Agency

So yesterday I wrote a mini rant on Twitter about character agency, and how it is actually a function of plot, not of what type of character you have.

It went viral and got posted on io9, which is quite astounding. Some people even told me they were using it to start discussions in writing and game design classes. I didn’t know that was even a thing.

I thought of writing a longer and more coherent version here (complete with corrected grammar >.> ) but considering how many people seem to like it the way it is, I think I’ll let it stay that way.

Though, to be honest, I prefer the Storify version made by Merc Rustad, because it includes some really good additional points that Rose Lemberg made. I talk in the Twitter rant about female characters, but the logic here really applies to all characters, especially marginalized characters (queer, PoC, disabled, trans, or whatever else) who are very frequently sidelined.

Autism News, 2015/02/06

March 1 is the official Day of Mourning for people with disabilities who are murdered by their caregivers (yes, there are THAT many). Vigils will be held in many cities. Most are in the US, but a few are elsewhere. You can find out here if there is a vigil being planned in your area.

This news cycle, there was a lot of talk about the idea of “high-functioning” autistic people dominating discourse about autism, and about whether or not this is acceptable.

  • Here is a good post about this by Dani Alexis
  • And by Lysik’an, a non-verbal autistic person
  • Relatedly, Sparrow Rose Jones has a good post about potential

Some interesting lived experiences:

Some posts about forms of treatment and research:

 

 

Misc: