#for example what about poc who use actively use and reclaim it/its for their own identity

[southerncunning]

So... In terms of magic and location. Being in Arkansas or say Oklahoma would that be Southern or Midwest? In terms of Folklore magic and stuff?

This is a great question, and one that is a part of a few components. I’ll probably do a full article on the website on this subject but I’ll bullet point it here. It’s a long one. 

- Defining what is Southern is highly contested amongst Southerners. Very few Southerners will agree on what exactly meets the criteria for being Southern.- Being Southern is much more about your culture than Geography (fight me) although Geography is apart of the equation. - Certain states are rarely up for debate when it comes to being Southern these would be Virginia, Kentucky, the Carolina’s, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana - Contested states for being Southern are often Maryland, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and West Virginia  - Some people define the South as strictly those states that were apart of the Confederacy during the civil war. This continues a legacy of associating Southern culture with racism. While racism is one of the leading issues in Southern culture it does not define the culture and many of us Southerners are actively trying to make the South an inhospitable environment for racists through grassroots activism and reclaiming Southernness. - In my opinion your geography is secondary to how you were raised. Did you grow up with dishes like collard greens, brusslesprouts, deep fried anything, venison, and biscuits and gravy? Is Mac and cheese a vegetable to you? You probably have a claim to being Southern. - Likewise just because you grow up in a Southern state doesn’t mean you’re Southern. - People who question someones “Southernness” because their from the contested states has probably never lived in one of these places or if they have did not explore past one major city. Take Florida for example. I’ve lived here almost my entire life. My family has been here going back 8 generations. We grew up valuing Southern Hospitality, meaning that if someone needs help you goddamn help them. Even if you don’t have much, you try your damnedest to give to others. Southerners tend to have a strong relationship to their food. Farming, raising livestock, and hunting are all embedded into our lives. If you didn’t do one of these things a neighbor or family member did. All of these things happen throughout Florida (and no, not just the pan handle). Go to Polk County, Everglades City, Arcadia, almost anywhere in North or Central Florida and you will find people who identify themselves as Southerners. - Yankees get no say in what being Southern means. - A lot of distinct cultures exist under Southern culture. Each state has its own culture, and county. Appalachian’s get a claim to being Southern for sure. Florida Crackers do as well. Hill folk, Hillbillies, rednecks, ect. all have distinct cultural markers but all have a link back to being Southern if they claim it. Being “white trash” or a rich Southerner both have completely different cultural values but would fall under being Southern. It’s not a monolith. - There are a ton of LGBTQ and POC in the South who identify as Southern. Racist white Southerners do not have a monopoly on the South. LGBTQ and POC Southerners have every right to reclaim Southernness and fight against the problems throughout Southern culture. Those of us in the new generations are redefining what it means to be Southern while holding true to the traditions that are important. - Southern culture centers on Southern hospitality, food, an understanding of history and how to combat its oppressive legacy, y’all (linguistics), typically a closeness to the land/food ways, music, valuing hands-on work and learning (working hard playing hard), community focused help (ties into hospitality but on a larger scale, often hinging on church communities as well), and shared story telling values

That last point leads into your actual question. What qualifies as Southern folk magic, and Southern folklore? If the story is told by Southerners its probably Southern folklore. If the story is about a Southern place, it’s probably Southern folklore. Being Southern is a combination of factors that can be complicated. A lot of values that are considered Southern are shared by a lot of other cultures (like valuing hard work or making something with your own two hands). I don’t know enough about Oklahoma to really give a full answer but I’d say they’re probably similar but not quite Southern. One of my friends grew up there and when we swap stories theres some overlap but he doesn’t identify as Southern and there are some distinct differences in our food. From that I’d say, no probably not Southern.Arkansas, I know almost nothing about. But my gut say they’re Southern. TLDR; Arkansas is Southern, Oklahoma isn’t. Southernness isn’t defined solely by geography, it is a set of cultural value and markers. But folklore comes from a mix of geography and culture meaning you need some mixture of Southern places and Southern people for it to be Southern folklore or magic. 

#ask #Southern culture #southern folk magic #southern folklore #southern #the south

[pocrpc-archived]

Writing Black Characters:A Guide for Nb POC

This obviously has to be a multiple part series because no one post can be a complete guideline for writing any kind of character. This post will cover just a few topics to make your black character just a bit more believable. Please note that this guide is obviously opinionated and includes parts of life that are never really touched upon, but very important. This is pt. 1 of many to come.

Why A Guide for Nb-POC?

that way this guide in no way has to dedicate an entire section to explain why black people are human beings and should be written like human beings. It’s tiring. If you still have to ask why this post might not be for you then

So let’s get started!!

A Quick PSA: So all our cultures are very diverse and unique in more ways than we don’t realize until there is an exchange or other attempts to research and learn about cultures that are not our own. This model of the Cultural Iceberg is very popular and helps us visualize the difference between Surface culture(what easily be seen and studied) and Deep culture (the parts not easily seen by members outside of the cultural group). It’s very important to realize that it’s not your place as an outsider to address/write about/ critique social issues in deeper parts of cultures that you are not apart of. Use very careful discretion when writing. 

