#SCI representation

[cripplecharacters]

Hi, I'm working on an Avatar OC. She is a relatively strong waterbender who gets into an accident that paralyzes her from the waist down. It's the kind of paralysis where there is no danger in someone else moving her legs around for her, but her brain is unable to control her leg muscles itself. She ends up secretly learning how to bloodbend, and decides to use it to help make her walk by bloodbending her own legs (a process which takes a long while to learn, but gradually becomes more second nature after a year of constant practice).

I thought it would be a cool way of utilizing bloodbending in a positive way rather than a negative way, however, I realize this may fall into the "curing disabilities with magic" or "disability basically non-existent due to powers" tropes. If my OC's waterbending is taken away or significantly weakened, then she can't move her legs anymore, and walking still requires quite a bit of concentration (and more advanced movements like running are even harder). But I'm still concerned. Any advice on how to make this work without perpetuating harmful tropes?

Hi!

My first advice before getting to the superpower curing thing would be to thoroughly research spinal cord injuries. It's basically unheard of to only be paralyzed below the waist with no other symptoms. An SCI could be complete, incomplete, and then it has specific levels - sometimes people assume that it's either "below the neck" or "below the waist" but there's a whole more that can happen. For the purpose of this ask, I'm going to assume that she has a complete spinal cord injury on the lower thoracic level, maybe T9 to T12. If it's higher (like T6 or above), you should definitely research autonomic dysreflexia as well.

I'm glad that you caught this! I would classify this as a cure thing, or at least cure-adjacent.

I'm not certain how bloodbending her own legs would work - unless she was manipulating her whole body like a marionette, I don't think it would help much? I don't remember how exactly it worked in Avatar, but she would need her leg and hip muscles to actually contract (or at least consistently spasm) to bear her weight, or they would just bend underneath her. Her legs would probably be atrophied, so it'd be even harder.

None of this means you can't have her bloodbend to make her life easier while still leaving her disabled! There's definitely things that could work for her while also being more authentic to the issues she could have, rather than just un-disabling her.

One of the problems that she would have - that's also related to blood flow - would be pressure sores. It's basically when there's prolonged pressure on part of the skin and eventually tissue death occurs, if it's not treated it's lethal. As you can guess, it's a huge problem when it happens and it's even worse when you can't feel a sore like this forming in the first place. She could make her life much easier and safer by learning how to push her blood everywhere to make sure she doesn't, you know, die. This is huge and genuinely life-changing, just not as spectacular as being able to walk with paralyzed legs I guess. She could maybe learn to bend her blood specifically to prevent this - she would learn of this being a possible problem very early on - and thus realize that bloodbending can be a positive and life-saving tool?

There are also scenarios where moving legs via bloodbending could be helpful! Legs weight a lot, and it can be a pain to move them around when transferring. Rather than having her manually grab them to get out of/into her wheelchair, she could just bloodbend her legs to be where they need to go. This omits the problem of her lower body probably not being able to hold her weight.

If she has complete paraplegia, she will have issues with her bladder - she could probably use her bending for that as well? If you don't want to go into a lot of detail, you can have her just empty the leg bag via waterbending. I imagine that being able to manage that whole process in a much faster way would be helpful for her!

These are just a few suggestions - I definitely encourage you to look deeper into spinal cord injuries and their symptoms, and think of some creative ways for her bending to help her other than making her walk!

mod Sasza

#mod sasza #noperopesaredope #disability negating superpowers #fantasy setting #fantasy tropes #sci representation

[cy-cyborg]

What able bodied authors think I, an amputee and a wheelchair user, would want in a scifi setting:

Tech that can regenerate my old meat legs.

Robot legs that work just like meat legs and are functionally just meat legs but robot

Literally anything that would mean I don't have to use a wheelchair.

If I do need to use a wheelchair, make it fly or able to "walk me" upstairs

What I actually want:

Prosthetic covers that can change colour because I'm too indecisive to pick one colour/pattern for the next 5+ years.

A leg that I can turn off (seriously, my above knee prosthetic has no off switch... just... why?)

A leg that won't have to get refitted every time I gain or loose weight.

A wheelchair that I can teleport to me and legs I can teleport away when I'm too tired to keep walking. And vice versa.

In that same vein, legs I can teleport on instead of having to fiddle around with the sockets for half an hour.

Prosthetic feet that don't require me to wear shoes. F*ck shoes.

Actually accessible architecture, which means when I do want to use my wheelchair, it's not an issue.

Prosthetic legs with dragon-claw feet instead of boring human feet or just digigrade prosthetics that are just as functional as normal human-shaped ones.

A manual wheelchair with the option to lift my seat up like those scissor-lift things so I'm not eye-level with everyone's butt on public transport/so I can reach the top shelf by myself.

A prosthetic foot that lights up when it hits the ground like those children's shoes.

