TW; talks of colorism/racism in fandom
okay I have a feeling this is gonna be controversial- and I am not attacking anybody- but I am asking y'all to consider that fanartists who make Binghe consistently the darker skinned character without investigating the undertones this has is in poor taste at best.
This is something I've seen a lot of black people on here talk about, and I want to give them credit (especially Creating Black Characters) for this obviously because they have been actively dealing with this form of bigotry and have a lot more experience with racism than me- but I've yet to see this applied to the SVSSS fandom, and it's making me kind uncomfortable.
To explain, having the dominant partner, who is in-text aggressive, be the (often one) character you headcanon as a deeper skin tone than the rest is all too common. It plays into a lot of nasty stereotypes. There are worse versions of it, and the idea this originated in this fandom, or it is the worst here is incorrect, but it does not mean it doesn't play into the stereotypes.
I do think there are ways to do it well, you can look at his half demon heritage as an allegory for racial hatred in our world. But that will say things about those who then hunt demons (like Liu Qingge). Hell, I think Tianlang Jun's storyline of being locked away for loving a cultivator, and how everyone assumes the worst of him for being a demon can play into this as well. But, just because this is written in a fantasy novel doesn't mean it doesn't have real world consequences.
I'm not saying you can't draw Binghe with darker skin- but maybe consider drawing other characters with dark skin too. And maybe think about how portraying the sexually aggressive and demonic character as the only one with dark skin reads.
And I love Luo Binghe's character. I think he's a great blorbo- but I also want SVSSS to be a safe fandom for everybody. I've had so much fun here, and I want my friends to be able to participate without feeling uncomfortable.
If anyone has anything to add please be respectful.
