Neurodivergent character vs. 'Autism' tag?

[AnEmberOfSundown]

Wouldn't that be (theoretically) possible with a large enough counterweight trebuchet?
Either way, building one big enough to launch something with enough force to achieve escape velocity would be a noteworthy achievement of engineering by its own merits, and quite the feat of engineering.
We should do a GoFundMe for this instead. Imagine the practical applications of a projectile platform capable of launching rocks into space.

According to ChatGPT (so basically voodoo but the math looks legit?) you'd need a 98,000 metric-ton counterweight to accelerate a 70kg mass to solar-system escape velocity (launched equatorially in a prograde direction relative to Earth). Of course, at that velocity any meat-based projectile will be instantly vaporized by atmospheric friction and your trebuchet will undergo a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly Event BUT it'll be fuckin' sick for the first half a second.

This post brought to you by the National Centers for Seriously What the Hell?

 

[L1aei]

So here's the question. Lacking a better option, if I did add the 'autism' tag would you as a reader feel mislead if you started reading a story with a protagonist like mine or do you believe I should have already added it?

Let's get into this, short and sweet.

Your question coming from me, and I mean just me saying this, yes. Yes to your concerns; I could feel misled, but that is strictly depending on expectations. I do not mean it is because your portrayal is wrong in any way, but because the autism tag primes some readers like a musket to look for explicit framing, explanation, or thematic focus before firing their complaints in the general direction about what your story deliberately avoids. And if you know muskets, they have horrible aim and have a very high probability of missing your intent entirely.

Look at your character as an example: Eya reads as organically neurodivergent, but not diagnostically framed, and I don't just think but know there's a difference you are intentionally conveying there. If I saw the autism tag, I'd expect the narrative to engage that label more directly. What a tag will do is create the expectation for a lecture. That's not what you threw up there. You crawled up on the reader's desk, hoisted a pair of optic lenses and held it up for them to read the subtle cues between your lines.

So what this boils down to is once you tag a character with a medicalized label, you'll attract an audience who will reframe the entire character through that lens first, instead of letting the character like Eya reveal herself without making it an announcement. I'm coming at this as a writer, a reader, and as someone with close personal experience of autism. That's why I had to sleep on this before speaking; I'm cautious about how medicalized tags shape expectations. I mean, fuck... anyone who's high-functioning knows how fast social interactions devolve when it's introduced as something you have.

This is just my opinion, so feel free to respond with yours.

 

[MFontana]

According to ChatGPT (so basically voodoo but the math looks legit?) you'd need a 98,000 metric-ton counterweight to accelerate a 70kg mass to solar-system escape velocity (launched equatorially in a prograde direction relative to Earth). Of course, at that velocity any meat-based projectile will be instantly vaporized by atmospheric friction and your trebuchet will undergo a Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly Event BUT it'll be fuckin' sick for the first half a second.

This post brought to you by the National Centers for Seriously What the Hell?

It would definitely be cool as hell. For the first few seconds, that first time, and probably shouldn't be taken literally or seriously. (If that wasn't obvious enough by the absurdity of the suggestion).

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Not sure if this is ironic or just coincidental - the person who hired me for my current job is now leaving ... to accept a job working with autistic kids!

 

[AnEmberOfSundown]

Let's get into this, short and sweet.

Your question coming from me, and I mean just me saying this, yes. Yes to your concerns; I could feel misled, but that is strictly depending on expectations. I do not mean it is because your portrayal is wrong in any way, but because the autism tag primes some readers like a musket to look for explicit framing, explanation, or thematic focus before firing their complaints in the general direction about what your story deliberately avoids. And if you know muskets, they have horrible aim and have a very high probability of missing your intent entirely.

Look at your character as an example: Eya reads as organically neurodivergent, but not diagnostically framed, and I don't just think but know there's a difference you are intentionally conveying there. If I saw the autism tag, I'd expect the narrative to engage that label more directly. What a tag will do is create the expectation for a lecture. That's not what you threw up there. You crawled up on the reader's desk, hoisted a pair of optic lenses and held it up for them to read the subtle cues between your lines.

So what this boils down to is once you tag a character with a medicalized label, you'll attract an audience who will reframe the entire character through that lens first, instead of letting the character like Eya reveal herself without making it an announcement. I'm coming at this as a writer, a reader, and as someone with close personal experience of autism. That's why I had to sleep on this before speaking; I'm cautious about how medicalized tags shape expectations. I mean, fuck... anyone who's high-functioning knows how fast social interactions devolve when it's introduced as something you have.

This is just my opinion, so feel free to respond with yours.

