#poc inclusive

[obsolete-stars-if]

Obsolete Stars

Port and rewrite to twine, December 2024

Latest Update post

Last updated word count: + 19k including code Read time: ~5h 45min Join the discord

Currently available: Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9, Part 1

Take me to the demo. Now.

Disclaimer: While I do have an outline, this is a first draft/proof of concept situation. There will be many errors and things like personality options, and further expansion of the world around you, will be expanded once the first draft is done. Thank you for understanding.

Intro

So let’s be real, we all read fanfiction that followed the prompt of “Help, my parents sold me off to [insert boy band/ celebrate crush/ tumblr sexy man of the week)!”, but unlike those fanfictions, you weren’t sold off to your hot crush. After a life in isolation, your father, the king, sells you off to marry the prince of another country. With nothing but two guards, you make your way to meet the dreaded fate of marriage. Along the way, you will make friends, learn the truth about your kingdom, and find yourself in positions much worse than a forced marriage. One can only pray for your survival.

In this game you will explore your kingdom and what happened to the magic realm. It will include sensitive topics, and possible explicit content in the future.

The game focuses on interpersonal relationships.

What else?

Play as Male, Female, Nonbinary (option to customize your pronouns, future trans options planned)

Date one (or more) of your 7 friends

Play as straight, queer, poly, mono, or just be aro or ace

Be a total ass to your spouse or just accept your fate

Have fun seeing your kingdom in ruins!

Get your friends killed

Get yourself killed

Ę̸̱͌̌x̷͖̕p̵̣̰͐̓e̴̡̪̓̇r̸̨̹̉͘i̷͍̮̎͝e̴͇͋̒n̸̢̼͠c̵͎̳̓̈́e̵͙͇̽̄ ̴̼̈́͒j̵̨̢̈́͆ṳ̸͝͠d̶̝̈̇g̴̨͉̀̏e̸͎͒͛m̷̳̪̓ẽ̶̙͉ń̶͕͋t̵̺̾ ̵̘̓́d̵̹̈́å̵͚ȳ̸͓͗

Okay cool, but what about dating?

Tarek/Takischa (he/him; she/her) (Ftm/Mtf)  (genderselectable)

Old and grumpy, TK is 15 years your senior and has been serving the palace your entire life. They are stoic and devoted to the crown, they take their job more than serious, sometimes they can even parental or possessive. Underneath their blank face, you know they care for you, and they always will.

They are 6′3 and have ashen honey hair, curly and cutting off just above their eyes. Pale green eyes set deep against their ivory skin. They hide almost all of their skin with layers of clothing.

(Great if you have parental issues.)

Samuel/Samira (he/him; she/her) (Ftm/Mtf) (genderselectable)

Young and curious, Sammy is just a year younger than yourself, they can be naive and easy trusting. They’re optimistic and want to impress you and all their friends. Sammy has a lot to learn, and they’re more than eager to do so. With enough care and time, Sammy will grow into a great protector.

Sammy is 5′9 with very short black hair. Against their warm beige skin tone, their monolidded eyes are a deep reddish brown. They wear simple robust clothes.

Sammy is ace and sex neutral.

(Great if you don’t enjoy angst)

Alia (she/they) (afab)

A quiet person, she keeps to herself, but always stays polite, she is a shrine maiden and TKs friend. She is a peacemaker at heart, and tries to deescalate every situation. She would be considered one of the strongest magic users, if she would ever use it. She is about six years your senior.

Alia is 5′3 and has bronze hair that is cut into a short wolf hairstyle. Blue eyes against satin freckled skin. She wears a lavender dress, with white clothing to cover her arm.

Alia is ace and sex repulsed.

(Great if you like slow burn)

Sascha (He/they) (Ftm)

He is about ten years older, but that can be quickly forgotten by how charming, egotistical and even cowardly he can act. He is not only a danger to you and your friends, but themselves too. He pulls danger from beyond your understanding into your orbit. He is a teasing smart ass that isn’t above blackmailing or hurting anyone. Not to forget that he committed the highest crime there is, stealing a magic companions.

They are 6′1 and have long grey-white hair that falls to his hips. He has very pale skin and ice blue eyes. He wears high quality clothes, and a golden jacket that fades into a deep red.

Sascha is ace and sex positive.

(Great test of your patience.)

Kate (she/her) (Mtf)

Just a few years older than you, she is noble and a healer, she is a loud and loving personality. With teasing smile, she cares deeply about everyone’s well-being, but will never be above calling anyone out.

