Vanillaateaa asks:

CW: very brief/non-explicit mentions of sex

My character is a Punjabi South Indian-coded woman who does not consider herself religious. She is a vampire NPC in a gothic romance/horror TTRPG. The game is set in an isolated demi-plane (an extra-dimensional space about the size of one of the larger U.S states) that pulls in people from other worlds, and is ruled by a corrupt vampiric aristocracy. 

She is one of the few forces of humanity and goodness left in this demi-plane. She “feeds” on all kinds of love (romantic, platonic, familial, ect) instead of blood, and is the patron of a rotating group of performers and artists that provide sources of love for her while she takes care of them & protects them in return. Her relationships with them vary — some are romantic or sexual, some are platonic, others queerplatonic or familial, but all of them love her deeply in their own way. Some of the relationships aren’t always entirely healthy, as she is able to feed off of toxic love and devotion too (but she tries to avoid it). 

Given all of this, I want to tread very carefully and avoid orientalist stereotypes of sexualization and objectification, and make sure not to reduce her to just an “object of desire”. I’ve also tried to make sure she isn’t presented as a “seductress” & I also have several other prominent Indian NPCs in this setting. Do you have any feedback about what else I can do to avoid these harmful stereotypes while maintaining her narrative role? Thank you so much for your help and time!

I for one would love to see more Indian/South Asian vampire characters in gothic romances–Armand, as portrayed by Assad Zaman in AMC’s Interview with The Vampire, is possibly one of my favorite fictional vampires ever! (Even though he is not exactly a force of humanity and goodness.) 

Based on what you have described so far about your project, it looks pretty good, especially the fact that you have several other Indian characters–this can prevent the dangers of token representation. Here are some additional pointers to think of.

Appearance

 Is this character dark-skinned? And if so, is she the only example of a dark-skinned South Asian woman in the entire project? 

India as such is very heterogeneous; even if you have, say, more than five major characters sharing the same nationality, they may look and sound entirely different. Given India’s rampant history of colorism, and social linkages of skin color to caste “purity”, it would be quite refreshing to have a powerful dark-skinned Indian female character with magical abilities, if she is not exoticized.

Abilities

What you have described of her magic sounds like a mix of vampirism and succubus-like tendencies (“feeding off” love or desire). I would be slightly cautious about leaning into these powers if she is the only character, South Asian or otherwise, who carries out this type of feeding. 

Are there other vampires in your worldbuilding who also feed off emotions instead of blood, and are any of them tied to the domain of “love” like she is? If not, you might want to trace your logic about why you have linked a racialized female character’s magical abilities explicitly to desire and sexuality, be it romantic or otherwise. I have always found the allotment of magical powers to be a fascinating area where our subconscious bias seeps through. 

(Example: In the anime-manga Demon Slayer, there are only two female “Hashira” warriors, as opposed to seven male ones. While the latter’s powerful abilities are linked to elemental domains like water, fire, wind, et cetera–of the two women warriors, one is described to be physically weaker, while the other’s fighting style draws from the “love” domain. She is also the only Hashira depicted in a sexualized, uncomfortable outfit. Just something to think about.)

Also, mainly because I’m interested in Gothic literary/cultural signifiers–I would want to know why you chose to make this character feed off emotions and not blood. Is there an ethical implication? Clearly, from your description, she is not solely consuming negative emotions. Feeding off emotions is not morally neutral, just as depending on blood isn’t inherently immoral; both would ideally involve some sort of agreement or contract, related to bodily autonomy. 

Agency

Does your character have a fair bit of significance in other plotlines too? For example: 

• Does she help with politicking or strategizing? 
• Does she assist other characters with magical rituals? 
• Does she have moments of bonding/friendship entirely removed from her abilities? 
• Does she have a rich inner life with a backstory, or a pressing issue she needs to overcome (say, maybe conflicts with the corrupt vampiric aristocracy in this universe?) 
• You have mentioned that you don’t simply want her to be a “seductress”, which is appreciated, but what are the steps you are taking to avoid orientalist/racialized sexualization, and to give her a full personhood beyond her magic?