I'm glad you took the time to sleep on it before answering because you hit the nail on the head.

What you voiced was EXACTLY what I was concerned about, but I was also doubting myself and worried that I was overthinking it. Her behavior isn't "medicalized" or framed diagnostically. She's not meant to be an "autistic heroine" by any stretch but the expectation is there if I tag the story that way. "Organically neurodivergent" - you put in two words what my entire post was trying to get across.

This is basically the same reason why I didn't tag it "Girl Love" even though one of the major characters is lesbian. The story isn't "about" romance so it felt dishonest to tag it that way...even though I'm guessing I'd supercharge my viewer stats if I tagged it with both "GL" and "Autism" ?

So no, I don't believe I will be adding the 'autism' tag. I'll just wait to see if they eventually add a 'neurodivergent character' tag and just hope that ND readers will see her and think "oh, I get her".

Thank you!

 

[AnEmberOfSundown]

Possibly related note: whoever just tanked all 112K words of book 1 today...I will find you and I will thank you. Profusely.

I mean, realistically I probably won't find you but thank you anyway.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

Autistic person here. I wouldn't feel misled by the tag. A lot of us would like to see an autistic character just existing, instead of it being a big, special thing.

literally what I did with a MC in a series. He doesn't even know (or care) if there's a name for what he has. All he knows is that he eventually learned that when he crafted (and wears) a little half grin as his go to face... things go better. He's acutely aware he can "drop his face" (blank affect) and give people the willies. I got tired of the whole "Chad Thundercock" comic book hero trope MC. I wanted a dangerous MC who's a good guy, but definitely proficient in violence. I'm well aware I "wrote him" as an un-diagnosed Asperger's case. His longtime girlfriend, went thru a bad trauma when younger, so she had to learn to wear masks. He was the first man she ever saw "drop his face" like she could. He's the only guy she ever met she can "slip" and he doesn't think her eyes and face are scary. he was a military contractor when younger, so he's used to violence. She describes that when he "drops his face" and then chooses to smile? Its his "grinning death mask", and that's the last thing a terrified bad guy sees, when he finally gets him trapped alone to take revenge.

I feel putting a tag on it, would ruin the effect. My view, is that the thing is just put out on the table, in plain view. When you finally put it together and notice the elephant in the room, its more profound. You discovber slowly thru the first book in the series, that this quiet eccentric guy is... well, you get the idea. If asked for inspiration? I think of "Parker", that series of pulps. Also Travis McGee series of pulps. (guy that wrote Parker books? Freely admits he liked the Travis McGee author and other authors said the same thing.) So I'm not alone in using this technique.

I feel using a "tag" would be like cheating, or a cheap trick. Somehow, anyways. I'd rather word of mouth got around.

PS - gee, I wonder how I know so much about Aspergers, huh? We'll just say I've done extensive immersive research on the subject, LMAO. I personally wouldn't be "drawn" to a "autism" tagged book. Nor to a "neurodivergent" tag, either. But the Parker character, the Travis McGee character. Ah, I just loved those. So, piss on "tags", just my two cents. Write what you write. You shouldn't need or want a tag, for anything. Just my viewpoint. I read a webnovel recently, like the first 20 chapters. The authors bio? He mentions how he struggled with bipolar and stuff so please go support his Patreon. I'm not disgusted by this grift, but... I feel he should want to be special and noticed for his writing. Not because he has some label. again, just my opinion.

This is basically the same reason why I didn't tag it "Girl Love" even though one of the major characters is lesbian. The story isn't "about" romance so it felt dishonest to tag it that way...even though I'm guessing I'd supercharge my viewer stats if I tagged it with both "GL" and "Autism" ?

Cheers. I'm not alone. join the club. I wish more writers would learn this.

one main (not MC) chacter of mine, recurring in a series. She's a lesbian. Its obvious, but I just treat her like any other cast member in my story. I didn't make her a lesbian for PC brownie points. It fit her special character uniquely. In my case, I get tired of the whole "comic book" aspect of stuff. I mean how many times now. This girl, she's just the youngest member of the elite anti-terrorism unit, she's the best shot, deadly with (or without) her gun. Of course her girlfriend is the other next youngest girl anti-terrorism member. Jesus Christ, its a comic book not a novel. Wonder Woman, anyone? SO I set about finding out. What would it take for my character to *actually* and *realistically* be that fucking dangerous. In real life. Where would she come from. What would she have gone through. How did she get that way. Once I had all that, I had what I wanted. A believable and very scary character, who was female so she can go places and do things a guy cant do to perform special tasks.

 

[Cookiez_N_Potionz]

I think it's a good tag idea ( but only in good faith )