Hey. I’m Colette. 30-something. I write stuff and things. WritingWithColor is my diverse writing advice blog. I'm all about BIPoC, particularly Black + Woman of Color Issues, Writing, Diverse Beauty, Art, Self-Love, and funny ish.
Hi! I would like to humbly inquire if the askbox at WritingWithColor is indeed closed or is it still approachable now? I want to ask about something and see your comment on October at one of WritingWithColor's posts' comment block that people can drop questions to you so I am writing to ask if this still is a thing. Thank you so much!
I haven’t been on this app in a while, but I know a Black man, Keith Porter, was murdered by ICE on New Year’s Eve (Rest in Power) in Cali. Just one of the countless Black people who’ve been murdered by ICE and other agents of the state.
I log back into this app and see the conversations around the white woman, Renee Good, who was just recently killed. And I can’t help but notice the stark difference in circulation of news and boosting of stories between both of them across this app…
Shit has BEEN happening to Black people across administrations and is currently happening to Black people under this administration, and is met by crickets. Yet when it starts touching white people, I see real anger start being felt from the gen pop followed by amplification and co-opting of Black terms and memorialization… I stg it takes everything in me to give af about yall.
**Edited: linking a gfm for Keith
***update: the gfm is unavailable. Will post an updated link as soon as I have one (removing the link until then for less confusion)
*** updated gfm link verified by Keith Porter Jr’s grandfather
My 43-year-old son, Keith, was tragically killed on New Year's Eve in Northri… Keith Porter needs your support for Support for Keith’s Daugh
Top Fave Books from Black authors and/or Black MCs (2025)
Happy Black History Month from WWC!
In honor of BHM, we've compiled a list of some of our top favorite reads (thus far) that are either by Black diaspora authors and/or the main character is Black. Feel free to add your own to this list!
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Colette’s picks
For my recommendations, I've focused on escapism and/or black woman romances only, because we all can use a bit of joy. These are adult reads by Black authors.
The King’s Seer (series) by L.S. Bethel | Genre: Feudal, Fantasy, Romance, Alt World, BWAM (Hero is Korean-Coded) | Link (My new favorite series)
Voices and Visions by Lashell Collins (Touched Series) | Genre: Mystery, Psychic Detective, Romance, BWWM | TW: Escape from off-screen domestic violence, murder | Link (Love this series so far!)
Taken to Voraxia (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BWAlien &Alien) Coded race | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link
Taken to Nobu (Xiveri Mates Series) by Elizabeth Stephens | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy (BW&Alien) | TW: Kidnapped bride | Link
Unfrozen by Regine Abel | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi BW&Alien/Monster | TW: Torture, experiments (briefly at beginning) Link
I Married a Naga (Prime Mating Agency, #2) by Regine Abel | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Marriage of Convenience BW&Alien/Monster | Link
Rescued by Her Relic by Paulina Woods | Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, BW&Alien/Cyborg, Apocalypse | Link
The Alpha Promise by Hayat Ali | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Vampires, BWAM | Link
Deena's Deception by G.S. Carr | Genre: Western, Historical Romance, Mail-order Bride, BWWM | Link
Chosen by Tiffany Patterson | Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, BWIM (Indigenous hero) | Link
Honorable mentions at the top of my to-read list
Death at a Seance by Carolyn Marie Wilkins | Link
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora | Link
The Gatekeeper by K. Alex Walker | Link
Melanie’s picks
A mix of fictional narratives, memoir, and politics/culture. All adult reads.
The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa | Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance | Link
*Kindred by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi | Link (*Triple recommended by multiple mods!)
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby | Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense | Link
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely | Genre: Mystery | Link
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor | Genre: Mixed/Meta | Link
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates | Genre: Bio & Memoir | Link
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon | Genre: Memoir | Link
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander | Genre: Politics, Society & Current Affairs | Link
SK’s picks
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin | Genre: Fantasy, Romance | Link
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib | Genre: Nonfiction, Essay Collection | Link
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaoabi Tricia Nwaubani | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | CW: violence and sexual assault | Link
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo | Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction | Link
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper | Young Adult Historical Fiction | CW sexual assault and slavery| Link
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson | Young Adult Realistic Fiction | book deals with racism, incarceration, and the foster system | Link
Jaya’s picks
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste | Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult (violence against activists) | Link
Each of Us A Desert by Mark Oshiro| Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy | Link
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas| Genre: Young Adult, Realistic (racial profiling, Black Lives Matter) | Link
Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas| Genre: Fantasy | Link
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat| Genre: Short Stories (violence in Haiti) | Link
Monster by Walter Dean Myers | Genre: Young Adult (racial profiling) | Link
Meir’s picks
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link
Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler | Genre: Sci Fi (tw for apocalyptic climate conditions)| Link
This is a two-part series taking place in a sometimes uncomfortably realistic near-future climate apocalypse. Lauren Olamina is a young woman with a hyperempathy disorder who is determined not only to survive, but to make sure her loved ones, her greater community, and humanity as a whole survive as well. To do this, she will have to found a settlement and a religion.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin | Genre: Fantasy | Link
I’m still in the middle of reading this one, but it’s already a compelling and suspenseful story of dynastic succession and powerful but unpredictable magical beings. Don’t spoil it for me!