She is 6′0, her chocolate goddess locs fall beneath her shoulders, the curls fading into a pink color. Dark deep brown eyes against warm yet ashen honey skin tone. She wears pink toned dresses and many accessories.

(Great if you like women.)

Mikhail (he/they) (amab)

The prince of Riag, your spouse, and the second general. His easy going and considerate personality makes it hard to grasp, that he is celebrated by his own soldiers and nobles of his country, deeply feared by anyone outside his country. A war criminal for his country. Beloved warrior, lover of war. He is only a few years your senior.

Mikail is 5′7 and their dark brown hair would fall to his shoulders, if it wasn’t pulled back into a ponytail. The tips of his hair fading into an earthy, almost blueish green tone, matching his eyes against his cool olive skin tone. He wears short clothing due to the heat in Riag and the many training sessions they have daily.

(Great if you believe everyone deserves a second chance.)

Gigi (she/her) (afab)

She promised Judgement Day.

Gigi is 5′6 and with ash blonde hair curling around her soft face frame, cutting off just below her ears, and light brown, almost hazel eyes. She wears primarily black with orange accessories.

Unofficial official RO Art/Ref

Moodboards, color palettes, playlist for each RO here:

Maps and miscellaneous stuff:

[embervoices]

This reinforces why Feminism NEEDS to be For Men Too.

If we never actually finish the work of unmaking the mold Patriarchy pushes men into, this will never change.

Thoughts on the exit polls…screenshots taken from NBC’s exit poll.

Men really, really do not want to vote for a woman. I’ve seen this viewpoint branded as TERF rhetoric so lemme just say in advance that I’m non-binary. It is not TERF rhetoric to blame sexism for this loss, and I think we need to confront the ways in which, yes, sexism runs deep with U.S. men and we need MORE feminism, not less.

Trump did make some inroads among Black voters: 92% went for Biden in 2020. Way more Latino voters shifted, though: 66% voted for Biden in 2020. Asian voters also dropped from 63% in 2020. What on earth could account for the —

Support among white men dropped from 48% for Biden to 39% for Harris. Support among Black men ticked down very slightly but not much. The biggest change: Latino men went from supporting Biden by 59% in 2020 to 44% in 2024.

The bottom line: yes, it was the men. Men across multiple races and ages supported Harris less than Biden, and we need to be clear-eyed about that. Unfortunately in the short term I think that means, Absolutely do not run a female Democratic candidate in 2028. Because we can’t even talk about this issue without someone taking exception and wailing “NOT ALL MEN!!”

[estrogenism]

poc-friendly picrews

[plaintext: poc-friendly picrews / end plaintext.]

reblogs are appreciated, this will be updated whenever i find more! if you want to suggest picrews to be added, do so in my asks or dms!

note: i don't tend to read the notes or reblogs here for uhhh Obvious Reasons (6000 notifs) so if you have a suggestion to make, do it via my asks or dms

edit (03/02/2024): added 11 picrews to the list!

edit (03/07/2024): added 1 picrew to the list!

actionpilot's character creator

adriotes' character creator

adrisona maker

aiden's picrew

alli's oc creator

alohasushicore

amiiraux's chaotic gay maker

among us sona creator

anew's girl maker

astrolavas' character creator

avatar

aworus' friend maker

baydews avatar maker

bean beaningtons tupper

bex's first picrew

bighead kid

black centered picrew

black centered picrew (fullbody version)

block game oc creator

bright's picrew hell,

bunnieclaire's character maker

caramael's character creator

cartoony maker

casual gay creator

cherevrie's avatar maker

childishspite's avi maker

cool kid maker

cosmitasia's character maker

cute girl creator

cutetimes (hair options are a bit limited)

djarn's character maker

djarn's character maker 2

doshi's oc avatar maker

elenaa's windswept oc maker

friend factory

friend maker

judelta's character maker

julliapple's character maker

gay time 2: electric boogaloo

girl maker

ghostofadragon's character maker

harvey's picrew 1 (only has straight hairstyles)

harvey's picrew 2 (only has curly hairstyles)

lichtenstyler

lima0nada

little guy maker

lulljevic's icon maker

makowka's character maker

makowka's character maker 2

marice creator

nah's picrew

nellseto's maker

nuclearvessel's character maker

nudekay's character maker

nuggts character maker

overwatch league icons

peculiar icon creator

perisceris' icon maker

piney's icon maker

pixel dating simulator maker

poicon maker

potatolord's persona creator

rainheal's character maker

rychu's picrew

sagravi creator

scuff's icon maker

semirealistic icon creator

smitty's ultimate maker-inator

something about them

sph.jpeg's icon maker

static maker

toon me! (a)

toon me! (b)

uris space maker

witchcrew

who me?

yee haw character creator

yet another character creator

エリーのメーカー

[creatingblackcharacters]

Just because it happened to come up-

Do not ever think that just because a piece of media is made by a person of color, that the media is automatically "not able to be prejudiced". Antiblack in particular, given the scope of this blog. Antiblackness is worldwide.

