The Skellingcorner

[fandonetrash]

[did-you-kno]

As WWII escalated, Lamarr was motivated to find a way to steer torpedoes by remote control using changing radio frequencies, which she called “frequency hopping,” so that the transmissions could not be jammed by enemies. 

She donated her patent to the U.S. government, but the Navy rejected her designs, convinced the mechanisms would be too large to fit into a torpedo. 

They responded with, “You should go raise money for the war. That’s what you should be doing instead of this silly inventing,” (which she did, raising war bonds by the millions). So she silently watched her invention become a reality under the credit of others and never made a dime from it. 

Over 50 years after her original patent, Hedy did FINALLY get some acknowledgment - even a few awards - but she didn’t show up to accept them. By then, botched plastic surgery made her very reclusive. She died alone in Florida at the age of 86. Her obituaries began with her beauty and made only brief references to the invention she had hoped would prove her mind was beautiful, too.

Today, frequency hopping is used with the wireless phones that we have in our homes, GPS, and most military communication systems.

 Source

[alexreadsboooks]

Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology is a collection of retellings of Norse myths, going from the creation of the world to the gods’ demise  at Ragnarok. This book had me at Neil Gaiman and Norse mythology. I love reading myths in general, and Neil Gaiman happens to be one of my favourite authors so I really didn’t need any  more convinving. The book comes with a short foreword by Gaiman himself that explains about…

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[writerswritecompany]

Where Do You Start Your Short Story?

[writerswritecompany]

Writing Tip: The importance of antagonists cannot be underestimated.

Great reads on this subject:

1. Is Your Antagonist A Match For Your Hero?
2. The Hero Of The Story – Understanding Antagonists
3. 7 Essential Things To Remember About Very Important Characters
4. 10 Ways To Create Dangerously Nuanced Antagonists

Source: writerposts

[fandonetrash]

[delsinsfire]

Various reasons why Alistair Theirin is perfect

[writingwithcolor]

WWC Research Guides

Writing With Color – Featured Research Guides, Resources

Although WWC shares resources when we can and bring some to the table ourselves, we don’t exist to seek outside sources for one’s writing; this is ultimately the writer’s job. Even so, we’re more than happy to offer guidance on the What, Where and How of doing research for your inclusive writing. 

Take a look at the research help & resources below:

Research - General Help

WWC Research Sources

• Blogs - Recs - Resources Page
• Character of Color Research Chart (Created by WWC, Google Sheet)
  

WWC Tags and Help

• Research
• Resources
• Writer Reference
• Writer Resources
• More Blog Recommendations

“How to” Research

• Interviewing POC for Research 
• Researching PoC and Supporting Writers of Color
  
• Researching Racially/Ethnically Diverse Characters
  
• Struggling to Research Cultural Atrocities
  
• Researching to write about others’ demographics or places 
• What To Look Out For Aside From Poor Research

Research - Cultural 

General - Cultural Research 

• Anthropology as a Source for Cultural Data
  
• Creating Cultures: Resources
• Cultures and Religions Research
  
• Telling if a Culture is Dead or Not
  
• Mixing Ancient/Dead Cultures
  
• Non-Eurocentric Mythology Resources
• Respectful Research on Cultures

Specific - Cultural Research

African | African Diaspora | Black 

• Portraying African Cultures
• Non-Black Writers: AAVE & Code-Switching in Story 
  
• Speaking “White” AAVE & Black Hair Politics
  

Asian (Multigroups)

• LA’S Asian Locations

South Asian

• Indian character who doesn’t fully identify with heritage
  
• Chakrams, Angels and Cultural Appropriation 

Indigenous

• Braving Native American Diversity
• Researching Native American Cultures
• On Using Native American And Other Folklore
• Focusing on Native American Lore in Story; what are the issues?
  
• Native American Representation, Characterization, & Politics
  

Korean

• Celebrating Korean New Year with no family around

Latinx

• Culture in Character Design for a Latino Teen 
• Describing My Latino Character In Dialogue
  
• Día De Los Muertos Inspired Worldbuilding
  
• Gay Parents And Apellidos
  
• Latino is not a race, and other facts
• Latin@, Latino, Latinx And Sexuality Vs Fetishization
  
• Skin tones and discrimination in a book entirely populated by POC
  

Research - Religious & Spiritual

General or Multigroups - Religious and Spiritual Research

• Maintaining religion in a post-apocalyptic setting - Jewish & Hindu Emphasis
• Indicating Muslim and/or Jewish Characters 
  

Specific - Religious and Spiritual Research

Hinduism 

• Hindu Creation Stories
• Hinduism: Allegory, allusion and appropriation
  
• Pluralistic distinctions in Hinduism
  
• Terms of Endearment: Grandmother/daughter
  
• Hindu Theocracy
  
• Funerals | Wearing White | Wearing Western Clothing
• Queer, Hindu, Marriage
• Ways of mentioning Hindu heritage

