Wouldn’t My Writing Be Worse Off If I Forced In Elements Like Diversity?

Wouldn’t my writing be worse off if I forced in elements like diversity?

If you are asking this question, you have yet to challenge the “default” of your culture’s media. Consider that the majority of modern Western media fill their casts with white men, and when there are women or POC, they stick out conspicuously. Many people view adding diversity as tweaking some white man characters by toggling race or gender. But this assumes that “white man” is some default, standard character template.

If you feel pressured to include diversity in your writing, distance yourself from this pressure and ask yourself why you feel it. If you feel attacked when seeing campaigns for more diversity or criticism of all-white, uninclusive media, sit with the discomfort and ask yourself why those who are different from you say they need diverse media.

These are people whose voices and faces are rarely visible in entertainment. Despite this, they enjoy an adventure as much as anyone, and have become accustomed to projecting onto white characters. Yet, when the reverse is asked of white audiences to acknowledge protagonists of color, it becomes a difficult ask. These character choices are immediately questioned, discredited, fought against, and accused of being “woke” or “unrelatable.”

This resistance reflects a larger issue: the imbalance between audiences’ empathy towards the majority/“default” and empathy towards those perceived as Other.

By mostly reading about white people, they become easier to relate to. By the same token, if we are not reading media and histories from the perspective of POC, we end up with more people who literally fail to relate to POC. When we talk about hope-deficits, increased alienation and lower self-worth among marginalized populations, underrepresentation in media is a big factor. Imagine for a moment: never the beautiful princess in the tower, never the badass hero riding dragons; always the two-second sidekick.

People of color are people and want to be seen and treated as such. Not as a burden to devote your time to, but people who have a place in the world, fictional or no. Really, writing a world in your story that is all or mostly white is more unrealistic, more forced—after all, there are far more non-white people on Earth. Becoming comfortable with diversity requires unlearning White as the Default and POC as the Other. It takes setting aside feelings of pressure to emphasize, open your heart and listen.

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Wayfarer

Links

✦ Play the Game ✦ FAQ ✦ Patreon ✦ Ko-fi ✦ Discord ✦ Bug Report ✦ Dev Logs ✦ Character Art ✦ Character Roster ✦ Character References ✦ Romances ✦ Ask Guidelines

The Game

Wayfarer is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. You play as a Wayfarer, a member of an order of warriors born with magical immunity in a world dominated by magic. It is currently in development and releases episodically. The full game will include three acts and a total of 15 episodes.

The Story

When your mercenary work backs you into a corner, you take the only option available and accept a contract: to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient artifact said to be blessed by the gods. Simple, right?

But Velantis holds more than you bargained for. Gathering a ragtag party of malcontents and renegades from across the city, you must navigate enemy factions, meddling guilds, and escalating political tensions. Your choices will ultimately determine the city’s fate – and the fate of every person who lives there.

Key Features

✦ Create a customizable player character, selecting:

Gender [male, female, and nonbinary options]

Pronouns [choose a preset or set your own]

Name [including nicknames and aliases]

Ancestry [choose from 5 fantasy species that unlock unique attributes]

Origin [choose from 6 different backgrounds that unlock unique story moments]

Appearance [including regular choices such as hair and complexion, as well as tattoos and scars that unlock unique story content]

✦ Upgrade 4 skills which will determine your successes and failures. Skill level is mixed with a dice roll on skill checks, adding an element of risk vs reward to your choices ✦ Unlock traits that reflect your character’s choices, providing bonuses and hindrances ✦ Recruit companions, build your relationships, and perhaps find romance

Relationships include friendships and rivalries

Romances are optional and include straight, gay, bisexual and asexual characters, alongside monogamous and polyamorous options

✦ Build rapport with 6 factions and choose whether to support or betray them ✦ Encounter timed choices on key decisions, with alternative results if time runs out or you choose to abstain ✦ Build a codex as you explore the world and encounter people, places, history, lore, magic and monsters ✦ Navigate thousands of branching choices for a unique, re-playable experience and story

The Main Cast

A childhood friend and a fellow Wayfarer. What does he know about the Order’s past and what lengths will he go to keep it hidden?

A Guild mage on the run who keeps her secrets closely guarded. What plot is she involved in and how deep does it run?

A disinherited scion to a mercantile empire. She’s hunting for her sister’s murderer, but what conspiracies will she uncover instead?

A former assassin who abruptly quit the league and turned himself over to the authorities. How far will he go to kill his past?

The extravagant leader of a theatre company and a brilliant con artist scamming the social elite. Behind the flashy exterior, what dark history is he hiding?

An ambassador from a secretive city in the mountains that recently opened its borders. Why is she here and what higher purpose does she serve?

A gifted alchemist searching for the truth behind the source of magic. What devastating answers will he uncover?

The Public Build [Version 1.1.2.]

Playable Content: Prologue, Episode 1, Episode 2

Average Playtime: approx. 8.5 hours of gameplay

Average Word Count Per Playthrough: approx. 156,000 words

Total Word Count: approx. 927,000 words

First Published: September 9, 2021

Last Updated: July 1, 2022

Last Patch: June 10, 2023

[Play Here]

The Alpha Build [Version 1.1.3.]

Playable Content: Prologue, Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 Part 1

Average Playtime: approx. 9.4. hours of gameplay

Average Word Count Per Playthrough: approx. 177,000 words

Total Word Count: approx. 1,300,999 words

First Published: September 9, 2021

Last Updated: May 26, 2023

Last Patch: June 5, 2023

Only available to Patrons and Playtesters

[Play Here]

Content Warning

The story is rated MA-17 for fantasy and medieval violence, depictions of blood and gore, death, explicit language, sexually suggestive themes, and drug and alcohol use. Player discretion is advised.

Discord Community

Wayfarer has an official Discord server! You can join it here. Please note that the server is 17+ only.

Support

Wayfarer is a passion project and creating it is a full-time job. If you enjoyed the game, please consider supporting its development on Patreon. Patrons receive access to the alpha build, bonus content, and tutorials in writing and game design, among other perks.

I also have a Ko-fi.

If you aren’t in a position to support financially, reblogs, shares, and spreading the word about the game are much appreciated and do a lot to help me out. 💕

Credits

Cover art and companion portraits by Rory Yaya (@sunshinemage). Wayfarer sigil and logo design by Jessica Roy. All other image assets as credited in-game.

POST UPDATED: 06.10.2023

Tags

interactive fiction

3K notes View Post

charm-writes

1 year ago