Being inclusive with your reader insert fic is a kindness. It tells people of color (poc) that you are considering someone who does not look like you in your fic. It shows love and dedication to our craft. It tells poc that they belong here too and they can see themselves in your story.
Poc aren’t look for activism in fic, we know fandom isn’t that serious, but we should be able to have that same level of escapism when we turn to fic and fandom. We belong here too. This space is for everyone, not just one group of people.
Just to give a few examples of how simple it can be: say “skin warmed” instead of blushed, say “cradled your head” instead of running fingers through hair, say “angles yourself to kiss” instead of standing on tiptoes, use italics to indicate Spanish to take out a throwaway line of “you didn’t understand Spanish” things like that. Small changes that do not impact the fic at all but make a world of difference in inclusivity!
And for anything you can’t/don’t want to change, simply add warning in the beginning. Things like hair descriptors, anything reader might wear, some backstory for reader (especially involving family or where the story is set), readers job, things like that. A lot of times just having that heads up before the fic makes a world of difference!
And one example of kindness we as writers always worked to change: until recently (just a couple years ago) it wasn’t common to label the gender of the reader. But those who aren’t female asked writers to label it so they know which to read and which to avoid, and now it’s common to label the gender/pronouns of the reader. So it is possible! It just takes effort! And I’m a writer myself so I know it can be done!
We can pretend to be a bartender or a bounty hunter or an actress or anything else. But we shouldn’t have to imagine we’re a white one.
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we need to adopt will wood’s “boys girls neithers boths and in-betweens” when addressing crowds. i think that’d be cool actually
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Once again GREAT inclusive fashion by designer Kei Hirabayashi.
Those boots were created with wheelchair users in mind, especially people with foot paralysis. Their zippers mean they are easy to slip on/fasten/take off. And they look absolutely amazing, I’d love to own such a pair!
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[Image description: A tumblr post, edited blackout-poetry style to read, “lesbian is an umbrella term! Lesbians like women. you can be a guy and a lesbian. you can use he/him pronouns and be a lesbian, be nice”]
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lesbian 👏🏻 is 👏🏻👏🏻 an 👏🏻 umbrella 👏🏻 term! 👏🏻
Submitted by @lordchiefinjustice
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(Tw for a VERY brief mention of infantilization)
I want to talk about interacting with AAC users in person, specifically for speaking people.
1. Being an AAC user, I get left behind during conversations a lot because it takes me longer to add in my statement. By the time I'm done, the topic has oftentimes changed and then what I want to say isnt relevant anymore, and sometimes wont even be understood because to everyone else what I just said was out of place and random. This feels really frustrating and sometimes isolating, as well as embarrassing. Please wait for us, we want to converse too.
2. Sometimes when I am not yet done responding, people will watch me and try to guess what I'm going to say. If all I've got down so far is "I already", people might go "I already.. know!" "I already.. saw!" etc. Please stop doing that. Even if you got the idea correct, you might use the wrong words, which frustrates me. And even if you say it all correctly it's still frustrating, imagine if someone tried to guess what you were saying by interrupting you every time you started to talk. It's annoying.
3. Dont comment on what in our folders. If I open a folder to get to another word, and whilst doing that you see a different word in it that's funny or inappropriate or whatever, keep it to yourself. Its annoying. You have acsess to those words, and it isnt treated as weird, so why is it for me?
4. Don't infantilize us. We aren't perpetually children. We are our age. Treat us as if we are a speaking person of our age.
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been on tumblr less than a week and already Trans Discourse is on my timeline front page dash...
idk i kind of just feel like...there are actual real threats right now in the world to all trans people, and like. trying to create in-groups and out-groups within the community is the most braindead thing you can do
they are killing us. they want us dead. any time you try to segregate one fraction of the queer community from another, their job gets a little easier. let me give you an example that happened recently in Texas while I was living there:
June 2022: Log Cabin Republican Praises Trump, "Don't Say Gay", Trans Hate
Also June 2022: Texas GOP's New Platform calls gay people "abnormal"
Log Cabin Republicans are essentially gay conservatives. And as part of trying to be accepted, under Trump, they decided trans people were the out-group and that gay people (specifically, white cisgender gay men) were the in-group.
If I had to guess, they probably figured so long as they also pointed the finger at us and called us groomers and said we were fetishists, they would be more accepted in the republican party.
Guess what happened? Not that! Instead, the Texas GOP, in 2022 (Two Thousand And Twenty Two) decided that being gay was once again Not Okay!
This is what I'm getting at: in queer spaces, always, always, there must be solidarity. There is no such thing as someone who is "not gay enough", or "not really trans", or "just looking for attention."
I, myself, am a binary trans woman. My current partner is a genderfluid transmasculine nonbinary person. Do I spend hours talking with them about how they do or don't face certain forms of oppression, or about how their identity is less valid than mine?