A few additions I remember seeing in the comments on my old account:

holographic prosthetic covers

transformers-style mobility aids that can fold into the shapes of different aids (e.g. a wheelchair that can fold into a cane)

prosthetic covers with pockets/hidden compartments (kind of surprised this isn't a thing already).

find my leg (like find my iphone, but for your legs when you haven't worn them in a while lol)

TLDR: Stop assuming every disabled person would want to be as close to "normal" as possible in your works. Some absolutely would and having options for them if fine, but I rarely see any examples of media showing those of us who don't. start letting amputees in your scifi works have fun with our prosthetics, fix the problems real amputees are already talking about instead of what you think are the issues and make your settings as a whole accessible!

#disability #disabled #disability in scifi #disability in sci fi #amputee #legless #wheelchair user #physically disabled #physical disability #wheelchair #disabled and proud #accessibility #the future is accessible #writing #writeblr #writer #writing disability #disability representation #get disabled sensitivity readers! #authors of tumblr #authors community #id in alt text #alt text

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

The Disability Representation Test I came up with (eventually)

It's been a hot minute since I posted about this; I was reminded of it by this post, talking about disabled people (or lack thereof) in 'utopian' sci-fi.

This was inspired by the Bechdel-Wallace Test for women's representation. And while I recognize that that has been taken out of context, and overused as a means of film and literary critique, I found the process of coming up my own version useful for figuring out what I find satisfying in a story (I've named it The 1,001 Problems Test):

One: There's at least one disabled person (Requiring more than one, as in the Bechdel-Wallace Test, would be too easy to "pass" by putting them in an institutional setting, rather than in mainstream society, especially in a short story, with only a few characters to begin with)

Two: Who wants something (Too often, the disabled character is only there as a way for the protagonist to show their qualities and morals, but is never given a chance to express desires of their own)

Three: Besides Cure, Revenge, or Death (A disabled character can certainly want to be cured--especially for chronic pain, fatigue, and progressive conditions--but they should want something else, too. They should have some motivating factor beyond their disability).

Four: And takes action to try and get it. (See point Two; if you retold your story from your disabled character's P.O.V., could they be the protagonist, or are they just looking at the world through the window, waiting for someone else to rescue them?)

#disability representation #disability in sci-fi #Bechdel-Wallace Test #1001 problems test #my own fiction litmus test #bold text

[spirk-trek]

Brooker Bradshaw, Lee Meriwether, Naomi Pollack, & Kenneth Washington

S3E17: That Which Survives ⋆.˚ ✧ · ˚⊹ ·

#star trek #star trek the original series #makeup #costume design #wardrobe #aesthetic #retro #retro futurism #science fiction #sci fi #1960s #poc #female #representation #screencaps #that which survives #star trek tos #m'benga #joseph m'benga #doctor m'benga #side characters #extras

[prince-liest]

I’m reading Witch King by Martha Wells, and now that I have read more than one (1) series by this author, I have been suddenly brained with a two-by-four sharpied over with “realizing that I really enjoy novels by Martha Wells because they live in the specific niche created by the intersection of casually and thoroughly queer casts and non-romance storylines”

I am as ever a sucker for non-human main characters struggling with their very human feelings, which is why I jumped on Witch King the moment I saw “the author of Murderbot wrote another book with a main character that’s non-human,” but I live in this dichotomy where I can really enjoy reading queer romances but I don’t really identify with non-ace characters (which is not actually something I figured out how to differentiate until I was Last Week Years Old). so there are lots of books out there that I enjoy reading but it’s comparatively rare for me to read something that feels like it was written For Me and Martha Wells does that very well

anyway, give me more ace it-pronouns human-spliced robot main characters and people-eating demons who consider rank over gender when finding new bodies to inhabit

#text posts #martha wells #witch king #personal #her castes and universes are also very culturally and ethnically diverse but I've had ace-ness on the mind lately #so it was relevant to my ongoing thoughts #I never really read books that are advertised as specific types of diversity representation #especially with queer books what I like to read is books that are very queer but aren't ABOUT being queer #so I tend to steer clear when people are like read this the mc is a nonbinary lesbian witch without even really saying what the plot is #but martha wells writes books that are queer and brown and INFLUENCED by being queer and brown but #the characters still get to have their stories be ABOUT whatever fun sci fi fantasy shenanigans are ongoing #((inb4: this is my preference not an overal value judgment)) #((I just want to read the same books I read when I was a little kid and have them just ALSO be lovingly diverse)) #((and I only really read SFF)) #in other news I was trying to figure out how to name my flavor of ace #and then I looked up the difference between demi and gray #and I realized gray is what I am looking for #very very dark gray

[sapphicthunderhead]

This summer, over the course of three months at most, I listened to the entirety of Within the Wires. It’s a sci-fi podcast produced by WtNV Presents (Welcome to Night Vale fans, this is right up your alley).

