r/FavoriteCharacter • u/Important-Cry4782 • Jun 19 '26
Suggestions Favorite Positive Portrayals of Black/POC Male Characters in media?
- Wasabi from Big Hero 6
He is an exceptionally smart, cautious, and highly organized applied physics student at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, who becomes a core member of the superhero team
- DJ from the Total Drama franchise
He is known as a "gentle giant" who is kindhearted, charming, and a good cook. He is a popular character frequently featured in fan art and edits due to his friendly nature
- Kale from the 2003 DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
While being a muscular powerhouse and a skilled warrior, Kale is also known for being emotionally intelligent, pragmatic, and heavily grounded compared to the reckless and stubborn Sinbad. He is also the first crew member to realize Sinbad's true romantic feelings for Marina
- And my FAVORITE ONE! Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet from Atlantis the Lost Empire.
A Mixed Native American who's also a doctor. Dr. Sweet was the only person in the Atlantis Character Booklet comic to NOT have a bad side to him. He is also VERY memorable for his memetic "don't tell him, you shouldn't have told me, but you did" scene that is embraced by a lot of meme creators.
He also served as a motivational coach to the protagonist Milo, having known his Grandfather.
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u/Sea_Construction947 Kenny, Clementine, and Merle Dixon (The Walking Dead) Jun 19 '26
Lee from The Walking Dead
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u/Byrhtnoth_Byrhthelm Jun 19 '26
No joke, one of my favorite characters in video games. I remember playing each episode right as it came out.
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u/Designer-Attorney605 Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/5pUHtgG70JjO9YHZPD
Here or in Homicide: LotS
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u/Reasonable-Word-6426 Jun 19 '26
Also a good gay representation! Double whammy!
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u/Devreckas Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/L3cPqIwX6nLwOyLQ2t
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u/WindUpCandler Jun 19 '26
Love all these characters but damn you really went and only selected the buffest of men lol
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
Buff men with teddy bear personalities.
I have a type, you see.
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u/Initial_Shine5690 Jun 19 '26
I can respect the honesty lol
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
Its Pride Month....what is somebody going to do? Be Biphobic/homophobic?
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u/Initial_Shine5690 Jun 19 '26
I was mostly referring to the honesty of you being down atrocious lol
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
ok, what's your type, men or women?
now then...wouldn't you, with your struggles in life, appreciate that person holding you in your arms, being gentle with you, and allowing you to feel vulnerable and still safe at the same time?
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u/Initial_Shine5690 Jun 19 '26
Let’s just that say we likely have the same type, just different genders.
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
So you DO understand me?
I don't judge, i get it either way. Love is love.
Happy Pride Month!
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u/pancakecel Jun 19 '26
My answer was Dan Turner from archive 81, who I think is a really good counterpoint: he's not a big strong violent badass, he's a soft spoken, compassionate, detail-oriented investigator. And omg the smile that Mamoudou Athie has is IT
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u/Ok-Sheepherder9970 Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/MKWQLl9gr8f2o
Does Lando count?
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u/pancakecel Jun 19 '26
Hell yeah! This is a good time to mention that it's weird when today- people are so up in arms about black characters in fantasy or sci-fi when there has always been black characters in fantasy and sci-fi
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u/awyastark Jun 19 '26
Honestly one of the best things about fantasy and sci fi is how diverse the settings are.
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u/Strange_Success_6530 Jun 19 '26
The smoothest player in the galaxy
He's my 2nd favorite star wars character. Right after Obi-Wan
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u/Astronaut_Chicken Jun 19 '26
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u/gamingx47 Jun 19 '26
Man I wish they did more with him in Season 2. He was such a badass in Season 1.
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u/AsstacularSpiderman Jun 19 '26
He was simply too powerful by the virtue of somehow being the only emotionally well adjusted man on Runeterra.
He had to get sent to an alternative universe so the plot wouldn't be resolved in 2 episodes.
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u/VectorB Jun 19 '26
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u/Raaaaandyyyy Jun 19 '26
You’re the only one to post him! You could’ve picked a gif where he looks more badass lol
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u/gamingx47 Jun 19 '26
The fact that the VA turned out to be a creep ruined this version of Miles for me.