Jess’ picks
Raybearer duology by Jordan Ifueko | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson | Genre: Gothic/Horror, Fantasy | Link
James by Percival Everett | Genre: Historical, Literary | Link
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope | Genre: Fantasy, YA | Link
The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk | Genre: Historical, Fantasy | Link
Buy local when you can!
We recommend buying your books at your local bookshop (esp. BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ friendly spots) when you can, smaller online bookstores or checking them out at your local library (the Libby app is great for ebooks and audiobooks) or of course at the author's first preference. Also: if a store doesn't have a book, sometimes they can order it for you.
As for online book trackers, The StoryGraph is Black-woman founded!
Okay so we all know by now why Inuyasha fell for Kagome — it’s fairly obvious, because she’s amazing, who wouldn’t? But why do you think Kagome fell in love with Inuyasha? At the beginning of their journey she couldn’t stand his rash and abrasive attitude and was always saying how a guy the complete opposite of him would be her type, so what made her grow from just viewing him as a friend who she would need to teach to bring out of his shell, into a viable romantic interest?
I’m sure we can all pinpoint the time when Kagome really started developing feelings was her seeing Inuyasha’s human night for the first time and when he was laying in her lap and saying how good she smelled, being honest with his true feelings for once. What was it about that moment that caused Kagome to start to see Inu in a new light? Was she attracted to his vulnerability? When she saw that combined with his always protecting her was that enough to stir her heart? What’s your take on what it was about Inuyasha that made made Kagome fall in love?
So I think it’s obvious by now why Inuyasha fell for Kagome, but what exactly was it about Inuyasha that made Kagome fall for him? How did she go from dislike to tolerance to seeing him as a friend she could teach and learn to open up to the world into a viable romantic interest? She says it herself early on, Inuyasha was the exact opposite of her type, so what exactly was it about him that attracted her to him that he couldn’t already give her at the friend level?
I'm guessing you asked @born-for-eachother this very same question a while ago? And her answer was as insightful as ever, so I'm not sure what else can I say to expand on her already brilliant take, but I'll give it my best try.
This is Kagome's reply when her friends asked what her type is. Mind you, she's only fifteen. Kagome might think that she knows what she wants, but she most definitely doesn't know yet what she needs. And that's an important distinction.
Also, please notice that Kagome's lying to herself, because there's only one person in the series that fit her criteria perfectly: Hojo. Even still, she had no romantic interest in him whatsoever despite the statement above.
And the scene's whole point wasn't to stabilish the kind of guy Kagome would fall for, but to show us that, when asked about what her type was, Inuyasha crosses her mind, even if it was in a "negative" light.
If it was the case, it would have made way more sense for her to simply describe a type and define Hojo as the yardstick against which all potential boyfriends would be measured, but instead she made the entire thing about Inuyasha, subconsciously drawing a correlation between him and romantic interest.
And of course, Inuyasha actually does have at least half of the qualities Kagome was listing. She just didn't have the opportunity to realize that at the time, since their first impression of each other was disastrous and Inuyasha was keeping his guard up. She didn't know the real him yet.
That's why she couldn’t stand his rash and abrasive attitude at the beginning of their journey. Kagome thought he was being a jerk for the sake of being a jerk and, for his part, Inuyasha was constantly proving her misconceptions right.
It takes a little time for her to figure him out, which is to be expected because, at first, he made his life's mission to push Kagome away and she have never met someone like him before, but eventually, she manages to see right through him.
His selfishness was a facade. He had to think of himself first because he learned that if he didn't, no one else would. However, he did care for others, no matter how good he was at pretending otherwise. And he might complain about it the whole time, but he always does the right thing in the end.
Especially when it comes to Kagome. There were many occasions in which he resigned himself with letting her go, be it because he feared for her own safety, be it because he knew it wasn't fair of him to ask her to stay even though the thing he wanted the most was to have her by his side. When push comes to shove, he prioritizes Kagome's well being over his own feelings every time. This is the opposite of selfish.
