#shoutout to people with actual disabilities they are heroes

[kraro-school-life]

Like 3 weeks ago I made a list of 'productive' things to get done. What I didn´t know is that things would get worse after that.

See, mental health is something I always somehow managed to keep up. But recent events/ development have worsened it and my physical health too. It is weirdly intertwined with eachother for me and that´s what´s frustrating. I KNOW my pubescent brain is just desperatly trying to connect my neurons and keep the chemistry up there right somehow (- Quote from my mom btw). But everything is just so frustrating I want to cry and never stop sometimes.

I had to give up an event I was looking forward to for half a year but it´s better that way. It feels like my life was slowly shaking, getting more and more shaken up and in the end technically nothing moved from it´s place, but I ended up somewhere else and got a different, new perspective on everything. And I don´t like this prespective so it´s time to rearrange this shit.

So I will take one step at a time and before school starts I hope to have it figured out at least a little bit more. I will, as always, use this blog to motivate me :)

~ ♦️

[thedisabilitybookarchive]

Thanks for the shoutout!

I haven't read every book on the list I'm about to give you, but I have researched them all. So while I can't guarantee they'll all be exactly what you had in mind, I've done my best to pick out ones that seem like they will fit best.

Fantasy

[Plain text: Fantasy]

Anthologies:

[Plain Text: Anthologies]

Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy- Thomas, Lynne M. et. al.

Magazine Anthology

Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry

This is issue #30 of the Uncanny Magazine publication. A list of contributors to this issue can be found on the archive entry.

Novels:

[Plaint Text: Novels]

One For All- Lainoff, Lillie

Young Adult

MC with POTS | Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Retelling of the story of The Three Musketeers

I do believe that this book is very much an "ownvoices" book, as the author also has POTS.

Six of Crows- Bardugo, Leigh

Young Adult

Six of Crows and Grishaverse series

Magic and Crime

Cane User with Chronic Limp, Chronic Pain and Touch Aversion MC, Dyslexic MC, MC Gambling Addiction and Implied ADHD, Multiple MCs with PTSD

I've read this book. There's one part in particular, in the beginning of the book, where it refers to one of the MCs feeling more pain in his leg when it's cold which I've never really seen discussed in a book before. The characters in this book are also present in an original storyline in the Shadow and Bone TV series.

Science-Fiction

[Plain Text: Science-Fiction]

Anthologies:

[Plain Text: Anthologies]

Defying Doomsday- Dolichva, Tsana

Multiple Disabilities

Apocalyptic/Dystopian Fiction

Short Stories by Disabled Authors

Disabled people surviving in various apocalyptic situations. There is a list of contributors and a list of as many disabilities as I could find on the archive entry for this book.

Rebuilding Tomorrow- Dolichva, Tsana

Multiple Disabilities

Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Fiction

Short Stories by Disabled Authors

Follow up to 'Defying Doomsday'

Essentially what happens after surviving the apocalypse. Again, a list of contributors and as many disabilities as I could find can be found on the archive entry for this book.

Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction- Sjunneson-Henry, Elsa et. al.

Magazine Anthology

Fiction, Non-Fiction, Personal Essays and Poetry

This is issue #24 of the Uncanny Magazine publication. A list of contributors as well as article titles can be found on the archive entry.

Novels:

[Plain Text: Novels]

An Unkindness of Ghosts- Solomon, Rivers

Adult

Autism

Space and Mystery

Solomon is consistently suggested to me as a good source of neurodiverse, queer and intersex representation. This book is actually their debut novel.

Hench- Walschots, Natalie Zina

Adult

Hench series

Cane User MC with Mobility Impairment, Chronic Pain, Improperly Healed Bone, PTSD and Possible TBI

Superheros and Supervillains

I've never personally read this one, but in the interest of adding variety to the list I think it's a good addition. It's not the "person becomes villain because they're now disabled" trope, it's the "person becomes villain after seeing the continued destruction caused by hero, also they're now disabled" trope.

I also have an entry for @nopoodles Unlicensed Delivery, which you can find here!

-

If you're interested, you can find more books like this on the archive. Hopefully this list has given you a better idea of where to look for the representation you want.

Happy browsing!

I wish there was more representation of disabilities and chronic illness in fantasy, science fiction and action genres.

Not just a side character with 30 seconds of screentime. An important character that doesn't just exist to further the storylines of other characters. I want a character that doesn't get "cured" or healed. A character that stays disabled and/or chronically ill. A character that isn't afraid to ask for help. One that doesn't think they're a burden and doesn't try to hide their disability/ chronic illness.

I want to see how it affects them, not just know they're disabled/chronically ill and it jist never gets mentioned again. I don't mean it should be their entire personality but being disabled and or chronically ill can affect many parts of life.

I just wish there was more representation of disabilities and chronic illness that shows every part of it. Especially in fantasy and science fiction it's lacking.

