Emilerry - Safe Space (not Really)

With the recent influx of more Twitter refugees from dsmptwt I think now is the best time to remind people:

Dsmp fandom, please REBLOG posts

Likes on tumblr act as a bookmarking function. There is no algorithm here. Reblogs are the only way a post will get shared, and the only way a blog can grow. The tumblr fandom may be more chill than twitter but its much harder for fanarts and analyses to circulate if you don't reblog their stuff.

If you're on mobile you can use the fast-reblog option! Hold down on the reblog button of a post, then move your finger to the icon of whichever one of your blogs you want to reblog it to:

It's quick, simple, and super easy so if you aren't already doing that then I highly recommend you do so!!

[Edit: and as mentioned by ppl in the tags, the shortcut is e + reblog button on desktop 👍]

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A commission for @fairymascot (my beloved) of her delightful harlivy designs

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Trope Discussion: Blind Characters Covering Their Eyes

The majority of the projects I am asked to beta include blind characters who cover their eyes. Modern characters wear sunglasses. Other characters wear blindfolds for older settings. The story usually justifies the decision in some way, but I always ask: why?

I also neglected to include this in my post on Things I Want to See More of / Less of in Blind Characters. I don’t think I considered it at the time. However, unlike my post on blind seers, I think this trope actually causes some harm in subtle ways and I usually encourage avoiding it. I’ll discuss why in this post.

What’s Wrong With Blind Characters Covering Their Eyes?

Keep in mind that blind characters are not so common. Because they aren’t very common and because not everyone in your audience knows a blind person in real life, the way the character is represented could lead audiences to believe that is how blind people are. This, coupled with a general lack of information given in everyday life, allows writers or artists to unintentionally influence how real life blind people are perceived.

Sure, blind people create blind characters as well. However, we don’t usually get as much exposure or opportunities. We could be held back by other barriers, such as poverty. This means it can be hard to counteract tropes we don’t like or that activity harm us.

Blind characters covering their eyes is potentially harmful for a few reasons.

One reason is that it is assumed that all blind people always cover their eyes. This means that in real life, blind people are not as easily recognized even when they have a cane. The white cane is supposed to be what alerts others that a person is blind. Instead, people get confused about why a blind person isn’t wearing sunglasses if they’re blind. This leads to unnecessary explanations, lost time, refusal to help, and sometimes hostility. Wearing sunglasses helps some blind people communicate blindness more easily. They may feel forced to adopt the stereotype.

Another reason is that it unknowingly touches on the pressure some blind people face to cover their eyes. This could be because they are self-conscious about them or because of pressure to make other people feel more comfortable. This pressure could originate from the way their eyes look or move, or even due to lack of eye contact. Sometimes, stories present these ideas as normal for blind people, which increases the idea that blind people should be ashamed of their eyes or that they should prioritize the comfort of others for something superficial.

Where Did the Stereotype Come From?

While I am not sure about the exact origins, the stereotype probably comes from a few sources: shorthand symbolism and abled actors playing blind characters.

-Shorthand symbolism could be used in art or plays to indicate a character’s blindness.

-Because films and shows are so popular and more easily consumed, audiences are more often exposed to blind people on the screen. Actors who aren’t blind often wear sunglasses to make them appear blind to audiences who would perceive eye movements as breaking character. The actors in live-action material often wear sunglasses to hide their eyes. Why blind actors aren’t hired initially is another story.

This page discusses the sunglasses trope in films.

-Some blind people who wear sunglasses for any reason may also simply be more recognizable as a blind person as opposed to blind people who don’t wear sunglasses. This means others may not be aware that blind who don’t wear dark sunglasses exist.

The Sunglasses Stereotype

I should mention here that blind people are simultaneously expected to wear sunglasses as a signifier of blindness while also accused of faking for wearing them. The rationale is the idea that blind people can’t see the sun and therefore would never need sunglasses. This, of course, depends on the stereotypes that all blind people are totally blind, which is not true. Most sources I have found over my time writing this blog state that less than 10 to 15% of blind people are totally blind, which means about 85 to 90% of blind people have light perception or some residual vision.

When Should Our Characters Wear Sunglasses or a Blindfold?

Many writers have characters cover their eyes because it feels right. Some assume the character would feel uncomfortable with the way their eyes look and that they prefer to hide them. In order to write this trope well, you must understand your reason behind it.

Let’s examine why blind people wear sunglasses in real life. This page is a good one to read and was very helpful in constructing this post.

Light sensitivity, or photophobia, occurs when people have sensitivity to light, usually sunlight. Blind people can also expirience this.

Sunglasses are used to shield their eyes from the sun when outdoors and from big windows when indoors. Some sources state synthetic lighting is not usually an issue and others state some people may want to wear their sunglasses indoors.