Inuyasha isn't malicious, he's just a impulsive boy who had little to none social interactions growing up. He doesn't really mean a lot of what comes out of his mouth, or at least he doesnt always mean it in a rude way. When he does mean it, it's often a defense mechanism to keep people away, a form of hurt them before they could hurt him. It's only natural for Inuyasha to act the way he does at first. And it was even more natural for Kagome to pick up on that eventually:
He is kind. You can tell by how he puts his life on the line even for those who judge him a monster. He has been wronged in so many ways, by so many people and he still forgave and forgot most of it, showing them the compassion he was denied of. You can also see it in the detais: the way he treats children — slapstick comedy aside —women or any person who can't stand up for themselves, how he provides for and takes care of his friends, the relationship he had with his mother, the gentle way in which he touches Kagome, gives her his robe when she's cold and nurses her back to health when she's sick. I could go on and on.
Granted, he is violent. But for the longest time, violence was all he knew. And it was this very violence that more often than not kept Kagome and their friends alive. He is short tempered. But then again so is she. And he might be the farthest thing from obedient, but I highly doubt Kagome would have fallen so hard and so deep for him if he wasn't.
Futhermore, I think you nailed it on the head when you said Kagome started developing real feelings for Inuyasha after their first New Moon together.
This is when she finally starts to truly understand him. For once, there was no walls up, no bullshit, no covering their connection with hostility. Only vulnerability, brutal honesty and the shy beginning of one of the most important themes in their relationship: trust. Here, Kagome realizes that there is more to him than meets the eyes, that there's an opening for her to come in. Which she does. And the more she gets to know him, the more she notices that he can be selfless, good and kind.
I'd also like to point out that Kagome had already showed signs of physical attraction to Inuyasha way before that.
Obviously, you can admire your friend's appearance in a non romantic way, but her reaction to his looks at the time and the reminiscing of how heroic he looked back then cannot be interpreted as platonic.
But more than that, the thing that really attracted her to Inuyasha, what he couldn’t already give her in a friendship level, was plain and simple the way he made her feel.
Although it was mostly Inuyasha starting the romantic moves, Kagome has always responded to them. His actions awakened in her sentiments she had never had to deal with before. It's new. It's exciting. It's terrifying. It makes her feel alive. And no one else has ever done it for her. Not even close.
Inuyasha turned her world upside down. Being the beautiful, smart and popular girl that she was, love was something that has always came easily to Kagome. She was pretty used to people liking her gratuitously. Her relationship with family and friends was simple enough, but with Inuyasha, she had to work for it, to build it with him from scratch. It was trial and error. It required patience, acceptance, trust, effort and sacrifice from both parts.
Most importantly: Inuyasha challenged her, turned her life into an adventure. He toughed her up, encouraged her to improve and become the very best version of herself, added a gray area to the black and white perspective she had on things, brought her out of her comfort zone. And she enjoyed rising up to the occasion. I think that anything different would bore her very quickly.
Then there's the easiness in which they fit into each other's world: her little brother worships the ground Inuyasha walks on, her grandpa appreciates Inuyasha's help at the shrine, her mother is treated by Inuyasha with nothing but ultimate kindness and ultimate. Even her friends approve of him. This brings forth the unshakeacle feeling that they have always been together, that their meeting was no coincidence.
Plus, Inuyasha actually cares about her. Not her beauty, not her popularity, not her powers: her. Kagome turned the head of many guys during the series, but none of them know her down to the core like Inuyasha does. Her fears and insecurities, her friends and family, her quirks and believes, likes and dislikes, qualities and flaws: Inuyasha knows them all. He sees her beyond of what she looks like. He loves her for who she is rather than an idealized version of herself that does not exist.
It doesn't matter to him if she's wearing her best clothes or covered in demon goo. He had seen her crying, sweating, bloodied, dirty, sick, in extreme need of a bath and his opinion of her never lowered. If anything, I'd say Inuyasha wanted to be with her even more. Kagome didn't have to try too hard, didn't have to be anyone else for him to like her. All he ever expected of her was her company. And that's gotta be refreshing.
At last, I personally believe that wanting what you "can't" have also plays an important factor here. Inuyasha came straight out of a fairy tale, only to get her happily ever after, Kagome had to overcome lunatic villains, Inuyasha's traumas, her own insecurities, the fact that they belonged to different eras, miscommunications, heartbreaks, the stigma that a relationship between a priestess and a half demon carries, three years of separation and lastly time-space itself. Every obstacle only seemed to make her want him more.
Kagome's life could have been a lot easier if she had decided to let it go. She could have pursued an uncomplicated relationship with one of the male characters practically throwing themselfes at her feet — one of which, in theory, checks all of her boxes —, but she didn't. Which makes sense because, to quote Taylor Swift: nothing safe it's worth the drive.
