# Celebrating Diversity: New Horizons Character Designing Event



## Jeremy (Jun 23, 2021)

*New Horizons Character Designing Event
June 23, 2021 - June 30, 2021*​
Welcome to our Celebrating Diversity event of 2021! As possibly one of the most diverse gaming forums on the internet, The Bell Tree is proud to be represented by so many different types of people. This is an important month for celebrating diversity across the world. As you may already know, June is celebrated as LGBT Pride Month in commemoration of the Stonewall riots, Juneteenth (June 19th) is celebrated as the end of slavery in the United States, and June 21st is celebrated as National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. We use these dates to understand each other's differences, remember the struggles that people have endured, and help promote inclusivity across the entire world. If nothing else, we can start with our own community by celebrating our differences together!

*Task*

Design and dress your Animal Crossing: New Horizons character in a way that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusivity. How you do that is up to your own interpretation, but make sure it's respectful and represents diversity as explained by this definition:


> Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs or other ideologies.



Submit a screenshot of your character in this thread with an explanation about how it fits the event's topic of celebrating diversity (see the How to Submit section below). The submissions will be voted for by the community (by using reactions) and the top most-liked ones will be displayed in The Bell Tree banner for a period of time, helping us decorate the forum. That's right, we're finally bringing this back after it was well received during TBT Fair 2020!

*Rules*

Screenshots must be from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and show your own character.
Clothing, items, and patterns are allowed. Only things that your character is wearing or holding will be considered a part of your entry.
You can pose with other characters or players, but the screenshot should be focused on one of them (yours). Be sure to specify which character yours is if it isn't clear. We can only count votes for one character per post/user.
Using game reactions is allowed, but parts of certain reactions may not be included in the TBT banner if they can't be easily cut out.
Include a 2 - 3 sentence explanation about your character's design and how it celebrates diversity.
Once your entry has been submitted it cannot be edited.
Please put effort into your submission. If we think your entry lacks effort or has been submitted as a joke it will be disqualified.
Keep content suitable for a PG-13 audience. If it would breach our Rules & Guidelines then it's not suitable here.
Entries that fail to meet the requirements will not be accepted.
This should go without saying, but as this event is meant to celebrate diversity we expect everyone to be respectful. Any entry that intends to mock, belittle, or insult anyone's race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion will be immediately disqualified.
*How to Submit*

Design your character and go to a well-lit area where the background colors don't match your character's outfit or body too closely. This will help us cut it out for the banner.
Take a screenshot of your character facing forward and as zoomed in as much as possible.
Submit the screenshot to this thread as large as possible (don't shrink the image before uploading it).
Include a 2 - 3 sentence explanation about how your character's design fits the theme of celebrating diversity.
Submit your entry by Wednesday *June 30th at 10:00 PM EDT* and please do not edit it after it has been submitted.
Feel free to include other screenshots if you want, but we need at least one good one we can use to cut your character from if the community chooses your entry. Examples of how this works are shown below:




*How to Vote*

This event is entirely community-decided. The ten most-liked entries will be added to The Bell Tree's banner scene based on the schedule explained in the Selection Schedule below. Three characters will be displayed for three days at a time. (Update: sometimes four characters at a time.)

To vote, simply leave a reaction on the post of any entry. You can use either the Like or Love reaction, they will be added together. Entries that are approved will be marked by the staff with the green bell bag accepted reaction, but don't wait for this to appear. Feel free to Like/Love any entries at any time!

*Rewards*

All accepted participants will receive *125 bells*.
The ten most-liked character entries will be *added to The Bell Tree's banner scene* based on the schedule explained below.
*Selection Schedule*

Characters will start showing up in the banner even before the event ends! Here's how our selection process will work based on the top liked entries.


When Entries Are SelectedWhich Entries Are SelectedWhen They're Added to TBT's BannerFriday Jun 25th at 10:00 PM EDTTop 3 from Wednesday - Friday 6:00 PMFriday Night - Monday NightMonday Jun 28th at 4:00 PM EDTTop 3 from Friday 6:00 PM - Monday 12:00 PMMonday Night - Thursday NightWednesday Jun 30th at 10:00 PM EDTTop 2 from Monday 12:00 PM - Wednesday 10:00 PMThursday Night - Sunday NightThursday Jul 1st at 10:00 PM EDTTop 2 from all entries not selected, any timeThursday Night - Sunday Night


Need help coming up with ideas? Click here to view last year's Celebrating Diversity art contest or here to view its winners.

Good luck and we look forward to see your creative character designs!


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## xara (Jun 23, 2021)

Jeremy said:


> View attachment 381605​



XJISNSK I WASN’T EXPECTING TO SEE MY ISLAND REP THERE I- . lmao no but fr, this sounds fun!! i’ll definitely be entering and look forward to seeing everyone else’s entries as well!


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## Jhine7 (Jun 23, 2021)

Looking forward to all the creative designs  Good luck everyone!


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## Roxxy (Jun 23, 2021)

Looks like a fab event!!  I can’t wait to see all the amazing entries  ( think I will skip this one, my outfit design ability is worse than my drawing )


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## Megaroni (Jun 23, 2021)

Would wheelchairs count towards the outfit or will it be edited out?


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## King koopa (Jun 23, 2021)

This sounds super hard but I'll try, don't expect to win


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## Nefarious (Jun 23, 2021)

Oh this is cool! Can't wait to see how everyone dresses and who the lucky 9 will be.


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## Dunquixote (Jun 23, 2021)

Roxxy said:


> Looks like a fab event!!  I can’t wait to see all the amazing entries  ( think I will skip this one, my outfit design ability is worse than my drawing )



Ahem! Roxxy… What did I say about putting yourself down? I love your drawings and I am sure I would love whatever outfit you put together . No pressure though.  Your decision.

Sounds fun! I usually don’t do so good at dreamy dressers and such but I will still give this a shot. Can’t wait to see everyone else’s outfits.


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## Foreverfox (Jun 23, 2021)

megantron said:


> Would wheelchairs count towards the outfit or will it be edited out?


To piggyback on this, does it have to be *our* character, or can it be a 2nd player character? My specific example: I have a 2nd player for my almost 2 year old that I play. He uses a wheelchair in real life, so I'd be interested in entering his character, if allowed. I can 100% attest to the fact that I am the only one who plays his character. It does not belong to or get played by anyone else.


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## _Donut_ (Jun 23, 2021)

Celebrating European members! 

I picked geographical diversity among our tbt members as my theme. I tried to dress my character with clothing that represents different countries in Europe (where I'm also from). He is wearing a beret for *France*, a carnival mask for Venice, *Italy*, an *English* school uniform, *Irish* green pants and *Dutch* wooden shoes. As I had to work with the clothing I own, these are the only ones I could find but obviously the message is for the entire continent! 



Spoiler: Higher resolution


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## Megaroni (Jun 23, 2021)

Dunquixote said:


> Ahem! Roxxy… What did I say about putting yourself down? I love your drawings and I am sure I would love whatever outfit you put together . No pressure though.  Your decision.
> 
> Sounds fun! I usually don’t do so good at dreamy dressers and such but I will still give this a shot. Can’t wait to see everyone else’s outfits.


Also oh no I was under the impression that we could use other people's designs codes. Another question for the mods: do we have to make our own design codes?


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## Aurita (Jun 23, 2021)

hi sorry I have a maybe dumb question, but how do you define "dressing diverse"? like are you expected to wear traditional cultural items to show cultural diversity? for example, I'm Korean and if I want to show my heritage, do I need to dress my character up in a hanbok to show that? I know it's up to personal interpretation on what is diverse, but could you maybe give an example of what is acceptable/unacceptable?


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## Roxxy (Jun 23, 2021)

_Donut_ said:


> View attachment 381608
> 
> Celebrating European members!
> 
> ...


That was quick  Well done


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## _Donut_ (Jun 23, 2021)

Roxxy said:


> Ok, have to ask about an English school uniform?



It was the only top I could find that made me think about the UK  I also had the red English military uniform but that looked so weird colour wise.. Pls forgive me


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## King koopa (Jun 23, 2021)

Aurita said:


> hi sorry I have a maybe dumb question, but how do you define "dressing diverse"? like are you expected to wear traditional cultural items to show cultural diversity? for example, I'm Korean and if I want to show my heritage, do I need to dress my character up in a hanbok to show that? I know it's up to personal interpretation on what is diverse, but could you maybe give an example of what is acceptable/unacceptable?


I think it means to use clothing to dress like something diverse. You can use donut's post as an example. I don't know if you can use qr codes but keep that in mind if you can


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## Roxxy (Jun 23, 2021)

_Donut_ said:


> It was the only top I could find that made me think about the UK  I also had the red English military uniform but that looked so weird colour wise.. Pls forgive me


Hate to tell you the UK have left the EU  (a kilt would have looked fab though )


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## TillyGoesMeow (Jun 23, 2021)

_Donut_ said:


> View attachment 381608
> 
> Celebrating European members!
> 
> ...


Ahhhh this is so cute. I love.


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## _Donut_ (Jun 23, 2021)

Roxxy said:


> Hate to tell you the UK have left the EU  (a kilt would have looked fab though )



Ssh we'll make the post about the continent then


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## Jeremy (Jun 23, 2021)

megantron said:


> Would wheelchairs count towards the outfit or will it be edited out?



That would be fine even though it's technically furniture. We'll say all 1x1 seating is fine to include as long as it's readable (for example, not blocked by grass or other things on the ground).



Foreverfox said:


> To piggyback on this, does it have to be *our* character, or can it be a 2nd player character? My specific example: I have a 2nd player for my almost 2 year old that I play. He uses a wheelchair in real life, so I'd be interested in entering his character, if allowed. I can 100% attest to the fact that I am the only one who plays his character. It does not belong to or get played by anyone else.



That's fine! We mean more that it can't be something you find online or have a friend make for you.



megantron said:


> Also oh no I was under the impression that we could use other people's designs codes. Another question for the mods: do we have to make our own design codes?



You can incorporate patterns/designs made by other people into your overall character design (for example, from QR codes found on the internet). We are intending this event to be more about the overall character creation. We'll let the user votes decide what's actually picked for the banner, especially because it's difficult for us to tell who made what patterns.



Aurita said:


> hi sorry I have a maybe dumb question, but how do you define "dressing diverse"? like are you expected to wear traditional cultural items to show cultural diversity? for example, I'm Korean and if I want to show my heritage, do I need to dress my character up in a hanbok to show that? I know it's up to personal interpretation on what is diverse, but could you maybe give an example of what is acceptable/unacceptable?


I think that might be a good way to show it as long as you can explain it and it makes sense. The way you explained it makes sense to me! 

For those who might find this event to be difficult, another way of looking at it might be by making your own clothing pattern in support of a specific cause. It doesn't necessarily have to be a cultural outfit, it can be something we might see people wear in real life to show their support.


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## Sasey (Jun 23, 2021)

So I decided for the diversity event to dress in all rainbow for LGBTQIA Pride! I started with a Rainbow Balloon Hat and paired it with a Pride Tank! I also added in the blue, pink, and white sneakers to represent for our Trans siblings. So often our trans siblings are forgotten about, so I wanted to give a special shout out! As a member of the LGBTQIA community I am proud to celebrate diversity with my TBT friends! 🏳‍️

*zoomed in as much as it would let me.


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## Aniko (Jun 23, 2021)

Looks fun! I can't wait to see your entries!


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## daringred_ (Jun 23, 2021)

hm, well. i didn't want to dress up (or redesign) my island rep. just so she "looked" like a (stereotypical) lesbian, so. this is all i've got. 






this is my island representative, claire, based on my OC of the same name who -- if you hadn't already guessed -- is a lesbian! (a demisexual one, if i'm more specific.) given that it's pride month, the "theme" i went with was a no-brainer, and i don't think i really need to _explain _how she celebrates diversity because she's making it kind of obvious. 
shout out to all my fellow lesbians!

i created claire (and several other wlw characters) during a time where it felt like none of the media i consumed was representing me and, worse, sometimes actively even queerbaiting their wlw audiences or just straight up killing their wlw character(s) off. (all still issues today, albeit less prevalent.) unsurprisingly, she means a lot to me, and it's always fun writing about her and her love interest (lisa, my beloved) because they have a very frustrating (in a good way) super-slow-burn, oblivious mutual pining type of romance that you rarely see onscreen between (live-action) women even today. in a franchise that's supposed to be about being yourself, it was only natural that she became my player character, so now she's the island representative for a town full of LGBT+ villagers! looking at you especially, henry, you funky little gay frog  ​


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## Princess Mipha (Jun 23, 2021)

*Be cute, if you want to be!*
I'm very shy but I love to wear kawaii clothes and crazy hair colors, but I love a lot of "boyish" things as well, like haircuts for men. This character shows perfectly how the shy me is wearing what she wants, while having a not classic "girly" haircut.


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## xara (Jun 23, 2021)

in honour of it being pride month, i decided that today, i’d like to celebrate a part of the LGBTQ+ community that doesn’t get talked about much - those who are questioning. i’ve spent the last 4 years jumping from labelling myself as pansexual to lesbian to bisexual and back again, and have even done so on here, so today i’d like to affirm to both myself and anyone else here who may be questioning that it’s okay to not have a label. to me, diversity isn’t just for those who fall under specific categories; it’s for those who prefer to live without labels or who are still finding themselves, too. with this outfit, i’m embracing that i am a part of the Q in the LGBTQ+ community and that that’s okay. i also threw in some italian flag face paint, to represent my ethnicity. 







Spoiler: proof that it’s me 🌈❔







i know that i wrote _way_ more than 1-3 sentences, but hopefully this’ll still count. >_<


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## King koopa (Jun 23, 2021)

*Celebrating black/African Americans!


*
Because juneteenth just passed, i decided to represent myself as African American. Because if you can't tell, I'm black. So i decided to dress in a tribal outfit to represent African tribes and put a black lifes matter sign to represent my race!
It would be nice if we had a conga drum Because that would be perfect for this


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## Roxxy (Jun 23, 2021)

When I was a little girl I had a dream of being a pilot. Flying to lots of sunny exotic places  I was met with shock and disbelief as “women can’t fly a plane“ I was encouraged to become an air hostess as that was a “suitable job for a girl”   I have just checked statistics and according to ISWAP data Jan 2020 only 5.26% of pilots are women. A shocking low 1.42% become a Captain.

Surely in this day and age everyone should be able to be whatever they want to be?

Well for today please meet Dodo Airlines new Captain Roxxy


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## Serabee (Jun 23, 2021)

Awesome! I'm working on my neurodiversity inspired entry RN ☺

*goes to look up most accepted and least controversial autism symbol*


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## _Donut_ (Jun 23, 2021)

Roxxy said:


> When I was a little girl I had a dream of being a pilot. Flying to lots of sunny exotic places  I was met with shock and disbelief as “women can’t fly a plane“ I was encouraged to become an air hostess as that was a “suitable job for a girl”   I have just checked statistics and according to ISWAP data Jan 2020 only 5.26% of pilots are women. A shocking low 1.42% become a Captain.
> 
> Surely in this day and age everyone should be able to be whatever they want to be?
> 
> ...



The coincidence, I've worked as a pilot  and I flew with lots of female colleagues let me tell you!


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## King koopa (Jun 23, 2021)

Roxxy said:


> When I was a little girl I had a dream of being a pilot. Flying to lots of sunny exotic places  I was met with shock and disbelief as “women can’t fly a plane“ I was encouraged to become an air hostess as that was a “suitable job for a girl”   I have just checked statistics and according to ISWAP data Jan 2020 only 5.26% of pilots are women. A shocking low 1.42% become a Captain.
> 
> Surely in this day and age everyone should be able to be whatever they want to be?
> 
> ...


Wow, in this day and age that percentage of woman who are pilots are surprisingly low. Woman can be whatever they want to be, especially pilots


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## Midoriya (Jun 23, 2021)

I’m still lost and confused about the nature of the event (even after questions were asked).  Does our entry absolutely have to say something about ourselves, or can it just be something we support?  Because if it’s the former I have no idea what I’m going to do for an entry, but if it’s the latter then I have a few ideas.


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## _Donut_ (Jun 23, 2021)

Midoriya said:


> I’m still lost and confused about the nature of the event (even after questions were asked).  Does our entry absolutely have to say something about ourselves, or can it just be something we support?  Because if it’s the former I have no idea what I’m going to do for an entry, but if it’s the latter then I have a few ideas.



I think you are free to support/celebrate any group, culture, etc in the theme of diversity


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## Jacob (Jun 23, 2021)

Just threw this together, it's an outfit that I use sometimes, anyway. Simply put, this look is based off of the bi flag colors. I believe any lgbtqia+ representation is important for diversity. However, if more of a description is necessary (don't want to miss out on bells because of too few sentences!), there is a lot that can be said about the erasure and/or misconceptions about bisexual men. Happy pride


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## Fye (Jun 23, 2021)

My characters wearing a heart sweater and some matching accessories because she loves diversity and inclusivity. She's at the airport to travel the world and meet people from all walks of life. ✈


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## Aquilla (Jun 23, 2021)

Thank you for such a lovely event!





Here's my entry! I want to celebrate cultural and ethnical diversity. 
In the background are the flags of the nationalities of my dear friends - I just had to include them and it was nice to think of all of them. My rep is wearing a shirt with my nationalities on them. I wanted to include lgbtq+ elements, since many of my friends and me included belong to this community. 
(I chose purple as a base colour of my shirt because I'm still in Bellflower mode.  )



Spoiler:  username


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## Stella-Io (Jun 23, 2021)

"Design your character and go to a well-lit area"

Can this be in Harvey's studio? The examples show places on our islands.


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## Shellzilla_515 (Jun 23, 2021)

I really like these submissions! It's inspiring to make me try even though I know I won't win anything. It might take me a few days or so trying to brainstorm then putting things together.



