Danmei, Andrew Neil

Danmei

Andrew Neil

Danmei is a genre of Chinese fiction that is centred around romantic and sexual relationships between male characters. Danmei is closely related to and inspired by the genre of Japanese erotic fiction called yaoi, or Boy’s Love (BL). Most danmei works originate as web novels, before being adapted to other media, such as live-action TV series or animated series. Though danmei is produced for a Chinese audience, it has gained a following in anglophone countries first through fan translations, and later through official translations. As an example, the danmei work “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation” was first published on an online Chinese platform in 2015 before being adapted into a live-action series called “The Untamed”, released in 2019 and currently available to international audiences on Netflix. The novel was then picked up by a North American publisher and released to an English-speaking audience in 2021, reaching the New York Time’s Bestseller list for paperback fiction. The danmei fan community also has a large presence on online platforms, like the fanfiction hub Archive of Our Own. Danmei provides an avenue for youth to explore their sexuality in a safe and private manner. According to a survey of danmei fans, the average age when fans first started consuming danmei media was around 15. At this age, many adolescents feel unable to openly discuss topics surrounding sexuality or gender at home or at school. The primary audience for danmei, young cisgendered heterosexual women, appreciate how danmei fantasy flattens the power dynamic in the relationship, and upends heteronormative ideas about gender roles. While danmei has a reputation for being produced by straight women for straight women, online surveys suggest a much broader range of readership along sexual and gender identity lines. For many youth, danmei or related genres are their first exposure to queer media, which can lead them to explore their sexuality in a self-directed manner. Participating in activities such as fanart and fanfiction allows adolescents to find a sense of belonging to a community, express their creativity, and develop self-identity. Danmei allows youth to explore not only gender and sexual identity, but racial identity as well. With geopolitical tensions between Western countries and China escalating in recent years, Western media coverage of China, and by extension Chinese society and culture, has become overwhelmingly negative. The past few years have also seen a sharp rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the US and Canada. Danmei gives Chinese-Canadian youth an opportunity to positively connect with their identity and heritage. Danmei heavily borrows from other Chinese genres, such as wuxia and xianxia fantasy, and continues the tradition of same-sex eroticism found in classical Chinese novels such as “Dream of the Red Chamber”. Engaging with this genre can also kindle (or rekindle) a passion for learning the Chinese language, in order to read the original works in their source language. Many readers of danmei express an inability to

Figure 1: The official English release of the first volume of "Heaven Official's Blessing", a danmei novel.

connect with Western fantasy or queer media, in contrast to the perspectives and culture found in danmei.

In a predominantly white and heteronormative society, non-Western and non-heteronormative media such as danmei serves an important role in the search for self-identity for many Canadian youth.

Sources

Madill, & Zhao, Y. (2021). Female-Oriented Male-Male Erotica: Comparison of the Engaged Anglophone Demographic and That of the Greater China Area. Sexuality & Culture, 25(2), 562–583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-020-09783-9 Zhao, J. (2022, March 4). Danmei, a genre of Chinese erotic fiction, goes global. The China Project. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://thechinaproject.com/2022/02/24/danmei-a-genre-of-chinese-erotic-fiction-goes-

global/

Demigirl

JohnRoss Woodland

In today’s society how someone feels is equally, if not more important, to how they look, or how they are identified by their piers. The once “black and white” culture of our grandparents is now replaced by the multiple coloured flag of the LGBTQ+ community both literally and figuratively. When describing a Demi-girl one might jump immediately to the two parts of the word, demi meaning part or half and girl being a scientific gender, but this would be a misrepresentation of a very complex word. A demigirl is as much a person as it is a feeling or set of emotions. Unlike identifying as male or female, a demigirl has some emotional attachment to the female gender whether they were born as such or not, however, does not fully identify as a women. (Peacock, 2019) There are many, for lack of a better word, forms in which a demigirl will view themselves, partially female and partially male or partially female and partially a- gender. It is important to note that this emotional attachment or lack of attachment to their identity commonly has nothing to do with their sexuality (Cover, 2022). Many demigirls who were identified as female at birth have attraction to males, but just do not necessarily feel completely comfortable in the female body. In today’s society the world is no longer black and white as we view emotions and beliefs on the same level as science. Coming from a conservative catholic background this subject draws on many opinions but from a broader scope, we are all sheep. It is important that everyone feels comfortable in their own bodies and it is not our job to judge. As this and other subsections of gender identification surface it is important that they are fully understood so that their intricacies can be respected and celebrated. Although demigirls are now “mainstream” as of 2014, there is still little known in the general society about their beliefs so they will often be grouped in with bisexuals, transsexuals or non-binary culture. This lack of knowledge may result in a demigirl trying on several different personalities until they find their true identity as their emotions do not match with social norms. This may result in a tremendous internal struggles for a demigirl as they struggle to meet social expectations while trying to define themselves. When studying youth, although I am far from an expert, it is important to understand they are like snowflakes; no two are alike. Although the definition of demigirls is easy to follow, the subsections leave it as a broad definition with many potential struggles. For instance, a person who was born a girl and identifies as a demigirl who is heterosexual may appear to be meet societies “expectations” however, may be struggling with an intense search for identity. Also under the umbrella of a demigirl is someone who is born with the identity of a girl who identifies as part male and part female and has sexual attractions to males. This person would seem to not fit societies “expectations” and have a complete different struggle than the example above. (Peacock, 2019) Therefore demigirls must be viewed on a case by case basis when examining the struggles that they might face daily. When viewing adolescent health it seems like it must be a never ending examination. In today’s society emotions share the same weight as science as we search for the correct definition of who we are. As an educator it is important that the world is no longer black and white and many of my students might be “trying on” different identities until they find what makes them whole. It is

important to be a container in this process, never pass judgement and continue to be an ally to the future movements.

Work Cited

Alpha Peacock. (2019, June 21) Demigirl and Demiboy Explained (Video). Youtube. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFG_lMTymds Cover, Rob. “Populist Contestations: Cultural Change and the Competing Languages of Sexual and Gender Identity.” Sexualities 25.5-6 (2022): 660–675. Web.

Depression

Emmanuel Ellis

The word I’ve chosen for this keyword assignment is “Competitiveness”. I’ve chosen a podcast as the medium and attached the link to the podcast below.

Link to podcast: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kyHWR7UbUAtuxBnJRCEoQ4hD_ZTTAll/view?usp=share_link

Resources:

HEMA LATHA, P. (2010, November). THE ROLE OF COMPETITION ON ADOLESCENTS. https://www.pravahindia.org/. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://pravahdelhi.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/teachers-research-publication.pdf

Schneider, Woodburn, S. S., Pilar Soteras del Toro, M. del, & Udvari, S. J. (2005). Cultural and Gender Differences in the Implications of Competition for Early Adolescent Friendship. MerrillPalmer Quarterly, 51(2), 163–191. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.2005.0013