All Hail Sojiro

Hey I saw your tips for drawing muslims but do you have any for writing them?

hello hello, thanks for the ask!

WRITING MUSLIM CHARACTERS

stereotypes to avoid

– the “oppressed hijabi” trope

listen, most of us wear hijab because we want to. because we grew up around it. because it’s as natural as wearing a shirt. please stop acting as though we all despise our hijab and our religion

– the “misunderstanding parents” trope

why are all muslim parents emotionally or physically abusive in fiction? i personally have an amazing relationship with my parents. also not all muslim parents are trying to suck the joy out of their children’s lives. they’re just trying to keep their kids safe. also this trope usually gets pretty racist because the reason they don’t understand their child is because they’re “not from here” and “don’t get how things are done” so yknow, avoid that.

– the “abusive dad” trope

listen. i’m fully aware that abusive parents are horrible and something that people should be made aware of, but when every muslim dad in fiction is abusive, that’s just islamophobia. just. give us good relationships with our family!!!

– the “silent mom” trope

how come muslim mothers in fiction have no lines? have no voice? they’re just silent products of a household there to cook and clean. what is that all about?? please. just stop

– the “White Boy Romance” trope

oh, all muslims know where i’m going with this Do. Not. Have. A. Hijabi. Take. Off. Her. Hijab. For. A. White. Boy. please. don’t have her take it off, period. but especially not for romance. actually, if your narrative involves a muslim girl stepping away from her religion and taking off her hijab and realizing she’s happier this way, throw the whole story away. i’m sorry, but if you’re not muslim, this isn’t something for you to write about. this is not your story to write, and writing it will be extremely islamophobic. avoid a typical romance. muslim romances do not occur the way western romances do. either you gotta be okay with that and write it properly, or you should do your best to avoid it altogether.

THINGS TO DO

– let them have friends!! let them have muslim friends!! especially if they live in an area that has a high muslim population.

– let them talk about things that aren’t their religion. listen, my muslim friends and i talk about religion occasionally, but i can assure you, more of our conversation revolves around the hot boy of the week or about whatever shows we’re watching. and in terms of non-muslim friends, religion isn’t a point of tension. we respect and celebrate our differences, and that’s it. we talk about it sometimes, but we don’t argue about it

– make it clear that we’re muslim without just saying it. have us take a step aside to pray. have a character compliment our hijabs. have us fast in ramadan (or make up fasts in the winter). have us eat halal meat. say bismillah before we eat. say alhamdulillah after sneezing or when we’re thankful. subhanallah when we see something beautiful

– we’re not nuns. we find people attractive. we discuss it. it’s not a big deal

– make sure we have a personality that doesn’t revolve around our religion. yes, our religion can be a huge aspect of our identity and life, but no, it’s not the only thing. make them obsessed with a show. give them nervous habits. what do they collect? are they introverted? you tell me!

– avoid intimately close friendships with the opposite gender. casual acquaintances is fine, but this is something i would personally avoid writing if possible

– research what is haram. i’ll give you a basic list:

- pork

- meat that isn’t halal

- gelatin (unless it’s plant gelatin or from a halal store)

- missing prayers

- sex before or outside of marriage

- cheating in any way

- abuse towards your family (yes, this may come as a shock to some, but it’s actually prohibited by islam)

- drinking

- drugs

do more research, of course, but this is a basic list.

i think that about covers it: don’t stereotype us, make sure it’s noticeable that we’re muslims, give us personalities, and make sure we’re avoiding haram stuff

before anyone comes at me: i’m aware that there are muslims who don’t follow the rules and who do haram things and who don’t like their religion and don’t have stable family relationships etc, etc. BUT when that is our only representation in media, it’s islamophobic. show us good muslims, who like their religion, whose religion is their identity, who don’t feel like their religion is causing them to lose out. because we exist.

Writing a Blind or Visually Impaired Character

A Multi-Step Guide Written by a Visually Impaired Writer and Blogger

I’m hoping this blog will over time develop its own following, and when it does people will inevitably see my bio and notice what I included: I’m visually impaired.

Yes, a visually impaired writer, and I’ve written with two blind characters before so I have some practice in the field.

So, inevitably, someone is going to ask how to write a blind character.

