Topic & Content Rules for Asks

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Thank you, in advance, for reading our rules!

First, DO NOT submit multiple asks on the same topic as a way to circumvent the ask form character limit.

This will result in automatic deletion.

  • We cap ask lengths at 1500 characters, or roughly 300 words.
  • This is because our experience has taught us that the best questions are edited to be concise and specific.
  • An ask requiring a lengthy explanation to explain a base premise or concept often corresponds to a lack of clarity - such questions benefit from greater preparation on the asker’s end.

OK TO SEND: Topics with Active Mods (Updated Oct 2025)

  • Black
  • Chinese
  • Colonialism
  • Iranian/Persian
  • Japanese
  • Jewish
  • Languages/Linguistics/Conlanging/Names
  • Latinx
  • Mixed race
  • South Asian: Hindu, Indian, Punjabi, Sikh
  • SWANA/MENA (Southwest Asian/North African; Middle Eastern/North African)
  • Taiwanese
  • Worldbuilding
  • Writing/Publishing industry
  • Mixed topic asks that include at least one of the above

Restricted Topics:

  • Fanfic of Japanese pop culture, anime | Marika will not answer these questions. Rina may answer these questions if she has background on the original work and finds the topic educational.
  • Topics for which there are no active mods | Exceptions: multiple/mixed topics, including topics with active mods; and general topics like worldbuilding that a mod of a different identity may wish to speak to. This is to keep our systems running smoothly and not crash from a backlog of asks that cannot be answered.

Going forward, we will delete asks that violate the rules below. Please read them carefully.

  • Do Not Ask
  • Banned Topics
  • Topics that Need More Info

Do Not Ask:

  • For general advice on writing, craft, publishing, etc. There are other blogs for that!
  • For a fact that can be googled, or asking us to research for you. That includes “Do you have resources for–” questions. Mods may volunteer histories, biographies, and explanations of culture as they deem necessary for an ask; otherwise, we are not your Googlers. If you’re having trouble researching, try our Research Guide.
  • For a rubber stamp of approval. Here is why. Here is another explanation why. Notions of what is “acceptable” and “okay” are vague and subjective. We care more about interrogating a writer’s motivations for including a certain contentious stereotype or trope than to give a Yes/No answer.
  • Non-questions that are just comments. If you have feedback regarding a particular post or want to voice your opinions, you may do so in the notes. Please note that all of our Etiquette rules (later in this Masterpost) apply.

Banned Topics:

Before you submit, please check your ask against the below topics. Some are topics that we’ve repetitively answered enough, and others are topics that the relevant mods refuse to answer.

  • Muslims + magic | PSA on why. Please browse the #magic muslim tag.
  • Muslims + vampirism/lycanthropy | Post on why. Please browse the #supernatural muslim tag.
  • Asian with colored hair trope | PSA on why. Please browse the #asian colored hair tag.
  • Asians with light or unusually colored eyes | PSA on why. Please browse the #green eyed asian tag.
  • Unit 731 | Chinese mods on the topic
  • The Wendigo | PSA on why. Please browse the #wendigo tag.
  • Colonial history retcons (i.e. “what if X was never colonized?” “what if natives were the colonizers?”) | Mod Leigh: “Colonialism is the ‘I can’t believe the leopards in the leopards-eat-faces party ate my face’ of history. It’s bloody, messy, and devastating. You cannot sanitize it. You cannot make it that the leopards didn’t eat faces. Our pain is not yours to play with, and if you can’t look at the truth of colonialism without wanting to make it go away, you’re not emotionally resilient enough to write it.” Please browse the colonialism tag.
  • Positive portrayals of any South Asian (or South Asian coded) social classification system | South Asian mods: “We will not be accepting asks that attempt to paint the Hindu caste system in a positive light. There is no way to make a class-based system—where your job is assigned at birth and you can’t escape it or any poverty associated with it, while those in higher positions segregate themselves, bar you from religious rites, and abuse you—a positive thing for society.” Please browse the #caste tag.

Topics that Need More Info:

You must specify 1) Region or approximate region, 2) Ethnic group, and 3) Religion for characters of the following nationalities:

  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • Any other country in South & Southeast Asia
  • Any country in SWANA (Southwest Asia & Northern Africa) / MENA (Middle East & North Africa)

You must specify 1) Region or approximate region and 2) Ethnic group for characters of the following nationalities:

  • United States and associated territories
  • China and associated territories
  • Russia
  • Countries in Africa, particularly South Africa
  • Countries in South America, particularly Brazil

You may notice the above makes up much of the world. Nations are almost never monoethnic monoliths. The emergence of the nation-state is a very new and very fraught part of our history. If you need help figuring out these elements of your character, we recommend the Research Guide.

(Updated October 12, 2025)