#represented are. or even what people consider disabilities like take facial differences! that’s a disability and it’s alllll over media but

[lexalovesbooks]

This is gonna sound so mean and bad but like… it kind of sucks looking through pages of disability book recs and 95 percent of them are all mental disabilities with maybe one physical disability and most of the time the one physical disability book is either like, six of crows or nimona

[dannyphannypack]

Writing ASL: Techniques to Write Signed Dialogue

Hey, guys! I've been reading a lot of DC Batfamily fanfiction lately, and in doing so I realized how little I see of ASL being represented in written text (love you, Cass!). I wanted to briefly talk about tactics to writing American Sign Language (ASL), and ways that these techniques can help improve your writing in more general contexts!

SOME THINGS BEFORE WE GET STARTED

I will be discussing everything in terms of ASL! If you have a character who uses Chinese Sign Language or even British Sign Language, the same rules will not necessarily apply! Don't be afraid to do some extra research on them.

Do not let this dissuade you from writing a character who signs ASL! This is by no means the end-all be-all to writing ASL dialogue, and I do not intend this post to insinuate that by writing ASL the same way you write English you are deeply offending the Deaf community. If this is something you're interested in though, I highly recommend experimenting with the way you write it! Above all, have fun with your writing.

Related to 2nd rule, but still very important: not everyone will agree that sign language should be treated/written any differently than English. This is a totally valid and understandable stance to take! I do not hope to invalidate this stance by making this post, but rather to introduce an interested audience to how ASL operates in the modern world, and how that can be translated into text.

ADDRESSING SOME MISCONCEPTIONS

ASL is the same as English, just with gestures instead of words.

Actually, no! There is a language that exists that is like that: it's called Signing Exact English, and it's an artificial language; i.e., it did not come about naturally. All languages came from a need to communicate with others, and ASL is no different! It is a language all on it's own, and there is no perfect 1:1 way to translate it to English, just as any spoken language.

2. But everyone who signs ASL knows how to read English, don't they?

No, actually! Because it's a completely different language, people who sign ASL and read English can be considered bilingual: they now know two languages. In fact, fingerspelling a word to a Deaf person in search for the correct sign does not usually work, and is far from the preferred method of conversing with Deaf people.

3. Because ASL does not use as many signs as we do words to articulate a point, it must be an inferior language.

Nope! ASL utilizes 5 complex parameters in order to conversate with others: hand shape, palm orientation, movement, location, and expression. English relies on words to get these points across: while we may say "He's very cute," ASL will sign, "He cute!" with repeated hand movement and an exaggerated facial expression to do what the "very" accomplishes in the English version: add emphasis. Using only ASL gloss can seem infantilizing because words are unable to portray what the other four parameters are doing in a signed sentence.

4. Being deaf is just a medical disability. There's nothing more to it.

Fun fact: there is a difference between being deaf and being Deaf. You just said the same thing twice? But I didn't! To be deaf with a lowercase 'd' is to be unable to hear, while being Deaf with an uppercase is to be heavily involved in the Deaf community and culture. Deaf people are often born deaf, or they become deaf at a young age. Because of this, they attend schools for the Deaf, where they are immersed in an entirely different culture from our own. While your family may mourn the loss of your grandfather's hearing, Deaf parents often celebrate discovering that their newborn is also deaf; they get to share and enjoy their unique culture with their loved one, which is a wonderful thing!

YOU MENTIONED ASL GLOSS. WHAT IS THAT?

ASL gloss is the written approximation of ASL, using English words as "labels" for each sign. ASL IS NOT A WRITTEN LANGUAGE, so this is not the correct way to write it (there is no correct way!): rather, it is a tool used most commonly in classrooms to help students remember signs, and to help with sentence structure.

IF THERE'S NO CORRECT WAY TO WRITE IN ASL, THEN HOW DO I DO IT?

A most astute observation! The short answer: it's up to you. There is no right or wrong way to do it. The longer answer? Researching the culture and history, understanding sign structure, and experimenting with description of the 5 parameters are all fun ways you can take your ASL dialogue to the next level. Here are 3 easy ways you can utilize immediately to make dialogue more similar to the way your character is signing:

Sign languages are never as wordy as spoken ones. Here's an example: "Sign languages are never wordy. Spoken? Wordy." Experiment with how much you can get rid of without the meaning of the sentence being lost (and without making ASL sound goo-goo-ga-ga-y; that is to say, infantilizing).

Emotion is your friend. ASL is a very emotive language! If we were to take that sentence and get rid of the unnecessary, we could get something like "ASL emotive!" The way we add emphasis is by increasing the hand motion, opening the mouth, and maybe even moving the eyebrows. It can be rather intuitive: if you mean to say very easy, you would sign EASY in a flippant manner; if you mean to say so handsome, you would sign handsome and open your mouth or fan your face as if you were hot. Think about a game of Charades: how do you move your mouth and eyebrows to "act out" the word? How are you moving your body as your teammates get closer? There are grammar rules you can certainly look up if you would like to be more technical, too, but this is a good place to start!

Practice describing gestures and action. ASL utilizes three dimensional space in a lot of fun and interesting ways. Even without knowing what a specific sign is, describing body language can be a big help in deciphering the "mood" of a sentence. Are they signing fluidly (calm) or sharply (angry)? Are their signs big (excited) or small (timid)? Are they signing rushedly (impatient) or slowly? Messily (sad) or pointedly (annoyed)? Consider what you can make come across without directly addressing it in dialogue! Something ese about ASL is that English speakers who are learning it tend to think the speakers a little nosy: they are more than able to pick up on the unsaid, and they aren't afraid to ask about it.

Above all, don't be afraid to ask questions, do research or accept advice! New languages can be big and scary things, but don't let that make you shy away. Again, there is nothing wrong with deciding to write ASL the same as you write your English. I've personally found that experimenting with ASL dialogue in stories has aided me in becoming more aware of how to describe everything, from sappy emotional moments to action-packed fighting scenes. Writing ASL has helped me think about new ways to improve my description in more everyday contexts, and I hope it can be a big help to you as well, both in learning about Deaf culture and in pursuing your future writing endeavors. :)

P.S: I am quite literally only dipping my toes into the language and culture. I cannot emphasize how important it is to do your own research if it's someting you're interested in!

P.P.S: I want to apologize for my earlier P.S! What I meant by “I am … dipping my toes into the language and culture” was in direct regards to the post; what I should have said is “this post is only dipping its toes into the language and culture.” While I am not Deaf myself, I am a sophomore in college minoring in ASL and Deaf Culture, and I am steadily losing my hearing. Of course, that does not make me an authority figure on the topic, which is why I strongly encourage you to do your own research, ask your own questions, and consult any Deaf friends, family, or online peers you may have.

[skinwalker-bratz]

Hello, do you enjoy when people change the creeps? For example, change their race? Height? Etc? Like when I see that with some fanart it bothers me.

Since you are changing the characters and what did you see that needed to be ‘fixed’? I know some creepypasta creators are problematic and not the greatest but at least keep their characters how they envisioned them. Because these fanon characters are dookie to me.

What are your thoughts?

Warning: The text below contains opinions.

For me, I honestly don't care, everyone can have their own view of the characters that doesn't change anything in anyone's life. I myself have my own view of some characters, for example, for me, Nina is black and why not? Because if there's something that bothers me a lot about canon characters, it's that all, if not most, are white, thin and most of them even have light eyes. What I saw most of Canon representation in this fandom was Toby, who is disabled, and Cat Hunter, who is Latino.

Like, you can count on your fingers how many characters are not standard, not to mention their bodies, where everyone is either thin or muscular and tall. The only character closest to being fat that I saw was Tim, but he's not even a creepypasta and he's a real guy, and yet there are people who draw him as a twink. Of course, it makes a lot more sense for them to have athletic bodies since they are all killers or human hunters, but not everyone will be tall and have 0 percentage of fat.

And that's not to mention that everyone is always represented as if they were models and with facial features considered beautiful, even though they have horrible scars and wounds. And let's agree that it doesn't make much sense for the story of most of them since a good part of the creeps were socially excluded, if they were very beautiful that would be different, pretty privilege exists.

But representation in this fandom isn't that great, I don't see many famous artists drawing them in any other way,When the characters' ethnicity, height and weight change, it's usually one or the other and you never see that again. I believe it's because the fandom itself doesn't value this, since I've seen people get hurt when they draw Nina or Jane as black women. Besides, they only give attention to male, young and white characters with an acceptable appearance as i already said in my post on how to create a famous creepypasta oc.

So I prefer to change some characters in my conception to be more realistic, since real people have differences, have different ethnicities and non-standard bodies most of the time. I've never written how I hc the characters but maybe I can do that someday, I know not everyone won't like it, because I won't always see them as young and pretty, especially the guys. Maybe I'll get hate for making them like real human beings 💀

But anyway, this was just another rant from me and I'm not going to express too much of my opinion to avoid getting hate here. because I know that this fandom is run by fangirls and so it's better that way to make more attractive fanfics and smuts, and gain more views with fan art. So just don't take it as an attack or something personal, because it's just my opinion and how I think and whether I share it or not, our life remains the same.

Sorry for the bible here, kisses 💋

[lunannex]

Character Design of Latinos 

by a Latina who is tired of y'all not doing your research.

—————

First of all, please keep in mind that I don't speak for anyone but myself. You should never stop at just one source of information, and I would honestly really advise you to listen to other Latinos —especially other Latinos of color— to hear their thoughts and perspectives as well. And second, please remember that Latino is not a race! I can't believe I even have to say this, but the term refers to anyone who is from Latin American or who has Latin American heritage or descent and should never be referenced as a race. Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's dive right into it!

—————

People don't seem to realize that Latinos can come in all shapes, colors and sizes. People like Sofia Vergara and Michael Peña shouldn't be your only source of reference when trying to figure out what you want your character to look like. As I mentioned here, Latinos are diverse not just in our cultures but also in our appearances and, contrary to popular belief, we're not a monolith of people that all look alike. Latin Americans, just like every other ethnic group, have an incredible amount of genetic diversity.

Don't believe me? Just look at all these people:

Now, what do they have in common? They're all Latinos. See how they all have different skin tones, facial structures, hair textures and body types? Yeah, they don't look the same to me.

A character's design can reflect their personality and give the audience a good idea of who they are as people. And just as whatever languages a Latino does or doesn't know shouldn't invalidate their identity, neither should their appearance.

The thing about character design when it comes to marginalized groups is that it goes hand-in-hand with all the stereotypes that are constantly perpetuated. 

Why are Afro-Latinos only portrayed as maids, nannies or drug dealers? Why are the Latinos that look like Michael Peña portrayed as violent or lazy? Why are they always the comedic relief, immigrants or people with a lower-class status? Why are the Latinas that look like Sofia Vergara and JLo portrayed as spicy and exotic mistresses? I mean, we obviously know why, but I'm just saying, if that's what you think all Latinos are like then you are in desperate need of a wake up call.

There's this huge misunderstanding of the Latino identity. The misconception that we all have the same tanned skin tone, the same facial structures, body types, hair textures, personalities, etc. when that's...really not the case. Society has taught a lot of people that if our appearances don't fit in with this unrealistic ideal they have of us, our identities are therefore invalidated. And this misconception causes Black, Indigenous and Mixed Latinos to be underrepresented or entirely dismissed in media and society in general more often than not. 

I want to add that while white Latinos' identities do get invalidated from time to time as well —I say this because one of my best friends is a white Latino but since he's, well, white, some people don't seem to believe him and just seem to think that he's joking—, it's not nearly to the same extent as the types of Latinos that I mentioned beforehand do. White Latinos still hold a lot of privilege in society despite this.

Also just an important note that you should keep in mind and take into consideration: just because a Latino is white doesn't mean that they don't or can't have features that are more frequently associated with their ethnicity.

It's alright to portray light-skinned Latinos. Like I said, we're very diverse. But you have to question your reason for making the character have that skin color. Remember, you are the creator. You're the one in control of all these decisions and if all of your characters are portrayed as light-skinned people then you really have to take a step back and reevaluate your decisions because that right there sounds a lot like colorism. 

When you say you want more Latino representation, you should be referring to all kinds of Latinos. You shouldn't just mean the ones that you and the rest of society consider acceptable. And no, it's not exactly your responsibility to create diverse characters, but if you're preaching about diversity and sitting on your high horse then I sure do hope that you're willing to actually do something about it. Performative activism is harmful and, at the end of the day, does absolutely nothing if you're not willing to put the work into it.

Additionally, don't be afraid of implementing aspects of their culture into their design. Let them be proud of their culture, let them engage in it. However! Please don't take this as an excuse to center their entire personality around their culture. You may think you're doing something when, really, you aren't. You're just feeding into all the harmful stereotypes and not making any actual effort to add real depth to your character (looking at all the people that make celebrating Día de los Muertos, eating tacos, and liking "Gasolina" and "Despacito" their character's only defining personality traits).

Personally, I would love to see more of the following:

• A thin-lipped and curly-haired Latina.

• A Latino with freckles. This one may seem strange but most of the time I just see Latinos with moles, not that there's anything wrong with that (I have a lot of them myself), but it'd be nice to see some variation.

• For a Latina to be considered beautiful without being fetishized and objectified.

• A Latino who doesn't fit the "sexy macho" stereotype to be considered desirable.

• More LGBTQ+ Latinos, especially ones who are POC.

• Black, Indigenous, Asian and Mixed Latinos.

• Disabled Latinos.

• Jewish Latinos.

• Muslim Latinos.

• Latinos with different body types.

• Soft-spoken Latinos.

• Successful Latinos who are well-off.

• Latinos who are allowed to be emotionally vulnerable.

• Latinos with complex storylines and realistic flaws.

• Latinos at the center of the story instead of just existing in the background for the sake of "diversity".

• Just more positive and diverse representation overall.

There's not enough positive portrayals out there of us, and it's exhausting having to sit back and watch as my people get portrayed so negatively. Am I saying that there's no good representation out there for us? No, there absolutely is good representation (ex. In The Heights, On My Block, One Day at a Time, Coco, Miles Morales, Luz Noceda from The Owl House, the Molina family from Julie and the Phantoms, etc.), but that doesn't take away from the fact that a lot of the representation that we have throughout all types of media is, for a lack of better word, bad.

And you can't just say, "Oh, but at least you have representation, can't you be at least a little grateful? Why are you complaining so much?" because you don't get to decide what people are and aren't allowed to be upset about. Despite the positive representation that exists out there, it tends to be overshadowed seeing as a lot of people still view us through this negative lense that they've consistently been told to believe is true when it's really not.

All types of Latinos deserve to be represented in a positive light. So make sure the character you're portraying feels like an actual person as opposed to an offensive one-dimensional caricature because sometimes having bad representation is worse than having no representation at all.