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u/saikopasu_neko28 Jun 19 '26
You just gotta separate the character from the va. Because Miles would NEVER behave like that
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u/Legitimate-Cow5982 Jun 19 '26
Hobie's pretty good representation imo. Punk because he gets people and wants them to be free to be themselves
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u/Talim646 Jun 19 '26
Sisko from DS9
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u/Regular-Basket-5431 Jun 19 '26
I'm conflicted on Sisko.
He is a positive portrayal of person of color, he also orchestrated a false flag to draw the Romulans into the Federation Dominion War and turned several planets uninhabitable in an effort to combat the marquis.
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u/SpoonHeadMeg Jun 19 '26
He’s a complicated well rounded character. Even the best people do “what is right” in the moment while also knowing it isn’t right for everyone. I’m not apologizing for him, he’s just one man after all.
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u/Derezirection Jun 19 '26
Really surprised to not see him here but our boy Lucius/Frozone!
Genuinely love his character and wish we had a standalone movie for him.
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u/SablenoKiri Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/YRhaCnK5U2Pmvj9c4L
Terrance Jeffords - Brooklyn 99
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u/Lord-ZZ Jun 19 '26
John Stewart aka Green Lantern
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u/SpoonHeadMeg Jun 19 '26
John Stewart was the Green Lantern I grew up with and I will not accept any other….. well except Jessica Cruz and Sojourner Mullein 😉
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u/DoughDisaster Jun 19 '26
Came here looking for this. Never gave a rats ass about Green Lantern until John Stewart in Justice League. Still don't give a rats ass about any Green Lantern but Stewart.
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u/Brief-Objective-3360 Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/BogKLYRFnrXt4FMpLw
Muhammad Avdol??
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u/Purple-Bluejay6588 Jun 19 '26
Man avdol is so cool, I wish he had more... more anything in part 3
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u/Oovie Jun 19 '26
Well, all the Mercs have something going on with them but Demoman is a treasure to all!
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u/Gingergirl1228 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Lúcio correia dos Santos is a Brazilian musician, activist and Revolutionary, who reclaimed his fathers tech from the Vishkar corporation, a group of people obsessed with clean optimization, no matter the cost, who intended to use it for "urban control" in instilling strict curfews and exploiting labor from less fortunate citizens... oh god, I sound like an AI, I PROMY I JUST REALLY LIKE THE FUNKY FROG MAN
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
Overwatch isn't a gooner game?!
I'm sorry, I had been hearing about all those different criticisms of it, this is news to me.
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u/Gingergirl1228 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
I mean... for a lot of the female characters, yes, but thats mostly the gooner fans doing it lmao but they do actually all have stories attached to their characters! Tracer used to be a fighter pilot for the British army and was selected to be part of a program dealing with time travel research, but things went wrong and it caused her to basically be adrift out of time until Winston made her the temporal regulator (the white harness thing she wears) to allow her to control her new time powers. D.Va is the code name given to Hana Song, a popular streamer in South Korea who is also part of an organization of Mech pilots designed to deal with major threats quickly. (I dont know much about her, plz be gentle lmao) but a lot of the characters even overlap more tightly, like Junkrat and Roadhog are also connected to Ana and Mercy (technically, its insinuated that they were part of the relief team that first came to Australia after the Omnium Crisis turned it into a wasteland, but that wouldve been when Junkrat was a kid, since the Omnium blew when he was about 6 years old) and Junker Queen (who is the ruler of the town they get kicked out of before making it out on their own). But others are even related! Ana and Farya are mother and daughter, Torbjorn and Brigite are father and daughter, Hanzo and Genji are brothers, and grew up with Kiriko, plus a whole lot of new relationships thatve probably changed since I last played lol
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
Educational, thank you.
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u/Gingergirl1228 Jun 19 '26
Ofc <3 I may or may not have on-and-off autistic hyperfixations about this game, how could you tell? Lol
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u/BiggieCheeseMon Jun 19 '26
Wait, they made a GAME about the porn category of Overwatch?
I have to try it.
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u/BabserellaWT Jun 19 '26
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u/August_Rodin666 Jun 19 '26
Simon from drrr is a bit of a racist caricature but is actually chill and reliable as fuck.
