For WisCon Chronicles 7: Disability-friendly SF/F/H
So I've been busy with a number of projects, including keeping my head above water as a freelancer and putting together WisCon Chronicles 7, which is, as you may have noted, disability-themed.
And I got to thinking. There's not a whole lot out there in SF/F/H and fandom that portrays people with disabilities positively (instead of as, you know, objects of pity or humor or complete monsters), or presents disability as anything but negative and scary. (Horror, I'm ESPECIALLY looking at you!) For example, I know I don't have the most time in the world to read or watch things any more, but I was nearly thirty-two before I found even one positive portrayal of a person with an anxiety disorder in fantasy in something I wasn't writing or editing. I'm sure there are more, of course, and I may be forgetting some things, but that's a hell of a long time to find someone like me who isn't treated like shit.
I'd really like to not have anyone who attends WisCon or who picks up volume 7 to wait thirty-two years to find the same thing.
Here's where you come in.
I know you've said these recommendations on panels before. Some of you may have even told me them at cons. If you're so inclined, I'd like you to tell me again here. Leave me names of any books, movies, short stories, TV shows, cartoons, anime, comics/manga, video games, etc. that you consider to fall into the categories of science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror and a brief explanation why. I'll put as many of your comments with your LJ handle in the Chronicles as I can. While anyone can comment whether or not they've been to WisCon, I'm especially interested in getting recs from WisConites.Feel free to discuss/debate/opine about one another's selections too. I really would like this to be a grand conversation.
Sound good?
I'll get this ball rolling. Fraggle Rock. It has not one but TWO characters with identifiable anxiety disorders (Wembly and Boober) who 1) are accurately and sympathetically portrayed, 2) have friends who love them and treat them as equals, 3) get entire episodes centered on them, 4) sometimes both of them, 5) that don't revolve around being anxious, 6) or how much being anxious sucks and being "normal" is awesome.
(You'll be reading more of my thoughts on them in the essay I'm contributing to the book!)
The floor is yours!
And I got to thinking. There's not a whole lot out there in SF/F/H and fandom that portrays people with disabilities positively (instead of as, you know, objects of pity or humor or complete monsters), or presents disability as anything but negative and scary. (Horror, I'm ESPECIALLY looking at you!) For example, I know I don't have the most time in the world to read or watch things any more, but I was nearly thirty-two before I found even one positive portrayal of a person with an anxiety disorder in fantasy in something I wasn't writing or editing. I'm sure there are more, of course, and I may be forgetting some things, but that's a hell of a long time to find someone like me who isn't treated like shit.
I'd really like to not have anyone who attends WisCon or who picks up volume 7 to wait thirty-two years to find the same thing.
Here's where you come in.
I know you've said these recommendations on panels before. Some of you may have even told me them at cons. If you're so inclined, I'd like you to tell me again here. Leave me names of any books, movies, short stories, TV shows, cartoons, anime, comics/manga, video games, etc. that you consider to fall into the categories of science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror and a brief explanation why. I'll put as many of your comments with your LJ handle in the Chronicles as I can. While anyone can comment whether or not they've been to WisCon, I'm especially interested in getting recs from WisConites.Feel free to discuss/debate/opine about one another's selections too. I really would like this to be a grand conversation.
Sound good?
I'll get this ball rolling. Fraggle Rock. It has not one but TWO characters with identifiable anxiety disorders (Wembly and Boober) who 1) are accurately and sympathetically portrayed, 2) have friends who love them and treat them as equals, 3) get entire episodes centered on them, 4) sometimes both of them, 5) that don't revolve around being anxious, 6) or how much being anxious sucks and being "normal" is awesome.
(You'll be reading more of my thoughts on them in the essay I'm contributing to the book!)
The floor is yours!