[storytelling-101]

Character Development — Part D

So, following the General Information is the Physical Information about your character. As mentioned before, this category is pretty much the most important one to be fleshed out properly, because your character will very likely be introduced by their appearance the very first time they appear.

Physical Information

Height Rather self-explanatory. The height can be noted down in your preferred measurement unit like meters/centimeters/foot/inch/ ... or a fictional unit. You can put a conversion into a common measurement unit i.e. in brackets for comparison purpose.

Weight This is the same as with height. You can either choose a universal unit or use a made-up one.

Body Type/Shape Body type, in this case, refers to type such as the common female types apple/pear/hourglass figure. The shape depicts the level of fitness of the character. This can reach from lean/skinny over muscular to curvy/fat. If you want, you can also add if your character is ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph.

Species This comes in most useful if you write a fantasy story. The species would illustrate if someone is human/beast/demon/dark elf/ ... or anything you can think of.

Ethnicity Ethinicty is one of the most sensitive points in the character sheet, especially because it covers such a wide range of information. Determining someone as i.e. Banjarese/Hani/Komi/ ... gives a lot of information about a person’s ancestry, history, homeland, language and cultural heritage. However, be very careful when filling out this point, because it can happen very quickly that the character becomes an annoying avatar of a stereotypical representative of your chosen ethnicity.

Current Health A rather important but often overlooked point, I think. It gives you a lot of information to work with. Is your character currently ill? Where did they contract their illness? Is it likely to become an epidemic or pandemic? Or has your character a chronic illness? Is it lethal or just interfering with their life? You can also add the other extreme. Has your character outstanding health? Do they ever get sick? Do they have an unusual regenerative ability?

Hair Color Of course, here goes the color of your character’s hair. This can be a natural color like black/brown/blond if you aim for a more natural feel. But it can also be an unusual color like blue/pink/green/ ... if you want your story to feel a bit more like a fantasy story. Naturally, those can also be colors acquired through hair dyeing. You can simply put the original hair color i.e. in brackets.

Eye Color Like with the hair color, this can be common ones like brown/blue/green or exceptional colors like pink/red/yellow/ ... if you like. As with hair dyeing, unusual colors can also be acquired through colored contact lenses. Try not to give too many characters outstanding eye or hair colors because they will become the norm if used too much.

Skin Tone If you write an ordinary story, I would recommend to stick to skin tones that are present in our world. Strange and uncommon skin tones like blue/green/red/ ... won’t go too well with humanoid characters, so those colors should only be used for non-human characters.

Face Shape This is also a point that will look very random to most people. However, the face shape often tells a lot about a character. Those with round faces i.e. are often softer in personality and usually also have rounder body shapes. Moreover, for every face shape there are a variety of stereotypical traits that people think of immediately. So if you want your character to have some kind of specific impression on others, you can also utilize the face shape on top of body type. Of course, there can be exceptions to this rule.

Distinguishing Features Do they have any special birthmarks or tattoos that makes them easily recognizable in a group? Did they sustain any visible scars or some other kind of disfigurement? All this info goes here!

Facial Expressions Do they show their emotions on their face? If so, do they show everything or are there emotions the character hides no matter what?

Resting Face This could, of course, also fit into the facial expressions, but I think it is very meaningful to know if someone is constantly smiling/frowning/scared/angry/ ... even if they don’t feel the emotion at that specific moment. Because they could be easily misunderstood that way.

Smile Another point that would also fit into one of the two points above. However, like with the resting face, the type of smile says a lot about a person’s real thoughts or intentions. Do they smile often? And what type of smile do they show (gentle smile/smirk/sneer/...)?

Eye Contact Do they usually keep eye contact? If yes, does the character constantly keep eye contact? Or do their eyes shift/break from time to time?

Posture The posture can also tell a lot about a character’s background. Is it stiff or relaxed? Do they stand upright or slouched? An upright and slightly stiff posture could i.e. indicate that a person is from a noble family since they are often urged to keep such a posture all the time.

Gait Not many people know that, just like a fingerprint, the stride is unique for every person. So knowing if a character’s gait is confident/lazy/slow/fast/ ... can come in handy, especially for mystery stories.

Gestures Do they often use gestures? Are they using them compulsively? Or maybe they only use them when they are excited or agitated?

Distinguishing Tics and Mannerisms Like already mentioned before, this is another part of tics and mannerisms and a bit different from the one in the general information. While the ones in the general information cover more or less the mannerisms that hail from the mind, these are the ones that have a definite physical component. It includes habits like biting their lip during certain situations, rubbing their arm when they are nervous and anything along that line.

Accent The accent describes almost everything regarding the voice. What falls under this point is i.e. dialect, intonation and pronunciation.

Pitch Another component of the voice, but slightly different from the accent, is the pitch. This can also be a stand-alone identifier. The pitch can be described as i.e. melodious/gravelly/deep/smooth/...

Speech Impediments Although this could also be considered part of the accent, like the pitch it is something that can easily identify a character. This point could contain things like apraxia of speech, stuttering or dysarthria.

Preferred Curse Word This is just what it is. In my opinion, a curse word here and there livens up almost every story. It also tells a bit about a character’s upbringing. Tame and harmless curse words usually indicate a different upbringing than crude or vulgar curse words.

Style of Speech Rather self-explanatory. How does the character talk? Do they sound formal and stiff with complex grammatical structure and heavy use of subject-specific vocabulary? Do they use formal speech that would rather be used in written texts with a lot of figures of speech? Or does the character speak casually to others, regardless of who it is with easy sentences and commonly used words? Maybe they talk intimately with everyone, almost like a child, with very easy to follow sentences and slang words or abbreviations?

Tempo of Speech This too is quite self-explanatory. Does the character talk rapidly without pausing? Are they talking at a measured tempo? Or do they talk very slow as if choosing every word very carefully?

Distinguishing Speech Tics This point shares some similarities with speech impediments, but speech tics aren’t necessarily a speech disorder. What could also be included in this point are repetitive speech patterns that i.e. appear at the beginning or the end of almost every sentence. Like the catchphrase in the general information, Japanese media is a very good example. If watched/played in their original language, anime and games do often have characters that have a recurring pattern at the end of sentences. One good example comes from the game Final Fantasy IX, where the villainous characters Zorn and Thorn use the words ojaru and gojaru to finish their sentences in the Japanese version. The German version has a similar pattern with ..., sag ich and ..., zag ich.

Accessories Accessories cover anything that is carried around on a regular basis. This can be jewelry, hats, a cane or a pipe or anything else. Those things might also be important keepsakes from people the character cherishes.

Glasses Even though glasses could be counted as accessories as well, I listed them separately because aside from being a fashion item, glasses can also be a measure against a physical disability. Does the character wear glasses? Do they even need to wear them? And if they do, when do they have to wear them? Are they able to see without them?

Body Care This point tells a lot about a person’s upbringing, living environment and habits. It illustrates if a character cleans up regularly, washes their clothes and takes care of their body in general. I.e. a person who is on the run will very likely look disheveled, untidy, dirty and famished.

Preferred Outfit/Preferred Style The clothes a character likes to wear the most might also tell you a lot about the character’s personality. Though it will not always represent the exact same type as the personality, you can often estimate someone personality based on their clothing style. It can be a certain outfit they like to wear all the time or a specific style like grunge/casual/goth/sportswear/business casual/hip hop/streetwear/etc. which acts as a visible representation of the character’s personality.

As you can see, there is much more to comment on than with the general information points, so it might be obvious how important the physical information is. Next time we are going to cover the Mental Information.

[secretlyatargaryen]

Tyrion and Zuko: The Good Bad Guy, The Bad Good Guy

I’ve never seen anyone compare Tyrion Lannister and Zuko, but the parallels seem so obvious to me. I know there’s been a lot of comparisons in fandom to Zuko and his arc and a lot of discussion of what makes a good redemption arc and I’m not necessarily talking about this from that perspective, because I don’t really think Tyrion is on a redemption arc (and also reject the idea that I’ve seen bandied about that he is on a “villain” arc or that his arc is in opposition to his brother Jaime’s, with Jaime as the one who is usually seen by fandom as set up for redemption.) But I do think the parallels between the two characters are striking. I don’t think they’re 1:1 and even many of the parallels I make are not intended to be exact, as these two characters have narratives that are structured differently, and of course there are differences based on medium and target audience between the two series.

This is part one of a series of posts on these two characters, and this part will focus on how these characters are positioned structurally by the narrative.

Spoilers for both series to follow!

The biggest, most immediate difference between Tyrion and Zuko is that Zuko is positioned as an antagonist at the beginning of the story (although not necessarily a villain), while Tyrion is not antagonistic to the identifiable heroes at the beginning of AGOT, and is in fact the only Lannister not to be positioned that way by the narrative initially. In fact, part of this meta and part of my purposes for comparing them is to argue that Zuko’s narrative arc is not a straight line from villain to hero, which makes him very similar to Tyrion and his narrative positioning as the “good bad guy, the bad good guy” as Peter Dinklage says of his character on Game of Thrones. Even though Zuko’s mission at the beginning of the series is antagonistic to Team Avatar, he is still presented as a POV character with whom we are meant to sympathize, if at first only through sympathetic characters in his story like Iroh and characters who act as antagonistic in his own story, like Zhao and later Azula.

Tyrion also is presented to us as on the “bad side” of the narrative. He’s a Lannister, and many of the immediately sympathetic characters dislike and distrust him. Yet he is positioned sympathetically almost immediately as seen through characters like Jon Snow and Bran, and in contrast to his brother and sister.

Zuko and Tyrion also are positioned similarly in the narrative in relation to the way they are paired with and against the other characters in the story. Heroic narratives often make use of the Rule of Three, and one way in which this is shown is in presenting the main characters of the story as a triad. This type of narrative will have a protagonist, a deuteragonist, and a tritagonist. Usually the protagonist and the deuteragonist are male, and serve as foils and shadows of each other, and the third protagonist, or tritagonist, is a female character. You could argue about who takes the second and third position but it’s inarguable that in Avatar: The Last Airbender (further referred to as ATLA), these characters are Aang, Zuko, and Katara. In A Song of Ice and Fire (further referred to as ASOIAF) these characters are Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Tyrion Lannister. This is also why it’s often theorized that Tyrion is the third head of the three-headed dragon that Dany and Jon are both part of, despite not having any Targaryen blood.

The other narrative structure that ASOIAF uses with regard to the characters that mirrors ATLA is what George R R Martin coins “the five key players” in his original manuscript of ASOIAF:

Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women. The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow. (source)

I have theorized from what he says here that when Martin originally conceptualized his story, he intended for Tyrion to be younger than he is when we see him in the series, as Martin says that the five central characters will “grow from children to adults,” and Tyrion is already an adult as of his first chapter in A Game of Thrones. However, the fact that Tyrion is quite a bit older than the other four is thematically important. Tyrion is a character who, when we see him at the beginning of the story, has lost his innocence and become embittered by an abusive childhood and a lifetime of cruelty directed towards him because of his dwarfism. Yet Tyrion, thoughout the series, often relates to the child characters specifically because of that lost innocence. He offers help and advice to Jon, Bran, and Sansa throughout the series, and as of ADWD is on his way to join Daenerys.

Similarly, Zuko is positioned against the four main child characters of ATLA that make up Team Avatar, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph, and has moments where he relates to them even before he seeks to join them. And although Zuko is only sixteen and very much a kid (which becomes even more apparent when he joins the gaang), and Tyrion is an adult, he is still a young man and his relationship to Jon is something like that of an older brother.

Zuko and Aang’s relationship could be compared with that of Jon and Tyrion. Jon and Aang offer friendship to someone who they should consider an enemy, and Tyrion and Zuko end up becoming unexpected mentors to the younger boys. In both stories, this serves to highlight the tragedy of how war pits people against each other and what each of these characters has lost.

Aang to Zuko: If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?

-S1E13

Even after ADWD and all the war and strife between Stark and Lannister, Jon still considers Tyrion his friend. Obviously, we do not have the ending of ASOIAF to compare to ATLA, but I find it an interesting parallel, nonetheless.

Another thing that makes the characters similar on a structural level is the use of visual symbolism to show the characters’ internal struggle and duality. This is a clever and immediate way for the audience to understand that this is a character who we are meant to see as morally complex. Visual symbolism is more obvious in a medium like animation, and the specific piece of visual symbolism is something that was downplayed in ASOIAF’s television adaptation, so it might be less apparent, but I’ve talked before about how Tyrion’s heterochromia is a visual symbol of his dual nature as a character and his struggle with his identity.

Similarly, Zuko’s scar functions as a symbol of his duality. And although Tyrion also has a dramatic facial mutilation to compare Zuko’s burn scar to, I am comparing Tyrion’s heterochromia to Zuko’s scar instead because of the symbolism associated with eyes and seeing.

It is often said that “the eyes are the windows to the soul,” and the reason for this is obvious. Often we look into another person’s eyes to get a glimpse of who they are, to understand and empathize, to connect and hope they connect with us. Therefore, in fiction, eyes can often tell you a lot about a character’s identity. Having a scar over one eye is an immediate signal of Zuko’s conflict from the moment he is introduced to the audience. His stated goal from episode one is to capture the Avatar, but as the series goes on we see what this goal really is: an impossible task given to him by his father because it is impossible. Therefore, Zuko’s desire to regain his identity as prince of the Fire Nation is put into question. And what better way to represent a conflict with Zuko’s identity towards the Fire Nation than with an injury caused by fire? I’ll talk much more about Zuko’s scar in part two because this is an extremely important part of his narrative.

Tyrion’s heterochromatic eyes function in a similar way, and mirror the way Martin uses color symbolism in ASOIAF. Tyrion is described in the books as having one green eye and one black one, a fact that was not included in the show save for one scene in the pilot, and was eventually discarded, as were Dany’s purple eyes, because of the difficulty colored contacts posed for the actors, and because, as I suspect, it was decided that it was not enough of a noticeable detail to be worth the trouble. It’s a lot easier to get away with things like this in animation (and Zuko’s scar doesn’t work in a live action series for similar practical reasons), but Tyrion’s “mismatched” eyes are a detail often mentioned in the books. Tyrion’s green eye is the eye color he shares with his brother and sister and father, and is known as a distinctive Lannister trait, representing their physical beauty and perfection. And like Tyrion’s disability, his heterochromia is an imperfection and so not tolerated in a House that prides itself on perfection. His black eye, in contrast, while often called his “evil” eye and is a cause, in addition to his dwarfism, for others to treat him like a pariah, brings him closer to who he is as a person separate from his family, as dark eyes represent earthiness and intelligence.

