Post by dreamweaver on Nov 6, 2016 13:44:41 GMT -6
Alright so this is prompted by a recent and absolutely infuriating situation on one of my roleplaying forums.
One person creating a character with "severe memory problems." No specific disorder or anything, but apparently severe memory problems.
To quote specifically this is how the person describes the situation: "After being reminded a few times, he will start to remember. Like Da ja vu. Although if it is something big in his life, he will more likely to remember. But depending on what happens, he can still forget. If that happens, just remind him again."
The, um, discussion started because one of my characters is leader of the clan in which the apprentice is in, and they have already been punished for crossing clan borders and trading prey with an apprentice in another clan to try tasting different prey. Now this is a minor offense, but he was caught by the then senior warrior and severely reprimanded and punished with a few days extra duties. Yet the apprentice feels bad and runs away from the clan. When he returns he conveniently forgets, and does it again! This time with another clan! And then stuff goes down in the clan and cats are murdered its a mess, but anyway, at the next gathering he meets the original apprentice, who reminds him off their encounter and he conveniently remembers! And then he goes on to tell the other apprentice of the secrets of the clan, including murders! Because he somehow remembers those.
I have challenged this person a few times on their complete lack of logic and plausibility of this disability, but they continue to use the same argument which is still logically flawed.
And this isn't the only situation where this happens. In many cases including kits who are blind or deaf, people write them and play them as if they are completely normal. For example, someone who wrote a deaf character (who is of course horribly sad and depressed because oh woe is me i cant hear my life is sad and useless) but the deaf character could speak and understand the other character fine by reading their lips. As a kit. Without any sign language or training.
Seriously this is one of my biggest pet peeves, if you insist on playing "unique" characters with disabilities, at least do your research so you are accurately portraying the disability without sounding ableist, or neurotypical in the process.
In fact this is the reason I personally stay usually far away from mental disorders, or physical disabilities. Its not my right or my place to write that story, especially not without a ton of research. All it would make me seem is like I am invading a space which I have no right to be in. This is also the reason I tend to write mostly heterosexual characters, and all my main characters are heteronormative. Not because I am trying to exclude diversity, but because I respect others and would not want to misrepresent them or trivialize their struggles.
In any case, what are some of your examples of people writing ridiculous characters without having researched how to write characters with those traits?
One person creating a character with "severe memory problems." No specific disorder or anything, but apparently severe memory problems.
To quote specifically this is how the person describes the situation: "After being reminded a few times, he will start to remember. Like Da ja vu. Although if it is something big in his life, he will more likely to remember. But depending on what happens, he can still forget. If that happens, just remind him again."
The, um, discussion started because one of my characters is leader of the clan in which the apprentice is in, and they have already been punished for crossing clan borders and trading prey with an apprentice in another clan to try tasting different prey. Now this is a minor offense, but he was caught by the then senior warrior and severely reprimanded and punished with a few days extra duties. Yet the apprentice feels bad and runs away from the clan. When he returns he conveniently forgets, and does it again! This time with another clan! And then stuff goes down in the clan and cats are murdered its a mess, but anyway, at the next gathering he meets the original apprentice, who reminds him off their encounter and he conveniently remembers! And then he goes on to tell the other apprentice of the secrets of the clan, including murders! Because he somehow remembers those.
I have challenged this person a few times on their complete lack of logic and plausibility of this disability, but they continue to use the same argument which is still logically flawed.
And this isn't the only situation where this happens. In many cases including kits who are blind or deaf, people write them and play them as if they are completely normal. For example, someone who wrote a deaf character (who is of course horribly sad and depressed because oh woe is me i cant hear my life is sad and useless) but the deaf character could speak and understand the other character fine by reading their lips. As a kit. Without any sign language or training.
Seriously this is one of my biggest pet peeves, if you insist on playing "unique" characters with disabilities, at least do your research so you are accurately portraying the disability without sounding ableist, or neurotypical in the process.
In fact this is the reason I personally stay usually far away from mental disorders, or physical disabilities. Its not my right or my place to write that story, especially not without a ton of research. All it would make me seem is like I am invading a space which I have no right to be in. This is also the reason I tend to write mostly heterosexual characters, and all my main characters are heteronormative. Not because I am trying to exclude diversity, but because I respect others and would not want to misrepresent them or trivialize their struggles.
In any case, what are some of your examples of people writing ridiculous characters without having researched how to write characters with those traits?