The World of an Auburn Clairvoyant...

Today we announced some big updates to our Community Guidelines and what kind of content is permitted on Tumblr. Adult content will no longer be allowed here. While we do not judge anyone for their desire to post, engage with, or view this stuff, it is time for us to change our relationship with it.

We expect you may have some questions on how this will affect you, and we’re here to make sure those questions get answered.

When does the new policy take effect?

Our new Community Guidelines will go into effect on December 17, 2018.

Newly uploaded content flagged as adult will no longer be allowed on Tumblr. We’ll also begin flagging and removing existing adult content with the ultimate goal of removing as much of it as we can.

What is considered adult content?

Adult content primarily includes photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any content—including photos, videos, GIFs and illustrations—that depicts sex acts.

What is still permitted?

Examples of exceptions that are still permitted are exposed female-presenting nipples in connection with breastfeeding, birth or after-birth moments, and health-related situations, such as post-mastectomy or gender confirmation surgery. Written content such as erotica, nudity related to political or newsworthy speech, and nudity found in art, such as sculptures and illustrations, are also stuff that can be freely posted on Tumblr.

What about Safe Mode?

Our new policy negates the need for Safe Mode so this feature will no longer exist. These new policies are the same regardless of your age. Read more here.

My content was flagged, but I don’t think it should be. What should I do?

If you feel that we have categorized your post incorrectly, you can appeal this decision with the form that was sent to you via email or use the button on the post in question. Please note that this process is only possible to complete on the web or with Tumblr app version 12.2 or higher.

Read more about how to review your content and appeal here.

What goes into classifying content as adult?

This work requires a mix of machine-learning classification and human moderation by our Trust & Safety team—the group of individuals who help moderate Tumblr. We’ve been expanding the team to handle the increased workload, and we will continue to expand as needed.

Computers are better than humans at scaling process—and we need them for that—but they’re not as good at making nuanced, contextual decisions. This is an evolving process for all of us, and we’re committed to getting this right. That’s why when you appeal a post we’ve marked as adult, it gets sent to a real, live human who will look it over with their real, live human eye(s).

Will I see any adult content on Tumblr after December 17, 2018?

Due to the technical challenges that come with moderation at scale you may continue to see some adult content. This is true for all types of content that might be in violation of our guidelines. At any given moment, millions of people are posting to Tumblr. To review everything and to get it right is complex, but we’re committed to continuously improving.

As always, if you see a post with adult content that you don’t want to see, you can report it directly to our Trust & Safety team. Learn about how to report content here.

What will happen to my adult content already on Tumblr?

Starting today, we will begin sending out email notices to members of the Tumblr community whose content has been flagged as adult. This email will provide a link to the post(s) in question and a form to appeal our decision if you think we have made a mistake. Starting on December 17, 2018, any post(s) that have been flagged will be reverted to a private setting viewable only by you. If you want to learn more about how to see those posts, please visit our Help Center.

As always, please make sure the email associated with your Tumblr account is one you use regularly. It’s how we get in touch when we need you!

You can also download the contents of your blog(s) before these policy changes take effect. Find out how here.

What if my blog (not to be confused with posts) was marked as “explicit” before December 17, 2018?

Blogs that have been either self-flagged or flagged by us as “explicit” per our old policy and before December 17, 2018 will still be overlaid with a content filter when viewing these blogs directly. While some of the content on these blogs may now be in violation of our policies and will be actioned accordingly, the blog owners may choose to post content that is within our policies in the future, so we’d like to provide that option. Users under 18 will still not be allowed to click through to see the content of these blogs. The avatars and headers for these blogs will also be reverted to the default settings.

You can check and see if your blog is marked as explicit per our old policy in your visibility settings. If you think your blog has been erroneously marked as explicit, please send an appeal here.

Will I get kicked off of Tumblr if I’ve uploaded adult content in the past?

We’re removing content, not people. However, those who repeatedly and deliberately post new content that violates our updated guidelines may have their account deactivated per our Terms of Service. If you feel you’ve been incorrectly suspended, you can appeal here.

What if I reblogged adult content?

The original poster of the content will be notified of its removal, and it will no longer be on your blog.

What if I have more “What if” questions?

We got you. You can review our updated Community Guidelines right over here. If you still haven’t found an answer to your question, you can ask our support team.

Send an emoji to learn how good/bad my muse is at that particular skill!