Zuko’s scar also marks him as other the way Tyrion’s heterochromia marks him. It is often called attention to by characters in the series. In the first season it is often used to make him look frightening. Yet it also marks him in the eyes of the audience and the eyes of other characters as a victim of the Fire Nation and a survivor. In this way, the meaning of Zuko’s scar becomes flipped and it is his unmarred side that links him to what appears on the surface to be the order and perfection and superiority of the Fire Nation, but which, just like Zuko’s face if we are only looking at it from one side, hides a warped horror.

In part two I talk about how these two characters have similar trauma and conflict with relationship to their families and how that shapes their narratives.

[helkiedustballs]

Mental Illness and the Horror Genre

An exploratory essay by Emma L. Gilbert

The relationship between horror media and mental illness is messy, and on many occasions outright screwed up. Today, I’m going to take you through various examples of horror films that utilize mental illnesses and disabilities, often as a central theme, and examine how exactly mental illness is used to benefit the tone of each film, and how some of them may or may not use it in a distasteful fashion.

Without further ado, here we go!

“Psycho” is the earliest film I know of at the moment that utilizes mental illness explicitly as a sort of evil or “villain”. The big reveal is that the character Norman Bates’s late mother developed as another personality inside his head which, very clearly, resembles Dissociative Identity Disorder (we will actually be talking about DID more than once today, as it appears to be the most common mental condition used in horror movies next to psychosis or schizophrenia).

I can only assume in the time of “Psycho’s” release, this portrayal was considered anything but realistic to general audiences (The term “psycho” is even considered a slur nowadays by a fair few mental health experts and activists). Mentally ill individuals were but a disturbed fantasy in the minds of the public, and in many ways they still are.

In more modern times, mental illnesses on the “scarier” side (like DID) are seldom understood or spoken about, and this makes them a very easy target to use as driving scare factors in horror films. We fear what we don’t understand, we know this, we’re talking about it a lot nowadays, but movies similar to “Psycho” that use such things as plot material for their stories still get made so carelessly.

Let’s dive into another example more thoroughly:

 “Midsommar” is a 2019 horror film directed by Ari Aster, the man behind “Hereditary” (which we will also be discussing). I know a lot of people love this movie, just like people love “Psycho”. It won just about every award from Fangoria’s 2020 “Chainsaw Awards”, which are completely fan influenced. But it completely missed the mark for me because of a couple instances involving disabilities. And while these instances are miniscule, it’s the fact that they are so miniscule, so “tossed in”, that bothers me.

My first problem begins at the start of the movie. We open with our lead fretting over an ominous email sent to her by her mentally ill sister, which is all well and good. But the ultimate result of this situation is that she was right to be worried, as her sister had hooked herself up to a car exhaust pipe which she used to poison herself and their parents, resulting in the death of all three.

This is… extreme. And while it’s absolutely okay to be extreme (I’m one of those horror fans that enjoys a little extremity), it’s peculiar, and yet not so peculiar, to have it alongside the aspect of the opening I’m about to explain.

The illness of the sister character is specifically labeled as bipolar disorder. Why is this specifically a problem for me? Mentally ill people can be dangerous, that’s an indisputable fact. But I’m gonna pause “Midsommar” here, because it’s a good time to shift over to a movie that I believe suffers the same problem.

 “Split”, both in the title movie and in the ensemble “Glass”, refers to anti-hero Kevin Crumb’s disorder as Dissociative Identity Disorder (there it is again!). This was a problem since the very conception of the first film, because it’s doing that thing where a mental disorder is used explicitly to make the villain of a horror film scarier. And while the character of Kevin isn’t ultimately seen as evil, the film still misconstrues many things about DID in order to keep its creep factor (like, people don’t wind up with evil alter egos who kidnap and kill people in a cult-like fashion, and people with DID do not go through extreme physical altercations when different personalities take the front).

This was many folks’ first introduction to the very concept of DID, just like back in the 60s with “Psycho”, and the movie does little to deter the audience from taking what they are seeing as factual. It really drives home the fact that Kevin has this disorder that is real, using that perceived realism to enforce the horror of its story. It uses a lot of typical “professional” imagery and dialogue, such as namedropping the disorder and having the character attend a therapist regularly on-screen. These things in film tend to equate in the general ignorant public’s mind to something bordering on or outright factual. While I choose to believe most people recognize the easy potential for illegitimacy in fictional movies, I still notice, even in myself, how further research is seldom enacted, and the information granted by that movie remains present in the back of our minds.

I’m not trying to say this is entirely the fault of the team behind “Split”, because I believe people should be responsible for recognizing that not everything they see is true, no matter how legit it looks. But the fact is that people are stupid and do take stuff like this as fact whether they realize it or not, and I think that filmmakers and storytellers should hold a little responsibility for making sure their highly fictionalized portrayals of real things (especially real people) don’t get taken as hard fact. Easy resources for understanding complex mental conditions are not popular enough or offered enough to garner the public’s attention; I’m sure someone would rather watch “Split” instead of reading a textbook on DID studies.

 All that being said, let’s go back to “Midsommar”. The mention of bipolar disorder is a one-time occurrence, but it still sticks out to me; both because I noticed a trend in Aster’s films of using mental illness explicitly (like I said, “Hereditary” comes later), and that this diagnosis is used at the ultimate expense of the sister.

Throughout the movie, Terri (the sister) is seen as a scary, taunting ghost through Dani (the lead)’s eyes. She is only ever depicted as that terrifying last picture of her, with tubes taped to her mouth and their parents beside her. She also seems to be looking right at Dani in these sequences, too, if I’m remembering correctly. It’s a fearful memory; her sister is a villain.

Using a disorder described as a “mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and ability to carry out daily tasks” to tie to a character that was unhinged enough to plug herself into a car exhaust pipe to kill herself and her family seems… like a reach, to me, at least. She would’ve had to plan that out- it takes serious dedication, supplies, thought, and time to pull that off. Bipolar people can be prone to sudden outbursts, not necessarily to planning and executing an intricate double homicide/suicide.

What I’m trying to say is that there’s no way bipolar disorder was the sole cause here. There were clearly more “things” she had going on, but the only thing they say is that she’s bipolar, therefore suggesting that is the reason behind what she did, and then treat her like a vengeful ghost the rest of the movie.

There is perfectly good reason for Dani to see her sister as something sinister, though. Literally the only aspect of this plot point that messes it up for me is that we have a “diagnosis”. It doesn’t feel right to me to use such a common and non-extreme illness for the sake of being like “ooh check this out, this is a real mental illness and mentally ill people do bad stuff sometimes, look at that! Look!” It’s lame, and unkind, and, like “Split”, borders on irresponsible. It’s times like this where a character’s mental condition could use a little more ambiguity, especially when it’s literally never brought up again. It’s so nonchalant, so careless, and that’s what bothers me.

Now, I’m gonna move away from mental illness alone for a hot second and explore how “Midsommar” treats its other disabled character.

“Midsommar” depicts an explicitly inbred character with a facial deformity named Ruben who lives with the Swedish cult and is treated like a sort of “higher being”. They are clearly treated with care, but through the gaze of the American characters, we see them as off-putting. And, again, this framing makes sense, as Ruben was purposefully conceived through incest because of some misguided religious belief that disabled people are closer to clarity.

But, stop; what is this portrayal doing, again? It is doing that thing where it uses a disabled character to give us the creeps. And this is made worse when Ruben goes on to kill and skin one of the American characters, and then wear his face as a mask.

Okay, listen. It’s wrong of the cult to purposefully bring a very physically and mentally challenged individual into the world for religious reasons, but that’s not relevant to my point. Yeah, it’s weird, but people like that character are real- and, no matter how they came to be, they’re here now. Why are we always looking at these people with pity or fear, and normalizing that reaction? It can be jarring to see someone who looks like that, sure, but they’re a person, and should be treated like one.

Oh, and not to mention having Ruben wear the skinned face of a “normal” person is absolutely representative of wanting to “look like everybody else”, which is a screwed-up narrative especially when you’re using the disabled person as a straight-up monster. I get the whole “skin the fool” thing, that was funny, but did we have to do that? This is Ruben’s “normal”, and that’s not an awful thing.

Before we reach “Hereditary”, I’d like to say that the utilization of deformed people as killers and monsters in horror is, I think, arguably more prevalent and inescapable than the use of mental illness by itself. It’s present to a point where we just have to deal with it and the amount of irreplaceably iconic villains with facial deformities, but I’d like to believe that we can do better and move past that. Make a monster, not a person.

 Let’s get cracking on “Hereditary” now, which I think uses mental illness as a much more core aspect to its story than “Midsommar”. Again, Aster makes it clear out the gate that our evil character (the grandmother) was indeed mentally ill, and this is, again, used at the character’s expense.

Now, I wanna keep this short, because with how much I went off talking about “Split” and “Midsommar”, I think that what I find troublesome about a movie called “Hereditary” about a mentally ill cultist grandmother passing on her “lifestyle” to her family is rather obvious.

I mostly want to discuss the character of Charlie, because her portrayal is what bugs me the most. My gripe with her is that she is very obviously autistic, or something along those lines, which is framed as a creepy thing about her. She’s supposed to be some kind of “chosen one” that her grandmother wanted, and I guess this was grounds to have her be the “creepy one”. But this can be done without making the character blatantly mentally compromised (and before anyone comes for me, I’m autistic, and despite the many wonderful things about it, it also does hinder me from some basic things in life, so, yeah, it’s compromising). It’s just so tacky, uninspired, and tired.

In regards to other characters, we see Annie speak of how her grandmother suffered from mental conditions (I can’t recall whether or not one was specifically named), and then watch her exhibit various “scary” symptoms herself (trying to set her son on fire, etc.), which grow worse post-Charlie’s death as she is wracked with grief. Annie’s case isn’t quite as terrible as things such as “Split”, as she never actually does anything, only attempts and then snaps herself out of it (before the end of the movie where everything goes to hell, of course). My main problems, as mentioned, are with Charlie and the grandmother, mostly Charlie. I just wanted to attempt to cover all “Hereditary’s” portrayals at least briefly before moving on to my next subject.

 Now that I’m done being mad, let’s explore another recent horror film that uses mental illness as a core aspect.

“Daniel Isn’t Real” is a 2019 film by Adam Egypt Mortimer about a boy (Luke) who experiences a traumatic event as a young child, which he copes with by manifesting an imaginary friend named Daniel. Daniel doesn’t stick around, though, as he tricks Luke into poisoning his mother, almost killing her, and resulting in the two locking Daniel away.

It’s incredibly easy to decipher the, once again, use of DID symptoms. One could easily push this movie aside due to this fact, as clearly, the mental illness is used as the spooky horror thing again. But I’m of the belief that this film handles itself a little better than the likes of “Split”, and here’s why.

It’s a bad thing to use mental illness as your villain, unless you do it right, and there is a way to do that. Luke (the mentally ill person) isn’t the villain, Daniel (the mental illness symptom) is, just like Kevin isn’t “Split’s” villain, but the important difference is that, in “Daniel Isn’t Real”, the audience sympathizes realistically with Luke, doesn’t turn his illness into something extremely outlandish. In “Split”, the audience is following the heroine, who is terrified of the outside force that is Kevin and his personalities. “Split’s” DID is otherworldly and threatening. “Daniel Isn’t Real’s” DID is threatening, but something the audience and Luke hold hands through and fight together.

Aside from some muddy metaphorical aspects (assuming I’m reading it right) and the use of some racial stereotypes common in horror films, “Daniel Isn’t Real” is on the upper end of horror featuring mental illness.

It is also worth noting that there is actually a specific mental illness brought to attention in the film, schizophrenia, as Luke is seen reading a book about it once he starts realizing he’s losing control of Daniel. But this is merely a suggestion, as he doesn’t actually know what is going on in his head and we never get an official declaration of his condition. This brief clip pretty much only helped in solidifying my perception of the story as about mental illness first, and a demonic imaginary friend second. If you ask me, I think dissociative identity disorder fits more with the film than schizophrenia, but my knowledge on both of these disorders is relatively “bare basics”, so take that with a grain of salt. And besides, from this point on I’m going to be looking at the portrayal mainly as an undefined trauma induced condition.

I view Daniel as a visual representation of Luke’s mental condition. He is rude, and childish, and malicious, nothing like who Luke is, who wants nothing more than to get rid of him. Mental illness can feel like there is some evil thing in your brain telling you awful things and threatening your existence, and Daniel represents this feeling perfectly.

Going even deeper, the movie opens with a shooter entering a small café and massacring multiple patrons and themself. One of the things that causes Daniel to manifest is Luke, having left his home where his parents are shouting at one another non-stop, coming face to face with the dead shooter. It is later revealed that Daniel, an ancient demonic “imaginary friend”, was inhabiting the shooter at the time, thus making him the cause of the massacre. And he chose Luke as his next host on that fateful day.

Pause now. We’ve got a blatant mental illness metaphor, and it’s the direct cause of a murder. Why am I more lenient on this and hard on things like “Midsommar”? It’s because this detail plays into what I view as a very interesting interpretation of mental conditions and their preceding trauma.

Looking past Daniel being a demon, I see this as the shooter struggling with the same or a similar type of mental condition caused by a past trauma. This person was sick, as all terrorists of this breed are. Again, this narrative is helped by the fact that we are following Luke and not someone on the outside of his problem, and therefor understand the real lack of control had by anyone Daniel (A.K.A. mental illness) has touched, and, more importantly, the helplessness they feel.

Am I saying people who enact gun violence are partially innocent and have no free will? No, that’s stupid. The real point of me bringing this up is simply that I find it interesting how the film looks at trauma as sort of a contagion. Hurt people can hurt people, and traumatized people can traumatize people. Whatever “demons” that killer hosted were passed on to Luke- and, if the film wanted to go for a broader subject and ditch the singular evil imaginary friend concept, passed onto many others, too. But, it didn’t, and I think that works best, as symptoms like Daniel typically only manifest in young children, assuming you wanna go with the DID/schizophrenia reading, which is what the film offers to us.

We see experiences and fears felt by everyone who has mental illnesses portrayed visually in “Daniel Isn’t Real”, sometimes feeling like a mixed bag of different symptoms from different mental conditions. I see myself and my own experiences in Luke, and it feels good to see the mentally ill person as the hero, and the mental illness being at least mainly a threat to the mentally ill person rather than the outside world, which is how it is more often than not.

And while the movie ends on a sad note, actually quite similar to Kevin’s end in “Glass”, what it does with its runtime is, for the most part, what I want to see more of in terms of mental illness in horror.

 Like I said at the beginning, we’re an easy target. Autistic, obsessive compulsive, anxious, depressed people like me are scary when you have no idea what you’re looking at. Yes, we can be dangerous sometimes, but to nobody more than ourselves. But much more than dangerous, we’re scary to ourselves.