[this-world-of-beautiful-monsters]

Leo uses a cane with stars painted on it.

It was Mikey’s idea to decorate the cane, and he did the design because he’s the family artist, but Leo’s the one who did the pattern. He was a little worried about being teased for what he saw as a “silly” design, but he likes the idea of being supported by something vaster than himself, and of course there’s the Space Heroes callback because he’s still a nerd.

The cane’s partially collapsible so he can take it with him for the days when the pain isn’t that bad but in case he might need it later (some people who use canes or other mobility aids don’t need them full time). And there’s a knife hidden inside it, just in case.

He’s also autistic and likes to stim sometimes by rubbing his fingers back and forth across the cane’s surface--I do that sometimes with books or my ID card--or tapping/tracing the head, which is decorated with the Hamato crest. Or he might take out the knife he has hidden inside the cane and play with that--shoutout out the @brightlotusmoon for the headcanon that Leo stims with weapon practice.

Leo struggles with internalized ableism at times, but it helps to remind himself that Splinter used a cane, too, and that didn’t make him any less worthy of love and respect. Of course, it’s a little harder to confront all the bullshit people say about young cane users, but he’s lucky enough not to have to physically deal with wider societal ableism, and his family has always been very supportive.

Leo’s favorite disabled character is Kaz Brekker--they’re both leaders with boatloads of trauma and kickass love interests, after all, and they both understand the value of a good bit of violence when necessary. And although Leo still prefers swords, he isn’t entirely closed off to the idea of using a cane as a weapon.

(tagging some people who might might actually care about this stuff)

@princessgemma12 @leonsi @50-shades-of-cloaca @inceldonnie @floozalicious @leoraph @chazty @dg-darkfantasy

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

Is ACOTAR actually worth reading? I get that it's mostly just a cringey romance novel with fairies but I'm still kind of morbidly curious anyway.

Honest answer: it depends entirely on your bullshit tolerance levels and your personal boundaries.

ACOTAR has nuggets of gold and for me it's worth reading because of individual characters and Lore Potential - which is why i primarily interact with this content via fanfiction/fandom. But there is a LOT of stuff in the books that I try to ignore - like let's set aside the issues with representing marginalized groups (the entire main cast is white and we are always reminded about how STRONG and BEAUTIFUL they are compared to a supporting cast containing multiple black and brown characters who should logically be just as powerful if not much stronger [special shoutout for Helion Spellcleaver, my favorite minor character], and this series contains one of the worst instances of maybe bi maybe lesbian who even knows coming out drama that I've ever read.) The main couple is genuinely insufferable, the plots are often thin, and the world is inconsistent because it constantly has to bend to accommodate the male hero, because he's a legitimately awful person who the author wants you to believe is a misunderstood hero. Events and character motivations are retconned as a matter of course. This series also handles topics like sex, abuse, and trauma legitimately poorly - I've seen reviews of people getting quite legitimately triggered by things like a heroine having a "recovery arc" that involves her loosing all of her agency and autonomy, reproductive abuse by the main hero, and other examples.

But! Let's take Lucien for example. In a better book, he's the main character. A biracial, disabled faerie whose main job is to secure political alliances for the Court. He's charming, friendly, flirts for fun, and has a mischievous streak. He steals every single scene he's in. He has lived his entire life in a bloodthirsty royal court where his only solace is his mother, tormented by six older brothers and an incredibly abusive father who once murdered his fiance because he believed that she wasn't good enough to marry a royal before he escapes to sanctuary offered by his closest friend. This guy immediately becomes ride or die for the main heroine in book one and almost gets himself killed trying to help her multiplie times. He hasn't even learned the identity of his real father yet! He's currently in what amounts to a magical arranged marriage with the main characters sister which has a lot of really excellent potential. Of course, the author is not super interested in writing this and repeatedly teases a love triangle with the sister and a character who is canonically employed to torture his Courts enemies and loves BDSM for some fucking reason. (No this was considered essential character information for this random ass guy.)

So it goes.

The worst instance of this was Nesta, my favorite female character. She's the main heroines eldest sister so in book one she plays the Evil Spoiled Sister role to her martyr little sister - until 3 quarters of the way into the book it's revealed that Nesta is immune to faerie magic and tried to force her way into the faerie kingdom to rescue her little sister after she's taken away to fulfill the curse. Nesta is a strong, brilliany, and inconvenient heroine who has a lot of heart even though she masks it with indifference and rage. The author later proceeds to browbeat her for this inner strength and agency, declaring via the narrative that she was always a bad ungrateful person and she has to learn to Become Good and Nice and Sweet and a warrior like her angelic sister who suffered so so much for her sake - then and only then will she deserve to be loved and cared for!!!

And that for me was when I knew that there was no saving this series.

