ladyknightellen

[ladyknightellen]

Where to Start Your Research When Writing a Disabled Character

[large text: Where to Start Your Research When Writing a Disabled Character]

So you have decided that you want to make a disabled character! Awesome. But what's next? What information should you decide on at the early phrase of making the character?

This post will only talk about the disability part of the character creation process. Obviously, a disabled character needs a personality, interests, and backstory as every other one. But by including their disability early in the process, you can actually get it to have a deeper effect on the character - disability shouldn't be their whole life, but it should impact it. That's what disabilities do.

If you don't know what disability you would want to give them in the first place;

[large text: If you don't know what disability you would want to give them in the first place;]

Start broad. Is it sensory, mobility related, cognitive, developmental, autoimmune, neurodegenerative; maybe multiple of these, or maybe something else completely? Pick one and see what disabilities it encompasses; see if anything works for your character. Or...

If you have a specific symptom or aid in mind, see what could cause them. Don't assume or guess; not every wheelchair user is vaguely paralyzed below the waist with no other symptoms, not everyone with extensive scarring got it via physical trauma. Or...

Consider which disabilities are common in real life. Cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, stroke, cataracts, diabetes, intellectual disability, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, thyroid disorders, autism, dwarfism, arthritis, cancers, brain damage, just to name a few.

Decide what specific type of condition they will have. If you're thinking about them having albinism, will it be ocular, oculocutaneous, or one of the rare syndrome-types? If you want to give them spinal muscular atrophy, which of the many possible onsets will they have? If they have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which one out of the 13 different types do they have? Is their amputation below, or above the knee (it's a major difference)? Not all conditions will have subtypes, but it's worth looking into to not be surprised later. This will help you with further research.

If you're really struggling with figuring out what exact disability would make sense for your character, you can send an ask. Just make sure that you have tried the above and put actual specifics in your ask to give us something to work with. You can also check out our "disabled character ideas" tag.

Here are some ideas for a character using crutches.

Here are some ideas for a character with a facial difference (obligatory link: what is a facial difference?).

If you already know what disability your character is going to have;

[large text: If you already know what disability your character is going to have;]

Start by reading about the onset and cause of the condition. It could be acquired, congenital, progressive, potentially multiple of these. They could be caused by an illness, trauma, or something else entirely. Is your character a congenital amputee, or is it acquired? If acquired - how recently? Has it been a week, or 10 years? What caused them to become disabled - did they have meningitis, or was it an accident? Again, check what your options are - there are going to be more diverse than you expect.

Read about the symptoms. Do not assume or guess what they are. You will almost definitely discover something new. Example: a lot of people making a character with albinism don't realize that it has other symptoms than just lack of melanin, like nystagmus, visual impairment, and photophobia. Decide what your character experiences, to what degree, how frequently, and what do they do (or don't do) to deal with it.

Don't give your character only the most "acceptable" symptoms of their disability and ignore everything else. Example: many writers will omit the topic of incontinence in their para- and tetraplegic characters, even though it's extremely common. Don't shy away from aspects of disability that aren't romanticized.

Don't just... make them abled "because magic". If they're Deaf, don't give them some ability that will make them into an essentially hearing person. Don't give your blind character some "cheat" so that they can see, give them a cane. Don't give an amputee prosthetics that work better than meat limbs. To have a disabled character you need to have a character that's actually disabled. There's no way around it.

Think about complications your character could experience within the story. If your character wears their prosthetic a lot, they might start to experience skin breakdown or pain. Someone who uses a wheelchair a lot has a risk of pressure sores. Glowing and Flickering Fantasy Item might cause problems for someone photophobic or photosensitive. What do they do when that happens, or how do they prevent that from happening?

Look out for comorbidities. It's rare for disabled people to only have one medical condition and nothing else. Disabilities like to show up in pairs. Or dozens.

If relevant, consider mobility aids, assistive devices, and disability aids. Wheelchairs, canes, rollators, braces, AAC, walkers, nasal cannulas, crutches, white canes, feeding tubes, braillers, ostomy bags, insulin pumps, service dogs, trach tubes, hearing aids, orthoses, splints... the list is basically endless, and there's a lot of everyday things that might count as a disability aid as well - even just a hat could be one for someone whose disability requires them to stay out of the sun. Make sure that it's actually based on symptoms, not just your assumptions - most blind people don't wear sunglasses, not all people with SCI use a wheelchair, upper limb prosthetics aren't nearly as useful as you think. Decide which ones your character could have, how often they would use them, and if they switch between different aids.