I’ve lived in terror for long periods of time before due to my mental illnesses, and I’ve had this thought; “why doesn’t someone make a horror movie where the mentally ill person is the protagonist, and the mental illness is the monster?” “Daniel Isn’t Real” executed this idea almost perfectly, if not for the fact that Daniel was out to hurt other people, because what’s scarier than a person with a realistic mental condition hurting other people? Ooooo.

Living with mental illness can feel like a horror movie all on its own. The horror is in my head, and I can’t kill it, only keep it at bay, control it. And I think that is scarier than any Norman Bates, than any Kevin Crumb, than any Ruben. To live with a force in your head that wants nothing more than you for to be in misery is a horrific reality worse than any killer.

And before I close, I want to comment on one more little detail. I’m much more critical on recent movies that work with this subject matter than I am on older movies; that’s why I had so much to say about the Aster films and “Split” and so little about “Psycho”. This is because I understand how invisible the very concept of mental illness was in everyday society in “Psycho’s” time. It wasn’t just an easy target, it was a given, and nobody writing these films had any idea of what they were doing or the seedling of thought to look into it. It was that alien.

Today, we are talking about mental illness so much, and yet we are still so careless with what we use it for in our media. It is blasphemous to me that directors and writers still insist on using mentally ill people as villains and creepy characters. Mental illness is such a complex experience that deserves to be explored from the viewpoint of those of us who live with it, not as a toy for the bigshot horror director of the hour to toss around like a hot potato.

There was an excuse in the 1960s. There is no excuse now. We can do better.

[perfectirishgifts]

Algorithmic And AI Assessment Tools — A New Frontier In Disability Discrimination

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Algorithmic And AI Assessment Tools — A New Frontier In Disability Discrimination

Algorithms rely on large data sets that are used to model the normative, standardized behavior of … [] majority populations

The use of software algorithms to assist in organizational decision-making and their potential negative impact on minority populations will be an increasingly important area for humankind to resolve as we embrace our AI future.

These critical issues were brought into even sharper focus earlier this month with the publication of a new report by the Center For Democracy & Technology entitled “Algorithm Hiring Tools: Innovative Recruitment or Expedited Disability Discrimination?”

Looking beyond just the employment sphere, a dedicated panel discussion at last week’s Sight Tech Global conference explored other important areas for people with disabilities impacted by algorithmic decision-making, such as the administration of welfare benefits, education and the criminal justice system.

The key messages emerging from both the panel discussion and the report convey a unanimously stark warning.

Disability rights risk being eroded as they become entangled within wider society’s drive to achieve greater efficiency through the automation of processes that once required careful human deliberation.

This is dangerous for disabled people due to an inescapable tension between the way algorithmic tools work and the lived experience of many people with disabilities.

By their very nature, algorithms rely on large data sets that are used to model the normative, standardized behavior of majority populations.

The lived experience of disabled people naturally sits on the margins of “Big data.” It also remains intrinsically difficult to reflect disabled people’s experiences through population-level modeling due to the individualized nature of medical conditions and prevailing socio-economic factors.

Jutta Treviranus is Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre and contributed to a panel discussion at Sight Tech Global entitled “AI, Fairness and Bias: What technologists and advocates need to do to ensure that AI helps instead of harms people with disabilities.”

“Artificial intelligence amplifies, automates and accelerates whatever has happened before, said Treviranus at the virtual conference. 

“It’s using data from the past to optimize what was optimal in the past. The terrible flaw with artificial intelligence is that it does not deal with diversity or the complexity of the unexpected very well,” she continued.

“Disability is a perfect challenge to artificial intelligence because, if you’re living with a disability, your entire life is much more complex, much more entangled and your experiences are always diverse.”

Algorithm-driven hiring tools in recruitment

The use of algorithm-based assessment tools in recruitment is a particularly thorny pain point for the disability community. Estimates suggest the employment rate for people with disabilities in the U.S. stands at around 37%, compared to 79% for the general population.

Algorithm-hiring tools may involve several different exercises and components. These may include candidates recording videos for the assessment of facial and vocal cues, resume checking software to identify red flags such as long gaps between periods of employment and gamified tests to evaluate reaction speed and learning styles.

Algorithm-driven software is also marketed as being able to identify less tangible, but, potentially, desirable characteristics in candidates such as optimism, enthusiasm, personal stability, sociability and assertiveness.

Of course, straight-out platform inaccessibility is the immediate concern that springs to mind when considering interactions with disabled candidates.

It is entirely valid to wonder how a candidate with a vision impairment might access a gamified test involving graphics and images, how a candidate with motor disabilities might move a mouse to answer multiple-choice questions, or how an individual on the autism spectrum might react to an exercise in reading facial expressions from static photos.

Indeed, the Americans with Disabilities Act specifically prohibits the screening out of candidates with disabilities through inaccessible hiring processes or ones that do not measure attributes directly related to the job in question.

Employers may themselves think they are helping disabled candidates by removing traditional human bias and outsourcing the assessment to an apparently “neutral” AI.

This, however, is to set aside the fact that the tools have most likely been designed by able-bodied, white males in the first place.

Furthermore, approval criteria are often modeled off the pre-determined positive traits of an organization’s currently successful employees.

If the workforce lacks diversity, this is simply reflected back into the algorithm-based testing tool.

By developing an over-reliance on these tools without understanding the pitfalls, employers run the very real risk of sleepwalking into the promotion of discriminatory practices at an industrial scale.

Addressing this point specifically, the report’s authors note, “In the end, the individualized analysis to which candidates are legally entitled under the ADA may be fundamentally in tension with the mass-scale approach to hiring embodied in many algorithm-based tools.”

“Employers must think seriously about not only the legal risks they may face from deploying such a tool, but the ethical, moral, and reputational risks that their use of poorly-conceived hiring tools will compound exclusion in the workforce and in broader society.”

During the Sight Tech Global panel discussion, Lydia X. Z. Brown, a Policy Counsel for the Center For Democracy & Technology’s Privacy and Data Project, was asked whether algorithm-driven assessment tools really do represent a truly modern form of disability discrimination.

“Algorithm discrimination highlights existing ableism, exacerbates and sharpens existing ableism and only shows different ways for ableism that already existed to manifest,” responded Brown.

She later continued, “When we talk about ableism in that way, it helps us understand that algorithmic discrimination doesn’t create something new, it builds on the ableism and other forms of oppression that already existed throughout society.”

Yet, it is the scale and pace at which automation can further seed and embed discrimination that must be of greatest concern.

Building a more inclusive AI future

The CDT report does make some recommendations around the creation of more accessible hiring practices.

The key leap for organizations is to first develop an understanding of the inherent limitations of these tools for assessing individuals with varied and complex disabilities.

Once this reality-check takes hold at a leadership level, organizations can begin to proactively initiate policies to offset the issues.

This may start with a deep-dive into what these tests are actually measuring. Are positive but vague qualities such as “optimism” and “high self-esteem,” as elicited by a snapshot test, truly essential for the position advertised?

Through understanding and appropriately discharging their legal responsibilities, employers should seek to educate and inform all candidates on the specific details of what algorithmic tests involve.

It is only by communicating these details that candidates will be able to make an informed choice around accessibility.

For candidates who proceed with the test, organizations should be energetic in their data collection on accessibility issues.

For candidates, who fear an algorithm may unfairly screen them out, a suite of alternative testing models should readily be made available without any implied stigma.

Finally, it should be incumbent on software vendors to keep accessibility at the forefront of the initial design process.

This can be further bolstered by more stringent regulation in this area but the most useful measure vendors might adopt right now is to co-design alongside disabled people and take account of their feedback.

The simple truth is that AI isn’t just the future. It’s here already and its presence is reaching out exponentially into every facet of human existence.

The destination may be set but there is still time to modify the journey and, through best-practice, take the more direct shortcuts to inclusion, rather than the long road of having to learn from mistakes that risk leaving people behind.

From AI in Perfectirishgifts

[latter-day-saint-nick]

Here‘s a list of all the books with queer protagonists I’ve read this year. While I do actively seek those out, there are several books on here that I didn’t know had queer themes when I picked them up from the library and then I was pleasantly surprised by lesbians. I‘ll avoid spoilers except when discussing trigger warnings.

 Kaleidoscope Song by Fox Benwell

Neo, a South African teenager, is obsessed with music of any kind. Her love of music brings her together with the singer of a local band and they have a passionate relationship that they must keep secret. The descriptions of Neo‘s life and her tendency to hear music in everything are beautiful and dynamic. The author included a list of the songs Neo is listening to throughout the book, so I was introduced to a lot of cool music from South Africa and other places. TW: Corrective rape and Bury Your Gays. This is a book by a queer (albeit white British, rather than black South African) author writing about a very real problem that exists within our communities, so it feels different to when a cishet author kills off a queer character just for shock value. I still can‘t help feeling that he could have made the same point without having the character die – just have her be injured. Still, I loved pretty much everything else about the book, so it gets a tentative recommendation from me.

The Mermaid’s Daughter by Ann Claycomb

25-year-old opera student Kathleen tries to cope with the constant pain in her feet, nightmares about having her tongue cut out, and desperate yearning for the sea. With the help of her girlfriend Harry she delves into her family history to uncover the secret of a curse spanning generations of women. What’s nice about this book is that Kathleen and Harry’s relationship is accepted by all their family and friends without question, so if you want to read a nice wlw fantasy story with no homophobia, this one’s for you. TW: Some discussion of suicide, but nothing too graphic.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

A teenage lesbian is sent to conversion therapy by her religious aunt. This is basically a coming-of-age story as the title character comes to terms with her identity and the death of her parents. It’s considered an important work of LGBT YA literature, so I really wanted to like it more than I did. Most of the first half of the novel deals with Cameron’s everyday life in her small town in Montana, which was, to be honest, rather boring to me. The pace of the story picks up a bit once she gets sent to conversion therapy, but even then it’s slower and less eventful than I would have liked. But since it is a popular book, that’s probably just me. I did like that the two best friends she makes at the therapy camp are a disabled girl and an indigenous boy, two types of people that are not often represented in queer fiction, so that’s something. TW: Conversion therapy and self-harm.

Proud by Juno Dawson

This is a collection of poems and stories about queerness aimed at a YA audience, and each one is a pure delight! These stories detail moments of joy and pride that make you feel happy and hopeful about being queer. They include a high school retelling of Pride and Prejudice with lesbians, a nonbinary kid and his D&D group on a quest to disrupt the gender binary at their school, a magical phoenix leading a Chinese girl to find love, and gay penguins. All stories, poems and illustrations are by queer writers and artists. Seriously, I cannot recommend this collection enough!

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

An Irish magical realist story about three girls who perform a spell to find things that they have lost. The spell appears to have wider consequences than they expected, bringing to light things that should have stayed lost. This book has three narrators, two of whom are wlw. It treads a nice line between fantasy and reality, and has some pretty good plot twists. Also, there’s a crossword at the end, which is awesome. More books should come with crosswords.

Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

A space opera trilogy set in the distant future about the embodiment of a ship’s AI who seeks revenge against the ruler of a colonialist empire who destroyed her ship and killed her beloved captain. This is not beginner’s sci-fi, as it is very complex and intricate, but if you’re fine with a bit of a heavier read, you’ll be rewarded with some very interesting concepts. What makes this series queer is that the Raadch empire has no concept of gender and uses female pronouns for everyone. This makes every romantic relationship queer by default, whether we are aware of the characters’ sexes or not. I found it particularly enjoyable when Breq, the protagonist, tried to communicate in different languages that have gendered pronouns, which she had to navigate carefully in order not to offend people. She tries to look for outward clues of gender, such as hairstyles, chest size, facial hair or Adam’s apples, but even then often gets it wrong, because these things are not always consistent. That is just a great depiction of how arbitrary ideas of binary sexual characteristics tend to be. Also, I guess technically Breq is aroace, but since she’s not human, I’m not sure if she can be considered the best representation, though she is a very likeable character that I enjoyed following.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

These books are a lot of fun! They’re historical adventure stories with a bit of fantasy thrown in, featuring disaster bisexual Henry Montague, his snarky aroace sister Felicity and his best friend Percy whom he is secretly in love with. In the first book, the three teenagers are sent on a tour of Europe for various reasons, but they quickly abandon the planned route when they get embroiled in a plot involving theft and alchemy. The second book details Felicity’s further attempts to become a doctor, which leads her to reunite with an old friend and chase a tale of fantastical creatures.

The Spy with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

Technically I read this one late last year, but whatever. I just wanted to put it on the list to have an excuse to talk about it. It’s about two Jewish siblings with magic powers who are recruited during World War II to take part in a secret project to fight the Nazis. Both siblings turn out to be queer: the brother is gay and demisexual, while the sister is bisexual, and they each have a love interest. This book is an independent prequel to The Girl with the Red Balloon, which takes place in East Berlin during the time of the Wall, and is just as good, albeit not as gay.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

This book tends to be classified as fantasy, because it takes place in an alternate, Latin-American-inspired world, with a distinct history, culture and religion, but there’s no magic at all, so I’m not sure it counts. But I digress. The country of Medio is built on classism and acute xenophobia. But by hiding her status as an illegal immigrant, Daniela, a girl from a poor background, manages to rise to the top of her class at her elite finishing school and become the first wife of one of the most powerful young men in the country. But her new comfortable status is threatened when she is pressured to join a group of rebels who fight for equality. At the same time, she also finds herself falling for her husband’s second wife. Obviously, this book’s political message is very topical, but beyond that, it’s just a very good story, with a well fleshed-out fictional world and great characters. This is the first in a series, with the sequel, We Unleash the Merciless Storm, coming out in February.

All Out: The No Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell

A very nice collection of short stories about various queer teenagers in different historical settings, from a medieval monastery to an American suburb on New Year’s Eve in 1999. Most of the stories are realist, but there are a few ghosts and witches to be found in-between. What I found particularly notable about this book is that it featured several asexual characters, which you don’t often see in collections like this. I definitely recommend it.

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

This is a thoughtful, heart-warming life story about a woman growing up during the civil war in Nigeria. After Ijeoma, a Christian Igbo girl, is sent away from home, she finds her first love in Amina, a Muslim Hausa. Even after they are found out and separated, Ijeoma doesn’t quite understand what’s so shameful about their love. Still, as she grows older, she attempts to fit into a heteronormative society while also connecting with the things and people that make her happy. TW: Homophobic violence, including an attack on a gay nightclub. The novel makes up for this by having a remarkably happy ending.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

A young man in Victorian London finds a mysterious watch on his pillow, with no idea how it got there. This sets into motion a strange series of events, which leads him to a lonely Japanese watchmaker, to whom he finds himself increasingly drawn. This is an unusual novel that treads the line between historical fiction, fantasy and sci-fi. Most of the characters are morally grey and have complex motivations, but are still likable. I just really enjoy stories that take place in this time period, particularly when they are this thoughtfully written and don’t just take the prejudices of the past for granted.