Am I saying that you, if you are a white blogger, should use this as a "gotcha" freely? No. Because white folks still benefit most from racism, and you still need to consider your own role. But a piece of work written or painted by a person of color can still be antiblack, intentional or not!

[afro-hispwriter]

“your baby had your pale skin.”

OKAY BRO😭

[forgotten-daydreamer]

I love how inclusivity is handled in The Dragon Prince, here's why.

In most shows, as much as it bothers me to admit so, some people are right, inclusivity does feel forced sometimes. But it's not the characters' fault, it's not because of them being part of the lgbtq+ community, or being disabled, or being POC, or being strong women who do not conform to patriarchal standards.

It's not that.

It's that the show they are part of is a straight, white, abled parade - and notice, most of said shows won't even pass the Bechdel test.

So yes, in a show written by and aimed to straight, white, abled people, even I, a gay, non-binary, chronically ill person feel weird seeing charcters that are there just for the sake of inclusivity, albeit 'inorganic'.

In a show with the premise of "straight, white, abled men are the indiscussed MCs", seeing that one side-character that stands out and is often ridiculed and/or reduced to a single trait of their 'personality', such as 'the gay one', 'the asian one', 'the disabled one' (etc) is upsetting and feels uncomfortable as hell.

But TDP is different.

They immediately introduced powerful women, people of color, characters that are openly part of the lgbtq+ community, disabled characters etc. And not one of them per 'category', no. For the lgbtq+ community we have Amaya, Janai, Runaan, Ethari, Terry, Kazi. For the disabled community, we have Amaya again, Villads, and even a disabled wolf Ava. For the POC community, we have literally half of the cast, starting from King Harrow, then Ezran, every sunfire elf, Terry as well, etc. Same goes for women, who take up on roles that are rarely considered 'for women', like Opeli being the main member of the High Council, Amaya being the General, Rayla being the main Dragon Guard, Claudia being one of the main antagonists, etc.

Both main and side-characters are part of the communities, everything is so much more organic, enjoyable, thrilling.

We do not come in 'minor quantity'.

We are everywhere, among others, living our lives, doing our best, existing, thriving, proud. It's not just one or two of us among thousands. Surprise, 'categories' can mix! Just like I, a real human being, can be gay, enby as well as chronically ill, we can have characters like that as well! Amaya being lesbian and disabled, Terry being black and trans, Janai being black and lesbian, etc. And, another surprise, 'categories' don't define us. We don't 'shove it' in anyone's face like they say we do, we're just being us and cishets are upset because we don't conform to their sick standards.

Inclusivity is organic in TDP because nobody in that universe questions anyone else's color, gender, orientation, etc. And it's organic because we didn't have to wait half a season to see a black character, or a disabled character, or a gay character.

The key to inclusivity is to realise that we aren't just 'bonuses'. Fill shows and comics with lgbtq+, POC, disabled, and female characters. Not just one every 15, 20 characters. Everywhere.

We are everywhere! We are proud! We deserve to be seen! We deserve to be depicted as the normal people we are, without diminishing our traits but without making them our whole personality either. Treat us like human beings, be considerate like you should be with everyone on the planet of course, but treat us like humans.

Antagonising people who are 'different' (in the mind of straight, white, abled people) will not suppress us. We will keep insisting until you hear us. It's literally one of the main messages, one of the main teachings of TDP and it's so damn important.

Every single person on Earth should watch it. Every single kid should be introduced to TDP at an early age. Every old bigot should watch it, as well. Everybody. Even if it's considered a y7 (y10 for s4 and s5 apparently) show, everyone, no matter their age, should give it a try and watch it thoroughly.

Lots of love to the creators and everyone, literelly everyone involved in the production of one the best, most entertaining, most exciting, most formative shows ever. Please, keep it up! And thank you so much!

