#the focus for this is specifically on post-colonial writings by koreans

[andromedasummer]

one thing i love about my uni is even when the subject we are studying is about far away country or ultra specific phenomenon theres always a book in the syllabus, published by the university, by a member of that country and/or culture, by an expert on that special subject, who happened to attend my university too. who's lived in the same cities i have.

[coraxaviary]

An Essay on POC and Fics

[ORIGINALLY A WRITER ASK GAME]: Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

(AKA me explaining in long-form why June is white, complete with some drama and a lot of rambling. Do not feel obligated to read).

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I’ve never talked about this extensively, but I want to discuss ethnic minority OFCs in fics. Specifically, SiA. I originally was going to make June partially nonwhite. And I ran into problems.

I really found myself worrying about relatability. If a character is POC, I thought it would ruin immersion for people who are looking for an OFC fic to lose themselves in. It’s no secret that I’m Asian-American, and I was originally all for making the character part Asian. It’s ironic that I was worried about immersion when outside of fic spaces, I argue unendingly for Asians to be cast as leads and stereotype-defying roles. Because any POC is also just a person who can be as “relatable” as any white character, theoretically. I feel a little hypocritical, but at the same time it’s true.

When I watched The Walking Dead, Glenn was my absolute favorite. Because he was Korean-American. And for the first time, I watched a major (Asian!) character in a show become hailed as a man defined not by his race, but for his achievements and his personality. If Glenn was white, he still would’ve been one of my favorites. But seeing Asians portrayed as... normal people shouldn’t be this rare. However, it is, at least in mainstream America.

The issue with creating POC characters is racism. That’s always the issue, isn’t it? Racism has been ingrained into every system and cultural dynamic, globally. The remnants of colonialism are alive and well, and the treatment of POC people, generally, is far from sterling.

Thus it became almost impossible for me to justify creating an Asian-American (or, for that matter, any other POC) OFC. They would be defined by race, because back in the 40s, any American ethnic minority had no choice but to be characterized by their appearance. It still happens today. And I wanted the focus to be on humanity, war, bonds, and gender. Not race, because race is unpleasant to talk about. It wouldn’t be fun for me to be researching 1940s race discrimination to create a character who must overcome that too. I’m not looking to undergo an identity crisis in the pursuit of a fic aimed at social justice. I just want to write something fun.

Fic is created, many times, by minority groups, including POC. However, like any institution, it’s white-centric. And I don’t fault it for that. Most media in the mainstream is white-centric and thus it makes perfect sense for the works created based on the material to be also that way. But I felt like I was betraying myself by writing fic and not taking a chance to diversify the narrative.

Because if a significant part of my irl advocacy is attempting to champion race diversity, and I don’t take that chance in the fandom space, am I a hypocrite?

The fault of this culture, and this struggle, is not with me. It’s with the centuries and ages of oppression and typecasting and discrimination in the pages of world history. It’s unavoidable.

However, to be kind of frank, it sucks to have to consider these things when all I wanna do is write a self-indulgent narrative about WWII boyfriends. I want to just be myself and imagine a fun time with my favorite characters. But I know, deep down, that anyone who is not white would not have been accepted into the group. I decided to just circumvent all these problems by writing a white character.

And it’s not true to the narrative if I wrote a POC OFC and then bent all the other characters OOC and forced them to be non-problematic. Because I know, regrettably, that the norm back then (and still in some areas) is casual racism. It was only 1948 when the American Army officially desegregated. You can watch The Pacific for yourself and find out what the Americans called Japanese people. The racial slurs, I’ll admit, made me uncomfortable despite how much I love the series. Army culture in the 40s towards a woman who is also a racial minority would have been egregious. And that’s not fun to write about in a fic.

I can’t not think about race -- not forever, at least. I don’t have that luxury. I do acknowledge that I, as an Asian-Amerian, benefit from a white-centric culture that has designated us (condescendingly) as a “model minority” and as an exception race. Systemic racism is less impactful towards Asians. This is, however, not to discount the terrible history of Asian-American discrimination that is not immediately apparent (I have been told that not everyone is educated of the existence of the Japanese-American internment or other examples of irrefutable discrimination). There is history in my family of experiencing both ends of the Asian-American experience: as a “model” and also discriminated against as a perceived threat (or a scapegoat, if you will, for the Vietnam war and other matters).

