t you a lucky one? It looks like your company has already decided which procedure will benefit you the most. We’ll be installing a full robotic leg where there is currently a lack. It’s cutting-edge stuff they’re paying for, you’ll be part of the new [[cyborg]] generation with this tech.”
The doctor plugs a few more notes into his display before finally looking at you, “Everything seems to be sorted. We can admit you tonight and have the surgery take place first thing [[tomorrow]].”
(transition:"fade")+ (text-colour:green)+(after: 5s) [01101100 01101111 01100001 01100100 01101001 01101110 01100111]
(after: 7s) [=
You awaken on a soft bed in a quiet room, a pot of flowers is sitting on the windowsill. A soft beeping draws your attention and as your eyes alight on the vital monitor you are connected to, the events of the past day come rushing back. Careful not to disturb the wires lining your body, you reach down to feel your leg and your fingers meet smooth metal that is warm to the touch. Shifting slightly, you feel the machinery hum--recalibrating itself in response. A few minutes pass and a nurse enters the room, pulling a reflective image-display behind her. Seeing you awake, she helps you to stand and lean on her for your first few tottering steps to see your new reflection.
(after: 20s) [=
[[ <img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/831c2f4783307a9946624257597a1f93/32a5fab486d4429f-46/s1280x1920/73f583d6b1f1c1c2a9f2a2fdfb356c5f280586d7.pnj alt=A biracial woman in a pink dress with a purple robotic leg>->Back in the World]]There is a transport waiting for you at the door of the hospital when you are released two weeks later. It hadn’t taken you too long to get used to the rhythm of walking on your new leg, but it took longer to get used to the stares of the other patients on your floor. Even when walking the short distance from the hospital entrance to the transport you can feel people staring at you. You’re back in the business district in no time, but instead of dropping you off at the office or your apartment, the driver stops at a small bungalow with a fenced-in garden. You are about to ask why when your supervisor exits the house and opens your door.
“You’ve been promoted.” He smiles widely and takes your hand to escort you into the house. “While you were gone, management and I took a look at the work you’ve been doing and we felt it was time for you to have new responsibilities. After all, you bring so much to the table, and as the new head of publicity you can serve our company by being on the ground and showing everyone the good we do!”
Your supervisor leaves after going over your new responsibilities and you are alone for the first time in weeks. So much has changed. You have changed. You go over to a display screen and pull up photos of yourself from a month ago. You are alone in the photo but you are smiling. When you think about your new reflection you are surrounded on all sides and everyone is smiling. It’s too late to go back so maybe it’s best to [[see what the doctor says|Evaluation]].
You roll down the streets--the sidewalks are too narrow to accommodate your chair--head bowed against the wind. Your supervisor had security escort you out of the building after you continued to refuse the directive to see the surgeon. Who are they to decide what you can and can’t do with your body?
Overhead, a transport roars into a station and you can hear people hurrying to get on. You are about to roll past the entrance when rain begins to fall and you think it the better side of wisdom to seek shelter. Hoisting yourself onto the platform, you roll over to where the transport rests against the tracks but stop when you see the two foot gap and step separating the platform from transport. The final boarding whistle shrieks into the air and the transport departs, leaving you stranded in the rain forced to [[continue rolling across the uneven ground|No place to go]].
As night falls and the halogen lamps flicker above your head, the seriousness of your predicament starts to settle in. The rain has only grown stronger and as the company always withheld most of your pay for supplying you with room and board, you don't even have savings to stay in a lodging house. Night has given way to the predawn before you find a decent place to rest. Soaked to the bone, you roll into an alleyway and come to rest beneath an awning; across the street a holo-board is lit up advertising cybernetic integration.
(align:"=><==")[//Join the [[Elite|supercrip]].//]
You turn your back and try to sleep.
(after: 15s) [= “Get up, filth.” A rough hand grabs you and spins you around, a flashlight pointing directly in your eyes. Eventually, your eyes adjust enough to recognize the badge pinned to the shirt of the figure standing over you. Before you can even find the words to speak, he forces you up and pins you to the wall.
“Don’t you know it’s against the law to sleep on private property?” His breath is stale against your neck, and even as you try to make a sound, you feel restraints binding your wrists together. The officer lets go of you and you fall to the ground. He snorts, mutters something under his breath and calls his partner overto lift you into the back of [[the transport|In custody]].
