berri

not so quick question here, how did you feel abt the representation when writing it? like all the stuff with aro/ace Mira and trans Isa and such. even when writing representation of things that I am, I get really stressed that I'm doing it wrong and people are going to be mad at me.

you did so well with your game, btw. ISAT is my mental state and has been for almost a year now.

uuuh bad. i had the exact same thoughts as you, like ok yes i am some of those things but i can only put my own experience in the game, and also i am not some of those things so i can do my best to imagine what a character would act like in this situation but also what if i have made THE WORST FAUX-PAS POSSIBLE!?!?!?!

and the answer is ask someone that is part of the community what they think. ask them if you're doing a faux-pas. and even if you didnt, they might tell you about a facet of their experience you hadn't considered before that could make your story so much stronger. so thats one thing handled

and in the end yeah maybe you WILL do a faux-pas. but maybe you won't. and i am personally not a fan of "only talk about your own experience", because i have read some really insightful stories about women written by men, some really wonderful queer stories by cishet people, and some really good explicit fanfics by ace people. so like who cares. i think it's fascinating to read what someone think and see them put themselves in another space and dip a toe in The Other Side.

and thats without talking about the fact that sometimes, if you write about a community you don't think you belong in, that could be you working through some stuff. obviously, thats not always the case, but often if you're cishet and you're writing about queer stuff. then. perhaps? no. it can't be. unless...?

and fuck it sometimes you WILL do a faux-pas and people will be mad at you and it'll suck but you will learn to read beyond the anger and learn what you did wrong and do better next time. SO WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WANT AND DO YOUR BEST