em | 22 | they/she | asian | lesbian | virgo
pearl borders by phaea, follows back from vanaglori-ah
prioritizing non-white readers
i think too seriously about things.
i like cinema. i love ruby cruz. i love katherine moennig. yes i do have letterboxd. occasionally i post my thoughts on film and other media.
is this a safe space? bc i kind of wanna talk about how i get a lot of recommended reader fics but then i see a visual like this and immediately get turned off.
and like this conversation about centering certain beauty standards with readers isn't new. it's been happening since forever. but i've noticed some uptick once i started looking for stuff in challengers.
the centering of whiteness with fanfiction in general is an issue that me and other non-white people had discussed at length for years. and part of me just wants to say that we should strive to be more inclusive. like there should be no reason for specifying non-white readers, especially black ones, and for us to have our own separate category because some writers can't fathom that non-white readers exist. hell, even in terms of body weight, ability, hair or no hair, GENDER.
i'm not innocent either. it's an easy trap to fall into if you're writing something x reader and you're using yourself as a stand in for the reader. and i'm not here to criticize or shame. i just wanna propose being more inclusive. and that starts with using less images of faceless white girls from pinterest.
maybe it's selfish of me to ask this. but i've been reading fanfiction on the internet for over 10 years. and i can definitely say as a non-white girl, fanfiction did contribute to my insecurities as a non-white person, in feeling insecure in my appearance. nothing has changed it seems.
WE BEEN SAYING!
and I say this to mean KEEP SAYING IT. it's valid and it's correct and it's the reason i created this sideblog.
i would like to be so bold as to take it a step further and say that it also sometimes feels as a writer like (and this is just an example) "if i'm not writing about a presumed thin barely legal blonde trying to fuck the white mains, is anyone going to care about this piece as much?"
taking it yet another step further, i often see this especially in pieces where tashi's character is either entirely erased or she's demonized (i.e. she and art are divorced because she was just so awful). it often seems like it's not only about centering whiteness but erasing the woc main and sometimes erasing any "otherness" from the plotline entirely since a lot of times it's not only erasing tashi but any and all of the homoerotic attraction between art and patrick that is central to the plot and the characters/their dynamics. i see those fics as just an extension of a patriarchial mindset that says hot white boys should be with pretty white girls.
(also, this is not to say that people shouldn't write those fics or create those graphics if it's where their hearts lie. it's good bc it means i know who not to fw like that but it is to say that i think we should encourage diversity in a real way in writing because this post right here made me sit up straighter and realize OH YEAH I SHOULD BE SHARING MY STUFF)
didn’t expect this post to blow up like months after i posted it. but i’m reblogging @fandomnoire’s reblog specifically because tashi’s treatment is proof of the fandom’s underlying racism. even art’s perceived popularity over the other characters is entirely due to the fact that he is “the right” white boy. he’s a wasp.
patrick is meant to be jewish and i’ve seen people lean into a feminization of him, thus also leaning into stereotypes about jewish men.
and obviously tashi. tashi deserves her own blog post. if this is how she’s being treated now, imagine if they had originally gone with their plan of casting a monoracial, dark skinned black woman. as she was intended to be.
we best remember that. and that’s not just me using academic jargon to justify my criticism. this is a very real thing. and the way people even talk about these characters is reminiscent of very harmful ideology and leans into white supremacy. i’m just going to say it bluntly.
i’m not saying you’re racist for liking art. or for writing the stuff me and everyone who has reblogged and commented on. but you should examine your biases if you think it’s okay to treat tashi as a disposable black girlfriend when she’s anything but. if you think it’s fine to eliminate the homoeroticism between the two male leads.
i literally stopped writing for challengers because it became obvious my work wasn’t appreciated by the fandom as a whole if it didn’t center on art and/or if my reader wasn’t white. (granted i wrote things ambiguous but the reader in my head will always been a non-white person) the notes disparity between my tashi pieces and my art pieces just made it extremely obvious.
