Diversity in Fantasy Ideas & Headcanons
I’m honestly very very tired of “realistic Fantasy” being author shorthand for “Shitty to Women, POC and other Minorities”. Fantasy is absolutely the perfect setting to create a world where race and gender shouldn’t matter considering there’s like 16 different types of creatures running around on the own! I understand there needs to be conflict in a story, but you can create conflict without making racism or sexism a main part of it. Fantasy Authors and Artists can do better, so I’ve compiled this list of ideas for how to make a Fantasy Realm and its Creatures more diverse in regards to to minorities. I hope you enjoy.
Different Clans of Dwarves being inspired by the Individual Mountain-based Cultures in Mongolia, Peru / the Andes Mountains, or the many Native American Tribes that lived in the Rocky Mountains (such as the Ute, Arapaho, Cheyenne, etc..) respectively, depending on where in your world they come from. There are so many unique and fascinating Mountainous cultures to draw from, why would you limit yourself to the same old white, beardy viking-style Dwarf dudes?
Female Dwarves having Beards, Stocky Bodies and being covered in Body Hair!! Female Orcs being 9 foot tall beasts with tusks and bulging muscles, but not just being stereotypical tough girl warriors because of that!! Femme Orcs and Dwarves people!! Shieldmaidens and Lady Knights who aren’t weighed down by sexism and have a variety of personalities and body types!! Harpies not just being human women with wings and talons, but instead large Birds with female heads like so many mythologies intended! Non-stereotypical and Non-sexualized Female Mythological Creatures!!
Dwarves having differentiating body types, despite all being short and stocky in some way. You can be curvy and still have unique body types, as illustrated in this magnificent post by @destinytomoon
The same goes for Elves, Hobbits and other Fantasy Races who have culturally standard body types. Elves having different body shapes despite all being relatively slender, and Hobbits/Halflings have tons of variation in their bodies depending on their specific lifestyle and genetics
Dark-Skinned Elves, such as Sun Elves, to show that not every Fantasy Elf is just a pasty, thin white guy
Dark-Skinned Hobbits!! I mean they’re always shown as having curly hair anyways, I think Hobbits would look fantastic with some natural black hair and varying shades of dark skin! After all, if they’re out gardening in and enjoying the sun all day, they’ll need some Melanin so they don’t get sunburned!
Mermaids and Selkies being chubby and having a lot of meat on their bones so they can better survive in cold waters!! That’s a big part of why Seals are so naturally chubby, so by that logic, all Selkies should have a very similar body type!
Creatures that draw from a specific culture actually having the physical and cultural attributes of that culture!! I’m so tired of seeing Asian or Native American or African Mythical creatures still being depicted as all white and Caucasian!! Show some respect for that culture and its creatures and honor the way they should look!
And even if your Creatures draw primarily from European Cultures, have those creatures represented with common physical and cultural traits of the specific European culture they stem from! Have Greek Mythological Creatures have tanned, olive skin and wear the traditional, non-stereotypical clothing of Greece! Have Irish Mythological Creatures have the distinct accent and be fully-developed characters instead of stereotypical Leprechauns!
Have Half-Breed Creatures like Half-Elves be representations of Mixed Race people irl! Those people need some love, and it’s important to have them be represented properly and respectfully!
Represent creatures and characters with Red Hair to show love to some of the Red Haired folks out there! Help dispel all the jokes and stigmas that Redheads face by portraying them more like people and less like Leprechauns!
Have characters with varying Medical and Mental Conditions that are represented respectfully and fairly, and not ones that are stereotypical or badly thought out. Give me Knights or Adventurers who struggle with Asthma instead of the typical nerdy kid portrayal. Give me Deaf or Hard of Hearing Dwarves who have learned to use echolocation to make their way around the dark and damp mines and caves they explore. Give me Psychics, Witches and Empaths who struggle with sensory overload, meltdowns and panic attacks from their powers, but are still so powerful and badass regardless!
Show me equal opportunities for not only Men and Women, but other Nonbinary genders as well. I want leagues of Lady Knights who hunt down abusers and convince women to join their cause and be strong together. I want other Races like Elves and Dwarves to barely even understand what the typical Human Gender Binary is. I want Transgender and Nonbinary Magic-Users and Shapeshifters using their magic to change their forms as they see fit.
Dark-Skinned Vampires being the most powerful and dangerous because they don’t loose as much of their power in the Sunlight than a typical pale Vampire would. Black Dracula would be a force to be reckoned with, and nobody can convince me otherwise!!
Lesbian Lady Knights falling in love with their local Female Blacksmith who always makes them custom armor!! Genderfluid Dwarves and Shapeshifters!! Transgender Wizards casting spells and making deals with Eldritch Gods to further become who they truly are!! Bisexual / Pansexual Bards seducing every creature they meet along their quest, regardless of Gender!! Or, alternatively, Asexual Bards who win people over with kindness and genuine platonic affection rather than sex!! LGBT-friendly Fantasy everybody!!
Fantasy Men having no concept of Toxic Masculinity, and freely expressing their emotions, showing affection to other men, being kind and fair to women, and just being all around well-rounded and kind figures!! I’m so tired of all Men in Fantasy being stoic hard-asses with no sense of emotion!!
This is just a comprehensive list, so PLEASE add more of your own Ideas and Headcanons! Let’s work together to make the Fantasy Genre a more diverse and accepting place for everyone involved!!
kianamaiart
izzy806
germansingergirl
theartofmadeline
origamiaround
stormborns
snowghoul
