writinglyra

[writinglyra]

OC in Fifteen Quotes Tag

Tagged by @writinglyra here

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture their character/personality/vibe. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well!

In the spirit of my Camp NaNo story, the sad poet is up for this! In chronological order! I wonder if you can tell when it crosses over into the sequel I am Currently Working On

“It’s safe,” I said, like a proper big brother should, patting her head, “I promise.”

“Before I came to you? Probably twenty minutes,” I reply, opening my eyes and directing my gaze towards the ceiling, “It’s not just that, though. Today is also a dysphoric day, and I'm just… feeling everything a little too intensely.”

“There are consquences, Lia,” I say, frustration creeping into my voice, “history shows that much. I don’t want to be a repeat of—” My voice catches before I say his name, and I shake my head.

“Lia and I aren’t even from Earth,” I say, the words just spilling out at this point, “we’re refugees- our parents were killed and we barely got out with our lives- and it’s just-” I break into sobs again, once again falling into Mike’s arms.

“I know,” I reply, my voice barely more than a whisper. “But… that doesn’t change the fact that Lia absolutely needs to be kept safe. That fact that she’s my sister completely aside, keeping her alive to get back home and retake her throne is the right thing to do. Adriel needs stopped.”

“Dad is alive?” I finally manage to stammer, my voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and longing.

“Mike can share my room,” I squeak, and I immediately feel my face get hot. “I just- I mean to say-”

“I’m not,” I say, perhaps a little too quickly, because the doubt is obvious on his face. “I’m not frightened of you,” I insist again. “There’s just- There’s a lot going on, a-and I don’t like leaving Mike, and my shoulder still hurts-” I stop myself, putting a hand over my mouth to stem the flow of anxious words, before the full truth spills out.

“I know you’re right,” I finally admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “But it’s just… It’s been so ingrained in me that these abilities are wrong. I’ve always felt like I had to fit into this mold of what a Jack should be.”

“Fitting, honestly,” I mutter. “Almost poetic, to come back home the very way we left.”

“It happens pretty often,” I murmur whilst leaning into his side and putting my head on his shoulder. “Your sleep schedule doesn’t need to be as bad as mine.”

“Dad, I’m serious. I’m fine. I know- I know why you’re worried,” I grab the notepad and hug it to my chest. “It’s a problem, but I’m dealing with it. Promise.”

“I’m so-” I catch myself, and flinch, ducking my head. “Lia, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“You’ve NEVER gotten it! Never once! Of course you don’t. You’re perfect! No one has ever doubted if you can- can be good enough! No one looks at you and assumes you’re inherently going to be untrustworthy- dishonorable- no one assumes you’re a bad person because of something entirely out of your control! OF COURSE you don’t get it!”

“I’m not dying,” I finally manage, my voice hoarse. “I write to process those feelings. Give it back.”

Tagging: idk I had no takers in the wtw discord (probably because I asked at 1AM but oh well) so do it if you want and say I tagged you

#oooooh there's some juicy stuff in here #shout out #imaginationxlost

[writinglyra]

Thank you @zorya-km! I love how sassy Kael is.

Here's how the Project Ichor gang would say "A little help, please?"

Isaac: "Could I get a hand with this?" Jack: "Do I have to do everything around here?" Asuka: "I could use your help, if it's not too much trouble." Leyla: "You're better at this than me." Viridian: "Are you gonna just stand there or are you gonna be useful?" Indigo: "I have no idea what I'm doing."

I'll tag @imaginationxlost and @supersymmetrys. Your line is "I'm trying my best."

Dialogue/Character Voice Tag Game!

Thank you @inkhelm for tagging me !

Rules: Rewrite the given line in the voices of characters from your WIP of choice!

My line is “It's better if you leave.” I'll do it with my main WIP: Starborn Sonata.

Evya: "As your princess, I'm telling you to leave."

Atreus: "I'm sorry, but I think it'd be best if you left."

Miklos: “Consider this mercy. You don’t know the consequences of staying."

Jaromira: "For your sake, just... Get out."

Kael: "Do remind me why you're still here ?" Your line: "A little help, please ?" and I'm tagging some hoarders: @veneritia @writinglyra @moariin !

#tag game #ichor #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

OC in Fifteen Quotes Tag

Thank you to @serpentarii for tagging me in this! Check out their post here.

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture their character/personality/vibe. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well!

I rolled a random number and came up with Jack, so here's a selection to sum up my favorite sad asshole. Excuse the cursing, but without it, he just wouldn't be Jack.

“Don’t tell me you’re calling in your boyfriend,” he groaned.

“I vote that they fuck off."

“Seems like a whole lot of word salad just to say ‘Jack saved all our asses’. Again.”

“Since when do you care?” Jack bit. “And anyway, I’m sure he’d love it if you handcuffed him.”

"God, I need a coffee. And something to punch."

"At least out there I'm good at something, right?"

“You’re not my friend; you’re my handler. There’s a difference.”

“That’s what they got, right? That’s what they made me. Exactly what they wanted.”

“We’re an arsenal, Isaac," he said. "And you're a fucking automatic.”

"I thought you were supposed to be good at this. I swear to god, you would fall for the Trojan Horse."

"Here's some advice: don't listen to anything anyone here tries to tell you," he said. "And work on that right hook. It's like I'm getting pelted with a water balloon."

"What else is there?"

"I am not about to die in the suburbs."

"Look," he said. "I'm a much bigger asshole than you."

"To be honest, I'm just glad you're not dead."

