#POC representation

[predictablesloth]

❗️The Election & Representation in Film❗️

-> Before November 6, after the Agatha All Along finale, I told my friend that no matter my opinion on the last episode, I was taking it as a win, because the Agatha/Rio kiss could be the last sapphic, live action kiss to air on television.

-> Because the far right politicians who will soon control our government approve book bans in their respective states, there's every reason to suspect that they'll try to pass bans on the gay ass content Hollywood puts out.

-> If you can, get cds or dvds of your favorite queer, feminist, and generally social justice-oriented digital media, such as music, movies, and tv shows. Documentaries and children's programs especially.

-> If you have the means to, purchase them directly from the source to show monetary interest.

-> If you want that renewal, that next season, to see a ship get together finally, or just to not get brainwashed by white supremicists, then join in the fight.

-> Otherwise, it won't just be homophobic executives blocking projects, the law will be too.

[random-doctor-on-the-internet]

I'm french and like many people here, watched the ceremony out of pure spite. Was I surprised? No. Fucking annihilated.

It had EVERYTHING:

- Random kids carrying the flame

- Gays.

- French cancan't

- Furries

- Lady Gaga???

- Craftspeople and public workers

- Bloodshed, cannons and a metal band

- Masked genderless silhouette parkouring their way through the whole mess

- More gays

- Polyamory

- Non-binary dancers and actors

- POC dancers and actors

- Disabled dancers and actors

- Whatever the fuck was going on with those poles

- Lesbian kiss?

- France's most hated rapper singing a song written entirely in slang in front of THE FUCKING INSTITUTE DEDICATED TO THE FRENCH LANGUAGE?

- Her being accompanied by the National Guard orchestra.

- Gays. SO MANY gays.

- MINIONS???

- Hundreds of top quality instruments getting fucked up by the rain.

- Drag queens, opera dancers, fashion designers and...oh, yeah, Alsace.

- National icon Philippe Katherine but make it blue

- 100 years long horse ride

- Damn that armor's looking fine

- Giant balloon ascending to the sky and...just fucking staying there cause they had nowhere to put it

-Did I tell you about the gays?

Holy fuck.

I'm flabbergasted. I'm bamboozled. I'm lying dead on the ground, holding my last breath.

I mean yes, it was funny. Yes, it was strange. Yes, it gave France a super weird reputation.

BUT DO YOU REALISE THAT THE DESIGN COMMITTEE JUST SAW THE RISE OF OUR EXTREME CONSERVATIVE PARTY AND DECIDED TO THROW A MASSIVE "FUCK YOU" AT THEM???

I think I'm in love. Call me french in training.

[writingwithcolor]

I’m afraid my character has stereotypical traits. How do I avoid making them a caricature?

Is your character composed of several stereotypical traits, or is it just the one? Are they allowed to act and think in ways that are not confined to stereotypes? The more three-dimensional your character is, the less they are defined by the stereotypes.

One strategy that works in some cases is the “offset” character. This refers to weakening character A’s stereotype by including a character B of the same identity who isn’t stereotypical in that way. Say you have a selfless, “motherly” Black woman who looks after the cast. In addition to developing her own arc and her own desires, try adding a Black woman character with 0 maternal instinct who goes full steam ahead with her goals.

Trace your logic as to why you decided to give certain traits to a character of a certain identity. Our aptly named #trace your logic tag contains examples where we prompt the asker to interrogate their intentions behind certain ideas. Try to ask yourself the same questions.

Further reading:

Tropes and Stereotypes

Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception

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This Q&A is an excerpt from our General FAQ for Newcomers, which can be found in our new Masterpost of rules and FAQs. For more advice on writing with diversity, start there!

-Writing With Color

[sanguine-prince]

i’m sure i’m not the first to say something like this, but let me tell you about my poc-passing-as-white jay gatsby headcanon!!

for some background, in the 1920s there was an interesting shift regarding (white) skin tones. previously, tans were viewed as a sign that a person worked out in the fields, and therefore a trademark of the lower class. however, slowly after the industrial revolution, it increasingly became a representation of luxury, since the rich upper class would have the time to lounge about and sunbathe at their leisure.

i say all this to show that a poc gatsby would have the ostensible class and wealth for a tan, which would ‘excuse’ a slightly browner skin tone in the public eye.

