Welcome to the Skellingcorner, tumblr home of a 27 yo weirdo from Luxembourg.
Blog may contain : Films, Series, Books, Games, and the usual weird stuff. Feel free to come and say hi !
Female characters of color who actually represent their culture.
Less self-sacrificing, martyr girls more girls and women who do things for themselves without feeling bad about it or people judging them for it.
Mothers who do things other than parent and cook.
Mother and daughter characters who don’t hate each others guts.
No more “I’m not like the other girls”.
Girl characters who are good at math and science.
More poor female characters, who come from nothing, and exploring how that effects their heroism. And I don’t mean like middle-class poor, I mean, like having to chose between food and paying bills poor.
Girls who don’t like each other, but can still respect each other.
No more girl heroes/villains whose tragic backstory is getting raped.
No more female characters of color dying or sacrificing themselves for white female characters.
More fat girl characters in fantasy and other genre fiction who are the ones kicking-ass and taking names and being haled the hero. That are defined by something other than their weight.
More girls of various body-types other than “lean.”
More disabled characters in stories that aren’t necessarily about their disability.
More unattractive girl characters.
Girls that are not looking for relationships or losing their virginity.
More non-binary female characters.
More LGBTAQ+ female characters.
“Strong” female characters who actually do things other than fight all the time and have a personality.
More “strong” female characters whose “strength” is something other than fighting.
No more stories sold as “feminist” in which only the leading character is female and everyone else is man, and only other female characters are minor or antagonists.
No more using “like a girl” or being a girl as an insult.
Stop making female characters be “bitches” just because. Unlikable characters are still supposed to be likable, meaning: love to hate, hate to love. Just look at Scarlett O’Hara, she’s a godawful awful person, but she’s a fantastic character.
I’ve been writing a fantasy in which there are more or less three races and I have basically given them skin tone based on their geographic location. My dominate racial group is from the warm/fertile valley area and so they have a golden, terra-cotta sort of skin tone. However, my primary main character is from the northern mountains with a pinkish skin tone and asian-like features/facial structure, but light eyes. I didn’t want to write a fantasy book with three races that, beyond pointed ears and height differences, are all white, but now I have my light skinned mountain race as a marginalized group…. So now I am wondering if it is offensive that I have flipped it and if it is wrong to have a white-ish character experiencing (albeit very little, I really don’t want to focus too much on race) bias from the dominate group. My other marginalized group are my Durran people who live in the desert region, but the hatred that comes their way is more based in religious differences, since thousands of years ago this group fled the Nati valley because of religious persecution. I wouldn’t even want to include race as problem, but in developing these different cultures it seems that it must be an issue on some level.
Alright, nice that you’re trying to write a more diverse fantasy! I think you’ve made a great start to creating and developing these races. It could use some tweaking though.
This is more of a general tip than an answer to your question specifically, but I thought it might be helpful to some if included. One thing I see too little of in fantasy is when we write races, we forget that not everyone belonging to that race is a carbon copy of everyone else. Of course this all depends on how you define race within your world building, or how you perceive it in real life, all that will play a role in how you write what you write, but I thought I should just mention that. Especially since (genetic) diversity is important for a group’s survival. So that’s just a tip. You can decide what those differences can pertain to and to what degree.
As to your questions, I am wondering how you came to the conclusion that race has to be an issue. I am all for not ignoring how race impacts a world and the people who live in it. When racism is logical and expected because the world shares similarities with ours, keeping that out can really negatively influence a book, imo. I’m however not against a fantasy book being free of racism or xenophobia. We like our escapism from time to time too. It’s nice to be able to tame a dragon, discover new magic, and not be hunted down by racists at every corner.
If you’re just tacking it on because you added diversity and you feel like diverse characters need to experience oppression, maybe really think hard about that first.
If the racism has to be an issue, try to see why one group discriminates against another. Don’t go the “they were enormous assholes before so now we enslaved them” route, since that’s not how racism usually works. Unlike popular belief, racism is hardly if ever a reaction to the oppressed people “deserving it due to past actions”. It’s because racists look down on and feel entitled to abuse and dehumanise a whole group of people because they’re different.
So from what I get out of your ask is that you have a race of people who seem Asian (you know that’s a super broad descriptor right?) but with white features.
Now your Northern race doesn’t sound like they’re white to our world’s racial standards. Light skinned people of colour who are minorities exist. I don’t see a problem with writing that into your book, but you will have to do your research to what that may look like.
To continue on the brown skinned people discriminate against light skinned people, while it does happen, I feel often when it is addressed it is either used as a, see brown people can be assholes too! Or, see, reverse racism exists! Or, let’s teach white people what if feels like by switching roles because how could they EVER possibly empathize with those Black people? Colette notes: even if the light-skinned people are being othered due to religion, you’d have to lather it on thick to fully convince the reader due to bias of darker-skinned people being bullies simply waiting for the power to oppress. Bleh.