Basically my advice is to read the first ACOTAR book. If you can't get through it, you find it tips your bullshit meter one way or another, you can't stand the main characters - literally whatever! Then don't bother with the series. If you can ignore a metric shitton of BS and prospect for the bits of lore/characterization that you like, then I say put the blinders on and enjoy. Book one is a beauty and the beast retelling with a sprinkle of the Ballad of Tam Lin for spice - its a decent YA novel that I do legitimately enjoy reading. But because i got attached to the leading man of THAT book, I'm not sure I can recommend the rest of the series on good conscious even if the cool lore bits that I like come later - (I'm especially interested in Summer Court geography, the one thousand libraries of the Day Court, and I have a theory that the true magic of the Dawn Court is time manipulation.)

Tldr, I have very strongly divorced the series canon from the content I make and consume about it - I have recreated entire personalities for the majority of tje cast and supply my own lore - and if you want some better fanfics about the series tho I've got you COVERED.

[ninadove]

That could very well be the case! I think it depends on how you read Emilie, who we don’t know that much about, and the Sentilore, which can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Adrien was designed as this angelic creature, and angels tend to be genderless, so I could definitely see it being part of the blueprints (consciously or not). There is also something to be said about toxic masculinity and Gabriel locking his son in the role of the damsel in distress — which in turn influences Felix’s willingness to reinvent himself as the hero of the story.

Or you could examine Adrien’s Gender Shenanigans under the lens of rebellion, and his exploration of a more feminine style as the ultimate middle finger to the Gabriel brand. The full strength of the rainbow washing out the insipid immaculate designs, if you will.

Or maybe Gabriel and Emilie simply did not care. Maybe they clung to the concept of a child, and maybe gender was less important than having a doll to play with. Maybe Gabriel, like Odalia from The Owl House, is an awful human being but would never dream of misgendering his child.

It’s one of my favourite things about the Sentilore, actually: of course it is a metaphor for otherness, but what does otherness actually mean? It could be queerness in all its forms. It could be neurodivergence, a chronic illness, various forms of disability. It is of course surviving child abuse, but child abuse is a wide term that covers a variety of experiences (see: the voluntary vagueness of Representation). The Sentikids themselves have faced similiar yet different challenges — shoutout to the genius who decided Kagami should get her ring while still being controlled by her mother — and there are a ton of other scenarios and readings to explore! It’s free meta and fic real estate!

Bottom line is: all of them work and I love the Sentilore. I love that people get to see themselves in these precious kids. 💚💜❤️

Hi Nina! Why transmask Felix and not transfem? Or you are fine with transfem too?

Hi Anon! Hope you’re having a wonderful day! 💖

I do like transfem Felix! In fact, I originally leaned more towards this option. The Senti-lore is extremely queer by nature, and I think it’s wonderful so many people can see themselves in the kids.

Really, it comes down to personal interpretation. Some notes below:

1. Colt Fathom is a massive douchebag.

Nothing groundbreaking here. We been knew. At first glance, you’d assume he would want a male heir for Toxic Masculinity Reasons™; but I think he would prefer a daughter, also for Toxic Masculinity Reasons™.

Colt is the kind of person who wants to elevate his own status in the world, and the solution he resorted to is marriage. This kind of alliances is frequent in the spheres he navigates, as seen in S5 with the Adrigami plot: as such, he would likely see his child not as an heir, like the GDV lineage would, but rather as something he could trade for even more power. A daughter of noble pedigree and born into considerable wealth would undoubtedly be a catch, and give him a leg up in his race against other rich jerks.

Additionally, we’ve seen how he acts around Felix — how he perceives him as a threat and a reminder of his own mortality. Peacock curse or not, asking for a son would have forced him to face the prospect of eventually being overpowered by his own progeniture every single day; but a little girl? Surely, there’s no threat there, right?

2. Felix’s first appearance gives us lots to think about.

Firstly, when it comes to Adrien’s reaction. When Amelie explains that she decided to drop by “so [they] could all be together” on the anniversary of Emilie’s fridging, this is the (adorable) face he makes:

Because he understands! If his aunt is here, surely his cousin must be here too. “All together” means all together.

Yet, when Felix actually appears, draped in dramatic lighting like the theatre kid he is, Adrien still looks strangely surprised:

Which Amelie immediately follows up by highlighting that they look “just like twins”. The characters should not need this comment — they were here the whole time the kids were growing up! Of course, there’s a doylist explanation to this line: we, the public, must understand that Identity Shenanigans Will Ensue (and they did). But what could this mean in-world?

I propose that the cousins did not always look exactly like each other — that they were perfect twins as young kids, but became more and more different as time went by. Perhaps one developed more feminine features, while the other grew up to look more masculine. If the Agrestes did not witness the early stages of Felix’s transition (probably started right after Colt’s death, so only a few months before canon), it makes sense they would be taken aback by the newly recovered resemblance between the kids.

And, of course, it adds some depth to the Identity Shenanigans. Especially if you read Adrien as genderqueer or transfem.