Indigenous Religions

• Researching Indigenous Cultures
• Native Religions and Deity Worship
• Pulling from Multiple Indigenous Legends
  
• All Myths Are True, Native Spirits Invisible to Outsiders
  

Jainism

• Approaching Jain Temple for Research

Judaism 

• Writing Jewish characters, and what to avoid
  
• Jewish character names and showing culture
  
• Writing Secular American Jewish Characters 
• Secular Jewish Characters
  

Vodou and Voodoo

• Afro-Caribbean Religions: Voodoo, Santeria+ Research
• Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo

Research - Historical 

General - Historical Research

• 90s Points Of View: Researching (USA) 
• Cowboys of Color in the West
• Diversity in Group-specific Historical Event
  
• Fairy Tale Retellings with POC
  
• Including diversity where there may be little
  
• PoC Presence & Roles in History 
• Writing about a Civilization with Little Information
  
• Writing Historical Fiction Respectfully
• Writing about traumatic events in your own people’s history (Ex: Jewish)

Specific - Historical Research

Black

• Black Hair, Culture and USA 1920’s
• Black Diversity in the 1920s (with many historical first examples)
• Black Cinderella in Historical Roles
  
• Black Egypt by versacekardashian
• Black Hair in History - Images
  
• History and Culture of Black Hair by afro-textured-art
  
• Mixed (Black/White) Hairstyles in Medieval setting
• Natural Hair Care During Adventures / Apocalypse /  Modern /  Historical settings
• Negro Women War Workers by hagleyvault

Indigenous

• Addressing Native Issues in Cowboy Story
• Smiling Blackfoot & History by Mary T. S. Schaffer (photographer)
• Destroying Imperialism to avoid Discussing Racism
  
• Native American in Western: At peace with surrounding town
  
• Native America, Structures & History

Japanese

• Japanese England Setting 1800s 

Korean

• Korea, Pre-Japanese Occupation story

Latinx 

• Bargain With La Santa Muerte (1930s)

South Asian

• South Asian Pirates in History
• Indian & Scottish: Celebrating Scottish Heritage is not erasure
  

Research - Magic, Alternative Settings, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

General Magic Research

• Cultural Magic

Specific Magic Research

Asian (Southeast)

• Filipina Girl (Waray), Magic (Kulam), and Fantasy-Philippines

Chinese

• Chinese Zodiac Magic

Islam

• Is A Muslim Magical Girl Offensive?

General Alternate Setting, Fantasy & Sci-Fi Research

• Racism in Future Settings
  
• Researching PoC for Fantasy 
• Feuding Races in Medieval Settings
  
• Fantasy Halflings, Elves, and Dwarves of Color
• High Fantasy World Building, with Real World Inspiration, Fantasy PoC & Fetishization

Specific Alternative Setting, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Research

African Diaspora / Black 

• AAVE, Fantasy, and Race-Coding
  
• Androids, Black Culture & Appropriation
• Black Alien, Hair Sacred in Alien Culture
  
• Describing Black Hair in Fantasy (Dreadlocks, Braided Styles, etc)
  

Asian (Multigroups)

• Advice on pan-Asian themes/countries
• Mythological Asian birds & picking appropriate names

Asian (South)

• Bollywood-based City and New Religions
  
• South Asian Coded Fantasy Caste

Chinese

• Distinctiveness Between Cultures in a Far Future Setting (Chinese)

Indigenous

• Native American Nymphs
• Fantasy Elves as Indigenous Peoples
  
• Alternative America; Indigenous Peoples Majority
  
• First Peoples-inspired fictive peoples, specific terms, titles, and concepts

Islam

• Muslim Superheroes
• Muslim Vampires
• Muslim Werewolves
  
• Muslim Girl and Demon Friend in Christian mythology plot
• Muslim woman clothes during apocalypse
  

Judaism 

• Golems (tag)
  
• Jewish Witch
• Jewish Wizards
  
• Jewish Magic Users
  
• Judaism, Monsters and Fairies 
  
• Necromancy, blood magic, and undead
  
• Explicit Jewish representation in secondary-world fantasy
• How literal should secondary-world fantasy Jewish representation get?
  
