Whumppets

I'm Rooting For Everybody Black

[whumppets]

Introducing THE WHUMP OASIS, a safe place for the members of the BIPOC whump community to interact with, inspire and encourage each other!

This is a safe space for our stories to be told in a whump setting. This is a space where we can see and whump characters who look like us with no judgement.

Dm me for an invite! We're so happy to have you! Happy whumping!

[writingwithcolor]

How Can I Write About Dehumanization, Body Horror and Transformation Without Dehumanizing My Characters?

@hypertechnica asks:

Hello!! This blog has been instrumental in developing my writing, thank you all for your hard work! In my writing, I'm very interested in exploring transhumanism and the general concept of “not feeling human” and the becoming, or the feeling of becoming, more, less, or not fully human in my writing. I’m also interested in mutation and transformation related body horror, as well as medical horror. My motivations for these are primarily borne out of my experiences as a trans, autistic, mentally ill mixed race person (white/Latine/Native American.) I've never felt fully understood, fully a part of anything, or even fully human, and I tend to write characters with similar experiences. But I am white passing, and as a holder of white privilege, I'm cautious as to how I represent BIPOC in these kinds of works. I highly dislike writing stories with only white people or having POC be on the sidelines of the white main character’s struggles. But how does one walk the line between a raw, unsanitized depiction of a brown or black person struggling with their mental health and sense of self, and dehumanization and tragedy exploitation? I don’t want to ignore how race affects that, especially when writing about my own experiences with forced assimilation as a native person. But because of the nature of me, a white native, writing about a visibly native person going through even partially race-related trauma, I want to be as mindful as I can be. I want people to see themselves in these characters, not gawk at their suffering, or worse, alienate the BIPOC viewers I was trying to speak to in the first place.

Grain of salt for all of this because these are not the kinds of stories I find catharsis in, despite sharing many of the same identities (and feelings of alienation/dehumanization) as you. However, some of my friends find extreme catharsis in these kinds of stories, so don’t let the opinion of those who would get triggered by this dissuade you from writing it at all—there will always be different kinds of trauma stories that resonate with different people, and that doesn’t make them bad.

That being said, I am currently going through the journey of unpacking a very similar narrative to this on a personal level with a very similar identity cocktail, so I’ll give it my best shot.

The Pain of White Supremacy

Let’s talk about the identity sacrifice that comes with white supremacy.

White supremacy is an extremely lucrative promise: give up huge swaths of your cultures and traditions, gain leisure that’s supported by a racialized underclass and live like a king. There’s no need to work in fields, do the ugly parts of childrearing, participate in endless work to make clothing. You just sit, and enjoy life, and order people around, while other people around you work.

It’s as boring, hollow, and soul-sucking as it sounds. But many, many, many people make this trade off, because being the underclass supporting this leisure sucks so much and they want a piece of that leisure pie, because leisure is denied to that underclass and the underclass (read: mostly Black people) force ways to take it at risk of their lives. 

A strong aspect to this leisure is you lose most of the aspects of identity, period—humans are busy creatures, and we enjoy exploring hobbies, work, and doing things. Crafting things that reflect yourself, expressing your fashion sense, decorating your space in a way that shows you enjoy things, learning your own tastes via cooking, among others. All of this leads to developing the unshakable sense of pride that comes from expressing yourself regardless of what others think.

Having something that is your own identity that you don’t care how the world treats it is a necessary part of existing, and honestly I’ve found my favourite white people have actual tastes in fashion. Not “trying to look palpable” tastes. “I want to wear as many sparkles and colour as possible” tastes. Dressing fancy to make doing the dishes fun. Because they’re not pinning their entire identities on being good little white people, but are willing to develop a sense of self in a way that lets them weather the identity threat that can come with pointing out “hey, that hurt me.”

(sidebar: in my opinion so many white people, especially progressive white people, focus on “being good” as their primary identity marker, and this is one of the reasons they go nuclear as soon as you point out they did a racism. You threatened the main sense of identity they had, and they react accordingly via the backfire effect. It takes effort to combat this, both with doing things for yourself, and knowing that’s what you’re doing. Weird little hobbies are a fantastic way to start building resilience, instead of putting all your eggs in the “being good” basket. Also learn to take out the trash for your community. Dress up nice and make it fun, but care for the community)

White supremacy demands a very narrow ideal—bland, boring “uniforms” that are why every lifestyle influencer looks the same. Tradwives are a very specific look, as is “old money”. To be subversive in any way is to be crushed, threatened with being an underclass member who will lose everything “earned”. (but, by skin tone, white people have to be loudly in the way of white supremacy to get violence directed towards them*, and even then, it’s usually safer. Not always safer! White people have been killed for being against white supremacy, historically and in the modern day. But usually they’re given a chance to betray the underclassmen before that point, when BIPOC aren’t given those chances. White people are also far more likely to be made martyrs when killed for being against white supremacy, when Black people and other POC aren’t)

And then you get an identity cocktail like the ones you and I share. And we are never, ever going to get full humanity under white supremacy, but everyone compares us to the ideals of white supremacy, and here we realize we will never get the promise that our ancestors traded their culture for.

Now what? We’re stuck. (I don’t have an answer for this, by the way, other than attempting to go through delayed adolescence and try to reject all the culty white supremacist stuff. This is a highly individual path)

I know you feel this, somewhere, and that’s what comes out in your writing. Those feelings of disdain from white supremacy are very real, and they suck. I just needed to explain the factors more plainly so the writing advice makes more sense.

Factors for Audience Resonance

I think something you’ll want to explore before you go set these stories loose on the public—don’t avoid writing them, you can have personal projects that are as politically incorrect as you want, and obviously this is cathartic for you—is how this “lack of humanity from not meeting ideals” is a white racial trait that comes directly from white supremacy and is a cost of white privilege. 

The thing about being in this space of the fringes of whiteness—still white-ish, still passing, but with potential to be idealized white if you just behaved “correctly”, dehumanized to alienation if we don’t—is it’s not a dance all groups have to or can navigate. The farther you stray from Eurocentric beauty standards (pale, Western European features), the less potential you have to be viewed as white under this system no matter what you give up. As a result, they are more likely to create culture and identity that is reflective of themselves and their communities as a reprieve from white supremacy. Again, not all, some do actively try to align themselves with white supremacy because of what’s going on in their lives, but broadly speaking.

This leads to a much different flavour of trauma than a white passing individual, who is often navigating this subconscious “but, I could, if only—” and who has often been raised to give up as much of our identity as possible to be palpable to white supremacist ideals, or the child of someone who was raised that way who’s kinda adrift in white “communities”. It’s a much more active choice, to be far away from whiteness and still choose to be an active ally of white supremacy; it’s a much stronger rejection of community and bonds.

The forces pressing down are the same. We are all living in a white supremacist system. But the promises are much, much different depending on potential to be accepted as white. If you or I stay quiet, stay bland, mask, white people have a potential for accepting us. The same cannot be said for a Black person. (jealousy of groups with unique identity is often why white people are such culture vultures; white supremacy has a distinct lack of identity, but humans like having an identity)

Meanwhile, Black or other “distant from whiteness” people are, often at best, just given the promises of being spared, and “one of the good ones”, and they believe these promises to parrot white supremacist talking points. They’re almost never spared, it’s temporary at best, but deals with white devils often look very good. 

Black people and other “unacceptable” groups have different dances when faced with being dehumanized by a white supremacist system. There will be overlap—I’m not going to pretend Black people reading this won’t resonate with your experience—but the end result of compliance will be much different. We can take the culture off, we can mask, and sure it’s a cost and it’s utterly dehumanizing but it’s an option. An option we have to reject to be good allies, because white supremacy is a delusion.

All this to say, there are character factors you can research to see why people would try to make these deals with devils, or how they would navigate recovery from being chewed up and spit out by these systems. This would allow you to examine broader factors that make the writing much richer, because you’ll become more aware of experiences outside of your own and infuse that in your work.

On Writing

I know this probably feels like it doesn’t answer your question, but what I’m getting at is: if you want other BIPOC to resonate with your experience, you have to recognize what aspects of your experience are racialized, and how different identity factors create different conversations with white supremacy. You also need to research what might make people make “non-progressive” choices, or how they might be preyed upon, or all of these things. 

By exploring those intersections and acknowledging your feelings come explicitly from your white passing trauma, and generational trade-offs ancestors made to try and get that leisure at the cost of their humanity, you give yourself space to fill in the gaps—how would Black experiences under such a dehumanizing system differ, where the threats and promises are much different? How do these same themes change when groups are trying to buy into whiteness with more notably non-European features, or when they reject it and learn to retreat into their own communities to build networks? What would make them neutral, what would make them targets?

You are writing stories about how it feels to experience white supremacy as someone who is white but will never be the ideal white person by nature, therefore losing status among white people. By understanding and respecting that, you in turn create a scenario where you can ask more questions about how others might experience these things, which can open yourself up for more representation and help you unpack white supremacy to be a better ally to those who never had the option to gain status under the system the way we do. The trade-offs to be white are not worth it, even though we might have to concede to them to survive sometimes.