For characters who aren’t modern, the equivalent of sunglasses would probably be a blindfold or eye patch.

Blind people like fashion just as the next person. They might enjoy wearing sunglasses occasionally. However, they don’t wear them all the time.

Blind people might also want to protect their eyes from dust or injury, whether they can see or not. This can be accomplished with sunglasses or regular glasses.

How Do We Write Blind Characters Covering Their Eyes Respectfully?

This is one of those tropes I prefer people avoid. I say “avoid” because I want to come across it less which means way less people need to use it.

Think about why you want your blind character to cover their eyes.

Is it because it simply feels right to you? Is it because you believe it will help audiences understand or accept that your character is blind? Is it because you can’t imagine your character any other way? Is it because your feel deep down that your character’s eyes would make other characters uncomfortable?

Think about where this idea comes from and whether you really want to use it.

If you have decided it makes sense for your character to cover their eyes, here are some tips for you to do it well.

1. If they use sunglasses for fashion, have the blind character go without the accessory periodically throughout the story. Consider avoiding them covering their eyes when they are first introduced, as first impressions can be memorable. Your blind character should not be the only one who happens to wear sunglasses as part of their style.

2. If they are sensitive to light, do research on photophobia. Consider where the character is when covering their eyes. Do they mostly wear sunglasses outside and near big windows? Do screens bother them? Make it clear in the story.

3. I always suggest having more than one blind character in a story. This is important for moments such as this. Having a blind character who doesn’t cover their eyes shows that not all blind people cover their eyes. This, in addition to a writer understanding exactly why their character covers their eyes, will help immensely.

This trope is a problem when no reference to the alternative is made, usually because the writer doesn’t understand what they’re writing about. They haven’t considered the reasons blind people cover their eyes and therefore aren’t aware that not all blind people do so. Having more than one blind character in the story shows more than one experience, including covering or not covering eyes. Showing different experiences eliminates the idea that blind people “just do” certain things. It makes people think.

If you want audiences to think, you first need to ask: why?

When writing marginalized characters, remember that their marginalization decreases the amount of accurate information available about them. Audiences don’t have as many resources to check. They may even lack the inclination to do so at all. This could be because of a desire to maintain biases or simply because they don’t consider blind people much outside of entertainment or pity. Surprisingly, some people are even actively resistant or hostile to the idea of taking time to learn about the experiences of blind people.

This means your story could be more impactful than you realize.

When you’re writing, ask yourself the question: why? You might realize that it makes for a richer, more informed story.

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Emily Henry / Henry H / Matty Healy / Taylor Swift / Madeline Miller

tumblr users will see the word shrimp and black out and hit reblog without reading the rest of the post

🦐

“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.

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WWC - General Topics

A collection of WWC posts that deal with more general writing advice, character creation and diversity topics applicable to most marginalized people, particularly People of Color and some more specific ethnic and religious groups.

Tools

Writing Research and Google Search Tips

WWC Research & Resources Guides (Compilation)

Character of Color Research Tracking Chart (Google Sheet)

Writing Characters of Color: The Generals

On White Authors “Getting it Right”

The Do’s of Writing People of Color

Writing POC with Little Experience

Properly Coded: Creating Characters of Color 

On “Overthinking” Writing Characters of Color

On White Writers Writing Characters of Color (I, II, III)

Researching PoC + Supporting Writers of Color

Description 

Words for Skin Tone

Words to Describe Hair

Describing Asian Eyes

Describing Wide Noses

Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing

Describing PoC and Avoiding Caricatures

Featured Description Guides (Compilation)

Diversity & Representation

To Write (or not write) with Diversity

So You Want To Save The World From Bad Representation 

Diversity vs. Exploiting Cultures

Diversifying a Predominately-White Cast

On “Diversity Quotas”

On Excluding Diversity Out of Fear

Different Heritage POV’s in a Story

Including Realistic Diversity Naturally

White-Dominant Rural Areas and Diversity

White Privilege, Publishing, and Diversity Quotas

Writing: Making Efforts in Diversity

Characters - Creation & Culture

More on Assigning Race after Writing

Tradition and Culture vs. Stereotype

Showing Culture Writing Advice

Character Creation: Culture or Character first?

Character Design and Assigning Race and Ethnicity

Characters’ Races Added Last During Development 

Determining your Characters’ Race and/or Ethnicity 

Stereotyped vs Nuanced & Audience Perception

Writing Powerful Women of Multiple Races

Characters - Cultural Disconnect & Erasure

A Discussion on Culture and Erasure

Western Neutral Characters

‘Whitewashed’ Character of Color?