The stories in this anthology are all set in a world parallel to our own, in which the last war in history ended with the establishment of a globalized society without national borders, ethnic divides, and most bizarrely, without biological families. All children are raised communally and none are allowed to know their parents.

Every season (except for the Chicago one, which I seem to recall features a trans man as protagonist) has a woman in the leading role. Every season focuses on the protagonist’s relationship with a woman/the women in their lives. The series has multiple canonically sapphic leads, explores complicated mother-daughter relationships, and dives into the treacherous waters of nuanced subjects, such as:

What does it mean to be an artist? What is art?

What does it mean to love/be in love? What does it mean to be responsible for other people’s well-being, as a leader, a mentor, or a parent?

What does societal progress really look like?

Is greed/arrogance/selfishness inherent to the human condition? (What sociopolitical factors might make corruption the path of least resistance for both politician and civilian, as opposed to compassion and enlightenment?)

What dangers exist in anarchy? What other hazards are posed by hard authoritarianism?

Anyway, if you’re interested in hearing “relaxation tapes” in a high-tech “hospital” being used as a means to coordinate a breakout with one of the inmates, or listening to an old woman ponder and lament the possible murder of her fellow artist & lover, I would highly recommend Within the Wires.

#within the wires #welcome to night vale presents #welcome to night vale #lesbian representation #sci fi #alternate history

[djrusso-romance]

Tik Tok gets REALLY mad at me whenever I try to do anything queer over there, so Tumblr... here I am. Embrace me, please.

My very bisexual book, We Own the Stars, is out today!

I want to share with you my FAVORITE review from an ARC reader because it turns out, they're my ideal reader. They just *got* the book. They knew what I was trying to do and were the exact person I wanted to have it resonate with. Yay!

If this sounds like a good time to you, please check out my book. It's on Kindle Unlimited!

Buy link here

#sfr #sci fi romance #alien romance #monster romance #monster lover #smut author #spicy books #slow burn books #lgbt books #lgbt romance books #bisexual main character #indie author #booklr #writelr #writers of tumblr #queer romance books #queer representation

[noahhawthorneauthor]

I am finalizing Matsdotter and Adrastus this week! Which means I'll be pretty quiet, so to make up for it I present: 60 books which are organized by ✨vibes.✨

You've got tragic and messed up gays. (Red Rising isn't gay, but you can only hate him so much before it gets a little gay)

You've got the paranormal and/or mystery gay disasters.

You've got the I'm figuring things out queers.

You've got the what the f*ck did I just read horror babes. (Who are, you guessed it, queer)

You've got kids versus gender and/or neurodivergencies.

You've got queer witches finding themselves, and love.

You've got gorgeous worlds cheering on even more beautiful romances.

You've got people who will do anything for those they love, no matter the distance.

You've got epic stories with stabby characters, and a lot of sailing.

You've got the mutants, the weirdos who know they have to break things to truly fix them.

#noahs book recs #queer books #indie books #trans books #lgbtqia books #ace representation #demi representation #paranormal romance #queer scifi #sci fi #fantasy books #disability representation #indie authors #books to read #book recommendations #all about the vibes

[sciderman]

Which Spider-symbol is your favourite? Mine has to be the Miles Morales 2011 just because of how sharp the lines are, it looks pretty. Which ones yours and why?

60s spider-man for sheer lack of consistency and the fact that the One thing consistent about it is that they consistently did not have the budget for two more legs

#i love you. six legged spider. #i love that any representation of 60s spider-man without fail only has the six legs. #i have the cute little 60s spiderman pointing meme funkos and it delights me to no end any time i see their cute little six legged spiders #sci speaks

[savingthedeadwebcomic]

Do you like sci fi? Aliens? Spookiness? Ghosts? What if I tell you there’s a webcomic that combines them all?

Yep! Saving the dead tells the story of lux magne, daughter of an alien ruler who wants seemingly nothing more then to destroy earth, their whole life changes when he not only destroys earth but also the humans who once lived on earth become ghosts and now start to haunt them, hilarity and plot ensues

I’m just a teenager making this webcomic for fun, and English is not my first language so expect some grammar mistake’s especially at the beginning

there’s also a lot of neurodivergent and lgbtq rep in it all based off my personal experiences with being both

You can read it here on this tumblr blog and on Instagram and webtoon

(If you saw this on a tag of a piece of media you like, that means that this piece of media either inspired or is similar to saving the dead, another reason for you to read it)

#promotion post #saving the dead #sci fi #alien #aliens #ghost #ghosts #lgbtq #lgbtq representation #autism #autistic #autistic representation #final space #dead end paranormal park #deadendia #portal #portal 2 #portal series #murder drones #the umbrella academy #tua #infinity train #Star Wars #welcome to dreamworld #indie #art #artists on tumblr #webtoon canvas #comic recommendations #original characters

[dr-lemurr]

Congrats on Your Book Launch, @jocarthage!