3. Felix exhibits stereotypically masculine behaviours every chance he gets.

This goes from wearing what is basically the Official Rich Boy Uniform (waistcoat, tie, black and white palette):

To certain mannerisms, like putting his feet on Gabriel’s desk to assert dominance against the guy who could literally snap him out of existence:

To the way he perceives himself: a cursed prince from a twisted fairytale, who systematically places himself in the role of the protector (even if it’s not always appreciated by the people in his life).

To me, this sliiightly over-the-top behaviour is very reminiscent of a child who just figured out something huge about their identity and is exploring it to the fullest — to find out what it truly means to them, and which aspects they want to incorporate into their life.

Which leads me to the most important point:

4. The Peacock Miraculous! 💜🦚

Deeply associated with Felix’s reclamation of his safety, freedom and bodily autonomy. And when we think about peacocks, what do we think about?

Colourful feathers. Panache. Ostentation (this is literally what groups of peafowls are called). A conception of masculinity that is different from social standards in most of the Western world, but is there and bold and unapologetic.

We don’t get to see Felix using the brooch for the first time — even his mum, who he trusts with everything, is absent. He needs this privacy to come to terms with his powers and make them his.

But then, when we do get to see him transform — everybody else witnesses it too. Felix goes from hiding behind Adrien’s face, ergo disguising as someone he is not, to revealing his identity to both the audience and the entirety of Paris.

This is Argos embracing who he truly is, even if the world might call him monstrous.

And finally, one more point:

5. Why would Tomoe prefer a model over a quasi-prince as a potential match for her daughter?

I get it — she has a partnership going on with Gabriel. But the woman is leagues smarter than him (What? Like it’s hard?) and could most likely find another way to turn the world into her own little dystopian dream, should she want to. Not to mention, even if Adrien is a catch by most people’s standards, he is still the bane of the GDV lineage.

Felix is the heir. Felix is just as wealthy, if not wealthier than the Agrestes. Felix is the best at everything he does (chess, horse-riding, karate) and as such should be a perfect fit for Kagami, even by Tomoe’s insanely high standards.

Yet, she keeps referring to him as this corrupting influence: not because he is a supervillain (she hangs out with them on the regular), but because he might whisper dangerous ideas about ✨ freedom ✨ and ✨ bodily autonomy ✨ in her sweet daughter’s ear while they make out dressed as Adrien’s parents. We know how important femininity is to the Tsurugi lineage: Duusu forbid this monster talks Kagami into rejecting it in any form.

So, there you have it, Anon. I’m sure there’s a lot of evidence to support other interpretations, but this is the one that resonates most with my brain! 💜🦚🏳️‍⚧️

Can’t believe I almost forgot:

“Felix” literally means happiness and luck: a weird choice from Colt, and it’s unlikely Amelie had any say in the matter. So when Argos says:

“Isn’t it great? We have everything we need to be happy!”

It very much sounds like his first name could be a conscious reclamation on his end!

[galladerocksgamer]

I think it’s time once again to give a shoutout to some underappreciated MHA characters

Rock Lock - Glad at least one person out there realizes the issue with sending child soldiers into dangerous situations

Kuroiro - Looks edgy, tries to be edgy, but is just an awkward dork, you love to see it

Mustard - Too bad we didn’t get to see him more, the brat had some real potential

Ragdoll - is left essentially quirkless and yet doesn’t retire and keeps supporting her team, I’ve got mixed feelings about the Pussycats as a whole but she’s a delight

The Garbage Trio - They’re trash but they love each other, and really isn’t that what we all want in life?  Really, it’s easy to see how Overhaul preyed on them all to bring them into his operation, I hope things somehow turn out better for them eventually

Ectoplasm - A badass disabled hero who is also a dorky karaoke dad?  Plz let us see him more

Shoji, Ojiro, and Sato - BEST BOYS BEST BOYS BEST BOYS

Soga, Moyuru, and Rapt - Really Vigilantes as a whole is very underrated and I love how these three have developed, there’s a lot of fun to be had with them and it’s especially great seeing how Knuckleduster rubbed off on Soga

The whole cafe gang from Vigilantes - So some of the biggest roots of villainy are poverty, societal inequity, and a lack of welfare and accommodations for disabilities.  Who would have guessed that offering these downtrodden people jobs, housing, and a supportive social network would turn them away from crime?  Really wish everything Aizawa and these guys did for each other would catch on on a larger scale

Vigilantes!Midnight - Main series Midnight?  Alright I guess, definitely an ... odd character.  Vigilantes Midnight?  A protective mama who unquestioningly trusts vigilantes for help, covers for them in legally-grey circumstances, is probably half the reason Aizawa isn’t dead in a gutter, and stops Endeavor from (accidentally or otherwise) killing people on multiple occasions.  You want quality Midnight content?  Don’t go digging in the main series, just read Vigilantes.  Really, just ... for ANY reason, just read Vigilantes, it’s really really good and so many people are sleeping on it.

