Help With Lebanese-American Character so I Can be as Respectful as Possible
I've shared this in two communities I thought I'd open this to Tumblr as a whole too. I wanted to get some insight about one of my characters since I want to make sure that I am being as authentic and respectful as possible.
The character is Andromeda and she is a Lebanese American engineer. While I myself am partially Lebanese, I know that I am still learning and don't have all of the answers/knowledge when it comes to that part of my family history.
So while I am looking for resources and people to help with this, I thought I would start here so I can get the ball rolling.
Some of the things I have planned for the character are as followed:
She is an engineer, specifically a civil engineer. In the story, some of her work includes helping with theater and community center (i.e. expansions, making sure everything is up to code, making sure to get in touch with contractors for certain areas, and brainstorming or reviewing blueprints for buildings).
She rescues a raven with a broken wing that she names Gladiolus due to his "thorny" demeanor (the flower is also known as the "sword lily), and how, despite his injury he still carries himself well (strength and integrity being a few things gladiolus represent).
She has a fear of snakes due to her mother getting bitten by a blunt nose viper (one of a few venomous snakes in Lebanon) when visiting the country when Andromeda was a kid.
She does end up taking a job at a reptile sanctuary in Arizona, where she meets Maria (previously Aster), who's a herpetologist that specializes in snakes, who she befriends and helps Andromeda with her fear of snakes.
Where I'm looking to get some help on are how I want to explore what it means for her to be a Lebanese-American. What I had in mind was that Andromeda would be a second generation immigrant. Her mother was from Lebanon and her father was a Michigan born Lebanese-American.
One thing being whether or not she would have been raised (Maronite) Catholic or Muslim. While doing some research, I did find that Islam is the major/most practiced religion in Lebanon with Catholicism being the biggest denomination for the Christian practicing population. If I were to base this on the side of my family that is Lebanese, I could go with the Catholic route since that's how that side of my family was raised. However, I thought I'd get some input since I can only speak for my family.
The other thing I thought I'd get some input on is how I should approach a romantic relationship with Andromeda. One thing that I am considering is having Andromeda and Maria (again Aster previously) getting together. Part of me is debating if I should go that route or just have them just becoming really good friends. I'd also be factoring in what religion she would be or at the very least grew up being, and how that would effect it (i.e. how relationships in general would be, if Andromeda being with another women should be something I go with, and how strict her parents would be in that regard).
As for her appearance, the question ultimately comes down to her attire. Excluding her wearing glasses and her hair being silver/white (the explanation being she went grey young and doesn't care if people know it). While I don't have an exact style for her, I know that she wears a lot of purples, which is a nod to her original name being Lavandula (the scientific name for Lavender). One thing I have included when sketching out an idea for what she looks like, I usually had her wearing a scarf.