Roxxy said:


> When I was a little girl I had a dream of being a pilot. Flying to lots of sunny exotic places  I was met with shock and disbelief as “women can’t fly a plane“ I was encouraged to become an air hostess as that was a “suitable job for a girl”   I have just checked statistics and according to ISWAP data Jan 2020 only 5.26% of pilots are women. A shocking low 1.42% become a Captain.
> 
> Surely in this day and age everyone should be able to be whatever they want to be?
> 
> ...


Whoever said that is so out of the loop. No matter who you are, if you're capable of doing such things, what's there to stop you? I hope that dream of yours is still there so you can prove them wrong! You can do it, Captain Roxxy. 



Aquilla said:


> Thank you for such a lovely event!
> 
> View attachment 381649
> 
> ...


It makes me happy to see a flag of The Philippines.


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## Pondo (Jun 23, 2021)

I went with Pan Pride Pondo! Somewhat because my heritage is messy (and most of my family doesn’t know where we originate from at all), but also because pan gets confused with bi very often and I’m here to say that they’re very different. No offense to bisexuals, though! But I like our flag better. (And I’m attracted to literally every gender under the sun, moon, and stars.)

Proof (that it’s me) is in the Pondo pudding:


Spoiler


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## Merielle (Jun 23, 2021)

I just got my copy of New Horizons yesterday, so I don't have a lot to work with yet, but I tried my best! d(´•ω•๑)





The sweater is there to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, with the black and brown stripes highlighting POC in the community, and the transgender flag on the sleeves to represent our trans siblings.  My face paint shows the demisexual flag (left) and the nonbinary flag (right), which are two of my own identities that I wanted to express some pride for!  Lastly, the green ribbon hat is to raise awareness for mental health—I struggle with anxiety and depression myself, so I wanted to show some support for anyone who's dealing with mental health issues.


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## Antonio (Jun 23, 2021)

*G**ay, Autistic, and Proud**.*







Spoiler: Bonus Picture











Not only is this month Pride Month, but April was also Autism Awareness Month. Since I am "Gay, Autistic, and Proud", I thought I would share this amazing hoodie I got awhile back ago. Don't you ever feel afraid about who you are, you are perfect for being you already. ​


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## skarmoury (Jun 23, 2021)

Thanks for this event, I am working on my entry now! As a Filipino, I would love to make a Babaylan-inspired outfit because of the role's very rich history in women empowerment and acceptance of cross-gender men. 

edit: welp, I don't think I can do the intricate patterns justice and I don't wanna botch the outfit, so I'll just go with a different approach


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## -Lumi- (Jun 23, 2021)

Here is my entry!

I think that this celebration is absolutely lovely and I'm so happy that I was able to enter it this year. I chose to create a design to represent my place in the LGBT+ community. I am a lesbian, which is why the main/biggest flag shown is the lesbian flag but I also wanted to include other identities as well. I wasn't able to fit everybody in, but I tried my best. I thought that the lesbian flag would make for a pretty sunset background so I opted to go with my Go To Picture and include a field with flowers! The flowers are made up of different pride flags (asexual, transgender, bisexual, nonbinary, and pansexual) with rainbow hearts in the background that I would've loved to have made clouds but I couldn't figure it out, lol. For the flag I again went with the lesbian flag as the main one and instead of flowers I made the flag designs as hearts to go across it diagonally! The handle/pole of the flag is a rainbow to represent the LGBT+ community as a whole.

Being a lesbian is not the _only _important part of me but it is a pretty big part of my life. It's something that I have struggled with in the past and still struggle with even now but I am getting a lot better with it. I was terrified for a long time when I realized that I was a lesbian - I come from a small town and have always wanted to work with small children. Those two things often clash with the LGBT+ community because some people still see us as, "deviants," or as people who will "corrupt" their children. I still choose to not share my sexuality with the people I work with but I have opened up over the past few years to people in my real life and in places like this. I think that having a space to celebrate diversity of any kind is so helpful and wonderful. I can't wait to see other peoples entries


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## neoratz (Jun 23, 2021)

this is a sweet event :-D i'm autistic, so i put together an autism pride outfit! i made a gingham sweater with the rainbow infinity symbol and some face paint to go with it. the symbol represents the diversity of those with autism, as it affects everyone differently! i have some sensory issues with clothing, so i chose the sweater/skirt/sneaker combo because those are the comfiest for me to wear in real life.


Spoiler: proof it is a picture of me








i had to time travel forward because june 23rd was all rainy XD


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## Jeremy (Jun 23, 2021)

Good work so far, everyone!

Quick note: entries that are submitted with dark lighting or low quality screenshots will be accepted, but I may have to PM you for another version when it's closer to the end of the first round (Friday) so it can be used in the banner if it makes the top 3.


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## Dunquixote (Jun 23, 2021)

I admit I wanted to keep my ethnicity to myself since there are some things I rather keep to myself and there has been something causing me a lot of insecurity, but I really wanted to take part in this event and seeing how many entries have been submitted already and I am sure it took everyone some bit of courage to do, I decided to submit mine.

I am Korean, but I was not raised there so I am not educated on the culture. I did use to go to Korean festivals and partake in adoption group get togethers. I made a fan based on one I got at one of the festivals (or it might have been from Epcot in Disney World; not 100% sure). This is my first ACNH design and I am proud if it, since I couldn’t figure out how to design without the stylus from HHD for the 3DS and didn’t know the mirror option could be toggled off.

The hanbok design is not mine; I downloaded the code for this one.

I put the green sash on to represent mental health awareness since I have been diagnosed with depression, OCD, severe anxiety. I still have yet to be tested for asperger’s. i think mental health awareness is important since I feel a lot of people and jobs judge people because they have anxiety, or they don’t fully understand it isn’t a laughing matter.

I tried to include all the LGBT flag colors by using flowers. I am not part of the group, but I have friends and I earnestly would love them and others see more acceptance, compassion and love. I hope this is acceptable; I mean no disrespect. I can quickly change this though if requested and if the mods feel I should. 

2-3 sentence: This represents diversity because I chose to dress my rep up in traditional korean clothing. Additionally, I set up flowers representing the colors of the LGBT flag since I believe wholeheartedly there needs to be more acceptance, tolerance, compassion and love towards those within the group. I wore a green sash to promote mental health awareness.

Reference: 


Spoiler



https://www.dreamstime.com/tri-colo...andle-buddhist-symbol-yin-yang-image172441448









Spoiler: Proof


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## kiwikenobi (Jun 23, 2021)

This is my villager, who looks as much like me as the game allows.



And these are the kind of clothes that I would wear in real life. I don't feel like I need to dress up in any special way for this, because I'm unique. We all are. Every single person is part of diversity, no matter what groups people want to sort them into. It doesn't matter whether a trait you have belongs to the majority, or to a minority, because everyone has tons of traits of varying rarity. Everyone is different and unique and contributes to our diverse existence. I don't think anyone needs any greater qualifier to celebrate diversity: just be yourself.


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## Chris (Jun 23, 2021)

*Disclaimer: staff entries are not eligible for prizes.*​




First time ever making a custom pattern. I had to get advice on how to even begin.

When not pretending to be a robot on the internet, I'm active within both my local church and LGBT society. While these are supposed to be designated safe spaces I'm often treated as an 'other' in both. The reverends are inclusive and insist on their doors being open to anyone and everyone, however not everyone there shares this same sentiment. Some of the elected leaders of my local LGBT society are highly critical of religion, due to how scripture has been widely misused to discriminate against the LGBT community, and I've had other members of the community try to bait me into justifying my faith to them. I don't apologise for who I am in either setting. I wear both a visible cross pendant and an LGBT flag pin when I go out. It was a little too cluttered trying to do that in the pattern designer, so I merged the two. Also, it happened to be raining in my game today, and I thought the rainbow umbrella fit nicely.



Spoiler: Bonus picture + name tag.












*Disclaimer: staff entries are not eligible for prizes.*​


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## Serabee (Jun 23, 2021)

neoratz said:


> this is a sweet event :-D i'm autistic, so i put together an autism pride outfit! i made a gingham sweater with the rainbow infinity symbol and some face paint to go with it. the symbol represents the diversity of those with autism, as it affects everyone differently! i have some sensory issues with clothing, so i chose the sweater/skirt/sneaker combo because those are the comfiest for me to wear in real life.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: proof it is a picture of me
> ...


Well, darn, your autistic infinity symbol is way better than mine 

Now to decide if I wanna make something better or just enter what I've got


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## neoratz (Jun 23, 2021)

Serabee said:


> Well, darn, your autistic infinity symbol is way better than mine
> 
> Now to decide if I wanna make something better or just enter what I've got


TANK YOU i'm sure yours is just as good!! you better post it.. OR ELSE (JK only if you want to)


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## Serabee (Jun 23, 2021)

neoratz said:


> TANK YOU i'm sure yours is just as good!! you better post it.. OR ELSE (JK only if you want to)


Lol, IDK, I might try and do something else. I was already feeling like mine was kind of boring. I just can't think of what else to do... but it's not like I don't have time to come up with something! If not, I'll still have a backup~
(and I'll still post my infinity shirt, anyway, even if it's not my entry)


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## Moonlight. (Jun 23, 2021)

i struggled with my sexuality for a while because of how many misconceptions exist around the identity. however, i'm at a point now where i'm proud to say i'm bisexual, and i'm sending love to both my fellow bisexuals and other members of the lgbt community.  ❤


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## lieryl (Jun 23, 2021)

* . ✭. .
my character is wearing áo dài, something that i was really shocked to find included in acnh :] as someone who is Vietnamese it’s cool to see them including more outfits from different cultures, i would’ve never expected to see our traditional clothing in such a big game 

i got a kick out of showing my mother the áo dài in game when it first released and i had even more fun making the one shown here based off of the one my mother’s friend made for me during my last trip to Vietnam :] it’s nice to be able to capture a fond memory within a game design ^^


Spoiler: design <3








​


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## Foreverfox (Jun 23, 2021)

Spoiler: Close-up











Spoiler: Nametag









This is my son, Nicholas. He is almost 2 years old and has Spina Bifida. He has his own wheelchair in real life that he LOVES to use! We went through fetal repair surgery when I was 5 months pregnant, 3 days after my wedding, to have his spine closed before birth to give him hope for less obstacles. It has helped him in so many ways and I can't imagine not doing that for him. My hope for him as he grows, is that he is accepted by his peers for who he is, which is the sweetest, kindest, most loving boy ever. ❤

Find my post in the "What Do You Look Like?" thread to see him/us from Mother's Day!


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## digimon (Jun 23, 2021)

here is me wearing a diraac sheed! (synonymous with diraac baati/baati)
i also have some bariis (rice) on my face!






































Spoiler: blurb



growing up i really felt ashamed and embarrassed about being from a family that isn't from the country i live in now. i never used to like wearing clothes from my home country. i always tried to strive to be normal" whatever that is lol even in the comfort of my own home! it's taken some time but i'm slowly learning to appreciate and love my roots! i feel like things are a lot different than they are back then when it comes to things like this, so it definitely feels better opening about something so personal to me!





Spoiler: username


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## Megaroni (Jun 24, 2021)

Dunquixote said:


> I admit I wanted to keep my ethnicity to myself since there are some things I rather keep to myself and there has been something causing me a lot of insecurity, but I really wanted to take part in this event and seeing how many entries have been submitted already and I am sure it took everyone some bit of courage to do, I decided to submit mine.
> 
> I am Korean, but I was not raised there so I am not educated on the culture. I did use to go to Korean festivals and partake in adoption group get togethers. I made a fan based on one I got at one of the festivals (or it might have been from Epcot in Disney World; not 100% sure). This is my first ACNH design and I am proud if it, since I couldn’t figure out how to design without the stylus from HHD for the 3DS and didn’t know the mirror option could be toggled off.
> 
> ...


It was very brave of you to be so vulnerable. I've also been trying to keep some parts of my identity to myself but for this I decided I would be a little more open. Glad to see others did the same. I'm part of the lgbt community and I don't think anyone would see anything wrong with you showing support. I love your entry by the way


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## Nefarious (Jun 24, 2021)

I'm part of the LGBT+ community, so I (poorly) made a leather jacket with some LGBT+ flag patches (couldn't fit many in there due to limited colors slots). I'm actually quite private when it comes to sharing this aspect of myself due to how I've been treated growing up, but I'm glad that acceptance is getting more commonplace than it was before. There's still a long way to go, but it's nice to celebrate how far the right to love who you do and be who you are freely has come.

I've kind of avoided putting myself down to any specific label, because I still don't 100% know myself haha. After talking it over with a friend, we think I fall into the bi/aro spectrum, so with that I added those flags as face paint on my character.​


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## Midoriya (Jun 24, 2021)

I spent a good portion of today deciding what to do for the event, and decided that I would create an entry that both says something about myself and supports a group of people around the world: martial artists!

I’ve done martial arts for fourteen years now in real life, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  I did Karate for eight years and earned a black belt first degree in that art (the belt after black belt), and Aikido for eight years as well now and have a brown belt second degree in that art.

The outfit I’m wearing is called a Judogi, which is used for Judo, but both Judo, Karate, and Aikido have roots in Japan.  I thought it was a nice way to show one of my interests as well as to celebrate diversity.

I’m also wearing a superhero mask because my sensei in Aikido is a personal hero of mine, and reminds me a lot of All Might from MHA.

Martial arts in general is good for your body, mind, and overall well-being.  It’s also good for your confidence, and something I’ve been severely missing over the pandemic.  When I’m on the floor at the academy I feel like I can take on anything.  








Spoiler: username


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## Mr_Persona (Jun 24, 2021)

this is a surprise to see because l wouldn't suspect an event in this month. Well good luck guys Can't wait to see what my friends made for this event!

	Post automatically merged: Jun 24, 2021



Foreverfox said:


> View attachment 381716
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Close-up
> ...


l really like this! It's so nice of you for doing this to support him!


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## CylieDanny (Jun 24, 2021)

Events like this are what makes this community so amazing ^^ these entries, are so heartfelt, and amazing. Some I got teary over because I could relate 

Maybe I'll do something too, I think I know what it would be ♡


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## Kattea (Jun 24, 2021)

Spoiler: Username









I just know this is going to be more than 2-3 sentences, but I have alot to say on this topic.

Here is my island rep in a traditional Vietnamese gown called an Áo Dài. This one is a custom design, but I felt happy and included to see that Able Sisters does carry Áo Dài of their own. Growing up, I struggled to accept my ethnicity because my parents switched me from a multi-cultural school where there were alot of ESL (English as Second Language) students to a more academic school so that I could have a better education. I was extremely grateful for that, however it was the first time I had experienced being treated differently for not looking like everyone else. Thankfully, being mean wasn't cool for very long and I was able to grow into and eventually embrace my ethnicity.

People are generally kinder and more accepting these days, and I have never experienced racism as an adult until the pandemic. My mom and I were out for a walk when this guy approached us and started yelling about the Coronavirus. Which is already so awful that it breaks my heart to know many people have experienced much worse. The Stop Asian Hate movement hits really close to home because I spent so much of my childhood being ashamed of my ethnicity. That never should have happened, it certainly should not be happening again, and to bring violence into it is just unacceptable. To anyone who has experienced Asian hate, or really any kind of racially-motivated hate or xenophobia, I stand with you and I hope you are surrounded by kindness that supersedes those bad experiences.


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## Pintuition (Jun 24, 2021)

Here is my entry- I call it the "Disabili-tree Tee". I made the custom design myself! I don't think I've ever posted about this on TBT, but I am disabled and use mobility aids for multiple health conditions. I have used wheelchairs, crutches, and braces almost my whole life to get around in the world. As a kid I was embarrassed to be disabled and many people treated me differently because of it. I hated to let people see I was handicapped and every-time I put my parking placard on the rearview mirror or went out with my aids I saw it as a kind of personal defeat. In the years since I've grown to accept that being disabled is not something to be ashamed of- rather that it is just a human condition like any other. It doesn't make me "lesser" or unable to do things, it has made me problem-solve and get creative in order to live life to the fullest. And that's just what I intend to do! 

This entry/design goes out to all the TBT-ers and their friends/families whose physical abilities may differ or who may also be disabled! 



Spoiler: Username Photo and Bonus Pic!


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## Foreverfox (Jun 24, 2021)

Pintuition said:


> View attachment 381739
> Here is my entry- I call it the "Disabili-tree Tee". I made the custom design myself! I don't think I've ever posted about this on TBT, but I am disabled and use mobility aids for multiple health conditions. I have used wheelchairs, crutches, and braces almost my whole life to get around in the world. As a kid I was embarrassed to be disabled and many people treated me differently because of it. I hated to let people see I was handicapped and every-time I put my parking placard on the rearview mirror or went out with my aids I saw it as a kind of personal defeat. In the years since I've grown to accept that being disabled is not something to be ashamed of- rather that it is just a human condition like any other. It doesn't make me "lesser" or unable to do things, it has made me problem-solve and get creative in order to live life to the fullest. And that's just what I intend to do!
> 
> This entry/design goes out to all the TBT-ers and their friends/families whose physical abilities may differ or who may also be disabled!
> ...


This touches my heart so much! My son is disabled (he has Spina Bifida) and has braces and a wheelchair. We aren't sure yet if he'll be able to walk with assistance or not, as he's just about to turn 2, but you're right - he just learns to problem solve!


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## Zerous (Jun 24, 2021)

I went for a (maybe kinda convoluted lol) topic that has related to me and particularly one close friend lately:
People are unique and greatly varied, and we come from many different backgrounds and contexts, with different ideas, mental healths, families/support groups, socio-economic backgrounds (the brain, person and bell coin on the hat), gender and sexual identities (the pride flags on the dress and hat), and emotional and health backgrounds (the heart and scan on the dress, as well as the eyepatch and wrinkles). In particular, due to health situations, such as the scoliosis scan seen on the dress, this friend has been forced to stop working, and watch all her friends of the same age progress in their educations, careers, and other goals.

