#marginalized writers

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

the fact that shakespeare was a playwright is sometimes so funny to me. just the concept of the "greatest writer of the English language" being a random 450-year-old entertainer, a 16th cent pop cultural sensation (thanks in large part to puns & dirty jokes & verbiage & a long-running appeal to commoners). and his work was made to be watched not read, but in the classroom teachers just hand us his scripts and say "that's literature"

just...imagine it's 2450 A.D. and English Lit students are regularly going into 100k debt writing postdoc theses on The Simpsons screenplays. the original animation hasn't even been preserved, it's literally just scripts and the occasional SDH subtitles.txt. they've been republished more times than the Bible

[spider-xan]

Regarding Mina's description of Dracula and why it's problematic, a good starting point would be to read the Wikipedia article for physiognomy, which is the outdated pseudoscience of face reading that is unfortunately rooted in racism, antisemitism, ableism, etc., and was very popular during the Victorian era as a way to judge moral character based on facial features.

So when Mina says 'His face was not a good face', she is not just saying that Dracula is ugly (though concepts of ugliness and beauty are not value-neutral either), but that she can tell that he is evil based on his facial features; note that one of the facial features she singles out is a 'beaky nose', which comes from Cesare Lombroso's idea that among other traits, hawk-like noses are a marker of criminality on the basis of criminals being evolutionary throwbacks who are less evolved than non-criminals; many of these allegedly 'criminal' and 'degenerate' facial features are obviously racialized and not associated with Gentile whiteness, but in opposition to it.

Stoker was definitely interested in physiognomy and uses it as a narrative device to show how certain heroic characters are intelligent, perceptive, and educated on the latest (pseudo)sciences (the modernity theme again) - namely Mina and Van Helsing, but also Jonathan to a lesser degree; we will definitely see this idea come up several more times, including explicit references to Lombroso himself.

It is also important to remember that linking physical appearance and morality still happens today - think about how many people say they can tell someone is a bad person bc they're ugly or that 'People get the face they deserve' where good people age gracefully and bad people age poorly, even though aging has nothing to do with personal character.

[xieyaohuan]

Big, fat sigh at Kripke's AroAce baiting with Frenchie and Kimiko, by the way. I've witnessed AroAce folks being told by their friends that they aren't real ("Nah, sorry, I don't buy it; everyone wants sex, and everyone wants a romantic partner"). The amount of shit and casual denial of their existence that AroAce folks put up with on a daily basis is out of control. They also get almost no representation in media (the only character I can think of off the top of my head is Todd on Bojack Horseman). So I can only imagine how much that one must have hurt. Like, it's fine to not have AroAce representation. Not everything needs to be on screen all the time. But I don't think it's fully appreciated how absolutely cruel it was to dangle this one in front of people who almost never get any representation and then snatch it away like that.

EDIT: It's not actual AroAce representation, but saying that it's okay to have a platonic relationship be the most meaningful in your life is indirect validation to me, and this kind of indirect nod is usually the most that AroAce folks get to hope for. So taking that away is still cruel.

[jesncin]

I did in fact see your points on how strange it was that MAWS was like a colonizer apologist story if I'm not mistaken! Like, it feels weird to have that as a character, especially a main one! And it makes me sad because I was excited for MAWS! Jimmy was Black and I can't see him in any other way. Are there any Superman stories that don't go this angle? Like, one that is more similar to yours? Yes I read Superman Smashes the Klan! I also like your take on Superman and having him be Jewish also!

Yeah, and same! I was thinking with Lois being Asian American that they were absolutely going for an Immigrant Superman- imagine my disappointment when MAWS went as far from that as possible (xenophobe Asian Lois and colonizer apologist narrative Superman). Right, I was really hoping this show would do right by Jimmy too but that fell flat as well.

Hmm! So this is a tricky question to answer because there are lots of stories that don't go for the Colonizer Krypton route, but whether they go for an immigrant Superman story is another thing (they rarely do). You'll have comics briefly reference Superman being an undocumented immigrant but not really go into what it means to be the alien diaspora and especially linking that experience with human diaspora/immigrants to strengthen the allegory. It's a symptom of most writers who get the privilege to write Superman having to fantasize that experience instead of having lived through it (they'll default to white savior instead). There's a reason it took until an Asian American writer like Gene Yang that we got a definitive Immigrant Superman story with Smashes the Klan! I think from articles like this existing (and Princess Weekes is a far bigger Superman fan than I am) it shows how rarely Immigrant Superman is committed to.

Thank you for enjoying my stuff! If I was to recommend anything, while Clark isn't in it, Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane story is a must for immigrant Superman enjoyers! Best Asian Lois in any sort of canon, hands down. I pull heavy inspiration from it.