(the 20s was also the setting of passing by nella larsen, so that’s neat.)

in my vision, he’s biracial (maybe his mother was black & his father was a german immigrant) with skin light enough to pass for white.

the fact that nick states that gatsby keeps his hair neatly groomed and cut might be to prevent it from curling up.

additionally, i think it could contrast tom’s white supremacy & his fear of poc social progress.

it would also create a deeper divide between gatsby and daisy, and once again the contrast between him and tom. in my mind, daisy wouldn’t know about it until the point where tom reveals everything about gatsby’s bootlegging etc. with jay revealing it to her in the car ride back (oops then she hits myrtle).

then, when she chooses tom and the life of comfort, wealth, status, etc that their marriage offers, she also rejects not only gatsby’s new money but also his race.

it’s a lot more thematically significant for the american dream as well—it’s still unattainable and essentially tainted by capitalism, and it also emphasizes that it’s restricted to the white upper class. social mobility only becomes available to gatsby when he disguises his racial identity.

similarly, it fits with gatsby’s identity reconstruction—the quintessential american is white, rich, and educated.

daisy and tom have that ticket into society because they have that inherent thing that he will never have—pedigree, in both class and race. that’s something that even nick has.

(in my mind, he tells nick all about it the night before he dies & nick understands as best he can and doesn’t think less of him, because it further highlights the differences between his & gatsby’s relationship v. gatsby’s relationship with daisy; namely, the transparency -> acceptance give-and-take that he and daisy never had. because of having to hide himself from daisy in order to maintain her affection, he builds an expectation that he must be someone that he is not as well as developing a transactional definition of love (he gives, and people love him as long as he can continue to give) in order to be loved. therefore, nick’s immediate curiosity and fascination with who he truly is is foreign to him. not to get too into their dynamic lmao i just think it’s really interesting.)

finally, the very last part where nick is sitting and looking at the bay and thinking about the first immigrants and their dreams and how gatsby embodied the purity and naivety of those dreams is further exemplified by his racial ‘otherness.’

and there’s,,, technically nothing in the book to explicitly refute this from what i remember!

(n.b.: it has been a hot second since i’ve read tgg, so lmk if i’ve got anything wrong!)

[anilyan]

Time to message Hoyo about the colorism...

This is the text I prepared to send to Hoyo, to their emails (genshin_cs@hoyoverse.com | support_os@hoyoverse.com), feedback, eventual surveys...

Feel free to copy paste and send this exact thing as well. Feedback is appreciated before I send anything.

Shorter version below, and imo it's better.

-----------

Subject: [Constructive Feedback] You can and should darken the skin tone of Natlan characters

Regarding the skin color discussion started by the reveal of Natlan characters:

We fans understand that the world of Teyvat is fictional, and that the Nations and characters are informed by different real cultures that end up being mixed to create a fictional setting. But it's also undeniable that some Nations in the world of Genshin are primarily inspired by some cultures more than others, and that character traits tend to reflect the main countries the Nation they inhabit is based on.

There are no consensus amongst fans regarding how accurate outfits are, and we know very little about the Nation itself, but it's undeniable that Hoyoverse researched and put a lot of effort into designing Natlan. Which is why it's a shame that all that effort is being drowned by the obvious racism and colorism reflected in the designs.

After Sumeru, Natlan was the only chance Hoyoverse would have to prove they were not afraid of designing characters with darker skin tones. Many people had hope, and the people of some of the cultures Natlan were based on hoped to see themselves represented. Even if you do not care about representation and respecting your fans, you should care about not bastardizing all of the good things that the new nation has to offer, and having at least some characters with a darker skin tone was the bare minimum that made sense.

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO FIX THIS. Darken their skin tones. Significantly. Even Chinese fans are mocking you over your decisions, you're running out of excuses.

Hoyoverse has proven capable of change and adjusting their values over time - for example, your early depiction of female characters in Honkai Impact 3rd paled in comparison with the great writing of current female characters being put out, to not call it sexist. So me and many still want to believe you can recognize your mistake and fix it. You are a company that heavily supports fan and fan works, and who constantly invests in things that have a positive impact in society, which is why many people like to support you, and why this is so disapointing to see.

Do not let this taint your legacy. Tech otakus were supposed to change the world, remember? And perpetuating colorism is not how you should do it.

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Shorter version:

Regarding the skin color discussion started by the reveal of Natlan characters:

We fans understand that the world of Teyvat is fictional, and that the Nations and characters are informed by different real cultures that are mixed to create a fictional setting.