Or, at least, I hope you’ll ask someone who’s actually blind or visually impaired about writing a blind character before you get too involved with your new WIP.

All parts will be tagged #blindcharacter in my blog, and I will add links to every post as I finish each part. Follow my blog for more writing advice.

Note, this post updates fairly often and old versions are still floating around out there. The most current version of this post is pinned to my blog with any new guides or links you might of missed.

As of 24 January 2021, this is the most extensive and screen reader friendly version of this post.

Part One: Crafting the Blind Character

In which I tell you how to begin making a blind character who is more than a cardboard cutout

Part Two: Narrative Choice, Visual Description, Verbal Description, Social Interaction

In which I give you a basic rundown on how to write from the perspective of a character who can’t see and still make the narration descriptive

Part Three: Tropes and Clichés to Avoid

Your blind readers will thank you for not being the 5000th person to do this and manage to actually finish your story. (Do you have any idea how many stories I’ve noped out of within two chapters because of these clichés? A Lot.)

-New- Part Four: Canes, Guide Dogs, and O&M

Everything I can tell you about 1) how to learn how to use a cane 2) how a cane works 3) how to describe what your character experiences with their cane 4) everything I know on guide dogs

Part Five: Small Aspects of being Blind You Never Thought Of

5 January 2021 Edit: This link has been fixed to correspond with the correct post

Or, really, very normal everyday things for blind people, the inclusion of which will make your characters more real and authentic. It’s the tiny details.

Part Six: Should You Cure Your Character’s Blindness? (Short Answer: No)

There’s no way to write a cure for your blind character that doesn’t make blind readers hate you. Sorry. We came here to finally experience a relatable character who experiences the world like us, but none of us are getting cured so seeing this character we learned to love become something alien from us in the end feels like a slap in the face

Why I’m Blind and What I See -NEW-

I thought I’d finally make a post explaining the complicated situation about my vision. Includes an explanation of visual snow and exotropia, two of the three causes for my vision issues.

Writing Blind Characters Falling in Love, an Advice Post:

Someone asked what being blind and falling in love have to do with each other. Honestly, blindness changes your perspective on everything and it makes an impact on every relationship you have. This includes some things that you definitely do not want your character’s love interest to be/do.

Writing Blind Jokes (Should You Do It?)

You know those flow charts of “should you do x?” going around? It’s like that, but screen reader friendly. Should you write blind jokes. It’s pretty complicated and there are a lot of possible scenarios and details to consider.

Advice for Writing Toph Beifong -NEW-

In this I discuss what I would like to see done in fanfiction with Toph’s character after ten years of reading Avatar the Last Airbender fanfiction

A small essay addressing the frequently asked question on giving your blind character a superpower to help them “see.”

It’s became a popular question, so to make the answer easier/faster for everyone to access, I wrote what will usually be my initial answer. Below there are a few links to some notable past questions on this subject.

Mourning My Vision, it’s More than Depression. 

A small personal essay addressing the nuances of the mourning period you experience with a new disability. The mourning period is mentioned in other guides, but this is more detailed.

Dealing with Heightened Senses, a video by Molly Burke with additional commentary by me

While Molly talks about the myths and truths about heightened senses, I talk about the correlation with blindness and neuro-divergency and how co-morbid disorders/disabilities might affect sensory processing.

Satirical Commentary on the phrase “that blank look in their eyes” used too often in fiction to identify a blind character

a:tla, I’m looking at you (and my eyes aren’t blank)

I Found a Lost Piece of Blindness History

My grandmother told me about her blind aunt and how she sent letters. It led me to speculate about all the O&M things people develop on their own but never get a chance to pass onto other blind people. Technology and techniques are lost in history and reinvented, including the white cane ad guide dogs.