💋 — kissing

💄 — makeup

👾 — video games

🎵 — singing

💃 — dancing

🎹 — playing an instrument

🌷 — taking care of living things

🌲 — surviving in the wilderness

👊 — fighting

😇 — following rules

🍳 — cooking

🍼 — taking care of children

🎁 — giving presents to others

🎉 — hosting parties

💌 — romance/flirting

🎨 — art

🍀 — luck

⚽️  — sports

🏊 — swimming

🚗 — driving

🔮 — magic

🔎 — investigating

🔫 — long range weapons

💣 — explosives

🔪 — melee weapons

🔬 — scientific pursuits

🚿 — hygiene

💰 — finance

🌍 — knowledge of the world

👻 — communing with the paranormal

📚 — reading

🔧 — engineering/mechanics

⌛️ — time management

📥 — organization

🍺 — alcohol tolerance

🚴 — riding a bike

🎭 — performance art/acting

⚓️ — sailing

Let 👏 People👏 Write👏 What👏 They 👏 Want👏 With 👏 Who👏 They👏 Want👏

It isn’t YOUR blog. You don’t have the right to tell people how to portray their character and how their character can act.

     bring back helpfulness. aid the role players who aren’t as big as you. show support and care on your path as you, too, were that role player at some point in life. include, don’t exclude. make this hobby enjoyable again, show the newcomers that they too have a place among the veterans of this page.

     bring back patience. people will do mistakes, it’s a part of our system, but allow people to make up for what they did. allow people to grow as growing takes time and mistakes can be made up for; there are no judges here, no police, not anyone with the slightest spec of power. we are all people, and threats do not belong here.

Siblings, a relationship that’s one of the most common in the world and therefore is often thought of as “simple” or “easy to write”, but just like friendships, every sibling relationship is going to be different because it involves 2 different individuals.

Though not a complete list of all the potential details to consider, these four main factors are a good place to start when crafting a sibling relationship. None of these factors solely dictate anything and instead all work in tandem (and possible without outside influence) to construct a bond unique to the two characters.

Culture and Family Upbringing

Every culture has different guidelines on how siblings are raised and so does every family. Families are guided by culture but can disregard some aspects if the parents have a reason to, though keep in mind that any culture-straying parents would have to have knowledge and awareness beyond their own immediate society for that to realistically work. If parents raise siblings differently than general culture dictates then society would have a reaction, so make sure that deviations have realistic consequences (“consequences” not being inherently negative and rather a natural effect of a different choice).  

This is also where gender plays the biggest role. In many cultures, opposite-sex siblings tend to drift apart when puberty starts because of cultural pressure to conform to feminine or masculine interests and behavior. The pressure would have been there before puberty, but the approach of sexual maturity usually polarizes the issue even further. A strong bond can certainly survive the gender rift, but like any other aspect of growing up it’s going to be a source of change for that relationship.

Not all siblings are going to conform to what society says is “normal”, with or without parental upbringing choices, but it can be worth to at least research/generate what cultural boundaries might implicitly exist in the story’s context.  

Personality and Interests

This factor is just like how personality affects friendships, but with the dial turned up to 11. Unlike friends, siblings usually live together and that tends to lead to more fights but also to a deeper understanding of each other. They’ll know what annoys the other, creates joy, behavior patterns, etc. Knowledge can lead to manipulation and purposeful actions to get a reaction, but it also means a level of understanding that allows for more positive interactions.

Sibling personality development can also be affected by each other. A supportive older sibling is more likely to have a more confident younger one, close-age siblings can mimic each other until it’s ingrained in them, excessive teasing can cause fear— the cause and effects go on and on. Personality is based on nature and nurture, so sibling interaction can provide a level of nurture that helps shape a character during the most impressionable parts of their life. Level of interaction, especially into teen years when children grow more independent, tends to be guided by interests.

It’s no surprise that people who have similar interests are more likely to interact with each other, so siblings that like the same activities are likely to bond on a level that mimics friendship. Siblings without regular interaction tend to resemble roommates with that added layer of “I’ve known you for all (or most) of your life”. Some siblings with differing interests can find ways to work together to keep a bond, like if one writes and one draws, but others can drift apart if they fail to find common ground as they grow up.

Age  

Siblings with larger age gaps (5+ years) are less likely to be as close as siblings with smaller gaps, and that mostly has to do with life stages and shared interests. People going through similar things in life tend to find common ground and friendship easier than with someone in a different life stage. Older siblings are more likely to take on an almost parent-like role with much younger siblings, which doesn’t always go away once they both reach adulthood. Younger siblings of large age gaps tend to really look up to the elder, especially when the elder is at an age to provide a level of care. Rivalries between siblings with large age gaps tend to be one-sided and come from the youngest.

