Right? My story has the majority of asian characters and I use gold skin tones for most of them. Some of them have neutral skin tones, but yeah the rest of them have gold skin tones. Although, you can use rose skin tones for asian BUT it’s kinda rare for asian to have it. However, I do have a fellow asian friend who has cool undertone because she has pale complexion and her skin always turns red whenever it got exposed to the sun/after exercising.
3 Likes
I’m still waiting for The cultural hair in instant princess 
Also uh
Yknow
Lip colours that suit dark skin
10 Likes
Maybe someone can help me think about this: I’m writing a story and I’d love to add choices for gender, sexuality, color and culture. First of all I think it’s hard to write about something I don’t know enough about (For example, I can add a storyline that have a male MC and male LI but I don’t think I would be able to write it realistically). Wouldn’t you say it might be better to stick with what I know?
and second: how can I add cultural background for the MC and LI when I don’t know which choices the reader made? I always add lot’s of diversity in my other characters but the customised ones are difficult.
3 Likes
This isn’t a reply to your question, but I wanted to ask, what’s a Male MC and a Male LI? Sorry, I’ve been on Episode for years, but I’ve quit writing stories for a while, so I’m a little confused! 
About your struggles with writing a story,
sorry to hear that!
Good luck! 
1 Like
I believe MC is used for Main Character and LI is the Love Interest 
2 Likes
Thank you so much!
Have a great day / night!
2 Likes
Personally, yes. I appreciate that you want to make everyone feel included, but I appreciate even more that you are conscious about getting representation wrong. I’ve definitely read stories where the writer assumes they can properly write an identity outside their own, when that is not the case. For instance, without calling any stories out, I’ve sometimes seen “asexuality” as an option for the MC orientation at the outset of stories, but the writer has confused that with “aromanticism,” and they let it preclude asexual MCs from having any kind of romantic relationship, which isn’t the experience or desire of every ace person. Personally, I’d rather not even see them try to represent my sexual orientation than perpetuate false assumptions about it.
That’s not to say that, for example, heterosexual writers can or should only write heterosexual characters. But they should be really careful about how they include identities they do not claim a stake in, as they can easily stereotype the people they mean to represent without realizing. So rather than an allosexual author assuming they know what it means to be ace, if they want to include options for ace readers… give them the same options as anyone else, including the option to not pursue romance… and also don’t force their MC into bed. What I mean is, instead of “Ace MC is open to only this path because I think I know that’s what being ace means,” a better option is “Ace MC is open to any of these paths, none of which is explicitly exclusive to what I think being ace means because I might be dead wrong. (And maybe I won’t put a label I don’t know anything about on the MC, but let the reader decide for themselves what the decisions they make say about their MC’s identity.)”
Anyway, that’s my two cents based on harmful representation I’ve seen. Harmful rep isn’t better than no rep, even if the intent is to be inclusive and generous.
4 Likes
Thank you so much 
this is so helpful!
2 Likes
Thank you
That craps annoying
5 Likes
These are both good questions. I’ll try to answer both here.
For your first concern, this is where research comes in handy. While it’s best to write what you know, that should be accompanied by expanding what you know. It’s good that you don’t want to misrepresent people because misrepresentation is common and can be harmful. For example, as a man who’s been in relationships with other men, I can confirm that most MLM rep on this app is very clearly written by straight women. It’s nice to see straight authors want to represent us, but it shouldn’t be obvious that the author has never experienced what they’re writing about. Same-gender couples aren’t exactly the same as a man and a woman in a relationship, and often the differences are neutral or positive. However, that should just be another reason to listen to other people talk about their culture, sexuality, relationships, etc., in addition to the fact that it’s just interesting to learn about others. It’s less about sticking with what you know and more about making sure you know something before writing it.
As for your second question, there are a few ways you can do this. One is to just include limited or no customization. Some people won’t read it because of that, but there are more people who don’t care for customization than you may think. Otherwise, you can allow readers to choose a culture from a list. Leaving some out is inevitable because the branching and research necessary would be a nightmare after a certain point, but you’d be able to save their choice using gains and reference it when it becomes relevant. Another thing, which I’ve done with positive reactions from readers, is have a character whose parents are of two different ethnicities with one being set (for example, a fully customizable character could be half Chinese regardless of customization, and any features that aren’t common in east Asian folks could be assumed to have come from the other parent, whose ethnicity isn’t specified) or a character from a diverse culture anyway. For example, a Latinx character could be just about any race, since Central and South America are extremely diverse due to their history.
4 Likes
Thank you for your thoughts on this.
I gave it a lot of thought. One of my friends is lesbian and I talk with her about her relationships. I fully respect her but I always feel like I don’t completely understand. Other friends are from other cultures and I love learning from them. I could always ask them for help.
I really like the idea of limited customizing and the parents from different ethnicities, I’m going to think about that a little bit more. I’m working on a story for the new contest so I’m challenged by the deadline!
1 Like
Well I posted this in February and it looks like the plan fell through considering it’s been two years since it was posted originally (Hence 2017). Shame
3 Likes
Back on topic
I hope we get some diversity in hair(more natrual cute styles) this year and an actual nude LL lip for our skintone
And clothing n.n but i guess thts another topic
7 Likes
We just need Aminita’s hair already from Instant Princess. And the outfits 
2 Likes
and curly styles. there’s two curly hairstyles.
we have plenty of waves. and some kinky/natural styles.
but two curly styles.
it took me so long to accept my hair and start loving it. I suffered so much yelling from my parents and extended family for having hair not typical for an Indian girl.
it would mean so much to me to have the type of curls I have represented.
3 Likes
Her hair was so beautiful
Shocked me to see it for the first time n.n
New outfits would be lovely(pants/hoodies/jackets long/dresses/long skirts etc)(ooh and a cross necklace 0.0…but ppl may use it in a rude way v.v)
3 Likes
Congrats n.n
Ppl underestimate how much representation affects ppl
2 Likes
And long skirts. They had modest clothing within it. 
2 Likes
In Instant Princess, it showed us a lot of wavy and curly hair styles that are new. Maybe it’ll be nice and help represent you with this app once it’s released.
2 Likes
If u have more screenshots of it pls share(clothes and hair)
1 Like