Plurality Representation

[AonEne]

Just now, Ookla The Frustrated said:

Well, he has to find someone willing to read his work, sign a non-disclosure agreement, and be good enough at writing to help out. Additionally he had to get the book done in time or the fandom will exact revenge. And he has to do this with everything, I'm not surprised he only has one consultant.

I'm not plural, so take all of this with a grain of salt and please ignore me should any systems contradict this, but he has...about a year to write it and do revisions, iirc? I feel like that's plenty of time to find some people to give advice. And no, I don't think they'd need to be specifically writing experts; they could just give their feedback and advice on how he's portraying DID/system life, and share their own experiences. They're not the ones writing the Three. I also imagine that it wouldn't be overly difficult to find people willing to read some epic fantasy, particularly if it was out of context and only Shallan/Veil/Radiant's scenes that needed to be commented on.

[the winter system]

3 hours ago, Ookla The Frustrated said:

Well, he has to find someone willing to read his work, sign a non-disclosure agreement, and be good enough at writing to help out. Additionally he had to get the book done in time or the fandom will exact revenge. And he has to do this with everything, I'm not surprised he only has one consultant.

That's his responsibility, especially when it comes to writing such an underrepresented minority. It was well done, considering, but it's still disapointing that he was only talking to one part of the community. Especially considering how... discoursive the plural community is. There is a LOT that you'll miss if you only take one system's. Like, although obviously everyone in the system is going to have their own opinions on stuff, the variation in opinion tends to be within a range. 

[Aspiring Writer]

On 12/14/2020 at 3:36 PM, the winter system said:

That's his responsibility, especially when it comes to writing such an underrepresented minority. It was well done, considering, but it's still disapointing that he was only talking to one part of the community. Especially considering how... discoursive the plural community is. There is a LOT that you'll miss if you only take one system's. Like, although obviously everyone in the system is going to have their own opinions on stuff, the variation in opinion tends to be within a range. 

Well, there's the fact he wanted to do a character arc that that kind of plurality fit it really well. It may have not been a point of contention about which kind he would use because he wasn't writing the character with plurality in mind and had that has more of a second priority and used the kind that fits best with what he made/had in mind. if his priority was to do more representation for the Plural community maybe he would've picked a more underrepresented version, but I don't think that was the case.

[the winter system]

On 1/20/2021 at 11:25 PM, Aspiring Writer said:

Well, there's the fact he wanted to do a character arc that that kind of plurality fit it really well. It may have not been a point of contention about which kind he would use because he wasn't writing the character with plurality in mind and had that has more of a second priority and used the kind that fits best with what he made/had in mind. if his priority was to do more representation for the Plural community maybe he would've picked a more underrepresented version, but I don't think that was the case.

That's his responsibility as a writer? 

[Greywatch]

1 hour ago, the winter system said:

That's his responsibility as a writer? 

Very much agreed. Brandon is on record many times for for many situations when it comes to representation of feeling responsibility to do it well. Despite many readers just dying to absolve Brandon of any mistakes he may make, Brandon takes this responsibility seriously. Brandon may have his reasons why he did it one way and not another, but that does not mean anyone with criticisms is automatically wrong.

[Frustration]

1 hour ago, the winter system said:

That's his responsibility as a writer? 

What do you mean?

[Aspiring Writer]

On 1/27/2021 at 4:13 PM, the winter system said:

That's his responsibility as a writer? 

 

On 1/27/2021 at 5:53 PM, Greywatch said:

Very much agreed. Brandon is on record many times for for many situations when it comes to representation of feeling responsibility to do it well. Despite many readers just dying to absolve Brandon of any mistakes he may make, Brandon takes this responsibility seriously. Brandon may have his reasons why he did it one way and not another, but that does not mean anyone with criticisms is automatically wrong.

Um, I didn't defend mistakes he might have made when representing Plurality, I was defending his choice on which type of plurality he wanted to represent or write about, which is not his responsibility. It is not a writer's responsibility to represent every group and subsect of said group. Which he chooses is up to him, and if he feels this type fits the character best, then that isn't something that should be considered a flaw. The fact that kind is overrepresented has no bearing on his work or choices. You may wish he wrote a character that represented one of the less seen types of plurality, but saying it's bad he chose that seems a bit much.

 

Looks like Greywatch isn't going to respond.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Aspiring Writer

[Zoey]

We feel that it was very well done, albiet the others aren't as interested in the books, we do all feel it was represented in a very good way and found it very relatable. 

[ShadesOfEcho]

Bit late but we figured we'd chime in. Keep in mind that we're only one system with our opinions. Anyways you can call us Echo. Or the Echo system if you must, we generally prefer to keep it as just Echo though.

Shallan is the only Plural character I think we've seen that isn't made out to be dangerous because of what they are, played as a joke, or is just possession or inner demon rust. We particularly love the way they interact with eachother and others. This naturally means a lot to us. We want to tell stories ourselves and I managed to put myself through university to get a Bachelor's of CS with the intention of making games that tell stories. It's sorta what we love to do and what we can do to ultimately help even if just a little. It's important to not that this is at its core a coping mechanism. Something that keeps us safe after rust no child should have to go through.

Anyways when Shallan and Veil integrated it evoked a strong response of fear in us. While we conciously know it's not, we see this as dying. Some systems integrate and if that's the right choice for them good for them. Others like us don't. At least in mass, if two personalities decide to integrate they can make that choice. It's not always a zero sum thing. Also important to note, even totally integrated systems still have DID/OSDD and can create more alters should there be more trauma.

Moving on it was so positive for us to see an example of functional multiplicity. Because this was *terrifying* when we first started discovering what we were. What would you think if suddenly your body is moving without your consent as you actively tried to fight it only to have it start speaking out loud to "f off", picking a name for herself, and grabbing something to eat (and having it taste completely differently). I wasn't ready to be blunt but she was tired of not being seen as her own person and wasn't having it. That was the moment I couldn't deny what was happening anymore despite DID not even being remotely on my radar. And we all have insecurities. The one I mentioned not feeling like a person, me not feeling like enough, the kid not feeling love. Ect. But I'm also some one who has always tried to find the humor in situations. It *is* funny to have the 4 year old pop out of nowhere because "It seems fun" only to realize there's people there and try to hide behind the bean bag for example. Or to have the young adult get annoyed with me for liking pickles. (actual experiences). There's a lot of bickering and backseat driving. I'm trying to say it's not all doom and gloom despite all the issues that come with it. And Shallan was the best example of this we've ever seen. So we're really hoping her story ark doesn't end with completely integrating.

 

[Anomander Rake]

On 11/28/2020 at 10:28 PM, the winter system said:

"Lisa is best described as a short ranged clairvoyant, or better yet as a pericog having the ability to extrapolate an incredible wealth of inference from the smallest trace of data. She needs to have some information about the target to begin with, and her enhanced intuition fills in the gaps in her knowledge, allowing her to crack computer passwords, profile and cold read people around her, and make predictions about the most likely outcome of a given situation, among other things. She's very accurate, although not infallible. She has to consciously direct her power for what she focuses on, refocusing and starting again if she gets useless information." Copy and pasted from the wiki, since it's hard to explain, and I'm not really feeling up to 20 questions tonight. - Lisa

shoutout fellow Worm fans!  TT is the best