Of course not! We kiss and hold hands and fuck and have empathy for each other.
As a queer person it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to be one hundred percent accepting, validating, and encouraging of ALL QUEERNESS, because the second you decide to draw the line, the oppressor wins.
Maybe you're not a Log Cabin Republican. Maybe you're not advocating for trans genocide while being in a same-sex relationship. Maybe you just, idk, use the word "theyfab." Or you think pansexuals should "just call themselves bi."
It doesn't matter that the line you've drawn is farther left, or smaller, or excludes less of the community.
What matters is that you've drawn it at all.
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I love how inclusivity is handled in The Dragon Prince, here's why.
In most shows, as much as it bothers me to admit so, some people are right, inclusivity does feel forced sometimes. But it's not the characters' fault, it's not because of them being part of the lgbtq+ community, or being disabled, or being POC, or being strong women who do not conform to patriarchal standards.
It's not that.
It's that the show they are part of is a straight, white, abled parade - and notice, most of said shows won't even pass the Bechdel test.
So yes, in a show written by and aimed to straight, white, abled people, even I, a gay, non-binary, chronically ill person feel weird seeing charcters that are there just for the sake of inclusivity, albeit 'inorganic'.
In a show with the premise of "straight, white, abled men are the indiscussed MCs", seeing that one side-character that stands out and is often ridiculed and/or reduced to a single trait of their 'personality', such as 'the gay one', 'the asian one', 'the disabled one' (etc) is upsetting and feels uncomfortable as hell.
But TDP is different.
They immediately introduced powerful women, people of color, characters that are openly part of the lgbtq+ community, disabled characters etc. And not one of them per 'category', no. For the lgbtq+ community we have Amaya, Janai, Runaan, Ethari, Terry, Kazi. For the disabled community, we have Amaya again, Villads, and even a disabled wolf Ava. For the POC community, we have literally half of the cast, starting from King Harrow, then Ezran, every sunfire elf, Terry as well, etc. Same goes for women, who take up on roles that are rarely considered 'for women', like Opeli being the main member of the High Council, Amaya being the General, Rayla being the main Dragon Guard, Claudia being one of the main antagonists, etc.
Both main and side-characters are part of the communities, everything is so much more organic, enjoyable, thrilling.
We do not come in 'minor quantity'.
We are everywhere, among others, living our lives, doing our best, existing, thriving, proud. It's not just one or two of us among thousands. Surprise, 'categories' can mix! Just like I, a real human being, can be gay, enby as well as chronically ill, we can have characters like that as well! Amaya being lesbian and disabled, Terry being black and trans, Janai being black and lesbian, etc. And, another surprise, 'categories' don't define us. We don't 'shove it' in anyone's face like they say we do, we're just being us and cishets are upset because we don't conform to their sick standards.
Inclusivity is organic in TDP because nobody in that universe questions anyone else's color, gender, orientation, etc. And it's organic because we didn't have to wait half a season to see a black character, or a disabled character, or a gay character.
The key to inclusivity is to realise that we aren't just 'bonuses'. Fill shows and comics with lgbtq+, POC, disabled, and female characters. Not just one every 15, 20 characters. Everywhere.
We are everywhere! We are proud! We deserve to be seen! We deserve to be depicted as the normal people we are, without diminishing our traits but without making them our whole personality either. Treat us like human beings, be considerate like you should be with everyone on the planet of course, but treat us like humans.
Antagonising people who are 'different' (in the mind of straight, white, abled people) will not suppress us. We will keep insisting until you hear us. It's literally one of the main messages, one of the main teachings of TDP and it's so damn important.
Every single person on Earth should watch it. Every single kid should be introduced to TDP at an early age. Every old bigot should watch it, as well. Everybody. Even if it's considered a y7 (y10 for s4 and s5 apparently) show, everyone, no matter their age, should give it a try and watch it thoroughly.
Lots of love to the creators and everyone, literelly everyone involved in the production of one the best, most entertaining, most exciting, most formative shows ever. Please, keep it up! And thank you so much!
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B O D I E S - A Collection of Pedro Boy & Real Body Reader One Shots - Masterlist
A collection of softly smutty Pedro Boy stories, featuring real bodies and real love... 🧡
COMING SOON!
Adoration - Joel Miller - Cancer/Masectomy
Reverence - Ezra - Limb Loss
Devotion - Dieter Bravo - Curvy/fuller Body
Homage - Javi Gutierrez - Blindness
Veneration - Frankie Morales - Deafness
Adulation - Marcus Pike - Alopecia
Respect - Dave York - Wheelchair User/MS
Devoutness - Marcus Moreno - Mature 60+
Glorification - Jack Daniels - Pregnancy
Exaltation - Javier Peña - Scarring/Burns
Sanctification - Joel Miller - Vaginismus
Benediction - Frankie Morales - Scoliosis
Acclamation - Marcus Pike - Walking Aid
Piety - Dieter Bravo - Paraplegia
Obeisance - Joel Miller - Fibromyalgia
🖤
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No one exluded. No one marginalized.
