Art References

Unsurprisingly many people have struggled to write disabled characters, while others worry about making mistakes when trying to nail good representation.

In all honesty writing disability can be complicated, because disability itself is so broad. Eventually everyone once in their lives will be disabled in one way or another, whether temporary, from old age, due to mental illness, or simply born that way.

There's so many different kinds of disabilities, and so many different ways they can affect us. The levels of impairment is drastically different from person to person and disability to disability.

Importance of Good Representation

One of the questions I hear the most from older people when it concerns the "oddly diverse" casts of modern shows, is , I explain kindly to them the importance of representation from the perspective of the represented.

I always ask them when you think of Indian-Americans what characters do you think. Due to the Simpsons most pull up Apu, but when I ask if they think Indians like being represented by Apu their mood of the situation changes.

I tell them subconsciously we naturally recall other forms of representation we've seen of a group when encountering someone from said group, good and bad. These characters we see in media are subject to be what we recall, and when they're poor quality people get things wrong or support bigoted stereotypes.

Now when it comes to those disabilities, representing someone wrong can give people the wrong impression how those disabilities work. I would know, I've been told a many times that I'm too young for Fibromyalgia.

When a certain type/variant of disability becomes more prevalent in representation people come to believe it's the only type. Ambulatory wheelchair users, non-limping cane users, and those not completely blind face obnoxious individuals all the time, people who are convinced that the disabled individual is faking because it's not what they're used to hearing about.

If every representation of those with a disability is negative or villainized, then we have issues of demonization forming (think those with ASPD, DID, Bipolar Disorder, or Borderline Personality Disorder)

Avoiding the Inspiration Porn

One of the most annoying tropes of all time, in not just writing, but in reality television, game shows, documentaries, and so much more when concerning those with disabilities is the dreaded "Inspiration Porn"

You've very likely seen it before.

A story about a person with disability so impairing or disabling overcoming all their hardships so that they do one highly specific thing, and isn't just so inspiring, aren't they so cute doing the thing, you should feel inspired right now, you don't have that disability so now it's your turn, alpha red-pill grindset rhetoric, blah blah blah-

Almost every time a disabled character is the focus in a show they are simply there to be something for the audience to feel inspired off of. It tells the lesson of "no matter how bad your life is, it can always be worse."

It's dehumanizing for disabled people to just be a ploy of inspiration for non-disabled people.

It covers up the real struggle in the story, claiming that disabled people are compliant, never complain, and can never be shot down. Disabled people let their pain and problems stop them all the time. Hell! So do non-disabled people.

Not everyone has these resources, or mental resilience, and there is so much more to a disabled character than the arch of achieving something despite a illness.

Disabled people are achieving something despite a illness, they're just achieving something. They're people. I wouldn't say, "Wow Mary got a STEM masters, even though she's a girl."

Sounds sexists doesn't it? Well now think about how disabled people feel when the yearly America's Got Talent season plays inspiring over the top music as a person with a disability does something talented (only to never win anyway).

Common Stereotypes

Ooooooo a disabled villain, a classic. Oh it's the overly innocent childlike Autistic character. And here is the wheelchair bound engineer-

There are many stereotypes for the many disabilities out there. When it comes to disabled characters in general an classic was the disabled villain, often hand and hand with queercoded notions too.

Two major reasons why the disabled villain happens

Writers want a character to look tough or resilient, so they add things like an eyepatch, disfigurements, mechanical arms, etc.

The ugly metaphor of one's inner quality being equal to their monstrous outer qualities. Their broken nature shows in their broken appearance.

The first one is not as annoying, and is much easier to ignore or even explore, creating a more interesting villain. The second...

Although an interesting recurring metaphor, like in James Bond books, if you think about it longer you realize it's ableist energy. Does this mean that all disabled people are also evil on inside?

Having a villain who is disabled isn't bad on its own, however make sure they're not just an extension of the minority-villain.

The same goes for all other disabled characters. Do research on the common stereotypes. Is every psychopath a murderer? Is every wheelchair user calculating and highly intelligent? Does every Autistic person speak with altered distinct speech?

Tons and tons of media, well received and hated, have made use of harmful stereotypes in a mindless way. Even more I hate when I see this trope in fandom.

One of my all time favorite FPS characters is Jager from Rainbow Six Siege, but almost every other depiction of this powerful soldier, part of an international anti-terrorist team, proven to be highly intelligent and adaptable, is shown as innocent-minded and childlike.

Like c'mon people, really?

Cheating Representation

If I show you a disabled character, except they're never hindered by their disability, it's rare ever mentioned, and plays no role in their character ever you'd feel cheated in representation.