I'll tag @imaginationxlost @supersymmetrys @charitet and @zorya-km

#tag game #ichor #excerpt #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

WTW PRESENTS OUR 40TH EVENT!

CALLING ALL THOSE WHO ARE FEELING SLIGHTLY MAD! JOIN US IN WONDERLAND FROM APRIL 1ST

It’s time to fall down the rabbit hole. While you find your way around the strange yet beautiful world that is Wonderland, meet an array of new friends - and a menagerie of new enemies. Your quest: fulfil the prophecy and slay the Jabberwocky! Do you have what it takes to be the best Alice of them all? Our Oraculum is telling us that it could be you…but who knows what is real and what is a dream, right? Eat the upelkuchen, drink the pishsalver, and take on the wrath of the Red Queen! Make sure to imagine six impossible things before breakfast. Ready to have the best adventure of your life? Come join us at WTW (Welcome to Wonderland) and get yourself ready. Starting APRIL 1ST, it’s up to you to write as many words for Camp Nano as you can! Ready to have the best adventure of your life? Come join us at WTW (Welcome to Wonderland) and get yourself ready. Starting APRIL 1ST, it’s up to you to write as many words for Camp Nano as you can!

EVENT RULES AND DETAILS

With our upcoming event we have had many people join our Discord server. This is the perfect time for us to release our FAQ about how we deal with events and such inside of them. If you are participating, please read through this!

THE SERVER

We have a leveling system in our server. The more you talk, the more you level up. We will kick people from the event if you have yet to reach CROOK aka LVL 5 as it is extremely easy to reach. All you have to do is talk. This is non-negotiable. CROOK is reachable within a day.

You must also give yourself roles from the role menu when you join! If you need help just ask a leader or mod. You will be also be kicked if you do not do this. We only require AGE and PRONOUNS. Other roles beside these DO NOT COUNT! Please do not join and not give yourself roles!

JOINING ONCE THE EVENT HAS STARTED

Please try and join before APRIL 1ST. Anyone who joins a week late (APRIL 8TH) will not be accepted into the event. You must be active. We will be more lenient with the level rule if you have just joined but if you continue to not be active and haven’t reached common within a week you will likely be kicked from the event.

HOW IT WORKS

Most of the information is contained within the document accessible within the server's event channels. Rather than word count, the leaderboard will be based upon the PERCENTAGE of how close you get to your word goal. Anyone who reaches their word count before the final few days will be asked to increase their goal to make it fair for slower writers. Please do not hesitate to speak or join the server. We are extremely welcoming and active, but if you cannot respect our rules then you cannot participate in our events.

HOW IS A RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK? JOIN OUR SERVER HERE! (discord.gg/earlgrey)

#wtwevent #event #nanowrimo

[writinglyra]

Find The Word Tag

Thank you @serpentarii for tagging me to find the words glean, fang, hall, and map. Read their excerpts here. These words give me Monsters and Majesty vibes so I'll be pulling from there.

Glean

He was far too practiced in the art of politics to glean anything from his expression, but Keroesa looked at him as though she knew the very truth of his soul. If he believed it or not, she of course couldn't tell, but she doubted he did. Such severity felt wrong on her face.

Fang

The handle of the knife sheathed on his leg was tipped with the polished fang of a wildcat--a Rokosan custom. There were no beasts like that on Merim.

Hall

She led him through the labyrinthine halls and narrow stairwells until they finally reached the edge of the highest roof—five stories above the steeply sloping hill on which the palace sat.

Map

She needed to look at him in the light--to memorize the freckles on his shoulders and the callouses on his hands as though they were the map that could lead her back home from this torture. But of course, they could not.

I'll tag @asablehart @sugar-phoenix and @veneritia to find the words fur, rain, razor, bone, and empty.

#tag game #monsters and majesty #excerpt #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

WTW PRESENTS OUR 39TH EVENT!

Snakes, why'd it have to be snakes! WelcomeToWriteblr invites you to treasure hunt with our board game event! We have prepared one writing prompt every day based on jewels. The top 3 participants with the most prompts completed will receive a prize of their choice at the end of the event.

From MARCH 8TH to APRIL 2ND, create something in response to that day's prompt and post it. You are welcome to do absolutely anything for the prompt of the day, whether it be a simple response to the prompt in relevant channels, a graphic, a drawing, an excerpt, a playlist, or a moodboard (as long as there is evidence you have responded!).

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

JOIN our discord server to receive the daily prompts and select the event role to access event channels! Please note, you must be 15 OR OLDER to enter our server!

Daily challenges will be released in the WTW event channels

Prompt responses must be completed within 24 hours of its release.

If you choose to post your response on Tumblr instead of event channels, tag your posts as #WTWEVENT and #WTWCOMMUNITY

Format your posts like this: WTW TREASURE HUNT - CHOSEN PROMPT

Wait for your post to be added to the queue.

NSFW content will not be posted to the blog.

#event

[writinglyra]

OC in Fifteen Quotes Tag

I was tagged by @lexiklecksi for this really fun game. Check out her post here.

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

Here are ten quotes that I think sum up Viridian from Project Ichor better than I ever could.

"If they were any good at their jobs we wouldn’t be here now, would we?"

“Oh, don’t go getting all sympathetic on me,” Viridian sighed. She stood up and took Indigo by the shoulder. “He got what he signed up for."

"Just come back," she said. "I worry about you."

“Everything you do is my business,” she said.

“We’re helping people here. It’s for the greater good.”

