Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
Help Me Attend a Speculative Fiction Workshop for My Novel!!!
Hi Everyone,
I was recently accepted into a selective online speculative fiction workshop where I'll have the opportunity to workshop my novel with acclaimed speculative fiction author Megan Giddings. Because the organization hasn't made its public announcement yet, I'm keeping the name of the workshop private for now but it's one I have been applying to for some years and I finally got in.
Unfortunately, I wasn't awarded financial assistance even though I applied for a scholarship. The good news is that a very generous friend has offered to cover my $300 deposit, so now I'm trying to raise the remaining $500 needed for tuition.
I have to accept my spot and pay the deposit by July 17, and the remaining tuition is due by August 21, so it's a pretty tight timeline.
If you've enjoyed my writing over the years and would like to help, I've linked my fundraiser below.
DONATE HERE
If donating isn't possible, a reblog would help just as much.
As a thank you, anyone who donates (and sends me proof) can request a flash fanfic commission (around 500–1,000 words) in a fandom or pairing I'm comfortable writing (TVD, GoT, OUAT, IWTV, Marvel, etc.) . I will get your fic posted with 72 hours of your donation. It's the best way I know to give something back to this community.
Thank you all so much for reading my work, cheering me on, and helping me keep writing. 🖤
With the World Cup getting so much attention, my thoughts are definitely on sports more often than usual. Here are some books for those readers who might enjoy books including sports any time of the year.
Medicine Wheels by Byron Graves
Heartdrum [Crystal's Review]
When Bryce’s mom walks out on her abusive boyfriend and back into jail for breaking her probation, he’s left facing the summer of his junior year with no parents, no phone, and only the clothes on his back.
With nowhere to call home, Bryce crashes at his grandparents’ house on Wolf Creek reservation. Wolf Creek is full of memories and old friends—including Robbie and Mikayla, who hang out at the local skate park.
Skateboarding reminds Bryce of his late dad: carefree, riding like he could fly. If Bryce could learn to ride like that, he’d take his crew to the top of the skateboarding championship at the end of the summer, and finally prove he’s not a loser, especially to the online-famous, captivating Mikayla. Summer is looking up, even as he’s falling on his face.
But when a fresh loss takes Bryce down, he’ll need to learn to lean on his Ojibwe community to get back on the board. Only then can he discover his father’s real legacy—and the true meaning of unconditional love.
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
Algonquin Young Readers [Crystal's Review]
In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.
At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.
On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.
But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.
Run Like a Girl by Amaka Egbe
HarperCollins [Crystal's Review]
Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she’s shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn’t have a girls’ track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the Olympics.
Not one to give up easily, Dera joins the boys’ team instead. But while she has the school administration’s blessing, her new teammates and classmates are less than welcoming. Between that and her frustratingly distant father, Dera is positive her junior year is ruined.
Just as she starts to accept her status as an outsider, Dera’s approached by her classmate Rosalyn, who wants to feature Dera’s story in her blog. Eager to change the narrative and spend more time with Rosalyn’s gorgeous cousin Gael–also known as one of the few teammates who will talk to her–Dera agrees.
But when she goes viral and gains attention across the state, Dera’s new notoriety opens the door for trolls both online and at school. Paired with her deteriorating relationship with her father, she soon finds everything to be too much. Will Dera be able to keep outrunning her problems, or will her dream be the very thing that derails her?
Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert
First Second [Crystal's Review]
Molly Bauer’s first year of college is not the picture-perfect piece of art she’d always envisioned. On day one at PICA, Molly discovers that—through some horrible twist of fate—her full-ride scholarship has vanished! But the ancient texts (PICA’s dusty financial aid documents) reveal a loophole. If Molly and 9 other art students win a single game of softball, they’ll receive a massive athletic scholarship. Can Molly’s crew of ragtag artists succeed in softball without dropping the ball?
My Thoughts: When I cast around to get my thoughts about Bunt! the word that pops up is fun. Molly and the rest of the crew are stressed out art folks, but there is a lot of humor winding through their days. I love the bright cover that really gives a good hint of what’s to come.