From this idea, I wanted to create a character that sent the message that, despite different diverse backgrounds and challenges, there will still be multiple paths of life people can take, even if they take different amounts of time. Just because a path doesn't match up to the expectations and timelines of other people, such as heading off to university, doesn't mean isn't valid or special. Just because people come from different backgrounds, and face different challenges, doesn't mean there aren't plenty of paths open to them, in their own time.

As you can't hold a timer in nh, I made the timer flag to represent this individual timing, and the yellow dots and arrows on the dress were meaning to point to all the different opportunities or pathways someone can take in life despite these differences and potential blockages.


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## Rika092 (Jun 24, 2021)

why am I getting teary eyes from reading the short blurbs from the entries....(wipe my eyes) my co-workers are giving me weird looks ><

But this sounds like a really great event. I will definitely work on my entry and submit it this weekend. There are so many touching and wonderful entries already! I really love reading every background narratives to the outfits, everyone! Thanks so much for sharing these really personal stories.


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## Foreverfox (Jun 24, 2021)

Rika092 said:


> why am I getting teary eyes from reading the short blurbs from the entries....(wipe my eyes) my co-workers are giving me weird looks ><
> 
> But this sounds like a really great event. I will definitely work on my entry and submit it this weekend. There are so many touching and wonderful entries already! I really love reading every background narratives to the outfits, everyone! Thanks so much for sharing these really personal stories.


I feel ya, I am so proud (I feel like, mom proud)of the amount of courage people have shown to share such personal stories, myself included. This event has just been wonderful so far!


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## Megaroni (Jun 24, 2021)

2-3 sentences: To see diversity is to know that people like you have existed and will continue to exist. The ones that came before you are incredibly proud of your existence. There will be a new generation of others like you and you will be proud of them.

More context: I read Stone Butch Blues recently and it completely changed how I see identity and community. It's written by a stone butch lesbian and has themes of chosen family and loneliness due to being cast out by society. Diversity and representation is important because it eliminates the chances of people being cast out. Diversity is education, it teaches you to celebrate others and their differences along with yourself. It also teaches minority groups that they're not the only ones who feel the way they do.

I'm physically disabled, autistic, mixed race, and a butch lesbian. I wouldn't have it any other way. Many people fought very hard for someone like me to have a happy and successful life. My identity means the world to me and I'm proud to be who I am.

About my clothes: I'm wearing a purple windflower to represent violets, one of the symbols or sapphic love. The wings represent the demonization I've faced from others. I'm wearing masculine clothing to show that I feel safe enough to be myself because of the bravery of older butches before me. My wheelchair is a sign of care and freedom. Many people go way too long before allowing themselves to be disabled, and allowing yourself to use a mobility aide is an ultimate act of self love.


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## Pintuition (Jun 24, 2021)

Foreverfox said:


> This touches my heart so much! My son is disabled (he has Spina Bifida) and has braces and a wheelchair. We aren't sure yet if he'll be able to walk with assistance or not, as he's just about to turn 2, but you're right - he just learns to problem solve!


Sending so much love and good vibes to your son and your family!   I had to relearn to walk twice as a child and it's so hard sometimes but with a good attitude and a support network to rely on it makes it so much more possible. Medical science advances everyday so there's always a chance for something new to help around the corner!!


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## kayleee (Jun 24, 2021)

I designed a dress that says “love is love” to represent that I am an ally for the LGBTQ+ community! I feel it’s very important to accept and support all individuals as they are. As a straight, cisgendered white woman I know I can never understand some of the experiences and struggles that others face, but I am absolutely an ally for all and believe in celebrating diversity and promoting inclusivity in any way I can.


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## tessa grace (Jun 24, 2021)

so for mine i chose to celebrate both the lgbtqia+ community and people with visual impairments or other disabilities! i made the design for my best friend awhile back. as a straight ally, i believe its important to show your support because pride is for everyone!! as for the visual disabilities, i know that so many people with different disabilities, whether that be physical or mental, recieve poor treatment and discrimination from others because its not considered normal. we should begin to normalize things like this throughout media so we can get one step closer to equality! 


Spoiler: proof its me


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## oak (Jun 24, 2021)

My trans flag inspired outfit. I'm not too sure what to write besides that I'm non-binary and use he/they pronouns. This year is my 10 year anniversary of coming out as transgender to my parents & friends. It's been a bumpy ride but I wouldn't change anything.




Also this outfit was originally made by glitteringhellspawn on tumblr but with a different coloured shirt, just to give them credit.


Spoiler: username


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## kikotoot (Jun 24, 2021)

This is my inclusivity outfit, and while the clothes themselves aren't in the bi colours, I tried to make light of things and poke fun at all the stereotypical bi-appearance tropes: cuffed jeans, converse/vans, sweater (weather), and a dodo (because we don't exist). As a bi guy, I've had to learn (and still am learning) to find validation within myself. It's an identity that's primarily met with doubt or misconceptions, and isn't really celebrated. Add this external doubt to all the internal doubt that comes with being relatively fluid, and it's very hard to ever feel secure in knowing who you are. It's hard to love yourself when no one believes that it's you.  I've never met anyone who's bi and out in real life, but I'm hopeful that in being out and embracing myself, others can feel safe and secure in who they are too.  

For anyone who's considered using this label, please feel free to! It doesn't imply you're only into two genders and in equal amounts. It really just means, to me at least, that you have the capacity to love multiple types of people, without really putting a definitive number or degree on it.

One thing I've learned to do very well from having this identity is providing others with validation. Not just validating an answer, but moreso instilling a sense of faith in themselves. Doubt is one of the greatest inhibitors of love, and if we can work to erase that, the world and people can heal.


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## chuman (Jun 24, 2021)

I've struggled with weight for a long time and wanted to let yall know that your weight, size, or shape doesn't define your worth, you are still handsome, pretty, beautiful or adorkable just the way you are :> You should feel confident to wear what you wanna wear, be who you wanna be, and love who you wanna love :>





	Post automatically merged: Jun 24, 2021



oak said:


> My trans flag inspired outfit. I'm not too sure what to write besides that I'm non-binary and use he/they pronouns. This year is my 10 year anniversary of coming out as transgender to my parents & friends. It's been a bumpy ride but I wouldn't change anything.
> View attachment 381710
> 
> Also this outfit was originally made by glitteringhellspawn on tumblr but with a different coloured shirt, just to give them credit.
> ...


this is so cute! my sister is non-binary and I'm so proud of yall for coming out! it takes alot of confidence and I'm not quite there yet :/


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## Yanrima~ (Jun 24, 2021)

here’s my entry, it’s the traditional outfit from the Philippines. More of a _Maria Clara/mestiza _variant of the traditional dress, I thought it shows how long and rich history of the Philippines and how the Spanish have a heavy influence among the Philippine culture making Philippines different from other Asian countries with the Catholic traditions and the architecture of the old houses, churches, etc.

more info of traditional outfits in the Philippines: http://nationalclothing.org/asia/34...-philippines-barong-tagalog-baro-at-saya.html


Spoiler: Bonus pictures and username









bonus fan:






(I’m from the Philippines which explains my different time zone times)


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## DaCoSim (Jun 24, 2021)

Spoiler: my shirt design











Here is my entry! I chose to showcase OCD as my diverse admission. My brother was diagnosed with ocd in 2000 he and I had not been close growing up with our 8 year age difference but after he hit puberty and the much bigger compulsions started showing and the really horrific obsessions started attacking his thoughts, he and I got really close and now we’re not just siblings but really good friends. It broke my heart having to watch him Go through some of the things he went through, especially in the beginning. The kids and teachers that made fun of him and punished him for things that went beyond his control absolutely infuriated me. My mom actually pulled him out of school and had him homeschool until he could get his GED because it got so bad. I look up to him so much for all that he has accomplished since and how well he has learned to live with his disability with therapy and medication and our support. He is THE GREATEST uncle to my boys that I could ever have imagined. He luvs my boys so much and they luv him. He’s a HUGE wrestling (and Nintendo) fan so I tried to incorporate that into this pic. He’s also obsessed with numbers hence all the clocks. I made a tank (cuz he always wears tank tops) with a teal ribbon to represent ocd. My pants are similar to the ones he wears as well.


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## Antonio (Jun 24, 2021)

I love all these entries so far.


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## Millysaurusrexjr (Jun 24, 2021)

For my entry I decided to celebrate Atheism! I made this lil pro design shirt with the Atheist symbol on it, and some striped sleeves for style. The rest of the ensemble are what I would wear in real life; jeans, comfy boots, a warm knit hat. 
I have been an agnostic atheist for well over 10 years now. It's definitely a strong part of who I am, especially considering I come from a family who raised me to be Catholic. I have nothing against those who practice a religion at all, to be clear! But in many places in the world today it is illegal to be atheist and I feel like a lot of people are unaware of that fact. Everyone should have the right to practice their desired religion (or lack of one) freely, without fear. ​


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## rianne (Jun 25, 2021)

My character is wearing a _cheongsam_/_qipao, _also known as a traditional Chinese silk gown. I designed this gown with shades of red, which symbolizes positive concepts such as luck, joy and happiness in the Chinese culture. I am half Chinese, half Pacific Islander (CHamoru), therefore, I wanted to represent the side of my ethnic background that is not as apparent when people look at me and guess "what I am." I also added some yellow accents in the dress design because I wanted it to look like an abstract version of lit up paper lanterns. The Lantern Festival typically is an indicator that Chinese/Lunar New Year period is drawing to a close. I haven't attended one yet, but I do celebrate CNY annually with my family. The gold prom tiara and red strappy heels were chosen because I'm extra like that. 



Spoiler: Username proof


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## amemome (Jun 25, 2021)

Here's my entry that celebrates my Korean heritage: it's a bright _hanbok_ design! I'm a child of immigrants in an area without a lot of other Korean folx, so it has always been a bit lonely being unable to share this aspect of my identity with the people around me. I chose to design a _hanbok_ as a way to express my creativity as well as to acknowledge that being Korean is and will always be a large part of my identity.

I also identify as LGBTQ+, but there isn't really a specific label I think I fall under. I'm very much still exploring my identity! So for anyone else who doesn't know yet or who is struggling with who they are: I want to say that it's ok -- I'm in my late 20's and STILL don't have it all figured out.

Hope you all have a great day!



Spoiler: the design


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## Asarena (Jun 25, 2021)

To start with, my character's hat has the autism symbol, and the brim of the hat has the colors of the bisexual flag. The hat also has little bisexual flags going around the bottom, but they're not visible in this picture.

Next up is the sweater, which has the omnisexual flag colors and also features the autism symbol. Also, I went with comfy clothes because I can be sensitive to certain clothing textures and such due to my autism. This is also why my character is barefoot. It's always a nice feeling when I get home and can take off my shoes.

Last but not least is the flag. I identify as both omnisexual and bisexual since I think of omnisexual as a more specific category under the umbrella term of bisexual, so I did a half-and-half flag. I also placed the autism symbol in the center of the flag.

Oh and the glasses are because my vision is awful, so I for sure need my glasses~


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## deirdresgf (Jun 25, 2021)

so for my entry, i am representing lesbians, genderfluid, and demigirls!!
i have the lesbian flag on my cheeks to represent myself, and also my partner! 
i also have a genderfluid sweater to represent my partner!
and lastly, a demigirl flag to represent my best friend! 
i may not be genderfluid or a demigirl, but i still wanted to support my loved ones, as well as the rest of you on tbt who identify as these! you guys are all valid, i love you so much!


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## Moritz (Jun 25, 2021)

I'm just going with a picture of me.
I could add things to show all the ways I am different but I'm not going to. Because I'm just me. We are all just us.

We all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. It doesn't matter how you look on the outside. It doesn't matter who you love. It matters who you are on the inside. And no amount of pictures or symbols can show that.

The one thing I think it most important is to just be kind. Treat everyone how you would want to be treated. And I don't mean treat others as you want to be treated as you. Treat them as if you lead the same life as they have, and how you would want to be treated then.

Its okay if you mess up. Just learn from it.

So yeah, I'm just me. Want to know more? Get to know me.
You won't (normally) see people walking around with giant signs saying how they're different from you so people should get used to that and just be kind.


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## moo_nieu (Jun 25, 2021)

i was a little unsure of making a personal post, but seeing others open up has been really heartwarming so i decided to celebrate my own identity as well. 






i am non-binary and pansexual and only recently have been feeling comfortable coming out to people. i am not out to everyone, including my family, which is why my rep is still partially in the shadow. i designed a dress to celebrate my identity as nonbinary with the transgender flag colors on the sleeves and collar and pansexual with the pansexual flag colors on the heart and bottom trim (also my rep is holding the pan pride flag). i chose impish horns and wings to represent some perceptions of non gender/sex conforming people as sinful or corrupting society. the bandages represent the pain of non acceptance and hurtful actions of others bc of identity. the process of coming out has been difficult but overall very rewarding, and i hope to one day live my life completely out of the shadows without feeling shy for who i am  seeing everyone celebrate who they are has been very uplifting so thank you all for sharing

heres the design if anyone is interested. feel free to pm me if you want a different skin tone


Spoiler


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## Bekaa (Jun 25, 2021)

xara said:


> in honour of it being pride month, i decided that today, i’d like to celebrate a part of the LGBTQ+ community that doesn’t get talked about much - those who are questioning. i’ve spent the last 4 years jumping from labelling myself as pansexual to lesbian to bisexual and back again, and have even done so on here, so today i’d like to affirm to both myself and anyone else here who may be questioning that it’s okay to not have a label. to me, diversity isn’t just for those who fall under specific categories; it’s for those who prefer to live without labels or who are still finding themselves, too. with this outfit, i’m embracing that i am a part of the Q in the LGBTQ+ community and that that’s okay. i also threw in some italian flag face paint, to represent my ethnicity.
> 
> View attachment 381623
> 
> ...


I just have to say, that I love this! Thank you @xara for highlighting this aspect of diversity. Well done!
Plus, I really like the rainbow couch.

	Post automatically merged: Jun 25, 2021



Moritz said:


> View attachment 381945
> I'm just going with a picture of me.
> I could add things to show all the ways I am different but I'm not going to. Because I'm just me. We are all just us.
> 
> ...


I just wanna say, @Moritz, that I love your statement! Thank you for taking the time, thinking it through and sharing it. Beautiful!

	Post automatically merged: Jun 25, 2021



Believe_In_Kittens said:


> View attachment 381736
> I went for a (maybe kinda convoluted lol) topic that has related to me and particularly one close friend lately:
> People are unique and greatly varied, and we come from many different backgrounds and contexts, with different ideas, mental healths, families/support groups, socio-economic backgrounds (the brain, person and bell coin on the hat), gender and sexual identities (the pride flags on the dress and hat), and emotional and health backgrounds (the heart and scan on the dress, as well as the eyepatch and wrinkles). In particular, due to health situations, such as the scoliosis scan seen on the dress, this friend has been forced to stop working, and watch all her friends of the same age progress in their educations, careers, and other goals.
> 
> ...


Can I just say, WOW! Well done. I’m very touched, @Believe_In_Kittens

	Post automatically merged: Jun 25, 2021

This event is really, really special! Thank you to the staff for setting it up. I am so touched by what I’m reading. The pictures are great, but the statements that accompany them are what has me really moved. This highlights what makes this forum so incredible. I am just so grateful that I have found it. I really think that, here, we have created a microcosm of what the larger world could be. It gives me hope.


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## chuman (Jun 25, 2021)

deirdresgf said:


> View attachment 381949
> 
> so for my entry, i am representing lesbians, genderfluid, and demigirls!!
> i have the lesbian flag on my cheeks to represent myself, and also my partner!
> ...


as a demi I approve:v 10/10


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## jadetine (Jun 25, 2021)

My parents were born in small farming and fishing villages in Vietnam; American cinema has popularized a specific image of what a Vietnamese woman looks like, and my dark skin and voluminous hair doesn't really match, but I have come to love my skin and am happy to not fit the mold. To me, celebrating diversity means loving all people, even if they don't look how you expect or enjoy the same relationships / hobbies / ideas. 



Spoiler: Cutout image for mods if they need it...


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## Moritz (Jun 25, 2021)

jadetine said:


> View attachment 381978
> My parents were born in small farming and fishing villages in Vietnam; American cinema has popularized a specific image of what a Vietnamese woman looks like, and my dark skin and voluminous hair doesn't really match, but I have come to love my skin and am happy to not fit the mold. To me, celebrating diversity means loving all people, even if they don't look how you expect or enjoy the same relationships / hobbies / ideas.
> 
> 
> ...


This may sound an offensive question and if so I apologise for my ignorance.
Your picture looks how I would have expected them to look. 
Would you be able to explain how what the media shows is incorrect from your knowledge?
(I hope my question doesn't come across as offensive, it comes from a genuine place of learning)


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## King koopa (Jun 25, 2021)

I love this event so much because it feels good to express myself and it makes me feel happy to see other people express theirselves too.
Even if I don't win, I'll still be happy because I'm glad I finally had the chance to express myself as a black person without feeling embarrassed or scared.


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## Moritz (Jun 25, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> I love this event so much because it feels good to express myself and it makes me feel happy to see other people express theirselves too.
> Even if I don't win, I'll still be happy because I'm glad I finally had the chance to express myself as a black person without feeling embarrassed or scared.


I dont recall your post on here.
But outside of how you wish to express yourself, your skin colour is nothing more than a marker of your genetic history.
There is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about about that.
Skin colour does not mean a thing other than that. You are a person who deserves as much dignity and respect as anyone else.

