Lol okay so what if I have a take
It makes me feel some type of way when folks fixate on Alastor’s skin tone
Like don’t get me wrong, I always love the widening representation of Black characters in media but yknow—the way Alastor is designed does widen that. Black people, and mixed Black people have a vast range of skin tones. Sometimes, our skin looks lighter, sometimes the brown is more obvious. It can depend on the season, the lighting, the individual’s habits, and just genes.
Idk like yeah I know it’s probably coming from a well-meaning place when non-Black fans shift Al’s design to feature more ‘obvious’ Black features but like—he can also just have his regular design and still be a mixed Black man.
I don’t think the Al redesigns are bad or nothing like that. But sometimes, the critiques of his canon design come off as kinda white-savior-y to me.
Sometimes it feels like an attempt to fit his Blackness into a box that is more familiar and recognizable when the reality is that you can’t just fit every Black person into the physical characteristics you’re most familiar with. We have the range 💅
There’s a line from a Beyoncé song that sums up how I view the whole thing pretty well;
“I’m dark brown, dark skin, light skin, beige, fluorescent beige—Bitch. I’m Black.” -COZY by Beyoncé
This.
