Content Notes: chronic illness, disability, medical trauma references, car accident mention, Bed Jail™, discussions of mobility aids and medical care. No graphic detail.
Welcome back to the Cryptid’s Den.
This is The Crippled Cryptid. A soft-lit corner of the internet where disability, chronic illness, service dogs, and everyday survival magic gather like familiar spirits who know when to sit quietly and when to laugh too loud.
If you’re new here: hi. I’m Sky.
Professional cryptid.
Unwilling amateur cyborg.
Medically interesting enough to make half my providers sigh when they open my chart. I sigh too. Often. Loudly.
I live in a haunted meat suit with a deeply suspicious warranty. I spend a lot of time in Bed Jail™. I am almost never alone thanks to my medical alert service dog, Luna. She is part guardian, part shadow, part stern little voice that says, “Excuse me, Mama. Sit your ass down. Right now.”
And of course, M&M is never far. Always there with the 90% when I only have 10 to give.
This space has always been about showing up for ourselves even when our bodies refuse to cooperate.
Chronic illness without inspiration porn.
Disability without apologies.
Love without pretending it’s always easy.
Returning cryptids: welcome home.
New cryptids: pull up a chair.
Welcome to the Lunatic Café. The Den is big enough for all of us.
On Today’s Menu: Disabled Joy Is Still Joy
There’s a particular lie that sneaks in when you become disabled. It whispers that joy must look exactly like it used to or it doesn’t count at all. That if it’s smaller, slower, softer, or requires accommodation, then it’s somehow a consolation prize instead of the real thing.
But disabled joy is not a knockoff version of happiness. It is not joy with an asterisk.
Sometimes joy looks like finally finding a way to shower without flaring every joint in your body. Sometimes it’s a mobility aid that lets you go farther than pain ever allowed. Sometimes it’s realizing that you can still love your life, even if you had to rebuild it with different tools.
Disabled joy lives in cozy wins. In heating pads and good books. In days where your body cooperates just enough. In learning how to rest without guilt. In adaptations that don’t make life smaller, but wider.
Joy does not stop being joy just because it required creativity, access, or compromise.
If anything, disabled joy is hard-earned.
And that makes it precious.
So, here are a few of the ways I’ve been finding joy lately. Full stop.
Bed Jail™
I know it sounds funny that something I’ve coined as Bed Jail™ would be joyful, but it’s better than you think.
I like making watchlists. I like the time I spend in bed with M&M and Luna, watching new things or revisiting old favorites. It’s not wasted time. It’s intentional rest dressed up as entertainment. And if there’s an excuse for snacks, assuming Keppra allows it, then it’s a good day.
Right now, Wednesdays, or whenever our bodies allow, are for Fallout, Season 2. We also just started Hijack with Idris Elba on Apple TV+.
We finished Final Destination: Bloodlines, and I am actively campaigning to get M&M to watch the rest of the franchise. There are rules. Horror rules. You don’t just jump in halfway. That’s sacrilege.
We also watched all of the Alien movies, including the mini-series. M&M really liked them, which made me absurdly happy. The idea came from one of the games we play together, Raid: Shadow Legends, after it dropped Xenomorph content.
Naturally, that meant the Predator movies had to follow. Including Prey. We liked both. Balance was restored.
Next on my list is convincing her to watch the Friday the 13th movies. She’s never seen most of them, and with a new Jason-focused series coming to Peacock later this year, I refuse to let her start with lore without context. You have to meet the lake first.
Not to mention the first Friday the 13th of the year is coming up soon.
I’ve also got my sights set on a Stephen King marathon. M&M loved IT: Welcome to Derry and has seen the IT movies, so next up is The Shining and Doctor Sleep. I love Dick Hallorann. Even knowing where his story goes, I want to spend time learning more about the Shine.
She already likes Pet Sematary, both versions, and we watched the 2024 adaptation of Salem’s Lot together, so I feel confident in my chances.
Possible additions to our spooky roster:
- The Descent
- Hereditary
- The Night House
- The Ritual
- As Above, So Below
- Sinister
- The Witch
- Candyman (original)
- The Autopsy of Jane Doe
- The Others
Suggestions are always welcome. I take horror very seriously.
Brownies, Burgers, and the Blackstone
Bed Jail™ isn’t my only form of joy lately.
We’ve been cooking and baking too. Brownies, specifically. Once a week.
It started with a box of Ghirardelli caramel swirl brownies.
This week it was Duncan Hines Epic Brownies. Brownies with a graham cracker crust, caramel frosting, and toppings. The pretzels were stale, so we left them out and subbed in mini M&M’s we already had.
Adaptation is a theme around here.
Is it homemade? No. Do they bring joy? Fuck yes.
I also got back on my grill for the first time since October.
October was bad. We were in a major car accident that totaled our family’s only car, leaving us reliant on friends, family, and Uber. It also triggered a cascade of health issues for me, which meant my beloved Blackstone sat neglected.
Ironically, it was after a neurosurgeon consult that I found my way back to it.
M&M made homemade burger patties. I grilled them.
The next night, I grilled chicken for us, my older brother, and a family friend while the boys cut down and burned a dead tree in the yard.
Tomorrow night, after the day I’ve had with getting my Xolair shots today (Monday), I’m planning pork chops that have been soaking in a hot honey and mustard marinade while M&M makes scalloped cheesy potatoes, and green beans.
Because life is just better with cheese.
Yes, we grill in the dead of winter here in Illinois.
No, that isn’t weird.
The Blackstone lives on a screened-in porch. Safe from the elements.
Not safe from the cold.
I missed grilling.
Who knows, next you might hear that we’re playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom again, or breaking out one of our other vintage systems. Because when the world is falling apart, it’s important to find comfort in the things that make you happy.
Sometimes it’s true. Joy shows up right when you need it most.
Love you. Now say it back.
–Sky
© The Crippled Cryptid
Disability, honesty, and a little chaos.
If you’re here, you belong here.
If today was heavy, thank you for carrying it with me.
If you’re reading from Bed Jail™, give your service dog an extra scritch for me.
🔗 https://linktr.ee/skylanarissa
There’s never pressure to donate. Reading, sharing, or simply staying is more than enough.
But if you’d like to support my ongoing journey toward health, stability, and mobility, you can do so here:
💜 https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-skys-journey-to-health-and-mobility
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