“You just love to argue, don’t you?” Viridian finally said. “That’s what this is. You just wanna see me mad.”

"It doesn't matter what they think. I know exactly what I am."

"Wouldn't you rather be righteous?" she asked.

“Please,” Viridian said. “I just— just need you.”

Viridian used to say "You're the best thing that I've got."

I'll tag @veneritia @thewritersplace and @cheshawrites

#i had to stop at ten because viridian dies in like act i #but god does she make an impression #tag game #ichor #excerpt #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

I should post flash fiction here again

#update

[writinglyra]

Happy STS! I hope your week has been kind to you :) which character do you find that you talk about the least? It there a specific reason you don’t talk about them much?

Thanks for asking! This is actually a fascinating question. At least for the main cast of Project Ichor, it's probably Asuka, but I'm not quite sure why that is.

It might be because Asuka is a bit of a unique case amongst the main characters in that she's mostly satisfied. She certainly has her fair share of trauma, like all my characters do, but she's not as troubled by it anymore. By the time the story starts, she's already come to terms with her life situation and believes she's managing it well.

Narratively, she's much more of a supporting character than the others. She has an arc, but it's not as central or big as Isaac's or Indi's or Jack's or even Leyla's. Primarily, she's there to represent a specific ideology and to be a driver of the more emotional subplots, not really to support one of her own.

It's sort of unfortunate because I find her very interesting as a character and I've thought a lot about why she thinks the way she does and what that means. It's just that most of the interesting things about her don't happen on the page. She's the kind of character I imagine would get a lot of fanfiction. Maybe I'll try to talk about her more.

#sts #ask #captain-kraken #ichor #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

Thank you @sourrcandy. Here's a snippet from Project Ichor.

Behind her, hanging over the back of a chair, were a pair of pointe shoes. They looked well-worn, though Indi supposed she wouldn't really know. "Are you a ballerina or something?" she asked. "Those shoes are nice." Leyla looked back and then her face did a funny thing--like she wasn't sure how she was supposed to answer that simple question. "I used to be," she said frowning. "I wanted to be. Now I'm more just... a person who does ballet."

I'll tag @cheshawrites @captain-kraken @writingamongther0ses and anyone else who wants to share!

no context tag

tagged by my favorite goncharov writer @veneritia kissing u

rules : post a snippet with no context from your last project

from knights...

False lies make up little romance, and she forces a smile to keep herself sane. “Don’t be cruel,” she says through the clench of her teeth.

“We can’t be too careful,” he says. She nearly laughs at that, because they have stationed ten of their lackeys to guard her cell, as if she is a threat when she is bound to the wall.

tagging — @sugar-phoenix @writinglyra @lexiklecksi @veneritia @thewritersplace @somealienquill

#tag game #excerpt #ichor #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

Gemstone themed Writeblr asks

Amethyst: Who is the Comfort Character™ of your wip

Jade: Your favorite relationship between two characters

Rose Quartz: Were any characters cut from the wip?

Amber: Something you learned from writing your wip

Sapphire: The most upbeat dialog or overall scene in your wip

Emerald: Which of your characters is hardest to write?

Opal: What motivates your protagonist to complete their goal?

Lapis: What makes your antagonist ‘the bad guy’

Topaz: What is the main conflict of your wip?

Malachite: What do the characters have to lose?

Carnelian: Does the story have a lesson to learn? What is it?

Pyrite: Could the antagonist and protagonist ever be friends?

Ruby: Is there any symbolism used in your wip?

Tiger's Eye: What are the tropes of your main cast?

Peridot: What is your protagonist’s greatest strength / weakness

Jasper: What is your antagonist’s greatest strength / weakness

Labradorite: What made you fall in love with your wip? What motivates you to write it?

#ask

[writinglyra]

This post has been very influential in the way I've approached writing about Isaac. He's not an amputee (though he was when I created him in middle school), but he does have reduced function in his arm due to muscle and nerve damage, and occasionally uses an orthosis, which he mostly dislikes.

Hi! I'm very interested in attempting to write a disabled character (not for this blog, I assure, for an book I'm writing) in which the story doesn't fetishize/objectify her prosthetic limb. I'm in many writing circles and have been for a long while, but I've never seen this issue brought to light which I realise is a very important one. I have much to change in my thought process, and thank you for bringing this issue to attention.

I'm curious, and I apologise if this has been asked before, but what sort of design could you see for a functional prosthetic that doesn't go for a plainly aesthetic appearance, or is soully to please others? I do note that you said prosthetics are generally... not that helpful. So is there a way that it could be? Or do you think it would always generally be better to not use a prosthetic, as its mostly for aesthetic purposes, as you said?

I apologise if this ask is too outright or anything, and I don't mean to intrude. Thank you for your time and have a beautiful day!

okay, i want to answer this as in depth as possible, because whenever i talk about having a prosthesis, someone will always tag some variation of "#writing reference" and i do wonder what message they're taking away, and i want to get as much of my experience out as possible to maybe help shape how this is all portrayed in the future. and yeah… this is gonna be one of those rambly smg posts that the expand feature was invented for, so i'll start with the very abridged TL;DR:

if you're writing a character with an upper limb prosthesis; don't. arm amputees are unicorn level rare even compared to leg amputees, and i've never interacted with or even heard of an upper limb amputee that regularly uses a prosthesis, let alone relies on one. fiction has lied to you for the sake of cool aesthetics, don't repeat the cycle. more in depth writing advice including nuance and "but i waaaant to" will follow.

that said, grab your donning parachute and let's get started...