I'm really sad to see it as an issue of insecurity for you. It sucks the world has treated you that way.

Skin colour does not mean you think, feel, or act any way. It just means your genetic makeup is made for you to be better than white skin people in harsh sunlight. And that is awesome.

I dont know who or when anyone has made you feel like your skin colour is something to be ashamed of. But my middle finger raises in their honour


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## CylieDanny (Jun 25, 2021)

Moritz said:


> I dont recall your post on here.
> But outside of how you wish to express yourself, your skin colour is nothing more than a marker of your genetic history.
> There is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about about that.
> Skin colour does not mean a thing other than that. You are a person who deserves as much dignity and respect as anyone else.
> ...


I believe his is on the first, or second page

It's honestly one of my favorites on here ^^


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## Roxxy (Jun 25, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> I love this event so much because it feels good to express myself and it makes me feel happy to see other people express theirselves too.
> Even if I don't win, I'll still be happy because I'm glad I finally had the chance to express myself as a black person without feeling embarrassed or scared.


You are such a sweet kind amazing person. Your skin colour shouldn’t matter, your beautiful heart does


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## xara (Jun 25, 2021)

Bekaa said:


> I just have to say, that I love this! Thank you @xara for highlighting this aspect of diversity. Well done!
> Plus, I really like the rainbow couch.



oh, thank you so much! reading your comment made me really happy.


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## Moritz (Jun 25, 2021)

CylieDanny said:


> I believe his is on the first, or second page
> 
> It's honestly one of my favorites on here ^^


Ah yes I see it now.
Thankfully it doesn't change what I said.

If anyone makes someone feel embarrassed to exist with their own skin colour that they were born with... well that finger just keeps on rising


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## King koopa (Jun 25, 2021)

Roxxy said:


> You are such a sweet kind amazing person. Your skin colour shouldn’t matter, your beautiful heart does


Aw, thanks for that. Though I used to think it did when I found the site in 2018 but decided not to join because I figured people would be racist to me, but now I kinda wish I joined anyway because this is a nice community that can make even black people like me feel welcome, and I say, thank you community


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## Moritz (Jun 25, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> Aw, thanks for that. Though I used to think it did when I found the site in 2018 but decided not to join because I figured people would be racist to me, but now I kinda wish I joined anyway because this is a nice community that can make even black people like me feel welcome, and I say, thank you community


I know full well as a white person I am completely ignorant to anything that might have made you feel that way before joining.
But im glad you decided to take that plunge and join us here.

I know we have disagreed here in the past, but I hope you know that skin colour is irrelevant here. And if anyone says otherwise... well there are many things I would want to do but the mods seems to have things covered.


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## ecstasy (Jun 25, 2021)

hi I've got an entry, I know it's not great compared to some of the other ones but no one's made one about adhd yet so I thought I would.
My entry is about me, a trans gnc (gender non conforming) person with adhd. I have been living with adhd all my life but I had no idea what it was, and it really put back my ability to learn, and concentrate and focus, and I've always felt like I was just doing something wrong and wasn't good enough. But I've been researching and researching my symptoms after seeing some Instagram posts about adhd, and have come to the conclusion that I do in fact have adhd, and even though it's been hard I've been learning to accept myself.

Same goes with my gender and sexuality, I have recently learnt over the past few months that I am in fact a transmasc person, demiboy doesn't feel right so I am just a transmasc enby. I have been learning to accept my gay and trans identity as well as my adhd, and the fact that even though I may be a boy or somewhere on the masc scale I do still like some feminine clothing and it's ok to be gender non conforming, I typed a lot here but yea that's it : )


Edit: forgot to mention the symbol on my shirt is an adhd butterfly symbol I found and I have a trans flag on my cheek!


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## jadetine (Jun 25, 2021)

Moritz said:


> This may sound an offensive question and if so I apologise for my ignorance.
> Your picture looks how I would have expected them to look.
> Would you be able to explain how what the media shows is incorrect from your knowledge?
> (I hope my question doesn't come across as offensive, it comes from a genuine place of learning)


No worries! The Ao Dai garb is common as a Vietnamese traditional symbol now (there was some historical conflict with flaunting it during the Communist takeover).
Usually Viet girls are depicted as having long silky black hair that is very straight and manageable, lol.

 Wikipedia image:



And the East Asian ideal tends to lean toward more slender, paler girls. I am not pale, my hair is crazy big sometimes, and I am fairly stocky / big-boned. It's fine, just not what people expect.


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## Moritz (Jun 25, 2021)

jadetine said:


> No worries! The Ao Dai garb is common as a Vietnamese traditional symbol now (there was some historical conflict with flaunting it during the Communist takeover).
> Usually Viet girls are depicted as having long silky black hair that is very straight and manageable, lol.
> 
> Wikipedia image:
> ...


While I see your skin colour as something similar between the pictures, I completely get your point about the hair. I always considered hair styles to be a choice (history not withstanding) so didn't think anything of it.
But you have raised a good point about how hair styles are also genetic based on if you have curly or straight hair. It wasnt even something I considered before so thank you for letting me know more about the topic.


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## Chris (Jun 25, 2021)

Koopadude100 said:


> I love this event so much because it feels good to express myself and it makes me feel happy to see other people express theirselves too.
> Even if I don't win, I'll still be happy because I'm glad I finally had the chance to express myself as a black person without feeling embarrassed or scared.


Please never feel afraid to express yourself on TBT. If anyone ever reacts badly concerning a person's identity please report them and we will take care of it.


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## Bluelady (Jun 25, 2021)

This entry is a celebration of my Mexican heritage and asexuality. The blouse is designed after the "china poblana" dresses, whereas, the humming bird incorporates the colors of the Asexual flag. The Los Angeles flag is being used to represent the dreams and labor of the immigrants that call this city home.


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## Jeremy (Jun 25, 2021)

Quick update, everyone: I added a four hour buffer to each selection round, so last minute entries are less last minute. That means that the current round still ends in about an hour, so keep voting! However, only the entries made until 6:00 PM EDT will be included in this round. Everything after that will be included in the next one.

Also, I added another winner to the last round, so we'll have four characters in the banner at the end, which is a total of ten for the whole event.


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## AkaneQ (Jun 25, 2021)

Hope I'm not too late to join  




Hello and this is a Chinese player here. I am wearing Han Fu, with a pair of embroidered shoes. Han Fu often gets confused with kimonos and many other Asian traditional clothes, there are many different styles other than this one I'm wearing. It has a very long history of generally around 3000-4000 years. I'm not an expert of history but I really like Han Fu, and would love to wear my own during my free time. Unfortunately wearing this to the streets often people think I'm Japanese (but I do love Yukata and Kimonos as well). I hope more people would know Han Fu and like this, they are very pretty and awsome~


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## Bekaa (Jun 25, 2021)

Let’s include seniors in our celebration of inclusiveness!

I know I’m not the only one that has witnessed the sense of humor, patience, strength and flexibility shown by our older friends and family during the COVID pandemic. This disease hit older persons particularly hard. Not only were they particularly vulnerable to the devastating effects of the disease itself, but also to the associated isolation that came with it. For so many, devices such as smartphones, tablets and computers were the only way that they could stay connected with their loved ones. Many of this generation found themselves embracing apps like FaceTime or Google Meet for the first time!

I was inspired by the theme for the 2021 United Nations' International Day of Older Persons "Digital Equality for All Ages". 

My character is shown wearing a suit coat and tie because we often see seniors dressed in more conventional and formal ways compared to younger persons. My character is also standing on a bridge. Older adulthood is often characterized as a transition, symbolized as a bridge or doorway. The use of the cell phone is obvious, I'm sure.

Additional information on the International Day of Older Persons and the importance of digital access for all can be found here. 


Spoiler: Photo with name tag


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## Stella-Io (Jun 25, 2021)

My entry! I made my character actually look like me (the most that I can atleast). 

2-3 sentences-
On their cheeks is a tiny pan flag design and they're holding the non binary flag. I dressed my character in a stereotypical girly fashion cause non binary doesn't owe an androgynous look (thou that's fine too). Some people think non binary=androgynous which isn't always the case.



Spoiler: Username Pic






*pardon the empty basement


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## Jeremy (Jun 25, 2021)

The first round of voting has finished, with characters by @Foreverfox, @Dunquixote, and @Koopadude100! Good job to everyone who has submitted a character design, they're all great! If you weren't selected in this round, remember that at the end of the event we'll be selecting the two that have the highest amount of likes out of the remaining entries.


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## xara (Jun 25, 2021)

xjksks i honestly forgot that the winners of round one would be displayed tonight, so just experienced a bit of a shock when logging in xD. looking good @Foreverfox , @Koopadude100 and @Dunquixote!! 

everyone’s entries have been incredible to see - i’ve loved getting to know you guys a bit more, and seeing for myself just how diverse this community actually is has been amazing.


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## Foreverfox (Jun 25, 2021)

Congratulations @Dunquixote and @Koopadude100 !! Your entries were both so amazing and I know it took a lot of courage to speak of something so personal to you! I'm so proud of both of you, and proud to join you both on the banner!


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## Dunquixote (Jun 25, 2021)

Congratulations @Foreverfox & @Koopadude100! I loved both of your entries and hearing what you had to say about your personal experiences and your thoughts on the event. I am so proud of you both too — for finding the courage to post and design something for the event and proud that we’re on the banner together as well!

Thanks so much everyone for the votes .



xara said:


> xjksks i honestly forgot that the winners of round one would be displayed tonight, so just experienced a bit of a shock when logging in xD. looking good @Foreverfox , @Koopadude100 and @Dunquixote!! ☺
> 
> everyone’s entries have been incredible to see - i’ve loved getting to know you guys a bit more, and seeing for myself just how diverse this community actually is has been amazing. ❤



Thanks so much!  I agree! I’ve been loving everyone’s entries and seeing how much thought were put into their designs, not to mention everyone’s perspective on diversity . I always have appreciated diversity but I still have much to learn and I feel this event has been a great help showing me more different perspectives and experiences.


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## King koopa (Jun 25, 2021)

XJJK wow I'm happy my avatar is on the banner! Thanks everyone for supporting me for who I am! Even those who didn't get on the banner, I'm still proud of you that you had the courage to represent who you are!
But I do have a question, if you won round one can you participate in round 2? If not that's ok but just asking


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## Bekaa (Jun 25, 2021)

It’s a delight seeing @Foreverfox, @Koopadude100 and @Dunquixote wonderful representations on the banner. Makes me so happy!


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## Merielle (Jun 26, 2021)

Congratulations to @Foreverfox, @Dunquixote, and @Koopadude100!!  I loved your entries and your characters all look great on the site header!


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## LadyDestani (Jun 26, 2021)

Congrats @Foreverfox, @Koopadude100, and @Dunquixote!

Your entries were amazing and look so beautiful on the banner!

I've loved seeing everyone's entries so far. Keep up the great work!


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## Roxxy (Jun 26, 2021)

Huge congratulations to such amazing and inspirational winners!! @Foreverfox @Dunquixote and @Koopadude100. You are all so special and amazing. Thank you for being you


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## prilla (Jun 26, 2021)

here's my entry! 
i'm disabled, a wheelchair user, autistic, nonbinary, asexual, lesbian, and i have DID! i tried to include as much of that as i could in my photo: a wheelchair, a nonbinary + lesbian flag, an emote that looks like how i stim (unfortunately hard to see in the static photo), and my outfit was made with help from one of my alters (a three year old, hence the pacifier). 
it's easy to feel ashamed of these things, but they deserve to be celebrated!!


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## Rosch (Jun 26, 2021)

Body Positivity

I used to be obese. I have also experienced body-shaming. But I did not let those hurtful comments take me down. Instead, I used it to motivate myself to become a happier and healthier person. I have lost a lot of weight since then. It's a difficult journey, but I did it.

We tend compare ourselves to others and be insecure about our looks. That's why I have decided to customize a round dress into a naked torso and to represent plus-size people. I also used the confident reaction to show that I wholly accept and appreciate my body despite its imperfections.



Spoiler: Username


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## S.J. (Jun 26, 2021)

You guys are all so special. Thank you so much for sharing your stories. ❤

I wanted to address socioeconomic disadvantage with my picture, because it’s important to me that everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive and succeed. However, it was also important for me to avoid any generalisations or stigma about what socioeconomic disadvantage looks like, and how it presents in society.

So instead, I decided to do something that would be more all-encompassing. I call this the patchwork dress, and to me it signifies something that should be obvious to all of us. It doesn't matter how much money you have, what colour skin you have, what you look like, where you're from, what abilities or disabilities you have, or how you love, _all_ people are equal, and deserve to be treated fairly, and experience love and kindness. 

I purposefully didn't use any particular colours, and instead used a mish-mash of different colours.


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## TheSillyPuppy (Jun 26, 2021)

_The short version: _this is me in my traditional ethnic clothing. In the background, I've set up items that represent key moments/events in my life that have helped me become the individual I am today and more broadly are meant to represent the Model Minority concept -- "the perception of universal success among Asian [immigrants...] to downplay the role of racism in the persistent struggles of minority groups." 

_Outfit:_

The *sleeveless silk dress*, or _qipao_, is a type of body-hugging dress of Manchu origin, later modernized by by Chinese societies and upper-class women in Shanghai. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents fled to the Republic of China (Taiwan), where I was born, from China. I usually say I'm Chinese to avoid uncomfortable conversations about "one country, two systems." I don't know what the right solution is; I just want everyone to be able to hold their head up in society. 

The *purple prom sash* I'm wearing represents my journey through an undergraduate degree in engineering. I've met people from so many different walks of life in my five-year program, and I'm so thankful to have been touched by every single individual. It was also a very humbling experience. A lot of us were at the top of our graduating classes before coming in, and I came out of it realizing how much I don't know about the world (and that's okay).

_Background items, from left to right:_

The *piano and bench* represent my near-decade journey of learning piano. It taught me the importance of hard work, persistence, what I now know is called deliberate practice, and patience. We are all born with our unique strengths and weaknesses, but we ought to strive to better ourselves a little bit everyday. Did you know that if you improve 1% each day, within a year, you will be 37 times better than where you started? 

The *nova lights* represent meeting my S/O of almost five years. He is a devout Muslim, and to some shame, it wasn't until I met him that I realized how deeply ingrained Islamophobia is in our minds and hearts, especially in North America. I've read the Qu'ran for the past two years with him during the month of Ramadan, and it has helped ground me when feelings of hopelessness for humanity overwhelm me. 

The *office desk, desktop computer, and microscope* represent my job and love of learning. For a lot of my undergrad, I interned at software companies and came to love the fast pace of things. I feel like I'm learning something new every day, and after work hours, I also enjoy going down rabbit holes of my own -- at the moment, it's skincare products!

The *anatomical model and barbell* represent my (ongoing) journey with body positivity. Back in high school, I was surrounded with other Asian ladies who were all thinner and smaller framed than I was. I developed an unhealthy relationship with food and would feel shame for eating unhealthy foods once or twice a week. I tried multiple fad diets, counting calories, and eliminating entire food groups in desperate attempts to see the number on the scale go down, even though I didn't need to lose much weight from a pure health perspective. It wasn't until I met my S/O, and especially after he took me to a gym to use free weights and machines, until I started to come to terms with how I looked. Now, I lift weights at home four days a week and do some form of cardio once or twice a week and listen to my body to guide my eating. 

The *whiteboard* represents my mind. It wasn't until I learned about Ayurveda in traditional Indian medicine to figure out my cognitive footprint. Like the wind, my mind is dynamic and is all over the place, hence why I need to constantly have multiple activities available to do, so I can move from one to another as soon as my mind gets bored of the first. It also explains why I'm prone to anxious thoughts, and like my interest in activities, my mind eventually gets bored of wallowing in anxious thoughts, too.


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## Shellzilla_515 (Jun 26, 2021)

Congratulations to *@Foreverfox*, *@Dunquixote*, and *@Koopadude100*! When I came to the forums earlier this morning, it brought a huge smile to my face. The three of you should be proud of having the courage to submit your entries and making it to the banner!


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## DaCoSim (Jun 26, 2021)

Congrats guys! Y’all look amazing!


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## WaileaNoRei (Jun 26, 2021)

Hello! I am a bit late to this party, but I have loved seeing everyone’s entries! Congrats to @Dunquixote , @Koopadude100 , and @Foreverfox !

mine came out looking more patriotic than intended (meant to try and blend Japanese and American styles):




(design by me - the hat says Nikkei haafu - half-Japanese ethniticty)

Here’s my thoughts (somewhat similar to the post I made on the ‘what race are you?’ thread):

What I want to celebrate is the complexity of identity and diversity.


*My face did not come with an instruction manual for beauty*

I wrote this phrase years ago in an attempt to describe this sense of my inability to conform to the neat boxes we tend to use to define things like race. 

What are you? - Throughout my life I have been asked this question or similar questions many times.  I am half- white and half-Japanese American (my mother was born in the US). Growing up in a mostly white area, I was always seen as ‘the Asian girl’, and it became a big part of my identity, and also set me apart as someone other - children made slant eyed faces at me, adults asked my father if I was adopted, or if he brought my mother back from Vietnam. I hated my flat little nose by 5th grade - I wanted a cute, pointy, ‘Jane Austen heroine’ nose. 

Then I went to college at a school that was majority Asian American, thinking I would fit in, and suddenly people were asking if I was ‘really’ Asian - I didn't grow up speaking the language, which many see as a sign of inauthenticity, (my grandparents were interned during world war 2 and therefore did not want to teach their children Japanese), I ‘grew up white’, didn’t I? In reality the idea of how culture is passed down is so much more complex, but is didn’t know that then and it hurt to think this identity I had held for years might be something that didn’t legitimately belong to me.

