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When a D&D party determines marching order, they tend to follow the same strategies. Paladins and Barbarians in the front. Wizards in the back. Rogues…hey! Where did the rogue go?! Each party member knows how to operate in their position and tends to function best that way.
Grey Matter Heterotopia (hetero: different; topia: place) is like a party with the Barbarian in the middle, the wizard in front, and the rogue riding on the warlock’s shoulders — the different sections of grey matter in the brain are in atypical locations, like one of those sliding tile puzzles that I can never solve. It’s extremely rare and has a wide range of expressive traits, including developmental disabilities, seizures, motor differences, and more. And it directly affects my family.
Yesterday was World Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia Awareness Day. Rare conditions like this present challenges, besides all the cultural inaccessibility that accompanies invisible disabilities, due to their rarity. They have little research funding, no cultural awareness, and if a mainstream media production ever includes a character with it that’s not a documentary about the condition, I’ll eat my dice.
So I mention it today to raise a little more awareness, to make the world a little more accessible, and to let all of you affected directly or indirectly by a rare condition that you belong. You’re important. And while your condition is rare in the world and makes your lived experience different, that’s also true of Draconic Ancestor Sorcerers, so you’re in good company. |
