Coming off the heels of JK Rowling doing a JK Rowling, it's super important to understand the source of your inspirations and acknowledge the baggage that comes with it, in this case JRR Tolkien https://twitter.com/pcgamer/status/1275584431269478402

Even as someone more scifi-aligned, it's super clear how basically all modern (western) fantasy draws some inspiration from Tolkien. And when you draw inspiration you inherit the biases, however unintentional

Tolkien was very much a product of his time, and he denies any intentional coding (allegory). But that's the tricky thing - your biases will enter your work no matter what you do

consider why a white British man, in the 1940s and 50s, wrote about the race of Orcs who are coded to incorporate African or at least "tribal" aesthetics and are described in his words as having the complexion of "(to europeans) the least-lovely mongol-types"

Or how the Men of Middle Earth are split between those who serve and oppose Sauron, and those of the latter group are dark-skinned

Tolkien of course did word it carefully, perhaps as a way to subtly question European biases, but how much of this prejudice derived from active racism vs just being a product of his environment is kind of irrelevant - what matters is that the biases are present irregardless

Sci-fi peers should still take note because even though our "core" inspiration draws are far more contemporary and Liberal, if you're following me you probably don't self-describe yourself as a "Liberal"

I had a chat with a friend the other day about the Liberal-ness of Mass Effect, a game series I like a lot and whose greater setting I love more

It's a setting that has undoubtedly influenced my work in +700, however unintentional it may be, but I could probably write a whole thread about Mass Effect's kind of inoffensive capitalist Liberalism that is not really commentated upon from what I know

But anyway, the point is that having inspirations are good, yes - but taking it wholesale like those works fully formed out of the aether is...limiting, at best. Question the possible prejudices held and see if you can grow beyond them.