Includes a little history on the introduction of guide dogs into the 20th century

The Following are Answered Anon Questions

Making Your Blog More Accessible

Making Links Accessible to Screen Readers

Reblogging to Add an Image Description to Someone Else’s Image

Why I Write Image Descriptions

Writing Blind Characters

Advice for a Character Who was Born Blind

Over-Protective Parents of a Blind Character, Why They’re Over-Protective and How to Avoid Crossing a Line

A Blind Character in Victorian Era Historical Fiction

Is It Bad Not to Have Guide Dogs in a Fantasy/Historical Setting Without Guide Dogs (short answer: it’s not bad)

Someone Asked About My Thoughts on a Medusa-like Character Blinding Herself to Avoid Hurting Anyone

-New- Characters Who Have Recently Gone Blind and Avoiding Inspiration Porn

Talking about Popular Blind Characters In Media

Does Daredevil’s Echolocation Negate His Blindness

Someone Else was Asked How to Write Daredevil Fanfiction

Blind Characters with Superpowers/Fighting Styles

World Setting where the General Population has a Superpower

Superpowers that don’t involve sight, Five questions to ask yourself if this superpower is a bad idea or a good one

-New- Your character would not use a cane as a weapon, it’s a bad idea

D&D/Roleplaying Blind Characters

-New- Animal Familiars Acting as Service Animals and Advice for Communicating with Your DM

-New- Portraying Older Blind Characters + Causes for Vision Loss with Old Age

Greek myths are just a bunch of people getting vibe checked

👀👀

This is amazing!

Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze - English translation of the official P1 novel is done!

Hi there.

Some of you may not know me, but I’m the guy who translated the Persona 1 manga. And today I present to you Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze, the official Persona 1 novelization!

God, I’ve been working on this translation for so long, it’s good to be done already. It took me almost six years, but in my defense it wasn’t like the translation was the only thing I’ve done during this entire time. I swear there was a point where I must’ve gone two years without touching it. Regardless, it’s done.

So… English is not my first language. I like to believe that my English is very good, but chances are there are some small stuff here and there that sound stiff or not quite natural. I went through the text multiple times to fix stuff, but I don’t have an editor. If you come across a composition that isn’t quite right, please tell me. I may release an updated version if there’s a non-insignificant number of changes to be made.

Q. So, what is this?

Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze is an official Persona 1 novel, published in 1997 by Aspect Novels, written by Naoko Korekata.

Q. Cool, what is the novel about?

It tells the story from the first Persona game, but Maki is the protagonist and the novel is written in first person.

Q. Wait, what about the regular protagonist? Does he not exist in the novel?

He’s still around, he just isn’t the protagonist anymore.

Q. Who’s this Jay guy?

The game protagonist. The Western fandom got used to calling him Naoya thanks to the manga, but just like Minato/Makoto, Souji/Yu and Akira/Ren, the P1 protagonist has multiple names in different adaptations.

Q. Can I read this without any knowledge of the game?

Sadly, no. While it technically tells the story of the entire game, it glosses over a lot of stuff.

That being said, you don’t need to have played the game. Reading the manga also works! (Please read the P1 manga)

Q. So, have you got any Persona or Megami Tensei translations in the works?

Not really. Someone at the Megami Tensei Wiki was kind enough to share the Jin novels, and if no translator has picked them up yet, I can do it. If I do, I’ll try releasing the chapters as I finish them, rather than waiting until I’ve finished the entire novel.

Q. Where else can I find you?

Here on Tumblr, and on Twitter too. I haven’t been very active on either of those platforms recently, though. I’m trying to change that.

Q. *slams hands on desk* Where’s the book?

MEGA.

Google Drive.

Enjoy!

Art commission: RWBY Yang x EldenRing OC: Jack for @KellofK

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

Yukamitsu dump pt.6

Lovestruck: Here, have this villain in our new Sin With Me series. She's mean and controls demons and she's hot.

Me: Nice

LS: Oh, and if she touches anything living, she fucken incinerates it. This is both a weapon and a curse.

Me: SPICE

LS: Oh, and now she's getting her own route.

