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Hiii! it's me again, me! 👋🏾😊 i read ur essay (i guess?) on Cass and the ornamentalism in Cass's writing. And while i'm not white, i'm also not asian either. You seem pretty well informed on topics like this, and i want to try my absolute best not to write her as those other writers have. I'm definetly gonna reread your essay again, and the essay that you linked in it, because I have quite a few asian characters. And i always try my best to write characters who're of different ethnicities than me in the most non-stereotypical and non-racist way possible. Ranting a little bit, sorry. Anyway, i want to avoid subconsciously/inadvertently writing Cass in a wrong, stereotypical, racist, or ornamentalizing way. So, I'd love like a bullet point or any tips you have on how to avoid that, and any articles/essay i can read to avoid doing so as well. This is especially important to me because The center of my project/film is going to be Cass. A really big goal of mine for this film is to avoid doing all the trashy things that DC does. Sorry if this is a lot, or a big ask, and ik this is a really long rant. 😅

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Hi!!! I appreciate you attempting to portray Cass as nuanced as possible :))). I have two major caveats to the following answer: 1, that I'm just a non-expert with a narrow perspective so I can't speak for all Asians - take what I say with a grain of salt! And 2, that there is no completely 'non-stereotypical' portrayal. To base a portrayal of an Asian character merely on the avoidance of stereotypes would be to reinforce the notion of those stereotypes - in the avoidance is a reaffirmation that the stereotypes exist. In other words, there is no easy way to be 'non-racist' when portraying characters of colour, no simple rules to follow that will magically absolve a portrayal of all biases. Being anti-racist is a continual process of questioning with no simple answers.

That being said, the difficulty does not mean there's no point in trying! The most essential point to making Cass a well rounded character is simply that - to see her as a three-dimensional character with complex emotions, motivations, and relationships. You're already off to a good start by making her the protagonist!! For blogs that have general resources for writing Asian characters, see @checkyourasianbias and @writingnothanyu.

That being said (again), Cass' specific story is important to understanding how to portray her. The rest of this ask will deal with potential pitfalls & racist stereotypes that are more specific to Cass, and what you might do to avoid them (but also note that sometimes stereotypes can be invoked on purpose - I'll discuss that later).

Silent Asian / Inscrutable Oriental: 'Silent Asian' refers to the trope of Asians characters not speaking, while the related 'inscrutable Oriental' refers to Asian characters being presented as stoic or emotionless. While Asians who don't speak or are stoic exist in real life, the problem with these tropes is they sideline Asian character's emotions and narrative presence, and often portray Asians as passive or submissive. Cass' language disability makes it very easy for people to do this to her.

But avoiding this is also easy! Cass is canonically neither submissive nor emotionless, and highlighting her stubbornness & emotionality is already subverting this trope. Having Cass as a protagonist also subverts this trope - by showcasing her internal thoughts & reactions to the things around her, she is shown to not be inscrutable to the audience. (See this excellent post for a deeper dive into how inscrutability is subverted in her comics!)

Model Minority: Model minority refers to the idea that Asian people are inherently 'better' than others, particularly other minoritised groups (note that it is rooted in anti-Blackness). In fandom, this often looks like people using Cass as a 'mediator' or 'therapist' for other Batfam members, because assumedly she has no issues of her own. It can also look like statements that Cass can 'do no wrong', that she is a 'perfect golden child', that she always follows the rules, etc.

Cass' relationship to the model minority is complicated. Batgirl (2000) invokes this stereotype when David & Bruce call her 'perfect', and she herself believes in that perfection; she is, after all, an incredible fighter. But Cass' story makes it clear that a) she is far from problem-free and b) the pressure of perfection acts negatively upon her. My recommendation is not to avoid the invocation of the model minority, because it's an essential part of Cass' character, but to explore how being 'perfect' affects Cass' mindset and relationships. For example, her being perceived as perfect by Bruce forms a barrier between her and Steph, and also encourages some of her early suicidal tendencies. (See this post for more of my thoughts on the model minority in Cass' story).

Infantilisation: Infantilisation refers to the portrayal/perception of Asians (particularly East Asian women) as younger and more child-like. This happens in canon to Cass in the garbage that is Batman & Robin Eternal, but also in fandom by aging Cass down (she's mid-20s now and she was late teens when she first showed up), her calling people "big brother" "little brother", and in portraying her as not grasping simple concepts or speaking only simple words.

Cass does have an unusual upbringing & speech cadence but it is very important not to lean too far into infantilising speech patterns. For a lengthier analysis of the evolution of her speech (and which speech patterns to avoid), see this post. Also DO NOT make her call everyone big brother & little brother that one just irks me, and do not deage her. Finally, remember that Cass is not stupid! Her being a good fighter and her language disability do not and have never equalled stupidity.