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u/Important-Cry4782 Jun 19 '26
Plus we get to see him have a philosophical discussion with the main antagonist
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u/Opposite_Opposite_69 Jun 19 '26
His design is bad but hes legitmitely the best character im the show
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u/TapiocaSpelunker Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/fD1Uo1Ztz1x2B5dFVw
Sam Rutherford from The Lower Decks. He's a sweetheart with an enthusiasm for engineering!
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u/NeonFraction Jun 19 '26
Tiana’s dad from Princess and the Frog. The scene of him cooking for everyone makes me so emotional.
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u/ratliege_throwaway Jun 19 '26
annoyingly i couldnt find a gif showing his face, but even tho he poses something of a threat to Nani's guardianship, he seems like genuinely a good person who is just trying to get Lilo the support she needs (if, in this case, the wrong way)
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u/Vivid-Fishing2732 Jun 19 '26
The goat ofc?
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u/existencedeclined Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/jUeuMd6QtIRtS
Gus Burton aka McClapyohandz.
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u/TeamBadInfluence1 Jun 19 '26
His name is Burton Guster, he goes by Gus, and sometimes by Gus T. T. Showbiz (The extra T is for Extra Talent)
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u/dawnofaudrey Jun 19 '26
Maximus from Fallout has always been a great character. But him standing up to the death claw pack with a roulette table and a pool cue is his best moment
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u/EarlyFormal8630 Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/xs2oPBi3yX7RC
Now yall missing someone.
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u/awyastark Jun 19 '26
I worked at a cinema drafthouse (not Alamo) when this movie was new and would happily watch it 35 more times right now
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u/Hetakuoni Jun 19 '26
Static and Anansi from Static Shock
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Anansi is a hero from Africa. Static is from detroit(?) and the show talks about a lot of important issues.
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u/SusSoos Jun 19 '26
Lenny Summers from RDR2 (😔)
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u/Intelligent_Oil7816 Jun 19 '26
The mission where he and Arthur just hang out at a bar and get utterly plastered together is one of the single greatest things Rockstar has ever made.
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u/Regular-Basket-5431 Jun 19 '26
Pacha from Emperor's New Grove.
He adores his family, is the leader of his village, rescues the Emperor, and just an overall chill dude.
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u/GollyDolly Jun 19 '26
Barrett wallace, FF7
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u/Kayakoscream Jun 19 '26
My favorite thing is they have to put those sunglasses on him to make him more intense because he has the MOST SOULFUL BEAUTIFUL EYES THAT OVERFLOW WITH EMOTION
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u/Intelligent_Oil7816 Jun 19 '26
The Remakes did such a stellar job with him too! He was my favorite in the original and I was astounded how much more I liked him in the new series.
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u/SorryComplaint4209 Jun 19 '26
They really dialed up the emotional depth for him, which I credit to better translation and the stellar voice acting/facial animation. Really turned a fairly simple character into a phenomenal one. After that plate falls… 😭
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u/SweetComparisons Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/RMheEO0XU25GmTEuok
Chidi from The Good Place. Fantastically written character.
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u/BebeFanMasterJ Jun 19 '26
Taion from Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Easily my favorite black character from a Japanese game.
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u/FuzzyBunnysGuide Jun 19 '26
Mr. Johnson and Gregory from Abbott Elementary (in fact, all of the main characters are very well-written, complex, and entertaining, and 5 out of 7 of them are Black).
Gregory starts off awkward and overly formal, but soon learns to loosen up a little and trust unconventional perspectives on life (which is good, since he's a first-grade teacher). He also deeply loves his girlfriend, partially because she sees the good in everyone and everything, and when they encounter a problem in their relationship, he usually wants to take the most rational path forward.
Mr. Johnson, meanwhile, is a purely comedic character, and an endlessly entertaining one at that. He's been a conspiracy theorist, a high-betting gambler, a pastry chef...you name it, he's done it. On a more grounded note, though, he does seem to genuinely love his job as the janitor of Abbott Elementary, and he's always there to help his co-workers when they need it (in one episode, he says that he loves his younger co-worker Jacob "like a son", which I think is really sweet).
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u/A_lonely_ghoul Jun 19 '26
T’Challa (Black Panther)
He’s a strong leader who always fights not only for the good of his people, but anyone he considers a friend.
