#anyway support southeast asian creatives & southeast asian stories

[cinnamonsikwate]

maybe if i don't think about ratld as "southeast asian representation" or whatever i might actually be able to tolerate it

[reimenaashelyee]

YOU ALL, THE CARPET MERCHANT IS NOW AN EISNER NOMINATED COMIC

[internally screaming] I still haven’t completely processed how big of a deal this is yet, as I’m mostly just glad that TCM is getting recognised, but!! It’s BIG. 1) I’m the first Malaysian ever to be nominated. 2) This comic??! A genre story with a mostly-POC cast, 2 Muslim protagonists in a healthy loving relationship, in a non-Western setting, made by a Southeast Asian/Malaysian WOC?? Getting seen like this?!?

I made this comic primarily to fill up the void in comics for positive (or at least, mundane) representation of the people I’ve lived with all my life. It’s great to see that it’s appreciated! But I hope TCM isn’t the first, or shouldn’t be anyone’s last or only when it comes to Muslim/diverse historical fantasy. There are so many others, ownvoices or not, who have made media in this genre (here’s some I collected in a Twitter thread). Anyway this nomination is for everyone. For Muslims, for Turks, for Southeast Asian and Malaysian creatives, and for anyone from outside the West who wants to write stories that exist outside of the Western tradition of storytelling. And thanks to everyone who has read and supported TCM since 2016! < 33 READ THE CARPET MERCHANT OF KONSTANTINIYYA