context for everyone involved: i am an upper limb amputee that rants a lot about how prostheses suck, i lost my right hand roughly five years ago at roughly the age of 30 after a very rough decline in health… it was pretty rough. this question is being asked in the context of a previous rant post of mine, and i checked that the ask is about an upper limb prosthesis in particular.

the situation regarding the usefulness of lower limb prostheses is totally different; i am definitely no expert, but by all accounts, prosthetic legs are incredibly useful for many people. getting a good leg can be absolutely life changing and more or less necessary for day to day life for some; mostly because infrastructure and society is just so fucking hostile to wheelchair users. being able to walk - at the cost of pressure sores and rashes and increased residual limb pain - is a preferable option to many people than being unable to fit through a doorway or in a bathroom stall or find out that the key to unlock the only elevator is in the admin office up three flights of stairs (true story).

but upper limb prostheses… see, the thing is, hands are incredibly complex organs that rely on a lot of immediate haptic feedback to work at all. hand dexterity is all about control, you need fine granular movements of the digits yes, but you also need the subtle sensations of pressure and proprioception in order to adjust your movements on the fly. i speak from experience, in the years leading up to the full loss of my hand, i was slowly losing function of it, usually swinging between numbness that made it clumsy at best, or screaming overstimulation from moving it at all resulting in unpredictable spasms… and let me tell you, a half working hand is infuriating to try and deal with. you can never know if you have a good grip on something or if it's slipping because of the wrong amount of pressure, and there's only so many smashed bottles of pickles on the floor before you give up using it all together… so amputation wasn't a great loss there, i had time to adapt.

a prosthetic hand of any kind has all of those issues and more. they're heavy and bulky, the cosmetic faux fingers or gripping claw have crude movement at best, and there's zero feedback (put a pin in this). 100% of the time you're using a prosthetic hand you have to keep your eyes on the grip and visually guesstimate whether or not the thing you're carrying is held tight enough but not too tight, that is if your "heavy duty" prosthesis can even support the weight without the servos disengaging or the wrist attachment socket just busting loose. i dropped a whippersnipper on my foot last week when my socket couldn't take the weight and i think that was the final straw in me desperately trying to prove to myself that there is a single task my prosthesis actually helps with.

this is usually where fully two handed people start talking about bleeding edge DARPA tech, and how we just need to invest more,research more, develop more. better tech, more tech, neural integration, more more more. okay i promise the writing advice is coming! for starters on tech, my experience is already with a mid-to-high end ottobock terminal device: i've got a myoelectric nerve-signal operated proportional control heavy duty greifer; about the only upgrade left for me to get would be a rotating wrist joint if i could coflex. it's not military, it's not "rockclimber that owns a prosthetic company", but it's quality tech. it still fucking sucks. secondly, that high level military tech exists primary for PR purposes so they can say they treat their discarded casualties well, "we can rebuild him, we have the technology" style. every war vet i've read about or heard from that's been gifted that high level tech also abandons it for the same reasons; it's imprecise, there's no feedback (or the haptic interface has to be fully recalibrated every time they put it on), but mostly they're more capable without one.

okay, the transhumanist ableds say (i should know, i used to be one), what if we did more ~research and development~ and got that neural feedback working? then we could have fireproof superhumanly strong robot arms to fix up everyone! here's where i take out that pin we put up before and i tell you that a class of prosthetic arms/hands already exists that has perfect proportional control, fine motor control, and physics perfect pressure feedback piped directly into the patients' existing sensory systems! they're called body-powered prostheses, and they were invented in like the 1600s. you strap a whole bunch of stuff to your arm and shoulders shoulders, and control the operation of the terminal device and elbow through cable tension by flexing your shoulders. they do take a considerable amount of training to operate - though hell i spent 18 months training to use my myo - but based on everything i've read, body-powered prostheses are the best option if you're an upper limb amputee and absolutely need a second hand for some reason.

but they don't look cool and futuristic, and according to my prosthetist, most people give up on using them too. we all give up on our prostheses, no matter the type. my rehab OT was impressed i lasted the 18 months of my training. towards the end, they even asked if the clinic director could drop in to one of my sessions to see my progress; he expressed genuine amazement at me casually using my bulky robot claw to use a brush and dustpan, and made an offhanded (hah) comment about what someone can achieve "if they stick it out to the end", implying it was somewhat of a rarity for me to have done so. several years on, and yesterday i wedged the dustpan between my ankles to sweep up into it, awkward but exponentially less effort than putting my dusty robot arm on. which, by the way, is a whole thing. look up some videos, they're all awful to don. i don't actually know the official technical name of what my clinic calls a "parachute" but it's a bitch to use! have you ever tried to pull back with your arm whilst also pushing it forwards at the same time, and simultaneously lean in to and away from an external force pulling on you? that's how you get a myo socket on.

bare with me, i promise writing advice is coming, and i promise it's more than the tl;dr. but. remember when i said a half working hand is infuriating to deal with? any prosthesis, from fancy myo tech to pirate-era body powered, will only ever be half as good as a working hand, and being juuuust within capability to do something but not quite able to is maddening! but you know what works way better than a half working hand? no hand at all. using whatever residual/vestigial limb you have - whatever "stump" you have, i hate that word - is pretty much always better than trying to use a prosthesis. i can use the inside of my elbow to grip and carry things, i can use the nub of my arm to apply pressure to hold things, open doors, use a computer mouse, turn on taps and lights, if i put a glove over it i can use it to prep for cooking. i have full proprioception and pressure feedback with skin contact, i don't think i've ever dropped and broken anything from my elbow, unlike countless things slipped from my greifer - which, by the way, absolutely will start clenching as tight as it can if i get even slightly too sweaty around the electrodes, which has both broken things i'm holding and also injured me, because surprise surprise but servo operated robot claws have pinch points on them right near the "emergency disengage" lever for some reason!

