To much disability horror makes the disabled person the monster/villain. Here are some more creative concepts stemming from my own experiences
Protagonist losing partial or complete control of their body and not being able to do anything about it
Protagonist watching their body change into something horrible and permanent (a classic!)
Protagonist finds they have a mental block and are no longer able to write or read
Protagonist gets extreme injury only watch as it gets infected and spreads to their entire body while they are forced to continue with life as if nothing happened
Protagonist is partially possessed by a demon but no one believes them
Mute protagonist who can’t use their hands witnesses horrors and can’t get help or tell anyone about it
Aww Francis did you see the newest GMMTV mascot from SurfJava? It's a cute little surfing Dino. Gives Backyardigans vibes.
Anyways haven't had the time to watch anything in between our last post, but I am so tickled that someone liked the ask I sent you about your favorite series of this year's LOL couples they made it into an ask game that's circulating.
And then I realized for half the couples I've only seen 1, and for a couple I've not seen any of their shows 🙈🙈
(ok I will keep Last Twilight on my list, I really liked the trailer. We have very few shows that have differently abled characters as is... See Your Love, you will always reign supreme in my heart)
- DR anon
Rexxa is adorable, no denials. I may have to get him when they release his little plushie keychain. And I've enjoyed SurfJava enough to justify it!
It is fascinating that your ask turned into a game! Tumblr goes wild like that, sometimes.
(And yeah, having a disabled protagonist in a romance show has made a lot of my favorite shows. I also recommend I Hear the Sunspot for another interesting deaf character and take on that. I love that show. Also, Moonlight Chicken? HIGHLY recommend for the Deaf character and the arc of him and his family and his love story. I miss when we had a few shows with disabled protagonists on the regular.... though not Remember Me. That show is not missed.)
So instead of breaking my sobriety this morning, I finished and edited Part 1 of "Adaptability Specialist".
It features Jasper, a mechanic who walks with a cane after his knee was hurt in a car accident. The aliens who pick him up only want to help, but Jasper doesn't like the kind of help they offer. Instead, he proves that he is not only functional, but extraordinary.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/74704126
It's probably going to end up being three or four parts in total - I have a vague idea of the whole set of arcs but nothing concrete yet.
Spoiler free review at the top for newcomers and my more in-depth thoughts below for those familiar with the game!
Spoiler-Free Review for Newcomers
The Gunk is indie action/adventure/3D platformer developed by Image and Form and published by Thunderful for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S in 2021.
Story and Characters
The Gunk sees you take control of Rani, an enthusiastic and adventurous space scavenger who, along with her partner, Becks, follows a mysterious energy spike to a seemingly deserted alien planet hoping for a big payout. Once they land, they discover the planet is abundant in natural resources, but is being corrupted and slowly killed by an invasive black substance Rani dubs "the Gunk". Rani, much to her partner's chagrin, takes it upon herself to find the source of the Gunk, purify the corrupted world, and discover the fates of the planet's inhabitants who seem to have disappeared long ago.
Gameplay
The Gunk is a fairly short, linear game that could be played in its entirety in a day or two, but is a pretty fun time./gen The main gameplay loop involves traveling through jungles, caves, and ruins, using Rani's mechanical arm to vacuum up Gunk and revive the planet's flora (which is satisfying as heck!), a bit of basic combat, and solving environmental puzzles. Most of the puzzles are simple and easy enough to figure out, but they aren't mind-numbing either. The main loop doesn't evolve much, but with the game's length, it will be over before you can truly get tired of it, and it is executed really well, feeling smooth and intuitive.
One thing that stood out to me while playing is that this would probably be a really good "baby's first platformer" because of its short length, simple controls and gameplay, and smooth handling. So, keep that in mind if you want to corrupt any friends or family and hook 'em on platformers!/lh
Rating and Trigger Warnings
The Gunk is rated T for Teen for violence, bad language, and blood.
Gonna be real for a sec, I'm not even sure what to mention in this category, The Gunk is a really "safe" game in my opinion.
I honestly don't remember any blood, so if it's there, I'm gonna say it's incredibly minor.
The violence is pretty mild in comparison to most video games.
The bad language is prevalent throughout the course of the game but is confined to the relatively tame end of the spectrum.
And that's it? If there are any major triggers, I don't know what they are, tongues, maybe? There's a type of fungus in the game that look like tongues and is a little gross. So, avoid the game if you have an extreme aversion to tongues or the word shit? That's all I got for ya!
Verdict
If you're looking for a challenging game, this ain't it, but if you're looking for a casual game with smooth controls, pretty environments, and a few unique mechanics it pulls off really well, this might be the game for you!
My Personal Thoughts (AKA Gushing, Gabbing, and Griping!)
Story and Worldbuilding
For as short as the game is, it does a really good job in these areas. I appreciate that you can scan all the flora, fauna, and mechanisms to learn their names and attributes and that this plays into upgrading equipment. It goes a long way to make this alien planet feel grounded. Honestly, I wish more games did this!
I like the story of the game, but kind of wish we saw more of it, both the story of the actual planet and the story of Rani and Becks. How they became partners, where Bunny and C-RT came from, what a normal day in their lives looks like when they aren't dealing with Gunk. Who really is the Gardener? Where did he come from? What's the origin of the geist?
Maybe the fact that I care enough to ask these questions at all is a sign that the worldbuilding does everything it's really supposed to!
Characters
Rani and Becks are a really likable duo and I honestly don't mind that they're really the only characters throughout most of the game. Rani's optimism, compassion, and sense of adventure bring a lot of heart to the game and Becks' practical outlook helps ground everything. Their back and forths over the comms also do a lot to liven up the exploration and really intensifies the feeling of isolation when the Gunk causes interference.
