ChronicallyIll!Shen Yuan, fanon, and disability

Authors

  • Chelsea Fay Baumgartner Independent Scholar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2026.2981

Keywords:

Headcanon, Identity, Tumblr

Abstract

I examine fans' disability headcanons, or personal readings of a source text, on English-language Tumblr for Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's first novel, Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System). These posts show how fandom can allow for personal catharsis through shared identities, be a vehicle for explaining critical disability theory, and complicate our understanding of fans' relationship to the concept of canonical authority.

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Published

2026-06-14

Issue

Vol. 48 (2026): Disability and Fandom

Section

Symposium

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Chelsea Fay Baumgartner

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