And it all comes full circle, because her desires and necessities have finally aligned. Inuyasha might not have been what she wanted for herself at first, but he has always been exactly what she needed. And after she realized that, I can't imagine Kagome ever wanting anything — or anyone — else.
Getdrawings - simplistic images and drawing tutorials
Gumroad - photoshop brushes (and more)
Canva - needs login but has lots of templates
Library of Congress - historical posters and photos
NASA - you guessed it
Creative Commons - all kinds of stuff, homie
Even Adobe has some free images
There are so many ways to make moodboards, bookcovers, and icons without infringing copyright! As artists, authors, and other creatives, we need to be especially careful not to use someone else’s work and pass it off as our own.
Please add on if you know any more sites for free images <3
adding this google docs that i’ve had saved for years (i don’t even remember where i got it from) that has a whole page of links to public domain image sites and eighteen more pages of creative resources!! i’ve gotten so much from it over the years if whoever made it happens to read this thank you so much
also adding my google docs which has more resources.
i also recommend using etsy for patterns/backgrounds. most creators sell their wallpaper/pattern/texture packs for under $10, and some even sell HUGE sale bundles for the same amount if not less. i STRONGLY recommend it and it’s made a huge difference with coding character profiles on toyhou.se and using for art as well.
for anyone wanting more diverse and inclusive stock photos, free to use, nappy.co is there and i LOVE it.
google images isn’t always reliable as a reverse image search, but i’ve pulled off massive miracles with tineye.
also behance has some free images and various other resources for images!
final piece of advice: tumblr, pinterest and instagram CAN be a good resource if you use it and try to source correctly/follow up on sources - but also make sure to archive and checks links for off-site resources if they’re there. this is ESPECIALLY true for pinterest, since people usually pull their pins directly FROM the sources themselves. but do not rely on any of the above places (and especially we heart it) for sourcing/finding aesthetic images.
Have you heard of Stitch's Media Mix? She's/they're a black writer who often talks about racism and antiblackness in fandom, and it seems like stuff that'd be right up your ally.
I had not heard of them. I’ll have to check them out, thanks much! :)
Ms Colette, I checked back every day this last week and I did not see my question about green skin answered. Did I miss it or did you need more time to post it? I want to clarify I'm not mad or anything, I just want to make sure. And as a side note, I just want to clarify that any time I send a 'good vibes' ask to you all that I am not trying to curry favor or anything, I'm being genuine. -Zach
Hi! Sorry for the delay in response. There’s actually several green skin questions answered. Was this the one you’d asked?
sometimes you say or do bad things while you’re in an awful mental place. sometimes you say things that are rude or uncalled for or manipulative. and i’m not going to hold that against you. mental illness is hard, and no one is perfect. but once you’re through that episode, you need to take steps to make amends. you need to apologize.
“i couldn’t help it, i was having a bad episode” is a justification, not an apology.
“i’m so fucking sorry, i fucked up, i don’t deserve to live, i should stop talking to anyone ever, i should die” is a second breakdown and a guilt trip. it is not an apology.
when you apologize, the focus should be on the person you hurt. “i’m sorry. i did something that was hurtful to you. even if i was having a rough time, you didn’t deserve to hear that,” is a better apology. if it was a small thing, you can leave it at that.
if you caused significant distress to the other person, this is a good time to talk about how you can minimize damage in the future. and again, even if it is tempting to say you should self-isolate and/or die, that is not a helpful suggestion. it will result in the person you’re talking to trying to talk you out of doing that, which makes your guilt the focus of the conversation instead of their hurt.
you deserve friendship, and you deserve support. but a supportive friend is not an emotional punching bag, and mental illness does not absolve you of responsibility for your actions. what you say during a mental breakdown doesn’t define you. how you deal with the aftermath though, says a lot.
be right back guys i need to run out to O'Reilly's Auto Parts and get another jug of Boy Juice to soak in, got a big day tomorrow and want to wash up, brush my teeth, take care of these sniffles, and exfoliate
Finally had time to do this: an Inuyasha to that kagome with a tattoo. Not so finished, but yeah just me messing around and have fun sketching these two lovable dorks
not to be a hedonist but. pleasure IS the whole point, my loves. we are made for pleasure. humans have not survived out of spite or sheer grit or simply to make more humans. we live for pleasure. the pleasure of licking the last delicious crumbs off your fingers and feeling sunlight on your skin and massaging a loved one's shoulders. we're made to fill our bellies with delicious food, to nap in soft grass, to touch each other in joy and comfort.
there is no shame or guilt in our bodies doing what they were made to do. and we are made for pleasure.
kianamaiart
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
