#this isn't even beginning to touch on mixed race or cross cultural identities really

[transpeterafterdark]

hey im white and im writing a novel with multiple latinx characters. could you explain more about creators not giving latinx characters a distinct heritage? i don't wanna fuck shit up yk

So for me, saying a character is latinx doesn’t do it (usually). Latinx people are distinct from one another depending on where we come from. So the habit I’m talking about is how creators will say, “x is latinx but don’t ask for more details than that because we don’t want to do in depth research into different cultures/dialects/foods etc.” One example of this Carlos in night vale. He’s latinx because his creators said so but that’s all there is to his latinidad. (You can make an argument that he doesn’t remember much of his life before night vale, but they don’t go into depth on his background pretty much ever or let him have any desire to find out who he was despite all the curiosity in him so…… it can come off as lazy writing at times. He’s Latino™. Not Colombian or Brazilian or Dominican or anything else. Just Latino™.) If a person was raised within their culture, they probably wouldn’t forget their traditions without reason.

One thing for me, being puerto rican, is I don’t feel it’s the holidays until someone’s made/bought coquito, but some countries don’t drink coquito at all. I’m also generally a lil superstitious about not going into anyone’s home without money in my pocket after New Years cuz that’s how my fam is. Off the top of my head, dialect-wise I’d say that it’s super super common to hear spain spanish folk from the inland using the word “valé” (okay) for literally everything whereas stateside/in the caribbean the word’s barely used at all. Etc. 

You’re also gonna have to do the work of seeing how connected to that culture characters are. I’ve got a cousin who’s half panamanian and doesn’t know jack about the culture cuz her father wasn’t around. I’ve got a few cousins who are half trini and are connected to that part of their heritage a bit more because their mom was first gen trini and their dad is second gen boricua. 

Also please understand that latinx folks can be any race. White latines exist and generally are given more privilege than black/brown/indigenous latines. Also there’s plenty of religious backgrounds that latinx people can come from too. It’s not all catholicism, just like it isn’t in the states. (My fam’s catholic, but there’s plenty of jewish and muslim latines. Again there’s privilege that exists because of how widespread catholicism is) 

This is getting “pay me” long so imma end it here but basically just… do research. Talk to folks. Figure out where your characters are from and how that affects them. Don’t be afraid of giving your characters a distinct heritage. As long as you do your research well, it should be fine. And when you’re done, (pay) have latines from that culture(s) read your work and give you criticism and feedback