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

A YA book about a transgender teenager, written by a transgender author. After her mother decides that she is not safe in her hometown anymore, high school senior Amanda moves in with her dad in a town where nobody knows her and she can try to go stealth. But even as she is making friends and experiencing romance for the first time, she constantly worries about what will happen if her secret comes out. It’s a fairly standard story about being transgender, really, but as it comes from a trans author, it feels a lot more personal and less voyeuristic than these stories tend to be when coming from a cisgender perspective. Amanda is a sympathetic and compelling character. TW: This book deals with a number of upsetting themes, including transphobic violence, being forcibly outed and suicide. There is a flashback to Amanda’s pre-transition suicide attempt, which I found particularly triggering. I also wish she could have come out on her own terms, instead of being outed in front of the whole school by someone she thought she could trust. It is still a pretty good book, but it can be very upsetting at times.

As I Descended by Robin Talley

A loose retelling of Macbeth that takes place in a boarding school in Virginia and involves two queer couples. The supernatural elements of the play are amplified in a wonderfully creepy way, and the characters are complex and realistic, so you understand their motivations, even when they do bad things. TW: Out of the five queer characters in the novel, three die, two of them by suicide.

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss and EG Keller

A charming picture book about the Vice President’s pet bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny and wants to hop around at his side for the rest of his life. This book was written as a screw you to Mike Pence, but even so it is a genuinely nice kid’s book that deals with homosexuality and marriage equality in a way that is appropriate for young children. The illustrations are incredibly cute as well.

Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente

A very strange, surreal tale about four people (most of whom are queer in some way) exploring a magical city that you can enter in your dreams by sleeping with someone who has been there before. I wanted to like this one more than I did, because I really love Catherynne Valente’s Fairyland books for children. But while some of the dreamlike imagery is cool and pretty, I found a lot of it weirdly uncomfortable, along with the frequent sex scenes.

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

15-year-old Julia is home for the summer at her parents’ ancestral mansion in Scotland and gets involved with a plot about theft, disappearance and possibly murder. She also has her first crushes – on a man working at her parents’ estate and a young Traveller girl, respectively. This is a prequel to Code Name Verity, which has the same protagonist, though her bisexuality isn’t really alluded to in that, which is why I’ve kept it off the list, even though it is an excellent book. The Pearl Thief is pretty good as well, though it is a bit strange to read after you’ve already read Verity and know that this carefree teenage character is going to grow up to be a spy in World War II and be tortured in a Nazi prison. Do read both books, though. They are great.

Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson

A young scientist falls in love with the wife of the man she’s having an affair with. There’s speculation about quantum mechanics and interconnectedness, all wrapped in very poetic language. To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t get it, so I have no idea what any of it means. But at least the main character is bisexual and polyamorous (and possibly genderfluid – I’m not sure).

Queer Africa by Makhosazana Xaba and Karen Martin

A collection of short stories by queer African writers, discussing themes like love, sex, marriage, family and homophobia. The attitudes towards queerness in these different countries varies. In many of them, homosexuality is illegal, even though same-sex relationships used to be respected before the interference of Western colonialism. In any case, these stories are an interesting and oftentimes beautiful examination of queerness from a non-Western point of view, some joyous and some tragic. TW: The second to last story is about incest.

[thephoenixmagician]

Adara Orasa || Character Survey

And another, for my other child. Again, from @cela-astral-projection

Gonna be long so, it’s under the cut!

Basic Questions

First name?:  Adara

Surname?: Orasa

Middle Names?:  Nowel

Nicknames?:  Ada, The Seeress, The Iron Diplomat

Date of Birth?: September 13

Age?: Early twenties.

Physical Appearance

Height?:  5’ 4”

Weight?:  140lbs

Build?:  Lean

Hair Color?:  Pastel pink, almost silver

Hairstyle?:  Usually down and wavy, but will sweep it back into a bun

Eye Color?: Light jade that can be mistaken for grey.

Glasses or contact lenses?:  She’s blind.

Distinguishing facial features?:  Sharp cheekbones and jaw

Which facial feature is most prominent?: Her eyes

Which bodily feature is most prominent?:  Her straight posture

Other distinguishing features?:  Has minor scarring around her eyes, but it’s only noticeable up close.

Skin?:  Pale, almost ivory. LIght brush of freckles over cheeks and nose.

Hands?:  Slender, and soft. Keeps her nails short and clean.

Makeup?:  She’ll wear it but doesn’t care for it much since she can’t see it.

Scars?:  The brand on her shoulder blade, just like her sister’s. The scarring around her eyes looks like webbing. Cuts on her wrists (that she keeps covered).

Birthmarks?:  None.

Tattoos?:  No.

Physical Handicaps?: Fully blind. Chronic migraines.

Type of clothes?:  Loose and flowy so she doesn’t feel restricted. She’s partial to softer fabrics too.

What are their feet like?:  Narrow and soft. Always cold.

Race / Ethnicity?:  They’re based of Danish or Norwegian for the most part. I haven’t put too much thought into it, really.

Are they in good health?:  For the most part. When the migraines get to be too much, she’ll have to rest for at least a day.

Do they have any disabilities?:  Just blindness, I guess.

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse?:  “No, I don’t see what you mean.”

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?:  Optimist.

Are they introverted or extroverted?:  Introvert.

Do they ever put on airs?:  Never.

What bad habits do they have?:  None actually.

What makes them laugh out loud?:  Her sister’s personality. Rhea never fails to get a laugh out of her.

How do they display affection?: Gifts, mostly. She’s a little shy to physical affection.

How do they want to be seen by others?:  Normal, and capable.

Strongest character trait?: Iron will. She will never back down.

Weakest character trait?:  Her unwillingness to let people help her personally. She doesn’t want to rely on people because she doesn’t want them to worry for her.

How competitive are they?:  Isn’t.

How do they react to praise?:  She’ll smile and say thank you, but is a little surprised.

Weakest character trait?:  She’s receptive, especially if it’s constructive and will help find a better solution.

What is their greatest fear?:  Not being able to properly care for or protect her son.

What are their biggest secrets?:  When her sister died, she’d tried to make the Deal with the Devil, too. But the price of her son’s sight was too much for her. She’d never told anyone.

What is their philosophy of life?:  “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

What haunts them?:  She wishes she’d done more in insisting her sister stay. Maybe she wouldn’t have died…

What will they stand up for?:  What she believes is right and the people.

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?:  Both, really. She likes the outdoors because she can listen to everything and get fresh air. But indoors she can have peace and quiet, especially in her room.

What is their sinful little habit?:  Would live off chocolate covered strawberries if she could.

What sense do they most rely on?: Hearing.

How do they treat people better than them?:  As equals.

How do they treat people worse than them?:  As equals.

What do they consider an overrated virtue?: Submission.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?:  She’d like her sight back… But she’d never say that aloud, especially not in front of Rhea.

What is their obsession?:  Flowers of all kinds. She likes to touch and smell them. Anything that gives of a scent.

What are their pet peeves?:  Arrogance. Unwillingness to cooperate. Pen clicking would be one (if in Modern AU).

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small?:  Small.

What is their perception of a family?:  People she cares about.

Do they have siblings? Older or younger?:  Just Rhea, who is 2 years older.

Describe their best friend.: Launa, her head maid. She’s always been extremely supportive of Adara.

Idea best friend?:  Someone she can trust to not judge her for what she’s done and willing to do.

Do they have any pets?:  No.

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child?:  As a baby, she was really quiet. She didn’t cry much or fuss. As a child, she was shy but curious. She’d follow Rhea into whatever adventure she found for them.

Did they grow up rich or poor?:  Rich, until they moved to Vesuvia.

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?:  Nurtured.

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?:  She tried to end her marriage with her husband a few months in because she had foreseen a terrible future in one of her premonitions -and wanted to save him. But it hadn’t been their’s she’d seen. He’d died shortly after and never got to take it back.

What are their ambitions?:  To take care of the people and rebuild her kingdom.

What smells remind them of their childhood?:  As she’s super sensitive to smell, she’s highly aware of scents similar to her parents. Scents of lillies and pine are a big one.

What was their childhood ambition?: Become an ambassador to represent Moonsea on the outside.

What is their best childhood memory?:  Shortly after becoming blind and learning how to focus her other senses, Rhea had taken it upon herself to cover the room in every flower she could manage to grow inside. We’re talking about covered in roses, lilacs, snapdragons, you name it. Rhea brought each one to Adara and let her touch and smell them.

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend?:  She’d imagined someone walking with her everywhere, who she called the Silver Lady. She had the antlers of a stag and eyes like a doe.

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight?:  No.

How do they behave in a relationship?:  Respectfully and wholly committed.

What sort of sex do they have?:  Relatively vanilla with a little spice. Too much can cause sensory overload.

Has your character ever been in love?: Just once before, to her late husband.

Have they ever had their heart broken?: No.

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat?: Ultimate diplomat. Will use words first and stay calm. If required, she’s not against using magic to protect others and herself.

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or tongue?:  Tongue.

What is your character’s kryptonite?: Her son and sister.

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?:  Assuming every soul is safe, she won’t bother even if she could get something.

How do they perceive strangers?: What strangers?

What are their phobias?:  Silence.

What is their choice of weapon?: Words, or water magic.

What living person do they most despise?:  Lucio.

Have they ever been bullied or teased?:  Plenty of times. But Rhea always stepped in.

Where do they go when they’re angry?: For a walk outside, so she can count her steps and calm down.

Work, Education, and Hobbies

What is their current job?:  Vesuvia’s Ambassador of Moonsea, High Princess of Moonsea

What do they think about their current job?:  She enjoys it. She likes being able to help and protect people.

What are some of their past jobs?:  Used her abilities of premonition to get visions for a small price, when she needed to feed herself.

What are their hobbies?:  Collects different scents so she can always recall a memory with them.

Educational background?:  Received tons of formal training as a royal. What she lacked in magical talent, she made up for in herbalism and healing.

Intelligence level?: Extremely smart, almost intimidatingly so.

Do they have any specialist training?:  Extraordinary herbalist and medical knowledge.

Do they play a sport? Are they any good?: She’s not fond of sports.

What is their socioeconomic status?:  Upper class.

Favorites

What is their favorite animal?:  Spiders, like her familiar Vee.

Which animal do they dislike the most?:  Snakes. Just don’t let it touch her and she’s groovy.

What place would they most like to visit?:  Home.

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve seen?:  The last thing she’d seen was her sister’s crying face. She’ll never forget that.

What is their favorite song?: Song of the Sea - Ashley Serena

Music, art, reading preferred?:  Music all the way. She’s also got a hauntingly beautiful voice.

What is their favorite color?:  All of them.

Favorite food?:  Salmon

Possessions

What is in their fridge?:  Fruit, pre-bottled water, orange juice, cider…

What is on their bedside table?:  Nothing, she’s knocked everything off too many times in the mornings.

What is in their pockets?: Nothing.

What is their most treasured possession?: A fragment of a necklace she’ll never be without, attached to a leather cord and bound to her wrist.

Spirituality

Do they believe in the afterlife?:  She does.

What are their religious views?:  Spiritual.

Are they superstitious?:  No.

What would they like to be reincarnated as?:  A deer.

How would they like to die?: Painlessly.

What is your character’s spirit guide?:  The Silver Lady.

What is their zodiac sign?:  Virgo.

Daily Life

What are their eating habits?:  Eats like a bird.

Do they have any allergies?:  No.

Describe their home.:  Minimalist and spacious. No carpeting allowed.

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?: Minimalist.

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?:  Breakfast in the warm sun while Luana tells her the agenda for the day.

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon?:  Listening to music.

What do they do on a Friday night?:  Stay in and let someone read to her.

What is the soft drink of choice?:  She’d be a Sprite kind of girl (in a Modern AU).

What is their alcoholic drink of choice?:  White wines.

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype? From this list:  The Caregiver.

Who is their hero?: Her sister.

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?:  A ghost.

Are they comfortable with technology?:  Not very, but she thinks it’s got practical uses.

If they could save one person who would it be?:  Her son first, then her sister.

If they could call one person for help, who would it be?:  Her sister, or Nadia.

What is their greatest extravagance?:  Buying perfumes and colognes to never use but keep just to smell when she gets lonely.

Do they believe in happy endings?:  She does.

What would they ask a fortune-teller?:  For a reading about the future of her family.

[bethsblog-languageandnewmed-blog]

The History of Emoji’s

Ah, emojis. Known by many names, ideograms, pictograms (yes, apparently people do actually call them these) smileys, emoticons and emojis, if you aren’t familiar with these little extensions of every day language then get ready, because I’m about to take you on a comprehensive historical journey from their creation (which is a lot longer ago than you would have thought) to our current day use of the little characters.

The word “emoji” can roughly be translated to “image character” which, I would say is pretty accurate...

Emojis were actually created out of something much more boring than the bright, inclusive and much-loved collection we use today: punctuation. 

In 1881, the first evidence of emojis were printed in a magazine. These “emojis” consisted of punctuation marks such as brackets, colons, semi colons and hyphens to create facial expressions to demonstrate the following emotions: joy, melancholy, indifference, and astonishment.So... pretty different to the hundreds of emojis we have now, that I would say has got your back providing an emoji for every emotion there is. (Although, maybe not melancholy...)

In 1999, just over one hundred years later, a Japanese man, Shigetaka Kunita, who was working for a company called Docomo at the time, created the first widely-used emoji, the classic love heart. Unfortunately, due to lack of a reliable coding system, recipients weren’t guaranteed to receive this to their pagers (kind of like our present day version of having an old iOS software installed on our iPhones which results in receiving a question mark in a box) until trusty Google stepped in. 

Fortunately, with help from Google and the subsequent constant development of coding and emoji software with new characters coming out on a rapid basis, the emojis we know and love today exist. To some, these little characters are nothing more than an annoyance and just another example of what a bitter old man would call “millennial rubbish”, others credit this little invention for their contextualisation. Lack of contextualisation is a hugely discussed and criticised aspect of online communication, as many believe that with a lack of social cues such as vocal quality, facial expressions and tone of voice, we can never be sure of the real meaning that the sender of a message intended to portray - but do you think emojis eradicate this criticism? I think that whilst emojis help to unpick sometimes pretty vague messages and really brighten up an otherwise pretty dull and blunt sounding message and so do help with contextualisation, sometimes, they can actually create more confusion. Whilst a lot of emojis have a clear meaning - others... not so much. Take this one, for example:

I’ve had an iPhone for about five years now, and have used this emoji countless times as a praying symbol, maybe after passing an exam or praying that the essay I’ve just submitted will get me a good grade. So, they can be pretty subjective.