Siblings with a medium age gap (2-5 years) tend to see the biggest fights because they’re just close enough to participate in similar things yet just far enough to develop more independently and want to do things differently. A younger sibling can play and interact with the older, but the details of that activity may be out of the younger one’s abilities which can frustrate the older. Older siblings of medium age gaps tend to be very protective because they interact with the younger one frequently but still recognize that they are responsible “big brother/sister”. Rivalries between siblings with medium age gaps can be most intense, but so can the affection.

Siblings with a small age gap (>2 years) are typically closest because they go through all major life stages together and have the best understanding of how the other is feeling because of that coinciding life development. They can directly share things, as opposed to getting clear “hand me downs”, but they can also be sensitive to unequal attention given by parents, teachers, etc. which can cause jealousy. Because they don’t usually develop independently, they can feel the greatest anxiety when separated.

Despite the concrete ages given, age gap effects are a spectrum and it’s not odd to see overlap or deviation with some of the border age differences.

Life Events

This one tends to matter more for adult siblings. Of course children have life events that affect their relationship with others, but the variation usually isn’t quite as great until when the siblings grow up and are able to make life decisions independently. “Life events” are things like marriage, moving away, new job, things that change a character’s life in a way that can affect a relationship with a sibling. For teenagers, a first romantic relationship can be the introduction to choices that lead to major life events.  

Life events test relationships by forcing the sibling not making the choice into a reaction. While reactions would be mostly based on personality and level of sibling closeness, stories often work with major life events that bring sibling relationships into the forefront of scenes and sometimes even the plot. Depending on past life events some sibling relationships can greatly change over time, so it’s a good idea to keep track of pivotal life choices and first time experiences to get an idea of how siblings interact, especially when writing adults.

With those four main factors in mind, sibling relationships should be unique to each pair. It’s not uncommon for siblings to have different ideas of how their relationship works (one-sided rivalries, obliviousness, etc.) and that’s when you have to remember that while the characters are individuals first and siblings second. Younger lives are more likely to be affected by siblings than older ones due to frequency of exposure and the limited bubble of childhood, but lives aren’t shaped solely around the other and a sibling relationship is only part of a whole character.  

In Part 2, the focus will be more on the actual writing rather than the relationship planning, along with common issues that arise.

You are irreplaceable. 

Each and every one of you contribute something to the RPC as a whole - your unique outlook on your character, your hand crafted OC, your headcanons: be they ones you worked on for weeks, or a short one that feels silly, one that cropped up in plotting, or one that was inspired by a day dream. Each and every one of you is special - and the community as a whole, as well as the separate fandoms, would not be the same without you. 

You all contribute something beautiful to this world, and the lives of those who follow you, who see you in their notifs, who’s ask you leave a message in - the lives of those you meet are better for it. 

Thank you, person reading this, for existing. 

To Write (or not write) with Diversity

No one can force you to write inclusive stories. Inclusive meaning media that consists of marginalized people, because that is what diversity really is - including people who have always been right there, but have been purposefully left out and erased from the pages of books and scripts. Those who are, when finally represented, are overwhelmingly assigned small, unflattering, and / or stereotypical roles.

Pages like Writing With Color are an offering. Our presence here is for those who choose to write with diversity. We aim to make being inclusive easier because we all believe in the importance of it. But as much as we know how enriching diversity can be, we cannot convince you to do something you don’t necessarily believe in.

Don’t do it because you feel forced

As you mentioned, you’ve read the posts. You know the facts. The decision cannot be forced upon you.  If anything, including diversity out of obligation alone could lead to bad representation. Forcing people to do things without motivation usually means it’ll lack effort, or be done with spite. Trust me when I say marginalized people don’t usually want to see themselves represented by someone who does not want them there. That unwelcome feeling shows. In short: Lack of representation hurts. Bad representation hurts worse.

I only ask that you have accountability.  

Now that you’re aware that your works default to white, you have a choice to make. I think a lot of us grew up reading and writing very white stories - both as PoC and white people - but once you possess the knowledge that things can be different, your next step is a conscious one. You’re not on auto-pilot anymore when you make everyone white (and/or straight, able-bodied, etc). You know better now. Own up to your choices.

So ask yourself: why have I chosen to write without diversity?

I’m afraid to write People of Color. 

Being uncomfortable writing People of Color is a big reason why people stick to writing white people, and only garnish their stories with PoC, if that. White people have long been the default, the everyman. White perspectives are “neutral” to approach. It’s daunting to go from feeling you can portray characters in whatever way you wish to suddenly having the weight of good versus harmful representation on your shoulders.