Spinner - I follow a few blogs that pump out great Spinner content so sometimes I forget that that’s actually a scarcity.  So just ... come on, what do I have to say?  He’s great.  If you haven’t got to the MLA arc yet, just wait for it.  You’ll see, you’ll ALL see.

[tanoraqui]

all the vowels! (yes, including Y, because i'm welsh)

A: Of the fanfic you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

This is arguably impossible to answer, but what springs to mind is “On the Subject of Falling”, a Girl Genius fic that’s basically “Tarvek has an elaborate flashback-laced dream sequence while on the verge of death.” I’m still satisfied with, like, the blend of fairy tale and dreamlike narration, and the metaphor of falling, and that last image of Tarvek and Gil standing in the open docking bay and looking out at dawn over Europa and arguing either over who would have it or who wouldn’t have to.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

That is...a very broad question, and the characters I identify with most, I actually don’t find myself writing fic about as much, because they’re less interesting? But, uh...shoutout to “Not A Hero” for me getting like 4 paragraphs into writing Chapter 2 before I sat back and looked at Agatha’s grief over her parents and how she dealt with her chronic disability and was like, “ohhh I’m projecting. I see it now.”

I: How many fandoms have you written in?  Do you have a favorite?

I’m not even going to go to AO3 + ff.net and count because I write so many odds and ends of drabbles and bullet-point crossovers - less often now than when I was in college but still - that it’s just...it’s a lot. It’s all of them. Okay, it’s most of them. Most of every piece of media ever, yes. I do not have a favorite.

O: What are your thoughts on people writing fanfic of your fanfic?

ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY YES, YES PLEASE, DO IT. Please do @ me or cite me or something as an inspiration, though - I want credit, and I want to be alerted that it exists for me to read!

U: Is there a pairing you would like to write, but haven’t tried yet.

Hmm...I’ve written a little here and there, but I’d like to write more Bill/Lucrezia for Girl Genius. I like the thought that Bill was always aware that she was still kind of sketchy, morally, but really believed that she could be better, and unfortunately believed that she was trying...and Lucrezia was trying, sometimes, and she always loved him for believing that she could succeed if she wanted. I think that’d be a fascinating dynamic to explore.

Y: What are your thoughts on your personal satisfaction with something you’ve written vs. the popularity of your stories?  Do you tend to be most satisfied with your most popular stories?  

It’s certainly easy to get caught up in that! And there is a measure of satisfaction to be taken in knowing that something resonated with a lot of people, like, that’s a very valid reason to be satisfied with your story, even if at first you didn’t think it was that good. Other people did, and connection with others is what this is all about!

But god knows I’ve also written stuff where I feel like I’m standing in an empty field being like, “guys? guys, this is - this is really well-written. Guys, I edited it meticulously and it has symbolism and- okay, we’re getting more comments on the weasel fic again. Okay. That’s fine.” Or that toughness of writing something that’s good, you know it’s good - heck, everyone who’s read it seems to agree, more or less...but unfortunately it’s a crossover between two niche things that only 3 other people will read and understand, so... Or the fickleness of fate of, like, I think the fic on which I have the highest comment-to-word ratio is “The Oberon Academy Senior/Junior Prom”...and it’s good, don’t get me wrong; I’m not overly bragging to say that it’s well-written and still very funny crack - but I’m fully aware that it got as much attention as it did bc the author, I mean the author of the series it’s fic for, literally reblogged it. If just I had posted it, it wouldn’t have been nearly as popular. The fickle whims of fate!

[bigmoodword]

On Mary Sues and Underdevelopment (pt. 2)

In [Part One], I discussed how Mary Sues are often just underdeveloped characters in need of a character arc, and while character arcs are a great way to fix potential “sue-ish-ness,” sometimes that’s not enough.

Sometimes the problem stretches beyond the character, because for whatever reason, the rest of their story is underdeveloped too.

But that’s kind of odd, isn’t it? 

The Mary Sue* trope originated in fanfiction, so in theory, the character inhabits a fully developed world with other fully developed characters. In theory, most of the development is already done, yet if that’s a core assumption, we’re horribly underestimating what fanfiction authors actually do.

To write good fanfiction, an author must research the existing canon on top of developing their own twists, and that takes time. That takes patience. Ostensibly, an author’s work takes place in the same universe as their source material, but without a deeper understanding of the canon characters’ internal landscapes or the wider world’s mechanisms, the story starts to warp.

The original cast break character for Mary Sue’s benefit, and the world’s previously rigid rules bend whenever Mary Sue needs them to. 

Applying the same lens to original fiction can be tricky, because unlike fanfiction, there’s nothing to compare it to. Technically, there is no “out of character” or rule-breaking, because the world’s built by the story itself. However, it’s still possible to see the same warping effects...

footnotes —

*again, although this post uses the gendered name, i’ve never considered the trope female-exclusive**, so i’ve opted to use “they/them” pronouns instead of the typical “she/her.”