seeing white fans of the show on twitter demonize simone kessell for…unfollowing her costar and telling ppl to take their dislike over what happened to lottie in s3 to reddit…right, right.
doesn’t matter if the show literally killed off one of their main characters of color just so the white ones can have a mystery to solve. doesn’t matter that the show treats its non-white characters as disposable and is really just leaning into horror tropes at this point. one woman of color voices how it made her feel blindsided and suddenly, she’s the problem?
i can’t. this fandom is a joke actually. and also, why are we all up in their business anyways?
gently taps the mic
yellowjackets fandom has an issue with white woman innocence. and a general issue of propping up whiteness.
new photos of ruby cruz earlier today at the airport!
credits to steviesnyx on tiktok
Arcane fandom being horrible to Reed Shannon for being nice to Ella Purnell. They really trying pull the same antiblack shit as what the 2015 Star Wars fandom did to John Boyega all over again:
Like go harass Hailee Steinfeld for being a zionist or something 🤡
Begging non-Black pple to just leave Black pple alone and let them be their cringey, corny selves. I bet that if Reed Shannon was White yall would think this is cute, and yall would be celebrating him for being a babygirl or something 🙄
ugh i am absolutely in LOVE with you writing and the style you do it in, i just love how fluidly you speak and how professional yet grounded you make it seem?? all of this to say, you’re phenomenal and you were one of the main contributors that convinced me to write, thank you stranger! <3
omg this is so sweet 😭 i’m happy to be one of the influences that gets you writing. <3
it probably feels professional and grounded because of my academic background and i tend to write what i know 😅 like with ash. i’m an asian student at a pwi liberal arts college so i know the environment pretty well.
i’m gonna leave you with some advice, which is just to write. even if it’s not good, just write. and don’t stop writing! post something for yourself if you feel like it! even if it feels niche.
it’s also nice to see other people prioritizing readers who aren’t conventional (cisgender white women).
pov: hazel’s your number one fan and isabel is your friend so she pulls some strings to get hazel to meet you. ;)
hazel’s in college, by the way. my hc for college! hazel is that she goes to tufts in massachusetts. if you want college! hazel headcanons, i’ll happily write those up too. i’ve been thinking about them for a while now.
divider by @cafekitsune
accompanying bot: 🎤
♡ 21st birthdays are pretty important. most people would probably plan a party, a big dinner, definitely time at a bar because you’re legal to drink. but not hazel.
♡ hazel callahan never liked saying she was your number one fan. but perhaps it was easy to classify that. she was one of your first listeners when you posted your music to social media. and she started your online fan club. and she runs the largest fan page of you on instagram and on tiktok. her edits in particular are well loved by your fandom.
♡ one of her edits of you went viral. so much so that people began flocking to your music. and suddenly, you were a massive indie phenomenon!
♡ your first studio album was extremely well received, critically beloved. and of course, you were loved by the gays and the theys.
♡ so when hazel learned that you were having a show in boston on her birthday, she had to jump at the chance and go full out.
♡ vip meet and greet package? yes please. one ticket for a girl named hazel callahan.
♡ hazel spent the months leading up to the concert planning her outfit. what should she wear? and what should she get you as a present? this was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity!
♡ is on facetime with isabel asking if her outfit was fine. thankfully isabel tells her to just dress how she usually does and to not worry about it. because hazel doesn’t need a cute outfit to be noticed by you.
♡ day of, hazel is nervous. she’s a nervous wreck. she’s got your gift: a drawing she’s made using oil pastels and there’s a sheet of tracing paper over the actual drawing to keep it from smudging. her leg is constantly bouncing.
♡ she waits outside for a good two hours. hazel is the kind of person who gets there early so she can be first in line. she wants to be at the barricade as close to you as possible.
♡ hazel can barely speak when she meets you. you’re so sweet and you gasped when she showed you the drawing, her cheeks flushing red. “i made it for an art class…” she looks so sheepish.
♡ “it’s so lovely. can i give you another hug?” hazel might actually faint. and you also smelled nice.