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BUTCHBEAR ; for those who identify with both the butch and bear labels. this can be self-described however the identifier pleases, and represents queerness in masculinity and self-love.
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While we’re in Latino Heritage Month, let’s stop assuming your reader doesn’t know/speak Spanish in your reader insert fics. Especially if you’re writing for Pedro’s, Oscar’s or other Latino characters please.
EDIT: After some criticism of how this was originally phrased, let me change it into a question/request instead- Can we as writers please try to be more inclusive with our reader insert fics so poc and others can feel represented and see themselves too? Including taking out a quick throwaway line about reader not understanding Spanish. (Keeping the original phrasing above so anyone who missed the post to begin with can still see how I originally phrased it)
If you have a throwaway line of “he said in Spanish that you didn’t understand” or something similar, just take it out. Have something like “you didn’t hear” instead and let the reader interpret how they want. Or use italics to indicate Spanish. Or have the translation right there without mention of anyone translating for them. Simple. Or if you don’t want to/feel you cannot change it, then please have something in with your warnings so Latinos/poc can skip it if they choose.
And let me tell you why this is so frustrating (even for me as someone who is not a fluent speaker). It’s because Latinos look to these characters and actors for representation. We see ourselves in them. And when you clearly do not have a Latino person in mind when writing, you’re saying we don’t belong here. In a space where we should feel welcomed and celebrated. Representation matters. Inclusivity matters. Please try to be more inclusive with reader fics so we can all enjoy and immerse ourselves in your writing.
ALSO EDITING TO ADD MORE FROM A REBLOG SO EVERYONE CAN SEE MY CLARIFICATION: (under a cut for length)
This is nothing new, poc have been asking for years now to be inclusive in fics and yet it’s still a battle. We’re not asking for a lot, and certainly not asking anyone to change their style or creativity or anything like that. Literally simple edits: take out the word “blush” don’t mention hair, don’t mention not understanding Spanish, not making reader blood related to a white character, etc. Literally tiny things that would not change the story at all but make a world of difference.
Here’s an example too: a few years ago it was not common for writers to label the gender of their reader as it was usually assumed the reader would be a woman. But, people advocated to label readers as f/m/gn/whatever to be more inclusive and asked writers to strive for gender neutral readers when possible so that more readers felt seen and welcome. Now it’s a common thing to do. Why is making the readers race ambiguous any different?
Yes sometimes posts like this come across harsh, but know that they’re not meant to be. Poc aren’t trying to demand anything, we just ask to broaden your langauge when writing reader insert so more can see themselves in your work. It’s incredibly frustrating to ask for inclusivity and be met with hostility and rudeness in return and a refusal to think about poc so yes sometimes the wording gets harsh out of that frustration. But I encourage y’all to focus on the message more and maybe think about why poc in fandom get snippy like this. We do need to have an open conversation, yes. Just look in the comments at the Latinos and poc who are upset by the exclusion and feel hurt by it. How you you white fans feel if roles were reversed and none of the fics included you? Not fun, right?
And to those who say write it yourself: I do. I’ve been a x reader writer for years now and I do strive for inclusivity in my work. But I’m only one person and this is bigger than any one person. This isn’t about what I personally find acceptable or what I personally what. It should be a collective effort among writers as a whole to strive to include as many as possible in their works and not white code your readers. It’s not about demanding writers write it a certain way, it’s about asking writers to consider others who don’t look like them who also want the immersion and the escape that your fic brings.
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[Alt text from image]
Screenshot of tweet from user @/hi_its_annaleah here :
less telling marginalized ppl to "Find your community"
more telling society in general to "Cultivate safe spaces"
less telling struggling ppl to "Reach out for help/support"
more telling society in general to "Provide meaningful, affordable, informed, accessible help/support"
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Hakama like pants (skirt?) made to retain its bottom pleats when sitting in a wheelchair thanks to a mesh insertion, once again a great inclusive design work by Kei Hirabayashi for Tottolink/Bottomall. About this work; OP states:
Last year, when I consulted with a wheelchair user about clothes that look beautiful when sitting, "It would be interesting to have bottoms that fold at right angles, assuming that you can put on and take off while sitting.”
It was an interesting idea, so when I actually made it, it was very popular as "functional and cooler than I expected." Listening is important.
