: Re: It seems safer to make everyone white then to be accused of 'racism' if I I make any of my pre-written cultures a different race I'm writing fantasy stories in different worlds which do not

@Merenda569

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I don't know how in-depth you are planning on making these races, or how varied, but there are a few tips you can try out.

1) You make their skin colors make sense for their environment. Dwarves of the mining variety are likely lighter when clean than other above-ground races. Races above ground that are closer to the equator will have darker skin. Races from cultures that do more in the sun, like a farming community, will likely have darker skin still.

2) If you have races that are not flesh-based, such as animal-people, goblins, or lizardmen, then you can easily put in different colors of creature, but I'm fairly certain that's a given.

3) Since fantasy creatures are generally associated with tropes (Graceful Elves, Sturdy and Hardworking Dwarves) you can choose to subvert the usual images within reason.

In truth, as long as you give each race their own culture and history that makes sense regardless of allegories drawn to human culture, it won't be racist unless you take stereotypes of cultures as the whole culture. Goblin Slayer, for all of it's controversy, had a Lizardman who had garb and mannerisms that, to me, were indicative of American Indian, but because the character made sense and every aspect mentioned was useful, it didn't come off as either derogatory or pandering, that was just the lizardman culture. That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime is also a good example of how to mix different races and cultures (Orcs serving as physical labor for Goblins, Ogres, and Direwolves to make up for trying to attack the lizardmen, with the MC being a reincarnated human in a slime body who is the brother of a dragon and best friends with a demon), although I would recommend a little more depth to each races culture than what's presented.

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