If I showed you a character who was only their disability, you'd feel annoyed that they're devoid of personality and are just there to be like, "Hi my name is Fibromyalgia."

Writing a disabled character is a balancing game. They are dynamic like all other characters. A character is not just their species, sexuality, or gender. They are apart of the world you're building.

Many disabled people feel cheated when a disabled character gets a magical or technological cure that basically removes the disabled aspect of the character. I think a good example of characters who have sci-fi/magical additives to their disabilities, that act as aid can be found in Arcane, Avatar the Last Airbender, Adventure Time, and also Steven Universe.

Blending In With The Worldbuilding

An easy mistake everyone can make when writing a disabled character, especially in a fantasy setting, is forgetting to blend them in with the worldbuilding.

Is that a modern wheelchair in a clockwork setting? How come magic isn't included with these kind of things? Can eyepatches be enchanted? Hear me out

Are there disabilities unique to the fantasy species present, in the magic system, or even one you made up solely for worldbuilding's sake?

Why hasn't healing magic or sci-fi medical technology prevented an amputation? Maybe there's rules that play a role here. Let's take for instance some wordbuilding examples from my SOA series.

Although healing magic is prevalent, any healer, cleric or chromatic magic caster, needs just as much medical knowledge as a modern surgeon to get their job done right. The greater the injury the more difficult it is for the magic to work properly, and for the caster to have enough mana or even skill to attempt it.

Amputations are very common to this factor, on account of Castellian warmongering, magic backfiring, and widespread aggressive mercenary groups.

No one's head has ever been reattached successfully by even the most skilled of healers throughout history, cases of so being moments of divine intervention or inexplicable magical wonder.

Amputations are usually replaced by robotic prosthetics in Projectian planets, and Castellite. In Okiea, technology inspired off of the Quinn (a species) has allowed for the popularity of the versatile but fragile Quinn-Style prosthetics. In nations with clockwork deposits, clockwork has always been popular.

Other nations simply buy these prosthetics or designs off of each other from other planets. From most expensive to least- Projectian - Mondiean - Castellian - Quinn - Clockwork - Arethian

Due to expenses, impoverished communities rely on rudimentary prosthetics, such a hooks, still hand molds, and similar.

It is both more difficult and more dangerous to cast through the majority of prosthetics. You have higher chances of magic backfiring, blowing the prosthetic apart and potentially more remaining of the affected limb. It is like they've never casted before with that arm, leg, or tail. Most materials used don't take to casting well anyway, except for the Quin and Clockwork prosthetics.

Sci-Fi, Healing, and Medical Technology

A lot of times, especially for things like amputations, and other injury-acquired disabilities, the immersion can be broke when the disability isn't supplemented by medical technology or magic in high fantasy settings.

If androids exists why doesn't realistic prosthetics exists? If we have floatation devices why don't wheelchair float so that they can better go up and down terrain? Can I have a madmax style battle wheelchair? Why didn't magic just fix the problem?

When worldbuilding with magic and technology I play by the rule- ALWAYS REMEMBER INNOVATION

Intelligent species, like us humans (if you can even call us that anymore), have a natural drive to innovate upon everything we find. We get a new invention, discover a new resource, or come up with a new technology we worked hard to find every single thing we put it into.

In a fantasy world the same would be done with magic, and the technology available. If I see a versatile hoverboard, a floating city, or platform elevator I might wonder why a character would appear with a regular everyday wheelchair, unless there's a worldbuilt explanation for it.

If there's bionic creatures, why no replaceable eyes for eyepatch wearing characters. What magic or technology can make the lives of those who face mental challenges easier?

Are there creatures similar to service dogs about? Or are service dogs a more universally accepted thing than our own world. When worldbuilding you can really play around, making things both better and worse for the disabled characters at play.

Magic, Species, and Casting

When fantasy species and magic are present I wonder if certain disorders are unique to them, and how disorders I'm already familiar with might affect them differently.

What does a orc with dwarfism look like compared to a dragon with dwarfism? Is it even called dwarfism at that point? Can elves be born with extra ears like some cats? Can batfolk have a disability that makes their echolocation impaired?

As for magic is it rare, but well known, that some people are unable to cast? I personally hate the trope of a magical world except there's one character who doesn't have any powers. I don't mind it as a concept itself, but I've just seen it so many times, and often in cheap poorly done settings.

There's so many other ways one could be disabled in the sense of magic, in a world where everyone else has powers. I think D&D wild magic is an amazing example of this.

There's also the conversation of curses acting as a disability themselves. With magic be so widespread, especially in a setting where we have spellcasters like witches and warlocks, why aren't curses widespread?

Does one not grumble every time someone in public has to ask about the story of how they got cursed just like a burn victim explaining their traumatizing past?