[betty-boop-lips-05]

For us Black/POC readers, is it just me or does it annoy the hell out of you when you see something in a fic that doesn’t reach out to other races/ethnic backgrounds? To be specific, I’m talking about when the writer as well as the reader is clearly white/meant for white readers. This may be offensive to white writers but why say “your pink nipples, place skin”, etc. Plenty of people of color have spoken about this on this here app, but I felt I should add my two cents in. Like, I’m genuinely curious; is it that hard to just leave the reader’s appearance ambiguous so everyone can enjoy the story and envision themselves? Idk man, this conversation is like a repetitive music player or whatever it’s called. What do y’all think?

[void-inked-pen]

You know what I find funny?

JK Rowling hates Drarry. Like she despises it.

Not only is she a terf but she really hates the gay shit she wrote in her own books.

So keep making drarry content.

Keep making Hermione black or Harry Indian

Keep including trans characters in your fics

Because she fucking hates it

[afriblaq]

Costco said they can't bully us! 

"I work for Costco. I am a truck driver. They treat us well, pay us fair wages, offer us great benefits, and genuinely care about us and our families. They have a strict code of ethics all are to follow, and they don’t tolerate any sort of hate. They do so much to help communities and the environment. I could go on and on about what a great and honest company they are. Walmart could never."

[derangedfujoshi]

And after blocking everyone in the ororon/oloron tag I can safely say this: I NEED HIM BENDED OVER AND IMPREGNATED. STATS.

FIRST MALE ADULT MODEL ELECTRO USER LETSGOOOOO

[edsforehead]

A resource to help promote inclusivity, for moodboards, headers, etc.

Given the topic of diversity in visual fanworks that’s come up, I started a Pinterest with various themes to help making finding diverse images easier. You can find it here. Please check source links and credit the creators of you decide to use. If you recognize a creator that isn’t linked, please send me their user so I can credit them below.

A few themes below:

HYPER-FEMININE/GIRLY/ETC

COTTAGECORE

ROCK/GRUNGE/ALT/ETC

COUPLES/WEDDING/ETC

PLUS SIZE

2

6

2 @iridessence 6 @iridessence

There’s also a NERD/PREP/CHEERLEADER board and I may start a few others. There isn’t a ton up since I did this pretty quickly, but it’s a good starting point. It would be nice to find images with different types of poc as well. Let me know if you have any suggestions for what other tropes/themes to explore. I don’t have a ton of free time outside of my full-time job, so if you want to become a collaborator on any of these boards let me know!

[morbidpaintz]

BG3 has been inspiring me greatly, spent the last 4 days painting a pretty vampire out of my system <3

[sturniololuv08]

Gas Station Girl (Chapter 1)

Inspo- The Twitch stream where Chris and Matt get asked about their “types” in the chat. Matt doesn’t give a direct answer.

DISCLAIMER: I have a friend (ViV) we'll call her. She wrote this but is too afraid to post it so we made a deal. If I post it and it gets some decent numbers she will make a tumblr and start post herself! I have full permission to post on her behalf. This is Matt x POC story. She ONLY writes for POC main girls <3 (The only things I edited were the header, coloring the names, and I took out a few ' because there were too many characters for the post.) Dividers by @strnilolover

Chris: Yo Matt, what was your deal last night? I get not wanting to say your type while we were streaming. But I’m your bro you can still tell me!

Matt rolls his eyes but doesn’t respond.

Nick: Yeah I’ve actually been kinda curious too. We all know Chris’s type. So c’mon Matt describe your ideal woman.

Matt: No. It’s way too early in the morning for this and it doesn’t matter anyway.

Matthew grabs his keys and the three of them walk out to the car together. They stop to get gas on their way to their destination. The pump that Matt pulls up to ends up having a 'Please see cashier for payment' sign. He sighs. Of course that’s why every other pump is taken Matt thinks to himself. He reluctantly heads in without mentioning it to his brothers. Chris and Nick are still sitting in the van scrolling on their phones.

When Chris realizes Matt is going inside the gas station he texts him: Please grab me a Pepsi and honey bbq Fritos if they have them.

Matt doesn’t notice the buzz in his pocket at all because as he’s walking toward the checkout counter his eyes lock with the most captivating woman he’s ever seen. Immediately he hears his brothers voices in the back of his mind… Ideal woman. He’d never actually imagined who his picture-perfect girl could be. That's why he never really had an answer before, but now he did because she was standing right there in front of him. Before he knew it Matt and this unfathomable woman are the same distance from the counter. She gestures and says, “Go ahead I think you were here first.”