Basically all of the above aids will have subtypes or variants. There is a lot of options. Does your character use an active manual wheelchair, a powerchair, or a generic hospital wheelchair? Are they using high-, or low-tech AAC? What would be available to them? Does it change over the course of their story, or their life in general?

If relevant, think about what treatment your character might receive. Do they need medication? Physical therapy? Occupational therapy? Orientation and mobility training? Speech therapy? Do they have access to it, and why or why not?

What is your character's support system? Do they have a carer; if yes, then what do they help your character with and what kind of relationship do they have? Is your character happy about it or not at all?

How did their life change after becoming disabled? If your character goes from being an extreme athlete to suddenly being a full-time wheelchair user, it will have an effect - are they going to stop doing sports at all, are they going to just do extreme wheelchair sports now, or are they going to try out wheelchair table tennis instead? Do they know and respect their new limitations? Did they have to get a different job or had to make their house accessible? Do they have support in this transition, or are they on their own - do they wish they had that support?

What about *other* characters? Your character isn't going to be the only disabled person in existence. Do they know other disabled people? Do they have a community? If your character manages their disability with something that's only available to them, what about all the other people with the same disability?

What is the society that your character lives in like? Is the architecture accessible? How do they treat disabled people? Are abled characters knowledgeable about disabilities? How many people speak the local sign language(s)? Are accessible bathrooms common, or does your character have to go home every few hours? Is there access to prosthetists and ocularists, or what do they do when their prosthetic leg or eye requires the routine check-up?

Know the tropes. If a burn survivor character is an evil mask-wearer, if a powerchair user is a constantly rude and ungrateful to everyone villain, if an amputee is a genius mechanic who fixes their own prosthetics, you have A Trope. Not all tropes are made equal; some are actively harmful to real people, while others are just annoying or boring by the nature of having been done to death. During the character creation process, research what tropes might apply and just try to trace your logic. Does your blind character see the future because it's a common superpower in their world, or are you doing the ancient "Blind Seer" trope?

Remember, that not all of the above questions will come up in your writing, but to know which ones won't you need to know the answers to them first. Even if you don't decide to explicitly name your character's condition, you will be aware of what they might function like. You will be able to add more depth to your character if you decide that they have T6 spina bifida, rather than if you made them into an ambiguous wheelchair user with ambiguous symptoms and ambiguous needs. Embrace research as part of your process and your characters will be better representation, sure, but they will also make more sense and seem more like actual people; same with the world that they are a part of.

This post exists to help you establish the basics of your character's disability so that you can do research on your own and answer some of the most common ("what are symptoms of x?") questions by yourself. If you have these things already established, it will also be easier for us to answer any possible questions you might have - e.g. "what would a character with complete high-level paraplegia do in a world where the modern kind of wheelchair has not been invented yet?" is much more concise than just "how do I write a character with paralysis?" - I think it's more helpful for askers as well; a vague answer won't be much help, I think.

I hope that this post is helpful!

Mod Sasza

[ladyknightellen]

Chapters: 8/? Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June Claremont-Diaz, Ellen Claremont, Shaan Srivastava, Zahra Bankston, Nora Holleran, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue), Amy Chen | Amy Gupta Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Major Character Injury, Permanent Injury, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Disability, Blindness, Autistic Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, I'm so glad everyone agrees with me on that one, i'm back on my bullshit, Making characters disabled just because I can, Blood and Injury, Minor Injuries Summary:

Henry has never been great at looking past his own problems

Alex never wants anyone to know what he needs

All they can do is take things one step at a time.

OR: What if the emergency that made Shaan and Zahra break their rule was something very very different.

Note: Rating is for future chapters, though it may change if I decide to scrap them.

#alex claremont diaz #blind alex #henry fox mountchristen windsor #red white and royal blue #rwrb fic #firstprince

[ladyknightellen]

It’s Not a Plot Hole, It’s Foreshadowing

vs.

It’s Not a Plot Hole, It’s Just Something That They Opted Not to Spoon-feed You Because It Would Be Obvious If You Thought About It For 20 Seconds

vs.

It May Be a Plot Hole, But It Still Works In Terms of the Story’s Themes and Character Logic

vs.

Okay, It Is a Plot Hole, What Are You Going to Do, Cry about It?