**gary stu and marty stu exist, but afaik those never quite caught on.

2ȼ (on story)

Underdeveloped original fiction features only a superficial setup. There’s a cast with set appearances and broad roles, such as mentor, sidekick, or love interest. There’s a generalized setting, like a major metropolis, and a vague plot, like “Mary Sue becomes the best superhero.” 

That’s pretty sparse, and just as in fanfiction, that underdevelopment can lead to some familiar problems.

The vague plot creates a disjointed story. One day, our superhero is hosting a fancy gala. The next they’re fighting aliens, and the day after that they’re saving orphans from a house fire. While it’s certainly possible to link these events with an overarching narrative, an underdeveloped plot has yet to specify what exactly those links are. The story jumps from one to the next, because the only goal is proving the character a great superhero. Consequently, that character is the only obvious throughline, and the work reads like Mary Sue’s fantastic to-do list.

Likewise, underdeveloped characters read like a list of people for the Mary Sue to help, get support from, or overcome. If readers get the chance to see what these other characters do when Mary Sue isn’t around, they’re usually discussing or thinking about Mary Sue. There is little to no hint of a life beyond that central character, because without further development, they don’t actually have a life of their own. They exist to fill whatever role the Mary Sue needs.

Put all this together, and Mary Sue stories are infamous for being The Mary Sue Show all the time, but again, the problem isn’t actually the Mary Sue. Rather, it’s the cardboard world around them. If there’s no real plot to direct the story and no set personality to guide the other characters, of course they warp to the Mary Sue’s whims!

Better developing these other elements can give them their independence, and one of the quickest ways to test whether or not a story is sufficiently developed is to, well, remove the Mary Sue.

To revisit Marvel’s The Avengers, if Tony Stark (Iron Man) didn’t exist, the other Avengers would still come together, still learn how to work as a team, and most likely, still take on Loki at the big climax. The exact circumstances may change, but the broad strokes would probably stay the same, because the other characters have their own reasons to pursue the main plot. At the climax, however, the story sans Tony fundamentally changes.

Tony is the character who takes a nuclear missile through a wormhole to destroy the Chitauri fleet and disable the forces already on Earth. As the only Avenger with true flight, he’s the obvious choice for this task, and because his suit gives out, he falls back through the wormhole before it closes, ensuring his survival. If he didn’t exist, what would happen instead?

It’s a stretch, but because Thor feels responsible for his brother Loki, he might try using his hammer to fling himself and the missile through the wormhole. If he succeeds, the heroes would still win, but Thor’s survival is even less likely than Tony’s. A similar scenario would play out if Hulk, in an overzealous rage, somehow jumped high enough to do the same, but either way, the team would probably have a true death on their hands.

Alternatively, without that tidy finishing move, New York City might cease to exist, because the Avengers are forced to 1) destroy the fleet on Earth and 2) fend off the World Security Council’s nukes. Maybe they eke out a victory but have to deal with all the collateral damage, or maybe they don’t and humanity falls under Loki’s control.

That’s an awful lot to consider. However, having flexed our fanfiction muscles to craft a theoretical, it’s possible to see why Tony Stark is so important to the story. At the same time, it’s also possible to see how, despite that importance, the plot and the other characters don’t fully depend on his presence. Whether or not he exists, the villains will still attack Earth, and because they’re well-developed, it’s possible to imagine how the other characters might act in a slightly different situation.

In a genuine Mary Sue story, removing the suspected Sue brings the whole thing to a screeching halt. The plot is so tailored to the character that it doesn’t change in their absence, it disappears altogether. The characters are so dependent on Mary Sue’s influence that it’s genuinely hard to imagine them doing anything interesting without their lead.

Obviously, not every character needs to be developed down to their favorite ice cream flavor, but every character should be developed enough to boast their own internal logic. Whether that means giving a recurring character their own character arc or simply picking a few relevant personality traits for the local barista, it should be possible to imagine the other characters going about their lives behind the scenes.

In the same vein, not every plot needs to sprawl across different worlds and feature an ensemble cast. Sometimes a plot is small-scoped and features a single protagonist trying to fit in at a new school. Maybe their ultimate goal is to make friends, and maybe the plot isn’t much larger than their main character arc. They’re the plot’s primary driver, absolutely, but in a fully developed story, events beyond their control will push the plot forward too.