I hope this helps you both heal from white supremacy and write better stories.

- Leigh

* this segment was written before the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, when there hadn’t been a high-profile murder of a white ally in a very long time. ICE is an extension of colonial violence that seeks to destroy anyone against them, when white supremacy had, all of last year, been more about maintaining the illusion they were protecting other white people, or protecting “good” marginalized group members, from “the other” or “the bad ones.” It was never about that, but the PR was fantastic. White women in particular are told that they’re the most cherished, but they’re still not seen as full beings and often are disposed of as soon as they challenge the status quo—but that hasn’t been on display in a long, long while. Helpful, soft-spoken men are also seen as lesser, with white supremacy only wanting men to hold a specific type of violent power.

Over the centuries racism and white supremacy had circled the wagons around the concept of white people, offering promises of acceptance to white passing people, offering promises of acceptance to anyone who kowtowed to whiteness even if they didn’t look white, trying to increase its numbers. They hit a critical mass of numbers in 2024, and are now doing what I’ve been saying they’d do for many, many years once white supremacists and colonizers hit that critical mass: consume everything standing in their path, even if that’s other white people

And, like most overt white supremacists, they’re cowards seeking to dominate others to feel something. 

If you want to support Minneapolis right now, click here.

If you want to stop white supremacy, build community and let these bastards know they are small, pitiful, soulless people who are not welcome here.

Get your weird little hobbies, develop tastes that are uniquely yours, and start doing unglamourous things for your community with outfits that make you feel good and comfort food after to celebrate. The system collapses as soon as people stop trying to get this blood-tained promise—which includes playing hero in huge spectacles. You will never be good enough to be safe, so stop chasing dishonest harmony and start building who you are with the people around you.

(a lot of this post has been influenced by me reading the book White Women Get Ready by Amanda Gross, and Conspirituality by Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, and Julian Walker)

[for-the-love-of-angst]

Hey Monti! I've been searching for Black creators to follow within the whump community, do you have any recommendations?

HEY IF YOU'RE A BLACK CREATOR IN THE WHUMP COMMUNITY PLEASE INTERACT WITH AND RESPOND TO THIS POST!

The ones I know of are, me (of course),

@noirineverysense

@redd956

@whump-princess

@cepheusgalaxy

[meaculpameahugeculpa]

As a Villain Whump Mega-Huge-Enjoyer™️, it has always baffled me how much less controversy exists around this subgenre when compared to other ones. And this is despite it being extremely real in our day-to-day life and politics!

I do not mean to sound bitter, I am truly speaking in good faith here:

we are all worried about women characters getting whumped because "violence against women is so prevalent and you must pay attention to portray it" (And I genuinely believe this point has its merits!), and I've often seen infinite discussions about pet whump, because "it portrays abuse and slavery in a romanticized way".

But! We are also very comfortable in writing stories in which criminals get whumped by guards and guys with superpowers, who are often believed to be protectors and are justified even when committing atrocities and highly immortal actions!

It amazes me that... we are really taking responsibility for writing that?

Writing about a woman getting whumped is political, and writing about a guy being forced to act like a pet and serve their "sir" is intense, but when we write down the "bad guy gets imprisoned and mistreated as a way to be rehabilitated" scenario we are making an extremely political statement! Even if it's undesired! We can't pretend this is not a topic that has been debated for three hundred years, at least! We can't pretend this is not a topic that has always been at the center of the political and philosophical discourse!

[luna-azzurra]

Writing, at its core, is about stepping into someone else’s shoes. It’s not just about creating characters who are like you, it’s about understanding characters who are nothing like you. Writing forces you to ask, “Why does this person act this way?” “What are they afraid of?” “What do they want?” You have to feel what your characters are feeling, even if you don’t agree with them. That’s how you create characters who are complex, layered, and real.

[creatingblackcharacters]

Antiblackness Isn't Sexy!

As #Kinktober is upon us, I want to take this time to remind everyone that certain things may not carry the same "sexy" connotation for everyone! This isn't just a "your yuck is my yum" situation, this is a "hey, you're being racist" situation. Now if that's what you enjoy, I can't tell you otherwise. But if you'd like to be considerate towards your Black readers and peers, here are *some* (not all!) things to keep in mind:

1) Objectification is not respect. You can think Black people are sexy- I certainly do! That does not mean treating us like sex toys. An example: if your first thought when you look at a Black male character, is "This'll be good smut, I bet his dick is gigantic"- if your first thought is about their genitals and that they're a good fuck... That is weird. Abeg. Nothing else stood out to you? Just ye olde "Black men have big dicks?"

There's a racist and dehumanizing history behind the oversexualization of Black men, Black bodies in general. Sure, big penises are not insulting or bad, but just as you don't want to be brought down to your bits... Don't do it to us. We can be sexy without being objectified. You can think we're sexy without objectifying us!

2) Making your Black character more sexually aggressive (if fic: -than their canon counterpart). Your Black character having a high libido is fine, but if you've essentially written a sex pest, especially in comparison to a nonblack counterpart... Why? Why do you think that they're automatically the one that would be like that? One example of that is the whole "step on me mommy" thing with confidently sexy Black women. What makes you deem she's the "aggressive" one? She could be a gentle pillow princess.

3) Making your Black character more physically hulking (if fic: -than their canon counterpart). They don't look like that, you know they don't look like that, and you need to consider why you felt the need. Especially in comparison to their nonblack counterparts.

4) Chains and whips, Specifically the large, hulking Black or Brown character in chains held by a skinny white character. Especially if they're like a werewolf. You know why these visuals can be questionable! I know the intended symbolism is supposed to be steamy and animalistic, a bodice ripper deal. But think about it- how often have you seen the opposite- with a skinny Black person holding a hulking, animalistic white person in chains? What imagery are we evoking when we draw this, constantly? We are not animals, we are not raging, uncontrollable sex beasts.

Consensual sex and kink are supposed to involve respect between all parties. Respect, communication, vulnerability, and trust. You can have an interesting, sexually active, high libido, kinky Black character without morphing them a stereotype to be used for the sexual satisfaction of white viewers. Just as white people that do kink are humans with inner lives, so are we. Do better by your Black characters, and your Black readers, by showing us that respect. 👍🏾

[whumppets]

Fantasy racism my beloathed

[fancyfade]

Manual Wheelchair Tutorial by Fade31415

So... I technically drew this 3 years ago but forgot to post it. I think I was going to clean up the end and make a nice recap, but I ran out of steam and then just left it as a wip for years. I got reminded of it because I was talking to a friend about how to draw wheelchairs today.

This covers most of what I view as the most common errors when it comes to drawing characters who use manual wheelchairs. I hope it helps you a lot.

Image description is in alt text, but there is a back up image description under the cut in case that does not work for some reason

[image description: a 4 picture long wheelchair tutorial. the background is white and the text, when it appears, is black and in calibri. each step will be labeled with "Step #" and a description of the drawing next to it, and "text" and then the text that is written to explain it to follow.

Step one text: So, you want to draw a character who uses a manual wheelchair? Awesome! I can't approve more. Drawing characters who use wheelchairs is a bit different than drawing standing characters, because of obvious posing differences. But to start, you need to know what parts of a wheelchair you will draw. So, without further ado, here are 3 wheelchairs!

Step one image: a simplified drawing of a chubby woman sitting in a quickie GPV manual wheelchair and resting her hand on the handrim of one of the wheels. this is labeled "the artist"

step two: next there is a lineart drawing of three wheelchairs. one is a tilite TR series 3. this is an ultralight wheelchair with a bucket seat (the back is lower than the front), a big cushion and a short backrest that kind of contours to the back of the person who would sit in it. the caster wheels (front wheels) are very small and the footrest is just two little metal bars. next image is a quickie GPV. this is also an ultralight wheelchair with a low back, but its caster wheels are slightly larger, the back has regular upholstery (it does not look like it was made to conform to the back of the person who sits there) and the frame is boxier -- there is no bar underneath the seat where the wheels would attach, rather each wheel is attached to the side of the chair. the next wheelchair is an invacare tracer. it is how most people imagine wheelchairs when they hear 'wheelchair'. it has no cushion and it has a high backrest with handles. it has high armrests that would be comfortable to rest your elbows on if you were just sitting. the wheels are not bicycle wheels like the previous two but are rather plastic. it has big footrests and big caster wheels.

text: the wheelchairs on the left are the ultralight, sporty kind. I have one of them (the quickie). the one on the right is a more standard one you might find in hospitals or as the public wheelchair in grocery stores or the mall.

step three: first is text to accompany the tilite. "This wheelchair has a really thick cushion - it's pressure relieving, which you need if you use your chair ufll tiem and especially if you have a spinal cord injury. This wc has the smallest caster (front) wheels. They are hte most handy for turning in small circles." next there is text to accompany the quickie gpv: "This one has the one I use -- it isn't pressure relieving, but is still useful." next is text to accompany the invacare: "this wheelchair has no cushion - you do not want to sit on it for long. This one has the biggest caster wheels - they are useful for not 'tripping' when your front wheel gets caught on an obstacle.”

step four text: like with all complex drawings, you want to break it into simple shapes first. I normally have a box underneath the seat, a rectangle for the backrest, and a trapezoidal thing for hte area from the box to the footrest. these are the most important shapes, because your character will rest on them and they will move with your character.

step four image: the lineart of each wheelchair has been put on reduced opacity, so we can see the square representing the backrest of each seat (the square is the smallest for the tilite and biggest for the invacare), the box for each seat and area underneath it, and the trapezoid for the footrests. the next step labels the images of these simplified shapes as the lineart is removed. "Note the proportions of each set of shapes is not the same - just like how you wouldn't draw all your characters with the same proportions on their faces!"

step 5: we see the same shapes to form the wheelchair, but now with blue circles drawn where the back wheels would be.

text: next shape is the wheels - two circles

step six: next we see the wheels and shapes have been reduced in opacity and the basic structure of everything about each wheelchair: footrests, caster wheels, upholstery details, axles has been drawn on in orange.

text: the next stage is everything else that's structure - front wheels, handlebars, cushions, footrests.