Finally, here are some asks the WWC team have answered before, regarding Orientalist tropes and SFF, which may be useful for your character:

• Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing POC
• Orientalist Character Designs in Sci-fi/Fantasy Worldbuilding
• Religion vs Vampirism Depictions: Islam, Judaism
• Hypersexualization of WoC

I hope this was helpful. Here’s my kofi; appreciate a tip.

Mod Mimi

@run-remi-run asks:

Hello, I’m developing a teen character living in Michigan and have been considering making her/her family Jewish; however I’m worried they’ll fall into the evil Jewish person stereotype. The teen is the protagonist of her story, but she is pressured into killing at least one person. I understand that villains in media being portrayed as Jewish or with Jewish features has furthered antisemitism, and I understand my character isn’t exempt from this just because I see her in a positive light. Should I refrain from making her Jewish?

This doesn’t fit the stereotype

If the whole idea is that she’s pressured into doing bad things, that doesn’t fit the stereotype or trope at all because the trope has us as evil masterminds but in your scenario she’s the one being manipulated. The negative trope isn’t just “Jewish person does something bad” it’s a lot more specific than that.
-Shira

Any Michigan influences?

Commenting strictly as a Michigan resident: is there any reason why you included the character’s Michigander origins in your question? Is there something about Michigan that’s influencing how you think a Jewish character might be depicted or viewed by others in your story? I’m asking not to be interrogatory, but out of curiosity and need for clarification.

–Jess

Evil Jewish person stereotype

Shira’s answer speaks directly to this and a lot more concisely, but I wanted to take a minute and go deeper into the phrase “Evil Jewish person stereotype,” for the sake of helping break down what’s actually happening and why it works the ways that it does.

There are two forces at work here, not unrelated to each other but not identical either. One is the portrayal of evil characters using tropes that suggest Jewish coding, and the other is a cultural suspicion of Jewish people’s motives and actions. They’re two sides of the same coin, perhaps, but I’d like to look at them separately, since the difference–that one refers to fictional characters and the other to actual people–matters in the context of reading and writing fiction.

Jewish coding in Villain characters

There are aspects of a character’s physical appearance that can suggest Jewishness even as we acknowledge that Jewish individuals don’t necessarily match those looks. Those might include a hooked nose, hair that is curly or red, a sallow complexion, an angular face. These attributes are not inherently bad: a text portraying them is antisemitic when these attributes are a visual signal of bad motives or are only present in bad characters and not good ones. Although not at issue here, it’s worth noting that these attributes can also raise questions in settings where all Jewish characters have them, because the flip side of these attributes being used to denote Jewishness is the erasure of Jewish people who don’t have these looks. 

 There are also aspects of a character’s personality that are repetitions of historical accusations against Jews, justifications for violence or persecution rather than reflections of genuine events. These might include greed, arrogance, bloodthirstiness, and a willingness to hurt or kill children for personal gain. These tropes have accrued over centuries in spite of the fact that every single one of them runs counter to any genuine Jewish values because ultimately, they’re not based on real-world actions by real-life Jewish people, but a product of leader after leader over time riling up their followers into dehumanizing a minority population, for the usual reasons people have for dehumanizing minority populations. 

Jewish coding in villain characters is not necessarily the same as stereotyping Jewish people as being evil. It does however support and maintain unconscious antisemitic biases. That is to say, when you meet someone who is Jewish, you’re not necessarily thinking “Mother Gothel was coded with Jewish tropes so this Jewish person probably is evil,” but if someone shows you a picture of a person with a hooked nose and curly hair and says “this person is greedy and hurts children,” exposure to Mother Gothel and other fictional villains on the same model might make you less likely to say “That doesn’t sound right.” 

Meanwhile, back in Michigan

Like Shira said, your character is not the mastermind of the murder she’s being forced into. Rather, she’s a victim of whatever character or circumstance is forcing her into it. As long as that’s apparent in your narrative, you’re not supporting an existing harmful trope or stereotype. I would treat the concept differently if this were, for instance, a dark narrative of a remorseless killer. In the current climate I would also advise against any imagery of a Jewish person of any age or agency killing a child or person of color of any kind, as that is the latest iteration of the medieval blood libel in modern times.  I would even have pause in this situation, where she’s not the author of her own act but does commit it, if she does not experience remorse or if she enjoys doing it. What matters here is her motive. 