Much like a puzzle, every story element works together to create a whole picture, and while a major character may be the piece that ties it all together, they’re still just one piece. Alone, they’re little more than a spot of color. Only once all the other pieces are assembled will that spot of color became the eye of a much larger portrait.

development resources

for characters

legit-writing-tips’s character worksheet

the internet writing journal’s guide to character profiles

writer’s digest nanowrimo character cheat sheet

for plot

story writing help’s plot worksheet (basic)

annie neugebauer’s plot worksheets (requires microsoft word)

jami gold’s story building worksheets (advanced)

for worldbuilding

eva deverell’s worldbuilding worksheets (basic)

ny book editors’ fantasy worldbuilding worksheet

the novel factory’s ultimate worldbuilding questionnaire (advanced)

shoutout to — @el-queen for the discussion that inspired this post and @mvcreates for an encouraging chat!

[cobra-creampuff]

ALL 50 QUESTIONS BITCH

HECK

1: Age Group   For fic tbh whatever, I know a lot of people in fandom are underage and are exploring and figuring out what they like, etc. Plus not all my stuff is explicit, and some of the stuff that is still isn’t porn so. As for original stuff that will likely all be explicit as well, so an adult market audience.

2: Genre   Usually fantasy, sometimes science fiction.

3: Big Idea or Detail Oriented Outlining   binch i cant outline for absolute shit. I guess big picture but like…. ?? the biggest possible picture, almost to the point of being useless lmfao. someone help me.

4: Line Editing or Plot Revision   I prefer line editing for fics because I’m lazy and it’s for free, but overhaul type revision results in a better finished product so I use that for original stuff (and commissions).

5: With or Without Deadlines    With deadlines, definitely. I can crank out 1k in an hour if I have a deadline, but without one it can take me 2 years to write just as much (see: Zwangsneurose, started the second I got home from seeing The Winter Soldier, still not finished, word count at ~800 lmfao).

6: The Biggest Compliment   I love it when people mention details that they noticed! Or if god forbid I was funny once.

7: Current WIP Length   I have 12 fic WIPs right now and the longest one is 7.7k. I have 4 original WIPs right now, but they are all in development stages, with no word count yet.

8: Author Comparison Goal   @neil-gaiman 110%. He is my ultimate goals and a huge inspiration, not to mention just a plain cool guy. I also would love to be compared to Rick Riordan or Gillian Flynn.

9: Biggest Struggle   Foreshadowing probably. I sort of wing it as I’m writing, and I can’t do a very good outline like I said, so it’s tough to get good hints and clues as to what’s coming. That’s part of the reason my originals are taking so much development (not just because I have to fill in all the worldbuilding that is already mostly done for fic).

10: Brainstorming With Others or Alone     I like to do a bit of both. I really appreciate input, plus talking things out can really get the creative ball rolling. But I like to get into Deep Shit on my own too, especially with worldbuilding. I’ll always share with others though, even the stuff I wanted to come up with all on my lonesome.

11: Characters Based on Real People     I’m sure there are aspects of people I know, and of myself, in every character I create, and likely even in characters that have already been created. What you know will always leak into your writing. However, I don’t usually base a character fully (or purposefully) around one real person. I do namesakes though, but they’re almost never modeled after that person, it’s just a shoutout to someone I find inspiring in some way.

12: Writing Space Clean or Cluttered     cluttered af binch u been here & seen it smh make me drag myself in front of everyone……

13: Character Driven or Plot Driven     Always character driven!! what kinda question

14: Favorite Writing Related Quote     “Stories may well be lies, but they are good lies that say true things, and which sometimes pay the rent.” - guess who lmao

15: My Characters in Someone Else’s World     I would transport my characters into (brace yourselves for a shock lol jk) American Gods, primarily so that they could get some good old fashioned “help” from the Big Guys.

16: Movie or TV Show     Well two of them have pretty finite endings. The romance legend could be a tv show but with a limited amount of renewal, ala A:TLA (but I’d like it better as a graphic novel). The vampire tragedy has a very finite ending so that would make a better movie. And the witch noir and girl gang are both a bit neverending-WIP-ish so they’d make pretty good shows.

17: Soundtracks     Yes! They help keep me focused and writing in a cohesive tone when I have to leave and come back. Y’all can listen to the playlist I have for witch noir here. Eventually I’ll split it up for character and/or scene mood, and I might add some scene suitable ambient noise tracks too.

18: One Song to Sum It Up    witch noir - Temptress, S.J. Tucker    romance legend - Take Me to Church, Neon Jungle    vampire tragedy - Bodies, Celia Pavey    girl gang - Weapon, Bastille & Angel Haze & FUGZ & Braque

19: Me There or Characters Here     …me there, I guess? In the romance legend, vampire tragedy, and girl gang not anything would really be different, but in the witch noir I’d probably have inherited some sweet powers. Not many of my characters are very friendly tho lmao.

20: Most Wanted Adaptation     Probably (a piece of) the witch noir. It’d be neat to actually see all those neat film noir lighting tricks.

21: Finish     Uh. I finish one shot porn a lot? lmao. Other than that, damn… no.

22: Made Myself Cry     lol yah

23: Proud or Anxious     usually I’m more proud, but sometimes when it’s something that’s very deeply personal or controversial I can get anxious.

