dat-bruv-person - Tumblr blog

dat-bruv-person · 4 months ago

Text

the problem with natlan / sumeru

warning: long post

──────────────────

to preface this i’d like to say that i’m in no ways an expert in the topics present, i’m just an autistic dumbass with too much time on his hands who enjoys a bit of research — i’m in no way, shape or form trying to belittle players who are excited for the update, by all means i hope you enjoy it, i’m just trying to give criticism.

you can enjoy/play a game while criticising it simultaneously.

when it comes to the topic of racial diversity and a company like hoyoverse that’s based in china, there’s quite a lot of political baggage that comes along with it. while i’ll try my best to go over that, i’m afraid i can only give a very limited eastern european perspective on it and i’ll certainly get things wrong or misinterpret things — if you’d like a more thorough view on the politics, please go read the post made by @zeichannnnn (hope you don’t mind the tag my love)

firstly, i’ll be going over general misconceptions, ridiculous excuses and or stereotypes that i’ve seen commonly come up in this conversation.

any and all screenshots will have usernames cut off for privacy, i want to maintain a civilised discussion and not cause argument.

a lot of my critiques are more so towards the attitude the fandom has when it comes to this argument and their blatant colourism. as my friend above says, no one ever complained about characters in liyue/inazuma being paper white despite the fact realistically, no one in EA is that colour naturally. this of course stems from the beauty standards but that’s a discussion for later on.

the point is that if say a nation like liyue, had the same skin colour as a character like xinyan (who hails from liyue and has a liyue name) people would undoubtedly be upset. so why is it that when in terms of nations that are based off countries with a darker skin colour variety, complaining about the characters being white is seen as a problem?

culture isn’t defined by racial diversity, but when you’re monetising off the representation of different countries cultures, the very least you can do is show the actual diversity within said culture instead of slapping a cultural name on a white model (cue that one picture of the egyptian dude who looks like a plain american).

the idea that because it’s fantasy or anime, having black characters is surreal or improbable is rooted in white supremacy’s hold over unfair beauty standards as well as just the general consensus that black people are less desirable in media. which is completely false.

characters like dehya have proven that a character’s race is irrelevant when it comes to likeness, given the fact the chinese community ended up donating to charities because of said characters story.

the reason why the lightly toasted characters appear tan to you is because the rest of the cast is so horrifically pale (nahida’s hex code is #FFF7F1, cyno’s is #EEC6A6 which when placed next to each other may look like a big difference, but in reality the colours are on the same side of the colour wheel only a few spaces apart).

hoyoverse does in fact use culture as a mere aesthetic and costume to plant on white models. that is NOT to say they misrepresent culture entirely: this post goes over how hoyoverse is perfectly capable of doing impressive research to bring forth forgotten or unknown bits of culture.

even aside from the problems with racial diversity, the character design department has been known to completely fail when it comes to accurate representation. from the sexualisation of the kimono in characters like raiden shogun (which even the eastern part of the fandom have been upset about) to the character of yunjin where the chinese player based believed she was more like a lolita inspired caricature than a real depiction. they don’t understand how to mingle tradition with modernism.

in all fairness, it is difficult — and i will praise the game for making natlan much more technologically advanced and vibrant than people were expecting because having the one nation that’s based off africa and indigenous people be a wasteland would’ve ultimately been a problem. personally, i even love the slight mashup of “tribes” and the pokémon esque aesthetic — its new, and a smart way to bring two things together.

same thing cannot be said for how hyv ignores the fact darker people of colour are also significant when it comes to the building of culture.

please read over these that go more into depth about problems:

natlan being an amalgamation of three separate countries/cultures.

misrepresenting both continents natlan’s based from

another thing that’s always bothered me is the excuses people used in sumeru about the presentation of characters that were based off real people; specifically, kusanali.