Even her voice is beautiful he thinks and can’t stop himself from smiling. “No no lady’s first!” Matt says back.

“Thank you, but I’m actually still trying to decide what snack I want" There was a pause, “Sick RANSOM Tee by the way.” She says with a smile looking at his chest.

“Thank you.” He responds . Damn she’s hot and has a good fashion sense he concludes.

Matt moves up to the counter and pays for his gas, racking his brain for a reason to not have to walk away from this gorgeous woman that he's worried he might never see again. Unable to find a reason to stay, he finishes the transaction and walks back out to the mini van. It’s a nice day in LA. Chris and Nick moved to be leaning on the van waiting for Matt.

Nick: Did something funny happen in there?

Matt: What?

Nick: Why the hell are you smiling like that for?

Matt shakes his head, still unable to wipe the smile from his face.

Matt: You guys are always on me for having too much “attitude” but even if I’m in a good mood you have something to say?

Chris and Nick (In unison): Yeahhh

Nick: This isn’t regular “good mood Matt” this is something else. I can tell.

Matt: No, it’s not. It’s nothing Nick.

Nick: (With a curious grin) Rrrreally?!

Chris: (Slightly annoyed) Cool. So you’re in an abnormally good mood and Im starving. Is there a reason you didn’t get my chips or drink?

Matt rolls his eyes and shakes his head at the same time.

Matt: So now I’m just supposed to magically know you wanted something?

Chris: I TEXTED YOU!

Chris throws his hands up in the air

Matt: Oh, sorry I didn’t see it.

Before Chris can dispute they’re interrupted by the chime that sounds as the gas station door opens and closes.

Nick: "Is she the reason you didn’t see Chris’s text?" He says slightly under his breath. Matt adjusts his posture. The three of them silently watch as she steps outside and begins walking towards the now empty parking lot, Matt’s cheeks flush instantly.

Chris: Chuckles while nudging Matt’s arm “You good Matt?

Matt: Yeah. I’m fine Chris. It’s just hot out here.

Chris: Raises his brows. "Well if I had a Pepsi I’d offer you a sip to cool you down you seem… thirsty."

Her car is parked at the pump directly across from them.

Matt: Lets get this show on the road.

He was slyly trying to rush his brothers into the car before one of them could say something embarrassing.

Chris: WHAT? We’re leaving?

Nick: Did you not eat today?

Chris: Chris whines, "I’ve only had one mini pizza this morning."

Nick: You’ll be fine, Madison will have food at her house."

The girl had already finished pumping her gas but seemed to be lingering, listening to their conversation. Matt pulls out of the parking lot to start toward Madison’s. The girl from the gas station is in the car right behind them. Matt glances in his rear view mirror and can tell she’s vibing to music. It’s completely involuntary when he starts to daydream about what kind of music she’s into. Chris notices Matt repeatedly looking back.

Chris: "Ha, what if gas station shawty was following us?" He jokes.

Nick: Nick gasps loudly. "CHRIS. DONT SAY STUFF LIKE THAT!"

Nick whips around to look out the back window. Chris shrugs

Chris: It's not my fault, Matt probably said something to her.

Matt makes a right turn and so does the car behind them.

Chris: I'm just sayin, we turned- she turned

Nick: Yeah but we've only been driving for like 30 seconds it's probably just coincidence.

They continue driving and the car behind them goes every direction they do for about 10 min.

Nick: MAAAATT What did you do?!

Matt's daydream bubble is burst by the sound of Nicks raised voice.

Matt: I didn't do anything Nick.

Nick: Well we're only one minute from Madison's house and we can't just lead her straight there.

Completely flustered Matt abruptly pulls over to the curb and parks. The girl who was behind them gives their van a puzzled look as she passes. The windows are tinted dark so they can see her but she can't see them.

Nick: That was so bizarre…

They wait a few minutes until the tension in the car dissolves and it seems like the coast is clear. Matt's jaw is clenched but he takes a deep breath and slowly resumes driving. Moments later when they pull into Madison's Drive way the same car as before is there too.

Chris: Shit what'd we do?

She's still sitting in her car but she's on the phone and hasn't look up to noticed them yet. Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Matt speaks up.

Matt: "Well she's on her phone maybe she's lost?"

Nick: "She's not lost Matt. She followed us for miles and she beat us here." Nick FaceTimes Madison.

Nick: Madison I am so sorry but we might have somehow lead a fan right to your house.

Madison: What do you mean?