[crimeronan]

it's a little funny to me that people on here who haven't watched house md and have only heard about it through the grapevine seem to think that the asexuality episode is the only time that the show egregiously erred about a sensitive topic most people at the time knew nothing about. like i swear to god on EVERY post on here about the show being hashtag problematic there's ALWAYS someone in the comments going "and it was bad about asexuality which makes it worse!" and yes the show was bad about asexuality (i am ace. i know) and yes that happened at a time when asexuality was essentially unknown to almost everyone in america, but citing that as though it's like.... a singular event that only happened to one marginalized group who happened to be Particularly hated is like... very very Very much ignoring how frequent and systematic these writing choices were.

in curating a list of episodes to skip i'm finding archived contemporary articles written the DAY after episodes came out from various relevant organizations saying "hey!! hey!! this is the first time most of the american public has ever encountered this issue and you were fucking cruel and evil about it!!" about topics including but not limited to: asexuality, intersexism (TWICE), homophobia, Deaf culture, autism, schizophrenia, psychosis, low empathy, AIDS, and racial medical disparities. this is not the end of the list it's just the ones i can remember rn. the writers of the show did not ONLY think that asexuality doesn't exist. the writers of the show were afflicted with south-park-itis wherein every time they heard about literally any marginalized group having feelings or opinions different from the mainstream, they went, "wow, i don't like that! what's the best way to mock and belittle them as thoroughly as possible so that everyone knows that we're very very smart and know everything and these nasty people are very very stupid and deserve to be othered??"

the show doesn't Just suck about asexuality. it sucks about everything. and it's not because it's a cute tongue-in-cheek "ooo we hate everyone equally 🤗" thing. it's because the writers were actively vitriolic and cruel and inhumane about every single person they didn't care to understand. it's bad. the ace episode is not an outlier, it's par for the course for the entire series.

[etapereine]

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[fanemag]

FANE MASTER POST

[delightfullyodd]

What do you think of a notion that people from majority shouldn't write people from marginalized communities?

[teafiend]

GIFs credited to @Nungchae (Twitter/X)

[caffeiiine]

”i was simply frightening sparrows in vain, and pleasing myself with it” “i was simply playing around with both the petitioners and with the officer” okay, Saigiku Jouno.

[wutheringheightsfilm]

you know like. i feel like with these posts about fanfiction writers being annoying and making fun of them and such it's like... 1) as a fanfiction writer myself (because i did in fact make a post asking my mutuals if they would still love me when i told them i have over 200 pages of bbc merlin fanfiction in my google drive) if the shoe doesn't fit... don't wear it. like if you're not equating real world geopolitics to fandom, then great! if you're not saying fanfiction is a replacement for political writing, then great! like all and all if you're just minding your own business and staying in your own lane like... it's fine. also 2) i completely understand how daunting it is to try and write your own original work! i completely understand that. i myself haven't finished a single original story i set out to write. i have a lot of internal issues, a lot of insecurities about my own original work.

but if you want to be a writer of original fiction... you gotta write original fiction, you know? like you have to practice. i'm only confident in my original poetry because i've been practicing and doing it for so long. i don't have a degree in poetry writing. i didn't attend any classes for it. it took writing a lot of shitty poetry from the ages of 13-16 in order for me to start to get a handle on what i wanted my poetry to look and sound like. it took reading other people's poems! it took practice!! and while i think fanfiction writing may help in terms of actual technical writing sometimes (depending on what you're doing and whether or not you allow/receive critique on your stuff), ultimately at some point you do gotta try coming up with your own characters and your own world and your own themes etc etc. i think writing fanfiction can be a point to jump off of, but it isn't everything.

idk i have a lot of complex feelings about it. no one's saying you have to have a BA in literature to participate in discussions about literature, but you do at some point have to stop having fanfiction be the only thing you read and expand your horizons. read short stories! novellas! start small! if you want to start reading nonfiction, find a book about something you're really interested in--if you like fantasy, you can read articles in literature journals about fantasy. guaranteed people have written articles about a book you like, especially if it's popular. reading can be overwhelming but you can do everything at your own pace. if you want to start writing outside of fanfiction, great! again, start small! it doesn't have to be perfect!

[wideeyedloner]

spn angst fic i started: don't write me bro i'm good

sga mission fic i started: don't write me bro i'm good

random prompts: yeah bro write me this will not be a problem i promise

spouse: are you going to write sga friendship fic?

brain: let's also get into new fandoms that'll help

[mistermoonbeams]

The Water Outlaws

By S. L. Huang

One of the best fantasy books in both plot and prose I’ve read so far. This retelling of a Chinese classic “Water Margin” maintains the wuxia essence of Chinese martial arts but simultaneously dips it into the networks of diverse human identity and complex politics and morality.