You don’t know how long you ar in the back of the transport for, the restraints digging into your wrists. When the vehicle finally rumbles to a stop, you are dragged across the ground into the facility. A female officer tells you to remove your clothes before taking pictures of you and logging your information into the system. They give you a crumpled pile of clothes and throw you in a cell for several hours before a doctor is called in to examine you.
He is a soft spoken man and tells you that there is a chance for the charges to be dropped. “Your file shows the name of your employer and that they offered you integration but you refused. The magistrates have contacted and they said they’d be willing to take you back if you accept integration now.”
Do you [[accept|In the Dr. Office]] or [[refuse]]?
The doctor shakes his head sadly and turns to leave, “you’re only delaying the inevitable you know.”
You are left alone.
(after: 10s) [=
[[ <img src= https://64.media.tumblr.com/1b030756e97ac05a0734c7bc78da7251/37641cb817a32bea-62/s1280x1920/9eb9a2c0c59ac6861cd2bbb27697e5ad30e35f1c.pnj alt=A top down view of a biracial woman sitting on the floor she is missing her right leg>->The Inevitable]]The door to your holding cell opens with a screech and a man in a pinstripe suit walks in.
“You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?” He does not pause long enough for you to respond, “The court has considered your case and come to a conclusion. Given the doctor’s assessment and your employer’s offer you will undergo integration [[voluntarily|tomorrow]] or by [[court order|This story does not end here]]. Which will it be?”
''Supercrip^^[[5]]^^:'' Embodying messages of power, the dominant images of disabled people--twisted and unnatural--never focus on the conditions that make it difficult. A marketing vehicle emphasizes transhuman power, representing inspirational tragedies.
(if:(history: where its name contains "Works Cited")'s length >= 1)[[Works Cited]](align:"<==")+(box:"===XXXXX==")[(align:"==><===")[The world
''Rejects''
You ]
]
(text-rotate-x:48)+(text-rotate-z:33)[You were not built for the world
Born with too many irregularities
Crooked joints in place of straight lines
Sudden stops. Where limbs should continue
Uneven steps
Prevent you from running
Everyone else races ahead]
(align:"<==")+(box:"===XXXXX==")[(align:"==><===")[The world
''Rejects''
You ]
]
(text-rotate-y:56)+(text-rotate-z:9)[No future shines on the horizon
They do not give you a chance
To make your own light
Everything offered. Just out of reach
Barbed with conditions of bodily alteration
]
(align:"<==")+(box:"===XXXXX==")[(align:"==><===")[The world
''Rejects''
You ]
]
(text-rotate-y:68)+(text-rotate-z:31)[Sees in your being the failures of the past
A chance to improve
Testing the limits. What it means to be human
You are an experiment
An object of curiosity
[[locked away]]]
The blades of your feet clack against the chipped tile floor as you prowl the barren halls.
//Click clack//
You walk past the archway into the dayroom where your fellow patients are gathered around the holo-display, past the nurses' station where you can feel their eyes follow your progress. You yearn to go outside, to feel the sunlight--however weak--on what little skin remains to you, but the patio won’t be open until the end of shift. You have roamed these halls for as long as you can remember. Boundaries of narrow corridors and locked doors defining your perception as much as the labels the doctors push on you.
(after:15s)+(text-colour:green)[01001101 01100001 01101100 01100110 01101111 01110010 01101101 01100101 01100100]
(after: 17s)+(text-colour:green)[01110011 01110101 01100010 01101110 01101111 01110010 01101101 01100001 01101100]
(after: 19s)+(text-colour:green)[01110000 01110010 01101111 01100010 01101100 01100101 01101101]
(after: 21s)[Recently you have noticed whispering, white coats muttering in their concaves about trying something different. Until then, you are trapped in monotony, endlessly [[waiting]] on the whims of the institution.]
They do not say why the doctor wants to see you, do not even say where you are going when they come to collect you. They grab your arm and steer you towards the clinical room. The nurses do not leave until the doctor arrives and he does not even look at you, except to verify that your cybernetics are correctly attached to the monitors lining the wall
He does not ask to examine your last unformed limb, simply pulls it toward himself and begins pricking it with a dull blade. He is frowning by the time he lets go of your arm and pulls open your record on his display screen.
“We can do better than this.” The doctor does not look at you as he speaks, does not spare you a glance as he gets up and leaves the room.
For the first time you can remember, you are left alone. Do you [[disconnect yourself]] from the monitors or do you [[stay put]]?