Reasons like that are why many of us are wary when this situation arises, especially since, no matter where you go, in almost every place, the darker the people, the more discriminated they get (due to (neo-)colonisation, colorism, Eurocentric beauty standards, etc.).
This is a divisive issue; there are plenty of people who will tell you that you don’t need an agent, or that you should avoid them at all costs. They’ll tell you either that they’re blood suckers, or that you’ll never get anywhere without them.
The truth is less clear cut, but certainly there are pros and cons to being represented by a literary agent;
- urgently marched into A&E and said ‘we’re having knee pain!!’ to the confused receptionist. i had to explain that it was only my knee and that he was just worried
- when asked to tag me in a meme of ‘what water are you?’, said ‘you are the ocean: home to all friends’
- loved ‘filthy gorgeous’ and, rather than learning the words, learned ‘all three parts in the song where they ring a triangle’
- after we had an argument about him not ‘getting’ my ADHD, i caught him halfway through a three hour playlist of lectures on ADHD, with a pen in hand, taking notes
- he suffered a TBI last summer and he did not like the orienting questions they ask (’what year is it? what day is it?’ etc). when asked ‘do you know where you are?’, he cracked one eye open and angrily said ‘in bed!’
- he played knack 2 and hated it. when i asked why he was still playing it, he said ‘so i never have to play it again’. he got every achievement and as soon as he got the last one he stood up, ejected the disc and returned it to the store
- lately he’s given up on making lunch so he just drinks huel which is a meal replacement shake, except huel is kind of boring so he sometimes puts nesquick strawberry powder in there
- my favourite drink is pepsi max. when asked about his dreams for the future, they often involve ‘being rich enough to find a way to pump pepsi max directly into our house’
- one time in our first year of dating i hadn’t seen him in weeks, whereas we normally saw each other all day every day, so i was gonna go stay with him for a couple days. he had a temporary job (i’m talking 2 weeks total) at the time and i was bummed that i was gonna be alone at his for a bit, but w/e. he was texting me like ‘work is going okay, in the line for the canteen right now’ while i got on the bus. i found the key where he said it was, i found a note on the table like ‘hi love! the wifi code is [password], I’ll be back at 5!’, and then I went into the lounge and he was there. he was lying on a fold-out bed with Marvin Gaye playing. the TV was on a powerpoint slide that said ‘Welcome, Jess. I quit my job.’ he was entirely naked except for a cushion with the letter ‘D’ over his crotch. im 95% sure there were candles
- we play the game Rimworld, where you micromanage a colony of people on an alien planet. he uses it entirely to simulate a peaceful colony, mostly of women, who have a large number of animals they care for and train. one time he got this random event where all the women in the colony got a psychic mood boost and he was like ‘honestly that’s my life goal’
- when he was in hospital and his cognitive functions were slowly coming back, he looked up from twitter with horror and said ‘jess… is the american president a racist?’
- we were playing Articulate, which is a game where you have to describe a word without saying the word itself. His partner said ‘when you’re beginning sex, you are…’. he, without a second of hesitation, yelled ‘FOREPLAY’. the answer was actually ‘initiating’, but my ego grew like fourteen times
- one time he asked me what guacamole was, and i told him, and he said ‘if it’s made up of things that already have names why does it have a different name?’ i have not let him live this down yet
- i used to have an eating disorder, and whilst i’m good 99.9% of the time now i occasionally do have wobbles. one time i’d eaten some mini-donuts and i told him ‘i kind of want to check the calories on those…’, so he immediately pulled the label off and ate it
- i lost him for like twenty minutes at a uni event, and when i found him he presented me with a pepsi max badge and said ‘i rode this mechanical bull to try and win you a year’s supply but i fell off pretty quickly. sorry.’
- we won the ‘best couple’ award in our year at uni, but neither of us were there to collect it because i was ill and he left halfway through to come home and take care of me
- one time he wasn’t paying attention while making lunch and he cracked an egg directly into the bin. the look of confusion on his face was priceless.
- on the rare occasions when i wake up before him, when i kiss him/ touch him he makes these little like… activation sounds? you know like when you touch a cat? it’s like those
REAL TALK: WE ALL NEED TO STOP SHOPPING AT HOT TOPIC
THEY STEAL ART
THEIR SIZING IS PRETTY RIDICULOUS.
THEY QUIT SELLING GOTH AND PUNK SHIT ALTOGETHER.
AND THIS LATEST SHIT STORM
MARKETING ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS. HOW LOVELY.
Hot topic went down the shitter long ago and it’s time to find a new place to get your totally awesome fandom inspired t-shirts and goth gear. Here are some sites where you can get your expressive clothing without feeding into this corporate shit monster of a store. Most if not all of the art on these sites are posted by the original artist. (I’m not sure about the goth stuff, you might have to check, some are brand name though so it should be fine)
So I didn’t do any internship blogging yesterday because I literally crashed into bed and almost didn’t do it today for the very same reason, but I decided to post something nonetheless. I won’t be updating you every day, since the stuff I do tends to get a bit repetitive, and I don’t wanna bore you (are you even nterested in this? Is anyone reading this? XD).