[ladyknightellen]

somehow the poor cops who we were told are simply too understaffed and underpaid because of Woke to deal with 'rampant rising crime' have found the strength to beat the shit out of college students across the whole country for peacefully saying "divest from the country killing innocent palestinians in the tens of thousands"

[ladyknightellen]

it’s interesting learning which homophobic ideas are confusing and unfamiliar to the next generation. for example, every once in a while i’ll see a post going around expressing tittering surprise at someone’s claim that gay men have hundreds of sexual partners in their lifetimes. while these posts often have a snappy comeback attached, they send a shiver down my spine because i remember when those claims were common, when you’d see them on the news or read them in your study bible. and they were deployed with a specific purpose — to convince you not just that gay men were disgusting and pathological, but that they deserved to die from AIDS. i saw another post laughing at the outlandish idea that gay men eroticize and worship death, but that too was a standard line, part and parcel of this propaganda with the goal of dehumanizing gay men as they died by the thousands with little intervention from mainstream society.

which is not to say that not knowing this is your fault, or that i don’t understand. i’ll never forget sitting in a classroom with my high school gsa, all five of us, watching a documentary on depictions of gay and bi people in media (off the straight and narrow [pdf transcript] — a worthwhile watch if your school library has it) when the narrator mentioned “the stereotype of the gay psycho killer.” we burst into giggles — how ridiculous! — then turned to our gay faculty advisors and saw their pale, pained faces as they told us “no, really. that was real” and we realized that what we’d been laughing at was the stuff of their lives.

it’s moving and inspiring to see a new generation of kids growing up without encountering these ideas. it’s a good thing. but at the same time, we have to pass on the knowledge of this pain, so we’re not caught unawares when those who hate us come back with the oldest tricks in the book.

[ladyknightellen]

My favorite scene🥺

#I’m so normal about this scene #lives rent free in my head #I love them so much it physically pains me

[ladyknightellen]

What do AO3's Archive Warnings mean?

Archive Warnings can be confusing to new users, both readers and writers alike, so let's take a moment and break them down. We'll start at the top of the list - which is ordered alphabetically.

Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings - when AO3 was being designed (by fans, for fans) there was a debate about requiring warnings. At the time, they were not a standard expectation, so some people didn't want warnings to be mandatory on every individual fic on the Archive. Other people did.

This warning - stating that the author was making a choice not to provide a warning - was a compromise. A creator could choose not to apply a warning to their fic and readers would then know to be wary because it would be possible that any of the warnings might be needed, or multiple of them, or none of them.

This warning (which I'll abbreviate to CCNTW from here on out) is also a good catch-all for other things that a creator might want to warn for that don't have a specific Archive Warning. Authors can also provide warnings of different kinds in the Additional Tags on a work, so it's a good idea to read those carefully as well.

You can read up on more of the history of this warning on Fanlore.

Graphic Depictions of Violence - This applies to stories where the descriptions of violence are very detailed and probably gory. The violent scenes will likely be brutal and easily imagined. This warning is generally accompanied by a rating of either M or E - meaning that the content in the work is aimed at adults only.

Some authors find it difficult to decide whether the violence in their fic is graphic enough to warrant using this warning, so they use CCNTW instead. For some fandoms, the source material is already full of graphic violence and so they might also use an Additional Tag to give more information such as, "canon typical violence"

Major Character Death - This can be interpreted in different ways. It might mean:

a character dies, and that character is a major character in canon (even if they might be a minor character in the fic).

a character dies, and that character is a major character in the fic (even if they might be a minor character in canon).

the character death in the story is a major component of the story or a particularly intense part of the story.

It is possible that the character who dies does not stay dead in the fic, in which case the author may decide to use an Additional Tag like "temporary character death" to provide more information.

It is also possible that an author will decide to use CCNTW instead because they want to avoid giving spoilers for the story.

No Archive Warnings Apply - This means that none of the other warnings in this list apply to this fic. The fic may still be given a rating that indicates it is for an adult audience.

Rape / Non-Con - This refers to different scenarios in which a character does not consent to sexual activity.

Non-Con is short for non-consent, which is a term from role-playing communities in which not giving consent is part of the sexual game. Non-con can also refer to the fact that in a fictional story, we might see a character verbally state that they don't want to have sex and then read their inner monologue in which they express that they do.

The various interactions and interpretations involved in consent can get very complex and nuanced, and some creators might use CCNTW because they aren't sure if what they're writing rises to the level of this warning.

Underage - This warning refers to stories that describe sexual activity (more than just kissing) involving characters who are under 18 years old. This one is also up for interpretation when it comes to creatures, monsters, mythological beings, aliens that live for thousands of years, etc.

---

All of the above warnings will be used a little differently by different creators and by different fandoms, and as you read more on the site you will likely notice these differences.