If this character is Jewish, then that’s going to affect her approach to the incident in certain ways. While Christian and Christian-influenced secular culture regard “good” and “bad” as the ultimate thing to worry about, even at the cost of martyrdom or murder, Judaism places life as the highest value. There are very few of the laws and customs of Jewish life that one is not expected to break in order to avoid death, but one of those is murder. Now, Jewish characters make choices that aren’t perfectly consistent with Jewish law all the time, so what I’m asking is not to not write this, but to write it on purpose.

• What does it do to your character?
• Who is she before and after?
• How many of us could truly choose to die rather than kill in her situation?
• Does she own perhaps a necklace or decor item with the word “חי” on it?
• What does seeing it do to her?
• In what other ways does her Jewishness make her interesting and relevant as a character?

If it’s just curly hair and matzah ball soup on an otherwise Christian character, why bother. But if you’re willing to put in the time to research Jewish attitudes toward life and death and how they differ–even and especially in a teenager’s schema–from the Christian and Christian-influenced majority conception, then there’s room for an interesting narrative here. 

-Meir 

Anonymous asked:

I have a character in a comic I’m hoping to write one day. She’s a light skinned black woman(she’s half white if that helps!) living in New York City during an 80s themed post nuclear apocalypse. The comic’s main characters are all rock stars, so a lot of the character design elements revolve around the different rock genres. The character in question is in a glam rock band, so there’s lots of bright, saturated, crazy colors involved in her design.

The problem I’m having involves this one story beat where she gets mutant superpowers that give her electricity and sound based abilities. Her skin turns cotton candy blue as a result of the mutation. I’m hung up on whether or not this might fall under some kind of skin lightening or white-washing trope since it’s a fairly light shade of blue. I designed her mutant look before her human look, so this was well before I’d even figured out what race she was, and I simply thought the shade of blue would compliment both the electricity powers and the fact that her hair is dyed pink. Is there a way I could still make this work? Or am I worrying about nothing?

Ideally, it would be nice to keep her brown skin tone. There’s a common comic and supernatural trend where Black people’s skin is covered up by a suit or Black-coded characters are an unnatural color (blue, green, purple, etc).

This is more of an issue when: 

• There are no other Black characters of those identities besides the covered up/ ones with unnatural skin colors.
• The creator adds this change to make them “special” because they do not believe Black characters, with features commonly associated with Black people like dark hair, skin and eyes, are acceptable enough for the character to stand on their own.
• The supernatural special Black people are treated well by the story. The “non-special” Black people have unhappy stories and misfortune.
• Other races of characters do not get their skin covered up or changed. Only the Black ones and/or BIPOC in general.

I think a quick fix for this would be for her skin to turn blue when she’s actively using her powers, at random, or other specific times, besides constantly. If she needs to be more consistently “mutant looking” Are there other ways she could change without her skin color changing or changing completely?

People with glitter on skin, light surrounding their face, and blue braids. Images from pexels.

More ideas that keep her skin brown

Hair

Her hair color changes blue or your color of choice (which could include body hair too, which would give her a more “otherworldly” appearance).

Note: If her hair is curly or natural, please keep it so! At least, the powers shouldn’t change it straight.

Eyes

Her eyes glowing brighter or colorfully during power-use.

Note: If they’re usually brown, they could stay brown when powers not in use, like Marvel’s Storm in some versions.

Storm by Marvel Entertainment//20th Century Studios.

Skin and body

• Blue patterns appear on her skin.
• Blue glow or sheen to her skin without fully changing the color.
• Her skin projects color and light.
• New growths or changes to body, such as ear shape, wings, etc.

No matter what you decide, please make clear in your tale that she’s a Black mixed race woman. And have fun!

More reading:

How Special is Too Special? The Politics and Characterization of Stacking Special/Abnormal Traits on Mixed Race Characters

~Colette

@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:

~Mod Colette

@pretend-this-username-is-funny asked:

Okay so I’m writing a superhero story and one of my main characters is from Ethiopia. I know it’s really frowned upon to give black characters “exotic” features, especially things like light eyes and perfectly straight natural hair. My character is described as having very dark skin but she also has some features that are meant to show her powers. For instance, her eyes are very dark but they’re described as being like oil in that they’re very shiny and reflect a lot of color, and she has specks of shiny green and blue on her cheeks which are described as freckles. 

