Do y'all even remember Aria? Cause I don't! Okay-- that's a bit of a lie, but like c'mon... I haven't drawn this girl in MONTHS. Maybe even years?? That's not the point-- The point I'm TRYING to make has actually been a point I've wanted to touch on for a really long time; I just never got to it cause... I guess I didn't want to?? So, we all know Aria's parents are of different race. That's one of the biggest things that set her apart from my other characters. It's just... I never made it apparent, let alone made it remotely obvious that even existed at all. You know why? SHE'S. FREAKING. WHITE!!!

How?? How can I-- a black African American girl with MULTIPLE white ancestors (that I've never met nor know the names of) make a character who's JUST AS MIXED AS I AM... NOT BE MIXED?? I-- I will never understand my past self's logic, nor my justifications as to WHY I made her this way. At one point, I even went down a rabbit hole to discover if it's EVEN POSSIBLE for an inter-race couple to have a baby of the lighter shade, rather than the dark! (I was actually surprised to see that it IS possible, but it's not very likely. More often than not, the baby ends up being mixed or dark. There's rarely an in between) So yeah... If you look in the top right corner of this drawing, you'll see what Aria SHOULD'VE looked like all these years of me drawing her... despite my justifications and totally unreasonable rationalizations as to why Aria should be white instead of mixed... I'm sticking with this. Imma be totally honest, I absolutely prefer her this way, and I hope you guys possibly feel the same way. <3

Just wanted to bring in this drawing as another point-- just... THEY DON'T EVEN LOOK RELATED. HOW DID I LET THIS SLIDE FOR SO LOOONG???? Okay, I'm done now. Hope you guys are all well-- eating well, sleeping decently, and are working through healthy relationships with your parents, friends, and all of your family! Please stay healthy always. I love you guys! <3