However, if you see a work on the Archive that should have one of these warnings but doesn't, you can report that work to the Policy Questions & Abuse team by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the link to their reporting form.

To help the volunteers who manage these reports, you can give them some additional information. If it's a multi-chaptered work, let them know which chapter to look in or give them a keyword or phrase they can search for to find the relevant scene(s). If the volunteer decides a warning is required, they'll contact the creator and ask them to add it. If they decide that it doesn't, they'll let you know.

If the work has Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings on it, that includes all other warnings and that fic shouldn't be reported for missing one.

[ladyknightellen]

I wish age gap discourse hadn’t spiraled the way it has because I want there to be a safe space to say “Men in their 40s who date 25 year olds aren’t predators, they’re just fucking losers”

[ladyknightellen]

Thank you for the tags, @meraki-yao @itsmaybitheway @kiwiana-writes @onthewaytosomewhere @cha-melodius and @msmarvelouswinchester !

I'm sharing another snippet from my untitled Berlin missing scene WIP! Y'all seemed really excited about this one, and I am, too.

When Alex finally pulls back, he brushes his thumb across Henry’s swollen bottom lip, pink and shining with spit. Henry presses a soft kiss to the tip before sucking it into his mouth, and their eyes quickly lock together. Henry’s pupils are wide and his breath is already becoming labored.

This, Alex thinks, is the sight he’s been dying to see. Something about the sight of picture-perfect, poised and polished Prince Henry losing composure always does it for Alex. When he gets this version of Henry, it feels like he’s been trusted with a tremendous secret. 

Alex ducks his head forward and brings his lips to brush against Henry’s cheek. Maybe it’s a little bit too tender for what they are, but he doesn’t dwell on it, moving to press firm kisses along Henry’s chiseled jaw. Alex can’t help but smile against Henry’s skin when he hears a sharp intake of breath close to his ear. 

“Feeling okay?” Alex asks with sincerity. He knows that Henry is enjoying this but is mindful of the vulnerable dynamic at play tonight. This isn’t only about the two of them feeling good. Alex wants to make sure Henry feels safe, too.

No-pressure tagging some of y'all and offering an open tag as always! I won't be online much today but can't wait to catch up on your snippets ASAP.

@anincompletelist @wordsofhoneydew @firenati0n @bigassbowlingballhead @eusuntgratie @captainjunglegym @saturntheday @read-and-write- - @piratefalls @agame-writes @14carrotghoul @anchoredarchangel @cricketnationrise @happiness-of-the-pursuit @littlemisskittentoes @ninzied @duchessdepolignaca03 @ladyknightellen @priincebutt @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @bitbybitwrites @jamilas-pen @lfg1986-2 @theprinceandagcd @songliili

[ladyknightellen]

gasp

GASP

[ladyknightellen]

Coming in hot with 20 minutes to spare before Sunday is over 🫡

Thanks to @nocoastposts for the tag! (This week and last week, so consider this a response to both tags)

Here’s a bit from my in progress fic The Next Step Is All You Can Take

I have no idea when I’m going to get the next chapter out, but I have been working on it little by little while life has been hectic and chronic illness is being a bitch🫠

When they finally arrive at Kensington, Alex feels like he’s going to jump out of his skin if he can’t get his hands on Henry, but they have to suffer through the formalities of their arrival first. June is here to meet Henry, and Alex isn’t supposed to be here at all, so while she gets to be greeted at the front door by Henry; Alex has to wait in the car to be taken around to the back where he’s met by Shaan.

“Good afternoon Mr. Claremont-Diaz, I hope the flight was comfortable,” He says as soon as Alex is out of the car, “I’ll show you and your security to your rooms right away.” Shaan’s voice is accompanied by his brisk footsteps, and as soon as Alex takes Cash’s offered elbow, he’s led rather quickly inside.

“Come on Shaan, aren’t we past all the formalities by now?” Alex is doing his best to sound confident, but all of this careful maneuvering has brought back the memory of Amy’s terrified voice on the plane. He never worked up the nerve to question her further, and she never volunteered the information, but there’s definitely something going on, and Shaan being in such an uncharacteristic hurry isn’t doing much to calm that worry.

“His Royal Highness should be along shortly just as soon as he’s finished meeting Ms. Claremont-Diaz at the door,” Shaan tells them once they’ve arrived in the guest quarters. “Thank you Shaan,” Alex says, and then he hears Shaan’s footsteps and the sound of the door closing.

“Do you want me to stay?” There’s another question hidden under Cash’s question, the one he’s actually asking without really saying it. ‘Do you need help?’ “No, I’m fine…just um…guide me to the bed and then I’m good. This is the same room I stayed in when I came here the first time, so I think I remember enough about it to figure things out.”