yes, she’s based off a hindu moon goddess who’s described as pale and sure that could’ve been the reason she’s nearly the colour white — but how come candace, who’s based off kandake, a fully black woman, is presented as being slightly tan? you can’t pick and choose what you represent and honestly the idea that nahida’s character is supposed to be a depiction of the moon goddess is disrespect to the goddess herself (please go look at a singular picture of her and you’ll understand the utter tragedy).

hoyoverse also has a bit of a history with both whitewashing their slightly tan characters (nekomiya from zoneless zen zero, arlan from honkai star rail etc) but i think one of their biggest proofs of disrespect comes to carole pepper from hi3.

now, this is not at all me saying you can’t present female characters as very muscular — no. in fact, i would’ve loved if characters like beidou had a similar sort of build. but out of all the characters you could’ve chosen to give this to, you chose a black woman.

would this be a problem if it continued with other characters? not really. the issue lies within the fact the ONLY mother in game who’s presented as buff and “masculine looking” is a black woman — something that’s quite literally a stereotype against black women who are regarded as “naturally less feminine” than white women.

eastern beauty standards

the assertion that eastern beauty standards prevent the inclusion of black characters in video games is not only invalid but also reflects deeper issues of bias and systemic exclusion in the gaming industry. this argument is flawed for several reasons, including the diversity of beauty standards in eastern cultures, the global nature of the gaming market, and the responsibility of creators to reflect and promote inclusivity.

to claim that eastern beauty standards universally exclude black characters oversimplifies and homogenizes the diverse beauty ideals present in countries like japan, south korea, and china. these cultures are not monolithic and have their own histories and contemporary movements that embrace a variety of appearances.

creators in the gaming industry have a responsibility to reflect the diversity of the real world and promote inclusivity. video games are a powerful medium that can shape perceptions, challenge stereotypes, and foster empathy. by including black characters, game developers can contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society. this requires intentionality and a commitment to representation that goes beyond mere tokenism. the argument that eastern beauty standards prevent such inclusion suggests a lack of willingness to challenge existing norms and expand the narrative possibilities within games. hoyoverse have themselves stated in their mission statement that their goal is to show inclusivity.

that’s not to say it’s not clear that china’s beauty standards have unfortunately affected the gaming market: but for a game that brandishes itself on localising itself for a global audience (meaning, outside of its region), it’s a poor excuse. those standards aren’t universal and shouldn’t be used as gateway into designing.

once again, i am NOT at all very well versed in politics especially one that’s overseas (well, next door neighbour in a way) so i definitely will misinterpret or misunderstand things unintentionally and if i do, i’m really sorry.

historical nihilism to me doesn’t relate to black people, just actual story events (hence why hoyoverse had to put a warning label for fontaine that the events presented didn’t represent that of the real world and any similarities were mere coincidence). black people existing isn’t regarded as “politically harmful” neither is it an extraordinary idea — it’s just another group of people.

although, the CCP has a MASSIVE history about their demonisation and hatred of black people therefore, even without the idea that the censorship stems from something like historical nihilism, it’s likely something to do with individual prejudice.

politically, i can semi-understand why hoyoverse is in a tight space for racial diversity. but that doesn’t mean i’m willing to baby a company that profits billions worth of profit from other cultures that they misrepresent and i’m even less inclined to hold the hands of hoyoverse dickriders who believe people complain about race just solely to whine. it’s a real systemic issue, and one that’s prevalent in a multitude of games aside from genshin.

people from the cultures presented are rightfully upset and they shouldn’t be told to just “accept”mediocrity. it’s their culture and identities being ridiculed, it’s their identities being profited from for the sake of aesthetics for a game that preaches inclusivity to the people that are willing to ignore its prejudice.

hell, even as a polish person, just thinking about what they’ll do with snezhnaya upsets me even if it’s not racially based — once again, the media emphasises the idea that eastern europe / slavic culture is purely russia meanwhile they steal little things from all of the surrounding countries in eastern europe (won’t forget the fact they changed that password thing in sumeru from “ravioli” to “pierogi”).