Step seven: we see the lineart on top of the lowered opacity sketch.

text: you can then do detailing like axles, spokes, upholstery, etc and lines

step eight: next we see three drawings of different characters. there is patience, a skinny white woman sitting in a blue invacare wheelchair. kelley, a slightly chubby black woman wearing a stripey dress sitting in a red quickie gpv wheelchair and doing a wheelie while smiling. then luke, a white man with short blond hair wearing khaki pants. he is sitting in a tilite chair.

text: once you get your wheelchair basics, you need to find out which kind your character uses. here are three characters who each use one of the example WCs. patience uses the invacare. she needs one with a better cushion, but circumstance prevents it. Notice the chair is a bit wider than her hips - it's not custom fitted. Also notice she has to turn her elbows out awkwardly to move. the high armrests prevent a smooth push. her wheelchair has big caster wheels and far-back back wheels. it is made for stability and difficult to turn,but also difficult to knock over. Her chair indicates a lack of resources or temporary injury, and is primarily a transport chair

kelley uses a wheelchair like mine - it is fairly sporty, but has a box-y frame underneath. this makes it heaver than if it didn't.she has a mediocre cushion - it protects her, but only some. her back wheels are further underneath her body than Patience's, which makes it possible to do the wheelie (demonstrated here). her wheelchair is supposed to look line one you'd use full time, but it is a little old.

luke has a spinal cord injury. he has a very thick pressure relieving cushion for medical reasons. his chair is also ultralight, with no boxyness under the frame. his chair is the newest and lightest - it indicates his wealth/resources, but also that he needs to use on full time.

step nine: just a drawing of me sitting in my wheelchair holding my hands up to show fingerless wheelchair gloves. we're looking at me from above.

text: when you're choosing what wheelchair to give your character, think of both their disability and their resources and go from there. questions to ask yourself: is it made specifically for them or is it mass-produced or a hand-me-down (if it's custom, the seat will not be too wide or narrow in comparison to their body and their feet will rest on the footplate naturally). do they want more stability (further back back wheels, big caster wheels) or maneuverability (the inverse). do they need a pressure relieving cushion? how long are they using their wheelchair per day? how long have they needed a wheelchair? Do they have health insurance? do they have access to a lot of spending money? How much can they spend on their wheelchair? are they athletic etc etc

posing steps:

step one: a sketch of two people standing up. one just shows the outline of a person's body, with legs that are ind of triangle shaped, the other shows a sketched pelvis and rib cage to go along with the bones of the legs and arm. text: step one: Most people have this sketch anatomy they put before drawing their characters for real. I kind of scribble around like on the left, but some people use skeletons on the right.

step two: there are now too sketched pictures of people in wheelchairs. one shows lightly traced human form (arms articulated, curve for a stomach, legs that are kind of triangle shaped and pointing down) sitting in a wheelchair that is just the sketch of footrests and wheels. the other sketch shows the sketch of a body with a circle for hips and an oval for a rib cage and the person doing a wheelie (lifting the front end of the wheelchair off the ground and leaning back). their wheelchair is also sketched out and defined by a circle for their wheels and 2 lines, 1 of the seat and 1 for the backrest. text: you need one of those for your wheelchair character. important: they should have both the person's main anatomy features (Usually upper body and at least hips) and the wheelchair's. for me, these are the back wheels, footrest, and seat. why simplify to just those features? Take a look at this incredibly quickly drawn wheelchair.

step three: there is a lineart drawing of a manual wheelchair with slightly cambered (angled towards the seat) wheels, a backrest, and a footrest. the frame is light and there are no handlebars. there are labels pointing to different parts of the wheelchair: Backrest, handrims, wheel, axle, seat, footrest, and caster wheels (the ones in front). text: there are a lot of parts, and not all of them are essential to your pose. trying to draw the whole thing straight out of the gate will frustrate you.'

step four text: take a character in heavy armor: if you draw her pose without taking her armor into account, her armor will clip through her body. if you draw a wheelchair using character without keeping her wheelchair in mind from the beginning, the pose won't make sense.

step four image: next we see two lineart drawings of different characters. one is a bulky woman wearing plate armor. her hand is on her hip and she is trying to scratch her back with the other hand. there is the label "shoudlerpad clips through face" and "thumb clips through chestplate." the next drawing shows a woman in a wheelchair with one foot rested on her knee and her arms rested back, such that they would be rested on the back of a regular chair, but the back of her wheelchair is not wide enough for them to actually be resting on anything. the text here reads "elbows not resting on anything" and "foot not on footplate"

step five: there are two images, one is lineart on top of a 3d modelled apartment with sketchup, the other is a colored in version of that lineart with the background also colored in and no longer a 3d modelled screencap two characters, one old woman wearing a green jacket and one younger woman wearing a white shirt and blue undershirt, are sitting on a couch. the old woman is leaning forward and the young woman is resting her arm on the couch. behind the young woman is a bookshelf.

step five text: you may say you'll just draw the chair first and then the person, but while that works for regular furniture, it doesn't work as well for most manual wcs. take this comic panel with characters on a couch for example - I 3d modeled the room and then drew the characters on the furniture. it works because you don't move furniture in most poses - you rest on it. but your wheelchair needs to move with you, especially if it's an ultralight one.

step six image: there is a flat color drawing of barbara gordon in her wheelchair. she is wearing a black sportsbra and black shorts. in the first image we see she is doing tricks in her chair, zooming through the air (as if she has just launched herself off the ground in a skater park or somethign) while her left hand is resting on a structure and her right hand is heading towards the right handrim. the next image shows her right hand planted on the ground and her chair and body above her, such that she is briefly doing a one-handed handstand, but the motion line indicates that she is moving and this will not last. her left arm is near the handrim of her left wheel.

text: take exercise Oracle - she is doing tricks. Her WC is an extension of her body. That is crucial to getting natural looking manual wheelchair users after posing.

step seven: we see a lineart drawing of paula from young justice. she is sitting in a standard manual wheelchair with high armrests (goes up to the bottom of her ribs probably) and a high backrest (goes up to just below her shoulderblades). she is setting her hand on the armrest, leaning forward, and holding her other hand out.

text: of course, there are exceptions - if you have a clunky WC, it is harder to move with your body. Take Paula from young Justice - here, i drew her resting her hand on her armrest, because she has a clunker wheelchair. her pose is already mostly static - she's sitting down - and she poses around that.

[creatingblackcharacters]

☀️CBC Summer Challenge!☀️

For June and July, We get to Apply! *knee slap*

I have some challenges for y'all to apply what you've been learning here. It doesn't have to be all at once, you can do some, though I'd be incredibly happy if you did all of them. You can do these multiple times, make it a habit, even! Again... It'd make me incredibly happy if you did.

The Goals:

1. Find Black creators in your fandom and/or creative space and follow them! This can be writers, artists, poets, streamers, etc. all creatives!

2. Read, and leave a kudos and/or comment of support on a Black writer's fic!

3. Reblog a Black creator's art with genuine, supportive tags!

4. Commit to a piece of media where someone Black is one of the Main characters! This can be books, TV shows, plays and musicals, video games- whatever! Especially if they're by Black creators! Apply what you've learned here- how are they depicted, what did you really like, was there something you learned technique wise? Was there something you felt was not as respectful as it could have been?

5. Read fic where a Black character is the main character! Same idea as number 4.

*Note: I'm not saying you have to leave that commentary on someone's fic. That's a YOU choice. I'm asking you to think about it for your own growth, especially if you're a writer.

6. If there's a Black character in your fandom, share (respectfully done!!) art of them! If there's not one, try looking into spaces where there are Black characters and share those (an easy one to find is Wyll Ravengard. I'm barely in that fandom yet and I get things of him on my For You. Or maybe ask your friends what they like!)

7. Practice something you've seen! If there's a style of hair you liked, or a way to render brown skin that was really nice- practice! Or, if you read beautiful prose describing a Black character, try it yourself. Practice!