The wires send sparks flying as you pull them out of your body. Heat surges through the implants but it passes quickly, leaving behind only a trace of dizziness and the scent of burnt adhesive. You make to stand, but the nurses took your cane when the doctor came in. Before you can decide whether or not to try standing unaided a nurse walks quickly into the room, her fingers curled around a device that she plugs into one of the ports in your leg. Your vision grows fuzzy and the room begins to spin. You can feel the nurse laying you back on the bed and the sound beginning to [[fade|Upon waking]] Minutes pass before a someone reenters the room. Enough time to let you feel the difference in the adjustments the doctor made to your cybernetics. The nurse who comes in isn't one you have seen before. She walks over to you quickly, her hand curled around something that she plugs into one of the ports in your leg. Within seconds, the room begins to spin and you feel the nurse lay you back on the bed[[...|Upon waking]]
(transition:"fade")+ (text-colour:green)+(after: 5s) [01101100 01101111 01100001 01100100 01101001 01101110 01100111]
(after: 7s) [=“Excellent, you’re awake!” The doctor claps his hands together and looks up at the monitor to examine the readings. Satisfied he turns back to look at you, “Let’s see how you turned out.”
(after: 9s)[= <img
src=https://64.media.tumblr.com/82808ab112e144a64584c9d86b739f72/dfec8ca107da5cf4-1c/s1280x1920/8e174adcd385c611708eb09cbb2397182f64587e.pnj alt=a short person of color wearing a facemask who has robotic arms and legs the color of rust and holding a cybernetic cane >
(after: 11s)[=“This will do nicely,” the doctor walks around you, eyes scanning every inch of your altered body, “We’ve given you a full upgrade. You’re a new kind of being, able to do things us mortals can only [[dream of|supercrip]].” He continues talking, throwing out polysyllabic words and technical terms like you are supposed to know what they mean.
“Yes, you can be a contribution to the world and we see no further reason to keep you from [[integrating into society]].”
The world is so much //more// than you ever imagined it could be. You’ve been out of the hospital for nearly a(text-colour:magenta)[ month,] but today~~ is the first day ~~you’ve left the lodging house (text-style:"outline")[unaccompanied]. The noise ''astounds'' you. The light (text-style:"emboss")[glaring from every surface] and the (text-style:"double-underline")[ever-shifting] holo-boards--you can hear (text-colour:cyan)[every zoom] of circuitry, it bleeds into your vision, changing the(text-colour:yellow)[ colors] (text-colour:purple)[of] the (text-colour:orange)[world ](text-style:"wavy-strike")+(text-colour:red)[even if you try to look away. ]
Do you(text-style:"blurrier")[ [[01101000 01101001 01100100 01100101|hide from the onslaught]] or [[01100101 01101101 01100010 01110010 01100001 01100011 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110100|embrace it]]?
](text-style:"blur")[You make your way (text-colour:purple)[through the streets], bands of static (text-style:"wavy-underline","smear")[//crisscrossing//] your vision, the joints in your limbs ''whirring'' away with every movement. It is almost as if you are following a (text-style:"underline")[homing signal], metal feet (text-colour:grey)[''crunching''](text-colour:navy)[ the pavement], carrying you somewhere. You cross a threshold ]and everything quiets.
(after: 10s)[=Your vision clears and you are standing in the foyer of [[the hospital]].
''You find beauty ''in //the//(text-style:"wavy-underline")[ cacophony,] you realize that this is what you’ve always wanted to(text-colour:cyan)[// experience//]. There is so much here that you have ''never'' //''known''//. Everywhere you look, there are signs promoting //cybernetic// (text-colour:purple)[integration]--the [[cyborg]] lifestyle. Surely there is ~~good~~ company to be found. But the longer you sit with (text-colour:yellow)[(text-style:"underline")[''everything'']] the more you become ~~disoriented~~. Bands of static (text-colour:white)+(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#ffffff,0.563,#888888,1,#ffffff))[criss-cross](text-style:"blur")[ your vision and you hear people whispering about you from across the street. ]
(align:"===><==")+(after: 12s)[“What a freak.”]
(align:"===><==")+(after: 13s)[“That tech is so last year.”]
(align:"===><==")+(after: 14s)[“I’d die before opting for rusted metal.”
]
(after: 17s)[The words //''crash''// through (text-style:"double-underline")[your] mind. You didn’t //choose// this. You ~~never~~ had a choice. You had (text-style:"underline")[''no''] say in what was done to you.]