 It was a big shock, and I spent years feeling like I had to pick which side to be and establish my authenticity as an Asian person in order to ‘count,’ or else ‘give up’ on being Asian and be white.

To make a long story short, over the years, I’ve had to redefine myself and my sense of my race and what it means to belong to a culture or a race. Nowadays, what I find beautiful is the idea that there is not a split in my personality, it’s not one side or the other. I’m mixed race, I’m white, I’m Japanese -American, and so much more beyond my race, and none of these are in conflict or the sum of what defines me. And, to bring it back to the accidental patriotism, as much as some people want to claim the United States only belongs to a certain group and paint people who don’t fit that narrow mold as a threat, I’m very much an American (for better and worse). 

Identity isn’t a zero sum game, and I think we all have overlapping layers of identity (as many others are pointing out), which combine in each of us in a variety of ways to create something beautiful and absolutely unique.


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## CylieDanny (Jun 26, 2021)

This... Was kinda hard to submit, and it made me very nervous to reveal lots about myself, some stuff I prefer not to tell online...  But there have been many brave people here, so I'll be brave too... 

I'm here to acknowledge epilepsy.. 

Hopefully I'm not the only person here who has it. The first day of grade 12, was when I had my first episode (Seizure) I was getting ready to leave when it happened... I ended up at a hospital, instead of a classroom. It's really changed my life. It made  many obstacle at the time, and even now its not great. I told my boyfriend that I had it, and he left me because I couldnt go to clubs. One of my worst ones was at work, where I got a black eye, nasty bruise, and a giant scratch from falling on the podium's sharp edge. Then I couldnt work for nearly two weeks. When I was told I couldn't be the two things I've always wanted to be: a flight attendant, and a scuba diver. I'll also never be able to drive, because if I have an episode, I cant drive for ten months. I was in tears. 

But, as hard as it is to face, and scared I am, The only way I have it under control, is how heavily medicated I am, and I'm nervous to change it. I'm told its messing with my brain. 

I've had lots of support from family, and friends. Its something no one should have to face alone. I'm trying to be the best person I can be, even with all the obstacles. I still wont let it hold me back. Not from standing tall, and being who I am. 

I send my support to anyone, and everyone who had to face it, and hope they arnt alone, and have someone by their side ♡ 
-- 
My outfit is mainly purple, because that's the color that symbolizes Epilepsy. This jacket was fun to make. I have a little emblem on the right, with the epilepsy symbol. I'm nonbinary, my tie is actually the colors of the nonbinary flag, originally I was going to wear pants, but decided not to, showing that even though you don't identify with a single gender, you can still wear the clothes you want to. My bow is blue to symbolize the male aspect. I have a little bisexual flag on my jacket sleeve, because I'm bi. Coming out to my family about being bi, was hard. I lost some of my family, and even then only my friends, and mom know how I identify. Because I'm nervous about loosing more family 

But I'll have to be strong, and be brave.  I'm scared, but I'm still going to face  these obstacles head on. I wont change myself for others approval: 

*Isn't it great to be different. Isnt it wonderful to be exactly who you are. When you learn to start accepting yourself, you'll become a shinning star* 
-Quoted From Forest Rain's song 

I am who I am. An epileptic, bisexual, nonbinary, fighter.



I wasn't planning on Static being there, but he's purple, so kinda fitting My little gay squirrel 🐿





Spoiler: Close up











Spoiler: Username


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## Bluebellie (Jun 26, 2021)

This is my entry!
I wanted to show some representation to my hispanic roots. I decided to have my character wear a traditional Mexican dress, the China Poblana. The flowers in the background and the drum are representing the festivity and happinesses in the culture.
Dancing and festivities are something that is very common in my family and culture, and it really brings everyone together to pass a good time. Celebration, music, and  parties are a great way to celebrate diversity by embracing everyone’s individual differences.

To me celebrating diversity means celebrating each and everyone and all of our unique differences. Not one individual is the same. We are all different, and we are all beautiful.


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## Firesquids (Jun 26, 2021)

Man I love this community so much, so many beautiful and kind souls, makes me so proud.  
I struggled a little bit with what I wanted to do for this event. I was thinking back on my life and how my growth was shaped by the people I met by circumstance. I myself am bisexual, but we have a few friends here representing bisexuals already so I wanted instead to represent my sister and her partner who are both asexual. Their identity is important because one can so easily fall into thinking that they are broken or can be forced into a type of relationship they don't want. Asexual people can often feel out of place, not only among the straight community, but among other lgbt folks too, especially when it comes to dating. 
With youth lgbt suicide rates so high, it's important to understand that recognizing and accepting people's identities can save lives!


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## Rio_ (Jun 26, 2021)

I'm not very creative, but stripes are neat so... 





I dressed my islander up in an AroAce inspired outfit! Aro stands for Aromantic aka not feeling romantic attraction, while Ace stands for Asexual aka not feeling romantic attraction. You can be just one or both, and they are a spectrum (shout out to the demis!)

Growing up Aro and Ace, I felt like I was 'weird' and that I didn't fit into any of the categories I'd heard of. But one day while browsing the internet, I discovered these terms and the existence of lots of other people like me! And that helped me feel a lot less alone 

(Sorry if anyone has already dressed up similarly- I haven't looked through the other submissions yet )


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## corlee1289 (Jun 26, 2021)

TAMAYAAA~ <3

It’s what the Japanese say when they attend a fireworks festival. They were kimonos to show off their vibrancy and they have an uchiwa to help with the summer festival heat.

I decided to choose an Asian ethnic summer festival culture to show that even in the summertime, festivals with food are an excellent way to enjoy a culture


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## AtomicNyx (Jun 27, 2021)

Neurodiversity and Latino inclusivity ♡

Here's my entry for this event! ^.^





I designed this character to represent Neurodiversity and Latinos. The color yellow to represent the happiness that Neurodivergent people bring into the lives of their loved ones. The outfit being something similar that some of my Mexican relatives would wear while working hard in the fields to provide for their families. Though there was only so much I could include, I hope both communities are proud of it too! ^.^

Neurodiversity/Neurodivergent: yellow is a happy color  For anyone who struggles with social anxiety, panic attacks and/or atychiphobia, like I do, know you aren't alone. Even when I feel like my own brain is out to get me, the color yellow reminds me to find the rays of sunshine, that bit of happiness/joyous memories and hold onto them.

Latinos: I tried looking for a symbol of unity for Latinos, most of them were too intricate for me to do any justice for, but I still wanted to show the pride I feel in being a Latina. The flag stands for the part of me that is born and raised in the USA and another part of me that grew up surrounded by the beautiful culture and language my Mexican family has passed down to me.

Thank you for this event and the chance to celebrate multiple diverse and beautiful cultures! Also for being able to celebrate the differences that make everyone uniquely themselves ^.^ Everyone's life stories are worth being heard. 

P.S I know the US flag has 50 stars but for obvious reasons I wasn't able to fit that many, please don't crucify me lol!


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## Minou (Jun 27, 2021)

A big contrats to @Dunquixote @Koopadude100 @Foreverfox for winning the first round! Everyone’s entries are so lovely! <3 A lot of them are very personal and take a lot of courage to share. 

This forum is very special and is full of loving and accepting people. As someone who supports the LGBTQA+ community, is of vietnamese ethnicity, have an autistic brother and have friends struggling with mental health, a lot of entries here speak to me. I decided however to go with the ace stance for my costume, as it speaks to me the most. Although I still question to this day whether I am truly asexual or not, I want to show my support to all aces out there, people questioning about their asexuality and all people from the LGBTQA+ community. 





_None of the custom designs are mine (it was fun searching since there were so many nice ace designs to choose from!)._​
My key take-home message is: No matter who you are or how you identify yourself as, what’s most important is to love and cherish yourself. You are all precious human beings and deserve all the love.


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## Vsmith (Jun 27, 2021)

All the designs are beautiful!! Good job everyone!! I wish had time to create something cool, but this past week was a hard week. 
Other than that I want to say Love is love!! And every one of you is special and beautiful.


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## cornimer (Jun 27, 2021)

I wasn't planning on entering this, but I had a pretty big week so I feel inspired to celebrate, especially since everyone has posted such beautiful photos/stories!





I identify as agender, and I personally feel most comfortable with a gender-neutral name. This week I "came out" as being under the nb umbrella at work by (_finally_) asking all my coworkers to call me by my preferred name. I received only supportive comments, so here's me celebrating the occasion by showing my agender pride! 

Other notes about this photo:

My character is dressed the way I _wish_ I could dress - as long as I'm living at home I can't, but hopefully one day! I definitely feel most comfortable in androgynous/slightly more "masculine" clothes (I don't actually believe clothing has gender, but to my family it does which is why it's an issue haha)
My accessories represent the asexual (hat) and lesbian (band-aids) flags. Not many people in my life know that I'm on the ace spectrum (and even fewer know that I like girls) which is why these parts of my identity are represented through small accessories - but they're a part of my LGBTQ2+ identity nevertheless!



Spoiler: namecard





 
I do wish you could change your islander's name on ACNH :')


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## Nougat (Jun 27, 2021)

Thank you everyone for sharing your story and submitting these amazing entries! ❤ I'm a little late for voting so I missed the first round, but I made sure to give every entry a well deserved like  And congratulations to the winners in the banner!


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## Giddy (Jun 27, 2021)

Love this~! From the ones I've seen so far, they're all so beautiful. Hope to have time to see some more when I have time.

A little question, I kinda wanted to show two designs, but sadly don't have the flag item in game, would it be alright to have one of my patterns on the floor next to me?~ Or does someone know how I get the held flag?


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## S.J. (Jun 27, 2021)

Giddy said:


> Love this~! From the ones I've seen so far, they're all so beautiful. Hope to have time to see some more when I have time.
> 
> A little question, I kinda wanted to show two designs, but sadly don't have the flag item in game, would it be alright to have one of my patterns on the floor next to me?~ Or does someone know how I get the held flag?


Do you want to hold the flag?

The handheld flag option came with one of the updates (March 18 update), so when you go to your Custom Designs app, you can design a custom flag in the "Pro Designs" section (where you can also make clothes) rather than the normal design section. The fourth tab along (I think) is for umbrellas, cutouts and flags.


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## Vsmith (Jun 27, 2021)

WaileaNoRei said:


> Hello! I am a bit late to this party, but I have loved seeing everyone’s entries! Congrats to @Dunquixote , @Koopadude100 , and @Foreverfox !
> 
> mine came out looking more patriotic than intended (meant to try and blend Japanese and American styles):
> 
> ...



I can relate I was born in the USA and  I am Puerto Rican/Ecuadorian but I don't look Hispanic and asked a lot "what are you?" I was also shamed for not knowing how to speak Spanish.

I love your post!!! And I agree with every bit of it, here's hoping for a better future full of understanding and acceptance.


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## tessa grace (Jun 27, 2021)

Congrats!!


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## TheDuke55 (Jun 27, 2021)

You all did great screenshots. I didn't even know this thing was going on. Congratulations to @Koopadude100 @Dunquixote and @Foreverfox you all did awesome! It was pretty cool learning about all the different members.

I think I missed this. I guess it doesn't really matter as there's nothing I can really add to this. Great job with your representations everyone!


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## Foreverfox (Jun 27, 2021)

Jeremy said:


> Submit your entry by Wednesday *June 30th at 10:00 PM EDT* and please do not edit it after it has been submitted.


You can still submit an entry @TheDuke55!  and thank you for your kind words! It has made my entire weekend seeing my son up there. When I showed it to him and told him, "Look, that's you!" he got the biggest smile ever.


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## Serabee (Jun 27, 2021)

Alright, here's mine! Not nearly as nice as most of these entries but I tried, lol. My dress is for autistic pride, as a rainbow infinity symbol is a symbol for autism. I also worked in the colors of the Pan-pride flag, because that's how I identify! The heart antennae are just celebrating how much love is in the world and how diversity can help bring it out 

And the sunglasses and lightstick were just festive and fun ​


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## Giddy (Jun 28, 2021)

S.J. said:


> Do you want to hold the flag?
> 
> The handheld flag option came with one of the updates (March 18 update), so when you go to your Custom Designs app, you can design a custom flag in the "Pro Designs" section (where you can also make clothes) rather than the normal design section. The fourth tab along (I think) is for umbrellas, cutouts and flags.



Ah thank you~ I didn't realise I needed the pro custom design, thought weirdly it didn't have the fan/flag option? Would I need to make something for it to happen?


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## S.J. (Jun 28, 2021)

Giddy said:


> Ah thank you~ I didn't realise I needed the pro custom design, thought weirdly it didn't have the fan/flag option? Would I need to make something for it to happen?


I'll PM you!


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## Holla (Jun 28, 2021)

Here’s my entry. Some of you may know I don’t actually play as myself in New Horizons but for this photo op I changed the appearance of one of my characters to better represent myself.

My character is wearing a demisexual dress. Last year I started questioning whether I was asexual or not. Before I had always assumed I was heterosexual even though I always knew I was somehow different from most other people. This year I finally found a term that truly clicked with who I am and that’s demisexual which is on the asexual spectrum.

My character also holding an autism awareness flag. My older brother has low functioning autism. It’s been tough on our family as a whole. For me I grew up more akin to an only child, but regardless I still love and care about my brother. I have also made many high functioning autistic friends throughout the years. They are some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. ❤


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## Cosmic-chan (Jun 28, 2021)

My character is representing a small community that seems to go unnoticed or picked on for no reason. My character is representing Blasians also known as Afro Asians. What is a Blasian/Afro Asian? It is a person of black/African descent who also has Asian ancestry and decent. We do exist. We are valid. We are "dirty" we will not turn the water "dirty" because of our skin. The fact my great grandma married a black man and my Japanese family doesn't even want to associate with us because of this fact is awful. My great grandma has been dead for 30 years and we still get hate. We battle black hate and Asian hate and we feel we don't know where we belong and it should not be this way. We can wear Kimonos and Zoris and Zen hair pins and have curly hair and dark skin and still be Japanese as well. We aren't aliens. We aren't mistakes.  We can be black and Asian.  We shouldn't be told to speak English just because we're black and and shouldn't be told our hair shouldn't be curly just because we're Asian. We are valid and we are beautiful. Sorry for the rant.


Edit: I forgot to mention that I'm Neurodivergent and I  have Autism and ADHD and it makes me act younger than I am and I tend to be into more immature things then I should be. That's why I chose to make my character look "babyish" this is who I am. 



Spoiler


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## princess.looking.for.frog (Jun 28, 2021)

for my entry of celebrating diversity, I chose to show my ace pride, my Belarusian heritage and my country I live in, Australia.

As for using the revolution belarusian flag, I stand in solidarity of the oppressed Belarusian people against the dictatorship. I do not identify with the official Belarusian flag. my Australian flag combined with the Belarusian flag represents me and many other belarusians residing in australia that are against the dictator.

the ace faerie from @/okayshima's pride collection on Instagram, and represents my asexuality. everyone in the LGBTQ community is valid and accepted, and despite even pressure inside the community, asexuals are valid. you don't need to like out a 'normal' relationship or try to fix yourself. this goes out to all the other members of LGBTQ as well.

diversity is amazing and beautiful, and we need to treasure it and help it flourish throughout our lives.


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## Lyrica (Jun 28, 2021)

I’m all ready to celebrate diversity! I love to see my character dressed as a spy, a boss and I proudly carry my rainbow headband and my signature musical notes as face painting. She celebrates all that I have inside of me. Many different aspects of my personality. I am a doctor and also a singer/actress, I am an adult but also a child at heart and, I am married to a man but I also identify as a bisexual woman. more than ever, I am on the road to be myself.
“I am an international super spy… super spyyyy~~~”


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## tiffanistarr (Jun 28, 2021)

I wanted my entry to really encompass how I choose to celebrate diversity.  At work I'm a chair member of 3 different focus groups. One is the Culture and Diversity committee where we put resources and time back into the underserved communities around us who lack the right support and funding. The second is a Women's focus group where we dedicate time every month on meeting and we help empower women within the company and work on ways for women to take higher positions in the company. We all have a mentee and mentor to help guide us while we guide. Lastly I'm part of a LGBTQ+  focus group where we are trying to focus on LGBTQ+ education in the work place. We are also just there to be a safe place for people who might be struggling with identity and sexuality. These groups mean everything to me and I feel so lucky that I am able to focus such a huge part of my career on these issues. As a white straight female I understand my privilege and I want to help elevate and give equity to those who need it!  For my AC character I wore a traditional work type outfit with a more purple blazer for women, and of course the pride flag, and the raised fists to really encompass the solidarity with everyone.

With name:


Spoiler: With name


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## Jeremy (Jun 28, 2021)

Round 2, which included submissions from Friday 6 PM EDT to Monday 12 PM EDT, ended with @S.J., @Bekaa, and @Rosch in the top three. Their characters are now in the banner!

Both the top two from the remainder of the event and the top two overall (that haven't been selected yet) will make up our final banner. If you haven't submitted yet, you still have until Wednesday 10 PM EDT!


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## Foreverfox (Jun 28, 2021)

Congratulations @S.J. @Bekaa and @Rosch! Your entries were great! Enjoy your time on the banner!


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## xSuperMario64x (Jun 28, 2021)

omg who is that adorable boy in the middle 


(seriously all these entries so far are fantastic!!)


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## Kattea (Jun 28, 2021)

I love how the banner is featuring so many different facets of diversity, it’s really heartwarming!


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## xara (Jun 28, 2021)

you guys look great!! congrats! @Bekaa @S.J. @Rosch


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## CylieDanny (Jun 28, 2021)

Congratulations @S.J. @Bekaa  and @Rosch ! Your entries were awesome! Really creative too


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## Dunquixote (Jun 28, 2021)

Congrats @S.J. , @Bekaa & @Rosch! I loved your entries and hearing your stories and thoughts on diversity! Your reps all look fantastic !