She also has really long bright green hair but I want to make it clear that it’s really thick and not at all straight. It’s not really curly though either, but I don’t know any words for hair like that. Are there any adjectives I can use to describe the texture? 

These features are supposed to reflect her powers which are basically colorful blasts of energy but I don’t know if they could come off as trying to make the character exotic. I have a bunch of white characters who also have unusual or otherwise impossible features (one is a girl with white hair and unnaturally pale skin and there’s also a boy with cat like pupils and fangs). Having unusual physical traits is normal for superpowered people in this world but I don’t know if this could be potentially harmful.

“Exotic” features on Black people

I know it’s really frowned upon to give black characters “exotic” features, especially things like light eyes and perfectly straight natural hair.

I wouldn’t say it’s frowned upon to give Black people light eyes and straight, natural hair in itself. It’s when creators choose these features for Black people time and time again over those with darker features and those more commonly associated to their heritage. 

It’s also a problem when characters with these “special” traits are exalted, either by the narrative, fate, or other characters, while the other “non-special” Black people aren’t given favorable treatment, if they even exist in the story at all. Books tend to represent Black people with light skin or stand-out features first, especially Black women (Black men are more often allowed to be dark and still be seen as attractive, although not always).

When you do have characters with these extra-special traits, it’s nice to avoid the pitfalls mentioned above. Also, adding important Black characters without these traits helps to balance out the special snowflake syndrome.

This applies to your character as well. The oil-dark eyes doesn’t read as exotifying to me. The shiny green and blue freckles are adding some more “main character syndrome” to the mix, but i’m not too concerned. You have characters of other races with unusual and impossible features. This helps to avoid implications of her only deserving to be there because she’s not like the others.

As for her hair
Thick, not quite curly, but not straight at all? I think you’re looking for the word wavy. Check out our hair guide for more words that may help with texture words, but I think wavy works fine.

~Mod Colette

fatheriimaginedyoutaller asked:

Is giving a Jewish protagonist eyes that change colors when she’s using magic reminiscent of any antisemitic trope? To be more specific her eyes change from brown to pupilless black or white depending on what type of magic she’s using. If she’s using “tangible magic” (I.e moving an object with her mind) her eyes will turn white and if she’s using “untangible magic” (I.e reading someone’s else mind) they will turn black.

This sounds like a creative idea and there are no obvious problems jumping out at me. I felt a little bit of discomfort at the suggestion which I think on reflection comes from the similarity to rat eyes: 

(Image above shows a rat with black eyes, no discernible pupils)

But in the context of a well-rounded character, as long as she doesn’t have any other rodent-like features, I’m fine with it.

As usual, I’d ask you to watch out for tropes that can be tied into magic, such as using powers to control wealth, governments or the media.

It’s also worth saying that, from an Orthodox point of view, magic is not allowed as a separate or rival force to Hashem. It would have to be part of Hashem’s power, in the same way that Moses could manipulate animals, rivers, oceans etc using his staff, but this was channeling a miracle rather than performing magic.

-Shoshi

Note: Shoshi used the word “Hashem” above. For those unfamiliar, Jewish tradition has many different names and nicknames for God. “Hashem” is a name that is typical for casual use. It translates literally as “The Name.”  —WWC Jewish team

exorcistbones2 asked:

Hello! I have a bit of a simple question, I have tried looking this up but I can’t find anything relating to it.

I’m writing a fantasy piece where the mc is black, he temporarily stays in cold climates and will deal with several creatures that deal damage such as hypothermia and frostbite. My question is, what happens to dark skin when cold? When someone is pale and they go out into the cold, their skin may turn red/pink. I don’t think anything like that happens to people with darker skin tones so I was just wondering if any changes like that occur in the cold.

Dark skin can pinken and grow ruddy from cold. Personally, I have brown skin and live in the Midwest, USA. My nose gets real visibly pink at the tip from the cold weather. My cheeks, too, if it’s really cold and wind-lashed. It may not be a whole face bright color-change, but usually the T-zone of the face and smaller body parts.

Like with blushing, even if these affects are less notable on darker skin, we, also as humans, have the same blood reactions under the skin as lighter skin tones!