Yesterday I recorded stuff. Actually, I recorded a jingle to advertise the radio station - my boss was like “I need a female voice for this jingle. You’ll record this. Like in five minutes.”And I was like “….ooookayyy…” XDD But she wanted to show me how the studio works anyways, so that was fine. Did get to listen to it today, and it sounds pretty funny.
What I also did record, cut and put music to was a five-minute thingie about the International Day of the English language on April 23rd. Since this radio station offers programs in different languages (Luxembourgish, French, German, English, and even Arabic), I thought it would be fun to look up the history of International Days in general, and to then see how English situates itself in a country that’s as multilingual as Luxembourg. I was given more or less free reign in terms of what I wanted to talk about and only needed an “That sounds cool, go for it”, or an “that doesnt fit our target audience and program too well, maybe look for something different?”
Obviously I got the Okay to record this, and I finished post-production this morning. Just in time, because the thing will be broadcast tomorrow (April 19th, 2018). Yep. So last internship I wrote something that got recorded by a more seasoned radio host and then broadcast. This time it was like “We know you’ve never spoken behind the mic as a host before, but this is day 2 of your internship - record it, and we’ll broadcast it. “ NOOOO PRESSURE. I suspect they wanted to see how well I can get on with the program, and if my talking game would have been too weak, they would have refrained from broadcasting it.
But my boss had a listen to it this morning after it was completed, and then she stared at me for like three seconds, nodded, and said: “Beautifully done.” And I blushed like an idiot. XD Seems that went down well.
(If any of my Luxembourgish folks want to listen? You can do so tomorrow between 3 and 4 pm during the show “Graffiti Talks” on Radio ARA. There’s a livestream button on their website - just google Radio ARA Luxembourg. They’re working on getting the podcast archive redone, so I’m not sure if I can link the individual show once it has been broadcast. My part is in Luxembourgish, btw.)
In regards to my own show - I’ll have a one hour spot to fill on Fridays (not this upcoming one though), and it will probably be a show about music and literature; at least that’s the plan. I want to examine the relationship between music and literature, how they reflect one another, and how this can be seen in different time periods. Think Harlem Renaissance, or the Beat Generation. If possible I’ll include music from those respective time periods as well. I also thought about doing one show about songs people may or may not know were inspired by literature, and to look if and how they presented the stories in a different way. The two first shows will be pre-recorded; the third one is scheduled to be a live show (and I’m absolutely terrified, haha!).
So yeah. Pretty exciting stuff. Pretty cool too that I get to talk and research about stuff I’m passionate about. Though I have to admit that I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed because pressure. But oh well, I’ll just have to deal with it.
I have a story where alien species have physical traits similar to Earth animals/materials/legends but are coded via cultures and appearance to Earth groups. The main pairings I have are Bengali/monkey, Kinh Vietnamese/squid, Syrian Arab/cricket, Han/scarlet macaw, Javanese/gold, Uzbek/agar, Italian/pretzels, Hausa/cyclops, and Romani Rroma/trees. (There is ethnic diversity in each species, but these are the ethnicities of the main characters.) (Part 1 of 2)
I know some comparisons and connotations when given to different races are terrible, like pairing Black people with dogs or comparing dark skin to food, so are any of the pairings I’ve got negative? I’m especially wondering about the monkey ones, since apparently people associate monkeys with low status for some reason (?). Also, are there any other bad pairings I should be aware of in continuing to create characters? (Part 2 of 2)
Aliens: Ethnic Comparisons to Animals, Objects, and Nature
This is one where you’ll have to be careful to avoid racist, overgeneralizing undertones (and overtones). It’s asking a lot for us to evaluate each one of these comparisons, so I simply direct you to research, research, research.
Look into the common animals in a particular region you’re associating people with. Look into how that animal/object is looked upon. Culturally, religiously, historically. Is it revered, neutrally or negatively associated? Key is to look beyond your own cultural perspective and try to depict appropriate comparisons that the people themselves would be okay with.
Also, how does this work when you’ve got mixed race aliens? Do they take on one of their parent’s traits, a bit of both? How does this work on a long term basis when you’ve got a grandmother who may be a mix of ethnicities?
Without much context, I think the food and object comparisons come across a bit strange…such as Italian / Pretzels. That baffled us. How do people look like trees and pretzels? How are you deciding to make certain people compared to objects and others animals?
I suggest you:
Avoid the object comparisons and keep it to animals (or objects), particularly with People of Color such as the Roma here.
OR Even out the distribution of object /animal / nature comparison
AND, in any case, explain how this concept works, avoiding bias and ethnocentric generalizing in your choices.
but why do people have to make everything around race anyways 😫😫 like WHY is it needed for the story? it could literally be about haircolor or height or whatever but it ALWAYS have to be about race i really dont get it ugh. i dont wanna get compared to animals or food, we always get that irl anyways like
its-a-writer-thing
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writingwithcolor
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