The Water Outlaws is a meditation on war, politics, family, loyalty, and the art of discipline. Huang’s prose reads like a stream of silk, and her writing style for fighting and battle scenes brings the page to life in all the elements of wuxia. Each character is as unique as a breath of fresh air, and you will immediately feel as if you are apart of their family of bandits and outlaws, filled with love and loyalty. From an analytical perspective, the build up of the plot and the character development were impressively done. You won’t regret picking up this book.

There is too much to rave about for this book to put it into typed word. For fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Red Firecrackers Green Firecrackers, and other Chinese stories among the vast expanse of the wuxia genre, this tale is for you. S.L. Huang masterfully orchestrates a modern spin on a classic epic that connects to today’s readers, opening up wuxia literature to the women, the queers, the brown-skinned, the oppressed, the minority, the marginalized.

[lunarriviera]

Huo Xiuxiu/A-Ning, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind AU (or, if that doesn't suit, same pairing but Robin Hood AU)

ohhhh these are getting good now. i saw nausicaa but reprehensibly i can't remember it, so i'm going with...chinese robin hood? song jiang, from water margin! who was a 義匪 yi fei, or "righteous bandit." also i really wanted to work a-ning's always perfect lipstick into this but i failed :(

*

A-Ning is in a very bad mood. She can't even enjoy celebrating with her 108 Stars of Destiny, her beloved heroes, even though there's plenty of baijiu for everyone, her brother is already seven sheets to the wind, and together they made off with more copper and silver than A-Ning has ever seen in her entire life, all to be redistributed to the good people of Shandong. "What's wrong, jie?" asks Jiang Zisuan. He bumps her shoulder and hiccups. "Something on your mind? Or someone, I should guess—"

"Shut up," says A-Ning automatically. She just needs some fresh air, that's all. She steps outside and inhales the frosty winter of Mount Liang. What she really needs to do is stop thinking about things she can't have. But A-Ning has never been good at accepting defeat, and Huo Xiuxiu is no exception. The flower of the Jiumen; smart, beautiful, and a disarmingly good fighter. A-Ning will never forget the first time they crossed paths, and how Xiuxiu, in a pretty lavender dress, had promptly thrown her down on the ground, knee in the middle of her back, and wouldn't let her up until A-Ning surrendered her name. She stares out into the darkness, arms crossed. What is she thinking—she's a ruffian, a thief and a bandit. What use could a Huo have for someone like her— "A-Ning?" There's a voice from the trees, and A-Ning has drawn her knife before she sees who it is. It's Xiuxiu, in field clothing, leather trousers and jacket, walking towards her with her hands held out. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Why haven't you written to me? Where have you been—" Suddenly A-Ning's evening is a lot better.

*

send me a pairing and an AU and i’ll write you a ficlet!

[fanemag]

Well, here it is. Issue 1 is upon us. The print edition is slightly delayed while we wait to review printed proofs, but the 100% Free digital edition is available to download right now.

The website is barren, yes, but it won’t be forever. I’m working in the background to bring more content (and fix some broken stuff!), and am connecting with new people all the time. Once I get a little change in my pocket, I’ll probably pay a professional to help me work out the site kinks.

So… what’s inside? Go download it and find out.

PS I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism/feedback. I am Amateur AF and it shows, so I need to hear what works and what doesn’t so I can improve. Just, please, be constructive. Also, for context, this was all put together in Procreate on an iPad by a non-professional.

[redheadlesbianfreak]

"It's bad gay representation if the character makes a big deal out of their identity." "A gay character simply has to be gay, it can't have any impact on their character."

Why is that the case? On what planet does that make sense? Oh, does the character need to be a "good gay" by being "normal" about their identity? Why is it a bad thing if a gay character talks about their identity in any capacity?

Why does it need to be "subtle?" Or "implied?" Most queer people I know irl love talking about their sexuality. I love talking about sexuality and gender identity with my friends. It's fun and it's something that genuinely interests me.

And look, I know that doesn't reflect every queer person, I'm just speaking about my own experience. The truth is that every single queer person is very unique and different and there is no one shared experience. The real reason people say this is so straight people don't feel uncomfortable with queer stories.

But that's why telling people to limit themselves when writing queer characters is really bad. Like I said, there are all different types of queer people irl, and no one story can capture countless experiences. There is room for all different types of people to tell stories and all different types of stories to tell.

When was the last time you read a story about a trans person discovering that they are trans? The intricate journey and struggle of self-discovery and finally, self-acceptance would make for a great story. There are so many ways to tell this story and make it interesting.

I hate the idea that this is considered "bad rep." Queer characters deserve to have their own coming of age stories. Queer characters deserve to find themselves. This type of storytelling is rarely done, but it has the potential to be its own in-depth genre.