A Long Journey To an Uncertain End has a character inspired by the painful past of the LGBTQ+ community
Aylah Tress, the motherly, badass lesbian that fixes everything that’s broken in A Long Journey to an Uncertain End, is actually a character that’s meant to embody the painful past of the LGBTQ+ community.
Despite the joy we’ve found with one another in solidarity, those part of the LGBTQ+ community know that our past has been a difficult and painful one, and it’s that pain which has made the victories feel so damn good. While we still strive for equal representation, some of us are just pleased to finally be acknowledged in a positive way.
Not only is Aylah a certified badass, but thanks to a Kickstarter update from A Long Journey to an Uncertain End, we now know what inspired her LGBTQ+ orientated creation.
For Kylan Coats, the Creative Director of A Long Journey to an Uncertain End, Aylah was influenced by two people. One was Coat’s old boss, who handled hostility with a shrewd empathy and intellect that he has yet to see again. The other person, however, was a gay, Jewish man from Brooklyn.
“[He was] in his early 20s in New York City during the AIDS epidemic, always had some wisdom to share; some response to everything,” Coats shared. “On one visit I remarked how he always had a response to everything. He leaned in and told me, ‘Hard to believe, but I wasn’t born this fabulous. You used to learn these things from your elders.’ As I listened to my friend talk about New York in the 80s before AIDS, I started to realize just how big of a loss our queer family has taken.”
The loss of gay men due to AIDS epidemic cannot be understated – it’s something that still haunts so many, even today. It’s clear to see how the grief that follows Aylah at the death of her friends in her past helped the Crispy Creative team shape her grim determination and her affection for the few friends she has left.
But there is hope in Aylah’s character and in A Long Journey to an Uncertain End’s world in general. While her character is a homage to the LGBTQ+ community’s great loss, there is also that shining light of hope for a better and more beautiful world.
To learn more about A Long Journey to an Uncertain End, head on over to the game’s Kickstarter.
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