“Culturing” Culturally-disengaged PoC

Characters of Color with “No Culture”

Mixed Race + Disconnect from Culture

Reconnecting to Culture After Assimilation Attempts

Fantasy & Coding

Defining Coding (& Islam-coded Fantasy)

Denoting Race in Fantasy Setting

Fairy Tale Retellings with POC

Fairies of Color & Cultural Fairy Concepts

Fantasy Races Based off of People of Color

Naming People and Places, Avoiding Explicit Coding

Racially-coding Aliens

Real Religions in a Fantasy World

Religion in Fiction & Fantasy

South Asian-Coded Fantasy Caste System

Whitewashing in a Fantasy Setting

Including Racism in Fantasy

World-building: A Fantasy World without Racism

Representing PoC in Fantasy When Their Country/Continent Doesn’t Exist

Race Allegories / Symbolic Racism

Avoiding Racism Allegories

Blue eyed people enslaved in story

Half Human as Allegory for Mixed Race Struggles

Avoiding Half-Human Allegory for the “Mixed Race Experience”

Eye Color Discrimination as Racism: Story Concept

Racism, Micro-Aggressions & Slurs

Everyday Racism, Friendship and White Allies

Incorporating Micro-Aggressions in Writing

Racist Characters + Including Racism in Stories Not “About” Racism

The Pitfalls of Racist Character Redemption Arcs

PoC Educating White Privileged Friend (Context: Black Characters)

On “Normalizing” Protagonists of Color: Writing Stories Where Racism Isn’t in the Plot 

Racial Slurs & Offensive Terms

Slur use in stories

Racial Slurs and Webcomics

Portraying Racist Characters without Racial Slurs 

Offensive Terminology and Historical Accuracy 

Stereotypes & Tropes

Stereotypes & Tropes Navigation 

Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception

Useful Non-WWC Posts

When Diversity Is Bad by tropesaretools

Diversity Exists in the Real World by shiraglassman

How to Write WOC and MOC if you are White by kaylapocalypse

“I feel pressured to be inclusive in my writing!” by nimblesnotebook

On White Fear & Creating Diverse Transformative Works by saathi1013

Villains / Anti-heroes 

Villains of Color

Family of Villains (Black)

Predominately White Villains

PoC Villains, Anti-Villains and Anti-Heroes

PoC in Crime Families & Black/Native Boss

Writing Flawed Black Characters is Okay

Dark and Light-skinned Characters, Black Villain and Avoiding Colorism

Worldbuilding

Black & White Symbolism: a look at that trope

Homogenization, Cultural Appropriation

How To Blend Cultures (Without Making Impossible Mixes)

Research:Large to Small Scale, Avoiding Homogenizing East Asian Cultures, & Paralleling Regions Appropriately

White Saviors, White  - POC Interactions

Interracial Relationships: Romantic | Writing Interracial Friendships

How to Avoid Glorifying White Characters

Handling a White Female Savior in story

White Character Adopts Black Child in Apocalypse

White Villainous Cult Leader Uses Fascism to “Correct” Colonialism

How to write bigoted villains without coming off as a bigot yourself

Infantilization of white characters (At PoC’s expense)

Solving World Hunger: Changing Skin to Fantasy Color to Avoid the White Savior

Writing About Your Own Culture (Ownvoices)

Misrepresenting Your Own Culture

Why Insiders Can Write Their Experience

Writing Authentic Black Characters (as a Black writer)

Representing yourself in stories when “yourself” isn’t white

Braving Diversity: How to Write Yourself (and others) out of your Story

Building a Community for Fellow Sci-Fi/Fantasy [Black] Writers of Color 

Writing Authentically From Your Own Experiences When They Don’t Match Stereotypes 

Writing Sensitive & Controversial Topics

White Authors and Topics to Avoid/Tread Carefully

Do I Need Permission to Write About Marginalized People?

Writing a Genocide to which you have No Personal Connection

On Outsider-Written Stories About Issues Of Another Group

Writing About Diverse Cops (Cops of Color,  LGBTQA+)

Outsider-Written Stories, Issues of other Groups, Speculative Situation

Writing about Prejudice between People of Color

Reclaiming negative, dehumanizing stereotypes outside the group

Representing yourself when “yourself” isn’t white

Why do you need to tell this story right now? (Muslim monster focus)

Writing About PoC Trials and Tribulations

When Am I Writing an Identity Story?

To Write or Not to Write: Tackling The “Struggle Novel” as an outsider

–WWC

NARUTO マトメ by Happy on Pixiv | Posted with permission |

All credit goes to the artist. Visit their Pixiv to like, follow and support. DO NOT repost, crop or edit this art or remove this description.

we could be covered in blood together if you stopped playing hard to get

MADOKA MAGICA ☆ WALPURGIS NO KAITEN

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