Meet Pixelated Pearl, Our First Nerdy & Girly Character

Naming the main character of our book was one of those tasks we wanted to do without putting effort into… But only because naming stuff isn’t fun, and we’d rather skip ahead to the dopamine-inducing tasks (like character sketches). 😆 After some time very well spent on background research and combined ideas, we feel “Pixelated Pearl” has ended up being the perfect fit!

First, we started with a list of known character traits that we both agreed were non-negotiables. Our character would:

• Identify as female
• Be between 10-12 years old, a time when self-discovery can start to feel overwhelming
• Attend public school
• Live an average middle class lifestyle

We knew she’d be a part of a loving household, and that her parents nurtured her own spiritual journey without disruption or judgment. It was important for us to emphasize that her struggle would be coming from within, as we recognize it’s not always possible to overcome self-doubt just by having supportive family and friends. