Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Disability in SF

Here's another great article about disabilities in comics.  I'm pleased to see people discussing such topics, and hope to see more expansion of same in canon resources as time goes on.

I happen to like heroes whose disabilities and super-abilities are related.  For instance, as a person with impaired vision, I do  relate to Daredevil using all his other senses to compensate.  I'm not that good, but his way of moving through the world resonates with me far more than ordinary human navigation does.  So I have some characters who have extraordinary compensations for their disabilities, like the daughter of Monster House with her Eye of Fate, introduced in "Secondhand Sight."  It's a way of exploring stories that more conventional solutions don't reach.

On the other hoof, I also enjoy the challenge of writing characters whose limitations and compensations are ordinary, and who are extraordinary for some totally different reason.  It's a way of exploring how people can work with solutions that are generally available in this world.  For instance, Brenda in "An Eyeful of Fire" is a private detective who works on weird cases. She uses a wheelchair.  And she could quite easily kill with a gun, a sword, or her bare hands.  She does not need to stand upright to open a can of whoopass.  Even more astoundingly for an urban fantasy hera: she knows not to date dumb guys. I'm starting to think that, like common sense, emotional intelligence is so rare it should count as a superpower.
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  • 4 comments
e_scapism101

e_scapism101

July 24 2012, 14:48:44 UTC 8 years ago

I very much enjoyed meeting Brenda and would love to see more of her. (hint hint)
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

July 24 2012, 18:25:45 UTC 8 years ago

I had fun with her too. Feel free to prompt about Brenda in future fishbowls.
pickledginger

pickledginger

July 24 2012, 18:42:24 UTC 8 years ago

"Even more astoundingly for an urban fantasy hera: she knows not to date dumb guys. I'm starting to think that, like common sense, emotional intelligence is so rare it should count as a superpower."

Yes! The Achilles heel? A heel -- or, more often, a series of them -- named Achilles ... or John or Brad or Bill or Stephen or ...
ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

July 24 2012, 18:56:10 UTC 8 years ago

Precisely. So I figured, a smart gal would learn from other people's mistakes, and make better choices. This leaves her able to tackle bigger problems.