but i am exponentially more capable without it on than with it. no, i'm not fully independent, i rely on housemates and loved ones to help me out with some tasks that simply just need two handed dexterity, but none of those tasks are things a prosthesis makes me able to do anyway. i used to imagine my prosthesis would be like a bra; a bit awkward and uncomfortable, but i'd wear it throughout the day because it's helpful and take it off in the evening to decompress. in reality it's actually exactly like a bra: an absolute bitch to put on one handed, unbearably uncomfortable because it never sits right, ugly af unless you're a millionaire, and absolutely useless except for the fact that i get gawked at and judged by strangers if i leave the house without it on.

and if you really want to discover how far "no hand is better than a half working hand" goes, brace yourself, and look up the patient's stories (not medical system stories) of people that have had hand transplants. the first man to receive one hated it, he was promised a return to normal function, and what he got was a nightmare worse than being one handed; he wanted it removed again but the doctors refused because it would undermine their grand achievement of the first hand transplant. the doctors and society wanted him to be fixed, they wanted him to be normal, they wanted him to be abled. they failed. they made him less able to do things, denied his autonomy, and left him with someone else's hand slowly rotting on him, prioritising the idea of "scientific progress" and "two hands good" over the physical health, mental health, and ability to function of this man.

he's not alone; every story from the patients' perspective about hand transplants that i've read goes this way, including a woman who was born quad limb different and was promised hands would improve her life, pressured into a double hand transplant, only to find herself after the surgery essentially experiencing disability for the first time ever, because she had lived her whole life getting by just fine with her 'underdeveloped' limbs, but half working hands are worse than useless. you can try to find these stories yourself, but i'm not going looking for sources on any of these cases, because if you look back through enough of my posts you'll get a glimpse of the horrors and abuses that i too was put through by doctors who prioritised trying to "fix" me at any cost, rather than providing me the best quality of life, and in turn traumatised me and left me more broken than any loss of limb on its own could. dear goddess, i promise the writing advice is coming.

so. why do upper limb prostheses exist at all? if they're so terrible and useless, what is their function? i want to borrow something someone else left in the tags of a previous rant here, from someone who i believe works in prosthetics and/or rehab, cleaned up and anonymised at their request:

"upper limb functions are wildly more complex than: 1) bear weight static, and 2) bear weight moving. but every single upper limb amputee i know has a fancy expensive prosthetic just gathering dust in the closet because there is literally nothing it can do like a few years of adjustment and if needed non-dominant hand retraining can't do. the existence of forquarter prosthetics to begin with is just kind of silly and useless and entirely to make OTHER people feel comfortable, especially considering they universally are UNcomfortable for the amputee. i hate the notion that as soon as you get the amputation the prosthetic is The Thing That Will Fix You And Make You Feel Normal again because it universally isn't! but every forequarter person i know had like this ideal of Being Fixed By Magic Prosthetic that they were then obviously wildly disappointed by and had to do yet another grieving process with, versus if the dominant narrative were just one of: yeah. it'll take time, there is no magic fix."

and i think that really nails down what the actual purpose of upper limb prostheses is: they're not for the user, they're for the sake of other people. and not just their comfort when looking at our bodies, although based on the pressure for both amputees and people born limb different to get functionless cosmetic plastic hands, there is a lot of that. but it's not just that.

i fully believe that the reason prosthetic hands exists is to comfort the fears of the two handed. "don't worry", they say, "we can fix you again. you don't have to fear becoming Disabled, you don't have to worry about adapting or your life changing. we can make you Normal™ again."

you would not believe the number of people that have approached me to shower me with pity, to tell me how horrific my life is, how they can't imagine it. people have told me, apropos of nothing, that they'd kill themselves if they lost a hand. indirectly, that my life isn't worth living. unless, of course, i happen to be wearing my cool as fuck looking robot prosthesis! then they tell me how wonderful it is, how lucky i am, how glad they are that we have the technology to fix me. that's what a prosthetic hand says, what all the happy fishing photos on limbs4life posters at the rehab clinic say: don't worry, we can fix you. that's what the bleeding edge DARPA flexi-whatever fully articulated neuro-feedback hands say: don't worry if you get IED'd while hunting civilians for us to drone bomb, if you get hurt, we will fix you, we will fix the fuck out of you, we will motherfucking adam jensen you into a cool as fuck cyborg that your son will idolise; come on boys, don't you wanna enlist just for the chance at being as cool as this? join the bomb squad for a ticket to the upgrade lottery.

and so we arrive at fiction. as much as his dialogue options protest, adam jensen loves his robot arms, they punch through walls, turn into fucking swords! they make him the most special man in the world. what would he do without them? learn to cope? grieve? practice acceptance? take up poetry? just, be disabled? there's no power fantasy for ableds in that.