As much as I enjoy them though, I can acknowledge issues like queer-coding and Rani falling into the perfect prosthetic trope.
I'm more inclined to forgive this game's handling of Rani's prosthetic because it is easily one of the most creative and plot relevant uses of this trope I've seen, but leaving the specifics of Becks and Rani's relationship in a grey area doesn't benefit the game in any way. Either make them girlfriends or make them more explicitly platonic, pick one!
Environments
The environments are stunning and one of the highlights of the game in my opinion! The world feels so vibrant and alive, you end up wanting to stop the corruption just as much as Rani does!
It also reminds me of the planet Felucia from Star Wars, so that's cool!/gen
One thing I really appreciate about the environments in this game is how they manage to be so linear without feeling boxed in. I tend to obsessively try to explore every nook and cranny in games (that's part of the fun!) and am prone to feeling overwhelmed by big open worlds, so it's nice every once in a while to find a game that's really efficient to explore. It's nice that there are so few branching paths and that the optional paths tend loop back around on their own without making you backtrack. The exploration feels very streamlined and is honestly refreshing to see occasionally./gen
I also really like the difference in how the areas look when they're corrupted versus purified. Sucking up all the Gunk and restoring life to the flora is so satisfying, even late into the game and is actually the reason I bought the Gunk in the first place. One of my favorite games of recent years, Kena: Bridge of Spirits has a similar mechanic of having to clear corruption from nature and I found that so rewarding that when I saw that there was another game focused around that concept, I just had to play it!
Soundtrack and Atmosphere
The Gunk (Original Game Soundtrack)
The Gunk's soundtrack is beautiful./gen There is one complaint that I have though, there are no happy tracks. All the tracks are really pretty, but they all sound sad or bittersweet, maybe nostalgic, and I just wish there were a few lighter, more whimsical tracks thrown in to break it up some. Don't get me wrong, this is PERFECT for most of the environments in the game! We're exploring the remnants of an abandoned civilization on a dying world and the soundtrack conveys that melancholy incredibly well, but it's just a little out of place at the beginning of the game.
Rani's enthusiasm for this beautiful, lush new world in the start is palpable, but the soundtrack just doesn't really capture that. It feels especially odd at the campsite with Becks and Bunny and the immediate surrounding area where there are no signs this planet was even inhabited once. Rani is such a vibrant, free spirit and is so excited to explore, I just think there should have been a few tracks early on that matched her whimsy and sense of wonder.
Gameplay and Puzzles
*slurping noises intensify*
Animations
Definitely not the highlight of the game, but also not the worst I've ever seen! Mostly they feel like they're from a much older game, maybe from the Wii era.
Art Style
I really love the art style for the environments, all of which are absolutely gorgeous, and honestly don't mind it for the characters either. Some people think the characters look weird or uncanny, which is valid, but I honestly find them kind of endearing. They remind me a bit of the character designs from Scooby-Doo! First Frights and Spooky Swamp, which look terrible, but are also very nostalgic!/lh
Closing Thoughts
I don't think The Gunk is a masterpiece by any means, but honestly, it's a cute game and deserves more love than I think it gets!
You know who never gets brought up when people talk about well written disabled protagonists that should? George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life. The man’s completely deaf in one ear, disabled enough to be denied military enlistment during WW2, but he still works hard for his family and his community, even though he has to sacrifice his own dreams to do it, and he’s just a genuinely good man.
Everyone I know has seen this movie but nobody ever talks about him being disabled. It’s not the most important thing in that movie, but it’s also something that can’t be ignored. He lost his hearing saving his brother’s life, it’s the whole reason he stayed home during the war and continued to serve his community instead of becoming a war hero like his brother, his hearing returning is the first sign of Clarence granting his wish to never be born and losing it again is one of the first signs of the wish being reverted. It IS important to his character and his story that he’s disabled, even though it’s not central to the plot, and the way it’s used as a motif in the story pleases me.
Reply-Reply to disabled-protagonist: DC Protest Testimonials
disabled-protagonist:
Yes, I have been at the protests. Also Calling Trump hotel 877)478-7867 and overwhelming the servers will get the attention we need. Scripting “I would like to book a room for July 4th. fire Musk.”
The forty-fifth free, unedited chapter of my upcoming book, “The Heist at Cordia Aquarium” is now available on its website (or click here to read from the beginning).
For this chapter, I want to say thanks to my partner for her sage knowledge of religious-community interpersonal skills. So many tiny intricacies of how people interact in religious contexts that I never thought of. I know that’s a bit weird of a note for a chapter that signals the start of a heist, but ex-catholic priests don’t go on heists very often I don’t think.
In front of Thea, voices — mid-argument — pour out of the parking garage's entrance; each word resonates in an odd harmony of anger and hollowness. She wrings a sweat-slicked palm around the handle of her cane. Not even five-thirty and the sun is already slipping below the horizon, casting the streets in a haze of oranges. Damp hair clings to Thea's neck. She runs a finger between her skin and the collar of her cassock, desperate for relief from the heat of the heavy fabric. "Don't be nervous. No, no need to be nervous at all."
A cloud passes in front of the sun and the warm tones surrounding her flicker. She forces a foot forward, then another. One after one tempered by hesitation, like she's bit down on a fishing hook and is trying to escape.
But she can't. She's helpless. Past the threshold, the arguing voices envelope her, echoing off concrete surroundings and hitting her from every angle. Her self-directed pep talk shrinks to a whisper. "You're going to be fine; it'll be over before you know it."
