weak wi-fi

6. hayden

        I’d like to clear up some misconceptions of the disabled. I’ve met way too many people who have this irrational mindset and perspectives on people such as myself. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again; I have paralysis in my legs. The two limbs have been immobilized from a car accident one year ago by damaging my spinal cord. If you want to get fancy you can say it’s incomplete paraplegia, but I don’t quite like that term. I don’t need a nurse, by the way, I’m fully independent, but my mom works all the time and my father is touring the world with his band. I get lonely, ya know? And sometimes I need help with my bladder control.

        Anyways, that’s beside the point. There are two main things people misunderstand about me: I’m depressed and I can’t have sex.

        I’ll talk about the first one, considering it’s the stronger of the two. No, I am not depressed. Countless therapists have tried to wiggle the bad toxins out of my system, but honestly, I’m just a guy who can’t walk anymore; my life hasn’t stopped. And I think it has something to do with living through a near-death experience. Of course I’d like to walk again, but I don’t think I’d change the past. It’s revamped how I look toward the world and my life, how any second I could be stuck six feet underground with my middle finger pointed toward the world that buried me. No, I’m not depressed, sorry. I’m a high functioning member of society who just has some transportation inconveniences.

        Secondly, I can have sex.  My dick wags at attractive civilians like every other homosexual guy. It’s functional, which is good, because I’m still technically a virgin. I say “technically” because I’m debating whether hand jobs in the back of McDonald’s count. I don’t think so, therefore I shall maintain my virgin physique.

        Speaking of virgins, Theodore is online.

        I see the indication by my username that I have one unread message and quickly hop over to see what he’s sent. The message seems long, so I know it’s about the character information. He goes over four characters he’s conjured up; the main character is named Peter Babkin and after his name is a neatly crafted list of traits and background information. The same goes for the other three supporting characters: Gemma, Adam, and Val. I skim through all their traits, liking some and cringing at others. I wonder why Theodore would add negative traits like that to main characters; isn’t the audience supposed to like them? After all the character info, he asks a question.

        Theodore: i’m guessing Peter is our protagonist, so who is our antagonist?

        I wonder if Theodore even thinks it’s my position to comment on the character information, like if I’m allowed to have an opinion or alter anything, because he didn’t quite ask. I decide to ask about it later and hopefully discuss it civilized; more civilized than before.

        Me: I’ve tweaked the plot a little bit, but the main change is what the underground organization is fighting against. In the world, there has always been a gray sky protecting them. No one quite knows from what, but they know from ancient studies it’s always been there to protect them. The underground organization thinks differently and knows the sky will fall soon enough, so they’re gathering troops to fight the unexpected. I think we should trash the idea of Peter getting an army against the underground organization and focus it on the creatures that fall from the sky to basically cause havoc on Earth. So, I think the creatures the gray sky is protecting the world from should be the antagonist. I’ll send you the rest of the story outline, by the way.

        It takes a minute or so for Theodore to respond.

        Theodore: okay, well i still like the idea of Peter going against the “underground” organization. i say it in quotations because we could twist it around and exploit the organization is actually controlled by the government, who just wants to encage teens to use them as military weapons. society is so brainwashed by now they think giving up their child like that is for the greater good, so Peter goes against all of them with his own teenage mutant army.

        I kid you not, I almost thought he was going to type Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But I don’t think he’d find that funny, so I kept to myself.

        Me: I don’t know, I liked the idea of having to think up the creatures that were going to destroy Earth. And it’d be much more action packed, don’t you think?

        Theodore: but that seems more fantasy than sci-fi, bio-punk. also, you’re willing to think up other worldly creatures but can’t be bothered to make up human character profiles? really?

        At this, my face turned a bit crimson, but Theodore didn’t have to know that.

        Me: But wouldn’t it be cooler to see someone fight mythological or extraterrestrial monsters (which would still play with the sci-fi idea) than the government/society? And about the profiles; yeah, I know, I’m weird :).

        Theodore: all the latest YA novels have been about overcoming society, the government, and oneself. it’s what people like nowadays. books like the Hunger Games, Divergent, Uglies are all hot-topic right now.

        Me: What about Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Lord of the Rings, and all those other books? They’re seen as classics, aren’t they?  People have loved them more and longer than the current trend of Dystopian novels.

        Theodore: i still think fighting against man will be more interesting and leave a bigger impact than fighting monsters from fairy tales.

        Me: What’s wrong with fairy tales? Aren’t books supposed to be an escape from boring reality? Why involve the government, the epitome of boredom, into a novel? We should be fun and creative and make up our own antagonist, from scratch or mythology :).

        This time, it takes Theodore a while to respond.

        Theodore: I’m just going to say what I know where both thinking: I don’t like you. Actually, I would like nothing more but to reach through this screen and yell my points in your face so you can actually LISTEN to me for once. Fighting against the government is not boring, it’s realistic, thought-provoking, and can be just as action-packed as fighting some monster you read about when you were six. I am not budging.

        I can’t help but notice he actually capitalized his argument, something that’s kind of bugged me the minute we’ve talked. Contrary to belief, Theodore’s insults don’t faze me. I’ve grown immune to negative reactions (disability perk). Instead, I think about it long and hard before I type back my response. Finally, I come up with a compromise.

        Me: Fine, we can make the government and society as the antagonist, only if I’m able to tweak some of the characters and come up with the title.

        Again, Theodore takes his time.

        Theodore: … what were you thinking?