Don't Be Afraid To Explore The Bad

All the time I discover people incredibly nervous to work with themes of discrimination, war, torture, and similar things. I think it's important to explore settings where not everything is kittens and rainbows. I also think it can be equally as fun to explore a setting devoid of certain kinds of hate. Both are fun, and have advantages in their storytelling.

But often times stories need conflicts, and one of the most easiest to pull from, is discrimination.

I don't think anybody is terrible for enjoying a sort of angsty or whumpy aspect of writing disabled characters either. We all write and read different kinds of things for many many reasons. Maybe a story filled with darkness and hopelessness evokes a strange somber feeling of hope.

Queer identities are gaining more and more ground in written and visual media. While this is splendid, portrayals often seem limited to gay people. Bisexuality is, in many ways, still an “invisible” queer identity. Way too often, I hear people who don’t know what it is, doubt its existence, or just plain don’t consider it when telling a story.

  Introduction

About the author: I am a bisexual woman in my mid-twenties who has studied gender and queer theory non-professionally for a few years. I’m by no means an expert on anything, but I do have an interest in seeing my sexuality represented well.

Let me start with a disclaimer: There is no one way to be bisexual. This doesn’t describe everyone by a longshot. The best way of learning is to go out there, listen, ask and listen some more. This article is just a starting point for knowledge and questions.

With that in mind, let’s start!

  Frequently Asked Questions

What is bisexuality?

Being bisexual means you are able to be sexually, romantically and/or emotionally attracted to more than one gender. Some people make a distinction between being attracted to both genders (bisexual) or being attracted to all genders (pansexual), but for most intents and purposes, bisexual is the term you want.

For some bisexuals, gender is a factor in the attraction, some are genderblind, some fluctuate between genders, some have a preference, etc. Point is, there are many different ways to be bisexual. The one thing they all have in common is the sexual attraction to more than one gender.

  Isn’t it just a phase?

While it’s true that some gay people identify as bi before coming fully out, and that some straight people identify temporarily as bi, bisexuality is a completely legitimate orientation. Bi adults tend to stay bi.

Part of the “phase” idea comes from the fact that most bisexuals indeed settle down with a person of a specific gender. This doesn’t make them non-bisexual though. It just means that their perfect match happened to be male/female/whatever.

  How and when does a bisexual person know that they are bi?

That differs a lot. Some have known all their lives, some figure it out through experimenting, some only realize when BAM they’re in love with someone unexpected. Personally, up until my early twenties I just figured everyone was a little gay until I realized that hey, maybe it’s just me.

  How do bisexuals choose?

The same way as everyone else. We meet someone fantastic, and we decide that we want a relationship with them.

  Aren’t you just greedy?

No, no and also no. Bisexuals are not attracted to everyone. We can be attracted to anyone regardless of gender, but we still have taste and standards. The specific standards depend on the bi individual, just like libido, faithfulness, etc. - all things that have nothing to do with the orientation and everything to do with the individual.

  Writing a Bisexual Character

The top 6 most important things to remember while writing a bisexual character are as follows:

“Bisexual” is not a personality trait, nor does it say anything distinctive about the character apart from their shipping potential. Sexuality informs personality, sure, but just like you can’t base a character around their hair color, you can’t base a character solely around their sexuality. Flesh ‘em out.

Bisexual people face discrimination from both straight and gay communities. Bi girls are seen as flaky teases or “drunken straight girls”. Bi guys are seen as equally flaky, unable to settle down, or as gays in denial. All bi people are seen as more promiscuous and less trustworthy. Many people will avoid serious relationships with bi people because of this.

Since bisexuals are regarded as more sexual, bi characters (especially female) can skirt the line of Mr./Ms. Fanservice. It’s not fair, but know that a same-sex couple kissing will often be seen as shocking and/or pandering.

Most (Western) bisexuals live happy, well-adjusted lives at peace with our sexuality. The media has a tendency to depict queer characters in a very dramatic and traumatised light, and there is some truth to this (e.g. the suicide rate among bisexual teens is higher than for both straight and gay teens), but the angst is currently overexposed in media. The angsty queer story needs some spotlight, but it isn’t groundbreaking or edgy anymore.

Related to this, be careful about killing off one half of a same-sex couple. It has been done. A LOT. I’m not saying it can’t be done well, but it leaves me a bad taste in the mouth to see just how many storytellers don’t believe I deserve a happy ending.

If your bisexual character is the only non-monosexual person in the story, be prepared for extra scrutiny and criticism (as this character will stand as ambassador for your view on bisexual people). Avoid this by having a broader selection of LGBT+ characters.