Another affect can be turning “ashy” as in, a layer of ashen whiteness that gathers on dry, exposed skin. Especially the corners of hands, feet, legs, etc. Moisturizer, like lotion or cocoa butter, usually takes care of that. All skin shades can get ashy, but it’s more notable on dark skin.

Skin tones can lighten and darken depending on the climate, too. Dark skin tones tend to get lighter in the winter, darker / tan in the warmer months.

As for what frostbite looks like on dark skin, there are pictures you can look up that will show that. I did a quick google search and found some unfortunate looking images.

~Mod Colette

Anonymous asked:

I’m changing a character in a novel I’m editing to be a fierce, strong African American woman living with an anthropologist father and lawyer mother (I picture the mom like Jessica in suites). I also feel like being bi-racial in the south makes her a little conflicted. She sometimes wants to just “be white” to make things easier, but is so very proud to be African-American and bi-racial. She is also lesbian and a future love interest of the other main character However, I am white- so I have questions!! Here are 3 scenes I need help with:

1. Leigh is putting conditioner in her hair and hears the doorbell. She puts her hair in a silk hairwrap (is that ok to call it that?) after the other characters leave, she works on the computer and falls asleep. When she wakes up its 2:30. I was going to have her undo her hairwrap and run her fingers through her hair… but I know African American hair can’t be brushed, would running her fingers through it (even damp) ruin her hair? 

2. her and the other lesbian “anne” are getting ready at a hotel for an important event and Leigh comes out of the bathroom in a beautiful dress and an “afro blow out” (I have the photo of hair names saved from this group- just not looking at it as I type and will use the correct hair name in novel). When she comes out of the bathroom Anne sees her and is taken completely aback by her beauty. Her reaction makes Leigh uncomfortable and she asks if she should {straighten/presss} her hair. Which action is the correct word there? …to which Anne tells her no, she loves her natural hair because it’s who she is.

3. Later in the book, they are going to be heading to an archeological dig in the desert and I thought about giving Leigh “braids” with “coloured extensions/weave” .. is “tightly woven braids with (haven’t chosen colour yet)” appropriate? What should I say instead? This will also prompt a convo between the two main characters where Anne asks Leigh why she changes her hair so much. Leighs response will be “{As an African American} my hair is a large expression of who I am. Much like the clothes we wear for different moods or events, I change my hair to reflect what I am feeling or just as an outward expression of who I am” .. should I put the African American part in? I feel that hair is an expression to most people, but I know it is a huge part of African American culture and I want to get it right

Thanks in advance for advice!! This is a book I have always wanted to write, but it also became a book about “underdogs”. I really wanted to make a book with queer representation. I also realized I wanted to have an African American as there isn’t much representation for them either. I really want to show her as a fierce, smart woman (who of course struggles with the brevity of being “mixed race”) that isn’t a gangster, rapper, or the typical things we see in the media. I really want queer and/or African American young women to read my novel (eventually) and feel like it describes them well. Not in a stereotypical way they usually are portrayed. Anyways.. Sorry for the ramble, but thanks in advance for all the help!!

First of all, I want to address your use of “Strong.” It is not the compliment you may think it is and Black women do not always accept it well, particularly from non-Black people. Being forced to be strong, aka the Strong Black Woman, is not an ideal condition. So portraying Black women as such without nuance is not welcome representation.  

“I also feel like being bi-racial in the south makes her a little conflicted. She sometimes wants to just ‘be white’ to make things easier, but is so very proud to be African-American and bi-racial.”

Be aware that not every mixed race person has an identity struggle. But in a world where she faces racism, it could be realistic, a desire to “just be white.” As a visibly Black woman, though, she’ll always be seen as Black, and never just white, even if she’s mixed race or even lighter-complexioned. It’s part of the whole “one drop” perspective.

Now, to your specific questions.

Black hair questions - are these the right terms?

Leigh is putting conditioner in her hair and hears the doorbell. She puts her hair in a silk hairwrap (is that ok to call it that?) 

1.)

It’s hard to answer if this sounds realistic without knowing what products Leigh is using in this situation.

Is Leigh using a leave in conditioner or a conditioner hair masque? The former is what you’d use to style and add moisture to hair. It’s fine to leave that in and go about your day. The latter is something you would wash out after use. 

