Ah! Of course, damn tumblr. Let's see if I can re-articulate what I typed xD Iggy's sight can be used as a good plot device. Like I said, the easiest thing for me to do would be dl;dr, but I just thought I'd make my case. Giving him back his sight, It's a bit erasing to those with irl disabilities, to me. Representation in game is still representation, and I'm not mad, it's just shaky ground. I love your work, love ya, but this tendency kinda tinges somethng I'd normally read, sour.
Hey there, sorry for taking a while to get to this. Been busy and stuff (sleeping, and Comrades lol) Okay, let’s see.
First of all, the fic in question is this one I wrote for @achryathesecond in which Ignis begins to regain his sight in the years after Insomnia’s reconstruction, and the frustration of it leads to some kinky sex with King Noctis and a blindfold (/shameless self promotion)
Now, I get what you’re saying. I’m not trying to discount your point because it is valid, and representation in media is incredibly important. That being said, here’s why I don’t think my fic should be considered erasure:
- I have written a lot of Blind!Ignis. A LOT. Some of it is smut, some isn’t. In some of it, he’s completely blind, while in others he can detect a little light or movement. Honestly, canon doesn’t clarify that for us (there’s one line from the game where Ignis says he’ll be able to make out the light of dawn, so...)
- Even in “Sightless, Free,” he doesn’t regain full sight. It’s a confusing inbetween kind of vision that frustrates the hell out of him. This, too, is a real condition. One of my best friends irl has suffered multiple retinal detachments in both of her eyes, and says that the post-surgery recovery period is the worst. Nothing is clear, her vision gives her headaches, and she would rather her eyes just pick one or the other because it fucking sucks (her words lol). My point is, disabilities aren’t just black and white - there is a wide spectrum of grey that also deserves awareness.
- And before I start to sound like I’m preaching, let me tell you the story of how this fic came to be. First, go watch this animation. Yes, this one. You’re welcome. Anyway, after watching that Raya and I were like.... Ignoct yes? Yes. There’s something poetic about Ignis being blindfolded (even pre-injury) and so we decided it needed to exist. Then we got to the What Ifs. What if Iggy got his sight back (it was a more-or-less magical injury, after all, it could happen) but he couldn’t stand it? What if it were another trick of the gods or the ancient kings to make him go through that suffering twice? What if he needed Noctis to take that away from him sometimes?
(We like to hurt Ignis. Sorry.)
TL;DR version; this fic was born of the desire to explore a darker side of Iggy’s psyche, and his eyes were the plot device for that.
If, for example, there were a fic that was like, “And then Ignis could magically see again and his life was so much better for it and everyone lived happily ever after” - then yes, absolutely I would call shenanigans on that author for belittling real life people with disabilities. But I don’t think that’s what I’ve done here, consciously or not, and I hope I’ve articulated why.
But thanks for not being afraid to speak up, and for at least being polite about it! Discussion is important - nothing gets done if everyone just snaps at each other haha.