24: When Did I Become a Writer     tbh sometimes I think I came out the womb that way. I don’t remember not being a writer, and I know I had legit novel ideas as early as like 3rd grade, and was making shit up with pretty words even earlier.

25: Must Reads in My Genre     three guesses what i’m bout to say y’all. Literally anything by Gaiman. Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart series. Any Pratchett. Donna Gillespe fucked me up with The Light Bearer. Bear Daughter by Judith Berman (although that is kind of a tough read, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for everyone).

26: My Genre Needs More…     Diversity in general, specifically more people of color, queer people, and people with disabilities (that aren’t magically erased). Also in my opinion there needs to be more things in between grimdark and go-lucky fairytale.

27: Inspiration Source     History, anthropology, and pseudoscience.

28: Character Naming Stress from 1-10     Probably about a 2 or a 3. I use behindthename.com which can be searched for meanings, sound patterns, usage, and origin, and has a handy “name themes” search algorithm. I also recently found the legit U.S. census thanks to @peppersandcats helping me out with search terms, and that can be sorted by ethnicity, gender, time period, and geographical location. So I’ve got names pretty well covered!

29: Underwrite or Overwrite First Drafts     It could go either way, but generally speaking unless I have a word limit I usually like to add more during editing. Except when something is confusing or too complicated, then I’ll cut it.

30: Calming or Stressing      Not really either tbh. I enjoy it a lot, but it’s mostly exciting! Not calming or stressful, but either a fun adventure or a challenging puzzle.

31: Favorite Trope     Tough to pick just one tbh. I love tropes when they are done “right”. Even tropes done classically can be great (as long as they’re not -phobic of some sort), but I especially love when they are done satirically or inverted.

32: Backstories for Side Characters     Guilty af. Even characters that might not even make it into the finished book have backstories, personalities, and quirks.

33: Characterize Before Writing or Develop with The Story     A little bit of both. I like to have a solid character to work with at the beginning, but for in-text character development I like to let that unfold with the plot and the other characters.

34: Old Writing in One Word     Prolific

35: Villains or Heroes     I like them both pretty well, but my favorite characters of all time are always a little ambiguous so if I had to pick just one kind that’s what I’d go with.

36: B&W Morality     No way! I live in the gray area.

37: Advice     Have fun! Be proud of yourself for what you come up with and celebrate your creativity even if you think it doesn’t compare with other writers. The happier you are to create, the more creative you’ll get. Also, like with any other kind of art, pick a couple role models to emulate and that will help you develop your own solid style.

38: Advice I Fail At     The first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. I spend too long line editing while I’m writing my first draft and that makes it a lot harder to finish anything.

39: Importance of Positive Reinforcement     I’d say reasonably important. Definitely helpful. But I know I’ll keep writing even without it.

40: Question for Favorite Author     How much difference is there between how his creation is in his head versus how it came out in the words, and does he ever think about rewriting things that are long finished?

41: Distracting to Read While Writing     Actually, no. Reading other comparable works helps keep me motivated, inspired, and focused.

42: Motivated or Discouraged by Critiques     Tbh I don’t think I have ever received a real in-depth critique so I’m not certain? I’ve had idle “I liked this, but I didn’t like/understand that” type of feedback, and that has usually been pretty helpful and appreciated. If nothing else it lets me know what parts of the story might not be as accessible to an audience.

43: Protagonists in My Likeness     Yes, there’s a little of me in very many of my protagonists, and often even in fic characters that I write. But, like with other real people, they’re not usually modeled after me, we just have some stuff in common because I leak over into them (and sometimes they leak over into me) when I’m writing them.

44: Choosing An Idea      This is something I struggle with, really. My process is usually to try writing a bit of it, and if I hate it it’s probably not viable.

45: Harder or Easier While Stressed      It’s usually a harder to write when I’m stressed, and what I do manage to write doesn’t have as much quality.

46: Sort Protagonists      !!! There are too many!! these are just the Big Ones (so far) in witch noir      Gryffindor - toots, eddie, maddie, anca, seth      Hufflepuff - lily, charisma, s.j., angel, iris      Ravenclaw - fred, ariel, dido, father piero      Slytherin - evelyn, jessica, sloan, clara-claudia, aixa

47: Five Year Goal     Hopefully I will have fucking finished something. Maybe published? Or maybe getting my manuscript looked at. (I have a humble-ish time frame, I think. Writing is a lot of work, and five years is a lot less time than it sounds like.)

48: Co-Writing     I’m a huge control freak, so probably not. At least not with original characters. Maybe for fic tho, because that can be much lower stakes lmao.

49: Fast or Slow     When I’m in The Zone I speed thru, but it can take me a while to get started and I come up on blocks pretty often so I’m a slow finisher.

50: Worldbuilding or Characters     Shit man, that’s a tough choice. I guess characters? I don’t know.