in fact, can you think of a single fictional character that's an upper limb amputee that's, well, just an amputee? they all have robot arms. not realistic prostheses, not medical devices; robot arms. sleek or bulky, top of the line or broken down self built, steampunk or nanomachines or magitech automail; they're never without them. never just an amputee. never born limb different either! there's always that element of tragedy to overcome, always suffering and misery porn, always focus on the pain and the helplessness without the absolutely vital robot arm that makes them Normal and Whole. the closest amputee example i can think of is furiosa from mad max, who iirc fucking punches max in the face with her residual limb like a motherfucking badass! i can barely lean on mine wrong and she punches a guy! but she still apparently needs a dieselpunk robot hand to drive a truck, something you can do one handed so easily most drivers don't even notice they're doing it! please don't, by the way

and so many disabled fans love to point to robot armed characters as disability representation; the winter soldier, luke skywalker, edward elric, misty knight, that genderswapped furry girl from ratchet and clank, jet cowboybebop, finn the human, and yes, adam jensen…. these are all characters that someone disabled i know has told me they love because they "represent disabled bodies"…. and i know nobody wants to hear this, because i've been screamed at for saying it before, but… they do not. they are not disabled, functionally or within fiction. they are either perfectly able bodied Normal people with chrome paint on an arm, or tortured misery porn we are supposed to pity and feel lucky we're not them. sometimes both!

also you ever notice how it's basically always arms? lower limb amputations are orders of magnitude more common than upper, my prosthetist said i was probably only the 4th or 5th upper limb she'd worked with in her career, with literally hundreds of lower limb fits. but fiction doesn't seem to reflect that, huh? or any other part of the reality of disability. it's always cool as fuck robot arms, never cool as fuck wheelchairs or crutches or dialysis machines or colostomy bags. a fair few "i was blind but now i can see with Robot Eyes and also infrared and xray" around, which again, plays into that "we can fix you and make you cooler" propaganda.

by the way, up above when i was describing body powered arms, if you wondered to yourself why i went with a myoelectric one instead when i clearly believe body powered is better… yeah. i am not immune to propaganda! i too wanted to be cool as fuck. i spent years with deteriorating function in my hand for reasons that are still unknown, was misdiagnosed and medically neglected to the point that removing my hand seemed to be the only option left to offer some relief, and even that was a clusterfuck that left me worse than ever… of course i wanted to believe in the power and prestige of a cool robot arm that fiction promised me.

but fiction promises fantastical lies. and so.

we get to the writing advice portion of the novella that is this post. you asked for advice on how to write a disabled character with an upper limb prosthesis. you've read the tl;dr, you've read everything above i assume, you know i don't want you to do it. the obvious twist is that it's been writing advice all along, me trying to share my perspective on what it's like being an amp with a robot arm and how shitty it is, implying how almost any fully realised and realistic character that's missing an upper limb would give up on a prosthesis at all. you can already tell that every value judgement in me says "don't give her a prosthesis, no matter how functional or cool you make it. don't try to make the tech better to justify it, just let her be one armed, one handed. just let her be disabled, but not helpless. let her show off her elbow or underarm carry strength. let her love interest appreciate how soft and squishy her residual limb is in a moment of tenderness. let her natural disabled body be respected and valued."

but that's a personal value judgement from me, and you are the author of your own work. i know it's trite to say, but you are! even the act of deferring to someone with lived experience in the hope of doing a better job at representation is a value judgement, a good choice in my opinion, but one you needn't necessarily take. maybe you do want to write a character that has a cool as fuck unrealistic robot arm as a power fantasy, or a comfort blanket… i did.

i've been slowly writing my own probably terrible scifi epic for over a decade now, and when my arm was giving me hell back then, i'd take great comfort in this fantasy of my protagonist with her chunky robot arm, the terrible traumatic suffering of her loss, overcoming, the power and ability her advanced prosthesis gives her over others, that she alone has access to, because others are not willing to make the sacrifices required. inspiration porn. awful stuff to me now, but empowering to me then. as i grew and gained direct experience, i slowly reimagined her, rewrote her, ship of theseus'd her into an entirely new character; a reflection of me now, bitter at the whole thing, spiteful that her natural flesh arm evokes fear and distrust, but unwilling to suffer the pain and frustration of her unnatural prosthesis just to make others comfortable and respect her as "whole", however artificial that whole is. and as with the ship of theseus being two ships, once i realised the transformation, i re-added the old protagonist back in whole cloth as a separate character; proud of her robot arm and its power, but in new context, as a foil and antagonist, an in-universe military prosthesis propaganda figure to reflect how i now feel characters like her exist to us, the readers.

i'm not just sharing that as egotistical self promotion, but to highlight that, even if i sit here begging you all up and down not to write characters with robot arms for how bad and unrealistic they are; there's still something genuine and true that their inclusion can say. the great thing about the story that you're writing is that only you can write it, as they say. but i whole heartedly believe that to write to your best, you have to be aware of what you're writing and why. as tempting as it is to feel these characters form naturally in us and therefore we're averse to changing traits about them that feel organic and self evident; as authors we have omnipotent control over the text, every trait and detail is a reflection on us, so we'd sure as hell better understand why we're choosing to write a character with this trait. because anything you write without being aware of intent will take on its own meaning in the space between.

and on that note, if i don't say this, i'm leaving it to be inferred: i definitely don't want to appear to come down on the side of saying "you cannot write an amputee unless you are one", because we are rarer than single young bisexual unicorns! and it would be a tragedy if anyone read through all this and then turned away in fear, deciding to never write an amputee character (with or without robot arm) because they feel they can't do it justice… believe me, no matter what anyone says, some hack writer somewhere is going to keep writing adam jensens and winter soldiers. don't let them be the only voices in fiction! just try to do your best.

