Tor Research:

Research Topics:

What is dwarfism as a medical condition
How is dwarfism perceived in fantasy
Condition that leads to women with beards
Attitudes around women with beards
Hammers as a weapon in fantasy
The physics of drawing fire and smoke
Manipulation of fire and magic around it
Sorcerers and their perception?

I probably won’t get to all of these, but it’s a good list to start from. The research on fire will also help with Kendrew’s stuff as he’s also a very fire based character.

NHS (2021). Restricted growth (dwarfism). [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/restricted-growth/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

It’s the official NHS webpage, so it should be pretty darn reliable, if a little simplified so it can be understood by everyone.

Two types: PSS (proportionate short stature) and DSS (disproportionate short stature)
Referred to as restricted growth, which definitely has a lot less stereotypes than dwarfism
PSS means that there is a general lack of growth in the body, arms and legs, and is caused by either having short parents or the body not producing enough growth hormone. Also caused by specific genetic conditions.
DSS means that the arms and legs are particularly short, and Is caused by a rare genetic condition called achondroplasia that leads to poor bone growth in upper arms and thighs. Other genetic diseases can cause this but achondroplasia is the most common cause.
Being short leads to other physical problems like “unusually curved spines” or “bowed legs”, but generally people with the condition don’t have serious health issues directly because of it

They have information on diagnosing, but I don’t feel like that needs to be looked at in this case as Tor is a dwarf.

NHS Choices (2021). Symptoms - Restricted growth (dwarfism). [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/restricted-growth/symptoms/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

This webpage was found from a direct link from the previous page, but I felt like citing this one separately to be thorough and in case the website changes. I’ll write a short reflection on all the NHS sources at the end.

*elsie please get back to work and stop looking at cute gay art on Instagram pleeeeeeeeease thank you*

People with PSS may not notice the condition until later in childhood or puberty
PSS leads to general lack of growth
Achondroplasia leads: large head with prominent forehead and flat nasal bridge, short and wide hands and feet, short fingers and toes, normal length body with short arms and legs
People with achondroplasia may also have:
Bowed legs leading to ankle/knee pain
May have strangely curved spine, leading to other Kyphosis or Scoliosis
Build up of fluid around the brain
Repeated ear infections
Irregular breathing at night (sleep apnoea) which can cause tiredness during the day
Numbness and weakness in legs

Overall, these pages have been a really solid medical overview of the condition, and will allow me to draw lots of different studies of people with restricted growth to understand how exactly the condition is affecting them. Now, I think it’s more important to focus on the representation of dwarves in media so I know what and what not to do.

Reay, C. (2022). ‘Hardly seen as human at all’: will fantasy ever beat its dwarfism problem?. The Guardian. [online] 13 Dec. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/13/fantasy-dwarfism-problem [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

This is an article written by someone with Dwarfism, meaning that their perspective will be useful considering it would be pointless hearing about how dwarves are represented from someone who doesn’t have restricted growth.

Discuss how fantasy dwarves were difficult to watch, as representations of dwarves were weird, “othering” and reductive (referencing snow white and the seven dwarves, as well as the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film)
Mentions that 2 major fantasy productions will be having actors with dwarfism playing central roles, and that the representation of dwarves is complicated
Spelling of “Dwarves” first coined by JRR Tolkein. They’re drawn from “Norse/Germanic” mythology that are slightly shorter than average, and they have specific attributes in the stories that, according to her, make for good material for playground bullies
The tropes around what dwarves are like from tolkein and other media leads to people with dwarfism being stereotyped and thus dehumanised
They contrast this by saying it was frustrating that people with dwarfism weren’t cast in the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit as there are few acting opportunities for people with Dwarfism
They talk positively about Willow and about how the dwarves within had personalities, but they dislike the idea of having a fantasy race of dwarves as it gives the impression that people with dwarfism exist outside of average height people and thus out of regular society
They state that the need for people with dwarfism to be represented realistically because if there isn’t any exposure in media of people with dwarfism to the general populus, then people’s only impression of dwarfism will be fantasy dwarves, leading to stereotyping and incorrect beliefs
They are happy about the representation of a character with Dwarfism in the Witcher TV show, as a character with dwarfism’s main characteristics are her personality and connections with other people rather than her height.
There’s a lack of representation with people with dwarfism in fantasy, but even if dwarves are represented as a separate race it needs to be done properly.

This does remind me of coming across an article referencing Peter Dinklage’s comments on the snow-white film, and about how he also saw it as degrading and dehumanising. I’ll link the article below, but I felt it was important to mention considering that A: he’s an actor with Dwarfism and B: he has played characters who have Dwarfism in fantasy shows whilst not being called out as a separate race or species, which is interesting to note. This article has been really informative to me about what I should and shouldn’t do when it comes to representing Tor and other dwarves in my setting. In the story, I am building off of D&D’s representation of dwarves as a separate race, and I do plan on including the dwarves as a separate culture later down the line in the story. This article will likely affect the story I tell itself, as I need to make sure that I tell the story of the dwarves right in the setting.

Pantozzi, J. (2011). Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage’s Opinion On Fantasy Dwarves. [online] The Mary Sue. Available at: https://www.themarysue.com/peter-dinklage-fantasy/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

Anyway, I’m gonna have some lunch and go for a stroll, and then I’ll come back to do some more research :P

I’m back after a much much extended break involving family meeting, workflow mining and elongated steak cooking now it is time for some more work!!!

Mayo Clinic. (2021). Hirsutism - Symptoms and causes. [online] Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hirsutism/symptoms-causes/syc-20354935#:~:text=Hirsutism%20(HUR%2Dsoot%2Diz [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

Mayo clinc (according to Wikipedia) is a nonprofit healthcare organisation based in the US, meaning that their information on Hirsutism is likely going to be pretty solid. I’ve been handed their information by doctors before, meaning that there must be at least some credibility to them.

