Board Thread:Fanon Discussion/@comment-10860529-20141107042854/@comment-26414442-20141108091720

Most of my OCs are queer (I'm going to use queer because it's easier for me to type, plus, I am queer, and the q slur is reclaimed where I live so I'm comfortable using it.), and I don't think I'm really affected by stereotypes when I plan them and write them. However, one thing that I am affected by is my own life experiences, which I try to work into my OCs.

For example, I'm bisexual. I'm not "out". I'm out to a few of my friends, the internet, but I'm not going to out myself to my parents until 18 and at university. This is mainly for my own safety, because I want to make sure I'm in a safe place before I get their reaction to my queerness. Two of my characters are bisexual (and like me, they both happen to be people of colour) – Avian Juniper and Chaoxiang Ma.

Avian's out to his parents, who accept him, and who are totally alright with it – because hey, they were an interracial couple in a time when it was frowned on, and they know what it's like to be treated differently in a bad way because of what person you're with and who you are. Avian's situation is what I would like my ideal situation to be, and in a way, it serves as an escape. I can't be bisexual openly, I can't express my bisexuality safety, but when I write Avian, I can.

Chaoxiang's in my situation. He's realised he's not straight. Like, he's attracted to guys. And girls. And people who are neither. And he's done some research, he's looked stuff up, and decided firmly that he's bisexual. But he knows that his parents wouldn't be okay with it, and he's in a bit of a panic state. On one hand, he wants to accept who he is and move on. On the other, he wishes that he wasn't bisexual, because he would have one less thing to worry about. On top of that, he already feels a lot of parental pressure on his destiny. This is probably one of the driving forces on why he's a Royal. He loves his family, and doesn't want to be separated from them. But he knows he has to prove himself worthy before he comes out to make sure he'll still be accepted. That's exactly how I feel, and that's one of the reasons why I identity so much with Chao.