This Ain't Our First Rodeo by Liara Tamani
Greenwillow Books [Crystal's Review]
Love is a wild ride. Hold on.
This ain’t Josie’s first rodeo. Her parents own several fancy restaurants in Houston, and they just opened a new one right outside the stadium. Josie is expected to stay inside the restaurant and help, and maybe take over their growing empire one day, but that isn’t what Josie wants. She’d rather be at the rodeo itself than in a high-end restaurant next to it. Or eating funnel cakes and Texas-sized corn dogs at the carnival on the grounds. Or better yet, riding her horse at her grandparents’ ranch, the very place her mom wants to sell.
It ain’t Shawn’s first rodeo either. He’s been riding bulls since his mom died, doing everything he can to live up to his rodeo-champion stepfather’s sky-high expectations. But as Shawn’s stardom rises, so do tensions in their relationship. His stepfather’s drinking and gambling problems sure don’t help.
After one unforgettable night leaves Josie and Shawn wanting nothing but each other, their lives become entwined in increasingly complex ways. Can they save Josie’s family land? Or will Shawn’s stepfather and his shady plan be the ranch’s ruin? Will one wrong move cost them everything? Rodeo after rodeo, year after year, can Josie and Shawn keep their hearts open through the secrets, twists, and turns?
We have quite a few on our release list this week including one I got to read early - The Vacation Shift. If you like rom-coms or travel related stories, you'll want to grab that one, but several others are calling to me.
Doe by Rebecca Barrow
Nancy Paulsen Books
Maris Larsen is the captain of the West Eaton High cheer team. She’s Coach’s favorite and the team worships her. Being on the team makes her feel special—powerful. When she’s leading the girls on the mat, Maris doesn’t have to think about her dead-end life in a dead-end town. She can forget about her depressed mother and absent father and the fact that her girlfriend doesn’t really love her. But when newcomer and Coach’s new golden girl, Genevieve Ray, joins the team, the only thing going right in Maris’s life is suddenly in jeopardy. A bitter rivalry develops between the two, but Maris is determined to take Genevieve down. The knife she needs to wield comes to Maris in her dreams.
While sleepwalking, Maris is visited by a monstrous, decaying beast in the shape of an enormous deer. Doe is an ancient, tired creature who has been wandering, trapped in her current form for decades. She cannot die, but she cannot go on living as she has. Only a girl related by blood to those who bound her in this form can free her, but those girls she loved died years ago—murdered in a fire.
But Maris is somehow linked to Doe’s beloved girls—linked by blood—and so she has the power to free Doe, to unleash her immense power. In Maris’s dreams, she and Doe form a bond, but Maris doesn’t know the creature from her dreams is real. Maris doesn’t understand the danger she’s in. She only knows Doe has promised her a way to win her battle with Genevieve. But for Maris to win, someone has to die, and the only real winner in the end will be Doe.
The Vacation Shift by Lily Chu
Quill Tree Books
Ivy Yu is cursed. Her parents separated six months ago, and she’s fallen into a fog. To help, her mother books an impulsive trip to Japan (cool) on a bus tour (very uncool). Ivy should be grateful, but this summer is her last chance to get her situationship, Connor, to fall in love with her.
When they arrive in Tokyo, it’s even worse than she imagined. Ivy and her Mom are the youngest of a group of seniors. Make that two of the youngest: there’s brooding Matteo, with his single dad, Keith.
Then Ivy discovers her mother and Keith are getting close, and her crush back home is hooking up with someone else. Desperate for some semblance of control and a distraction from the heaviness she can’t seem to shake off, she makes a deal with Matteo to keep their parents apart. Luckily, he agrees—and their devious plans begin.
Dodging nosy old ladies on the bus ride through Japan, their strange partnership begins to blossom into something unexpected and exciting—but can their romantic spark survive the journey?