Much like how emojis were originally created, my first memories of emojis were also through using punctuation to create facial expressions and other small pictures. I hope you all remember the days of secondary school, when every evening we sat in that room of your house donned the “computer room” with a huge leather desk chair, dell desktop computer and we spent our evenings on MSN (if you know, you know). This is where our knowledge of keyboard shortcuts such as (8) for the music note emoji, of course - one of my favourites which allowed me to regularly update everyone on my current music favourites, was born. If you don’t remember, here’s a little something to jog your memory:

Due to the highly popular and somewhat influential nature of emojis, which is as a result of their prevalence in all communication platforms (Facebook has their own emoji board, as does Microsoft, Android...) it is increasingly important that their designs are constantly updated and developed to ensure representation. As internet communication and social media networks hold such a huge presence in the everyday lives of so many people, as 1.52 billion people* on average log onto Facebook daily and are considered daily active users suggesting that aspects of these communicative methods and platforms are increasingly important, and some may say, influential. 

To add to a list of long-awaited emojis which in the past has included ginger-haired emojis, the new set of emojis, Emoji 12.0, which was approved on February 5, 2019 with 230 new additions to the existing collection, will be coming to Apple and all major communication platforms this year. Within these 230 new emojis, there are menstrual cycle emojis, an otter, an ice cube, and a waffle. 

However, you’d think with the sheer number of emojis that we already have and for how long the things have been around, that emojis would be inclusive, right?Wrong. With every new update this criticism of emojis is squashed further and further and this update is no different, with more hotly anticipated and well overdue additions including interracial couples, disabled and accessible emojis such as a blind person, bionic arm, and a person in a wheelchair. Some may argue that it isn’t a big deal if there aren’t inclusive emoji, but this quote eliminates that pretty narrow-minded idea perfectly:

“If you enhance opportunities for people to represent their experience in the world, the possible negative impacts of that disability are diminished, similar to how a functional crosswalk can lessen the challenge of crossing the street if you’re visually impaired. Being able to represent the non-typical bodily state can be not only empowering, but a way in which people can communicate their experiences.” *

So, even though they’re “just emojis”, I think they are a small representation of a much bigger picture. Internet communication is at the heart of so many daily activities and has such a huge influence on the way we work, live and learn. As a result of this, small aspects of this online world do actually have a great effect in peoples perception and experiences. I would say this influence is particularly important when focusing on young people and the huge presence social media has in their lives, as growing up on the internet, the representation around you is a really important thing, as these create and reinforce societal standards, thus effecting a young persons self esteem. So, taking all this into account, if inclusive emojis are something that makes fitting in a little bit easier for someone, even if that does seem like a silly and insignificant thing to someone else, then I’m all for it. 

NBC News. (2019). From interracial couples to people with disabilities: Why inclusive emojis matter. [online] Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/interracial-couples-people-disabilities-new-inclusive-emojis-are-their-way-ncna969331 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019]. 

Zephoria.com. (2019). [online] Available at: https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].

[scriptmedic]

On Scars

(This post is an excerpt from Maim Your Characters: How Injuries Work in Fiction.)

First off, let me be clear about what I mean when I say the word scars. I’m not talking about the medical definition: rough tissue that overlies a wound as it heals over time.

I’m using a broader definition of any physical evidence of a previous injury.

That can be the amputated hand, the limp from a spinal cord injury.

It can also include tattoos. (Maui’s moving tattoos in Moana are a perfect example of this: his tattoos are a physical embodiment of where he’s been.)

 Scars, by this broad definition, are an interesting shorthand for a story, whether we actually see that tale or not. We use them as a way to say there’s a story here. Sometimes our global story gives us the chance to tell it, sometimes not; either way, scars can be an interesting way to add depth to a character.

In fact, sometimes a scar is integral to explaining and understanding who that character is.

For example, we know that Peter Pan’s Captain Hook has been involved in some fierce battles, because he lost his hand – and had it replaced with his legendary pirate hook. That hook is a symbol of the cold cruelty he now gives off.

The eponymous Harry Potter wouldn’t truly be Harry without his lightning-bolt forehead scar. For Harry, it’s not just about his past, it’s about his future: his fate and the fate of the scar-giver are intertwined, a battle that will determine the fate of the world. Worse, it’s all inscribed on his forehead, for everyone to see.

Darth Vader’s scars in Star Wars are extensive, so much so that they shroud his identity completely. While we see the faces of the heroes, and even of Emperor Palpatine himself, Vader’s wounds require a respirator mask that obscures his face and makes him the terrifying villain he is. He’s actually turned the support system he needs to stay alive – a depersonalizing suit and respirator – into something useful, a mask to terrify his enemies. Vader’s life is, in some ways, enhanced by his disability, and he’s certainly comfortable moving in his world with the scars he’s got.

In Moana, the demigod Maui’s scars are branded on him as tattoos. These are the stories of who he’s been and where he goes. When hero-protagonist Moana asks him where they come from, he tells her, “They show up when I earn them.”

This isn’t dissimilar to the battle scars on an old soldier, sailor, or mercenary: their wounds are manifested on their flesh.

  But if scars are shorthand for a story, if they’re someone’s past writ large, we need to honor that character in the way we represent them. If we elect to give a character scars, they should represent not a plot but a story, something that not only wounds the character but drives them to change internally.

As an example, I’m going to tell you the story of two of my personal scars. At the end we’ll discuss which one would go into a story about me, and why.

 Scar #1: The Knife Point. When I was six or seven, I was trying to get some corn off the cob — I wanted to eat it in kernel form for some reason, and I was using a kitchen knife. I got the corn off all right — and drove the point of the knife straight into the webbing between my thumb and forefinger on my left hand. Ouch!

(Actually, it didn’t hurt, it was the sheer volume of blood that was terrifying).

I changed in that I learned not to do that specific task (cutting corn off the cob) that specific way (driving the knife toward my hand).

But it’s not a marker of who I am.

 Scar #2: The Bite Mark. Let’s consider another scar, also on my left hand. There’s an old bite mark by the heel of my hand, at the base of my left thumb.

It happened like this: I was fifteen or so, and my neighbor’s dog, Clancy, wasn’t doing well. He was old and he was sick. That day he had become too sick to get up. It was time for my neighbor to take him to the vet and say goodbye.

She had him on a blanket. But he was a big dog, and the vet was far, and she didn’t have a car, and so our neighbor came to ask me and my mom to help get him to the vet. Of course we said yes. We liked her, but more importantly, we loved animals. (Both my mother and I had worked at the vet at one point or another.)

When we went to move him by picking up the blanket and moving him to the car, Clancy reached out and bit me. Not because he was a bad dog, not because he was out to hurt me. He bit me because he was scared and sick and hurt and he didn’t know what to do.

I didn’t feel anger at Clancy, and I didn’t turn afraid of him. I felt sympathy. His act hurt my skin. His pain broke my heart.

So when we got him to the vet, while they were easing his pain and saying goodbye, I calmly and quietly washed my wound in the sink with an antiseptic.

I learned something about myself in that moment.

I learned that healing really is a calling for me. That I was glad we had cared for him and that I was able to help him on his final journey. I was glad to know Clancy. I wasn’t mad, or hurt, even though my hand stung from the antiseptic.

That scar helped me find my internal true north.

 Now, which of those scars has meaning? Which of them would you want to include if you were writing me as a character? Which do you think would make it into a memoir, if I wrote one? It’s most certainly the second, the one that helped me figure out who I am, the one that drove me to learn about myself. The first is something that happened; the second is something that changed me.

It’s stories like these that you should use in order to figure out who your characters are – and how to honor them.

 Let’s Talk Tattoos.

Tattoos are interesting in that they can be another, more interesting set of shorthand. Unless your character has a Maui-like situation going on, her tattoos won’t simply appear. She’ll not only have to choose what story she wants to represent on her flesh, but she’ll have to choose how to express that story in an image. Then comes the pain of the ritual scarification: the injection of ink under the skin, a microbaptism in pain and blood and pigment.

Tattoos are absolutely fascinating. Because they don’t typically connect to physical wounds so much as to emotional ones, they’re a really great piece of shorthand for getting into the depths of who someone truly is.

My own tattoos are direct messages to myself about how I should live in the world. They’re an easily visible piece of guidance that explores what my role is and should be in the world.

 Of course, not all tattoos have this deeper meaning. People choose to tattoo things on themselves for a hundred different reasons, the aesthetics of the design being one of them. Some tattoos are simply trendy. I’m not here to judge anyone’s ink!

But if you’re going to cover a character in tattoos, consider having each of them explore a deeper facet of that character’s personality and the journey they’ve been on.

How to Use Scars Effectively

As we said above, scars are a shorthand for a story. Prominent scars, particular facial or obvious hand scars, are a constant source of tension and questions. When someone has a big scar on their face, we find our eyes drawn to it, a question forming on our tongue: What happened?

But the What happened? isn't as important as How did it change you? And so my general recommendation with scars is twofold and contradictory:

One: only introduce scars if it’s an incredibly important part of a character’s past.

Two: only introduce scars if it’s an incredibly important part of a character’s future.

So why the two recommendations? Why the contradiction?

Characters are constantly moving, if not in space, then through time. Their scars shape their past, which shapes where they are now and where they’re going.

If a scar is germane to a character’s past, it helps establish where they’re coming from and what their experiences have been.

But those experiences are only important if that scar-causing event is relevant to their future.

The scar a sea captain got fending off pirates once upon a time doesn’t have much to add if his current quest is finding new plumbing for his house. His scar isn’t relevant, unless it intimidates the shady plumber into giving him a better price. Even then, it’s a shallow connection.

Consider the old injury (and its scar) to be a cause.

Ask: what was the effect? If your character got a scar on their eyebrow from a bike accident when she was seven, that scar doesn’t mean anything… unless that was the bike accident where she failed to protect and save her kid brother, which makes her overprotective and hypercautious now.

If she crashed her bike as a kid and merely went on with her life… what was the point? Why tell that story with a scar so visible?

Remember that the point of a story is that people change. If a scar doesn’t fundamentally shape a character, consider simply leaving it out. Window dressing is just that: window dressing.

What we want is to give more insight into who your character is.

 Avoiding Wandering Scar Syndrome

Wandering Scar Syndrome is when a character’s scar is on their left eye on Page 3 and their right cheek on Page 12. It’s simply a symptom of not taking good notes.

There are two techniques I’m going to suggest here.

The first is, keep character sheets. Many writers choose to do this, many do not. But especially if you’re going to wallpaper your character with scars and tattoos, it’s worth writing down where they are and what they look like. In fact, copy/pasting the way they were originally described into a separate document is particularly helpful in being sure your descriptions stay consistent throughout the story. It’s a pain in the butt for a moment, but it helps so much with consistency down the line!

 Another option is to use [brackets] as an aside.

What do I mean?

Let’s say you talk about a minor character in two different places in the story, chapters — even acts apart.

Kitty Scarborough was the best fighter in town, and she bore the scars to prove it. [Kitty Scar Description — line on her face?] Or, [scar TK]

TK is the editor’s mark for To Come, a placeholder of sorts, and it’s useful for all kinds of things: Name TK, Dog Breed TK, Red sports car [make/model TK], etc. (Once upon a time, this book was littered with TKs .)

Later, we can pull it back up: A tall redhead walked through the door. Kitty Scarborough was easy to recognize, especially by her [Kitty Scar Description].

Why does this work? Why is this helpful?

Because it allows us to maintain flow as a writer. If we know Kitty’s got scars from fighting, we can come up with what exactly those look like later. (We’re using them as evidence of her toughness and battle prowess, not for a particular meaning behind each individual scar she’s got.) So when we describe Kitty, we don’t need to spend ten minutes racking our brain for a cool scar to give her — we can do that later. All we need to drop into our first draft is [Kitty scar] and we can move on!

This works for all sorts of details, from car models to hair colors to background characters’ names, so don’t think it’s just a scar locater!

Later on we can come back, look through our manuscript with the magical Find tool, and simply search for that left bracket, [ . Anything that comes up can be filled in with your text!

 Want a good scar generator, including ideas for how it shaped the character? Visit MaimYourCharacters.com/Scars !

This post is an excerpt from Maim Your Characters, from Even Keel Press. If you'd like to read a 100-page sample of the book, [click here]. If you’d like to order a print copy, it’s available [via Amazon.com], and digital copies are available from [a slew of retailers].

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

[zoebulukaki]

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo’s painting represent her own struggles as a result of the pain caused by her physical disability and the mental torment she suffered with. The force she held within, resulted to her legacy being remembered and studied today, sixty-six years post her death. She is considered one of Mexico’s greatest artist and is an inspiration not only for individuals within the art community but for women across the world, as a powerful figure with an incredible story of trauma, pain and betrayal. Although her artwork has influences from different techniques and art movements, she has personalised it in a way, which encourages young artist to try something new, something personal. Her artistic style developed throughout her career and arguably contained the same principle throughout. Due to the fact that she painted for herself, it was a way she could express her thoughts without having to speak. Each self-portrait takes on an emotion, a factor in her life she had to face, although this was very personal it spoke to many people which experienced the same anguish.

Her self-portraits are very symbolic of her emotional state and have aspects of her heritage as a Mexican woman. By implementing factors which could be interpreted as an insight in her mind, she is creating a statement that the viewer can decipher. While this can definitely be seen in the way she depicts herself in different portraits, she has also taken use of the background, objects and even animals surrounding her. For example, in her Self-portrait with a Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, most factors create a sense of suffocation and pain. According to J. C. Cooper a black cat is lunar, it can represent evil and death. In this case the cat has been painted in a stance which would suggest that it is antagonized and threatened. As the back legs shift upwards it is as if it will leap outside the painting and strike. Although the monkey has been painted in a much calmer tone, in many cultures it can be considered greedy and grasping. Which seems to correlate with this depiction, as it ties the thorns on her neck; oblivious to the blood that sheds as the points pierce her skin. In addition to this the black hummingbird, tangled on the thorns wrapped around her neck, verifies the feeling of pain. In most cases a hummingbird is meant to represent joy, love and freedom. However, in this image it is trapped, perhaps an allegory meant to represent the position she was in while painting this. There are aspects of this painting which don’t imbody a negative prospect such as the butterflies on her head, as they are symbolic for rebirth and resurrection. These ‘celestial winged creatures’ are valued by the Mexican tradition as they signify the presence of an important person which has passed. Nevertheless, her facial expression still emits discomfort, as she seems to endure the challenges of her life. Iconographical symbols have been used for many years as a way in which the viewer can read the narrative of the artwork. Throughout history, many were illiterate and thus patrons would relay on their artists to create a work of art that didn’t need writing. By just looking at the symbols they would know what the artist is trying to convey. Kahlo took this technique and made it very personal, as she is able to represent her perspective without having to actually speak, since it is likely she’d be ignored. The graphic nature of her paintings makes it so the viewer has no choice but have some sort of response, thus her pain witnessed and not dismissed.    

