maryam > Status Update

my characters are bisexual women & men.
a pan male.
lesbians & gays.

i mean the main thing i would say is try not to fall into bad stereotypes (e.g. bi people being really promiscuous) but i feel like you’d know that already :) and thank you for asking this <3

@ida okay got it !! but the thing is, well two of my characters have this hoeing around a lot thing, and one of them is pan & the other is straight, does this still count as offensive? 😭
no need to thank me love! it's the bare minimum.

maryam wrote: "@ida okay got it !! but the thing is, well two of my characters have this hoeing around a lot thing, and one of them is pan & the other is straight, does this still count as offensive? 😭
no need to..."

in my opinion not really ?? idk it’s hard to explain but i feel like that’s not offensive in this context 😭

you should maybe have an aromantic character? ik i dont see those a lot

as an ace person the main thing i want to see is lgbtq+ characters & relationships that aren't oversexualized! im sure you're going to be doing fine with that, in general i'd say do research ifyou're representing any kind of anti-lgbtq prejudice, but overall just write them as people first, lgbtq identities second. they should be characters with personalities outside their gender/sexual orientation, ofc!

@ida okay thank you!

@autumn I'll try to thank you!!

lj ♡ wrote: "as an ace person the main thing i want to see is lgbtq+ characters & relationships that aren't oversexualized! im sure you're going to be doing fine with that, in general i'd say do research ifyou'..."

oh this is really good i second this!

@ly thank you so much!! I actually wrote them as characters first. they all have their own moodboard with backstories and personalities. I added the sexualities lastly when I was writing their love interests ! thanks so much for the advice !!

@lj like my characters lucifer & haru for example. they were one of my first characters. I planned everything for them. their backstories and stories and everything & when it came down to sexualities, I was trying to see what's fit for them. so lucifer's pan & Haru's bi!

maryam wrote: "@lj like my characters lucifer & haru for example. they were one of my first characters. I planned everything for them. their backstories and stories and everything & when it came down to sexualiti..."

that sounds great!!

ooooh that’s a great question! i love aroace rep so much, but also trans/non-binary rep is always good as well! (i don’t identify w/all of those so i can’t tell you how to write them, just saying what i like to see :))

I think it's awesome that you have Pan character! Usually character's are js labeled as Bi or Gay, and I haven't really been able to find anything on people are Pan, especially guys. Also, having some trans rep is awesome! If possible, I think you should include a character like that

@Alex got it!! I went through my set of characters & their backstories and because of the requests for aroace characters I think I've found the perfect one! about trans & non-binary, I'll try to see what I can do 🫶🏻

@mars thank you!! yes it's hard to find representation for other members of the community. it's mostly just bi's and gay's and I want to represent as many people as I can! I'll try to see what I can do for trans characters!

As a bi guy, here's what I personally like/dislike in characters:
- Don't make it their ENTIRE personality. Like, I get it being a few plot points, but it doesn't need to be their main character. I mean, is a straight characters whole personality is being straight? Yeah.
- For the love of God, do not make all gay guys the same "Twink" character. Make a masculine gay guy, a swimmer gay guy, nerdy gay guy, etc. We're not all twinks.
- Don't make them gay for the sake of them being gay.
- If you chose to represent a trans person, remember that most trans people don't even tell people they're trans. Like they probably won't have a trans flag literally pinned on their chest, yk? And ask for stories from actual trans people!
- Don't isolate them from their cishet counterparts! I see this a lot in fiction, where the gay characters will BARELY interact with straight people --- don't do that.

@pierce trust me, being gay isn't their entire personality, they're literally at the front fighting for their lives 😭 my gay characters are soldiers, spies, and nurses so no twinks! they were written as characters before I wrote their love lives and sexualities. I feel like I wont be able to represent trans characters well so I need to ask advice from trans people! they're literally at the front surrounded by soldiers & doctors. who're straight. the guys whom I mentioned (gays, pans, bis) are in the friend group with the straight guys! thank you !!

@Maryam Gay solider characters>>> (Yes I am just referring to diomedes, but wtv). And awesome, you sound like you're doing a great job

@pierce and they're closeted and can't tell each other because it's taboo in the region they come from 😫>>>. thank you so much !!

i would read this omg

@autumn I'm more than happy to share! pm me!! I'm going to sleep now so I'll reply when I'm awake so I can give u a tour of all the character moodboards, etc!

maryam wrote: "@pierce and they're closeted and can't tell each other because it's taboo in the region they come from 😫>>>. thank you so much !!"

AYY THE STORY BUILDING TRUST

just realized how much of a bitch I am. why are most relationships in this forbidden and end tragically 😭

@pierce IT ISS THANK YOU!!

for queer characters, the main thing is unless the story is Abt them being queer don't focus on that. especially in a dystopian world you can make queerness normalized and present the characters without labels (I.e. casually mentioning a same sex partner, having a character say something about not seeing people in a romantic light, etc) don't have it be the center of their character. casual representation is important. just normalizing it in books without having to explicitly say it is important.

(again if its a book focused on queer people that's a different story)

don’t make it centered around queer people just make it flow naturally !! (unless the plot is about homophobia or smth like that)

aro/ace rep guys i feel like i'm one of the only ones 💔

NONBINARY REP!!! i dont see enough they/thems in media

and to add onto that, nonbinary people who *dont* necessarily have gender-neutral or “weird” names

omg ace characters please (i think the best way is to read queer people in queer books that helps

(also just from the comments i love your story already omg it sounds so cool)