Good Changes?
Good Changes?
So for the longest time, one of the main characters of my current writing project has kept the same coloring since the day I created her. And normally I don't tend to give any of my characters makeovers because I can see them so clearly in my head.
But when I was having my beta readers review my story, a lot of comments came up about the skin tone of my main girl, which I think normally wouldn't have been mentioned except I'm making a fantasy world based on Ancient Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures so they thought it might be taken the wrong way that I've got the girl who is the chosen of the world's greatest goddess as having super pale skin.
And the reason I did that was that as a Latina who has caucasian pale skin, I've always felt out of place among my relatives. Growing up, people didn't believe me when I said I was a first-generation Mexican, and even more so when I showed them pictures of my Papi (I was even asked if I was adopted). Making my girl super pale among people who are tan and dark-skinned was something very near and dear to me, because I know I can't be the only pale-skinned minority who feels like an outcast among my own culture.
I can see how making a super pale person so powerful among darker-skinned people could be construed as white supremacy (which is not what I meant at all!), so I've been playing around with the idea of changing her.
But again, I don't want to change her because I'd be afraid of people making the wrong assumptions and missing the message I'm trying to convey. I don't want to be one of those creators who bows to the masses, makes everything PC, and makes characters who look more like stereotypical minorities just to check off some boxes.
Yes, getting more representation is important! I would love to see more Latinx characters in fiction!
But I think people forget about the minorities among the minorities, people like me who have trouble fitting into their own families simply because our genes decided to be atypical.
So should I stick to how she's always been? Change her appearence? Or is there a happy medium?
More Posts from Anazen333 and Others
To the late diagnosed ASD community:
How many of you were misdiagnosed the first time?
How many of you felt that your assessor wasn’t taking you seriously?
What sort of tests did they do? What sort of questions did they ask? And did they make sense in relating to ASD, especially in adult women?
What did you do after the assessment when you were told everything seems normal? And that you were just experiencing mild forms of anxiety and showed slight traces of OCD?
What do I do when I've done so much research, heard so many stories from people in the ASD community and related to them so well, used their knowledge and experience to help me get through my daily life a litter easier, only to be told by a professional that I'm not Actually Autistic?
Was tagged by @a-lighthouse-a-man-a-city . I love doing these!
This hit me so hard.
As someone who is autistic.
As someone who never had a hometown.
As someone who is first generation Mexican American.
As someone who is half first generation Mexican American.
I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere or with any group. Because I wasn’t neurotypical enough. Because I hadn’t lived there long enough. Because I wasn’t American enough. Because I wasn’t Mexican enough. Because I was too different.
And finally, it hits me - I don’t “belong”. And that’s okay - great, even. Because that is my Strength.
Thank you, Xiran Jay Zhao, for writing these beautiful words. They mean more to me than I could ever express.
Astro Ducktales
I just watched the most Anime-esq episode of Ducktales and I loved every minute of it! Granted, the only reason I loved it so much is because it’s a total ripoff of the original AstroBoy (a much beloved franchise of mine). But still; it was so fun to spot all the little Anime nods and see the animation direction made to emulate classic Anime cinematography. I really hope the Ducktales team had as much fun making this episode as much as I did watching it :3
Discovering My Personal Style
Needless to say, it hasn’t been easy. Lucky for me, I was fortunate not to be influenced by outside forces: aka, the modern world in the form of public school. Because they would have attached stereotypes to me at best and bullied me at worst.
Before puberty, I didn’t really care about my style, because at that point I didn’t even know who I was. I didn’t have a firm grasp on what my likes, dislikes, personal goals and dreams were, and that was fine - it was normal. I was still learning about new things every day.
When puberty did hit and I suddenly started to care, things got confusing fast. For one thing, I went from being an elfin waif to a Germanic/Latina so full of curves the “teen” clothing section was not an option for me. So I turned to thrift store oddities and boys’ clothes… and growing my hair out to Sailor Moon anime lengths. Looking back, I think I knew I wasn’t going to be one of those people that strictly adhered to ever changing fashions, I wanted practicality and comfort, but all while still maintaining my femininity.
Those years, from my early teens to my early twenties, were hard on me, because I didn’t know who I was and what I wanted, so I lacked confidence in myself. Mid twenties weren’t all that helpful either. But between living abroad, working miserable jobs to save up for grad school and of course grad school itself, I didn’t have a lot of time and brainpower to stop and really reflect on what kind of styles felt like me.
And that was the missing piece I wasn’t getting for the longest time; what did I gravitate towards, what aesthetics brought me joy, what styles made me feel the most comfortable to be in my own skin?
Over the years, I think I picked up bits and pieces but didn’t put them together until recently. As a teen I wore boys’ cargo pants all the time. In my early twenties I had lots of tailored blouses. In my mid twenties I finally mastered some makeup techniques. In the past few years I’ve been on a 1940s-1960s vintage kick.
The result is what I think of as “Audrey Hepburn meets Evelyn O'Connell in the 21st century” (with a little Anazen originality thrown in).
So for those of you who are still trying to find your style, don’t feel pressured to do so. I didn’t know what mine was until I hit 30, and to be honest, it might change later! But right now, this is what I like and feel the most comfortable in. And for those that have found a style that doesn’t fit a stereotype; ignore the boxes! Especially if like me, you were worried about how your unique style would cause others to form false opinions of you before they got to know you. That’s not your concern, it’s completely on them. True relationships aren’t about what the other person is wearing.
We live in an age where it is ridiculously easy to experiment with an endless selection of styles and combinations, so it’d be a shame not to find a look that is perfect for you.
Tagged by @a-lighthouse-a-man-a-city (Thanks! I always have fun doing these :3 )
The rules: describe your personality with 4 characters (from books, movies or series)
1. Belle (Beauty and the Beast 1991)
2. Evie Carnahan (The Mummy)
3. Makoto Kino, AKA Sailor Jupiter (Sailor Moon)
4. Veralidaine 'Daine' Sarrasri (The Immortals book series)
My all time favorite quotes of Hardison and Elliot showing support for Parker (S02E13 - the Future Job)
Tara: “He is good.”
Hardison: “He should be shot.”
Parker: “…cut off his arms. And his head. Yeah, I wanna kill him. Can we make that happen?”
Elliot: “Yeah, I can. I mean, I could…” (heavily implies murder)
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
For today I have a parking pass for my place of work and NEVER have to take the bus again! (Unless, of course, my car is in the shop), but other than that!
Never again must I worry about catching the right bus. Never have to worry about being too early or too late. Forced to wait at a bus stop covered in graffiti and unspeakable human fluids in the rain, heat, and snow.
Never again do I have to worry about getting a seat, let alone getting a seat that provides me some semblance of personal space. I won’t have to put my bags on the seat next to me to insure some perv doesn’t force themselves upon me.
Never again will I be forced to listen to other people’s music and ticktock videos, babies wailing, and crotchety old men state their unwanted opinions loudly, as if we weren’t in a confined space and can’t hear them despite our headphones trying to drown them out.
Never again worry about unstable people causing scenes so violent and disturbing and mentally upsetting that I burst into a fit of tears and shakes the moment I’m able to get home and feel safe again.
Never again.
Just random stuff that pops into my head or tends to circulate through my brain.
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