Checking You Out by Jennifer Chen
Wednesday Books
Lizzie Wei is a huge book nerd, and proud of it. And when she realizes there is a mysterious reader who has been checking out all of her favorite books from the library, she can’t help but get a crush on someone she’s never even met. Her friends make it their mission to find Lizzie’s long lost book soulmate and convince her to leave notes for her crush. But what if the person Lizzie is looking for, isn’t at all what she expects?
Dylan Lin loves reading, secretly anyway. Ever since a bullying incident at his last school, he’s hidden his love of fantasy novels, instead leaning into his jock persona. Now he’s the tennis team captain, runs every day, and actively avoids reading. So, when he decides to start volunteering at a kitten nursery, and his super cute co-volunteer Lizzie asks if he likes reading, he says no. He never expects the look of complete and utter disappointment on Lizzie’s face.
Lizzie is certain her secret crush isn’t Dylan. It can’t be! But when he accidentally makes an obscure reference to her favorite book during their volunteer shift, she’s not so sure anymore. Can Lizzie forgive Dylan for lying? And can Dylan be brave enough to be himself?
Jennifer Chen’s Checking You Out is a contemporary romance about being true to yourself and celebrating what you love, because you just might find the perfect person to share it with.
Good Luck, Babe! by Erin Baldwin
Viking Books for Young Readers
Reality TV enthusiasts Noelle and Yumi spent ten years attached at the hip—until the summer after junior year. One ill-fated night (and one awkward kiss) ended their friendship, and after a year of no contact, fate throws the girls back together when they’re offered a last-minute spot on their favorite show—an Amazing Race analog called The Adventureverse.
It’s a chance to put their superfan status to the test, a dream come true. Except for a few snags: It’s an all-couples season, filming starts in two days, and Noelle hasn’t spoken to her “girlfriend” in a year. But Noelle already has plans to use the prize money on her ailing father’s medical expenses. She would do anything for him—including fake date her ex-bestie on national television.
Can Noelle walk a tightrope between reality and TV while juggling a pretend relationship and true feelings? Or will she get sent home empty-handed and brokenhearted?
The Romance Rewind by Sarah Everett
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Zadie expected her anniversary dinner with her boyfriend, Jason, to end with a dreamy promposal—not a breakup and a car crash!
When she wakes up in the hospital, she gets even worse news: Jason is in a coma. With nothing to do but wait by his side, Zadie is left wondering where the relationship went wrong and if anyone else knows about the breakup.
Suddenly, Zadie is catapulted back to their first date, trapped in a time loop she can’t escape. To make matters worse, Jason’s cousin Marcus is along for the ride, threatening to spill her secret. Can Zadie mend her relationship with Jason before he wakes up, or will Marcus shatter her hopes for a happily-ever-after?
For fans of The Do-Over and Check & Mate, get whisked away in this charming new rom-com abounding with betrayal, twists, and romance tropes.
Mostly pieces from Truth & Lore, some newer work too.
I’ll be posting every Wednesday.
If you want to follow along, my linktree is below:
🌈 She/They | Writer, Poet & Educator | Host of WYCAW Podcast✍🏾|Storyteller exploring horror, identity, memory, and the supernatural
https://www.tiktok.com/@jcgriffinwrites
I only have two vids up so far but I will be posting this Wednesday and I would love any an all support. I am very anxious and nervous to be on this platform and not sure what I am doing but I wanted to give it a try. PLEASE FOLLOW!!!
Mostly pieces from Truth & Lore, some newer work too.
I’ll be posting every Wednesday.
If you want to follow along, my linktree is below:
🌈 She/They | Writer, Poet & Educator | Host of WYCAW Podcast✍🏾|Storyteller exploring horror, identity, memory, and the supernatural
https://www.tiktok.com/@jcgriffinwrites
I only have two vids up so far but I will be posting this Wednesday and I would love any an all support. I am very anxious and nervous to be on this platform and not sure what I am doing but I wanted to give it a try. PLEASE FOLLOW!!!
Mostly pieces from Truth & Lore, some newer work too.