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## LadyDestani (Jun 28, 2021)

Congrats @S.J., @Bekaa, and @Rosch! Your characters all look lovely in the banner and I really love how all the selections so far have highlighted a different aspect of diversity!


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## Rosch (Jun 28, 2021)

Why is there a naked man by the tree?!

Seriously though. Congratulations to @S.J. and @Bekaa!!! Also, thank you everyone for showing your support. We are all beautiful!


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## Millysaurusrexjr (Jun 28, 2021)

I somehow didn't see most of the submissions on page 6 so I was completely taken by surprise when I logged on to see a half nude representative on the banner LMAO. Congratulations!!


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## AtomicNyx (Jun 29, 2021)

Congratulations @S.J. , @Bekaa and @Rosch !!!


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## Merielle (Jun 29, 2021)

Congrats @S.J., @Bekaa, and @Rosch!! ^^ You all did a great job on your entries!


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## S.J. (Jun 29, 2021)

Ah, thank you everyone. You're all very kind.  @Rosch @Dunquixote @Foreverfox @Merielle @AtomicNyx @LadyDestani @CylieDanny @xara 

Congrats to @Rosch and @Bekaa! 

You're all so kind and supportive. I've been following every entry, and I love hearing your stories.* Please keep sharing. *


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## Antonio (Jun 29, 2021)

Congratulations you three, I definitely love the villager designs you guys choosen.


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## Roxxy (Jun 29, 2021)

Congratulations @S.J. @Rosch and @Bekaa!! Amazing inspirational entries  You all look Fabulous on the banner  Well done and thanks for sharing your stories


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## DaCoSim (Jun 29, 2021)

Congrats to our new winners! Great job guys!


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## deana (Jun 29, 2021)

Thanks for including National Indigenous Peoples day in the post I don't think I saw it in there originally but I'm glad it's being included. One of my nearest and dearest friends is Indigenous and so my diversity entry is dedicated to her. I've changed my rep to look like her AC rep instead, the clothing is meant to be traditional Cree regalia, and I've added moccasins and a feather. I wish I knew more about Indigenous culture and history so that this entry could be better but I wanted to do something at least 





The custom design creator code is MA-6069-1356-6047 I would highly recommend checking out their designs


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## Valzed (Jun 29, 2021)

I was so happy to see this event return. I loved seeing all the amazing entries last year!

In January 2001 I became disabled. I needed a surgery to reconnect parts of me to the rest of my body. I then spent 6 weeks living in a physical rehab facility learning to walk again and learning how to do things in new ways. I was only able to see my family for a few hours a day. Before I became disabled I was a super active "super mom". I drove my grandfather to all his doctors appointments, did the grocery shopping, went to everything my son was involved in, had girl days with my mom, made sure hubs was set for work and I myself worked. I did anything & everything I could for my family. After my surgery everything changed. I lost my ability to drive. I lost most of my physical mobility. The most painful thing I lost though... was me. I didn't know how to be the "new" me. I felt lost in my own mind. How could I still be helpful to my family when I couldn't find my way through the fog? It took time but I realized I was still ME - just a different version. I figured out new ways to do the things I did before. Soon I was used to my new normal and my family was as well. I learned I was "diff-abled" - differently abled. I'm not going to lie - things are still rough some days. I'm in constant pain but I'm still here, still with those I love. My family is the most important thing in the world to me and I'm grateful for every day I have with them. 

My entry is of my Res Rep Brody. She's wearing a tee displaying The Disability Flag created by Eros Recio in 2017. She's holding the Disability Pride Flag created by Ann Magill. She's standing with her customized wheelchair. (I'm including a second pic of Brody in her chair with signs of the Flags as a bonus pic.) I created the custom designs based on the two flags. I also created extra designs for in game use.






Bonus pic:





Here are links to information about the Disability Flags.

The Disability Flag by Eros Recio
Ann Magill's Flickr page for the Disability Pride Flag
Disability Pride Flag by Ann Magill

I'm also including all of my custom designs based on the two flags for everyone who might like to use them in game.


Spoiler: My Custom Designs of the Disability Flags


























Thank you for reading! Good luck to all! Blessed be!


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## CylieDanny (Jun 29, 2021)

deanapants said:


> Thanks for including National Indigenous Peoples day in the post I don't think I saw it in there originally but I'm glad it's being included. One of my nearest and dearest friends is Indigenous and so my diversity entry is dedicated to her. I've changed my rep to look like her AC rep instead, the clothing is meant to be traditional Cree regalia, and I've added moccasins and a feather. I wish I knew more about Indigenous culture and history so that this entry could be better but I wanted to do something at least
> 
> View attachment 382613
> 
> The custom design creator code is MA-6069-1356-6047 I would highly recommend checking out their designs


My friend is Indigenous, this would make her really happy ^^ It makes me happy too ♡


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## Cosmic-chan (Jun 29, 2021)

Oh man.. My post got 25 likes. Thank you guys! I just hope mine ends up on the front page!


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## Shellzilla_515 (Jun 29, 2021)

Not gonna lie, I feel a little nervous posting this, but I'm stepping up! 






Spoiler: Extra pictures












I feel like three sentences isn’t enough to describe who I am. I spent quite some time writing this to make sure I’m expressing my thoughts clearly and hopefully not ruffle anyone’s feathers. I’ll put it in a spoiler since it looks like I wrote an essay.



Spoiler: Explanation about myself



My background is Filipino which is why my character is holding a flag of The Philippines. But since I spent most of my life growing up and living in Canada, I don’t know a whole lot about my own culture aside from a few things. There is one thing that I’m confident in explaining, however.

With no actual furniture to represent The Philippines, I had to get creative here. The two tin buckets seen right beside me represents that every early morning in The Philippines, vendors would be walking around the neighborhood yelling “Taho!”, which is a simple snack they sell for around 50 pesos. If converted to bell currency, it would only cost 114 bells! If you couldn’t tell already, it’s one of my favourite Filipino snacks to eat. Anyway, Taho contains silken tofu, tapioca pearls (but we typically call them sago), and brown sugar syrup. One bucket contains the silken tofu while the second bucket contains both the tapioca pearls and the brown sugar syrup. Ideally, the vendors would sell them hot and have it all finished before noon. This is why you see my character doing the encouraging emote and that it was taken around 6 in the morning in front of Stitches’s house. Usually, the vendors would give you a small plastic cup to put in the taho, but if you brought your own cup, they’d put it in there instead! The DAL mug represents how you can do just that. Back when I was four or five years old when me and my family went to The Philippines to meet my relatives, I remember one time that I cried because I wasn’t able to get taho in time. Thankfully, the vendor came back eventually and I was a happy boy with my grandma giving me company. On a side note, Stitches should start waking up earlier or else there won’t be any taho left for him!

Focusing on my character, I’m wearing a chef hat. It means that I cook for my family when my parents aren’t able to. I don’t want to be lazy and try to help them out when I can. The shirt that I wore here is a custom design I made for myself. It is a Formula 1 McLaren team T-shirt to show that I am a fan of the team, sport, and racing in general. The rainbow stripes show that I support the LGBT+ community to help them feel comfortable and get a better understanding from them, even though I’m a straight male. You could also interpret it as a subtle way to support the community. This is because my family sadly doesn’t really view them in a positive way so I try to keep quiet when I can or else they’ll think I’ve been “indoctrinated”. To me, I believe that listening to one another with an open mind regardless of who we are makes a more positive environment. After all, there’s more to the person than just their sexual orientation and identity! 

The next thing I want to point out on the shirt is the green ribbon. For those who don’t know, June also happens to be scoliosis awareness month. I personally don’t have scoliosis, but my mother does. She’s had it for a very long time even before I was born. Because of her back pain coming up every now and then, especially after doing some tasks, I’ve had to give her a massage to alleviate the pain. Despite my mom experiencing pain many times, she does her best to take care of me and my sister. Thanks mom! 

The rest of my clothing is just aiming for a summer aesthetic. Nothing else to it.

The red car on the right side of the photo shows how much I really like cars, ever since when I was young. The Gran Turismo series played a huge role in my passion for cars and I remember playing with my dad in split screen mode when I was younger (I got left behind sometimes, but now it's the other way around!). I even discovered some great music to listen to. Long story short, it helped me to drive better, have an appreciation of cars, learn a small bit of their history, and identify numerous cars on the road while going on a car stroll with my dad without having to take a closer look at their names. Eventually, I started seeking more content in this area to broaden my interest and knowledge. I’d love to talk more about this subject, but I don’t want to go off track. That pun is totally intentional in case you’re asking.

Back to the part where I lived most of my life in Canada, I noticed how I have a very different lifestyle compared to those living in The Philippines. Sure, I know how to speak Tagalog (and even then I mess up sometimes), cook and eat some dishes from the Filipino cuisine. However, I speak mostly English aside from talking to my parents and sound more like a person with a Canadian accent. I also barely wear clothing from my own culture which is why my character doesn’t wear traditional clothing and don’t feel qualified to do so. Basketball has a lot of following in The Philippines. The country even has its own basketball league called the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Yeah, I watch basketball sometimes, but it’s a small drop in the lake compared to my enthusiasm for cars. Moreover, I rarely see people with the same nationality as me who also have an interest in cars and racing (especially when actually taking part in motorsport). When I do, it makes me happy that I’m not the only one. My point is, I don't see my own differences as a burden. In fact, I'm pretty happy of who I am since I can easily tell it's me with that description!

In conclusion, I interpret diversity as listening to others with an open mind, accepting others, and enjoying many things that life has to offer, no matter who you are!


This has been said many times on this thread, but it's really awesome getting to know other people better, especially since I've seen some familiar names who also participated in the TBTWC event!


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## Giddy (Jun 29, 2021)

Here's mine~! I'm sorry it's not the best pic, I dunno how to do it properly. Let me know if I need to redo it. (just realised the flag can't be seen all that well.) 





I've never really seen myself as disabled, but my right foot, ever since I've been born was 'webbed'. Not only webbed, as you can see on my t shirt - well the best I could design it- my bones in my foot haven't been lined up perfectly either. (my left foot is completely fine other than some webbed inbetween some of the toes.)

I never really had much problem with my foot, other than it would be hard to walk on them over a few hours, and not having the chance to pick out shoes at the shops. 
Due to my foot, for most of my life, I visit the hospital, where they check how I'm doing walking, and get custom shoes, as my right foot is way too wide for shoes I could pick out at the shops. Some fun news though, picking out my custom shoes is so exciting, you get to choose the design and colour, and as a child I would always choose the most colourful choices! 
It's always been a sort of hidden disability, because you could hardly tell by my shoes that they were different. But it never really stopped me, being me, or even going places! As long as I can get a rest somewhere, I can continue my journey.

My flag also represents something different entirely, and since it's not the best image, what I was going for was a smiling question mark with all different colours and sparkles. 
And in a way this kinda represents people who haven't found the sexuality that represents them *yet* and that's perfectly alright~! It's the same with me, I myself haven't felt comfortable in focusing my time to figure out who I am sexuality and know I will do so in the future. There is never any rush to this, and the fact there has been more freedom to express a sexuality that had to stay hidden for so long, is so magical and accepting. 
There's always been a rush in finding out your sexuality, but if you don't take the time to find it and not understand yourself in it, it may not feel totally real to you. I hope that makes sense?


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## TheDuke55 (Jun 29, 2021)

I didn't even know that this was going on. I've went through most of the thread and read everyone's posts and submissions. All of your posts were interesting and great. I honestly don't think I have anything about myself worth sharing that would fit within this event. I threw some of what I typed in spoilers, so as to hide the lengthy post I made. You don't have to read them.



Spoiler



I did try to think of some things that I could represent about myself, because I feel like that is how I could best shed light on those themes. Such as about how my ancestors had came from Europe when the famine was happening. They boarded a boat and hoped for the best, during a time when the future looked uncertain and the Great Depression was looming over the horizon.

One of my ancestors joined the military about five or so years before the outbreak of the Civil War. Did you know that the average pay for a soldier during that time was $13 for a month? That's roughly $400 a month by today's standards. It was called the poor man's war for a reason. You could only get out of it  for a year, if you paid $300. (I actually started reenacting because I thought it might be a way I could better understand their hardships and the way they lived. Plus the hobby is just fun, so that is a plus)

But I wouldn't really know how well to best represent that. I also thought of my learning disabilities and speech impediment. I did struggle with them, but have adapted and with enough perseverance was able to graduate with honors. I honestly wouldn't really know how well to capture that essence in a villager photo either lol.



But after some thinking, I thought of what I could represent well enough. I read the rules for the entries. I really don't know if any of this is going to be accepted, but at least I tried.

I'm here to represent essential workers. They are people of all origins, races, and identities who came together to help the country in its trying time and quite frankly carried it when the government did not do as much as it should had.




This isn't me. It is my cousin, who is a health care worker who was on the front line throughout it all. While I also worked throughout all of this trying time, it was not to the level of this. And I thought it would be more fitting if they were the one to represent it and not me who just happened to be a blue collar worker deemed essential.


They were health care workers, truck drivers, warehouse personnel, retail workers, and so on.  When the world stopped, they realized how much they really needed them.

Even those that did not or could not work, because of health related reasons or other, came together to help in any way that they could. One such example is with a few elderly folk who began to make sewn masks for workers on the front line. Yes, they were not grade issued, but people panic hoarded them and left the rest without any.

I wasn't a health care provider of any sort, but I was deemed essential nonetheless. I work in a warehouse that deals primarily with food (dry and perishable) among other things. Last year was very difficult. I remember working double shifts almost daily and then having to help deliver the loads to the stores. We were understaffed, trying to meet deadlines during such an unexpected time, and often in places deemed 'hotspots'. Despite this, we did our best and tried to find humor (even if in poor taste at times) during these hard times.

Through all the years I worked at the warehouse, I never once saw the entire place become bare to the walls. We had a heck of a time keeping up with demand, but through a lot of diligence and teamwork, we managed to supply many places, including hospitals, in as of a timely matter as we could manage.

It certainly isn't a positive thing, but it brought together many in this time of adversity. And I think that is something worth representing.



Spoiler



I'm not comfortable sharing my name, so I crossed it out, but this is me. I see some members doing this. I'm not sure if it's needed or not, but I just did so to follow possible rules.





Sorry if this isn't good enough or not right. At the very least, I tried.


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## Bekaa (Jun 29, 2021)

This event continues to warm my 
There have been so many terrific, creative entries, and I know there’s more to come! We all win when we look for our common ground while respecting our differences. Thanks to all that have participated.


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## TheDuke55 (Jun 29, 2021)

Oh and before I forget again congrats to you all, @S.J. @Rosch  and @Bekaa Reading all of your representations and pieces about yourself was great and inspiring. Everyone of you had amazing posts, good work all around!


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## oceanchild8 (Jun 29, 2021)

The past year has been especially hard with the pandemic and a lot more hate, in general, has risen around the world. I'm Chinese American and it's been hard seeing hate and violence on those of Asian descent, and of course hate and violence on just anyone. It makes me really sad how we've taken steps backwards where we still have to deal with racism especially in America. There's also a lot of ignorant people who refuse to learn to do better. I've been told "ching chong chang you've dropped some change", and my brother was most recently called CPC. I am always one to fight back, but my friends always tell me it's not worth it. I get told to just ignore it and keep walking, which is what they do. But there are those who are really unable to defend or even protect themselves. Like Manny Pacquaio said to those attacking Asians - "fight me instead!"

I'm tired of hearing people say "go back to your country", that just because we are or look Asian that we are the cause of the pandemic, that we all eat dogs and bats (and that we even support that), hearing accents mocked, tired of being punching bags and being robbed, tired of all the stereotypes that hurt us etc.

I was scared of the pandemic, but also scared of being me. Thankfully, there's been support and awareness raised by public figures and groups via social media while all the hate and violence have been downplayed by mainstream media. They've made me feel more comfortable in my own skin. I've never been so proud to be Asian, to be a Chinese American. Although, there's still a lot of work to be done especially with systematic racism. I hope to see change in my lifetime.

My island rep is dressed in a qipao (aka cheongsam), originating in the Qing Dynasty. She's doing tai chi, which she picked up from her paternal grandfather, in the garden in front of Buddha. While she enjoys and respects tradition, she's independent and a fighter. She's everything I hope to be.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who have opened up about themselves, sharing your stories etc. This was the first time I felt vulnerable and opened up, and not just hiding behind my island rep. There's so much respect and care around this forum, which keeps me coming back.



Spoiler: Close-up











Spoiler: With name


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## skarmoury (Jun 29, 2021)

Here is my entry! Or more like, the outfit I wore when I graduated from university.







Spoiler: in case you wanted to read a bit more



I wanted to celebrate being a bisexual Filipino because I’m tired of the current way we are portrayed, both as the nationality and being part of the LGBTQIA+. As a Filipino, I’m tired of being discriminated against in many aspects: my friend was told she was not “black enough” to be oppressed, we were told we were not “smart” because of our “third-world-country education”, and I have also been discriminated personally by fellow _Asians_ because of various reasons. _Spat on_, even. Our country is already struggling and the additional racism incurred by other countries makes it harder to be a Filipino.

As a bisexual, I’m also tired of being discriminated against in many aspects: as a very religious country, many Filipinos, especially of older generations, shun those of the LGBTQIA+. I cannot stress how difficult it is to not be part of “the religious norm” in the PH. I personally struggle with opening up to my family knowing some of my family members are religious. I was afraid of what they would think, and I can’t imagine how much worse it is in other Filipino families with stricter members. I know some acquaintances who were kicked out of their households for it earlier in their lives, and it’s much worse when you realize Filipinos are very, _very_ family-oriented (normally we don’t move out until we’re in our 20s, and even then many chose to stay with their families). My heart goes out to everyone.



