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Pro tip:
Dear fanfic authors,
If you've acknowledged that XYZ Fantasy Race is coded in a way that is just Orientalist as balls, but you STILL opt to characterize them in fanfic as just this side of Ming the Merciless/Dragon Lady/Discount Jafar, you have only done half the blasted homework and need to go back to the editing desk right now before I bite you a lot.
Smooch smooch,
Someone who's really tired of people depicting WoW elves in ways that are at the root just racist (yes, it still counts if 'Elves' = 'Generic Pop-culture Stereotype Asian/Middle Eastern lololololol'), gross and issue-laden as fuck.
I mean--writing a compelling love-to-hate antagonist who's well thought out and whose portrayal is NOT steeped in grody old bigotry? Awesome. Feel free to have Fandral be as big a douche as you like, it gives your heroes a reason to fight. But there is 'douche' and then there's 'oh for fuck's sakes why did you do that'. If your villain up and starts sprouting all these Fu Manchu/Dragon Lady/Evil Vizier-esque traits that are indicated fuck-nowhere in canon, there's something going on that needs addressing. That is not interpretation anymore, that is Issues.
Srsly don't do that shit it's hacky and makes my ass twitch. :D
If you've acknowledged that XYZ Fantasy Race is coded in a way that is just Orientalist as balls, but you STILL opt to characterize them in fanfic as just this side of Ming the Merciless/Dragon Lady/Discount Jafar, you have only done half the blasted homework and need to go back to the editing desk right now before I bite you a lot.
Smooch smooch,
Someone who's really tired of people depicting WoW elves in ways that are at the root just racist (yes, it still counts if 'Elves' = 'Generic Pop-culture Stereotype Asian/Middle Eastern lololololol'), gross and issue-laden as fuck.
I mean--writing a compelling love-to-hate antagonist who's well thought out and whose portrayal is NOT steeped in grody old bigotry? Awesome. Feel free to have Fandral be as big a douche as you like, it gives your heroes a reason to fight. But there is 'douche' and then there's 'oh for fuck's sakes why did you do that'. If your villain up and starts sprouting all these Fu Manchu/Dragon Lady/Evil Vizier-esque traits that are indicated fuck-nowhere in canon, there's something going on that needs addressing. That is not interpretation anymore, that is Issues.
Srsly don't do that shit it's hacky and makes my ass twitch. :D