Nice Ass, Sorry About The Mental Illness

I don’t think people understand how stressful it is to explain what’s going on in your head when you don’t even understand it yourself.

Writing a Blind or Visually Impaired Character

A Multi-Step Guide Written by a Visually Impaired Writer and Blogger

I’m hoping this blog will over time develop its own following, and when it does people will inevitably see my bio and notice what I included: I’m visually impaired.

Yes, a visually impaired writer, and I’ve written with two blind characters before so I have some practice in the field.

So, inevitably, someone is going to ask how to write a blind character.

Or, at least, I hope you’ll ask someone who’s actually blind or visually impaired about writing a blind character before you get too involved with your new WIP.

I started writing this guide two hours ago and it’s gotten away from me. It make it a more manageable read, I’m going to separate it into X many parts, and each part will be linked.

Part One: Crafting the Blind Character

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/185123396964/writing-a-blind-or-visually-impaired-character

Part Two: Writing the Blind Character, including narrative choice, visual description, verbal description, social interaction

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/185125198184/writing-blind-or-visually-impaired-characters

Part Three: Tropes and Cliches to Avoid

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/185124340794/writing-blind-and-visually-impaired-characters

Part Four: What Your Blind Character Needs to Survive and Not Die

[Not written yet, but this is the reserved spot for it]

Part Five: Small Aspects of being Blind You Never Thought Of

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/185134862519/writing-a-blind-of-visually-impaired-character

Part Six: Should You Cure Your Character’s Blindness? (Short Answer: No)

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/185125880559/writing-a-blind-or-visually-impaired-character

-New- Writing Blind Characters Falling in Love, an Advice Post:

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/186276022234/writing-blind-characters-falling-in-love-an

-New- Writing Blind Jokes (Should You Do It?)

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/187906205649/writing-a-blindvisually-impaired-character-blind

-New- A small essay addressing the frequently asked question on giving your blind character a superpower to help them “see.”

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/187913512454/blind-characters-and-superpowers

-New- Mourning My Vision, it’s More than Depression. A small personal essay addressing the nuances of the mourning period you experience with a new disability. The mourning period is mentioned in other guides, but this is more detailed.

https://mimzy-writing-online.tumblr.com/post/188649694569/mourning-my-vision-its-more-than-depression

All parts will be tagged #blindcharacter in my blog, and I will add links to every post as I finish each part. Follow my blog for more writing advice.

I challenged my cousin mash up Brittany Spears’ “Toxic” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” and she did it in about 20 seconds

I fucking love this I'm crying bc you're obviously right and the writing of this show is the best thing ever omfg

Hey, I wanna talk about a piece of fridge brilliance (pun intended) in The Boiling Rock.

Specifically, about the Coolers. And about Zuko.

The Coolers are, first and foremost, a means of firebender suppression. They are invoked as a punishment against unsanctioned firebending. They are designed, specifically, to shut down firebenders who have toed out of line. Like the metal prison in Imprisoned, like the suspended cages in The Puppet Master, these are prison facilities designed with a specific sort of bender in mind.

So then - Zuko.

Why throw Zuko in the Cooler as part of the escape plan? He should be EXACTLY the sort of person the Cooler is designed to work most devastatingly against. It would almost make more sense to try to get Sokka thrown into the cooler - he’s from the South Pole at least. Or maybe Suki, who’s not a bender at all. But they choose Zuko. And he’s successful. Subjected to the most severe form of firebender suppression in the Fire Nation’s most high-profile prison, Zuko is able to dismantle the Cooler and walk away smiling.

Why? 

I want to walk you through some facts:

In a tidbit of behind-the-scenes trivia, it was revealed that airbenders can regulate their body temperature with their breath alone. This is why Aang is so weirdly comfortable traveling around the South and North Pole (and really any climate in the series) in his normal monk garb. Everyone else changes outfits to reflect the changing climate, but not Aang, his breath has that covered.

It would be quite useful if a technique like that could be adapted to another style of bending. The same way that a waterbender’s redirection of their opponent’s energy could be adapted to the redirection of a firebender’s lightning. I bet the man who invented lightning redirection by studying waterbending would have some brilliant insight into using the breath for warmth by studying airbending.

In fact, that exact man tells Zuko “Remember your breath of fire. It could save your life out there.” back in Siege of the North. We see Zuko use his breath to warm himself that very episode, per his uncle’s instructions.

And we see Zuko use his breath of fire in one other case:

To endure the cooler.

I’m willing to bet - Breath of Fire, as a means to keep oneself warm, is not a native firebending technique. If it was, the whole concept of the Cooler would be laughable. Any prisoner would just Breath-o-Fire himself warm in there, and the prison guards would all collectively say “oh wow, the Cooler was a stupid idea, time for a new plan.”

But we know a traditional firebender would be sapped so cold in the Cooler that his firebending becomes unusable. If Zuko were relying on traditional firebending techniques, the same would happen to him. But he’s not.

Zuko’s Breath of Fire is an airbending technique. 

One that Iroh taught him. One the Fire Nation has no precedent for. One which lets Zuko ward off the freezing effects of the Cooler like it’s nothing, and allows him to dismantle it from the inside and come away smiling, unhindered, unaffected, warm to his core. 

It’s another case of Iroh’s brilliance. And I’m betting he and Zuko may be the only two firebenders in the world who could pull this off.

wh……….

GO WATCH THIS SHOW, HONESTLY IT IS SO AMAZING. 

IF THIS POST CREATES 1 NEW PUSHING DAISIES FAN MY LIFE = MADE. 

INCREDIBLE PHOTO <3

link below to see:

http://sh-meet.bigpixel.cn/?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0&fbclid=IwAR1CWHqrxwZ1OUHem0CjjLrTBDH2j2cS4zISRo_2a6coC-A_YkFRr6QzMls

credit to: ketul

My “draw the squad” memes so far