I loved their story so much that I had to draw Brian and Aaron! I was delighted by their relationship progression, and how they actually talk through challenging personal and social issues, and how Jo worked it all into the historical context of nuclear energy.

Read a preview and order Nuclear Sunrise here.

#Nuclear Sunrise #queer sci fi #queer fiction #lgbtq representation #book recommendations #Art inspired by a book #a friends book! #drlemurr art #artists on tumblr

[cripplecharacters]

Hello ! I have gone through your archives lately and I'm pretty sure that this question has not been answered but in case you already did, I'm sorry. So I want to write a fic about the series Warrior Nun, in which the main character is originally quadriplegic, but because of a magic halo, she is not for the rest of the show. I want to keep her disability as part of her character but I was wondering if it would be a problem if I wrote her as paraplegic instead of quadriplegic ?

Hi!

I will say upfront that I'm not familiar with the series, so I might be missing some context, but I think it's great that you're undoing the magical cure that she got!

The question is, why do you want her to be paraplegic over quadriplegic? That's kind of the whole thing here. Why? Before you answer, make sure you understand how quadriplegia actually works (I… wouldn't trust the original book's portrayal, based on the cure thing?). The "100% paralyzed below the neck" can be a type of it, but the vast majority isn't like that; it depends on the level and completeness. Quadriplegia means that there is paralysis present in all four limbs, not that every single muscle is fully paralyzed.

If it's because you're worried that if she's quadriplegic she won't be able to do XYZ, make sure that it's a correct assumption. People with quadriplegia can learn to drive, play video games, compete in very high-impact sports, whatever. There's a ton of adaptive technology out here!

We don't have any quadriplegic mods, so it's hard for me to give you any specific advice other than "research" and "ask why". If you want to see how a quadriplegic person can do stuff, I recommend you check out Mason Ellis' YouTube channel, and/or watch the documentary Murderball - it's about quad rugby and a lot more :)

I hope this helps!

mod Sasza

#mod sasza #anonymous #SCI representation

[jewelsisanoldman]

Sapphic leads, black lead, lead with anger outbursts who isn't villanized, working class lead, based on comic/graphic novel, praised for good rep, sci-fi/coming of age... praying Paper Girls doesn't end like I Am Not Okay With This did

#ianowt #paper girls #wlw representation #black representation #working class representation #sci-fi shows #coming of age stories #mac coyle #kj brandman #tiffany quilkin #erin tieng #syd novak #stanley barber #dina bryant #will never not be angry with Netflix for cancelling ianowt

[scholar-of-yemdresh]

Will anybody be interested if I made a list of adult transmasc and Nonbinary/transneutral main/major characters in adult fantasy and Science Books.

Because I'm legit sick of the infantilisation both within and outside the community. Why is so much of the NB and transmasc rep children 😭.

Even outside of the miniscule rep Even less of it are grown adult main characters. None of that side character's love interest is a trans dude business, or a they/them appears for one page and is never seen again.

Anyway I've got a handful of characters in books I've read/on my TBR and I want to share them with others looking for this kind of rep.

#adult fantasy #adult science fiction #adult sci-fi #lgbtq #queer representation #trans #transmasc #nonbinary #transneutral #also I'm not interested in romance so a NB mc in a capital R fantasy romance i don't give. shit about that guff lol #And why are so many grown ass trans(or queer in general) adults so invested in YA #Like Gawd damn all the rep shouldn't regulated to kids books. #by adult the characters need to be 20s and above #because if i used the 18/19 year old legal adult excuse way too much YA BS will clog the list lol #adult sff #books

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @piterelizabethdevries @stormandforge

There is not always a guarantee that a more realistic depiction of minority characters, our struggles and opression will be better when written in a realistic scenario.

Sometimes, the realistic scenario does a poor aproach in representation, while a fantasy or sci fi allegory or even a case where a minority viewer or reader identifies with a fantastical character that wasn't necessarily meant to be a metaphor for them, becomes the better received, most effective and respectful form of representation.

I am thinking primarily on the X-Men franchise as a comentary on passing, assimilation, minority opression and resistance, but other examples can be The Matrix, Nimona, the Star Trek franchise, fairy tales and their film adaptations, Dinosaurs, The Muppets...

Feel free to ad more examples.

#fantasy #social commentary #sci fi #allegory #aplicability #tumblr mutuals #fandom musings #pop culture #representation

[franklyn-newt]

Made a little graphic to show the rep featured in Synthetic Sea!

(x)

#nonbinary books #trans books #bookblr #sci fi writing #writerscommunity #writeblr #indie author #indie books #queer books #trans representation #nonbinary representation #bionics #autistic representation #bisexual #genderfluid