Nick: There's a stranger in your driveway and I dont know if you're going to need to call the cops

Madison: Seriously? A stranger? They're standing there?

Nick: No she's just sitting in her car like a fucking freak.

Madison: Wait what kind of car? Nevermind I'm coming down.

Nick: Shouldn't you call s-

Nick stops mid sentence as soon as he realizes Madison has already hung up. Madison appears at her front gate and much to the triplets surprise she doesn't seem concerned at all she seems excited. Madison runs over to the girls car and tugs at the driver side door. It doesn't open on the first try. The triplets watch as the girl steps out and Madison throws her arms around her and starts jumping up and down. Both girls are beaming with joy. Madison waves to the guys and gestures for them to get out of the van. They exchanged glances then hesitantly unbuckle and get out.

Madison: Guys! This is my bestfriend I've been telling you about!

Nick: Puts both hands on his heart. "Oh Thank God!"

The triplets all take a sign of relief as Madison turns to face her friend.

Madison: They just thought you were a crazed fan that was trying to follow them here." She says suppressing a laugh.

Chris: We were getting worried because she had been following us since the gas station.

Girl: "I wasn't meaning to follow you, looks like we just had the same destination." She says sweetly

Madison: This is Nick. Matt and Chris, my triplet friends I told you about.

G: Hi, I'm Giana but you can call me G!

She says but only holds eye contact with Matthew while introducing herself.

[xxshewritesinblacknwhitexx]

Look at the racists coming out to play today. “You people” 😂😂😂.

[inclusivepedro-oscarlibrary]

Welcome to the Inclusive Pedro & Oscar Library!

ID also in alt txt.

[ID: The banner for our blog! On top of a peach pink cloud background with sparkling stars are two rows of six circles, filled with characters played by actor Pedro Pascal. In the top row from left-to-right, are characters: Din Djarin/The Mandalorian, Javier Peña, Javier Gutierrez, Oberyn Martell. In the fifth circle there is cursive text reading: “The Inclusive Pedro Library.” In the sixth and last circle of the row there is a photo of Joel Miller. In the bottom row from left-to-right, are characters: Jack Daniels/Agent Whiskey, Dieter Bravo, Marcus Moreno, Marcus Pike, Pero Tovar, and Frankie Morales. In the bottom right corner there is text reading: “Tumblr: @inclusivepedrolibrary​.” End ID]

~

We recognized a need for an inclusive space for Pedro and Oscar fans on Tumblr, so we decided to start a curated list of fanfics and fan art.

We carefully screen all reader-insert fic recs to avoid white-coded language (such as flushing/blushing, red marks on skin, white-coded hair, etc).

We also want to build a library of POC and other underrepresented authors and artists, and curate fics and fan art featuring Pedro characters with queer and/or POC OCs. (We do not read or reblog RPF, we only accept fics about fictional characters.)

This blog is for 18+ friends only. Minors DNI. Thank you.

Please read the submissions guidelines before sending anything in!

~

Fic Recs * Fan Art Recs

POC Writers/Artists * Queer Writers/Artists * Over 30 Writers/Artists * Those who write/draw Plus Size * Disabled Writers/Artists

Tag Navigation

Inclusivity Resources

Meet the Mods

Note- Everything without a link is coming soon! Thanks for your patience as we get things up and running!

[the-mountain-flower]

Revisited a story that was very important to me as a child, and learned about the author being very vocal about the harm gender roles & stereotypes cause. I thought "oh that's great!" but was afraid. What if she only applied that logic to cis ppl?

I did some searching, and found out that not only does she support trans ppl, but has also spoken multiple times about how important it is to be able to see protagonists outside of the perceived norm. A.K.A., she doesn't see my very existence as wrong.

I let out a deep sigh of relief. I could continue to enjoy this thing that had been so important to me growing up.

But this isn't the first time something like this has happened. Too often I discover a new artist, or even be unsure of one I've enjoyed the work of for a long time up to the present; and I have to desperately search to know if I can enjoy their work. Either I am extremely relieved, or absolutely crushed.

This shouldn't be necessary. I shouldn't be feeling this deep fear that something so important to me, was created by someone who despises my very existence. That I, as a disabled queer femme ex-mormon Pagan witch who was raised like a girl, will be shoved off the emotional cliff of "this person you looked up to hates you for the same reason all bigots do".

I was so terrified that something that meant so much to me as a kid could've shattered me emotionally. Simply because I didn't know if the person who made it hates people like me.

We shouldn't have to live like this.