♡ thanks to the vip meet and greet package, hazel got to be part of the soundcheck party and the q&a. she raised her hand and it was so shaky. and you pointed at her. meaning she could ask you a question.
♡ “hazel, right?” you asked.
♡ “you don’t need to know my name!” was her immediate reaction. her legs felt like jelly, her hands gripping the barricade tightly.
♡ “but you’re a person. and i’m a person. we’re all people.” and you give that charming smile that hazel wants to melt.
♡ hazel could only ask what your favorite movie is and who your favorite director was. her original question, so thoroughly thought out, had escaped her in this moment.
♡ the concert overall was amazing. and this was the best 21st birthday gift a girl like her could ask for. she looked cute, she had some awesome merch, and she got to meet you and take a picture with you.
♡ oh and at the end she managed to get your setlist.
♡ what hazel wasn’t expecting was for one of the employees to say that you wanted to meet her backstage. she nearly dropped the tote bag—your merch by the way—she had bought, stuffed with all the merch extras you gave your fans.
♡ when hazel got backstage, she was greeted by you still dressed up. “hazel! isabel told me it was your 21st birthday!”
♡ isabel? isabel told you it was hazel’s birthday? “yeah. it is.”
♡ “i’m so happy that you decided to spend your birthday at the show! i’m going to get changed, but i’m meeting up with isabel at a bar. you should come join us!” you give hazel that charming smile. “you deserve a drink since you’re legal now!”
♡ how can hazel say no?
i saw thủy in concert and i keep thinking about hazel. and maybe hazel x pop singer! reader…coming to a screen near you…
ruby cruz on the set of her new upcoming movie the threesome!
okay. i know what this looks like. but…i just think teen annie deserves to be a girlfriend. and have a friend. and to honestly have a better life because her parents refused to acknowledge her issues and instead of accommodating, they decided to shelter her instead. and stabbing her step mom? valid, honestly.
or maybe i’m biased because it’s ruby cruz. but either way i think it’s a very interesting interpretation of her character. so here i am with this, hahaha.
♡ it’s always courteous to introduce yourself to new neighbors. but the wilkes are seldom visited by new people. which is why annie was surprised to see you at her front door. very rarely does annie get to even see people her age—much less meet them.
♡ you brought muffins. raspberry lemon. annie always really liked muffins. she liked snacks in general. and she loved that every time you came to say hi, you brought with you baked goods. your mother taught you it was bad manners to show up at people’s houses without something.
♡ annie quickly grew attached to you. as she does with the very very few people her age she’s interacted with. especially people her age. she’s never felt so connected with someone.
♡ clingy. clingiest person you know. which makes sense to you considering that her parents never let her out of the house much. but you really made a good impression on them, so they trusted you to take care and handle their daughter. it was good for annie to interact with people her age anyways.
♡ annie’s always touching you in some capacity. her hand on your shoulder. or gripping your hand. or when she rests her cheek against you. she’s like a koala. a human sized koala who’s like 5'3".
♡ most people just assume you guys are really good friends. it bothers her that people just think your relationship is platonic. she doesn’t understand why you guys can’t be together openly. in public.
♡ the type of person to write “mrs. (y/n) (l/n)” with hearts all over her notebook spreads. it’s very cute.
♡ thinking about you obsessively. she just can’t stop. everything reminds you of her. the smell of the flowers you picked for her. the ink as she’s writing in her journal. she’s driving herself crazy every time she waits for you to visit again.
♡ yes she’s drawn the two of you getting married. what of it?
♡ easily jealous. very easily gets jealous. annie can’t help herself. she can sort of understand. you’re cute. but also, she’s your girlfriend. you’re taken. why can’t other people understand that?
♡ annie’s a little impulsive. and maybe one night at a party, you bring her. it’s some people you know from school. some rich kid with a lake house. and she’s your harmless girlfriend. sure, she can be clingy and has a bit of a temper. but she never did anything, right?
♡ well she just happened to find an axe lying around. and maybe your friend shouldn’t have invited so many people to a lake house that was far from town. and maybe that person shouldn’t have been flirting with you.