  How to Out a Bisexual Character

It can be tricky to out bisexual characters, especially if they’re uncoupled by the time of writing. Here are some easy ways:

Casual outing. Mention same-sex partners/exes in passing. “Yeah, my ex always did so-and-so. S/he was crazy!”. Date stories are also good fuel here. This is the most casual way of coming out.

Sexy outing. Let the character join in on “that person is so hot!” conversations, or have them hit on someone of the same gender. This type of outing may be at little ambiguous, at least to the other characters, and it emphasizes the sexual aspect of the identity. But it can be a fun way.

Explicit outing. Let the character explicitly and directly out themselves. This may be in response to some bigoted speech (“whoa dude, you know it’s me you’re talking about, right?”), during a relevant conversation point (“Actually, since I’m bi, I know so-and-so”), or it might be a bigger gesture (“Since you’re my friend, you deserve to know”). There are lots of reasons one might bring it up.

Forced/accidental outing. Someone else outs the character. This might be an enemy throwing it in your character’s face, a friend who slips up and mentions it, someone who comes across old love letters, etc. Depending on setting and other characters, this can be quite the drama fuel.

In real life, most bi people are acutely aware of how we mention our dating lives. We have made active decisions about whether we’re out or not, and who we’re out to. Very few bi people are careless about this.

That said, please out your bi character to, if no one else, then at least to the reader. Representation only matters if it is, you know… represented.

  Tropes and Caricatures To Avoid

There are lots of weird and harmful tropes and stereotypes regarding bisexuals. Namely:

The sex fiend. Yes, some people like sex a lot, and sometimes those sex lovers are bisexual. But there’s nothing inherently promiscuous about bisexuality, and the world doesn’t need any more sex-crazed bi characters.

The straight-then-gay. A person who has genuinely enjoyed sexual relations with the opposite gender, then starts dating someone of the same gender, is probably bi. Don’t erase their identity, and the genuineness of their previous relationships, by proclaiming them suddenly gay. Or vice versa.

Crushing on the straight person. While this can make a compelling story, and it certainly happens in real life, it has been done to death. It also tends to cast queer love as inherently more tragic than straight love. Maybe not avoid outright, but certainly tread with caution.

Too Good For This World. While it is a nice gesture, killing off your queer character to make a point about the world’s cruelty has been done. To death, if you’ll pardon the pun.

The Tease. Especially common with female characters. It’s a bisexual person, often very sexy, but her orientation is never stated outright. It’s played with, alluded to, flirted with, but she never crosses the line of plausible deniability. Almost always overlaps with the sex fiend or Ms. Fanservice. Just… just don’t.

  Conclusion

The most important part is: It’s not hard! As long as you build an interesting, three-dimensional person not relying on stereotypes (the way all characters should be written), you can’t mess it up. And the world sorely needs good bi characters, so you will be doing both the queer and the writing community a solid by including us.

Also: Please remember that there are as many ways to be bisexual as there are bisexuals on this planet. Sexuality is fluid, and complex, and just a small part of one’s identity.

If you’re interested in reading more, here are some good starting points:

Good ol’ Wikipedia

Referenceforwriters on the same subject

A bunch of more formal definitions of bisexuality

TVtropes on bisexuality tropes

Diversity Cross-Check, a tumblr introducing writers to marginalised people that they can ask questions (find the “bisexual” tag)

I will also be delighted to answer questions through my own blog or this post’s notes.

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions in your writing, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

This is NOT a medical resource!!! And never tell a real person you think they're using a cane wrong!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height can make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(some people elect to use a cane wrong for their personal situation despite this, everyone is different!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane and the bad leg and follow with the good leg!

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

(hope this is relevant to the group) So I had a lot of fun with the process of making my latest Cherik drawing (this one:)

So I decided to share the process with you guys, in hopes that someone might find it informative, interesting, amusing, or sexually arousing. whatevs. There’s plenty of tutorials discussing figure drawing, but too few discuss the various ways of researching and finding the pose. so, here’s how I do it. also this is fun as fuck. :)

Without further ado:

*link to the gif i was inspired by, in case anyone has managed to miss it. :P ** You may notice that these sketches are rough and often downright UGLY. I left them in their lopsided glory on purpose, so that people see that there’s no shame in sketching “ugly”. Even if your initial sketch might look ugly to you, it’s ok, it’s even GREAT, and it can turn into something polished and pretty - cuz it’s all part of learning.

Just a reminder about fatphotoref.com—it exists!! I'll be updating with new photos next week and hopefully more regularly after that. Request access by going to bit.ly/fpraccess 💙🧜‍♀️ happy mer may!

edited: fatphotoref.com is run by @fugitiverabbit