I went through a phase (as many American POC do) of wanting to be white when I was very young. I don’t know exactly why. Is it because the American identity is so deeply rooted in the striking visual of the white settler, despite the deep history of the continent in indigenous people? Is it because diversity is (or was) not common in the mainstream -- when we didn’t have people like Glenn at the forefront of media representation but instead had stereotyped caricatures like Mr. Yunioshi? I didn’t know what it meant to be beautiful back then unless the portrait was of caucasian features. I have a distinct memory of complaining to my mother when I was about five or six years old that I didn’t like my black hair, and I think my way of thinking unconsciously had to do more with my Asian heritage than the actual color. I cannot tell you honestly what specifically caused this type of thinking, but it’s more widespread than you’d think among POC children.

So this is why I am a POC and yet I choose to write a white protagonist. Historical fiction always contains complexities: decisions that must be made with the wisest discernment that I don’t feel like I can always make. History is a burden upon us all. The present will never be free of the past, and it’s our job as writers to navigate the gray patches between interpretation and accurate portrayal. Sometimes it seems like an insurmountable task, and sometimes it’s as if I can forget about my POC-ness altogether and lose myself in my OFC without thinking about heritage or discrimination.

But here we are, writing fanfiction of WWII heroes who come from a different time and a different era.

It had to have felt different back then, don’t you think? When I think of the forties, I think of patriotism and B-24s and victory; I think of a feeling of hope tinged with despair. I think of radios and dance halls and tragic heroes and the glory of soldiers dropping from the sky, backlit like angels and tasked with democracy and hope and things that are right and true. I think of a time where Americans united for good.

But this is a glamorized version of history. It’s the enjoyable version, we all know. And it genuinely consisted partially of these snippets of greatness, but there was a larger part that lay, vast, underneath the golden panorama that sometimes we forget about. And I think the WWII fic-writing community is keenly conscious of this aspect. I see it in the writing that we all so lovingly produce: a lot of us understand, at least on a surface level, that war is not glamorous and that the times were still as turbulent as they are today.

It’s something we all must grapple with.

And this, in a slightly dramatic fashion, is my personal conflict of being a person of color, and choosing to write a white character for the sake of joy and fun.

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Thank you for reading if you got to the end! I love you all :)

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(Partially inspired by this post by @rhovanian, but mostly my own ruminations based on the brief time I have existed on this earth).

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[grishasteelrpg]

As announced on our Discord, our site will be opening on Friday, May 14th! As such, our next preview pertains to the site rules!

ONE. Be courteous and respectful. It’s the first rule on any site, and it’s the one who hold most dear. The basis of all interactions between members is expected to be the principle of treating others as you want to be treated. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Roleplaying requires the segregation of IC and OOC motivations and interactions. Our primary goal is to create an inclusive and interactive forum for writers that is built upon mutual respect and a deep enjoyment of this fandom. We ask that you treat others with respect-- and do not hesitate to contact a staff member should conflict or mistreatment arise. TWO. Grisha Steel is a mature, literate roleplay. Members of Grisha Steel are required to be at least eighteen years old. If a member is found to be in violation of this rule, they will be permanently banned. This site has a 3/3/3 rpg rating. This means swearing and mature language are permitted. Sexual content may be described in detail and explicit violence is permitted. THREE. Make use of appropriate warning labels. While the site does have a 3/3/3 rating, if you are writing or mentioning topics that may be triggering or not safe for work, we do require trigger, content, or mature warnings be included. Thread descriptions should feature either [TW], [CW], or [M] as appropriate. We also encourage the inclusion of more details warnings within your roleplay posts. Warnings should be included within your character profile and shipper, as well, if needed. This rule is also applicable in our discord. Please provide a warning and utilize the spoilers tag to allow other members to read such content at their discretion. FOUR. Grisha Steel is an alternate universe site. We do not permit any of the canons from the books or show. Additionally, here are the most important modification of Grisha-verse lore:

Playable Etherealki subsets include Sun Summoning and Shadow Summoning. However, this ability must be acquired via our site store. Acceptance of characters with these abilities requires consistent activity. Each writer is limited to only one character with this rare ability.

The Shadow Fold exists. It was not created The Black Heretic as such a person never existed in this universe. However, it was formed through Merzost.

The Universe stands in balance. With the emergence of Shadow Summoners came their counterparts: Sun Summoners. More about the first pair of Sun and Shadow Summoners can be learned about in our site lore.

Due to the site having a 3/3/3 rating, we have elected to limit the age of playable characters currently studying at the Little Palace. Though Grisha begin their studies in Os Alta in adolescence (most before the age of 8), no minor characters will be accepted. The youngest age for any playable character is 18.