I’ll be posting every Wednesday.
If you want to follow along, my linktree is below:
🌈 She/They | Writer, Poet & Educator | Host of WYCAW Podcast✍🏾|Storyteller exploring horror, identity, memory, and the supernatural
https://www.tiktok.com/@jcgriffinwrites
I only have two vids up so far but I will be posting this Wednesday and I would love any an all support. I am very anxious and nervous to be on this platform and not sure what I am doing but I wanted to give it a try. PLEASE FOLLOW!!!
Remember that time when I told y'all some of you need skin tone helps? I had time. Using some commonly used FCs, some actresses that I know of, some brown charts and things, for us to simply take a look at people and SEE COLOR. Because, whether or not we pretend to (and from the lightwashing we see in artwork and aesthetics, there's proof that many people have issues), there is color in the world, and in our skin tones.
Sometimes, it don't matter beyond having a wider scope of representation and sometimes, it is important to stories (colorism storylines need dark skinned characters involved) or to original concepts (whitewashing and lightwashing previously darker characters is a problem).
I am merely here for less of a discussion of those things and more of a guide that you can pull up to put that FC idea or that fan art project next to and realistically say, "This is it" or close to the goal.
Let me start out by saying that a lot of the FCs that I see people use for Black characters are often biracial face claims.
The fact of the matter is that we're living in a time where multiracial entertainers are able to get the most visibility and are cast in roles that maybe they aren't the ideal image for. Now, we also have far more blended families onscreen and in stories probably than ever before, so they have plenty of opportunities to be properly cast. And some are a quarter Black, which, to me, means that they should also be considered for characters that may appear white. If you are fine with casting multiracial girls for Black girls, get fine casting them in white characters, too. Cast Multiracial Actors in White Roles! They have representation everywhere. They'll pull through.
Never be afraid to steal imagine a fair skinned character who the writer does not explicitly say IS white as anything else. That's where a lot of the light skinned actresses you use for Black characters should go. Unless they said "white" or some equivalent, I read everyone as not white, generally as Black😌
We also have gingers.
Having red hair don't translate to "white," to me, and it doesn't have to, to you. See the word "ginger" and put a Black ginger FC there. I sure do.
Now. Let's get back to the guide.
If a Black person is reading a character who is described as having "dark brown skin," everybody needs to know that the standard of the tone of brown skin is in relation to Blackness.
We are not thinking "dark compared to a white person," like some of you seem to be. We are not thinking of the one or two Black people you've met in life. Think about brown skin in relation to what group that FC belongs in. There are dark skinned Asians, South Asians, Mestizo, etc. If the characters are those, find out what dark means there. What shade is dark brown, from the perspective of the group of people that character belongs to?
That will help for you not to get dunked on when you make aesthetic boards, assign FC's, whitewash artwork, etc. Just look at a guide! And know that dark brown skin is not ever going to be anything lighter than a standard brown crayon, and CERTAINLY not going to be somebody who can "pass" the paper bag test!
There's also options for lighter skinned FCs who are in monoracial characters. I've said before, yes, it does happen that two people who aren't necessarily light skinned can have a light skinned child. But, there are also lightskinned couples who have lightskinned kids, and other Black parents with unambiguously Black light skinned offspring.
Sometimes, maybe consider FCs who evolve to have similar backgrounds. Yes, we often see light skinned women and biracial women used interchangeably, but it could also be not done like that. You are allowed to use monoracial light skinned actresses for Black faceclaims. To drop a few...
You likely would've used the peach or apricot crayons to try to get the drawing (before crayons started making sets), or tried, like I used to, to go over a tan with a lighter crayon, adding maybe a coat of yellow, or if the box was bigger, using the goldenrod. Idk what those translate to in digital art. So just do the lil' eyedrop on one of the girlies, basically.
Moving on to the space where I think a big portion of the famous actresses come in, and my apologies to the younger generation, a space where you're going to see many biracial actresses, and not so many monoracial ones ALTHOUGH THEY DO EXIST. I simply want to reiterate that there are Black actresses out there with two Black parents to play Black roles that cast Black biracial actresses.