(after: 20s)[<img
src=https://64.media.tumblr.com/c7cb9d5f004dd29b836d74616ca2fb4a/592bf22ef86f28b3-f8/s1280x1920/f5486a62f3e3859ea22c041303781d800fccf2e6.pnj alt=a short person of color who has robotic arms and legs the color of rust and holding a cybernetic cane, they have no mouth>]
(after: 30s)[Eventually, the people’s voices fade beyond your hearing range and you are left [[alone|This story does not end here]]. ]
Men in white coats bustle around you, nurses chatter among themselves as they travel from one ward to the next. The familiar sounds of beeping monitors and rushing ventilation of traveling equipment carts reach into your mind, dregging up memories you never asked for. In the humdrum, the rhythm of the medical institution sweeps you up in its current; guiding your steps as people direct you through different doors until you find yourself standing outside of the unit you had waited so long to escape from.
Your reflection stares back at you in the polished chrome for only a moment before the doors open and an attendant sticks their head out.
“Back so soon! Come inside, the doctor would love to see you.” They do not wait for your response, only open the door wider and usher you back into the halls that shaped your body and mind. The nurse deposits you outside of an office while they speak to the doctor before [[ushering you in|Evaluation]] a moment later.
All images were created using the HeroForge online character creator.
[[back to Introduction|Introduction]](align:"===><==")[(text-style:"underline")[Centos]]
[[//''Accomodations''//|accomodation]]
Emens, Elizabeth. “Accommodation.” In //Keywords for Disability Studies,// 65–71. New York University Press, 2015.
DOL. “Accommodations.” Accessed April 29, 2023. http://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employers/accommodations.
[[//''Cyborg''//|cyborg]]
Cromby, John, and Penny Standen. “Cyborgs and Stigma: Technology, Disability, Subjectivity.” In //Cyberpsychology//, edited by Ángel J. Gordo-López and Ian Parker, 95–112. London: Macmillan Education UK, 1999. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27667-7_6.
Haraway, Donna. “A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century.” University of Minnesota Press, 2016.
Ihde, Don. “Aging: I Don’t Want to Be a Cyborg!” Springer Science+Business, 2008, 397–404.
Reeve, Donna. “Cyborgs, Cripples and ICrip: Reflections on the Contribution of Haraway to Disability Studies.” In// Disability and Social Theory//, edited by Dan Goodley, Bill Hughes, and Lennard Davis, 91–111. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137023001_6.
[[//''Prosthetics''//|prosthetics]]
Fahn, Chia. “Marketing the Prosthesis: Supercrip and Superhuman Narratives in Contemporary Cultural Representations.” MDPI, 2020, 1–18.
Ott, Katherine. “Prosthetics.” In //Keywords for Disability Studies,// 397–404. New York University Press, 2015.
[[//''Supercrip''//|supercrip]]
Clare, Eli. //Exile and Pride//. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2015.
Fahn, Chia. “Marketing the Prosthesis: Supercrip and Superhuman Narratives in Contemporary Cultural Representations.” MDPI, 2020, 1–18.
(align:"===><==")[(text-style:"underline")[Further Reading]]
Clare, Eli. //Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure//. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2017.
Mitchell, David T., and Sharon L. Snyder.// Narrative Prosthesis: Disability and the Dependencies of Discourse//. University of Michigan Press, 2000.
The language for this cento was found in the following texts: chapter 5 of //Keywords for Disability Studies// "Accomodation" by Elizabeth Emens and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy webpafe on Accomodations.
[[go back|accomodation]]The language for this cento was found in the following texts: "Cyborgs and Stigma: Technology, Disability, Subjectivity" by John Cromby and Penny Standen, Donna Haraway's "A Cyborg Manifesto", Don Ihde's "Aging: I don't want to be a cyborg!", and "Cyborgs, Cripples, and iCrip: Reflections on the Contribution of Haraway to Disability Studies" by Donna Reeve.
[[go back|cyborg]]The language for this cento was found in the following texts: "Marketing the Prosthesis: Supercrip and Superhuman Narratives in Contemporary Cultural Representations" by Chia Fahn and //Keywords for Disability Studies // chapter 46 "Prosthetics"written by Katherine Ott.
[[go back|prosthetics]]The language for this cento was found in the following texts: Eli Clare's book //IExile and Pride// and the journal article "Marketing the Prosthesis: Supercrip and Superhuman Narratives in Contemporary Cultural Representations" by Chia Fahn.
[[go back|supercrip]]