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[writingwithcolor]

WWC Askbox has reopened!

WritingWithColor.com has reopened to your questions.

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The WWC Askbox re-opened Sunday, March 29, 2026.

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[godofspringonions]

I've tried to write a YJ fic at least twice before. Neither turned out very good, but while watching Daredevil: Born Again I the idea of "What if Young Justice was a DC/Marvel crossover". Specifically, a crossover where it is just Marvel's New York.

Every single cult, villain, and morally gray weirdo is located in NYC. There's an alien invasion every second week. Ninja turtles are in the sewers. The Sinister Six is up to something. A well-known criminal has been elected to office, whereupon he does away with due process.

It's a trying time for Tamand'r Hoyle. She just wants to do her homework and pass junior year.

I wanted to explore how would a young vigilante be affected by the Punisher becoming an unwitting icon to corrupt cops and balancing that with Daredevil's Justice System? Neither of them has walked in her shoes. As a woman or a person of colour. Also how finding solace in the YJ team helps her find her way, while still doing her own thing. Plus, she needs friends her own age. (Her uncle said so.)

Key points:

(I'm really just writing this to myself as a reminder)

Tam's goes to school in Gotham and is dating Robin out of costume but doesn't know it. (This is a point of conflict).

Adopted Superboy as her brother, due to them both sharing a past in CADMUS and being half Kryptonian/half Tamaranean respectively. Also asks: "Superman, are you a deadbeat?"

Wally is her punching bag

There's a minority component she shares with Miss Martian that they bond over

Is chill about Artemis going to Gotham Academy because she doesn't live there either. Why's its sus if she's coming from Star City? What this? You got questionable family member? Me too sis. Batman's breathing down my neck because the Punisher is basically my uncle.

Has also adopted Aqualad as her brother. He's less broody about it than Superboy.

*inserts meme from archive*

I have so many thoughts to write down and no way to make them cohesive

Anyway

This is the cover for now. If you're interested, We Are Made of Star Stuff is on wattpad.

[msmeow37]

I know this might sound silly, but my nerd brain is jumping for joy. I look up Cantonese sayings for my story and sometimes I stumble onto Mandarin romanization translations instead of Cantonese.

I'm beginning to recognize the difference. In Mandarin they use an X in pinyin, but it's pronounced like an S or sh whereas the Cantonese romanization is an S Jyutping or Yale.

Jyutping has the tonal numbers at the end of each word whereas the Yale doesn't which confused me at first since I can only speak English and some Spanish.

I've been debating about learning Cantonese for the story. I know this fic is gonna take awhile, but it would be better to actually hear how my Chinese characters sound in my head.

This story is always challenging me so my hyperfocus is pointing out more I can learn.

This research goes beyond language. I study the characters material conditions like did they grow up in a country that was ravaged by foreign wars and civil wars.

What kind of conditions did they live in? Were they poor, a part of the gentry or scholar class. Did the upheaval take away their comforts or were they struggling, but struggling more.

This isn't just academic for me. I've even written a materialist essay on labor exploitation and its intersectionality, because that subject means a lot to me as a factory worker.

With all this research it's shown me personally the difference between appropriation and appreciation.

Appropriation is the colonization taking or stealing of a different culture from yours whereas appreciation comes with respect and responsibility to stand beside a culture not your own.

It's not that we shouldn't write about another culture. It's about understanding colonization can take many forms including artistic.

I don't want to be like Indiana Jones taking cultural objects and placing them in a museum.

There are times where I have to sit with anger, guilt, discomfort, sadness and so on then try to channel those feelings into my characters.

I'm mourning for people I've never met.

[ajlovestowrite]

Noticing when characters notice skin color

Damen likes blonds. You know this, I know this. Nikandros knows this. And ESPECIALLY Laurent knows this.

Does that make Damen a racist?

In the world that he and Laurent live in? No.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed feature set Damen's drawn to is never said or shown to be unique to any one nation or race. Damen's thing for blonds is presented the same way someone might be into broad shoulders or big butts. A sexual kink not intrinsic to race or ethnicity.

In the world that we live in? Yes.

A brown man from a race of brown men is sexually attracted to a hair color intrinsic to whiteness. There's no way not to say it's fetishizing a racial trait. Don't @ me with that "But it's not racist if the minority is doing it to the majority!!!" stupidity.

This rant brought to you buy a Reddit post where people downvoted a guy expressing doubt about reading Capri because a blond twink on the cover is holding a brown guy's chain. Sure, tell the guy that in this fantasy world, the power imbalance is not REALLY about their races. That illustration is only being faithful to the source material. That Pacat was a lot younger when they wrote it and maybe didn't know why or how their skin color could be problematic, yadda, yadda, yadda.

But don't tell this guy that his visceral reaction to that image, grounded in their real-world experiences, is "wrong."

[cripplecharacters]

Do you have any recommendations for blogs similar to yours?

Hi! As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any blogs exactly like ours, that focus on a range of disabilities. However, there are personal advocacy blogs that do sometimes respond to writing questions!

@blindbeta is, as suggested, a blind beta reader who has a ton of great posts on blind characters and representation, in addition to sensitivity reading in return for donations to charity!

@a-little-revolution is a blog dedicated to dwarfism advocacy and visibility, and has recently made posts specifically discussing representation in media. Their blog is absolutely worth a read on the full variety of topics they cover.

@so-over-ableism has also answered at least a few questions on writing disabled characters!

Additionally, this blog got its start because of the great resources offered by @writingwithcolor :) [smiling emoticon].

Please feel free to add on any blogs I’m not yet aware of!

[just-another-wr1ter]

So this is going to be pretty specific but I'm looking for ways to improve a black female character I'm writing. The story is set in a medieval setting in a fictitious world. The entire main character group is magic. She is 19 and had a great relationship with her family before they were killed (I know this means it doesn't show a close black family during the story but every character from this group lost their families). She grew up in nobility and her upbringing makes it so she is more studied than the order characters. She was taught reading, writing, embroidery, etc. For appearance she wears her hair in long braids and wears mainly dresses with embroidery that she does herself. She's the smartest of the group, is quiet/reserved, and usually keeps to herself/does her own thing. So that's what I have for her so far, but I'm open to changing aspects of her personality, appearance, etc. if any of this could be taken in a racist context or doesn't do her justice. Side note her name comes from Swahili & East African origins. Any advice for creating a realistic character is appreciated!

[wwcreplies]

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Responses from this blog come from the mod(s) as a collective. Please continue to direct official asks and submissions to the official blog.

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[writingprompts365]

how much diversity is too much? almost every character in my story is some version of not cis or straight, except the probably villain whos a cishet white girl. about half of them are poc, and i have 2 nb characters, but im just a white trans dude. am i telling stories i have no right to tell? i dont feel like im a good enough writer to do my characters justice but at the same time i dont want to change it so they all look like me...

There can never be too much diversity because the world is a very diverse place and it is high time our stories reflect that reality.  Your cast of characters sounds awesome.

But do your research! Talk to people who identify the same way as your characters and learn about their experiences.  Read stories by people who identify the same way as your characters.  Be aware of stereotypes and avoid them.  Get some sensitivity readers.  And it is possible that if you are asking yourself whether or not you have the right to tell the story of a certain character, it is possible you do not and should not.  

Here is great post from @writingwithcolor about braving diversity in your writing. 

And here is their general topics guide with tons of information.

Hope this helps!  =)