──────────────────

TL;DR hoyoverse uses other people’s cultures and identities as an aesthetic and proceeds to profit off of it while misrepresenting the sample of people they chose to depict and while a political argument can be made in this regard, ultimately the backlash from people rightfully feeling unjustified in the lack of racial diversity is what amplifies these colourist attitudes: and while hoyoverse has seemingly much more legal repercussions to commit to their idea of diversity, the fandom has no excuse for their disregard of different identities.

also just a funny thing my friend and i did to show just how white these characters are lol

“ blackwashing “ versus “ whitewashing “

i feel like i need to add this little section too because i know there will be a lot of people that draw or reimagine the characters in a variety of different skin tones, and i know a lot of people will be upset (usually it’s just the lowlife weebs who cry at the thought of a black woman being in the same room as them).

historically, media, including video games and anime, have predominantly featured pale-skinned characters, often neglecting the representation of people of color. this lack of diversity reinforces a narrow view of beauty and heroism, contributing to the systemic exclusion of non-white individuals. blackwashing helps to rectify these historical imbalances by providing a broader spectrum of racial representation. it challenges the default assumption that characters must be pale-skinned and introduces audiences to a more inclusive range of appearances.

representation matters profoundly in media. seeing characters that reflect one's own identity can have significant positive effects on self-esteem and cultural pride. blackwashing creates opportunities for black audiences to see themselves in roles and narratives traditionally dominated by pale-skinned characters.

critics (once again, youtube creators and tiktok lmao) of blackwashing often argue that it disrespects original character designs or cultural contexts. however, the impact of changing a character's skin tone is minimal compared to the harm caused by whitewashing. whitewashing often erases the cultural significance of non-white characters, perpetuating stereotypes and denying the rich diversity of the source material. blackwashing, in contrast, does not erase cultural identities but rather enhances the inclusivity of the media. it provides a more diverse and representative depiction without detracting from the character's original essence or storyline.

in addition, usually when a character is black in fantasy media or even just an anime/game with a lore based story, it’s because their race is significant to who they are (i.e tiana from princess and the frog who faces racial discrimination — without her being a person of colour, this storyline and the events that follow wouldn’t make sense).

──────────────────

i’m sorry for such a long and probably nonsensical rant, but this has bothered me into absolute oblivion especially the community’s response to the uproar of people who rightfully critique and are upset by the company.

287 notes · View notes

dat-bruv-person · 4 months ago

Text

ᯓ★ me, you, and penacony

a/n: I’m back and raring to go guys <33

stellaron hunter!gn!reader x kafka, poc friendly because Natlan let me down BIG TIME.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Have you ever seen lights as dazzling as these, [name]? That one’s Silver Wolf – she insists on being the best at everything, whether it's games or real life; that one’s Firefly; that one’s Bladie (he’s a little dull, bless him) and those ones are you and I, because look how close they are. A small chuckle escaped the infamous Stellaron Hunter, Kafka, softened her magenta gaze towards her companion.

Stood on the edge of a balcony, peering down below to the disturbed and chaotic Sweet Dream, the pair entwined fingers as the eternally indigo sky was decorated with fireworks and flashes above them, and the scent of Soul Glad wafted into the air into their nostrils, and only got stronger as Firefly approached them with a tray of the bottled sunset liquid with a shy smile. Thank you, dear. the elegant beauty patted her on the head, to which the other squealed a little and went back to join her mara-struck and game-addicted friends. The moment was akin to when children finally leave their parents alone to have some time to themselves. Very romantic. And by the goo goo eyes she was giving [name], it seemed she wanted a piece of the fairytale magic for herself.