“Alright, I’ll be outside, and Amy and the rest of the security detail will be nearby. If you need anything, you can call us.” His voice sounds like he’s giving an order, and there’s something behind it besides general concern, something that hasn’t been there before.

“I’m good Cash, I promise.” Alex assures him, trying to ignore the whisper in the back of him mind that there’s something really bad going on and that Cash and Amy, and maybe Shaan too, are keeping something important from him.

#red white and royal blue #rwrb fic #rwrb #firstprince #seven sentence sunday #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #disabled characters #blind alex #blind alex au

[ladyknightellen]

Thank you to @heysweetheart-writes @wordsofhoneydew @duchessdepolignaca03 @piratefalls @junebugclaremontdiaz @kiwiana-writes and @jamilas-pen for the tags!

Today's snippet is from one of my newest WIPs. The entire premise is just "what if we got more than one sentence from the necktie scene in Berlin?" that's mentioned briefly in the book.

“Done. How’s that feel?”

Alex leans back and admires his handiwork and thinks it’s not bad at all for a first attempt. Henry tugs experimentally at the silk looped around his wrists and secured to the bedpost. 

“It’ll do,” he says with a teasing lilt. Alex huffs an exasperated sigh and opens his mouth to retort, but Henry cuts him off. “I’m only joking, Alex. It’s secure but not too tight. You did a good job with it.”

Alex decidedly doesn’t feel any type of way at Henry’s casual praise. Or if he does feel something, now is certainly not the moment to unpack it. He rids the thought from his head with a quick shake of his curls. Right. They’re doing this.

Open tagging everyone who wants to share, as always! Also tagging @bigassbowlingballhead @eusuntgratie @cha-melodius @anincompletelist @lfg1986-2 @meraki-yao @saturntheday @bitbybitwrites @14carrotghoul @ninzied @ladyknightellen @priincebutt @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @captainjunglegym and @theprinceandagcd @happiness-of-the-pursuit @littlemisskittentoes @sparklepocalypse @firenati0n

(I’ve edited my tags three times so I apologize if you’re getting random notifications. Tumblr is a hot mess.)

[ladyknightellen]

Consider this an open invitation to send me dms and asks about basic cooking skills because I would happy to share them with anyone who needs them. I’ve got tips and tricks for all my chronically ill/disabled besties who might want to cook but aren’t sure if it’s something they’ll be able to do.

i am not joking we need to force teach cooking in schools. like. it is an essential thing for survival. do you know how easy it is to make things if you know even the bare bones shit about how cooking works. we need to teach teenagers how far you can take an onion and some other veggies it''s sad that people grow up not knowing how to prepare literally anything. and i'm not talking about oh this home ed class taught me how to make chicken nuggets at home i'm talking about learning the balancing of sweetness and acidity and saltiness and bitterness and shit like that and techniques and oil temperatures and how meats cook. it needs to be taught because it's literally not even that difficult and it matters so much

[ladyknightellen]

[ladyknightellen]

[ladyknightellen]

Henry is my autistic king and I will take no further questions at this time

[ladyknightellen]

Thanks for the tags @theprinceandagcd @sunnysideprince @onthewaytosomewhere @duchessdepolignaca03 and @wordsofhoneydew! I'm finally back to writing after a three-week break, and it feels pretty great. This snippet is from an impromptu WIP that's not my usual style, but I think I like it so far.

Brown eyes are the most common in the world, and Henry’s never felt one way or another about them. That is, until he locked gazes with one Alexander Claremont-Diaz on a humid day in Rio. 

His eyes are tinged with golden flecks, something precious shining bright with each lingering look. They are pools of dark chocolate, and Henry drowns in their sweetness. 

Common and average simply do not apply when it comes to Alex. This man is the most beautiful person Henry’s ever known, and he’s unlike any other, past, present or future. 

He thinks that perhaps Alex was made for him, that he’s been given the most unique gift the universe could offer.

Tagging @anincompletelist @firenati0n @lfg1986-2 @bigassbowlingballhead @eusuntgratie @itsmaybitheway @saturntheday @piratefalls @kiwiana-writes @youtastelike-sunlight @priincebutt @ladyknightellen @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @bitbybitwrites @jamilas-pen @meraki-yao @captainjunglegym @anchoredarchangel @lizzie-bennetdarcy @ghostwithatophat and anyone who'd like an open tag! I think I'm forgetting a few people, please feel free to yell at me if you're one of them. 🙏