• Celebrating Jewish holidays (fantasy) in 4 month calendar world
  
• White-coded Fae + North African Jewish-coded Dwarves
• Jewish-coded character, holidays and avoiding stereotypes 
  
• Jewish characters in primarily polytheist fantasy worldbuilding
  
• Harry Potter fanfic without reinforcing unconscious antisemitism 

Name Research and Resources

General Name Research and Resources

• Borrowing Names from other Languages by Meaning 
• Finding reasonably culturally and historically accurate name
  
• Names Selected from Different Cultures
  
• Naming Characters After Deities And Spirits: Santeria As Example
  
• Naming Non-European Locations
• Naming people and places, avoiding coding and stereotypes
• Pet Names for Characters of Color
  
• Potentially Offensive Words as Character Names
• Western Names + Characters of Color

Specific Name Research and Resources

Arab

• Non-Islamic Arabic Naming

Black

• Black Names & Stereotypes

Chinese

• Chinese w/ Meanings for Names
• Chinese-Sounding Names for Fantasy-China Equivalent
  

Indigenous

• Naming Native American Characters

Korean

• Korean Naming Conventions
  
• Korean Names: How to Romanize
  
• Korean Character Names in Fantasy

Latinx

• Mexican Naming Patterns (Apellidos)

South Asian | Indian

• Naming a South Asian Character
• Hindu Indian Family and Names, some derived from gods
  
• Indian Muslim Names
• Indian and other South Asian Names 
• Punjabi Indian-American Naming

Southeast Asian

• Thai Last Names

–WWC

Note this is not a complete list but a compiled list of highlights. Search via the appropriate keywords for more posts.

[the-enchanted-storybook]

Dear cis people, some words:

[calamitys-child]

“menstrual hygiene” not “feminine hygiene”

“they” not “he or she” “he/she” “(s)he” etc

“different gender” not “opposite gender”

“what pronouns do you prefer?” not “so what are you?”

“this is my friend, they like star wars” not “this is my friend, they’re transgender” (seriously why the fuck do you keep doing this why)

[kiriamaya]

I would add that “What are your pronouns?” is a better thing to ask than, “What pronouns do you prefer?” A lot of us want to be clear that our pronouns are not merely a “preference”; they are what we expect you call us.

[thegabecole]

avajae.blogspot.com

On Supporting Diversity

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk on Flickr So as sometimes happens when something negative goes viral, bookish Twitter took action on Monday a...

So as sometimes happens when something negative goes viral, bookish Twitter took action on Monday and responded to an anti-diversity rant that had gone up the night before with a powerful message—that we as a community support diverse narratives.

It began with an author asking people to raise their voices and support diversity and the marginalized in the process. The author later asked to become anonymous and people not connect them to the hashtag anymore, because the backlash against the positive hashtag that came out of it unfortunately brought loads of racists and hateful people into their mentions—another problem all on its own. The hashtag began as #IStandForDiversity, but later transitioned to #ISupportDiversity because the first hashtag was unintentional ableist, but important tweets were shared at both, so I’m going to share some here.

As Paul and Heidi said, one of the best ways to really support diverse books and marginalized authors is to buy books and request them at the library. So, of course, here are a couple book recommendation threads.

• Michael Waters on diverse YA releasing soon.
• Sam Taylor’s diverse book rec thread.
• Sam’s second diverse book rec thread.
• Julie C. Dao’s list of POC kidlit authors debuting in 2017.
• My #ownvoices book rec thread from August 30th.
• Marieke Nijkamp’s thread full of diverse books giveaways ending on 9/9!
• Ashley Herring Blake’s #ownvoices books giveaway ending on 9/13!

And, in conclusion:

So there you have it. Support with your voices, and more importantly with your bought and requested books. Because representation is so, so important and we’re just getting started. 

[sweetlittlevampire]

[writingwithcolor]

[iheartallura]

just a reminder:

a black girl character growing her hair out long breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character having short hair

a black girl character getting to be soft and fragile breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character being strong all the time

a black girl character being protected and comforted by others breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character having no one to look out for her but herself

a black girl character being considered pretty or cute by other characters breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character being considered unattractive

not everything that is empowering for white girls is empowering for black girls

the sexism we face overlaps, but it is not the same

[iheartallura]

yeah so i just wanna clarify that short hair (or no hair!) on black girls is absolutely GORGEOUS and BEAUTIFUL

when i say it ‘breaks less stereotypes’ i don’t mean that it’s bad or unattractive or that you shouldn’t design black girl characters with short hair (or no hair)

a black girl character having short hair (or no hair) being considered pretty by other characters, for example, also breaks stereotypes, because society still for the most part considers only lengthy hair to be ‘feminine’ and ‘attractive’ on women

the reason i bring up the long hair vs. short hair aspect, is because white feminists preach that girls cutting their hair short is empowering, like saying “fuck you” to a society that demands they look alluring and feminine (aka keeping their hair long) all the time

but what needs to be acknowledged is that that simply doesn’t apply to all girls

“long” hair doesn’t necessarily mean “straight” hair. and black girl characters with lengthy locs, massive afro-puffs, long braids, wavy blow-outs, etc. etc. are empowering images for black girls because there is so much trauma and history associated with our hair being considered bad or ugly or a joke or even just straight up unacceptable by society

(that, and there is also the very widespread belief that afro textured hair simply CAN’T grow — which is, you know, bullshit, & an idea that ought to be challenged in fiction, not reinforced)