The prize? Your personal creative and perspective growth, supporting and building a safer and more inclusive community, and my pride and joy in you 💖☺️👍🏾 Feel free to send asks telling me how you've been understanding what you've read/watched, or blogs and creations that you'd recommend to others!

[creatingblackcharacters]

"Is He the Threat (Or Are You?)"- Stereotypes, pt 3

Unlike the last lesson, which was very personal for me: I am not a Black man. So I decided to go to my peers that are Black men and ask them what are things that they’ve experienced, to help me direct this lesson with some of the stereotypes they've seen most that concern them. And what we’ve gathered is that many of these stereotypes all trail back to that classic stereotype that affects Black men from the moment they are born: that Black men are a threat, that they’re not human. As such, keep in mind that all of these stereotypes are all "sub-categories" of that idea, because that concept bleeds into every single one of them.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: mention of sexual assault, assault

A Threat

Linked above is an informative PDF (you should read this on a desktop; I had to zoom in, I cannot see it otherwise) written by Rachel D. Godsil & Alexis McGill Johnson discussing the perception of Black men and boys. It’s only 24 pages, and in my opinion it’s HIGHLY simplified for understanding.

Essentially, it comes down to the bias that we have all been socialized under since the creation of racism: that Black people, and Black men in particular, are not human. Are savages, beasts, unable to conduct themselves. Even now, as racism manifests in our society as more implicit than explicit, it’s still something that affects how nonblack people respond to Black men- and that includes in our media!

"BBC"/"Mandingo"

These are literal porn categories and fantasies, and I named the category this because I want to drive a line between thinking Black men are sexually attractive (they are!) and oversexualizing and fetishizing them. To be frank, if your first thought upon seeing what you deem a sexually attractive Black man is that he must be ‘hung like a horse’, or that he innately has sexual intentions on you or another character... this is a bias you need to check, swiftly.

This stereotype comes from the idea of the oversexualized Black man who might rape and defile the purity of the white woman because they “can't control” their sexual urges. There have been numerous historical and contemporary situations where the false or misattributed harm of a white woman ALONE leads to the potential destruction of a Black man’s life (because who would believe him over the voice of whiteness), and maybe even the destruction of the Black community around him. Prolific examples include Emmett Till, The Exonerated Five, the Greenwood/Tulsa Race Massacre, and Oscarville (now Lake Lanier).

What you must understand is, this stereotype is not ‘a compliment’; it’s not ‘sexually fun’ or ‘titillating’; it has killed Black men and boys, and many Black people in general.

A quote from my friend @cer-rata, whom I thank for his perspective as a Black queer man:

“I think it was worse when I was younger? That might have been because I was in my twink era and young enough to be attractive to predators, but using Grindr was so frustrating? Because most people, many white, but a startling number not, were just obsessed with the idea that I would be hung like a horse. Like. Like suffocatingly so. I've never had sex with a white man, not because of a lack of attraction, I'm pretty equal opportunity really, I like people. But just…the consistent lack of respect and objectification was a lot to deal with. And make no mistake, hookup apps are all about objectification. But I do think there is a specific indignity in being reduced to your genitalia. Like at least if you think I'm hot, that I have a nice face or body I feel seen? But if you see dark skin and just assume I can be used as a fantasy sized human dildo…it just hits different. It was worse when you could filter for race, but that's a whole other bag of grenades.”

Another real-world example is of when Lena Dunham imagined that Odell Beckham Jr. was looking at her sexually and then rejecting her for being ugly, and it made her upset…. when he wasn't even looking at her! And he was expected to apologize for her racist fantasy, for upsetting her when he’d done nothing at all. He was expected to apologize for something that was all in her head!

Not to mention, think about it- when's the last time you even considered the existence of an asexual Black man? We don’t. Oversexuality has been woven into the negative perception of Black people from the beginning!

A footnote here on interracial relationships, particularly with white partners:

There’s the idea that the White Woman is the ideal partner to achieve. There's a lot in this one, much of it again, intracommunity issues PLUS the existence of the white patriarchy that it would be hard for me to explain in one blurb. But there's an idea that white women are what all Black men yearn for, to show that they are ‘moving up’. It's disrespectful to everyone involved- to the idea of Black men for being ‘sexually insatiable for white women’, to white women for being simultaneously objectified yet cemented in the power of whiteness, and Black women for being of ‘lesser value’. I say this to say, there’s nothing wrong with interracial relationships! But make sure that you're not choosing one because you think the white/nonblack partner is automatically ‘better suited’ or ‘more deserving’. The Black body is not to be won at the discretion of anybody! Black men are not automatically going to go for you!

“It's racist not to let Black men be feminine”/Gender Expression

Okay so I've heard this argument used often in fandom spaces, and as the sentence it is, it's true! Black men should be allowed to express their gender however they see fit! HOWEVER! The usual context I see behind this statement is STILL racist. Let me explain.

Whenever I see (usually white) people argue for Black men to be feminine, it's not just for wearing ‘feminine’ clothing or something like that. It's usually for allowing them to feel emotions. Emotions like softness, gentleness, sweetness, kindness. And what I want us to understand is that:

THESE EMOTIONS ARE NOT “FEMININE”!

Masculine Black men can feel these emotions as well! It's interesting to me, in the determination to “avoid stereotypes and gender roles”, people will u-turn right back into those things thinking they’re doing better. You're not. If anything, you're reinforcing the original idea that 1) softness/emotion is naturally feminine and 2) that Black men are angry, harsh threats that need to be neutralized. Those emotions are human emotions. Feminine Black men can wear a dress and be catty ASF. Masculine Black men can wear pants and be gentle. The emotions themselves have nothing to do with gender, but it's the way Black men are ALLOWED and EXPECTED to express them in our society, that has to do with gender roles!

It's an intersectional conversation, from race to gender to sexuality. And while part of that conversation has nothing to do with nonblack opinions, y’all certainly aren't going to help with that by saying “oh well you’re racist if you don’t let your Black men wear dresses because why can’t they be soft too”. Stop it. That too, is racist. Put that man in a beautiful dress if you’d like, but stop acting like they can only be sweet or loving if they’re expressing femininity. Let your masculine Black men feel the range, too- it would be healthier.

Also: LET BLACK MEN FEEL ANGER! Once again, there's a lot to be angry at! Anger is a human emotion! Just because they are a Black man experiencing anger, does not make them an Angry Black Man!

Gangster/Thug

It's not untrue that there are Black men in gangs. But not only is it far overrepresented in media, it is often it is overlooked as to WHY many Black men are in gangs. There’s a sense of community gained when you feel the rest of the world is not listening, that the rest of the world won't help you because it doesn't care about you and may even want you dead, and here's a community that is willing to bring you into the fold and offer you the power you lack. A lot of why NWA was criticized by white listeners in the 90s is because they thought they were pushing ‘gang violence against the police', but NWA was simply discussing the unjust world around them. And they were rightfully angry about it!

Nonetheless, it’s never been because Black men are bloodthirsty “superpredators” (quoth Hillary Clinton) that are more inclined to inflict violence upon others than any other race. (Funding community programs and helping to eradicate poverty would help solve these things, but that doesn't contribute to the school to prison pipeline and fill private prisons and let me stop that’s once again otros veinte pesos-)

Cer-rata had another good point about this one, backed up by my partner:

“The gangster/thug stereotype is maybe a more modern evolution of the monster framing, with some more overt classism thrown in. That's always fun. The idea that black people, especially the poor ones, are inherently more violent than other groups is a widely perpetuated stereotype and creates a culture and an environment where “I felt threatened” is at times a viable legal defense for people who commit violence against us. The idea that by existing you might be giving people an excuse to kill you is…hard to deal with. Harder to ignore. It creates this sensation that you have to be clearly notably good just so fewer people immediately wonder what you did to provoke that officer, or that random, self-appointed, suspiciously armed neighborhood watch guy. It's easier to accept that they were forced into their actions if you assume we are culturally (perhaps biologically) dangerous. And this is just something you learn growing up. No one has to tell you, the rules become clear quickly.”

Monster/Brute

This is a classic one; the savage that is unable to control their urges, a base creature that cannot think logically like a white man and is thus a threat to white women because he is nothing but a monster that pleasures in the pain of others. Essentially, white supremacists needed a reason to lynch and murder Black men, and that meant that there needed to be a reason for no one to humanize the victims of their torture. It had to be like ‘hunting down beasts’. It’s not as overt in modern media, but it does reveal itself. My partner mentioned that “Even when we're “strong” it's overamplified, like a gorilla or something.” His example was of Classroom of the Elite, where one of the antagonists is a Black man that everyone's afraid of.

This is why Black fans often go 'HMM' when Black characters are depicted as monkeys or gorillas, or really when any sort of animal comparison or animalistic tendencies are brought up. It’s something that you need to watch for when you’re writing, to make sure you’re not consistently making your Black character seem… like animals. This often includes depictions of the "pale white vampire and the hulking werewolf Black/Brown character". After a while it's like… why is that always what it is? Why them? Why not switch it up? Why is the darker skinned character always the beast? Do you even notice it?