You don’t want backlash from getting it wrong. You also don’t want to be insensitive to groups. It’s easy to avoid writing them altogether, right? Sure. 

Be aware, though:

You’re making a choice to exclude people out of fear.

Of course, new things are scary. But that’s okay! Courage is the ability to do things that frighten you. Face your fears. Will you shrink away from the challenge, or use it to your advantage?

Let the fear fuel you to do better and to know better. Your concerns about writing PoC can drive you to get the research right in order to best represent people. If your fear is leading to more effort into thoughtful creation, you’re putting it to good use.

Let me tell you right now - you will mess up.

Maybe in small ways, perhaps in a big way. But mistakes will not kick start the apocalypse. Ideally:

Do your research to avoid the most obvious and devastating mistakes from the jump.

Equip yourself with the right beta-reader and sensitivity readers to catch those things. 

Even with errors, your story can be quite enjoyable for people who hardly see themselves represented. Yes, mistakes and all.

As a Black woman bookworm, if you write an exciting story about a Black girl on adventures and falling in love but mention a few questionable things about how she takes care of her hair…I will wince, but it won’t ruin the book for me. I’m willing to overlook some things, for the sake of my enjoyment, and let the author know how I felt about those parts in hopes they can improve.

Say you get something real important wrong. People call you out for it. I suggest you apologize, listen to their critiques, and do better. If possible, pull back the story and re-release when you’ve improved the piece. If that’s not an option, fix it in future works. Getting a finger wagged at you doesn’t mean lock up in fear and never write with diversity again. It means you improve.

Research PoC like you would on any topic:

For comparison’s sake, consider writing People of Color (or any group different from you) like writing other topics you’re unfamiliar with in-depth. 

For example: You may know the basics on Medieval England. The knights, royalty, and so on. But i’m sure there’s a lot of misconceptions mixed in there from television or unreliable sources. 

To write people from this perspective, you would do lots of additional research… right?  

If someone mentioned how you messed up on some of the facts, you would take note and dig into it more for the future…right? 

You might even have more experienced persons check your facts for accuracy beforehand to do the best job possible.

Approach researching PoC in the same way as other topics. There may not be hard facts on how to write an X character, but there are portrayals to avoid with explanations why, and roles people want to see themselves in.

I don’t like to be told what to write.

There’s this misconception that writing with diversity restricts creativity. I get it - there are things you’re being told not to do when writing certain groups. The lists of No’s can get dense. This reflects how poor representation has been for People of Color as there are a number of stereotypical portrayals folks are tired of seeing and has been detrimental to them.

Fiction simply reflects real life: People of Color being viewed through the lens of preconceived notions means being written on with those stereotypes in mind. It is a vicious cycle. Stereotypes are more than an annoyance - they can and do lead to real life consequences.

Being treated like a stereotype lowers our quality of life. Experiencing racism and daily microaggressions has a psychological effect - from insecurity, depression and PTSD - it is serious. (X)

Viewing People of Color by their stereotypes is what makes, say, a Black person who speaks with passion no matter what it’s about (and even if they’ve been wronged) too hostile and “Angry” to take seriously. If anything, they’re now a serious threat. And that’s dangerous for them.

Put yourself in the shoes of the overly typecast.

Think of a time someone misunderstood you. You had a bad day and acted grumpy. Well, being a grump defines who you are now. When asked, people describe you as crabby and humorless. Every new person you meet sees your every action through that lens.

Strangers tiptoe around you, as they can just tell you’re ill-tempered. Peers choose their words carefully, afraid of what might spark your wrath. Your children even inherit the title; teachers discipline them more and take other students’ word over theirs- your kids are snappy, difficult, and known to not play well with others, after all.

Wouldn’t that get old? Wouldn’t you feel it was unfair to be reduced to a label, and that you’re sick of being defined by it? Wouldn’t you have the desire to be seen for who you truly are, and can be? Perhaps you do get grumpy sometimes, which is just being human. You’re so much more than a grouch.

Stereotypes are not creative.

Writing outside of stereotypes open up so many more possibilities. How many times have we seen the Black Best Friend play out in media? You’re not being silenced when readers criticize your sassy sidekick. Your message has been heard, loud and clear - again and again and again. People are upset because it’s not anything new - in fact, it is quite old.  We want multiple portrayals. Why not create something new before you decide to write so closely to how we are always written?

OP said: I don’t want to change my stories/characters to suit everyone else while not liking them myself.

This should not be the case. Avoiding stereotypes has nothing to do with making unlikeable or even perfect characters. Simply make Characters of Color who go beyond stereotypes! Characters who are best friends without being arc-less doormats. Characters who are fierce and emotional and stand for something without being simplified to irrational, hostile, and angry. 