FIVE. Face claims are required for each character.

Celebrities who have requested to not be used for roleplaying will not be accepted. We ask all members to not use an individual has been accused of predatory or abusive behavior. Staff reserves the right to reject any face deem inappropriate.

18+ Face claims must be over 18 years old. No underaged faces are permitted.

+/-5 Your chosen face must be no more than five years older or younger than your character.

We require a face claim that is a living actor, signed model, or musician.

For example, if your character is 23, their face must be between 18 and 28 years old. If your character is 18, their face must be between 18 and 23. Current age of the celebrity is used in this evaluation.

SIX. Diversity is a core tenet of Grisha Steel.

We heavily encourage diversity on site. However, there are specific countries within the universe that if your character is from there, we ask that you be mindful of regional demographics as outlined below:

Shu Han natives are encouraged to be portrayed by faces of Asian descent. We have elected that the Northern portion of Shu Han is Mongollian, the Central portion Chinese, and the Southern portion Japanese. The Western Coast aligned with Filipino culture, and the Eastern Coast is Korean.

Noyvi Zem natives are encouraged to be portrayed by faces of African or Middle Eastern descent. On Grisha Steel, the lower half of Noyvi Zem is predominantly Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani, and, at the most Northern tip located closer to the Southern Colonies, Israeli. The upper half of Noyvi Zem predominantly draws from Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Mali.

Natives of the Southern Colonies should be portrayed by Latinx faces. While this region is not touched on in any currently published books, it is seen on the maps. We have chosen to model this region after Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

The Suli people are described in the universe as being similar to the Romani people, with influences from South Asia. Predominantly, we ask that you use faces of Romani, or Indian descent for these characters.

SEVEN. Character creation limits.

Your first three characters are free. However, from there, we ask that you have at minimum 20 posts on each account prior to the creation of additional characters. Writers are permitted five characters, but may buy more characters slots via the site store. This limit has been instated to encouraged a focus on character development.

EIGHT. Activity requirements and checks.

Character activity will be checked at the end of each month. This will be done automatically without any additional action required by writers. If you miss posting in character for the entire month, you will be messaged on site and via Discord by a staff prompting you to post within two weeks of receiving that message. If you fail to post two weeks after receiving an activity message and are not on an absence we will automatically archive your character and release associated claims.

We hold 2 major activity checks per year in March and September. During this time, we will require you update your character profiles to reflect development since their creation or the last activity check. Regular profile updates are encouraged to make this easier on writers!

NINE. Graphics

When completely a character profile, three images are required. Sizes are outlined below.We will be providing two sets of sizes, one larger, and one true to size. We recommend going larger, as some people have larger optics.

Avatar: Minimum 220x500, Recommended 440x1000

Square Aesthetic Images: Minimum 100x100, Recommended 250+x250+

TEN. Non-Grisha Characters

Non-grisha characters are permitted. These characters may be anything from First Army, to Drüskelle, to gangsters in Ketterdam and more. Please remain mindful of the Grisha-verse and site canon for these characters in building their backstories. The Shu Han have queens. Fjerdans worship Djel and other gods that are distinct and different than those worshipped in Ravka.

ELEVEN. Templates

A code bank of templates has been provided for use. Members are welcome help us grow this! If you wish to contribute to the codes used on site, we ask that you follow the following aesthetic parameters:

Site Typography

Site Palette

Max Width

When contributing a template, please post it in the correct thread for staff review. Do not make use of any templates without prior acceptance to the code bank.

TWELVE. Claims

Within 48 hours of acceptance, all character claims must be complete, otherwise we will not move your character’s account into an accepted role.

[bonpourlorient]