so my ultimate advice on the topic of writing a character with a prosthetic limb is to ask yourself one question in two different frameworks, and meditate on what you feel the answer is:

why does she have a prosthesis?

from a doylelist perspective as the kids say, as an author with omnipotent control, why are you choosing to write about this topic? why are you choosing to give this trait to this character? what does it say about how you view ability and disability, what makes a person normal, and what our society values? will you let her be in her natural body? or will you give her a prosthesis, force her to wear it by authorial fiat, or author her a meaningful reason to choose to? if yes, be sure you know; why did you give her a prosthesis?

and from a wastonian perspective, diegetically, inside the story, why does she choose to wear a prosthesis? what does it say about her inner character, and how she interacts with the world? how does she feel about doing it, is she prideful and loves the attention she gets, or does she resent whatever necessitates its use? how do people in this world view ability and disability, what does this society value? and above all, whatever the answer to these questions, whether or not she uses a prosthesis or is badass without one, how does she deal with the eternal freezing cold that every amputee ever feels constantly in their residual limb and why does nobody make a heat pack that fits over a nub without drafty gaps???

i can't outright tell you how to write a good upper limb amputee, but if you at least know why you're writing one and for what purpose, you're on track to write the best character that you can. that's the best advice i can give… other than, like, this whole rambly mess.

and, as a reward for reading this far, please have a very blurry cryptid photo of my cat doing his old man sit:

#reference #discussion #ichor

[writinglyra]

Do you have a map of the world in When Comes The Dawn, or can you explain the geography? I'm kind of confused about the kingdoms.

Thanks for the ask anon!!!

I did have a map for WCTD, but it was so old and outdated that Aetier was still a kingdom that bordered fantasy fake Germany. So to answer this ask, I went ahead and made a new map! (Shout out to Pris @serpentarii for sending the map tutorial they use, I owe you my life). It's not super duper accurate, just because there are details I forgot to add, and I'm still squinting at the general shape of the borders, but its mostly correct.

When Comes the Dawn takes place on the continent of Raia, primarily in the Aetierian Empire. Below is a map showing Aetier and its two plot-significant neighbors, the kingdoms of Hesperia and Leohthal

The empire owes much of its prosperity to their control over the Iphegenian Sea, considering as its a gateway of trade between the continents of Raia, Ior (to the east), and Ostri (to the south). The Empire's capital, Kaelstanopoli (not marked), was at the center of this trade route.

Important geopolitical developments for WCTD though is Hesperia coming under Aetier's rule during the Hes-Aei war (though most people in Aetier just call it Dantalion's Hesperian campaign).

Below are pre-war (before the book) and post-war (when the book starts) maps of Aetierian territory.

Fun fact! Hesperia and Aetier used to be one country, with Hesperia being the empire's "birthplace" and eastern/south-eastern Aetier being the financial capital. Hesperia's secession from the Empire occurred during the Era of Three Crowns, a period of civil war where 3 vi Aetier heirs (Anastasia, Theophanes, and Karas) waged war against one another for the throne.

Long story short: Anastasia defeated Theophanes and declared herself Vasilier. Karas seceded his territory from Aetier and became king of Hesperia. Both groups were too exhausted with fighting to continue on (though the rivalry between both countries persisted through the centuries).

Not exactly sure what to cover with geography, so if you have any more questions, feel free to send an ask!

#shout out #i love a good map and this #this is a good map #veneritia

[writinglyra]

🌸My Super Long Hopefully Fun Character Ask Game:

👕Appearance

What is your character's favorite physical trait they possess?

What would your character wear if they were told they had to gussy up?

Is there something about your character's appearance that they would change if possible?

Does your character have a favorite material they like to wear?

What are your character's opinion on scars?

How much interest does your character take in trends?

Is there someone your character tries to look similar to?

Does your character have a physical trait that they're known for?

What does your character smell like?

If your character could splurge on a particular garment, what would it be?

Is your character's favorite color a color they wear often?

Has your character gone through major stylistic or physical changes?

What is something your character would refuse to wear?

Is there a style your character is afraid they can’t pull off?

Would your character wear something someone else picked out for them?

Is your character's appearance more telling or deceiving?

What are your character's thoughts on wearing costumes?

Does your character have a favorite outfit?

If your character had to get a tattoo what would it be?

📦Objects

Is there an item your character doesn't like to leave without?

What gift would your character give to someone they didn't like but felt obligated to?

What type of object is likely to catch your character's attention?

Is there an item your character liked that they can’t get back? 

Would your character ever try to haggle?

What is something your character is proud to own?

Does your character ever spend more than they have?

What would it take for your character to give up an item they really like?

Does your character prefer to give or receive gifts?

Is there a type of object your character doesn’t like?

What might an acquaintance think is a good gift for your character?

Does your character personify objects?

What does your character most enjoy shopping for?

Is there an item your character is embarrassed they own or want?

Would your character prefer something bought or made personally?

Is your character willing to ask for things?

What is most important to your character when shopping?

🍽️Food and Drink

What flavor would your character say their personality is?

Would your character prefer baking, cooking or mixing drinks?

Is there a food or drink your character is unwilling to try?

How big is your character's appetite?

Does your character consider eating fun?

Would your character eat or drink something they didn't like to appease someone?

Is there food that has made your character sick?

What is your character's favorite food group?

Does your character like to try new foods?

What is a childhood meal your character cherishes?

Is your character food motivated?

Which mealtime is your character's favorite?

How much does your character care about wasting food?

Does your character prefer restaurant food or home cooked food?

What food or drink does your character consider a treat?