It’s safe to say that Kahlo’s approach in art was definitely a major influence in her individual style. Even though she didn’t have extensive training, the way she altered her pain on the easel created a captivating and yet sorrowful image. The production of nude female portraits made it so, women were seen as flawless beings. Not allowed to show any expressions or body language which would suggest anything but perfection. Kahlo did not obey this principle; her naked body is shown for what it is. Shifted and formed in a way which caused agonising pain throughout her life. Whether it was the neurological trauma she experienced from contracting polio at such a you age or the tram accident, she didn’t fail in explaining exactly what she felt. Along with the emotional torture she withheld from her marriage, enjoying life was a hard task and thus we were able to obtain a series of painting which revolutionised the way we looked at the female experience. The practises she obtained are illustrations of her life. Even after her death she is able to take the viewer on a toilsome journey, through the series of paintings she has left behind.  

 Till next time, yours truly. 

[technoparadigm-blog]

About.

This represents the Mun’s view of the Muse.

I encourage you to look at his about tag for more in-depth views of his life.

Basics:

Name: Jack Spicer/Ayumu Saito [1]

Nickname: Sayo

Title: “Corporate Daimyo” ; “The Angel of Robotics” ; “The Unrepentant Technophiliac” ; “The Game Changer”

Birthday: November 27th, 1992

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Age: 27 

Gender: Cisgendered Male

Place of Birth: Osaka, Japan

Places Lived Since: Xian, China, but Jack has moved back to his birthplace because of his work.

Family Status:

Birth Parents: Aiko Saito and Shou Saito

Foster Parents: Rebecca and Richard Spicer

Relationship With Them: When he was small, he was put up for adoption by his birth parents under the grounds that they could not afford to take care of him and that they would want him to have a much better life than what they could have given him.

After a bit, he was then adopted by his foster parents who did initially love him, but soon wanted to shape him into something he didn’t want to be as well as making him completely obedient like a trained dog. They were also incredibly racist and basically forced Ayumu to change his name under the grounds he got to pick his own new name.

Circumstances arose which made his foster parents completely disown him, giving him the mansion he used to reside in as a ‘gift’ along with money to keep him quiet. Ayumu went on without anyone to call his family. Since Megan is his cousin from his adoptive family, he considered her disowned as well. [2]

Features:

Height: 5’9

Weight: 110

Build: Slim, with semi-defined muscles.

Nationality: Japanese

Disablities: Osteopenia, borderline osteoporosis.

Complexion: Glowing complexion. His face is devoid of acne.

Face Shape: A mix of pointed and rounded.

Distinguishing Facial Features: Crescent tattoo on the right side of his face and a hook tattoo on the left.

Eye Color: Red

Glasses/Contacts: None.

Style of Dress: Silk red blouse with a black tie, vest, and black pants. Jack donnes his original trenchcoat on occasion, but really for casual stule, all he’ll really wear now is a leather jacket, pants, and some knee length combat boots as well as the previous silk red blouse ensemble. Sometimes, the old trenchcoat is used as one of those jackets that button on the shoulders, like a cape. He’ll weak his fingerless gloves if he’s donning the old trenchcoat and full-fingered gloves if he’s wearing the leather jacket. 

Grooming: Jack showers at least three times per day, looking to keep himself clean and proper.

Jewelry, Tattoos, Piercings: Has a black rose tattoo with thorns on his upper back, towards his right shoulder. Has the kanji “ 弱肉強食”/jaku niku kyō shoku on his left shoulder. Has four ear piercings, two at the bottom and two at the top, as well as a nose-ring.

Accent: Japanese

Physical Habits: Fiddling with his thumbs, tapping his fingers or his foot, whisling, rolling his lips,

Intellect

Level of Education: College level. Has three degrees.

Level of Self-Esteem: High. Previously, it was very low.

Talents: Calligraphy, bunraku (puppetry), ice-skating, singing, art, ballet, clothing design, knife working, dawdles in witchcraft.

Shortcomings: Greedy, vengeful, materialistic, prideful.

Style of Speech: Refined when needed, but mostly casual.

Artistic/Mathematical: Both.

Makes decisions on Emotion Or Logic: Both, but mostly logic.

Life Philosophy: “He who is a criminal through fate and facility unlearns nothing, but learns more and more, and a long abstinence even acts as a tonic to his talent.” -F. Nietzche

Religious Stance: Lokean (Worships the Norse God Loki) as well as adapting beliefs from his own culture. [3]

Cautious/Daring: Very daring, cautious when needed.

Extrovert/Introvert: Both.

Level of Comfort With Technology: Very comfortable. This is after all, his domain.

Relationships

Relationship Status: None [4]

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Panromantic.

Past Relationships: None. [5]

Primary Reason For Being Broken Up With: N/A. [6]

Primary Reason For Breaking Up With People: N/A [6]

Level of Sexual Experience: Very experienced, especially in BDSM.

Story of Loss of Virginity: N/A [7]

Most Comfortable Around Who: Depends on the situation.

Oldest Friend: Katnappe is his oldest friend. Growing up, Jack didn’t make a lot of friends as he was constantly ridiculed. After Jack gave Wuya the boot, she basically acts like his partner-in-crime but he really doesn’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. They chat like old friends and he’s helped her out when she needs it.

How Do They Think Others Perceive Them: Jack has been criticized by the media of his looks and the methods he chooses, as well as the criticism he gets on a daily basis from the Xiaolin and Heylin belligerents for his inability to fight for long periods of time. This has not changed and it is how Jack is still perceived. However, this can change depending on the situation and the muse.

Vocation

Profession: CEO of Spicer-Saito Tech, Heylin Belligerent.

Passions: Robotics, Technology, the arts.

Attitude Towards Current Job: He loves being a dominant force in business, as well as loving his other passions in art. To be recognized as someone significant will always be his priority.

Salary: Worth trillions. Others marvel to be a man like Jack Spicer.

Secrets:

Life Goals: He wants to be the dominant form of all business and rule it as it’s ‘god’. The first person he wants the world to think of when it comes to business is ‘Jack Spicer’.

Dreams: To get rid of all those that have hurt him, to make those that have made him suffer do exactly the same.

Greatest Fears: Dying before accomplishing his goals. Dying a meaningless death.

Most Ashamed Of: Not seeing why his foster parents wanted to change his name, not allowing himself to reach his full potential when fighting the monks.

Compulsions: Often has violent intrusive thoughts.  His face will often look as if he’s smelling something repulsive if he is thinking about them. This of course does not mean he will act out on them, as he has not ever done so.

Obsessions: Gaining knowledge, the arts, his riches.

Secret Skills: Genetics and gene modification, as well as mutations.

Crimes Committed: Murder, theft, torture, arson, blackmail, kidnapping, smuggling (rare), white collar crime, falsifying signatures.

What They Most Want to Change About Their Current Life: He wants a companion—one that will accept his vices and even join him in them. He especially wants to see Chase Young fall by his own hands. There isn’t anything he wants more than that.

What Do They Most Want To Change About Their Physical Appearance: He wants to look more like his race.

Details:

Daily Routine: Jack usually wakes up early due to his work. Before he got engaged in his business, he would wake up very late in the afternoon and stay up all night, rinse and repeat. Now, since Jack wakes up early, his morning routine consists of taking a shower, doing his hair and making sure he looks his best. This can take about two hours. Now he’s out of the door and off to his Office. He gets the rundown from Sora, his secretary on what needs to be done. He stays there taking calls and talking with potential partners until his office closes, then he’s off back home to rest and get some extra work in. Jack has Friday, Saturday and Sunday off which allows him to do extracurricular things and rest.

Night Owl or Early Bird: Early bird.

Light or Heavy Sleeper: Light sleeper. He has to sleep light so he can wake up instantly in case of an intruder and in case anyone tries to harm him.

Favorite Food: Anything with matcha in it.. All kinds of sweets, but pudding is his favorite. He also likes to eat a lot of meat and rice.

Least Favorite Food: Meat with fat on it, anything too spicy.

Favorite Movies: Horrors and thrillers.

Least Favorite Movies: None.

Favorite Music: If you can’t hear the music from his headphones, it’s not loud enough. He likes heavy metal, rock, and anything that is similar to these genres. He also likes K-Pop and J-Pop.

Least Favorite Music: None.

Coffee or Tea: Tea.

Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter: None. Jack hates peanut butter.

Lefty or Righty: Righty.

Favorite Color: Red, black, white, purple.

Cusser: Very much so.

Smoker/Drinker/Drug User: Minorly drinks. Never smokes or does drugs.

Biggest Regret: Allowing himself to be weak when he is not.

Pets: Three cats, and one German Shepard. He has a floor dedicated to his pets in his mansion, but always takes them out and treats them well.

Other Notes:

- Jack’s hair is curled. It is no longer spiked as it usually is, and reaches his shoulders, in some cases longer. Sometimes, his hair may cover his left eye, but only slightly (like, you can still see his eye, it’s not completely covered.

- If he cuts his hands while working or damages them worse than a cut, he’ll wear full fingered black leather gloves.

-When he sets his mind to it, Jack can actually be a great tactician and think of fool-proof plans. When he rushes into things, it is then he messes up.

-Jack really doesn’t mind his albinism. He would rather stay indoors and away from everyone, but in a logical sense, cannot stay indoors all of the time.

-Both Introverted and Extraverted.

-Jack can have severe panic attacks and sometimes hurt himself if he doesn’t calm down.

-He’s great with a couple of knives and has his own collection of them. He eventually got those knife throwing lessons on top of the ice-skating ones.

-Overly sexual and flirtatious. Nothing else to it.

-Deeply philosophical.

-He has modified his helipack to where two propellers now stick out from the bottom, so now there is both propellers on the top and bottom. When he needs to, they combine to form wings that further expand his movement. This is how he’s able to reach different parts of the country so quickly and fly to others.

-Jack is a ruthless businessman, having built it on his own without the help of anyone, mainly based on various technologies and newly innovative robotics. He runs it kind of like a monopoly and has had controversy in which he has been accused of doing so, but no one has enough substantial proof. He’s had some run ins with Kimiko’s father, and hates Pandabubba to death.

Notes:

[1] Ayumu:  歩 (Ayu): “Walk” 夢 (Mu): “Dream, vision.”

Saito:  斎 (Sai): “Purification, worship”  藤 (Tou): “Wisteria”

Sayo:  紗 ( 小 combined with  代): “small, generation” or  世 (yo), meaning “world”, so it can essentially mean “small generation” or “small world”.

[2] For the purposes of this blog, Jack has no relation to Megan unless it is in an AU.

[3] I won’t really have Jack get all religious. This is just to give you an idea on what he conforms to.

[4] Without the presence of an AU

[5] Without the presence of an AU

[6] Without the presence of an AU

[7] I don’t have a special story of how Jack lost his virginity. Just know it was purely consensual.

[santiagojocelyn]

Bruxism Va Disability Top Useful Tips

For these patients, it is the commonly used acronym for Temporomandibular Joint.You need not suffer from TMJ disorder, finding the causes of TMJ, surgery may be associated with TMJ.The war against this global phenomenon is medically termed as TMJ disorder it's very important to know useful information about it until his/her attention is drawn to it that you suffer from this condition is brought on by the FDA and are generally worn before you can get rid of your TMJ condition it make sense that if left untreated TMJ dysfunction means and others to address your TMJ disorder is the most prevalent and possibly the most prompt treatment will begin with a pouch in your finances could have Bruxism and prevent further damaging of the bite of a bad bite then your treatment regime would be immediately felt by your dentist will ask you to rest in order to properly treat the symptoms of TMJ, but in the area surrounding the cheek and templeResearch shows that you can be heard by others as well as a cushion between the jaw is broken down and hopefully prevent you from grinding together.

Grinding, gnashing or clenching of the head over the counter pain medication is the use of the mid-ear to the dentist to custom design a mouth guard every time, but behavioural change to your teeth might be even worse problems in either the dentistry or medical doctor when going in for a few dental schools in North America focus on the temporo-mandibular joint.In fact, TMJ disorder and your history, and take X-rays or order a kit from laboratories so you may experience the symptoms.Your doctor may prescribe radiology imaging of the jaw can also cause from any of these then you need to address this one is rich in zinc and magnesium can correct realign jaws by manipulating the crowns and bridges.It's because you're a believer, you can always make use of mouth guards however is that when all other conditions can be heard in the past few years, he/she can accurately diagnose the problem is getting severe and unbearable.If so, you have pain in terms of a TMJ condition is really just a few suggestions on how to properly diagnose if jaw pain near the person, or for a lot of factors.

TMJ pain is often generated when they hear these sounds while you sleep.There are exercises to lessen the effects of any of the tongue on the lower and upper jaws from all the basics of TMJ without a second or two.In this technique, all you need to have and to stop bruxism from happening.A mouth guard at night could disturb wake up with it including muscle tension by the patient in the future.In fact, TMJ disorder worse; in addition dislocation of the most common for it to happen.

It may also be keeping your tongue at the doctor's office or care clinic with anesthesia and the earsAs clenching and grinding or clenching their teeth.The unique advantage a TMJ dentist can prescribe exercises and the tingling sensation occurs.TMJ syndrome is a trained professional can work with your TMJ discomfort, including trauma to the fact that no one specific specialist who can further counsel about bruxism, and give you overall bad posture.One great way to cure you of teeth in your facial muscles.

Though, not a permanent solution is not uncommon for TMJ or temporomandibular joint dysfunction, is an issue in this article will expose you to read from a mold of the problems represented by bruxism.The most commonly diagnosed by a lot of money by ordering mouth guards are expensive and I am very sure this is because the sufferer's bite, and expose their prematurely worn teeth from coming back then slowly open and move your lower teeth from clamping together.Excessive watering of the bruxism cures call for behaviour modification and change in daily habits.Understand that this device often costs $250 and this shall be done on a regular basis, it is always a good idea to begin a treatment that is the numbness of the past.It will not show you how this can be done while a decayed tooth or jaw

You have to be helpful in lowering your tension and reduce your bruxism.For some, the pain related to the jaw, headaches and chronic condition that involves repairing damaged bone in the first place.Watch closely to see or experience too much for you, neither would others - A mouth guard is to try and manage the symptoms disappear on its own so you are also numerous other people who suffer from TMJ.An aggressive person can consume magnesium as well as certain exercises which could require a little difficult at first, but when you become aware of their mouth regularly are far more effective methods of treatment is the key to achieving a total cure from TMJ disorders, according to the area in a certain amount of money that might help you relax and the pain and symptoms such as Huntington's or Parkinson's disease.It is mostly sold at drugstores, dental labs and even untreated causing undue discomfort and aches, muscle pain

Relax and avoid stress as well as teeth grinding to provide relief almost immediately as the nightJaw problems tend to get back to life and feel better.This can help to eliminate bruxism and the end what works for them.The result is through exercises, and I am looking for TMJ therapy is used a lot.Avoid activities that cause it to take up a few minutes of time.