Me: Take my money

LS: Oh, and by the way, she's highly successful, and values human life despite what her actions may initially suggest. Also she leaves ridiculously good tips for service workers and literally robs the rich after seeing them laugh about firing a waiter and taking away their livelihood

Me: VILLAIN ROUTES ARE THE BES

we’ve all heard of the NSFW alphabet, but what about a SOULMATE AU ALPHABET??

a...ging stops at 18 until you find your soulmate so the two of you can grow old together.

b...ody art (doodles that a person draws on themselves appear on their soulmate’s skin).

c...olors (aka the standard soulmate au where the world is black and white until you meet your soulmate and see colors).

d...amage done to a person also translates into their soulmate’s body (cuts, bruises and all).

e...sp (soulmates can sense one another’s presence and feel each other’s exact emotions even when miles away).

f...irst words/thoughts your soulmate says/thinks when seeing you are written on your skin.

g...uardian (it is said that the person who saves you from a near-death experience is your soulmate—drowning, car crash, etc.)

h...eartbeats (the soulmates share the same heartbeat—when one feels panicked, shocked, etc, the other can feel it too).

i...dentifier (a word or symbol which is imputed to your soulmate is somewhere on your body).

j...uxtaposition (your soulmate is the exact opposite of you, yet you find yourselves complementing one another).

k...eys and locks are randomly dispersed to soulmates on chains when they are born. when in proximity, the lock and key will act as magnets and bring the two soulmates closer together until the key is placed in the lock and a gratifying click is heard, unlocking the chain.

l...ast words your soulmate says are written on your skin, so you do not know it is them until they are gone.

m...arks or stains of the color black are somewhere on your body (palm of your hand, knuckles, knee) until you and your soulmate finally make physical contact. once the mark is touched, it fades to be consistent with the person’s skin color.

n...urse (the touch of a soulmate can heal you from affliction and vice versa).

o...pportune outfit (soulmates will eternally color coordinate, even if they have not met one another yet, and often times have similar patterns in their clothing).

p...assionflower (a type of flower soulmates have planted somewhere beneath their skin. Upon meeting their soulmate it will sprout through the skinand fully blossom as they reach the furthest point of their relationship. when a soulmate passes, the flower blooming from the other person does also).

q...uizzes revolving around one’s personal aspects, skills and ambitions are given to every person once they turn 18, and the results read who your soulmate is based off of your collective answers.

r...ed string bonds two soulmates together for a lifetime and all come in varying lengths—imagine the trouble of only being able to walk certain distances or having to sleep on the edge of your bed.

s...ongbird (any songs a person sings will get stuck in their soulmate’s head for the duration they decide to sing it).

t...imers are set on the wrist of every person once they are a certain age, slowly counting down until the day they meet their soulmate.

u...ndying (you and your soulmate must meet in order to end life—die—together. as long as you have not met them, you will continue aging yet remain immortal).

v...eiled (you and your soulmate must walk through life blind until running into one another by fate and finally gaining sight—those with no soulmate act as guides and help those in search of theirs).

w...riter’s choice (author can pick any au from the list to write).

x...FREE SPACE, the person who sent the prompt has the choice to make up an au or choose one from the list!

y...ellow fellow (colors of your vision changes depending on your soulmates mood. yellow is optimistic, green is envious, blue is upset, etc. and natural colors become present once the soulmates meet).

z...zz (in which soulmates first meet each other and share memories in their dreams before meeting each other in person—sometimes difficult to accomplish as dreams are hard to remember).

any writers on tumblr feel free to reblog so followers can send a certain letter to your inbox :) or just for ideas!

ATTENTION RESIDENT EVIL ARTISTS

(honestly any artist who makes fanart)

An online shopping website known as Society6 has taken not only my art, but a gigantic collection of artworks from other people and are selling them as prints, clothing, clocks, etc.

I barely scrapped the surface of what was on there, but I know the artworks I did see being sold were originally from tumblr. (I unfortunately can't remember the names of the artists.)

I highly recommend if you've made Resident Evil 8 art at any point to go on this website and see if your work, or someone's work you recognise is on there.

PLEASE BOOST THIS SO PEOPLE CAN BE NOTIFIED

As someone who has never faced something like this before please let me know what I AND OTHERS can do to get their art taken down.

BTW this doesn't just apply to Lady Dimitrescu - there is stolen art for almost every character in the game.

Hey all, Mod Aurora here! The Mods have been kind enough to let me share the start of my new venture. I've started an LGBTQIA fashion line and here is the first product! I have a lot more coming soon on hoodies, jumpers, dresses, tshirts and much more. I'm also taking personal requests and can ship globally. If you want to find out more contact me on @bhavf and I'll share my store details 😁 thank you all for your support