But it's undeniable that different Nations are inspired by different cultures, and that character traits tend to reflect the main countries the Nation they inhabit is based on.

With so much clear research put into the characterization of each nation, Natlan included, it's a shame to let those efforts be drowned by designs that reflect colorist and racist views.

It would make sense to have characters with significantly darker skin tons in Natlan, and many fans hoped for that.

Hoyoverse has proven capable of change for the better - for example, your early depiction of female characters in HI3 leaned on sexism and paled in comparison with the great writing of current female characters.

There are other things that the company does right, and you can do it again. Tech otakus were supposed to change the world, remember? And perpetuating colorism is not how you should do it.

So don't let this taint your legacy. Even Chinese fans are mocking your decisions.

Darken the skin color of the Natlan characters. You still have time.

[mrsblackruby]

I just wanted to quickly jump in and share a little observation I’ve had. That across the spiderverse is just another movie I love that proves the industry could’ve been putting more people of color in films and just weren’t because the industry is built on racism. Anyway art is for everyone and everyone is an artist! don’t mind lil old me just sharing my two cents into the void.

[brainonthebox]

These people gotta accept that sometimes writers just suck at writing.

[ohara-n-brown]

The way people talk over Black Autistic people is... Mind-Boggling. Truly.

There are so many people in the autistic community that genuinely believe that them and Black Autistic people have the same experience, and that everything Black Autistic people go through they go through as well.

That's NOT TRUE.

Black Autistics face more questioning and doubt than White Autistics do.

Yes, all Autistics face doubt.

But when White Autistics face doubt they're often told 'You aren't autistic' - as in YOU in specific are not Autistic.

Meanwhile when Black Autistics face doubt we're often told 'You CAN'T be autistic'. Not just 'You aren't', but you can't.

As in 'You physically, biologically CANNOT be autistic because you are black'.

Do you see the difference?

I've had multiple people say to me 'I didn't know you can be black and autistic', or 'I didn't know black autistic people existed.'

Our mere existence as an entire GROUP is called into question. Because of our race.

No one will ever say 'I didn't know you can be white and autistic' because Autistic Representation revolves around Whiteness.

-

And yes, 99% of people with autism had communication issues.

But if you're a white autistic person you have never had to decode micoagressive racism through the lens of your autism.

- Especially at risk of your safety or life.

Allistic black people already have to carefully choose our behavior and wording with law enforcement under threat of imprisonment or outright on-the-spot execution.

Now imagine having to navigate conversations with law enforcement while also autistic.

Especially knowing that most of the time when a mentally disabled person is killed by law enforcement - they are usually also black.

Elijah McClain and Ryan Gainer - both autistic AND BLACK. Osaze Osagie - also black.

So even if you say that all autistic people experience this, it's very clear that Black Autistic people face it to a higher, more dangerous degree.

We are not 1:1. We are not the same.

This doesn't even factor in things like having to learn to codeswitch or speak AAVE. Or how predominately black schools have less resources for their autistic students.

Or how many professionals in mental health DON'T diagnose black people because they've never studied the Black Autistic experience, and thus cannot spot it.

Or how many Black people that ARE identified to be neurodivergent are instead labeled with ODD or BPD instead.

There are so many layers and factors to this that cannot be ignored.

The autism community needs to get better at understanding intersectionality. We need to get better at representing Autistics of color for ALL levels.

And y'all need to stop talking over Black Autistics. Our experiences are not the same. And that's okay.

[m1ster1e]

Scared to write about Tadashi's culture after I experienced reading Miguel O'hara fanfics as a Mexican. Like I had to cringe through 754,832,495,732 cariños and people confusing Spanish food for Mexican food, what if I become the very thing I sought to destroy? What if I write about Tadashi teaching the reader a language they already speak?! Or trying their own cultural practices for the first time?!

[bipocselfship-archive]

2024 Promo!!!

Hello, my fellow self shippers and yumes! Welcome to the BIPOC Self Ship Archive!

For about 3 years now, this blog has been a safe space to highlight the many BIPOC creators and fans in the self ship/yume community.

And for 2024, we hope to continue to make others feel welcome and safe.