The Moment I Realized I Wasn’t White and other half-thoughts on race

“Wait a minute, do you self identify as white?” I got asked this question nearly a year ago at a friends house. I was trying to explain how, for a certain group of Turkish people, relatively well off, ethnically Turk or at least passing, cis, hetero, male, “white,” etc. authoritarianism was less palpable, or at least more conveniently hidden. My friend (who was himself Jewish) was confused. I explained that “white Turk” (Beyaz Türk) in Turkey is a particularly confusing marker of identity, that imagines a bundle of attitudes that may or may not always go together in reality: secular, progressive, middle class, “European” etc etc. I did a bit of asking around with other friends who lived abroad and they were very confused with the question. “Of course we’re white” said a friend living in Netherlands (who frequently complains of the racism people from Turkey face in Europe?!). Others from Istanbul, Chicago and Ankara agreed. And then I asked my American friends who assured me I was not white. “Sweetheart. Believe me, you wouldn’t be considered white in the US.” I realized then and there that this was not a unique experience. Epidermalization is a thing that happens not only to brown people but also to “black” people who come to North America from a variety of back grounds. A professor doing research with black McGill students had once explained to us that “black” students from outside North America often felt surprised to discover they were black. What is interesting in my and my Turkish friends’s cases, is how late this realization occurs. This I suspect is partly due to privilege (for the most part I experience my difference as an ambiguity that amuses me and confuses others “is he Lebanese? Or maybe Spanish? Or maybe from Brazil?”). But in a few cases the Turkish people I asked were offended by the question. How dare I question their presumed whiteness? This of course is due to the operation of hateful racial logics, to which affluent Turks can come to hold onto. Here’s an instructive example. A leading figure of the main opposition party in Turkey recently sent out a tweet quoting the World Economic Forum. The tweet ranked different countries according to “rule of law,” showing first the top ten countries and then how Turkey ranked 111th behind Uganda and Burkina Faso. “Shame” the politician added, “they’ve turned this great nation into a tent-state.” The racial logics that operate within this tweet are not worth unpacking one by one. The phrase “tent” state here is used to strike up a colonial imagery of backwardness and underdevelopment while at the same time contributing to a sense of historical gravity and monumentalism through which Turkish nationalism in most of its hues imagines Turkey. The desire for Turkey to rank higher and be “included” among the “civilized” nation states. The gap between “Turkey’s” rankings and the lived reality of human rights for people inside Turkey’s borders. The unquestioning trust in the epistemologies that underlie the ranking of different countries. This disdain for nonwhite people, lived at the level of everyday desire, both inside and outside Turkey is a particular form of whiteness that does not always follow its North American counterparts. I remember very distinctly the distrust I was taught to hold against Romani people every time a taxi driver would tell me “don’t believe them when they beg for money. these people are even richer than you and I. They don’t want to work so they beg from money from you and I and then hoard it somewhere else.” This hatred of course is an ideological in its purest form, Romani people are both secretly too rich (they hoard their money) and they are poor lazy bums (they don’t want to work). Cue Zizek jokes. — I’ve began to think more and more that the proliferation of racial logics throughout the world cannot be contained within the European colonial or settler colonial projects. There’s a way in which Turkish racism towards Kurds, Chinese racism towards Uyghurs, French racism toward Romani, Japanese racism towards Koreans etc etc can not be contained within the critique of European racism alone. Yet these all operate together especially as they come to shape/be shaped by more abstract social relations such as the state or capital. Capital enrols and mobilizes such frictions across borders, to its own advantage (look out for my book review of Operations of Capital.) Sure, there are more rooted readings of racialization in North America that try to have a universal purchase. The black radical tradition is particularly rich in this regard. Even then, the conversations I find myself in, especially the theoretical ones, are thoroughly grounded in European social history. This is simply inadequate. Especially when capitalism and the contemporary nation state have long since demonstrated their sustainability outside of North America and Europe. If the term “race” has any global intellectual purchase today, this lies in demonstrating precisely how structures such as the nation state and capitalism persist and are resisted, in ways that have little to do with European social history. In short my hypothesis is that racialized logics operate somewhere at the level of an abstract machine and are related to the contemporary nation states and capital more generally rather than whiteness more specifically. All of which is to say, Balibar is right about race being the supplement to the nation state. —— Last month I found myself in a post colonial reading group discussing Kathryn Yusoff’s A Billion Black anthropocene. For all its focus on race and environmental justice the book had nothing to say outside of European social history. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem, had the entire literature around the term Anthropocene not been so thoroughly focused on North America. In vain I tried to explain myself. Then I found Ken Wark reviewing the book and felt vindicated to see they agreed: “Yusoff does not decenter Eurocentric logics as much as she thinks she does. Blackness ends up still being in a relation of difference to a Eurocentric geopolitics. To talk in the language of racialized categories themselves for a moment: The Asian population of the planet is bigger than that of Black and white combined. And yet Asia is hardly even mentioned, as if it had no agency or presence in the Anthropocene.” The problem of writing history, it’s relation to colonialism and capitalism has long been a theme in Marxist thought, particularly around the term “so-called primitive accumulation.” I feel like it’s hightime these lessons were applied to the stories we tell about the Anthropocene.