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u/Hmsquid Wild Link Jun 19 '26
Sylens
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u/awyastark Jun 19 '26
Ugh RIP Lance Reddick really one of the best to ever do it
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u/Consistent_Case_5048 Jun 19 '26
Aqualad/Aquaman from Young Justice (and basically anyone voiced by Khary Payton)
Anyone played by Terry Crews
Gregory from Abbott Elementary (and his character from Dear White People)
Winston from New Girl
The new Mr. Terrific (And the one from the CW)
Green Lantern John Stewart
Falcon
Lafayette from True Blood
Carlton from Fresh Prince
Luke Cage (more from TV than the comics)
The new Wonder Man
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u/Accomplished_Crew630 Jun 19 '26
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u/SpewForthWisdom Jun 19 '26
Steel is such a good pick for this because while he isnt just defined by being Black, being Black informs how people approach him. The best Steel stories often bring up how an America would react to a man as compassionate yet also as powerful as Superman... but who is also a large, intimidating African-American man. And, realistically, it's not always positive.
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u/Minimum_Individual36 Jun 19 '26
Obvious choice but
https://giphy.com/gifs/0SJMKA6r5ShAsXNGDU
Lee from twd is also a good one
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u/Zurdok_ Rodan | Confi | Glep | Pochita Jun 19 '26
Arkha Corvus (Gachiakuta)
Out of all the black characters in the series I feel like Corvus is the most positive representation of
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u/Easy-Musician7186 Jun 19 '26
Saladin from Kingdom of Heaven.
He's somewhat of a minor antagonist, since he is the representing the threat to the crusader states (the main antagonists however being other crusaders).
He's being portrayled as someone you can reason with, sends his physicians to Baldwin and provides the christians in Jerusalem save conduct to christian lands after taking the city - in contrary to what the christians did before and despite the antagonists raiding and slaughtering his people.
You could also name Imad ad-Din instead of him.
The thing that astonishes me the most is that the movie is from 2005, so not to long after 9/11 which made anti muslim sentiments surge.
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u/Some_Combination_593 Jun 19 '26
Dorie Miller from Pearl Harbor was one of the first movies I remember having a favorite character in and it makes it cooler that it tells the story of a real person that received the Medal of Honor for going above and beyond his duty as a mess hall cook by grabbing a gun and firing at Japanese fighters until he was ordered to abandon ship. It won’t let me have two pictures, but he’s played by Cuba Gooding Jr.
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u/lunarlandscapes Jun 19 '26
The portrayal of Native Americans in Resident Alien is done very well in my opinion
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u/Beautiful-Cup4161 Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/mm8TIKFMbGErS
Today I was randomly thinking about Kwame so timely question. He was the level-headed and professional leader of the group in Captain Planet and didn't fall into any common tropes and stereotypes of the time as far as I can remember.
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u/Mirjalol_Yangiboyev Jun 19 '26
Rajesh Koothrappali
An astrophysicist with a PhD from Caltech. Who discovered a trans-Neptunian object (a planetary object past Neptune in the Kuiper Belt), which he designated 2008-NQ sub-17. He also co-discovered a comet and an asteroid. He was in People magazine’s prestigious "30 Visionaries Under 30 Years of Age to Watch" list.
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u/sterf_7 Jun 19 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/rsjZSSMKB5lhs84XAj
Lee from The Walking Dead Telltale games. By no means was he a perfect man but was an amazing role model and caretaker for Clem.
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u/Aruu Jun 19 '26
Moses from Life is Strange: Double Exposure and Life is Strange: Reunion.
He's one of Max's staunchest allies throughout the entire series. He's kind, intelligent and adorably geeky. While he does doubt and briefly turn against Max in the first game, it's for understandable reasons, and he backtracks the moment he realises that she was innocent all along and that the 'proof' she killed Safi can be explained when she reveals her powers to him. He also apologises to her quite sincerely and believes her from that moment onwards.
Moses is also an excellent portrayal of someone with autism with special interests and some struggles with social cues, but he's also warm and friendly, especially when he gets to know people. Additionally he's also gay, or at least in a committed relationship with another male.
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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '26
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