Our goal is also to include those in the LGBT+ community as well as those with disabilities, whether physical, mental, sensory, etc. 🏳‍🌈

Disclaimer: Even if you don't fall into any of the forementioned categories, we still highly encourage you to follow and check out all of the amazing creators featured. (Following and interacting with them is also highly encouraged).

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send us one.

We hope you all have an amazing day, and don't forget no matter who you are, your F/Os love you! Bye!

-Mod Crystal 💖

[crazystarr]

Killer Bee design for the naruto rewrite in the polydueces YT channel. I gave him Js.

[writingwithcolor]

WritingWithColor FAQ: How do I start writing a character of color?

First, be mindful that no race, culture, or ethnicity makes one inherently predisposed to certain emotions or personalities, despite what stereotypes or TTRPGs may suggest. We are all humans who share the same range of emotions and ways of thinking, even if we have different values.

Understand that there is no single template for a good [race, ethnicity] character. A person’s social, economic, and geographical background influences their life and values just as much as their race, culture, or religion. Consider: a Black American boy who grew up in a California mansion versus a Black American boy who grew up on an Illinois cornfield versus a Black boy who grew up in an apartment one city over. All three will have very different privileges, disadvantages, and outlooks on life.

Further reading (WWC x NaNoWriMo):

The Do’s of Writing PoC

Properly Coded: Creating Characters of Color

3 Ways to Show a Character's Culture

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This Q&A is an excerpt from our General FAQ for Newcomers, which can be found in our new Masterpost of rules and FAQs. For more general resources on POC representation, check it out!

-Writing With Color

[wakandama2]

Shouts out to Princess Jasmine for holding it down for the Black girls from 1992 to 2009, she knew we needed the rep while Tiana was done cooking.

[mannyblacque]

The ship has sailed

Art by Shonya

[vavialdavi]

I made doodles of Honeymaren and Ryder as kids. I tried to kinda mimic Jin Kim's concept arts, I'm love in with them, especially the way he draws expression

I had way more ideas but I don't feel like continuing right now, so here are the first two ;^;

[lily-s-world]

Discrimination on Romance Media

Bridgerton officially announced their female lead for the upcoming Benedict’s season, a Korean-Australian woman. The casting announcement was well received by some fans but like with every change on Bridgerton there was push back from the diehard fans of the novels. I understand feeling disappointed on an adaptation, we all had been there at some point, but when does it stop being disappointment and start being hatred towards the communities that will now see themselves represented by these changes? Why does the change of race, body type or sexuality create this type of uproar?  

And yes, also body type. One of the comments I saw asked “when we will finally see a non-diverse couple?”, to which several people replied that Polin season was led by a non-diverse couple. The original commenter said, “she was fat, that is diverse for me.”

Romcoms and romance novels are a genre that has been active for several decades now, and when we look back at them, it is easy to notice how the vast majority of the content is led by a straight white couple. A couple whose bodies fit the beauty standards established by the North American and European markets. Nowadays the beauty standard is a petite woman, and a man build like a truck, something incredible common on the romance novels popularized on Instagram and Tiktok.

The problem with these types of media is not that they exist, but that people use it as the standard for how romance couples should look like in the products they consume. Bridgerton is honestly a prime example.

A black man as the lead? Sure, as long as it looks like Simon but not John Stirling, we don’t find him attractive. A bisexual man is okay if he ends up with another man, because the fetish is real, but not if he chooses a woman to date – I won’t see him attractive after I saw him kissing another man (actual comment I saw on Instagram about Benedict). And it goes way worse when it comes to female leads, the racism against Michaela, Kate and now Sophie is alarmingly high. The fatphobia surrounding Nicola, even coming from reporters. The homophobia against Francesca.

The fandom on a lot of romance media is created by white straight women that only want men they find attractive in their narrow view of the world, and women they can relate to a.k.a white skinny woman. If the media dares to go against it, they will raise hell. To the point of telling the original creators, in this example Julia Quinn, that they are woke sell outs with no respect for their own work (just check her Instagram and you will see.)

Adding more diversity on romance is by no means removing the typical representation. Just look at the success “Anyone but you” had last year, even though it wasn’t the best romcom, it still had a great reception. In fact, looking at the romcoms from the past year, over half of them are led by white straight couple. Yet, the uproar for diversity on romance continues.

I am a firm believer that everybody deserves to see themselves in romance stories, and I don’t think I’ll ever change that point of view. I just hope that people can look back at their actions and stop believing that romance should only be available for a certain group.