#leoyur...

As you already know, in this card the images that go inside the frames are about Disney characters that either resemble or are the “twisted” version of the birthday character (I say “resemble” because, for example, characters like Jack don’t have their twisted counterpart revealed).

From the very beginning I’ve explained that Yura is me. Her appearance is mine, she is me and I am her, a complete self-insert. I think of it as if I reincarnated into TWST after leaving this world. Yura isn’t the twisted version of any specific Disney character, but I did take inspiration from several. From those, I picked one to put in my birthday card, a character I’ve loved since childhood and felt deeply identified with: Jane Porter (Movie: Tarzan, 1999)

I also included the image of the bouquet that Tarzan prepares for Jane and later Jane gives to Kala, because I represent Yura as a yellow flower 🌼

Why did I choose Jane, and why do I identify with her?

Jane is a cheerful girl who loves nature and those who live in it. I spent part of my childhood in the countryside, and my love for flora, fauna, and freedom is a big part of who I am. She’s a creative girl who loves to draw, my younger self was delighted when I saw her because she liked the same things I did, and still do to this day. Both of us feel curiosity for new things, and well… sometimes we get into trouble because of it. Jane gave me comfort; I always thought of her as an amazing woman, going into the jungle with her father to do what she loved, research and discovery, regardless of how society at that time would judge her. I love drawing, and she inspired me to keep chasing my dreams regardless of what others might think.

Many times, Jane is shown uncomfortable in her attire, a symbol of the life in society she wanted to escape; where you had to behave a certain way, do what everyone else considered “proper,” and where others’ opinions carried enormous weight. My family also cared a lot about “what people will say,” the neighbors’ opinions, and I was raised with that restriction, always seeking approval. Only as I grew older did I realize things aren’t supposed to be that way, that I shouldn’t care what others think of my tastes, dreams, or goals. That I have to be happy, and it’s okay if I like things others don’t.

That’s why I feel so identified with her. I’ve loved her character since forever and I admire her.

This is why I chose Jane out of many others for my birthday card not because of her relationship with Tarzan. If you notice, he isn’t even in the drawing.

I DO NOT SEE LEONA AS TARZAN AT ALL, NOR AS A “SAVAGE.”

That same day, I quoted my birthday post with a version featuring Leona so we could be together in it.

For that one, I changed the frames to show our dynamic. Which Disney characters represent our relationship? Kiara and Kovu (Movie: Lion King 2)

Not Jane and Tarzan. Not Scar and Zira.

Why do they represent us? — First of all, Kovu faced prejudice from others because they saw Scar in him. Many people see Leona as Scar and believe he’ll do the same to his brother or nephew in the future, but I don’t see it that way at all (I respect those headcanons, but these are just my views). Kovu is not Scar, and neither is Leona. If you’ve looked deeply into him, you’ll know that beneath the armor Leona built to protect himself and his indifference, he’s a great man. A kind man many admire, and I admire him so much.

Our dynamic is Enemies to friends to lovers. At first, I didn’t like Leona because of the things he did, but little by little, I researched him, got to know him, and each day I liked him more. He became one of my favorite characters and eventually, I fell in love with him. He’s been a great comfort to me since I first met him.

Kovu and Kiara were supposed to be enemies because of the differences between their clans and Scar’s legacy. But as they got to know each other, they became friends. They showed each other their worlds and fell in love. They loved each other with both their virtues and flaws, just like Leona and me. That’s the Disney couple that represents us. Their personalities also fit… ♡

—

After posting both cards and as they gained some visibility and likes, two quote-tweets appeared on my post that I didn’t expect.

The first was from someone hinting that they realized I had chosen Jane from Tarzan…

To be honest, at first I didn’t understand what they meant or what was wrong. But then something clicked in my mind and I rushed to explain that she wasn’t Yura’s twisted version, just to avoid… well, exactly what’s happening now. (Reminder that she’s my self-insert…) For me, it was simply choosing a character I liked and who resembled me the most in personality.

However, they quoted me again with rude comments, and when I checked their account I realized it was a hate account. So I blocked them and decided not to give them more attention.

As for the second quote, it was also a bit rude in the way it was written, and that’s what caused the real issue. They quoted my birthday drawing asking why all Leona yumes were the “whitest girls in the room.” (Reminder: I’m Cuban, 100% Latina, living in Cuba. Light skin? Yes. White American/European/English? No. Cubans are a mix of many ethnicities; we don’t belong to “one race.”)

Well, I answered politely and it should’ve ended there. The people who saw it didn’t like the way that person phrased their quote, some talked about it in private quotes, but I stopped paying attention because I thought it was nothing serious.

Then another person quoted me, taking everything completely out of context, and started talking directly about racism and how most people deny that Leona is a black man… and that’s how everything suddenly escalated.

The issue became so distorted that everyone began attacking me, calling me racist and insulting me when I hadn’t even mentioned the topic again. They even invented that I “hate Black people” ????

Something I never said. Nobody gave me the benefit of the doubt or even checked my profile to see my content.

I want to highlight that I fully support the fight against racism, raising awareness and giving visibility to these problems that unfortunately still exist in the world in 2025. I’d be the first to support fighting against racism in the fandom, because I know it exists. I’ve come across people myself who even deny that Leona is Black (I saw someone say this around 2023) and who mischaracterized/sexualized him just for being so.

But the way it was carried out is what hurt me. I’m not trying to play the victim, but I literally received death threats and was mocked for being Cuban/Latina with classist comments. Things completely went off the rails.

—

Also, I didn’t even choose to be a yume for Leona, it just happened. It’s complex to explain, it was simply my feelings. I identified with Leona in many ways, even through the depression I was going through at the time. Leona helped me fight that and learn to love myself. I still struggle with depression and anxiety now, and Leona is the one thing that keeps me moving forward. For those who understand yume culture: I’m Riako, meaning my love for him is completely real, even if he’s a fictional character and I’m fully aware of that.

I point this out because I was accused of having chosen Leona out of racist fetishes like “taming” him and other awful things, which is NOTHING like the truth.

If you take at least 5 minutes to check my profile, you’ll see my content is mostly drawings and silly domestic stories, or art to comfort myself hugs, cuddles, or even jokes. There’s no power dynamic between us. Neither of us has more power than the other in the relationship. At no point does Yura “tame” Leona (God, that was probably the accusation that shocked me the most because it’s absolutely not true)

LeoYur are two lovers who learn to accept themselves thanks to the other, who let their walls fall, appreciate what they once rejected, and begin to see life in a new way. In other words, we both change each other’s perspectives.

The only thing I mentioned on Twitter about the situation before it blew up was asking my followers to please ignore the hate messages I was getting and not to attack anyone. But to others, it only looked like I was “playing the victim.”

It would’ve been great if someone had approached me and explained kindly what the problem was. I would’ve understood and apologized, but nobody did. I had to sift through hate messages until I finally figured out what stereotype they were referring to. But honestly, LeoYur has nothing to do with that. Once again, I repeat: Leona and Yura are not based on Tarzan and Jane. Please check my profile to see that for yourself.

At most, the similarities are that Yura likes drawing Leona because he’s her muse (an artist in love draws the one she loves, which is basically what I do). And that the first thing Yura was drawn to in Leona were his eyes. Those are the only coincidences you’ll find with the movie.

I’m really exhausted. I had anxiety attacks and cried a lot, but I feel a bit better now. I don’t know if I should explain myself on Twitter since it will probably only bring more hate and people won’t understand me. But at least here, I wanted to clear things up. I’ll respond very slowly because I’m still drained, but if you want to share your thoughts, I’ll read them just please be kind and don’t insult me.