I am a bisexual Filipino and no matter the comments, I will stand by myself and everyone being discriminated against for whatever reason. I became the vice chairperson of an LGBTQIA+ organization because I wanted to help shed light on many topics I stand for (LGBTQIA+ rights, HIV/AIDS awareness, women empowerment) and I’m studying to become a doctor to one way or another be able to help my fellow Filipinos in the country.

When I graduated college, I graduated on the day of the Metro Manila Pride March and was saddened I couldn’t join, but my best friend came to watch me and gave me her bisexual flag, and we had a fun day of going around my alma mater picturing myself in a Filipiniana parading with a bisexual flag. I am proud to be both, and I will continue to be proud.

(Sorry for the long post! Happy pride to everyone who is proud of themselves and of other people! I’m very happy a lot of people came to celebrate various groups! ❤)



Spoiler: codes for the dress and flag here!



The dress is not my _exact_ dress during graduation, but it was the closest I could find! I was wearing a while modern Filipiniana. 











Spoiler: username here!


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## Mistreil (Jun 29, 2021)

i was hoping i'd have time to make a custom design, but i do not! but i wanted to post anyways, especially since i love how everyone's sharing their own stories, so i wanted to share mine!





it is i! wearing tangzhuang (aka tang suit/jacket), colour coordinated to match the aromantic flag!
the sweating is to represent the fact that i am nervous/anxious/stressed like 80% of the time. i am here to also rep people with anxiety issues.

i am canadian-born chinese! i grew up in a place where the population was predominantly western -- i think my school was barely 2% PoC (so like, 2 out of 100 students). i was always a bit of an airhead so i didn't really realize it until i was older, but i absolutely clung to any asian representation i saw. one of the reasons i regularly draw hanfu/cheongsam/chinese fashions was because it was something i rarely saw, but i would feel inexplicably happy when i did see it! (and i like the aesthetic of it)

as for the aro colours: i'm aro/ace! i didn't actually know about the aro label for a long time, but when i learned about it i felt like everything fell into place! i found solace in knowing that there was a term that reflected what i felt, and that there were others that shared my experience!
i also didnt know people actually felt attraction to others based off appearance and stuff. i thought that was just a thing for romance stories -- i read a lot of shoujo manga and i thought literally the whole experience was just..... yknow.. fiction. i've had some funny conversations as a result of this.

and for the sweating bit: as i said earlier, i have a lot of anxiety/stress/etc, especially in relation to social interactions! the fact that i have a lot of social anxiety apparently comes as a surprise to people, but i try to talk about it openly. it seems to bring solace to others, knowing that they're not alone in the anxiety they experience. 



Spoiler: my name, my name, and me


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## tiffanistarr (Jun 29, 2021)

Mistreil said:


> i was hoping i'd have time to make a custom design, but i do not! but i wanted to post anyways, especially since i love how everyone's sharing their own stories, so i wanted to share mine!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I love and appreciate that you focused some of this on anxiety. As someone who suffers with anxiety it's always comforting to know that there are so many other people who can relate to the struggle. Thank you so much for including that.


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## Biyaya (Jun 29, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> Not gonna lie, I feel a little nervous posting this, but I'm stepping up!
> View attachment 382646
> 
> 
> ...


Ahh!!!  I'm also Filipino (part), and you brought me some fond memories of when I visited the Philippines. I loved waking up and hearing the vendors calling out, mostly for fresh buko juice and saging!  (It's better in the Philippines than what's available here). Thank you for posting your story!


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## JellyLu (Jun 29, 2021)

For my entry I chose to represent those battling cancer in honor of my mom. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and unfortunately it metastasized to all of the bones in her body making it stage 4. Almost everybody I know has been influenced by cancer in some way. Cancer has always been a horrible disease in my mind, but having it impact my MOTHER has been especially tough. I've seen her get countless surgeries. I've seen her sick to her stomach. I wish that I could take some of the pain for her as she doesn't deserve any of this. Thankfully, my mom is still alive and she continues to fight this monster. She is the strongest woman I have ever seen and I am proud to have her as my mom and I will continue to support her through this journey. I personally believe that one day she will be cured. It may sound silly to some, but I have faith in both my God and in medicine.

As a cancer fighter, my mom doesn't want to be treated any differently than "normal" people.  She doesn't want to be treated as though she is dying. She may be weak, but she can still have fun like the rest of us! No matter what cancer one has, all survivors and fighters deserve to live in a world where they can be loved and supported. They are not "contagious" or "walking time bombs."









Spoiler: with name










​
My outfit consists of a pink sweater that has the breast cancer ribbon on it. It is NOT my design and I found it on the kiosk. I unfortunately do not remember the creator's ID, though I remember I did find it using the keyword "cancer" a while ago if anyone is interested. I'm not an artist, but I tried my best to create my own ribbon design and it's the one that I'm using on my flag. Like the sweater, it also contains the breast cancer ribbon. It also has three hearts (they represent my dad, my boyfriend, and myself... aka our household). My shoes and hair accessory are pink ribbons as well. The bandages represent the hardships that cancer patients and their caregivers endure. My character is doing the confident reaction as I am staying positive through this journey and am confident that a cure will come soon. I chose to stand in one of my bamboo fields with my mama pandas for obvious reasons. I happened to take this picture while it was raining which I kind of like. To me, having my character be confident in the rain shows the importance of having hope during a storm.

I sort of rambled, sorry! I am moved by all of the entries  Diversity is truly a beautiful thing~


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## WaileaNoRei (Jun 29, 2021)

Feel bad for being so late on the congratulations! But good job @S.J. , @Bekaa , and @Rosch !!

And really everyone who is participating. I expected this event to be fun, but I did not imagine how truly inspiring and touching so many of the entries will be! Thank you everyone!


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## Chibi.Hoshi (Jun 30, 2021)

Enlarge image.​
Here's my entry. I decided to go for a slice of "home" away from home, my Filipino heritage. My player is wearing a traditional Filipino gown called a Filipiniana dress, this is also known as a Maria Clara, a well known feminine Filipino figure of the same name. I was born half Filipino and half New Zealander and grew up in both countries. With "current globe events", I and others haven't been back to their country for quite some time, and for my family, it has been a struggle. Many people of many races around the world are struggling with the same pain, missing their loved ones they can't physically reach. And to know, things will be ok.



Spoiler: Username


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## Bowserlab (Jun 30, 2021)

mine is celebrating LGBTQ+ using rainbow sweatshirt rainbow umbrella rainbow coloured skirt and rainbow feather in my hair


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## OswinOswald (Jun 30, 2021)

I wanted to support females in STEM roles. Maybe it's becoming less of a rarity, but I still think it needs to be normalized in people's minds as I still experience sexism fairly regularly. As a surgeon, during my training I've had many individuals tell me things like "Oh, you're too nice to be a surgeon!", or patients assume I was in a different role, or speak over me to the male students in the room thinking they were in charge. Despite great strides to promote feminism, people still make assumptions and judgements about all of us. We should all be and do whatever we like to do, and be celebrated for our achievements and life choices!


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## tiffanistarr (Jun 30, 2021)

OswinOswald said:


> View attachment 382686
> 
> I wanted to support females in STEM roles. Maybe it's becoming less of a rarity, but I still think it needs to be normalized in people's minds as I still experience sexism fairly regularly. As a surgeon, during my training I've had many individuals tell me things like "Oh, you're too nice to be a surgeon!", or patients assume I was in a different role, or speak over me to the male students in the room thinking they were in charge. Despite great strides to promote feminism, people still make assumptions and judgements about all of us. We should all be and do whatever we like to do, and be celebrated for our achievements and life choices!


omg yes!! I too work in a "male dominated" career field and women are often overlooked when it comes to executive positions and are generally underpaid when compared to their male counterparts. I'm so proud of you for staying strong and not giving in to those challenges. I've learned through my women's focus group that when women feel sexism in the workplace directly or indirectly a lot of women will shy away from trying to "move up" the company ladder or they just feel stifled about taking chances or meeting goals. It's so inspirational to see women keep holding on.


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## LambdaDelta (Jun 30, 2021)

trans pride snow bunny, for a southern hemi island. I surely hope I don't need to explain how any trans peoples support fits into promoting diversity. like that honestly feels like explaining why water is wet: it just is. the outfit itself is based off the trans pride flag colors put into a wintery/bunny style

also, bless the dancing reactions giving us a hopping animation


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## Fitolink (Jun 30, 2021)

So, I’m from Mexico, and I haven’t seen anyone posting something about this beautiful country. I like to see all the different country diversity in this forum. There are different time zones which is not really nice some times cause I miss some good threads when they are posted in like 6 am or 1 am, but I like to see different behaviors from all the countries that I can find here. I really like this forum and I wanted to post something from my country, and the wrestler outfit seems really nice for this occasion. So thanks for the chance Bell Tree Forum y que viva México!! Ajua!


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## Halloqueen (Jun 30, 2021)

I don't play as myself in video games for the most part, so none of my New Horizons residents really represent me personally. However, my island is themed around world history and and the various cultures of people around the world. It's a celebration and showcase of humanity in microcosm.

I had two different player characters in mind for this event and it was kind of difficult to choose which one I wanted to go with, but I ended up choosing Jasmine. I like to give my characters little backstories, and in Jasmine's case, she's a history professor.







The pink of the tweed jacket and tweed pants, along with the white shirt underneath and the blue tie and shoes, were chosen to symbolize the transgender flag. The rainbow hat is obviously meant to symbolize the LGBTQIA+ flag. Finally, with *Juneteenth* becoming recognized as a federal holiday as of this year, and since this character is a history professor, I thought having her hold a Pan-African flag would be a nice way to wrap everything together conceptually.

As for the pose, I didn't want to just wave the flag around so I kind of tried a bunch of different reactions until I found one that struck me. 

Of all my residents, she felt the most appropriate to feature because it's so very important for us all to always keep learning history. History gives us context for why things are the way they are now, and knowing more about a situation can help us better formulate solutions. It can help us to shatter preconceived notions and it can help us humanize those whom societal pressures discourage interaction with or whom matters of distance or circumstance prevent us from interacting with. It can emphasize the importance of nuance by showing us that rather than strictly black and white, our world is full of various shades of gray.

For those of us who are part of oppressed groups or who are allies in our various struggles for equality and justice, history can show us the horrors that have occurred and which could again befall us if we ever get too comfortable and become lax in our vigilance. History can teach us which methods of resistance are most effective in producing progress. History can also provide sources of hope when things are bleak in our own time.

Many problems in our world can be resolved if more people learn to empathize with one another and acknowledge our shared humanity. History can, if we let it, help us along that path and help us to tear down the walls between us. Though history is filled with many terrible things and can understandably and justifiably cause resentment, deepening our knowledge can also help us to see that for however different we may be, we're all still humans, and our human diversity is fascinating and beautiful.


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## justina (Jun 30, 2021)

I love everyone’s entries so much!! Everyone clearly put a lot of hard work and thought into this event 

It was a struggle deciding what to do but in the end I decided I wanted to represent stuttering and bring some awareness to the struggles of it.









My character is wearing a teal ribbon for stuttering awareness. Stuttering is one of the biggest medical mysteries in the world. Nobody knows what causes this, and there is currently no cure. It’s something that can’t be controlled and can be very scary to speak or have a normal conversation. An interesting thing is that a lot of people think they stutter “sometimes” but this is called cluttering. Stuttering is a condition that happens all the time. Most people take talking for granted but it’s really a struggle when you stutter. Some things we can do to help is to never finish someone’s sentence when stuttering. We never want to make someone feel bad about it because it’s something out of their control. It’s estimated that about 1% of people stutter. Stuttering is really something that makes many people unique and is not something to feel ashamed of.


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## BungoTheElf (Jun 30, 2021)

Originally I was just going to have myself in a cheongsam but I haven't worn one in so long so I feel like it wouldn't properly represent me/being diverse. Soooo... It's my mom! My family is Chinese American, though my parents and their families are refugees from the Khmer Rouge. I have a lot of respect for how hard they are able to work and how far they have gotten in life when they have started with so little and had to restart their lives, even learning a whole new language. In general refugees and immigrants work really hard and even pick up the more laborious jobs so I always find it ridiculous when people bring up the "immigrants are stealing our jobs" argument. Anyways, although my family is Chinese, we always eat a ton of different kinds of foods my mom makes from different cultures (asian especially) such as: Cambodian, Thai, Japanese, and Korean. I let my mom chose some of the clothes and customize the character!


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## xSuperMario64x (Jun 30, 2021)

here's my entry! it's a bit all over the place but all these things mean a lot to me so I wanted to represent as many things as I could 






so all these things make up who I am as a person of multiple diversities, just one out of so many different and amazing people. I'll list all the different things below:
1. the hat represents the new symbol of autism awareness/acceptance. for a long time autism awareness has been associated with the color blue and the jigsaw puzzle piece, but since those symbolisms are used by Autism Speaks (which is a hate group, won't go into detail here) the autistic community has decided to use the infinity symbol as well as a rainbow or gold color instead. I am proudly autistic, and since I'm able to, I like to be a verbal advocate for autism acceptance!
2. the hoodie is the demiboy flag. I just came out to everyone on social media yesterday as a non-binary trans guy and I was, thankfully, met with many kind words from friends and family. I finally feel liberated and I can be who I want to be, and not be someone I'm not. so the hoodie represents my ability to express my true self, and embrace who I am.
3. the flag is a combination of the ace flag (bg) and the cupioromantic flag (inside the heart). these aren't as big of a deal as my gender identity but I still have a lot of pride in being ace and aromantic, especially since within the LGBT+ community it's often questioned or ignored. I can't change who I am so I embrace this as well!

for me these things are a big deal because each part of my identity, in one way or another, serves to impede my life within modern society. - - autism is still largely misunderstood because it is only viewed from the outside, from the view of neurotypical/allistic people who don't understand it, and it is often seen as a debilitation, when in reality it's just a different way of thinking and processing the world. and with the proper accommodations autistic people can perform very well and live happy lives!
- I've been horrified by the amount of anti-trans legislation passed in the US recently, so I came out in hopes that my family and friends would pay more attention to it and speak out against it.
- as for the flag, I am showing my pride for my LGBT+ status in spite of people who try to say that pride month (and lgbt+ pride in general) has no right to exist. I also need ace pride because until i found the community I felt like something was wrong with me; though I knew I didn't need fixing, I had no one to relate to and share my experience with. heck even now I get frustrated with myself sometimes, bc being aro/ace will make it difficult when I inevitably put myself out there to find a partner (I'm sure being trans will make it hard too). until then I just hold out hope and take pride in who I am.

anyways yeah, I really enjoyed making these designs for this contest! and I really like seeing all the other entries, they're all fantastic!



Spoiler: pic with username



I wasn't sure if I needed to include this, but just in case.


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## Rika092 (Jun 30, 2021)

Okay so I was going to submit an entry that is more along the lines of my ethical identity (I was born in China but grew up in America), but there are so many already amazing entries for that, so i wanted to do something different, and i hope this is acceptable:

So the topic that I want to address is the lack of gender representation in the corporate workforce. Hence my outfit, and appropriately so, the setting of the picture. And no, I'm not talking about explicit gender discriminations, but the more subtle, unconscious bias. While there are generally more equalized gender representation at lower levels of the roles, men dominates in senior management positions at the top by large margins. There are data suggesting that only 10-15% of fortune 500 companies have female CEOs, and women representation is even less on the board of directors. Moreover, women only earn between 70-90% of what men do for comparable work. None of these issues are adequately addressed even today. If a male coworker pushes back on certain things, they may be seen as strong and capable, while women exhibiting the same behaviors could be labeled as aggressive, pushy..etc. While a lot of these issues are beyond my control or influence to be addressed currently, I aim to continue to develop my career so that one day I could be the one breaking the invisible glass ceiling. I will not be submissive just to conform to other people's perceptions of how women should behave at work, and I hope that one day I will be in position to inspire and enable more and more women who have ambitions to advance their career to the top. Go girl power!!


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## Equity (Jun 30, 2021)

_First Impression_​
Take a moment to look at this picture. What were your first impressions?

This character design is meant to be an experience and comes with a little story. I designed a character such that she doesn’t quite look human to represent how first impressions can be misleading.

*Green skin colour: *No human has a green skin colour. As such, this colour represents the impression that some people may have gotten during their first encounter of the “other” in which the “other” may have seemed “alien-like” (whether it’s about their ethnicity, physical appearance, religious faith, political orientation, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc.).

*Egg shell hat*: I’m sure that many of us have felt pressured to conform to societal norms such that we become empty shells. The egg shell hat also represents how from the onset of our birth, we are taught to fit into a “mould” (be like your peers to fit into society). However, the cracks on this hat (as well as the character) are there for a reason…

*Cracks (dress and face paint): *The cracks on my face and dress (body) reveal a different skin colour – that of a human – and are meant to represent a metamorphosis. It can viewed as my character breaking away from social norms and finally being able to be herself. It’s also meant to show how our perception of the “other” can change as we get to know them better.



Spoiler: Metamorphosis complete!



(*If the first picture can't be considered as an entry because it's not human-like, this picture will be my other submission!)*




Under the rough exterior was hidden a Canadian-born Vietnamese girl. I’m wearing an Áo Dài to pay respect to my ethnic origins. I dressed her up with the pink one because it especially reminds me of the outfit I used to wear when I used to go to chợ tết (New Year Celebration festival) with my family! I’m also holding the _Canadian Native Flag_ by Kwakwaka'wakw artist, Curtis Wilson to pay respect to the indigenous communities (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) living in Canada.