Is there a food texture your character doesn't like?

What kind of drinks does your character prefer?

🌤️Weather and Nature

What would your character do if they were suddenly caught in the rain?

Has your character had a meaningful encounter with an animal?

What season would your character say they're most similar to?

Is there a natural phenomenon that scares your character?

Has your character ever had an animal phase?

Would your character enjoy sky gazing?

Does your character have a good sense of direction?

What type of environment does your character like best?

Is your character good with animals?

How would your character react to snow?

What part of nature would your character most resonate with?

Could your character survive in the wilderness on their own for a week or more?

What element best represents your character?

Does your character prefer hot or cold weather?

Is there a creature that scares your character?

What celestial body would interest your character the most?

Is your character good with plants?

How willing would your character be to nap outside?

What animal would your character say best represents them?

🤝Community and Relationships

Does your character prefer company or solitude when sick?

What is your character's favorite kind of social event?

How comfortable would your character be singing and dancing in front of others?

Is your character upfront about their feelings?

Who would your character first seek if they needed medical help?

How willing would your character be to go to a party with people they don't know?

Who is your character most honest with?

How likely is it for your character to initiate a friendship?

Where is your character's comfort place?

Is there a habit your character has that they learned from someone else?

Does your character have people they think would worry about them if they got injured?

How would your character react to being put in a position of leadership?

Would your character be good at providing medical assistance?

Who would your character say knows them best?

Is there a person your character would turn to for backup in a fight?

Who would your character most want to sign their cast if they got one?

How well does your character work with others?

What is your character's favorite form of affection?

Does your character enjoy celebrating holidays?

What would it take for your character to get into a fight?

💓Mind, Body and Soul

What is a habit your character has that others might find cute?

Are there particular sounds your character is fond of?

Is your character more prone to fight or flight?

Does your character believe in myths and fairy tales?

What words could tear your character down?

How well does your character act under pressure?

Is your character good at practicing self-care?

What scents does your character find comforting?

Does your character have any allergies?

Is your character a light, medium or heavy sleeper?

Does your character have strong willpower?

Is your character more likely to give advice or seek it?

How does your character relax?

Is there a secret thing your character longs to hear?

Does your character have a sleep routine?

Would your character feel confident in a fight?

Is your character more energized in the morning, afternoon or at night?

How often does your character have nightmares?

Are there scents your character dislikes?

Is there a fear your character wants to learn to overcome?

If your character had to act in a play what role would they think they’d best perform?

Does your character have a high pain tolerance?

🎲 Hobbies and Activities

What kind of games does your character most enjoy playing?

Does your character have a secret hobby?

What is a talent your character wishes they had?

Is there an activity your character used to enjoy that they now dislike?

Which does your character try to prioritize more, work or hobbies?

Does your character work better with creative or technical endeavors?

What is a talent that your character is proud of?

Is your character more outdoorsy or indoorsy?

What is a topic your character would be excited to talk about? 

Is there a skill your character doesn’t know they’re bad at?

Does your character have any injury stories?

What kind of music does your character enjoy?

Has your character ever made something for themselves or someone else?

What is your character’s opinion on cheating in games?

How good is your character at following through on projects?

What’s an activity that reminds your character of someone else?

Does your character prefer music or silence?

What is a topic your character wouldn't want to talk about?

#ask

[writinglyra]

WTW VALENTINE'S WEEK - DAY FIVE: AGAPE

"I want to help," she said plainly. Isaac shook his head. "You don't owe her that. You don't need to avenge her." "I don't owe her anything," Indi agreed. "But I want to help. So no one else gets hurt."

#wtwevent #wtwcommunity #ichor #excerpt #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

WTW VALENTINE'S WEEK - DAY FOUR: PHILAUTA

This scene is actually from a character study piece I wrote like a year ago and isn't in the current draft, but I couldn't think of a better example of Asuka's self-love.

"Fine. If you want moral absolutism, I can give you some," Asuka said dryly. "I believe people should be judged by the sum of their works. And for all they did to get there, the sum of those people's works was me. And I think I was worth it." The muscles of her back pulled and brought her wings higher, furling the feathers into the light. "I'm a good thing, Jack," she said, with no sense of regret. "I'm worth something."

#wtwevent #wtwcommunity #ichor #excerpt #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writinglyra

[writinglyra]

WTW VALENTINE'S WEEK - DAY THREE: EROS

"It's different here," is all he said. He didn't look up because he knew how Alex's face would look and what that would do to him. "Then tell me how, Issac. How is it different?" The words were all softness. Everything Isaac wanted gone. And suddenly, he didn't want to speak because he wasn't sure what he would say--only that he'd regret it. It's just protocol. I'm not Isaac here. I don't want you to get hurt. Maybe I'm worried I'm going to kiss you and then I won't be able to stop. His hands started shaking and he was pathetic. He was a child and he was pathetic. He bit down on his cheeks until he felt like he couldn't. "Do you remember when we met?" he asked instead. The words tasted desperate. "Of course I do," Alex said. And, somehow, he wasn't leaving. "Do you-- do you remember what you asked me? The first thing?" He didn't give him time to say. "You asked me what I wanted you to call me." Now, Alex blinked, and took a moment to breathe. "I do," he said slowly. "No one ever asked me that before." Isaac confessed it, though every fiber of his body begged him to not. "You-- You're the only one to ever ask that." Alex was quiet for a long time, then. Until he finally said, "I'm sorry."

#wtwevent #wtwcommunity #ichor #excerpt #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writingyra