User blog:Jpearson/Editor Stories: Empowering Community and Exploring Visibility with Julia

Hey y’all! This month we’re continuing to share the stories of editors on Fandom for AAPI Heritage Month. Our editor stories series spotlights Asian and Pacific Island editors on Fandom. We’ll explore how these change-makers are taking a leadership role in their community, creating inclusive spaces for others, and explaining what “visibility” means to them.

Meet Julia

We’re excited to introduce Julia (fun fact: her name in Chinese (方祥琦) means “auspicious jade”)! She resides in the Northeast of the United States and her fandoms include anything animated, gothic, or fantasy-related. Julia has a list of fandoms that we love. Specifically, she’s part of the Disney fandom (most notably Disney Renaissance and Revival, animated shows + Kingdom Hearts), Ghibli, Marvel fandom, and a gothic thriller/horror enthusiast, including the masterfully tense Thing, Alien, and her personal favorite, Annihilation. Read on to learn more about Julia and the impact she makes on Fandom and in her community!

1. How long have you been on Fandom?

Julia: Since 2012, this is my 10th anniversary!

2. What specifically drew you to Fandom, and how did you get started editing?

Julia: As a kid, I was immersed in the details that go into Disney films and televisions shows, and I wanted to see more than what I could only see on my parents’ VHS/DVD, and learn more about the characters I grew attached to. Certain sites didn’t explain them well enough. However, in my endless Google searches, I came across “Wikia” one day, and found out it was a place to contribute knowledge on a subject specifically rather than broadly. And to satisfy my curiosity, as well as my desire to help expand and grow with my knowledge, I gained a sense of purpose, and it helped to bond with other people who loved these films as much as I did.

3. What wikis do you contribute to, and what do you love most about those communities?

Julia: I am a WR, so I contribute to many wikis all at once, including the aforementioned fandoms. This includes (but not limited to) animated Disney fandoms such as The Owl House, Amphibia, Gravity Falls, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, DuckTales, and more. Disney-inspired ones such as Cuphead and Bendy I also help out on, as well as Gojipedia, Locke & Key, Sandman, and the Grishaverse. What I love most of these communities is they’re a platform for people who love similar things and offer the chance to interact with each other, sharing our opinions and interests of topics and more. It’s natural, and we can respect to each other, while accepting we agree to disagree. Lots find it hard nowadays to deal with toxic fandoms who want things to be “their” way, or feel they are right. That’s not the code at Fandom. Fandoms have the key aspect of personal growth: what makes me love these communities so much is how everyone can learn to get along while inspiring our passion for one subject and/or encouraging others to learn more about it.

4. What does visibility mean to you?

Julia: To me, visibility means clarity, in the sense that it is visible. It is recognized, and it has a voice. If something isn’t visible, it isn’t a reason for it to not be there at all, nor does it mean it doesn’t exist either. People are real, and they come in various shapes and sizes. Going off on this, visibility also means seeing all parts of something. Making something visible means allowing us to see all the facets, without a filter, without judgment, or preconceptions. In other words, visibility is a reminder that these topics are normal, everyday things in the world. And they’re broader than they appear.

5. What brings you the most joy about your culture and heritage?

Julia: Coming from a mixed background, I have explored the various aspects of my cultural identity. Out of them, my Chinese side drew me the most in, and that was because Chinese culture is so rich! It’s festive and family-centric (I have a BIG family), and in my home, we celebrate Chinese New Year, receive red envelopes, cook DELICIOUS Chinese food, and watch films like Kung Fu Hustle or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Of course, everything’s better with dragons. My heritage connects me with the best moments within my family, even if we’re miles apart.

Julia: Another part I love exploring are the stories. While Western stories always have a bad guy, there isn’t a “bad guy” in Eastern ones. Those were the people themselves, finding their Yin and their Yang. Except that never happened in a movie before Chinese and Asian media grew more mainstream. And before that, watching TV and movies not having a lot of Chinese characters, or even positive Asian characters, felt as if a part of myself was not being communicated. Every time I see Chinese characters shown on screen, I can’t help but get excited to see my roots represented!

6. Are there any Asian American and Pacific Islander actors, characters, or creators that inspire you?

Julia: I love lots of animated Asian movie characters, including Mulan and Go Go Tomago, and Shang-Chi has really grown on me. OG Mulan, Ming-Na Wen, is one of my inspirations. Amy Tan, writer of Sagwa and The Joy Luck Club, was my first introduction to Chinese stories, while American Born Chinese and the works of Gene Luen Yang guided me when I was figuring out my Chinese roots. With Pacific Islanders, Lilo from Lilo & Stitch shared a lot of my personality at that age, her wonderful weirdness taught me to embrace my quirks instead of hiding them.

'''7. In the last few years, there has been an exponential rise of hate towards the AAPI community, which gave rise to the #StopAsianHate movement. How has this movement impacted you and what actions can we take as a society to fight anti-Asian discrimination and violence?'''

Julia: It’s been tragic on a personal level to see the AAPI community, which includes my friends and family, discriminated against. Worse, those discriminating are justifying intolerance with the actions of Asian individuals, and conversely, specific Asian individuals doing awful things in the name of their culture, giving a bad rep for AAPI as a whole. Still, I haven’t stepped down. Much like how I’ve reconciled there’s more than one layer of my identity, and being mixed, I know coming from different backgrounds doesn’t make a difference. My culture and heritage are far from perfect, but they’re also far from imperfect. It’s an important part of my life, and I’d be missing without it. I’m inspired by the kindness and hospitality I was raised in. It’s helped me endure what discrimination is nowadays.

What we can do as a people is show everyone that we’re not living in simple boxes to represent an entire group. We are all human beings of various races and beliefs. But the world doesn’t work as simple black and white; everything has multiple layers, positive and negative. Even then, it’s important to know “positive” and “negative” values are looser than their definition. Hate and intolerance don’t focus on understanding, they’re focused on one-sidedness. We can communicate these values on a common level and get to know each other better, and break the assumption that everyone is only one-note.

Visibility:

Visibility and amplification allow people to share important parts of themselves. Thanks to Julia for sharing her journey on Fandom and creating awareness as we continue to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month! Also, happy 10-year anniversary to you!

Check out our takeaways from Julia’s interview:

Takeaway #1:  “Hate and intolerance don’t focus on understanding, they’re focused on one-sidedness. We can communicate these values on a common level and get to know each other better, and break the assumption that everyone is only one-note.” Humans are multi-faceted, when we embrace this concept we create room to learn from each other and develop understanding on a deeper level.

Takeaway #2:  Explore stories in depth. What one culture may interpret can be different for others. In Western culture, we typically see antagonists as part of the story. In Eastern culture, the “antagonists” are simply navigating their lives and holding valuable lessons for others to learn.

Takeaway #3: “Making something visible means allowing us to see all the facets, without a filter, without judgment, or preconceptions. In other words, visibility is a reminder that these topics are normal, everyday things in the world. And they’re broader than they appear.”

We’re interested to learn more about our editors and what visibility means to you. Do you know someone creating inclusive spaces and shining a light on members of their community? Share in the comments!