Spoiler: More detailed explanation to why I chose this flag



As Canada Day is approaching and with the recent news about the discovery of unmarked graves from former residential schools across Canada, I wanted to raise awareness about the historical and present-day injustices that indigenous communities have faced/are facing. I believe it’s important to recognize that I currently live on unceded indigenous lands, as I believe that this is one of the first steps towards reconciliation and inclusivity.

As such, I tried reproducing as well as I could the _Canadian Native Flag_ more details about the flag can be found here] by Kwakwaka'wakw artist, Curtis Wilson (I was limited in space, so I couldn’t include all the elements). I hesitated between reproducing this flag or the flag of a specific community close to my city. I’m aware that it’s rarely used. In fact, I’ve never seen it being used before (I recently discovered this flag myself). Some people may not wish to identify Canadian citizens, and I do not wish to be disrespectful towards any indigenous community. However, I chose this flag to include both indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and non-indigenous peoples in Canada. One sentence from the artist especially resonated with me: “I strive to help us think of inclusiveness in Canada instead of exclusiveness or as the title suggests: ‘Standing together in support of each other.’”


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## Shellzilla_515 (Jul 1, 2021)

I just want to say congratulations in advance to those who will make it to the banner! I've been counting the number of people who submitted their entries and if I'm not wrong, *87 people participated!* I tried comparing this number to the fighter roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Not counting the DLC fighters, there are *76 playable characters*. If we throw in the DLC fighters, including the final one that has yet to be announced at this time, there would be *88 playable characters to choose from.* We were short by just one entry, but the fact we got close to this number is absolutely incredible! Please correct me if I'm wrong with any of these numbers.

There's something I've been working on the last few days as a bonus for this event. I was aiming to get it done today, but due to technical difficulties, I was nowhere close to being done, despite spending hours doing it (thanks, potato laptop). I'm not quite sure when I'll be done, but hopefully I'll be able to do so before this thread gets locked. I really want to show this to the wonderful people who participated.

Not only was it fun to participate in this event, but it also helped me learn new things and being more aware of the various issues that are happening around the world. It sounds bad that these issues exist, but I personally see this as an opportunity for everyone to make the world a better place. 

Edit: Looks like the banner has been updated! Congratulations to deanapants, Valzed, xara, Kattea, and jadetine!


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## Jeremy (Jul 1, 2021)

Thank you to everyone for participating in yet another event on The Bell Tree! All of your entries are amazing and have done a great job at celebrating diversity in our community!

The remaining entries will be marked as accepted with bells sent out tomorrow.

Our final round of submissions has ended with @deanapants' and @Valzed's characters earning the most votes.

The final overall votes for remaining entries ended with a tie, so we had to find a way to fit a total of five characters in the banner! The three characters added to the banner with the other two are by @xara, @Kattea, and @jadetine.

Good work, everybody!!


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## CylieDanny (Jul 1, 2021)

This was such a fun event, it really gave me courage to confess about myself to others, and that was really hard to do

But seeing how amazing, and open, accepting everyone is here, plus all the little messages made it worth it. All those little reactions meant the world to me, and just knowing people were reading it was enough to make me beyond happy, and proud ♡

Learning about everyone hearing some wonderful, heart warming stories, and people talking about their selves, their culture, their struggles, how they identify. It was amazing. Putting so much thought into your outfits too! You guys had amazing stories. I read all of them ♡♡

Congratulations to all the winners, you totally deserve it! Your stories were inspiring, and wonderful

Stay excellent guys! This was an event to remember


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## S.J. (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations everyone, and thank you for sharing your stories! Your reps all look so sweet on the banner!  @xara @jadetine @Valzed @deanapants @Kattea


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## xara (Jul 1, 2021)

ayo i forgot the final round ended tonight . i’m too tired and stuffy to form many coherent thoughts, but this event was absolutely lovely. i had a lot of fun creating my entry once i finally figured out what i wanted to do, and seeing what everyone else came up with + getting to know you all a bit better was an incredible experience that i’ll always cherish. thank you again staff for all that you do, and it’s an honour to be up there with @jadetine, @Valzed, @deanapants and @Kattea .


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## Yanrima~ (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations to the winners! 

 And especially thank you TBT for the fun events! Looking forward to the future fun events The Bell Tree has in store!


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## deana (Jul 1, 2021)

I was already so touched just by the likes but to also actually have enough to be in the banner I am honoured! Thank you everyone who liked my entry and congrats to my fellow banner peeps right now Valzed, xara, Kattea, and jadetine !!!


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## Dunquixote (Jul 1, 2021)

Congrats @deanapants @Valzed @xara @Kattea @jadetine! Your reps all look adorable! I love all of your outfits! 

And great job everyone — even if you weren’t in the banner — for finding the courage to share your experiences and views on diversity and for the creativity at designing something that represents you, your experiences, family/friends, or views, or something else entirely.

I really enjoyed this event. I think even though this community is only a small part of the internet world, I think an event that promotes diversity and acceptance like this can make a difference in helping make the internet, as well as the world in general a better place that is accepting and tolerant of everyone regardless of race, gender, sexuality. It definitely helped widen my perspective and awareness. 

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories.

And thanks staff for your hard work organizing this event.


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## DaCoSim (Jul 1, 2021)

Congrats guys!!! Everyone looks amazing!!!!


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## Zerous (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations to the winners, as well as everyone participated!!!
Ik its been said a lot, but its been so heart warming to read through everyone's posts and see so many facets of diversity represented  ☺ 
Although thank you to the staff for hosting this again this year


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## Antonio (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations to the winners, I love seeing all these entries from everybody.


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## Nefarious (Jul 1, 2021)

Congrats to all the winners, very well deserved! Also a huge congrats to everyone that shared themselves through this event too, took a lot of courage for some to open up like this. ^^

Thanks staff for the wonderful event! Got to connect more to friends and fellow members, and maybe even a little bit of myself too, thanks to it. Looking forward to the next one coming in July. The secret has been plaguing my mind lately...


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## Rosch (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations to everyone!

Whether you made it to the banner or not, the most important thing is that you have been brave and willing enough to open up and share your stories with others. We have such an amazing community here.


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## Merielle (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations to the final round winners!!  @deanapants, @Valzed, @xara, @Kattea, and @jadetine, you're all looking great in the banner, and thank you for sharing your stories! 

Big thanks to staff for hosting this event, it was really cool!  I'm glad I was able to participate, and I really enjoyed reading everyone's entries!  Sometimes it was hard for me not to give a like to _everyone's _entries, though. ;; Great work to everyone else who took part, too—I know that it can take a lot of courage to share stuff like this.


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## amemome (Jul 1, 2021)

Congrats to all of our winners! It's been a privilege to read everyone's stories and see everyone's designs!


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## Croconaw (Jul 1, 2021)

Congratulations to all the winners. I’ve been stalking this thread and reading through everyone’s posts. I think it’s great how everyone feels so comfortable with themselves and hopefully reading some of these entries will help others, as well.


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## LadyDestani (Jul 1, 2021)

Congrats @deanapants, @Valzed, @xara, @jadetine, @Kattea! You look amazing!

A huge congrats to everyone who shared your story as well! Whether you made it onto the banner or not, that took courage and every story may have reached someone, helped them learn something or helped them feel more comfortable with themselves. Each and every one of you deserves to be celebrated!


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## Valzed (Jul 1, 2021)

Oh my goodness! What a wonderful surprise to see this morning! I never expected to see my entry in the banner. Thank you to everyone who gave my entry a "like". It means so much to me. Congrats to my banner mates - @deanapants, @xara, @Kattea & @jadetine! I'm honored to be in the banner with you all. Congrats to all the winners!

This event was amazing! All of the entries were incredible! I truly enjoyed learning more about my fellow TBTers & what issues are important to them. I've learned a lot about all the different groups that were represented here. Some of your stories were uplifting and heartwarming. Some made my heart hurt for the struggles you have had to face. I know it's not always easy to share what we've been through in our lives but by doing so we raise awareness and hopefully inspire people to get more involved. Thank you all for sharing and for educating us. You have all been so brave by sharing what you've been through and what's important to you. Each one of you in an inspiration.

(If anyone ever needs an ear to vent to, a shoulder to lean on or just someone to chat with please feel free to PM me. I'm never too busy to listen.)


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## tessa grace (Jul 1, 2021)

congats and thanks to the mods, this was a blast!!


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## Midoriya (Jul 1, 2021)

Congrats to all the winners, and thanks staff for another fun event!


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## Cosmic-chan (Jul 1, 2021)

Cosmic-chan said:


> My character is representing a small community that seems to go unnoticed or picked on for no reason. My character is representing Blasians also known as Afro Asians. What is a Blasian/Afro Asian? It is a person of black/African descent who also has Asian ancestry and decent. We do exist. We are valid. We are "dirty" we will not turn the water "dirty" because of our skin. The fact my great grandma married a black man and my Japanese family doesn't even want to associate with us because of this fact is awful. My great grandma has been dead for 30 years and we still get hate. We battle black hate and Asian hate and we feel we don't know where we belong and it should not be this way. We can wear Kimonos and Zoris and Zen hair pins and have curly hair and dark skin and still be Japanese as well. We aren't aliens. We aren't mistakes.  We can be black and Asian.  We shouldn't be told to speak English just because we're black and and shouldn't be told our hair shouldn't be curly just because we're Asian. We are valid and we are beautiful. Sorry for the rant.
> 
> 
> Edit: I forgot to mention that I'm Neurodivergent and I  have Autism and ADHD and it makes me act younger than I am and I tend to be into more immature things then I should be. That's why I chose to make my character look "babyish" this is who I am.
> ...


 33 likes? Okay, this means a lot. I like the support..


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## Kattea (Jul 2, 2021)

Aww, I didn’t realize the last two groups would be displayed together so this was a nice surprise! I loved reading everyone’s stories and seeing just how much diversity we have here on the forums. Congrats everyone who got featured!


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## GuerreraD (Jul 2, 2021)

Most of these avatars were amazing and well-thought  I certainly don't envy one bit of the admins work, having to choose ones and discard others! It must had to be hard!
My favourite is the native american one. Not only it's awesome as a whole, but also something you don't see around much. In fact, I don't think I've ever found anyone cosplaying it. And in all my 8 years playing NL, I met a lot of players...


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## Shellzilla_515 (Jul 2, 2021)

I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.


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## Dunquixote (Jul 2, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991



Wow! That looks fantastic! I was wondering what it was that you were working on! . I can’t imagine how long that took you. Excellent job! That is seriously really cool!


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## xara (Jul 2, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991



OH this is what you were working on!!!  this is so cool, i love it! <3


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## Firesquids (Jul 2, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


Quite a roster, so cool to see everyone together, nice work.


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## King koopa (Jul 2, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


That roster is as big as smash ultimate's 
For real though, it's nice seeing everyone together like this! At first I didn't want to participate because you know, racism because I'm black, but after seeing other people post, I decided to try and I actually got way more attention than I thought lol. So thanks for this chance to show who I am without feeling embarrassed!
Also isn't there supposed to be a banner with the top 2 most voted overall?


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## deana (Jul 2, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


This is so lovely!! It's so nice to see everyone all together and really shows off what a diverse bunch we are here! Thanks for putting this together for us all


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## TheDuke55 (Jul 2, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


I bet that took quite a bit of time, but you made it look amazing! Looks like an official Nintendo poster of some sort that you could buy.

@Koopadude100 lol that's what I immediately thought of to. Like the trailer where they state 'Everyone is here!'


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## RollingAntony (Jul 2, 2021)

I wasn't able to submit an entry, but I'm so happy I was able to read all the posts here. There is so much I learnt from the experiences and posts and I'm thankful that all of you submitted your story. Everyone deserves to live their life to its fullest and I hope all of you, including your family and friends, are able to achieve happiness. Thanks for being brave and sharing.

Also thanks to Shellzilla for doing that image, it's so wonderful to see the TBT "Everyone is here" moment.


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## Shellzilla_515 (Jul 2, 2021)

Thank you all for the lovely support! ☺ I didn't expect to get some replies, so I'll do my best to reply back!


Dunquixote said:


> Wow! That looks fantastic! I was wondering what it was that you were working on! . I can’t imagine how long that took you. Excellent job! That is seriously really cool!


Thank you very much!  Let me tell you, it was an absolute _pain_ getting this together not because of the sheer amount of members, but because of how painfully slow my laptop is even when doing the simplest of tasks such as just moving around the images. I started around 26th of June when this idea came into my head, so it's been quite a while! You're all lovely people and I wouldn't be doing this in the first place if I didn't care at all.


xara said:


> OH this is what you were working on!!!  this is so cool, i love it! <3


That is correct! I tried to keep the details vague as possible, but at the same time letting people know I was working on something special. Thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it! 


Firesquids said:


> Quite a roster, so cool to see everyone together, nice work.


Thanks for the reply. ☺ It's awesome seeing so many people with different backgrounds all in one picture.


Koopadude100 said:


> That roster is as big as smash ultimate's
> For real though, it's nice seeing everyone together like this! At first I didn't want to participate because you know, racism because I'm black, but after seeing other people post, I decided to try and I actually got way more attention than I thought lol. So thanks for this chance to show who I am without feeling embarrassed!
> Also isn't there supposed to be a banner with the top 2 most voted overall?


87 people participated so we were short by just one character if you count all the DLC characters (including the last one that has yet to be announced) in Smash Ultimate. However, we did beat out the base roster of 76 characters, so it's a plus at least!

About the banner, I think there were two people tied for the same amount of reactions so both of them were included if I recall correctly.

I just want to say once again great going for taking the courage to represent who you are. It's really cool knowing a person's race even though we're all typing behind a screen on this forum. Consider the image I made for your character (along with many others!) being immortalized on the internet showing that we respect one another, regardless of who we are. ❤ These colourful hearts represent the TBTWC teams. ☺


deanapants said:


> This is so lovely!! It's so nice to see everyone all together and really shows off what a diverse bunch we are here! Thanks for putting this together for us all


Thank you very much!  It's an awesome thing to see here. I had to double check multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anyone (I really hope I didn't). But yeah, where else would you see a black person taking the courage to represent themselves (Koopadude100), an awesome moderator from the UK (Vrisnem), a loving mother representing their child who has Spina Bifida (Foreverfox), a senior adapting to technology (Bekaa), showing support for indigenous people of Canada (both you and Equity), a Filipino petrolhead (me, Shellzilla), and a meme queen (Mistreil) all in the same image? Nowhere else, that's for sure. The Avengers got nothing on this!


TheDuke55 said:


> I bet that took quite a bit of time, but you made it look amazing! Looks like an official Nintendo poster of some sort that you could buy.
> 
> @Koopadude100 lol that's what I immediately thought of to. Like the trailer where they state 'Everyone is here!'


Indeed, it did take a lot of time to do this! My laptop played a huge role in taking up my time in the past few days. Consider the image I made as a memento for the event! 

	Post automatically merged: Jul 2, 2021



RollingAntony said:


> I wasn't able to submit an entry, but I'm so happy I was able to read all the posts here. There is so much I learnt from the experiences and posts and I'm thankful that all of you submitted your story. Everyone deserves to live their life to its fullest and I hope all of you, including your family and friends, are able to achieve happiness. Thanks for being brave and sharing.
> 
> Also thanks to Shellzilla for doing that image, it's so wonderful to see the TBT "Everyone is here" moment.


Aww, thank you! It really does feel like Smash Bros.! ☺


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## Roxxy (Jul 3, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


That is absolutely amazing!! I wish that I could print it off and have everyone sign
 it  Such a lovely thing for you to do. A perfect end to an amazing event !!


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## S.J. (Jul 3, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


You did an amazing job. Thank you so much for making this!


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## jadetine (Jul 3, 2021)

Jeremy said:


> Thank you to everyone for participating in yet another event on The Bell Tree! All of your entries are amazing and have done a great job at celebrating diversity in our community!
> 
> The remaining entries will be marked as accepted with bells sent out tomorrow.
> 
> ...


I am so proud of all the entries, and a little embarrassed to see myself in the banner. ☺
Rather than congratulating the folks who garnered the most votes, I wanted to say thanks to the members of TBT who have taught me a little more about yourselves and the world. It is so poignant to describe our identities, and to build understanding. Before reading the orientation / gender identity, or "what's bothering you today", and the "what makes you happy today" threads, I was ignorant about the struggles some of you endured. TBT has made me a more educated and empathetic person, and I am so grateful to have met all of you.
Thank you for being here today. The world is better for having you in it.


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## Antonio (Jul 3, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


This is absolutely amazing and it reminds me of how lovely this entire community is. Knowing all these lovely diverse people make up this community simply fills me with joy. Y'all are absolutely amazing and I'm truly happy to just be apart of this community.


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## Midoriya (Jul 3, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.



This is so amazing, friendo!  I wasn’t even sure what you were working on when you contacted me, but I’m glad you made something that truly captures the diversity of members on TBT!  Kudos to you!


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## xSuperMario64x (Jul 3, 2021)

really awesome @Shellzilla, I love seeing everyone in one pic together, straight vibing ☺

also @Firesquids I missed your submission but I absolutely ADORE it omg


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## Cosmic-chan (Jul 4, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


Aw wait, this is cute!! I love how we were all given the same items but, every character looks so different! I see mine looking cute!


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## Lyrica (Jul 5, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


it looks so niceeee! Thank you so much! That’s such a huge gift!


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## tiffanistarr (Jul 6, 2021)

Shellzilla said:


> I don't know why, but it feels a little awkward to post in this thread a couple of days after the event has ended. The thing I've been working on is finally finished! I present to you: All 87 people who participated in this event are present all in one image! I hope you like it! The file size is so huge that not even imgur will allow me to upload it, so I took a screenshot instead.
> 
> View attachment 382991


I'm a couple of days late seeing this, but omg I love this!! thanks for putting this together! Everyone’s characters look amazing!


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