“The Butt of the Joke”/The Minstrel

The phrase “Jim Crow” itself is the name of a minstrel blackface character created by Thomas Dartmouth Rice.

There’s nothing wrong with being the funny guy, but it is noticeable when it seems like all the wisecracks and usually-unacceptable-if-said-by-white-character jokes ALL go to the Black guy. Yes, there's a such thing as comic relief, but... when you thought about this, did you think the Black guy was the most laughable one to deliver these lines?

My partner mentioned the early writing of Usopp as a joke character (and that while his writing became better, the art is still incredibly racist with the Jim Crow lips):

“It extends from the idea that we're supposed to be entertaining the white audience, that we can't be taken seriously. Your only value is worth being laughed at.”

Another friend of ours concurred, and to be honest, I think nothing else needs to be said:

“We’re always dancing or the entertainment. It’s okay to be funny, to be the class clown, but do they have more depth? Do you really not take us seriously, are we only worth being laughed at in your eyes? If they show other, more serious emotions, do you lose interest?”

The Magical Negro/The Uncle Tom

These are two different tropes, but I grouped them together because I believe they serve a similar purpose in the time periods they're set in, which I will get to later in my explanation.

This is the “solid number two” character that only exists in service of the white main character and his goals. He has no agency of his own. A comparable example would be the Mammy. This character gets no limelight, but is also usually a ‘look! Black person!’ check in the box while serving as a plot device. This is not necessarily the same as being a side character. Yes, side characters aren’t meant to be in the limelight. But there’s a difference between being a side character, and this where somehow everything the Black character does is essential to the plot, like the story could not exist without them, they’re supposed to be a main character… and they don’t do anything else but serve.

The thing about the original character 'Uncle Tom' is that he’s actually not the vile suck up the way Samuel L Jackson’s character in Django Unchained is. He’s just… the idealized, noble, Christian negro that holds no ill will against his oppressors. While he’s willing to support his community (the slaves) he is endearing and kind to the very people enslaving him. And that’s not how most people would respond to their oppressors! But he’s not a threat, which is why he’s allowed to serve as someone worth feeling sorry for.

The Magical Negro trope is specifically how a Black character is meant to fix everything for the white character- either with the power of actual divinity, or just by sweeping in and saying ‘I’ll help you with this problem even though it would not benefit me whatsoever’. Spike Lee spoke of The Green Mile this way, given the type of character that John Coffey was versus the environment that he was in (the ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ cops). Their purpose is often to sacrifice of themselves so that the white character can either see the light, or better themselves. Again, they are not a threat, they’re even giving selflessly, and that's why we value them!

Do you see the comparison I'm making here? They’re “allowed” to be because they are not a threat to the main character, and therefore the white audience. Uncle Tom wouldn't be acceptable if he were actively duplicitous to the slave owner beating him to death. If John Coffey used his godlike powers to kill the cops and the actual murderer in the next cell over, and escape, he wouldn't be the magical negro that was worth awe (in the eyes of white audiences)!

One good example of NOT doing this is Isaac from Castlevania. My friend (who expressly brought his hatred of these stereotypes up) explains how Isaac grew from this trope to an independent character via the incredibly well-written narrative. For a Black Muslim, even!

Bad Fatherhood

This can include either a lack of emotional availability, especially with boy children, or a lack of presence altogether. It's a common racist 'gotcha' to suggest that Black children don't have fathers. Meanwhile, the CDC had a study that showed Black fathers are more present and active in their children’s lives than white fathers. The idea that good Black fathers or father-figures are nonexistent or rare is a lie!

This is not to say that bad Black fathers cannot be depicted- some of us did not have great fathers, and we work through that via writing (@ myself)! But it shouldn’t be laughed off or normalized in a narrative. The issue is that they are a bad parent and that it has a negative effect on the child, one that should be noticed as ‘this is not okay’. You shouldn’t walk away from seeing a bad Black father and go ‘well yeah that’s about the norm’. It is not.

So when you’re writing your Black fathers… how are they? Are they loving? Are they present? If they’re not, do we understand that that’s not because they are Black, but because they’re not a good parent? Are we treating any of the other fathers/father figures in the story as a bad parent if they do those same things? Do we hold equal accountability?

Adultification

Same as Black girls, adultification of Black boys begins early in life, as Black boys are seen as aggressive and sexual threats early in childhood. They’re not given the chance to be kids. I once interned at a children's museum, where a white dad was angry because a 4-year-old Black boy was ‘flirting with’ and ‘inappropriately touching’ his daughter. They were babies. Babies!!!

My partner mentions “being ‘the man of the house’; having to be mature, to be tough and over-masculine to make up for your youth and insecurities to survive. Eventually you start buying into your own hype.”

Part of this, similar to what I mentioned in the last lesson, is how Black boys are held to higher standards. More likely to be charged as adults, because ‘they knew what they were doing’. More likely to be punished, because ‘they knew what they were doing’. The grace our society offers white boys for things (ranging from legitimate mistakes to fucking sexual assault) does not apply. When society always sees you as a threat, there is no nuance for what you do- you must have meant to be harmful!

When you are consuming a media or creating one, I want you to think about how you are treating your Black boy character. Do you expect that he should know better? Know better than who? Why? Do you hold grace for him when he makes mistakes/decisions? Why is he the one you chose to have this narrative? Do you recognize the effect him being Black will have on the perception of this action? Do you understand that he is a child? Do you hold him to the standard you would have held yourself at that age? Do you think that he is automatically a danger in comparison to your other characters? Why? Do the other characters in the narrative understand this? If they don’t, are you writing that to send a message, or do you agree?

To be honest, these are things you should think about your Black men and characters in general.

Conclusion

This is a heavy topic, and an often present one due to an increase in public awareness of race and racism. I’m sure many people who read these past few lessons felt like it had nothing to do with their media, but… that’s why you need to check yourself. It does. The people who write stories also have racist biases. They might write a story and then go falsely accuse a Black man of “imagining her incorrectly” (again… Lena Dunham). There is a long history of the dehumanization of Black men in media, and we have to be willing to look inside ourselves and question our own intent when we write them. That will help us write better Black male characters, without the fear of leaning into racism.

And as always, and especially true on this topic: it's the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!

[creatingblackcharacters]

thoughts/ideas about writing/describing black love interests in an romantic and or erotic context without fetishization, and what you think people do write/wrong? i don't write romance myself but i'd just be interested to hear your two cents ^^

Just be normal about it, for gods sake 😂

Part of what I've taught in multiple of my lessons is to learn how to actually describe Black people, so that you can then romanticize the action! It's truly disappointing when there's supposed to be a romantic scene but you can tell the author doesn't know what Black people really look like, or can't fathom how to describe us as beautiful. Which really hurts, bc like... We are. If we can come up with every adjective on the planet to describe the beauty of paleness, we can do it for brown skinned people. We can find ways to describe our features. I should not have to read about the beauty of the white character, and then there's just no (or worse, shallowly inaccurate) description of the Black character in the same story or fic.

And then there are plenty of non-race related ways to describe a person and the attraction to them, the wonderful things about them, same as you would for a white character!!! It's honestly incredible how Black characters might be super sweet canonically, but in fanon will become these mean, oversexual beasts just so that people can feel their white favorites swoon in their arms and "calm them down". Like please, you don't have to do this, Black people can have libidos without you having to... Make them aggressive 😅

As for erotic, you don't have to fetishize. You can have the same types of synonyms as any sex scenario (yes, growl and hiss and biting are animalistic but people do it during sex, it's fine). Black people can be sexual too! Again, just be normal. What makes it fetishistic is when it feels like there's a "ravishing" of the weak white character who just can't stand against the "hungry sexuality of the black character". Like... There's no need for that. No need for "his long Black dick" or "his gigantic Black cock" or any other jungle fever porn reminiscent language to drive home that it's a Black man they're fucking lmao. As for Black women, no need to act like they're automatically versed in wild sex, or somehow "more exotic of a body to explore" or some other shit.

Black people can be caring partners, capable of communication. We all vary in sexual experience. We should be treated with care; if your smut treats Black characters the way porn treats Black bodies (see "tiny white girl takes big cock" vs "Black bitch gets dicked" vs "bbc plows innocent white girl" type porn titles), then maybe you need to tone it down and make sure you're not just seeing us as oversexualized tools.

That's all I can think of for right now 👍🏾

[creatingblackcharacters]

"Defying the Default"- Skin Tones and the Presence of Black Characters

Okay, this one is going to be half lesson and half a thought experiment- it may get a bit frustrating, as conversations like this often do- but remember, discomfort is not always a bad thing! So I ask that you walk with me for this one.

It’s also interesting, because I’m going to direct this towards everyone (readers included!), but specifically towards my fanfic writers of media with no visual medium, as I’ve noticed this pattern there, and it makes up a good amount of creators on this site. Okay? Okay.

Behold! Many shades of brown!

I had to wade through a lot of colorism for this, and even this link is subtly racist in its introduction- the idea that brown is ‘unexciting’ 🙄.

