Content Note: Chronic illness, disability, medical events (including severe headaches), emotional overwhelm, survival language. Gentle grounding included.
Welcome to The Crippled Cryptid
Disability. Chronic illness. Service dogs. Survival without the performance.
If you’re new here, hi. I’m Sky.
Professional cryptid. Unwilling amateur cyborg.
Occasional chronic illness and disability advocate.
Medically complex enough to make my chart a jump scare.
I cope with sarcasm, snacks, and building something honest in a world that really prefers things to be tidy and inspirational.
Most days are lived in a haunted meat suit with a questionable warranty and a long-standing feud with my nervous system.
But Thursdays…
Thursdays are quieter.
What This Space Is (And Isn’t)
This isn’t a rant.
This isn’t a report.
This is a check-in.
With me.
With you.
With the Den.
Because this space was never meant to be one-sided.
It’s a place to exist together. To talk.
To be seen without performing wellness. Without pretending things are okay when they aren’t.
No inspiration porn.
No forced positivity.
No gold stars for suffering silently.
Just… honesty.
The Creatures Who Keep Me Here
I spend a lot of time in Bed Jail™, but I’m rarely alone.
There’s Luna.
My medical alert service dog.
Guardian. Enforcer. Service Dingo™.
Lately, she’s been… hovering.
Watching me closer than usual.
Sticking to me like she’s personally offended by the idea of me being unsupervised.
The kind of quiet, constant presence that says, “something’s not right, and I’m not letting you ignore it.”
She’s been right before.
(Annoyingly often.)
Then there’s M&M.
My Player 2. My soft place to land.
Also currently in their “please go to the ER and stop being stubborn” era.
Which, to be clear, is an entirely reasonable response to what’s been going on.
And yet.
Your Cryptid remains… deeply committed to the bit.
Stubborn in a way that is not admirable, just well-practiced.
That instinct… the “I’ll just push through it” reflex?
It kept me alive once.
It is not what keeps me safe now.
So let me say this clearly, for you and for me:
Don’t take that habit from me.
Even if I’m still learning how to put it down.
Even old Cryptids can learn new tricks.
I promise.
The Actual Check-In
Alright.
No dodging.
No “I’m fine, but—” escape hatches.
How are you doing… really?
You’re allowed to be honest here.
You are not a burden for having feelings.
You are not “too much” for existing in a hard body or a hard life.
Take a breath with me for a second.
In for four.
Hold.
Out for six.
Do it again if you need to.
Unclench your jaw.
Drop your shoulders.
Go grab some water.
I’ll wait.
Where I’m At
I’m somewhere between struggling and hanging on for dear life.
There’s been more pain than usual. The kind that gets your attention whether you want it or not.
The kind that makes the creatures around you start watching you a little closer.
I’m not handling it perfectly.
But I’m still here.
And right now, that counts.
For You, Wherever You’re At
If this week is kicking your ass, I see you.
If you’re barely holding it together, that still counts as holding it together.
If things are heavy, you don’t have to carry it alone here.
And if things are good?
You’re allowed to say that too without guilt.
There is room for all of it.
If you don’t have the words today, that’s okay.
You still showed up.
And that matters more than people give it credit for.
The Door Is Open
If you want to talk, my DMs are open.
No pressure. No expectations.
Just… open.
Even if it’s just you asking for a picture or video of Luna Bean because you’ve had a rough week.
I hope the rest of your week is kinder to you than the beginning was.
I’m really glad you’re here.
I mean that.
Love you.
Yeah, I said it first. Your turn.
—Sky
🐾 Luna’s Official Assessment
Stayed on high alert.
Increased supervision protocols enacted.
Strongly recommended “sit down before you make it worse” at least 47 times.
Mumther did not listen. Mumther made it worse.
Did not approve of the stubbornness.
Did approve of eventual resting.
Rating: 12/10. Excellent guardian. Would hover again.
© The Crippled Cryptid
Disability. Honesty. A little chaos.
(But softer today.)
🔗 https://linktr.ee/skylanarissa
There’s never pressure to donate. Reading, sharing, or simply being here is more than enough.
If you’d like to support the long, slow work of staying alive, stable, and building this space:
💜 https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-skys-journey-to-health-and-mobility
Leave a comment