#they also both have vitiligo because you very rarely ever see it in media and i think people who have vitiligo are beautiful mwah

[muppetjackrackham]

currently looking at trying to get baldur's gate for myself after checking my laptop specs but until then i wanted to show off my tav rohan (he/him half elf wood elf 🏳️‍⚧️) and his guardian frappucino (she/her dwarf 🏳️‍🌈) that i made with @slimepuppied when they spent the night with me before we went to go see beetlejuice the next day (they brought their laptop over so i could play it since i don't have a ps5 and didn't know if my laptop could handle playing it). he's a bard/monk multiclass because i wanted good con/dex for saving throws and then decided to multiclass so i can also hit things and i believe frappucino is a barbarian? i don't remember off the top of my head because i (stupidly) only took one screenshot of her but she's a fighter class because i wasn't thinking about multiclassing at the time so i made her to balance out rohan being a bard. they're platonic soulmates that are also magically bonded to one another which is why they have the same scar + tattoo and heterochromia and in my head they've already gone on several adventures together before the game even starts and got separated from one another when he was captured by the mind flayer.

[thechildoflightning]

The way you described Deceit’s hearing loss was similar to mine and that made me happy bc I hardly ever see people write about hearing loss like that. Usually people just make the characters not able to hear anything and then they give them a hearing aid and make it fix everything. I can tell you do so much research and it is very appreciated! There are many characters in JKSF that deal with some of the same things I deal with and those things hardly ever get represented well in media.Thank you!

As a continuation on what I just said, I also really love the way you write Logan’s experiences with his parents and his autism, Patton’s Chronic pain and even though I believe she is only mentioned once Patton’s sister’s tics! They are very rarely written about accurately and in ways that I can relate to, and you do it beautifully! Thank you so much for writing about these things accurately. (p2)

I wanna start by just saying a huge thank you bc this was so sweet and it really made me smile.

I also totally get where you’re coming from. To me, the only thing worse than a lack of diversity and representation is completely inaccurate, offensive, and forced diversity. In this series I really wanted to bring in diversity as much as I could, and I wanted to bring it in accurately and naturally. You’re right when you noted that I do a lot of research. I’m constantly learning. (Luckily for me, Dee was easier than some characters bc I’ve been taking ASL classes for a handful of years and already knew about vitiligo).

I’ve always wanted to add diversity to my stories but sometimes I’m also scared, because what if I do it wrong? But then I realized this attitude is exactly one of the reasons we don’t have diversity in media (even in things as simple as fanfiction) and I sought to change that immediately. 

So my mentality shifted from “I want to add diversity but im scared, so i wont, bc what if I mess it up” to “I want to add diversity and im scared, so ill do my very best to get it right by educating myself and always be open to constructive criticism and recognizing my faults when/if they appear.” (and i have made mistakes. and ive done my best to fix them and continue to educate myself).

I get that invisibility you feel when the media casts you out. I’ve been there. A lot of the stuff I deal with is a lot less visible, which can both be a blessing and a curse. I don’t want anyone else to feel invisible or alone, and I hope this series conveys that. Everyone deserves to see themselves accurately and positively portrayed in media.

(and now im rambling bc I tend to do that, so ill finish up here)

I’m glad you relate to Dee. I’m glad he’s a character who represents you, and represents you accurately. That’s exactly what I’ve always wanted, and I’m thrilled to know I was able to do that. (and pls, dont hesitate to call me out if i fuck up in the future)

Thank you.