A cool breeze washed over the pair, cooling them from the heat of the pure romantic and sexual tension that rested on their shoulders. Golden lights spilled onto their faces and bathed them, especially the [hair colour]-haired Hunter. They looked divine, like an angel in this lighting. Where was the camera – someone needed to capture this moment forever. It wasn’t enough just to see it. Kafka drank it all in like a parched man in front of an oasis in the middle of a dessert with nothing for miles. Pressing soft rosy lips to their cheek, her eyes fluttered closed and so did theirs, savouring the moment. God this was nice. Sure, Silver Wolf was about to throw up all the Soul Glad she had just downed at the sappy sight of them both, and Blade grunted and averted his gaze elsewhere, but that was okay. This wasn’t about them. It was about Kafka and [name]. It was about how a chaste gesture turned into something soul-binding and shaping. It was about how each other’s skin felt against the other’s – how good it felt. [name]’s tantalising touch as their hand gripped their lover’s gloved one, touch gentle and firm at the same time, commanding her to stay with them forever and ever. North and South magnets, they were: unable to be separated once they were attached.

Upon realising, a few minutes later, that the lovebirds were going to be at their snogfest for a while, the quantum gamer yawned and snapped a few pictures of them, including one where she, Blade and Firefly (Sam in the photo, however) posed and held up their fingers in a steepling position, and another where they made a huge heart. How cute.

Ugh – are they done? I’m so bored. There’s no reception in this dingy area. SW flopped back onto the railing of one of the buildings and huffed before throwing a ball up into the air and catching it again.

Let them have this, okay? It’s been one hell of a while since we gathered together like this, with Elio sending us wherever he wants to act out the various scripts he has planned out. Do you guys reckon they’ve… you know… had their first kiss yet? Sighing dreamily, the ivory-haired young woman placed her head in her hands and joined her sister-like friend on the railing, absentmindedly running her fingers through the other’s silver tresses, and even attempted to try and touch Blade’s. When he showed no signs of pulling away, she freely twirled strands of red and dark blue strands around her index and middle finger.

No response, yet Firefly continued her daydreaming anyway. Do you think they’ll get married? Or maybe they’ll promise to stay together forever, bound together by only their lives. Kind of hoping it’s the first option, though: I want to wear pretty clothes and celebrate such an occasion with people I consider family. She blinked slowly, and an image came to mind that put a smile on her face.

Under the gaze of a sky similar to this one, Firefly skipped down the aisle with a basket of honeysuckles, blue hyacinths and basil, throwing petals all the way down in a light pink dress and headband. An odd combination of flowers, plus a simple outfit, but she couldn’t be happier for her friends, who were both in suits – with Kafka donning a veil – hand in hand as Silver Wolf bounced around the place taking pictures and Blade clapped stood in one of the pews of an abandoned and destroyed temple. Starlight poured through stained glass windows, painting the floor all sorts of colours to accompany the unconventionality of the makeshift wedding, and a familiar black cat leaped from pillar to pillar with an amused look on its tiny face, whiskers twitching. Both the sun and moon were at opposite sides of the sky which caused the space between the middle of them to form pink, blue and gold hues in between. A strange sight, but quite beautiful if the dreamer said so herself. Nothing would ever top that dream, and she wished for nothing but the best for all of them. Surely Kafka would laugh at her naivety if she even breathed a word of this to her and simply brush her off, but deep in her heart she knew they deserved better. They all deserved much better than their respective societies had to offer them – if they were part of it in the first place.

Finally tearing herself from [name]’s supple skin, the woman in question squeezed their hand and laid her hand on theirs once more.

I could get drunk on those lips, you know.

Shut up. [name] chuckled and a wide grin spread across their plush lips. How long do you reckon that lasted for? Their voice, a voice of reason within the group, seemed to be for only their lover’s ears.

Nowhere near long enough, doll. C’mere.

#ainsley writes #kafka x reader #kafka x you #kafka x gn!reader #kafka honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #hsr x gn reader #hsr x gender neutral reader #firefly #firefly honkai star rail #firefly hsr #kafka hsr #blade hsr #silver wolf #blade #silver wolf honkai star rail #silver wolf hsr #stellaron hunters

46 notes · View notes