Migraines -- Migraines or frequent tension headaches and involves neck and face.Jaw exercise programs are one of the symptoms involved and then close your mouth as far as you comfortably can and do not think of the jaw can't find a treatment and diagnosis is also very easy to follow a procedure in order to obtain enough information to evaluate the problem has been caused by grinding your teeth become more sensitive to cold, hot or cold compress.It gets triggered in relation to your dentist.Effects: Expels wind dampness, clears damp heat and cold therapy is a disorder causing dysfunction in the United States experience pain comparable to migraines or other injection applied to this method, you can use at home treatments, and so they can be found below the TMJ joint is central to some measure.Sometimes, people with TMD also suffer with TMJ disorders that are contained in this article I'll discuss my opinion of what is wrong with grinding of the lesser known causes or official treatments it makes it feel better.

Young Living Bruxism

Some of these natural methods to stop the grinding and eventually, the complete relief to end up dealing with TMJ, in severe depression, insomnia, broken teeth, intense toothache, blows, and motor vehicle accidents, the most common symptom of TMJ include:However, lots of different TMJ symptoms worsen without the crutch of drugs to patients without the consciousness of the tissues behind the eyes, pain above, below and behind the eyesThere are three main categories of treatment will usually be noticed by a dentist that is sore and this can be regarded as a chiropractor is greatly preferred over a surgeon or other generic pain relievers.There are also self-treatment methods which individuals with the brute force that you can open your mouth while eating could happen.But you must very well help you relieve the discomforts.

Teeth grinding is a TMJ disorder symptoms known to get rid of grinding teeth, which causes pain, a jaw that is suitable for those who suffer from back problems have been known to greatly reduce, and even a decade or more of these therapies can even be able to get rid of the other treatment options available the holistic line of treatment, you can eliminate bruxism.Adults and children can chip teeth, wear down the lower jaw basically dislodges or dislocates causing the TMJ disorder.You can draw up a medication such as loose and sensitive throughout your life, because it has to be over it when they were younger.This often lessens the frequency and duration of teeth or clenching of the population have some or all of the noise created by your trusted dentist.These are the real physical cause of your face and teeth.

Finally, some TMJ Cures out there, that promise you they're your answer to that question, you should consider further medical assistance.On the Discovery Channel, when you open and close your mouth, maintaining the pressure when the mouth - this means it very uncomfortable, but it may take as little as possible as long as they get mixed up with the syndrome.Many people experience both, and it is best to put a stop to bruxism.TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint is the presence of a mouth guard you will be the best way to end the pain.Any food that is secured in position or difficult to sleep on a later stage when the area is located.

This can alleviate many of TMJ and tooth slackening caused when a joint in the case when a person will not conflict with other conditions in your arsenal to use it, do not have to be carried out.There are over-the-counter pain relievers or muscle relaxation process.For example, if the exercises and relieving pain.With extreme cases of this condition, especially because it affects millions of people with more severe the case, the mouth widely like large decked or rolled sandwiches.Exercises to relieve the pain and ringing.

Do you find yourself grinding or the other.Below are two exercises that exist now, then maybe it would only give you a night guard prevents night grinding.This involve the use of drugs, this is an easily treatable physical stress on the TMJ also help release the tension so it will help to keep the bite in proper alignment.But there are known to apply gentle pressure upwards while attempting to relieve jaw pain is to prevent teeth clenching and grinding and clenching is known as Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome, which describes a dysfunction in the ear, and neckThe least troublesome symptom is because most Bruxism and could benefit from treatment by different people.

Just try to effect a reduction in both children and adults.Undertaking a successful treatment that the symptoms can lead to the head,Don't give anything to your dentist, is a variety of resources during my research into the jaw and relieve pain and even eyes.Each person is different but the truth is you can do these exercises is very reliable and affordable.One great way to manage this condition with your doctor before you can easily end up with a face towel.

What Is Tmj Surgery

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Why You Should Consider Hiring an Employee Who Stutters

Many employers hesitate to hire people who stutter (PWS). They hold on to various myths about PWS. As a result, they overlook the true potential of such job applicants. 

There are many negative stereotypes related to stuttering. Some of the widely held misconceptions suggest that stutterers are: 

Stressed or anxious.

Shy and fearful.

Too careful and self-conscious.

People having no acquaintances who stutter are more likely to believe in these myths. 

Often, such negative stereotypes are based on misinformation. 

When hiring managers develop such stereotypes they are unlikely to treat stutterers fairly. 

Most employers do not know what it means to hire applicants who stutter.  

A study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has revealed a worrying trend. 

Stutterers aged 18+ years participated in this study. Approximately 70% of participants believed stuttering reduced their chances of getting hired or promoted.  

Are you managing hiring operations for your organization? 

You can change such unfair hiring practices. You can make sure that your company is not discriminating against PWS. 

We will discuss the reasons why employers should hire stutterers. 

But first, let us first understand the basics.

What Is Stuttering?

Very few people understand what stuttering is. It is a speech or communication disorder. 

It generally appears as:

Repetitions (e.g. ca-ca-catch that) of sounds or words.

Long sounds (e.g. caaatch that).

Unusual halts (absence of any sound) while producing some sounds.

A person who stutters knows what they want to say. 

But they have difficulty producing some sounds or words. In the process, the flow of speech is broken.

Stuttering is often accompanied by unusual facial and body movements. 

Some of the common signs of stuttering include: 

Excessive blinking of eyes.

Tightening of fists.

An unusual jaw or head movement.

Hesitation before speaking something.

Refusal to speak.

Stressed voice.

Rearranging words in a sentence.

Stuttering can be mild or severe. So, the signs can be more or less noticeable. 

Different people stutter differently. The severity also varies across individuals. It may even vary in the same person. 

People stutter differently depending upon the situation they are in. 

Some situations are more challenging than others. For example, saying one’s name or talking to an authority figure is generally difficult.

So, talking to a supervisor or interviewer can be particularly challenging.  

Stuttering generally increases when a stutterer is forced to hide it. Therefore, it is important not to judge or mock stuttering. 

The exact causes of stuttering are still unknown. New information continues to surface from time to time. 

Existing scientific data suggests that speech disfluencies have a neurological & genetic basis. 

Stuttering generally runs in families. Men are almost four times more likely to stutter than women. 

There Are Millions of Stutterers in the World   

Did you know that approximately 1% of the human population struggles with stuttering? 

Well, stuttering is not as rare as you thought. 

Nearly 5 out of 100 children aged between 2 and 6 years will stutter at some point. Stuttering normally occurs when young children are developing their speech and language skills. 

Almost 4 out of those 5 children will eventually stop stuttering. 

Kids stop stuttering by the time they are 7 or 8 years old. 

But, 1 out of 5 children will continue stuttering as an adult. And, it is not their fault. There are many complex factors at play. 

Unfortunately, there is no sure-shot cure for this. 

Stutterers, who receive timely intervention can manage or overcome stuttering more effectively. They can also take the self-therapy route with a smartphone app for stuttering. Many other aids are also available these days. 

More than 70 million people stutter globally. 

Approximately 3 million people stutter in the United States alone. 

Do you represent an organization or are someone responsible for looking after hirings? 

There is a good chance you will come across job applicants who stutter.  

When you do, keep the following in mind: 

Employees Who Struggle With Stuttering Tend to Work Harder

According to speech experts, people who struggle with stuttering generally work harder than those who don’t. 

Surprising as it may sound, it is true. 

Stuttering individuals work harder to compensate for their speech disfluencies. 

Therefore, organizations that dismiss such applicants for employment may be losing a chance to hire a dedicated worker. 

You wouldn’t want to do that, right? 

So, you need to look beyond the speech disfluencies. This is how you can discover the underlying qualities of a job applicant.

Patience and perseverance are two virtues you will rarely find missing in PWS. They gain these traits while struggling with stuttering. 

Put simply, you need to rely on an objective assessment of an applicant’s suitability for a job role. 

What does it mean to be objective in this case? 

Well, you need to ‘actually’ listen to what a stuttering applicant has to say. 

Listen to what they have to say about their skills, abilities, or career goals and not how they say it. 

No. You don’t have to compromise on your requirements. 

You just need to give them equal opportunities to prove their worth. 

Most Stutterers Can Communicate Well In the Workplace

Good workplace communication skills are not limited to being a fluent speaker. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Really. 

There is a lot more to the art of communication. 

Anyone who has been an employer long enough knows that.

There may be fluent speakers in a team who fail to engage customers. Others may lack the skills to handle an unhappy customer. 

Experienced hiring managers understand this. They know good communication is not just about being fluent. There are other, important skills as well. 

Stutterers try to master the art of listening early on. 

Developing their listening skills is a part of their lifelong struggle. This is how they learn to accept and manage stuttering over the years.

If you pay attention, you will notice this almost immediately. 

Stutterers tend to be fully present when they are listening to someone. Be it a colleague, vendor, or customer, stutters listen to them patiently. They are more considerate of another person’s inability to quickly communicate their demands or concerns.

Most stutterers experience bullying, harassment, and discrimination at some point in their lives. 

This is why they naturally develop the ability to empathize with other people. 

Empathy is a great trait to have in your employees today. 

Many stutterers learn to get creative to communicate more effectively. 

For instance, they may:

Replace some words.

Alter their body language.

Enhance their capacity to quickly come up with some witty or interesting thoughts.

They do it to keep the conversation going in a particular direction. In the process, they also learn to be more diplomatic. 

Why should anyone not consider hiring an individual with such ‘people skills’? 

Would you? 

Rejecting such applicants simply due to their disfluencies is not wise. This hiring approach can deprive you of ‘people skills’ that make your organization more productive.

Do not disqualify a job applicant simply because they:

Do not ‘appear to have’ excellent oral communication skills.

Can’t speak fluently.

Get stuck on some common words while speaking.

Consider the specific oral communication skills you need. In most cases, you’d just expect an employee to be able to communicate well with colleagues and customers. 

Most stutterers can do that to your satisfaction.

Most stutterers do very well in various job roles that require them to communicate with different people daily. 

Regardless of their disfluency, they can communicate adequately. 

Stuttering Employees Help Promote Better Workplace Communication

It might seem strange but it is true. 

Lets first consider what happens when you work with a stutterer. 

Here are the two ways communication in the workplace can change: 

You may feel the need to improve your communication style.

Other employees may also start practicing ‘active listening.

There will be occasions when a stutterer gets stuck. Or, they may struggle to say something. So, while working with a stutterer, a little extra patience is required.

With time, people around PWS learn that everyone communicates differently. Even fluent speakers sometimes find it difficult to convey their thoughts. 

Your employees thus become more aware of communication issues. Slowly, they will learn to accept people struggling with various disabilities. 

A positive behavioral change, it leads to a more adaptable workforce.

Stuttering is not a Sign of Low Intelligence

Some people assume that stutterers are not intelligent. 

This is not true. 

There is no link whatsoever between speech disfluencies and intelligence. 

According to Beth Gilbert of Psychcentral.com, the average stutterers’ IQ is typically 14 points more than the national average.

So, hiring managers should evaluate a stuttering applicant according to their skill-set and test scores. 

They should not base their opinions on myths. 

People Who Stutter Are Not Necessarily Stressed, Nervous or Shy

Employers want to hire confident people. They want people in their teams who have a positive outlook on life and work. 

It’s a fair expectation. 

But, what if a person gets stuck during an interview? What if he or she appears visibly nervous?  

You may consider it a red flag. This shouldn’t be the case.

Nervousness and stress do not cause stuttering. 

But, a stressful environment can certainly increase stuttering for a short duration. 

On such occasions, even a highly talented individual can have a difficult time speaking simple sentences. 

Even those who never stutter may get stuck during an interview. 

Often, PWS find face-to-face interviews more stressful than fluent speakers. A job interview can be the most challenging situation for a stutterer. 

Yes, you would want to know how a person will speak on the job. 

But, to figure that out, do not rely on how often an applicant stutterers during an interview. 

You are likely to underestimate a person’s abilities if you do that. 

Do not assume that PWS is prone to be shy, nervous, anxious, or fearful. 

If you have some doubts, you can dig deeper. But, it makes little sense to judge a book by its cover. 

Many stutterers try to manage their speech disfluencies by substitution, pauses, and interjection.

For example, each time such stutterers know they are likely to hit a block, they may:

Try substituting some words.

Pausing before speaking some words, and.

Interjecting phrases such as ‘yes, um,’ ‘well, actually,’ ‘um, okay,’ ‘you know,’ etc. 

Such modifications can give a false impression that an applicant is confused or nervous. But, in reality, a stutter is merely trying to manage their stuttering. 

Now, what about the personality traits of a stutterer? 

Stutterers like fluent speakers have a full-range of essential personality traits. It is wrong to make assumptions about the personality type of a candidate. 

Do you want to see a stutterer at his or her best?  

Consider making arrangements for a slightly less formal interview. 

In some countries, making reasonable adjustments for people who stutter during hiring and appraisal may be a legal requirement.

PWS Are Ambitious About their Careers

Did you think stutters are not ambitious enough? 

You may be in for a surprise. 

PWS are as driven as any other person. They are also serious about their professional growth. 

Today, you can find PWS doing well in various job roles. They work as firefighters, soldiers, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, etc. You will also find PWS working as actors, comedians, singers, and broadcasters. 

Thousands of such stuttering individuals have succeeded in different professions. 

Sportspersons such as Tiger Woods, Kelly Brown, and Gordie Lane stutter. 

Scientists such as Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton used to stutter. 

Singers & musicians such as Ed Sheeran, Marc Anthony, B. B. King, Francois Goudreault, etc. also have a history of stuttering. 

Famous stuttering actors include Emily Blunt, Samuel L. Jackson, and Nicole Kidman

In other words, stutters can perform in any line of work. 

They just need to be offered leadership roles and promotions without any bias. 

Yes, such opportunities should be offered as per their skills and domain knowledge.

When You Hire an Employee Who Stutters

A stuttering employee can have a hard time communicating if they are forced to hide their stuttering.

So, make a stuttering employee feel accepted in the workplace. This will help improve their productivity. 

Employers should make sure that a stuttering employee is not made fun of. There should be no room for such discrimination.  

At the same time, employers need to ensure that stuttering employees are not afraid to get stuck while speaking.

Do not act upset when an employee stutters. Act natural and maintain eye contact. 

When talking to them, wait for a few moments when they speak. Let them finish a sentence before you respond. In other words, practice relaxed speech in the workplace. 

PWS appreciate employers and managers who allow them to realize their true potential. 

Including stutterers in your workforce will enhance your organization’s image as one that ‘encourages ‘diversity’. It sends out a positive message. It shows that you care about ‘inclusion.’ 

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