This guide is going to dip into both sides in hopes of helping you guys create some great black characters. 

Language: Black Americans in particular have multiple dialects/sociolects but the most popular one  is African American Vernacular English also known as Ebonics. The style and usage varies from person to person and also by age, location, and socio-economic status. It’s very crucial to keep in mind that the ability to speak AAVE, or use slang, shouldn't be used as a tool to affirm your characters blackness to your audience. Their language/dialect shouldn't be their only defining trait as well! While AAVE is inherently black this doesn't mean that blacks who don’t speak it or use it are less black than others. There’s a bit of talk on whether or not NB writers should write their black muses speaking AAVE and the general consensus is no. 

Attempts at using AAVE by non speakers either results in accidentally offensive portrayals of black muses, incorrect usage of slang and grammar, and cringe worthy attempts at code switching. My advice to you is do not write your muses speaking AAVE unless you have a firm grasp of its style,grammar, and usage. If you do not, then stick to Standard English. It won’t make your character less believable. Bad representation is worse than no representation in my opinion. 

If you decide to put the work in and want to research and learn AAVE to make your character dialog as “authentic” as possible go for it! There are many ways you can research the vernacular and slang. 

Talk to your black friends about it,

Absorb black literature for proper examples of AAVE in writing

Watch Black Youtubers

Listen to the music

Watch black films written by black writers (I say this for a reason)

Lastly, reclaimed words are off limits to you as a writer

Hair and Style: Defining black style and what counts as black style is very difficult to do sometimes because black people wear the same clothes as everyone else. There are definitely cultural fashion trends that come and go within the community and if your character is someone who you see as fashionable and always keeping up with appearances it’s important you come to learn what’s popular. 

Black people are trendsetters worldwide!! Fashion trends in the community tend to come from black creators and our styles revolve around the arts, language,and cultures found in the black community. Shoes for example are very important to younger generations. Jordans, Vans, Yeezys, Superstars , and other brand names are a few popular styles I can think of off the top of my head. 

Clothing varies across generations, classes, Ethnicities, and genders and styles are constantly changing...Black  Fashion is also appropriated and renamed..A lot. Please for the love of god call things by their correct name when writing your character and not by their “trendy” substitutes. Also keep in mind that most items, especially if cultural, aren’t new. (The Dashiki for example) 

For more style references check out websites/Hashtags like: Essence, Ebony, Instagram, #Blackboyjoy, #Blackgirlsaremagic, #Blackout 

Curly Kinky Nappy Hair: Black hair is so fucking flexible and such an important part of everyday life. I see a lot of writers/creators make black characters and then change their physical appearance to be more white especially their hair. Stop that shit. Don’t do it. 

Learn the hair types so that when hair is mentioned in your writing you can describe it accordingly. Learn how styles are created and maintained because you do not go for long periods of time without maintaining your hair and neither should your character.

Hairstyles in the black community are designed to suit black hair types and can feature many intricate designs and accessories. Getting most of these styles done is so time consuming at times too! Hair takes a lot of maintenance and up keeping. Here are a few styles for reference. 

Fades           Twists 

Faux Locs     Dreads

Box Braids    Cornrows 

Lacefronts     Weave

Crochet Braids and many many more! 

For more on styles please check out popular magazines,blogs and youtubers. You are always  a search away from fleshing out your characters to the fullest. 

Ethnicity: Not all Black people in the US are African-American. Not all black people have ties to Africa or immediate African heritage. Mix it up! And Study!That’s what makes everyone so unique in this community..You can partake in and belong to multiple cultures. For example my immediate family comes from the Caribbean but my grandparents were Cuban, German, Chinese! I identify most with American and Caribbean cultures. My grand Aunt exclusively identifies as Cuban despite living outside of Cuba for many years.

What other cultures does your muse belong to,how does your muse identify themselves? Do they practice their traditions? Do you know their traditions? Incorporate them. What music do they listen to? What foods do they eat on occasion. Are they religious? Are they culturally active

Tropes and Anti-Blackness: Does the history of your people include European colonization, Cultural imperialism, and forced racial hierarchy? Of course it does. 

This aspect of history that a majority of us share has led to a lot of anti-blackness and colorism within our communities. Even if you know yourself to be A OK with your black companions there can still be some internalized anti-black thoughts swimming about. Ask yourself important questions as you go along. 

Why do I want to make a black character?

Am I describing lighter skinned characters differently than I do darker skinned characters? 

Am I describing physical features (noses, hair, lips, bodies)negatively or in a way that makes this character seem “other”, thuggish, violent, ugly?

Does my character fall victim to harmful stereotypes?

Does my character only exist to serve as a plot device for another character?

Do you only have a black character serve as a token character? 

Does your character fit into any of these tropes?

Make sure to constantly evaluate yourself, your black characters, and your writing. Take criticism from black people seriously and with grace. Thankfully I believe that you’re 100 percent capable of not pulling that white shit we’ve come to know and hate. 

Any further questions can be sent to @pocrpc

Good Luck and @black people  feel free to add on/submit/ comment more helpful tips and advice. 

#pt.1 #rb #resource #poc writing help #to be edited