Anyway, you know where I’m going with this:

"Chocolate and Coffee"

Even the link above pulled this! Writers who use this... they’re not ‘wrong’ per se but… often uninspired. It feels... Lazy. When you can tell an author has put no thought into the brown of choice, it makes Black readers feel like you believe these are the only shades of brown- that that’s all we look like. Even chocolate is more diverse (white, milk, dark, marbled, cookies and cream?) Coffee can come in numerous shades as well (light, medium, dark roast? Type of bean?)

My first direction to help with this: make it a point to know what shade that character is (whether canonically, or if you're the original creator, look at a reference and write it down) and find a name! Be consistent! Find similar browns to one another. If the canon Black character's skin color is done poorly, find something similar and use that! (I'll get more into this in the next lesson!)

Our skin colors may modify as we age, it changes over the seasons/presence in the sun, and some people even have vitiligo! But we're not gonna be “dark roast coffee” one morning and “light milk chocolate” suddenly. We're not chameleons lmao.

And you know what? That shade you choose might very well be 'coffee'! But it's not going to be because you didn't look and assumed we're all some random brown! That’s the intent showing! If we can find endless ways to describe the beauty of white/pale skin, we absolutely can for brown! Be willing to unpack why you may not believe brown to be capable of beauty, and work through unlearning that- it will show in your writing! One way is by pausing with yourself, and recognizing when you had a biased thought. Even by this, you’re learning!

Here’s where I want us to get into the thought experiment:

I want you to think about the description of characters in stories (as a whole). Challenge yourself- in the fics and stories you read, how often is anyone blatantly labeled 'White'? Read a story or fic; how long can you imagine them as not-White before it's ever clarified? Because not even 'pale' automatically implies a White person!

You know how I’ve mentioned before that 'Black people are not a monolith'? I can find you at least some examples of Black people fitting some of the common descriptions of white characters.

"Brunette with brown eyes"

(Fun fact: I actually learned back in my Masters program that genetically no one has ‘black’ hair- our eyes are processing it as black, but it’s really just dark brown due to eumelanin. Regardless, if you stand us in the direct sunlight, you will see that our hair is usually just dark brown!)

"Red hair with pale skin"

“‘tanned’ skin with hazel/green eyes”

“blond hair" (period!)

Now, I’m not saying that blond haired Black people or Black folk with albinism are overly representative of my people. What I AM saying is that it needs to not be taken for granted that a reader is automatically assuming a character is White in your piece of fiction- I can assume your character looks like anything if it's not stated! Especially if the OG source is a book or a podcast! We’re just used to assigning these features- and characters- as white until ‘proven not’! The default!

I am guilty of this too! Even still, I reread many of my works and go ‘ah, I didn’t clarify.’ And I have to work on doing better at it. This is having intent for your Black characters, but really, it’s having intent for all of them!

(This doesn't mean going “the Black man said,” the way sometimes people say “the Chinese said” (which…. Tbh we should all stop doing that anyway, it's weird and racist))

My Next Challenge:

Some people may disagree, but- Ahem:

Say BLACK!

Breathe lmao! Take the time to recognize that it's OKAY to introduce a character as Black, to say Black, it's fine! Obviously be sensitive about it, don't shove it in there to “win your diversity points”, but like… People are Black. It's not a bad word. What matters is the context in which you used it!

You don't even have to say it every single time. Really just the first, introductory sentence will do. For example:

“[Character A], a bright, young, Black girl with knotless braids to her mid back, glittering hair clips matching her bright green t-shirt, and a brilliant smile that shined against her bistre skin.”

I recognize that some might argue that by saying “bistre”, you don't need to say Black. But 1) you don't have to be Black to be brown or dark skinned, and 2) There's a social stigma behind even saying Black- of discussing race in general, because it leads to discomfort. Race (as a sociological construct) exists. When we say nothing about it, allowing Whiteness to be the default, we're still emphasizing race, however silently! If you're already doing it... Why not mention it? 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

(here's a good clip of Ijeoma Oluo discussing the difficulty of discussing race; while I highly recommend the whole thing, the relevant clip is 4:25-5:39)

Maybe they're in the Black student organization in a lead position, maybe they're in a Black main cast of a play- it's okay to have those things in the story to help develop the idea that your Black character is actively Black! Just do your research to make sure you’re not leaning into stereotypes!

“There’s no races in my fantasy/future world!”

That’s fair! But I want to give you an example of how people will still project these identities onto your characters anyway:

No one has an explicitly stated 'race' in Avatar: The Last Airbender (afaik); they’re all divided by element culture. YET, many people were offended that a mixed-Korean actress was cast in her role in the live action- they ‘just didn’t see it’, because subconsciously they'd imagined her ‘face claims’ as WHITE, despite it never once being mentioned in the canon! (there’s also a firm sexualization and east Asian fetishization argument to be made about it, but that’s not within the scope of this particular conversation.)

Point is, if you are including humanoid characters in your fantasy stories, fine. You don't need to say ‘Black’ outright. But, that just means that you’re going to have to be even more detailed in your description. Because if I were watching a TV show and a Black actor shows up as an elf… I know what features I’m seeing! Entire protests have occurred over the casting of Black actors in a role ‘meant for a white person’; so... everyone sees it!

Conclusion

This is another reason why intention in character design and writing is important! Context clues and socialization help me understand who your character is. If it works like this for white characters, it can work like that for everyone else! You just have to know enough about me to write it in (and that's where the social and societal bias lie, because how much do you really know about me?)

A way to better understand this is reading books by Black authors (for fantasy, I would highly recommend Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi) as well as Black literary classics! Finding and reading Black fic authors in fandoms with Black characters! By learning how we describe ourselves and our skin colors, you’ll learn and practice how to appropriately describe us!

Now I can't make you do any of this! But I do want you all- writers especially- to start noticing our bias, how we may default to the experience of whiteness- and how that affects the way we write. When we have Black characters, and really any character of color, we need to start paying attention to how often their features, culture, and activities are emphasized, even for what we may consider to be 'background' details. That’s how we normalize creation and understanding, and become better at writing!

It’s just something to practice; remember, it’s the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!

In addition, if you are interested in a simple read into why approaching race is so uncomfortable as a whole, I've attached Robin DiAngelo's book here! Thank you to the PDF guru @toiletpotato for the link!

[creatingblackcharacters]

"It takes HOW LONG?" Black Hair is an Art (pt.2)

(This is part two of the hair lessons, focusing on writing/narratives. If you want to know how the styles LOOK, refer to part 1 and its addendum)

Now that you know what our hair actually looks like, we’re going to discuss incorporating that into your writing (original fic, fanfic, webcomics, anything with a narrative). You don’t HAVE to give us a dissertation on "how you studied 'The Black People’s Hair'" in your story. That’s not what I’m asking you to do. I’m just asking you to CONSIDER the effort and existence of it. The same way you put effort into discussing nonblack hair textures? Should be the sort of tenderness and care you put into discussing ours. It does not stand to reason that I have read thousands of stories describing "the silky, black/blonde tresses/waves that fell down their pale back as their lover ran their fingers through them", but Black readers have nothing of the sort to compare to without seeking our own authors out. Our hair deserves some loving and adoration too!

This is a very long post describing hairstyles and how they can correspond to your character's design and decisions, so I'll put a read more here. The sections are organized into 'Twist Out', 'Afros', 'Locs', 'Braids', 'Black Men', and 'Straight Hair' if you Ctrl F. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take your time to read all of this at some point though, as I put a lot of resources and explanation into this. I'm trusting you!

The History

As I discussed in the last lesson, our hair is incredibly important to us, and part of that includes the vulnerability and trust that comes along with access to it. This is due to a long history of oppression. There’s a racist history of making Black women hide our hair, as if it would ‘tempt white men’ away, regardless of it were due to actual attraction or the (more likely) rape of Black women. There’s a racist history of touching our hair, as though we are animals or zoo exhibits. We aren’t just going to let anyone touch our heads, so DON'T write that, unless you are doing so to show that it is a microaggression towards your character. Even now, cultural appropriation is rampant. If I were to wear cornrows with hoops, it'd be seen as 'ghetto' or 'gang-like'. Meanwhile, it is a fashion statement for white women. When Miles G Morales showed up in Across the Spiderverse, animators specifically chose cornrows for him, but many people mistakenly took it to me that he was 'rougher and tougher' than the original Miles. This was a racist perception! Hearing the Fade get hyped up in the news as the 'Travis Kelce', when Black men and especially NFL players have been wearing it for DECADES to crickets... it hurts lmao. Point is, you can describe and respect Black hair without being racist about it. Okay? Okay.

Vulnerability

YOUR CHARACTERS NEED TO BE CLOSE BEFORE ALLOWING THEM TO TOUCH THEIR HAIR!!!

It needs to be someone they TRUST wholeheartedly. Again, do NOT let a stranger touch their hair unless it’s meant to be an uncomfortable situation!