Knowing the difference between stereotype and culture is important, too. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re doing something wrong when their bias means they perceive your character as being stereotypical, or problematic, when they’re not. (See: Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception.)  

If anything, writing beyond hard labels leads to complex characters. Writing about new cultures is interesting and can be exciting. 

If you only like your East Asian characters when they’re geniuses or your Black girls when they’re angry without a cause…do some self-reflection. Why do your Characters of Color only seem “right” to you when they are flat, or confined to stereotypes? Why not allow them to be complex humans?

I’m not convinced that representation matters.

Well, representation does matter. A lot. While it has been written on so much, and there being countless studies, statistics, and personal accounts to support this, I would like to mention…

Representation (or lack thereof) lowers self-worth.

Studies show TV boosts the self-esteem of white boys. The confidence of People of Color and girls of all races, on the other hand, decreases when watching TV (X X). 

“If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves.” -Junot Diaz

The Racial Empathy Gap.

I want to be brief (too late, right?) so let me just mention another point of research for you: the racial empathy gap. Stereotyped depictions and the limited roles for People of Color are internalized by society, leading to lack of empathy towards People of Color and the enforcement of stereotypes in real time. Lack of empathy actively affects how PoC are treated, such as the belief that Black people experience less pain than others and therefore are misdiagnosed (their illnesses and pain are downplayed) and under treated (X X X). 

Fiction Increases Empathy.

In addition to the racial empathy gap, look into the studies on how fiction improves empathy. For example: reading about vampires increases empathy towards vampires. Imagine what non-stereotyped, marginalized depictions in fiction can do for empathy.  (X, X)

The strength in which people are against representation speaks volumes. 

If representation does not matter, then why are some people so angry when it’s there? Let’s take book to movie depictions: 

A Character of Color depicted as white simply means they were the best actor for the job, according to a vocal presence in social media. 

However, even a verified Character of Color being depicted as such leads to boycotting, accusations of being “Politically-correct”, and wide complaints that they can’t relate to the characters and they are poor actors. Never mind that so many Actors of Color attend prestigious schools only to get so far.

The hypocrisy speaks to a need for more representation, and a prevalent lack of empathy. 

The People Want Diversity!

On a positive note: shows that reflect the real world, aka include diversity, continue to get high ratings despite many obstacles: those who don’t want them there, lack of advertising or inconvenient airtime for shows with diverse leads, the ole bait-and-switch method, and hasty cancellations. Not to mention media simply refusing to be inclusive even when they know “diversity sells” (X X). Gee, I wonder why….

Audiences are more drawn to projects that feature a diverse cast, a new study finds, though mirroring the population in the United States remains a problem.

“Less-diverse product underperforms in the marketplace, and yet it still dominates,” said Ana-Christina Ramón, the report’s co-author and assistant director of the Bunche Center. “This makes no financial sense.” 

-Diversity in Hollywood Pays Off in Ratings and Box Office, New Study Finds

Diversity simply reflects the real world accurately. 

There is nothing forced about diversity. People of Color exist in the real world, go out and about, and have lives. Creators including marginalized people only seems strange because media actively scratches them out as much as possible, pulling the marginalized out of focus to zoom in on white characters. That is what’s unrealistic. 

Ultimately, you, the writer, will write what you want. Just ask yourself why you have decided this is what you want to write. Are you okay with that reason? Despite all the progress that is being made, you’ll blend in just fine with all of the other mostly white books and movies out there. And as people become more conscious and bored with the same stories, we can and will choose to ignore whitewashed media.

The good thing is that there’s so much awareness and activism going on with representation; the path has been paved for you and it is not lonely! 

There are resources out there, and WWC continues to be one of them.

More Reading - Diversity:

Braving Diversity: How to Write Yourself (and others) out of your Story  (An early WWC post quite relevant to you, OP)

Diversity exists in the real world 

The Key to Moving Beyond checklisting is not LESS diversity 

Bad Representation vs Tokenism vs Diversity: just existing without justification like in the real world

How to research your racially/ethnically diverse characters 

     COPYRIGHT AND SELLING RESOURCES IN THE RPC

   Aka: stop selling things you don’t have the rights to, it’s illegal

Alright folks, time to settle down, because today I’m going to teach you about copyright infringement, and what you can and can not legally sell in the RPC.

Also at the very end, I’m going to include some resources that hopefully will help you find a way to sell your stuff in a legal way, because a lot of people here are breaking some laws unknowingly.