Also, I wonder if you’re referring to a silk hair bonnet or scarf in your description of a silk wrap? She likely wouldn’t put on a bonnet or silk scarf if she had a mask in that she was going to wash out. If she did, she’d need to clean it to get the product off of it. 

For comparison, imagine you put a hat onto your head when you still had shampoo in it. Wouldn’t that be strange and messy? 

Now, there are hair wraps and shower caps used for conditioning hair. The material is made for being washed out or disposed of after use.

“I was going to have her undo her hairwrap and run her fingers through her hair… but I know African American hair can’t be brushed, would running her fingers through it (even damp) ruin her hair?”

Yikes. Who said our hair cannot be brushed? One has to be more careful and curly/coily hair may not use the same brushes as straight-haired folks, but we can and still do brush and comb our hair. Popular brushes are boar brushes (although I find these too “rough” on my fine coils) and detangling brushes.

And there is no one shared “African American hair type.” Please look into the range of hair styles belonging to Black women, mixed or no. From thick and course, fine and soft, straight and/or straightened. 

And, again I’m not sure what kind of conditioner was left in her hair. If this was a wash-out hair conditioner, and her hair was fully covered, it’ll likely still be damp. Some leave those on for hours, although the directions usually say 20-30 minutes is enough.

Long story short, her hair isn’t going to just be destroyed from running her hands through them, even if it’s really curly or coily. Hands don’t ease through certain curls in the same way it does straight, but you can roll over or around curls to avoid tangling and snagging, particularly if you carefully follow the flow of the curl itself. I am idly finger-combing a coil of my hair as I write this!

See also Black Hair Couple Interactions: Boyfriend Playing with his Black Girlfriend’s Hair

2.)

“Leigh comes out of the bathroom in a beautiful dress and an ‘afro blow out’" …her reaction makes Leigh uncomfortable and she asks if she should {straighten/presss} her hair. Which action is the correct word there?”   

You seem to be using the right terms. Blow out (you wouldn’t need to add "Afro”) and straightened are fine to use. I wouldn’t imagine her saying “should I press it?” To a white woman, though. 

I don’t have your photo references, but Google should’ve produced the correct results. Blow outs add volume to afro hair. Depending on how its done, heat level, etc. it can make hair look like a bigger fro, or make it straighter and stretched out. The more heat and time devoted to styling, generally the straighter you can get the hair.

3. 

“Is 'tightly woven braids with (haven’t chosen colour yet)’ appropriate? … ;{As an African American} my hair is a large expression of who I am.; should I put the African American part in?”

While I’d leave out referring to the hair as extensions or weave, saying "tightly woven braids” is a fine description! 

And honestly, I’d suggest leaving out the As an African American portion. Coming from a non-Black voice, it may be taken as speaking for Black people. Also, not all Black people may agree with that statement. Hair has important cultural aspects for many, absolutely! So i’m not saying it’s wrong, but its best to Keep her statement individual, her own perspective, not a statement about the whole race. Again, coming from a non-Black voice, especially.

Characterization

“I really want to show her as a fierce, smart woman (who of course struggles with the brevity of being ”“mixed race”“) that isn’t a gangster, rapper, or the typical things we see in the media. I really want queer and/or African American young women to read my novel (eventually) and feel like it describes them well. Not in a stereotypical way they usually are portrayed. Anyways.. Sorry for the ramble, but thanks in advance for all the help!!”

I do think you need to do a lot more research on Black women, stereotypes, hair, and being a mixed race Black woman before writing this story. Our blog is a general resource, though just the start.

I appreciate your efforts to tell a story that isn’t built on stereotypes or the typical portrayals of Black people. Now, mind that some people may fit “stereotypes” but they are not stereotypes - they’re people.

Another thing - her being mixed race. While it’s fine to portray a mixed race character, and your intentions seem good, some writers choose this route because it’s “easier” and anchoring the Black character to whiteness (or even anyone other than Black) makes them more palatable. I only ask, if you had the intentions of representing Black women, why not write a non-Mixed race Black woman?

After evaluating your characters and the language used, you would benefit from a beta-reader, Black + queer or otherwise, reading your story before publication. They’ll be able to help you “get it right” and note any areas that cause pause or need correction.

I hope this was helpful!

~Mod Colette