Hirsutism is caused primarily by an excess of male hormones, and leads to “excessive growth of dark or coarse hair in a male-like pattern”
The areas referenced are “face, chest, lower abdomen, inner thighs and back”
They list other symptons, the ones which are of note are balding, acne, decreased breast size and increased muscle mass.
The disease doesn’t cause anything directly, but can be emotionally distressing

Whilst this may not have been that important to link to my project, I think that it was important to note because if I hadn’t done the research then I may have been stepping into stereotypes where I shouldn’t have been. I think that I may risk creating a negative stereotype of people with dwarfism if I lean too much into this trope, however as its part of the character I still think I will include it a little.

us.cnn.com. (2012). ‘Bearded lady’: I’m not a mistake | CNN. [online] Available at: https://us.cnn.com/videos/us/2012/06/28/dnt-kswo-bearded-lady-struggle.cnn [Accessed 16 Apr. 2023].

An interview by CNN of a bearded woman who was formerly a circus act.

She was sold to a circus by her father, and she said she did it for her family
She would often have to deal with difficult living conditions
She never knew how much money she made as it was sold to her family
She said it was emotionally, physically, mentally draining, but she believed that it wasn’t a mistake
She believes that her facial hair shouldn’t define her,

A short source, but a very interesting interview all the same, and one that I think should help me create a more positive representation of the character and women with facial hair.

As my research progresses, I’m beginning to realise more and more that this character is going to be very much directed by visual research rather than written documents (which is quite nice for once considering how many bloody documents I had to read last time). I think tomorrow I’ll look at how hammers are used as a weapon of war – as I’m sure there’s a solid youtube video for that one, -- but I think I’ll end tonight’s research by looking at either magicians in fantasy or the physics of drawing fire.

Howes, H. (2015). A brief history of medieval magic. [online] History Extra. Available at: https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/a-brief-history-of-medieval-magic/ [Accessed 15Apr. 2023].

Whilst the history channel is sometimes known for their rather dubious publications on ancient aliens and the like, Dr Hetta Howes (the author) seems to be a pretty prolific writer on the topic of women and the late middle ages, meaning that she’ll likely be pretty good when it comes to this brief history on medieval magic.

Talks about how magic and superstitions were used by regular people in the medieval period to try and change their conditions (examples given are getting more grain or getting rid of an unwanted husband)
The imagery of witches popular today didn’t appear until the 15^th century, which by that point was during the renaissance
During the middle ages, magic wasn’t inherently linked with being female, and for the first half of the 1400s most of those tried for practicing magic (referred to as “maleficium”) were men
This is claimed to be because magic (most notably necromancy) required education, skill, learning and preparation, and less education was readily available to women at the time. This is because books about sorcery were in Latin, meaning you had to have a good knowledge of Latin in order to be able to work your magic.
They come back to the Malleus Malificarum, which was the horrible sexist witch magic book that lead to the connection between women and sorcery becoming more common.
The bloke who wrote it (Kramer) claimed that “women’s spiritual weakness” and “natural proclivity for evil” made them more likely to give into the devil, as well as claiming that all “witchcraft comes from carnal lust”, and that women have “uncontrolled” sexuality
This lead to a change in perception of magic, as the church dismissed most magic in the middle ages/medieval period.
They mention a cool story (which I might pull from) about the “Episcopi”, which are women who were seduced by the devil into believing they flew on the backs of certain beasts in the night alongside diana. The church at the time didn’t buy the magic, and just blamed the women for being tricked
However, during the renaissance period, inquisitors believed that women really did have magical powers, and that they met at meetings at “sabbaths” and (as the article puts it) “renounced their Christian faith, devoured babies, participated in orgies and committed other carnal and unspeakable acts.”
After this, the devils (which we now know to be fallen angels thanks to Thale research) would do the bidding of these women. Sometimes it would be negative (i.e a woman would command a demon to cause a flood), and others it would be positive (such as to heal people)
Witches were condemned universally by the church however as they believed all magic was linked to demons and devils
Some magic was viewed during the middle ages as medicine, even if a lot of it was just superstition. They reference things such as Sealskin being used to ward against lightning or having vulture body parts as” protective amulets”.
Sympathetic magic is also mentioned (like cures like), which feels like a precursor to homeopathy
They also mention an idea in sympathetic medicine of telling a particular story to “help channel healing power” to the ancient
Lots of religious imagery was also incorporated into magic
However, by the witch trials, people were tried for doing evil rather than practicing noble magic
They end with a note about how magic is just about people trying to make sense and control their surroundings – “just as we do today”

This is a really succinct article that goes over in detail everything I really wanted to know about magic for the character. I do definitely want to establish a link between her magic and her femininity, especially considering that Emmy herself is a transfem like I am. I do have a huge book on the history of witchcraft, which I would absolutely love to quote from if I had done any reading in the past couple months (which I have not ☹). I’m sure I’ll get back to it eventually, but this is definitely influenced how Tor will channel her magic. I think that this is the majority of my written research done, but I think that I will do some studies and drawings on fire, people with dwarfism, the different alchemical symbols (I remembered this being a good way to represent magic from earlier for D’eep Fry, so I think I’ll go back to it as I like the aesthetic), and some general clothing stuff most likely. The last bit of visual research I need to do is the use of war hammers as weapons, which there must be a shadiversity video out there for which I will make notes on. Anyway, I’m gonna spend the rest of tonight on doing some studies of women with dwarfism; so I’ll see you tomorrow workflow!

The Kingdom of Dusk: Final 3 Weeks of Work

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