Consider CONSENT! Consent is ALWAYS beautiful! Have your other characters (Black or not) ASK to touch your Black characters’ hair! And not in the ‘Oh can I touch it?’ way. But if they’re really close friends or dating, have them ask to help do their braids, or wash their hair, or even just to stroke their hair and face! Or if your Black character is injured with a head wound, and they have to tend to them, have them ask! The asking shows a level of care and respect for your Black character and their body! At any point the consent may be revoked, and that needs to be respected! If they let them tend their head wound, but then smack their hand away after, that’s not ‘rude’- they’re allowed to do that, especially to signify that they aren’t at that level of trust yet. That's still angsty!

One great example of love from a Black character is doing their partner’s hair, or allowing their partner to do their hair. The ‘Hair-washing’ fic is a common thing in fanfiction; we all understand how that shows the depth of the trust in the relationship between the characters. How would you write about that trust with a Black character, if you don’t know what goes into taking care of their hair? If you don’t even know what their hair looks or feels like? The lack of awareness will show, and what should be a beautiful, deep moment will fall flat for Black readers. I wrote one once for my character with locs, and it honestly made me tear up because I realized that I’d never seen one, at least not in the majority white spaces that the fandoms I was in were.

Think about it- how often have you read a hair-washing fic with a Black character? Was it accurate? Would you know if it was accurate? Have you spoken to or heard anyone Black in your fandom space talk about it? Do you know anyone Black in your fandom space to ask? It’s things like this that we have to consider!

If you have a character that is nonblack in a relationship with your Black character, that honestly reveals even more trust because there’s a long history (again) behind that NOT happening! In life, we can’t go to the same places. I can’t go to a white hair salon or barbershop. They won’t know what to do! People are allowed to go through hair school without learning how to work with different, thicker textures. It’s not right nor fair, but it’s a part of the casual, systemic racism in our lives.

My feelings on what Lestat symbolizes aside, the scene where he plays with Louis’ curls in AMC's IWTV was an intelligent way to show that closeness, and how a nonblack character would affectionately play with a Black character’s hair! How he works with the curl in his fingers, rather than trying to pet Louis or run his fingers through- it was an intelligent move on Sam and Jacob’s part as actors to understand that THAT’S how that would go down!

If you have a character that wants to show a violation of your Black characters’ space, touching/harming our hair is cruelty on a very personal level that will generate an extreme reaction.

Think About Your Character!

When thinking about your Black character’s hairstyle, you need to think about your character themselves! What do they do every day? What are their hobbies? Are they Type A, Type B personality? Do they have a lot of time? Are they always in a rush? Are they noncommittal? Are they self-conscious? Artsy? Serious? Are they in a time period where the means to care for their hair are limited?

People make jokes and comments about how Black women don’t like getting our hair wet and dismiss our concerns. But it’s not out of ‘silliness’ or vanity. What you consider ‘just hair’ may have taken days of planning in advance and HOURS of our time! We put a lot of thought and effort into our hair, and it will easily shatter the illusion for your Black readers if you describe our hair poorly or create an unlikely scenario with it. It’s not a joke!

Some Terms:

Protective styles- a style that allows our hair to ‘rest’ with minimal manipulation

‘Tender-headed’- some people’s scalps are more sensitive to the tightness of styles, so it’ll hurt a little bit more and require some more gentleness (Regardless it’s still going to hurt for a bit after a fresh style)

Bonnets- a silk/satin cap of varying lengths that we wear at night to protect our hair and keep the moisture in

Loc Sock- same idea, but for locs

Durag- keeps short haircuts protected; can even help create the wave pattern that many Black men enjoy

Scarf- same idea as the bonnets, except scarfs can be used specifically for straight hairstyles to wrap them up to keep it straight and neat

(It'll seem real legit if you include your Black characters wearing their headcoverings at night! I remember laughing while reading Twilight because I knew that if Edward snuck into my room at night, he'd see me in my scarf or bonnet lmao.)

General Hair Care:

While I don’t completely agree with some of the advertising in this first one (it’s the internet. Can’t go nowhere without someone trying to hawk something) it’s cool in general to explain how our hair looks the way it does.

If you have Black children OCs, it’s important to consider that their parents have to do their hair, and how that will be its own experience! (It can be very stressful for Black children to get their hair done, as it takes a long time and can be physically uncomfortable. There are plenty of stories of burnt ears and tugged tangles and not very nice old women. Children are children! Keep in mind how they may behave while getting the style of your choice.

Moisturizing to keep healthy

Twist Outs

Cute twist out styles

Twist outs are a style that takes overnight to hold, or maybe even a few days! The cool thing is that the twists themselves can be the style! So the tighter you want their curls to be, the longer they’ll wear the twists in. If you want to describe your character with tighter curls, there needs to be a section of time where their hair remains in the twists! If your character has an event, and they want twists… this needs to be done in advance. Your character will NOT untwist them the day of, unless they want weak, limp curls (or you want the scene to compose of them having weak curls).

How long they'll last depends on the activity of your character! If all they do is work a desk job, or they don’t sweat very much, the twists can last some time! But if they sweat, or wear hats or caps, it’s not going to last long. Maybe a week.

Pros: Very versatile! If you have a character that loves trying new looks and enjoy being spontaneous, twist outs are for them! Easy! If your Black character is younger, or haven’t done their hair before, this is a great way for them to start working with their hair! Doesn’t take long (to do)! If your character is in a rush, and they do their twists, they can go just about anywhere. If they’re not self-conscious, this will be just fine.

Cons: It cannot get wet again, or the style will puff up back into your natural texture. It does not last long enough to say “oh my character went on a two year long fantasy adventure with this style.” If you want your character to have a twist out the whole time, they’re going to have to take time to do it. It would be cool if you incorporate a scene where they’re working on their hair, maybe in the background while everyone’s discussing plans or something. Just a reminder that their hair isn’t just staying magically twisted (unless they have the magic to do that).

Afros

Afro Style Guide, Style Guide for Men (works for any gender though)

Wash & Gos are just that- wash it (or really, condition it, you don’t have to shampoo it every time) dry with a t-shirt (to prevent breakage), put some oil and a light crème on it, fluff it up and you’re good to go! Maybe an hour at max and can be done while getting dressed in the morning!

Pros: Easy! If they’re doing a full, combed out afro, it’s not as simple, it will take more time. And at night it has to be plaited so that it maintains its length, otherwise it will tangle. But other than that, that’s still not all that hard. They can show off their curls! Black characters can and should have pride in their hair. It’s beautiful. This is the opportunity that you as an author can describe the pure texture of their hair, how it shines in the light, how the coils look, how soft it is! Romanticize Black hair the same way you do anyone else’s!

Cons: None really! Afros are wonderful! Just make sure that your character has a way to keep their hair from getting tangled. Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean there’s no maintenance! A pick, a bonnet, oil and water go a long way!

Locs

Five stages of locs

A person who does locs is a loctician.

Can be palm-rolled or interlocked/crocheted

I cannot emphasize enough that you do not want just anyone doing their locs! They can really mess up someone’s hair if they don’t know what they’re doing. I say that to say, for your character, if they don’t trust the person doing their hair… they should. They should not be walking into anyone’s place to get their hair locked; they’d do research first.

The time it takes locs to ‘bud’ (that is, to actually form the loc) depends on the texture of their hair. But it can take up to 3 months to even a year for them to actually ‘loc up’. So if your character just got locs, they’re not going to look neat. They’re going to be frizzy.

As long as they’re washing their hair, keeping it moisturized, and not using wax products (DO NOT HAVE ANY BLACK CHARACTER USE WAX PRODUCTS IT IS BAD FOR BLACK HAIR) it’ll last forever! Locs are incredibly strong, especially the thicker they get! It is recommended that locs are retwisted every six weeks, but if your character has freeform locs, doesn’t have the money or time right now, or they just aren’t that pressed, they can grow indefinitely.

Something cute to write in your stories: sometimes locs do just… fall out. Not the whole thing! But the same way thin hair gets everywhere… sometimes the ends of thin locs just… fall off! You’ll find little buds on the ground. This happens especially in the budding stage.

Pros: Very low daily maintenance! At most they’ll need a bonnet or loc sock, and oil/water mix to spritz and massage in. Strong style that can hold any look- buns, curls, etc. They can be dyed, though it will take a long time to do so. I say that to say, if you want your character to have bright green locs, go for it!!

Cons: Low daily, but HIGH wash day maintenance! So if your character has a fancy date or something to go on, they should not be getting their hair retwisted the same day, or at least not so close to. It’s going to be shiny, oily, and tight, which can cause discomfort. Give them the day to let the hair settle!

Locs are PERMANENT!! This isn’t a bad thing, as much as it is a ‘KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING BEFORE YOU DO IT’ thing. Technically they can be combed out, but that would take a very long time and very precise effort, and most people aren’t going through all that. They’re just going to cut them off and start fresh. If you have a character that would balk at such a choice, locs aren’t for them. If you have a character that’s picky and choosy, that likes versatility, that can’t make up their mind, do NOT give them locs unless they’re making the conscious choice to commit. (Again, this is subjective! Maybe they have locs because their mother died and it reminds them of her! Okay! That works!) If you have a character that’s vain, or at least doesn’t like looking awkward… unless they’re going to style up the awkward stage, they’re not going to want locs. (Awkward stage: the first two stages get considered awkward because the locs look messy. This is because they’re turning from curls to locs!)