🤎🤎🤎
At any rate, moving a medium light range of skin tones. These are the girlies that would pass or just make it with the Brown Paper Bag test.
They're still lighter brown shades than on the other side of the bag test, but not exactly in the same vein of light skinned as "white passing" and "ethnically ambiguous." Might be called a redbone by some, probably won't be called a yellow bone.
FYI: Nonblack onlookers, none of us wanna have to see y'all try to use them words. Don't hurt yourself.
Note: The women in that chart are all biracial or mixed heritage, because at the time, I couldn't think of nobody fully Black in that particular skin tone range.
🟤🟤🟤
We've reached the other side of a brown bag, but here's the thing, we do tan, so sometimes, you may see someone have lighter brown skin at certain times, like winter (or the quarantine, things of that nature), but the skin tone that we usually are is the skin tone that we generally identify with and the one I'd suggest in artwork/aesthetics.
Generally, the range of skin tones here we simply call "brown skinned," as vague and broad as it is. It encompasses those who aren't light skinned, per se, but wouldn't be considered dark skinned in the Black community, either. (Sometimes, I will see things tagged "melanin," or suggest in the tags that there is somebody with melanin in the post, and ISTG, I be thinking that perhaps y'all have some type of color distortion in your eyes, because the melanin be MIA. Missing in Action. On thee back of every milk carton in the 80s, Girl.
This is where most Black women fall into without being singled out by skintone. What do I mean by that? This is where we're a pretty medium brown color. Not necessarily widely perceived as light skinned, but while unambiguously Black, not considered dark skinned, either. (Sometimes people in this group are very confused about what their skin tone is, depending on who surrounds them).
When I was little, my family considered me light skinned. As an adult, I realize that was because my father's side of the family was the standard tone for our household, and they're all dark skinned. Sometimes, out in the wild, we see Europeans referring to somebody Thandie Newton's color as "dark skinned," meanwhile, we all have eyes and can see that is NOT true, but somehow to white people, it might seem so. I think because they are probably setting themselves as the standard when figuring out skin tone... which is ridiculous, obviously.
"Brown skinned," is generally what we say, despite the fact that everybody on this list is some shade of brown. Brown skinned in the Black community is simply "not light and not dark " which can range from anywhere from Robin Givens to Gabrielle Union. On one end, there's the tan crayon and on the other end the "brown" crayon.
Whenever I used to color family drawings, me and Mama were colored with the tan crayon and Daddy, and my two siblings were with the brown crayon. But in real life, they were darker than that and you didn't have more browns unless you got big boxes of crayons, 36 and above.
Finally, we get to what we consider dark skin. Brown crayon and darker shades of brown.
Does it make sense to picture in your mind Zoe Kravitz as having "dark skin" when the above ladies also exist in the world? Side-eyeing you, Divergent movie casting, amongst others.
These face card charts, that I put together, feature ambiguously Black/Biracial/Multiracial women and unambiguously Black women of shades ranging from practically white to fully dark.
BUT, if it is still hard for you to see color in faces, at least take cues from other color guides. If you type in "shades of brown" in your search engine, they will give you multiple lists. In case you get confused reading and imagining human skin.
I need everybody to know that I began this February 26, 2024, and today is now April 12, 2026. Slowly but surely SOME of these WIPS in the drafts will see the light of Tumblr.
Mostly pieces from Truth & Lore, some newer work too.
I’ll be posting every Wednesday.
If you want to follow along, my linktree is below:
🌈 She/They | Writer, Poet & Educator | Host of WYCAW Podcast✍🏾|Storyteller exploring horror, identity, memory, and the supernatural
https://www.tiktok.com/@jcgriffinwrites
I only have two vids up so far but I will be posting this Wednesday and I would love any an all support. I am very anxious and nervous to be on this platform and not sure what I am doing but I wanted to give it a try. PLEASE FOLLOW!!!