White Saviour: The White Saviour trope happens when a White character 'saves' or 'redeems' a character of colour. In Cass' case, this is seen primarily in the fandom tendency to say Bruce gave Cass her moral code, or that he 'saved' her from David (more egregiously, that he 'saved' her from Lady Shiva). This also bleeds into the demonisation of Lady Shiva for not being present in Cass' life or a misattribution of David's abuse to Shiva. This can also look like a downplaying of the harm both Bruce and Babs caused Cass.

Avoiding this entails acknowledging the harm basically every White person enacted upon Cass. Rather than there being a unilaterally 'good' White person in Cass' life, explore the way her race is a fundamental part of how all the White people in her life view her. Obviously some people are more evil than others, but it is a lot more complex than just 'David = bad' and 'Bruce = good'. Also, her moral code is her own. It may be influenced by others, but she was ultimately the one who rejected her destiny and recognised killing as wrong.

Racial Essentialism: The link is a succinct definition of racial essentialism as the belief that "some traits, abilities, and characteristics are innate" to racial groups. In fandom, this often pops up in headcanons where Cass likes Chinese things - her favourite type of dance is Chinese dance, she loves to cook fried rice, she quotes Chairman Mao (these are all things I've seen 😭😭). This can also show up in the assumption that Cass knows Mandarin or Cantonese.

It's not that Cass can't like or know these things, but these hcs tend to stem from the mere fact that she's Chinese, as if there is an 'essence' that endows Chinese people with a love of dumplings or something. Cass is a character who is quite detached from her heritage, even I would argue during her stint in Hong Kong (sending her to Hong Kong was also racism on DC's part). I do think there is room to explore Cass learning more about her heritage, but this must be done carefully, and ideally from Chinese people who know Cass' character well. Otherwise, it's best to steer clear of these assumptions that can read as racial essentialism.

Asian Monolith: The Asian monolith refers to the homogenization of various Asian cultures (often into just East Asia). This particularly happens to the Asian American community as the link describes, but I would argue applies to Asians globally as well. The Asian monolith is prevalent in canon - Cass was just 'Asian' for the longest time until she was more recently established as Chinese. This can also look like mixing multiple Asian nationalities for 'Asian stories', such as the ninja narrative in Batgirl (2024), or the portrayal of Lady Shiva over the years.

Since Cass is relatively detached from Chinese culture, it's easy to avoid this trope if you're not discussing Asian cultures at all. However, Cass has non-East Asian side characters - Tai'Darshan and Aruna Shende come to mind - who deserve research and care if you choose to include them. Asians are also not a monolith within the same culture. Xanthe Zhou, Damian Wayne, and Cass are all Chinese, but all three characters have different relationships to being Chinese. The best way to break the monolith is to do research and carefully consider each Asian character as their own individual!

NOTE: While I recommend avoiding these stereotypes, there is also room for these stereotypes to be invoked and deconstructed. I already discussed how the model minority does that in Cass' story, but you can consider how the White figures in Cass' life - particularly Bruce - might hold some of these stereotypical beliefs, and how that might impact their relationship with Cass.

Here are some other minor things I would recommend avoiding:

Cass being 'twins' with one of her brothers. I know it's supposed to be a lighthearted joke, but the constant desire to associate Cass with a White boy is aggravating and collapses her character into her relationship with them

Cass loving ballet/wanting to be a ballerina. While she does like ballet, her love for it is often overemphasised when she's liked other dances far longer. It sometimes reads as a desire to make her more traditionally feminine. But read this post by @buggiebugga for a more nuanced understanding of dance's role in Cass' story

Cass using ASL. The idea that it would be easier than English for Cass to learn is a misunderstanding of both ASL as a language and her disability. See this post by @floatingnebulas for a great write-up on this

Let's end with some things you SHOULD do:

Read Batgirl (2000)! I'm sure you're already reading her comics but once you finish Batgirl (2000) you'll have a great grasp on her characterisation. And it's also just a wonderful comic!!!!

Include her hobbies outside of ballet! She's also a lover of reality TV, a huge foodie, and she likes to mosh!!! A very popular Cass fandom thing is saying her favourite food is burgers and she loves to chug huge glasses of milk :))))

Explore her nuanced relationships! Cass' relationships with David, Bruce, Babs, Steph, and Shiva are so complex & nuanced & wonderful! They all have their ups and downs, and digging into those complexities always makes for wonderful Cass stories.

Consider her themes! Cass' story involves very rich themes including agency, love, redemption, hope, and change. A good Cass story to me usually invokes one of more of those themes!

Read good Cass meta! Here are some of my favourite Cass meta posts that I've come across.

Let her be flawed! Cass is a wonderful character because she's complex and three dimensional. You'll see her flaws for yourself when you read her comics, but here is my own interpretation of them!

Most importantly, be self-interrogative! Even if we follow every bullet point to the letter, we still might have racial biases left unchecked. Whenever we make a creative choice, it's important to ask why we made the choice, and what effect it will have on the narrative. That doesn't mean raking ourselves over the coals, but just always being aware that none of us are perfect and we can always do better :)

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