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Notes on inclusivity in x reader fic
I’ve seen a lot of posts about this this week so I wanted to share the things I think about when I write and how I try to be more inclusive. I’m not saying I invented these – I definitely did not. This is also not an exhaustive list. I’m just good at organizing information (thanks, grad school) so I thought it might be helpful for others to list out what I'm thinking about while writing. I’m completely open to feedback on these! And I’ll add to the list as I learn and think of more.
Notes on hair, skin tone, body type/size (and clothes), language, and gender below the cut.
Hair
The main thing to avoid here is having fingers run through reader’s hair. That’s not possible or desirable for a variety of hair types. Things I like to do instead:
Hand on the back of the neck
Hand on jaw, side of neck, or cheek (especially hand on side of neck with thumb caressing cheek)
Fingers tracing face, cheekbones, lips
Kisses at the hairline
Skin tone
I think we all know about avoiding blushing at this point. I like to use:
Cheeks heated
Felt heat rise in your cheeks
Face felt hot
Your cheeks were warm to the touch
You could feel the heat in your cheeks
But there’s also other considerations, like wind chafing (which can cause redness, but only on some skin) and effects of actions like clenching your fists or what happens when you’re feeling faint:
Windburn, raw skin, dryness, chafing, peeling instead of redness
Not using “white knuckles” to emphasize clenched fists or a tight grip on something
Not having the reader “turn white” or pale when they’re shocked, feeling faint, sick, etc.
Instead, try: looks sick, ill, shaky, weak, trembling
Body type & size
Clothing
I try to only specify clothing, footwear, and/or makeup when plot relevant:
Going out on a date? Try “your favorite outfit” or “the new outfit you bought” which allows the reader to fill in something they would want to wear in that situation.
If I need reader to have a pocket, I might specify jeans, but not what type.
If I need reader to be comfortable, I might say they’re wearing their most comfortable clothes, but not what they are.
If I need reader to be wearing a top and pants, I’ll just say that without adding details.
Another note here - it’s possible to add descriptors that can be relatable and add to the vibe without adding specifics. For example:
“You were wearing your favorite jeans that fit you just the way you liked.”
"You were already uncomfortable because your only clean pants were the ones you hated, with the broken fly."
“You slipped on your most comfortable clothes that you liked to wear around the house.”
“You found a top in your closet that you hadn’t worn in ages, and felt perfect for the moment.”
If needed, specify without over specifying:
In Maintenance Request, there’s an important, plot-relevant scene where reader spills coffee on her white blouse. So I said she was wearing a white blouse, but nothing else about her outfit. That allows you to picture whatever you want (and whatever type of blouse) with just that one detail.
You can say, for example, that reader is wearing lingerie and it has lace, without adding so much information that the reader can't picture themselves in it.
Body size and weight
In terms of reader’s size, one thing to think about is writing that the other person lifts the reader or carries them anywhere. That’s not inclusive of plus-size bodies (like mine). But it’s possible to include similar physicality without that particular detail:
Throwing a leg over a shoulder
Tugging on hips (on the bed)
Pushing into a wall and crowding in
Pulling someone down on top of you
Height
Not everyone is shorter than these love interests we’re writing about. Try:
Leaned in for a kiss (instead of up)
Brought your lips to theirs
Angled your head for a kiss
Reached for them (instead of reached up)
Language
You don’t have to speak a language to imagine that your reader might. Instead of implying that dialogue in another language is “incomprehensible” or saying reader doesn’t understand, try:
You didn’t hear what he said (let’s the reader decide if they understood)
Include the dialogue but mark it as being in the other language (possibly in italics?)
Talk to one of the many fans on here who speak that language!
Check out and bookmark helpful posts like this one about sexy talk in Spanish from ali @urmomsgnocchi
Gender
Label whether it’s f!reader, gn!reader, m!reader, nb!reader, etc.
Note about tagging
But like anything else, the most important thing to do is tag! If you want to have someone lift the reader, for example, you can do that – just tag for it, or specify that you’re not tagging for everything. That allows people to choose how to engage. ETA: It’s not possible to be inclusive of every reader’s experience in every fic, but tagging allows everyone to know what’s going on.
I like to add a note on the main fic post about any details I’ve added to reader’s backstory, see this one as an example.
Note about learning
Like anything else, we do better when we learn more. I learned a lot of this from reading fic and reading others’ helpful guidance and suggestions way before I ever started writing. But I also learned some from editing myself, which gets easier the more I practice. For example, I originally had a detail in to know the light about reader's skin turning red and irritated from cold wind – but I caught it, and changed it to be more inclusive. I caught it because I’ve been purposefully editing and monitoring my own writing for inclusivity. It gets easier with practice.
I hope this is helpful and I’m also happy to add any other suggestions or link to anyone’s posts. Also happy to have feedback. <3
Here are some posts that helped me learn and do better:
About inclusivity and language from @flightlessangelwings
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