Mars_1Z

anything will help

we dont have a thing to eat today and we are just broke as hell

i do art commisions check out my kofi i also have rebubble

and

ppal

Fic you clicked on the most times this year: Days into Decades by @lost-girl-2021

30. Most popular fandom by total fic numbers you read this year: lol it's 100% Avatar fanfic

38. Most popular pairing by total number of fics read: Miles Quaritch & Miles "Spider" Socorro.

@writingraccoon said:

My character is black in a dungeons and dragons-like fantasy world. His name is Kazuki Haile (pronounced hay-lee), and his mother is this world's equivalent of Japanese, which is where his first name is from, while his father is this world's equivalent of Ethiopian, which is where his last name is from. He looks much more like his father, and has hair type 4a. I plan to make his character very finnicky about his hair, both enjoying styling it, but also often being unsure how to style it (not in that he doesn't know how to, but has so many options for how to style it, he has trouble choosing). However, I know that there are some very harmful ways to write black hair, especially in regards to how the black character themselves feels about it. Kazuki does not hate his hair, in fact he takes joy in it, and I'm researching black hair and hair styles to be as accurate as possible. But I'm unsure if portraying a black character as occasionally overwhelmed by or vain about his hair is negative. How would you suggest either changing this or making it work? Does it need to be changed in the first place?

Black Character Overwhelmed by Curly Afro Hair

Your Black character wanting his hair to look its best and at times feeling overwhelmed seems reasonable and natural to me. It appears their challenge comes with how to style it. Not so much with struggling how it looks or how hard it is to manage. That is good, as this further helps avoid placing a strong negative focus on Black hair. 

Him caring a lot about how it is style should not be deemed vain or frivolous, either. In any case, hair care is self care. There’s nothing wrong with having pride with your hair, especially hair that mainstream society, historically and present, might say is not beautiful. This still matters, even in a fantasy world, since your readers still exist in this reality. It’s empowering and a welcome change to see someone who loves their afro hair, actually.

There are unique factors someone with coily afro hair would experience vs. straight, wavy, or looser curls, but people struggling with their hair (too frizzy, too flat, too limp, too thin, too thick!) is universal. 

There is a delicate balance to achieve.

Avoid Writing a Black Hair Journey Experience 

An overall negative Afro hair journey might be the reality for many, especially when society deems Afro hair as unacceptable and slaps so many uninvited opinions, laws and policies over its existence and on certain styles (again, historically and very much at present), but that’s the kind of story that is best handled by someone with the background. Someone willing to commit to the research might also be able to pull it off, although it’s truly not the kind of thing an escapism novel needs in my opinion. If the story is not meant to delve into “A Black /Black Hair Experience” then I'd avoid going that route. That is moving a bit towards a struggle narrative, depending on how much it defines your character’s story.

Add positive and neutral hair language and interactions

For your writing, I’d avoid using unchallenged negative language about his hair. Being overwhelmed at times and frustrated is one thing and expected. If his hair is constantly brought up, and is associated with uncontrollable, ugly, or too [insert struggle here], then rethink the direction you’re going. 

Add some positive or neutral terms, reactions, and interactions in the narrative towards afro hair, such as describing color and texture.

“His fine coils bounced in the wind.” 

“Hair black and shiny” 

“She wore her hair in two large, fluffy buns.”

“He admired his fresh, neat braids in the mirror, smiling at his reflection, before turning to leave.”

Another tip: It may have been for research purposes, but leave out any hair number categorizing in the story and rely on description. I’d say this goes for any story, as reading the number would feel off. 

“He had coily 4a hair.” Nahh! :P 

Also, I would suggest sending all passages that focus on his hair to a Black sensitivity reader for review.

More reading:

Gladly! They’re so tragically compelling

He’d loved him, once. Cisco had looked up to him, like the father he wished he had—he loved his family, he did, but it was…easier, with Dr. Wells. Less…complication, less tension. Dr. Wells didn’t frown when Cisco rambled on too long or spiraled into rapid-fire technical jargon, even when said jargon was outside of Dr. Wells’s expertise. He simply smiled indulgently and asked him to explain it a little more simply so he could understand Cisco’s brilliance.

That was always how he framed it: So I can understand your brilliance more clearly.

And of course, he’d handpicked Cisco, fast-tracked him through most of the preliminaries in the STAR hiring process. It had made Hartley jealous, Cisco could tell…but any sympathy Cisco felt was quickly dashed by Hartley’s poor bedside manner. Still, he never stopped doing his best, and Dr. Wells’s approval was worth everything.

So of course Cisco trusted him. Of course, right up until the bitter end, he defended Dr. Wells, steered away from Joe’s suspicions. Even when he tried to convince Caitlin that Dr. Wells was doing something shady, Cisco never…he went down to that speedster trap hoping he was wrong. On some level, he trusted Dr. Wells right up until he activated the speedster trap and realized…and realized…

“Oh, I’m not like the Flash at all.”

“Some would say I’m the Reverse.”

Cisco was frozen. His mind spun in place, no thoughts whirring in it, like a spool with no thread or a single, unattached gear.

“You’re…you’re the Reverse Flash,” he murmured, every instinct screaming at him to run, but knowing he wouldn’t get far.

“You and I haven’t been properly introduced.” Dr. Wells smiled. “I am Eobard Thawne.”

“Like Eddie.”

“Let’s call him a…distant relative.”

Slowly, bit by bit, Cisco unraveled Dr W—no, Thawne’s lie. How he’d pulled off the double trick with something called a speed mirage, how his initial target had been Barry…how all he wanted was to go home. To the future. Because he was from the future.

(It was terrifying to realize that, in any other circumstance, Cisco would think that was so cool, so awesome. But…here, now, in these circumstances? It was horrifying.)

And Cisco suddenly, terribly realized that someone knowing Thawne’s plan was…was dangerous. Fatal, even.

So he beat Thawne to the punch, pleading: “Let me help you.”

Let me go, he meant, desperate and afraid. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.

But Dr W—Thawne smiled sadly, shaking his head. “You're smart, Cisco…but you're not that smart.”

And Cisco wasn’t that dumb either, to think Thawne would really take him up on it. Villains like him…they always worked alone.

“Do you know how hard it has been to keep all of this from you, especially from you?” He continued softly. “Because the truth is, I've grown quite fond of you. And in many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son.”

Cisco’s eyes widened, but Thawne’s hand ripped through his chest before he could react.

(Really, though, that was just cosmetic. Thawne calling him “son” was the real killing blow, as far as Cisco was concerned.)

“When I go talk to the friends and family of a murder suspect, someone I know is guilty, and I tell them the person they love is a killer, guess what they all say?”

That’s not the person I know.

“That’s not the person I know.”

And so it wasn’t. But Cisco had realized that far, far too late.

○ Aiwa is basically The Bendu, but for the light side of the force, All Navi and Avatars are force sensitive.

○ Humans from Earth are rarely force sensitive and even those that are will go their entire life without knowing it.

1. Stop donating. It’s a volunteer organization so boycotting doesn’t hurt them financially, donations do. It’s a running joke in fandom how quickly the goal is met two, three times over whenever donations are asked for; the joke needs to stop running. Your money will endorse an organization that condones genocide.

2. Contact AO3 Support and Feedback and OTW’s Contact Us to voice your displeasure against this. It’s hypocritical of them to rally against censorship, then proceed to the same.

3. Spread the word. I’ll put my message under the cut as a template of sorts.

This story contains talk of suicide, major character injury and major character death. If this is upsetting/triggering to you, do not read.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts please seek help.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4