Braids

Styles

How long braids can take depend on the style. Box braids can take 10-12 hours to do! Microbraids? You HAVE to have multiple people or you'll be there for damn near a day (and that's assuming you have a masterful braider!)

How long they last depend on your character! If they're like me as a kid, I didn't care how I looked, so my mom got me cheap braids and let me run free for two summer months. So if your Black character is a carefree child! Go for it. But if they're a teen or adult (or are very concerned about how they look) a month to six weeks is about how long braids can stay in before your new growth shows. A character that is usually trimmed and proper having loads of new growth over their braids may symbolize that they don’t have it all together anymore.

Pros: Protective style! Great way to let your character have minimal daily maintenance; oil and water and something to cover it. SOME braided styles allow for high activity and even rain without changing. It depends on the hair that’s been braided in, as well as the style. Incredibly versatile! They can have multi-colored braids, long braids, short braids, beads, trinkets… if your character is creative and bubbly and likes to experiment, the sky is the limit! That can symbolize their artistic expression, just by describing what they look like! So long as they have the time, they can have any look and style they want. No need to commit too long.

If your character is capable of doing their own braids (and locs, btw), they’re amazing. Like… that’s mad respect for them. If you describe your character being able to do their own braids, they’ve got amazing arm strength, patience, and skill. That skilled dexterity can be revealed as a trait of theirs through that alone.

Cons: They take a LONG TIME. Your character is not going anywhere. If they’re getting braids… they’re not going anywhere. If you write your character doing anything fancy the day of, depending on the type of braids, Black readers are not going to believe you. Even if it did get finished, it would be very tight. I currently have a poll going on, and so far, a good majority of the 10+ answers are braids! It cost MONEY. It is NOT CHEAP to get braids done! If your character is poor as a church mouse, they will be doing those braids with their friend in front of youtube. Because it can be in the hundreds of dollars. (Don’t get me started on hair culture right now; BACK IN MY DAY IT COST-)

Hairstyles on Black Men

I want to specifically give space and applause to these hairstyles on Black men, because we REALLY don’t give Black men enough credit for all the creativity they show with their hair! And again, with The Killmonger being the choice style in all these damn vidya games despite almost no Black man I know choosing it as a look… PLEASE LOOK! WE HAVE OPTIONS! Try describing how gorgeous these looks can be on your Black men characters! It would be very nice.

Straight Hair

Well, I was going to explain, but ol ‘Guest Writer’ here pretty much lays it all out! So just go ahead and read this article lol.

Just to re-emphasize, straight hair is NOT something that just grows out of our head that way! It takes effort! So if you have a character that doesn’t feel like maintaining straight hair, they shouldn’t have it! If your character has natural hair and lives in a rainy or humid city, they’re going to be fighting that weather to keep it straight- make sure that’s consistent with their personality!

My best friend used to wash and flatiron her hair every day. Like, laser focused on looking that good, Type A shit (she’s a top money banker now, so I guess it worked out). If you have a character like that, it’s fine! If they’re lazy any other time of the day, they’re not suddenly going to be waking up at 5am to flat iron their hair. It’s not consistent.

Conclusion

That’s pretty much what I have! I’m not the guru on all things Black hair, and I obviously cannot encompass every potential scenario you may have for your characters. Really, my intention here is to get you to think about how our hair reflects our character and personalities, and how when you write and/or draw a Black character, you have that ability! And when you’re able to incorporate that naturally, it makes your Black readers feel seen, like you actually cared about that character enough to give them just as much description as your nonblack characters. You don’t have to be a master at it! Just… occasionally the little things that we can go ‘oh, yeah!’ at would be nice. An equivalent effort would be nice.

Remember, it’s the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!

[sunshiline-writes]

So let’s talk about POTS syndrome for a second yeah? There is a common misconception that this is just a “uwu fainting disease” and I really seriously need combat this idea lol.

I have diagnosed POTS syndrome. Yes I have fainted before. But it doesn’t happen as much as you think. In fact in the 3 years I’ve been diagnosed I’ve only ever fainted twice. Most of my symptoms include, sweating profusely, fatigue easily, heart palpitations, over heating/getting cold easily, getting dizzy, nausea, blurry vision, chest pain, shortness of breath, anxiety and stress. Sometimes I just feel really sick. My toes turn purple sometimes. I can run a mile sometimes and be fine, but some days walking to my bathroom without my cane is a struggle.

I have good days and bad days. But this is a disease that had genuinely ruined my life for a time. I couldn’t do anything when I first started showing symptoms. I couldn’t walk to the bathroom without wanting to keel over. Forget classes, forget doing sports. Or exercising. I literally built myself up from ground zero.

I might seem pretty healthy? But honestly? I still have as needed mobility aid to help me get around so I don’t get too tired and over exert myself. I have to stay hydrated or else my symptoms will kill Me. If I skip a meal? Oh yeah I’m done for. I take steroids to keep my blood pressure up. I take these steroids once in the morning and once before any strenuous activities. I was on heart medication for a time. There is no cure for this. It’s an entire lifestyle change. Everything is affected, your nervous system, your brain, your blood, skin, anything you can think of, there is a POTS symptom for.

Like this disease genuinely ruined my life and I had restart from scratch. I have only recently been okay and starting to do more. But i still have bad days.

This isn’t just some random fainting thing that is really cute. And honestly it does make me angry to see it wrongly portrayed in media. Because this genuinely upheaved my life and I had to quit a lot of stuff so I could be healthy. If you’re going to write a character with POTS. Do your research, know how this actually affects people. Because it’s not some silly little disease that people can use to just.. create a good whumpy scenario.

It’s a fucking struggle and I hate having it. I’ve had to shape my life around it. It’s not just fainting. It’s feeling like your body is going implode, feeling like you might die. Pardon sounding like a dick, but if you’re going to write a character with POTS do it right.

Sorry this is a rant and I might lose some followers for it. I just.. it’s something I feel passionate about. And it’s something that has genuinely affected my quality of life.

If you have questions or want to know more. Feel free to ask. But don’t talk to me if you’re just going to argue or berate me for anything I’ve said here. Thanks.

[boxofbonesfic]

you “don’t write black or PoC readers” because you “don’t know what it’s like to be black or PoC” but y’all have no problem writing wizards, dragons, elves, witches, supersoldiers, mutants, jedi, people from eras you haven’t lived in, monarchs, murderers, and stalkers

but PoC are too far outside of your lived experience?

you can write nuanced and diverse characters from all walks of life, but as soon as they don’t look exactly like you, suddenly that creativity vanishes, and all you have to draw from is stereotypes?

[imnotoverlyobsessive]

I never used to write POC. The reason for that was until recently, I didn’t have any POC friends I could ask (unless you count other Jews; I grew up in a predominantly white area). Mermaids and whatnot may not exist, but POC do, and the last thing I would want is to misrepresent their experience in some way, or worse: write them as stereotypes.

[boxofbonesfic]

here’s the thing: every experience is a PoC experience. some people don’t have access to, and don’t participate in the cultures of their nationality. there are so many ways to write us that are not tied inherently to the trauma of slavery, colonization, or diasporas.

we have been steeped in whiteness so long that everyone thinks it’s the culturally or racially neutral option, it isn’t.

[avintagekiss24]

Why… do y’all not see black people as people? I swear to god we’ve experienced the exact same shit that y’all have lol again, if your comfortable writing your reader as a nurse when you have no fucking clue what a nurse’s “experience” is because you’re a cashier at Walmart, but you can’t fathom writing in a black character because “you don’t understand” us, you’re a racist. Full stop.

[pinayelf-archive]

if you’re a white creator and your brown/black characters are always sassy, reckless, aggressive or cold and your white characters are always soft, demure, shy and introverted you should think about maybe why you did that

[litchifairy]

[elaichichais-deactivated2020121]

sorry to hijack your post, but imo this also applies to colourism dynamics, even if you have a full cast of colour. like i can only confidently speak from the south asian context, but RAMPANT colourism in the community has given rise to and perpetuated these same stereotypes of people with darker skin being more aggressive and sexually promiscuous than the “reserved, civilised” light skins. 

[aishabellasbigblogofeverything]

This applies to your wlw and mlm ships as well. If the lighter or white one is always sweeter, nicer, softer, more innocent, or more feminine and the darker or poc one is always meaner, louder, more aggressive, more sexual, or more masculine then you’ve got a problem sweetie and that’s racism. 

If you reblogged this from me then please reblog this addition too! 

[disordersgirl-deactivated202409]

sorry but like the way you people will scream and cry and throw up when people point out content creators are openly racists but when it becomes homophobia or transphobia you finally draw the line is so. good lord

[disordersgirl-deactivated202409]

everyone who’s liked and not rbed this post owes me millions tbh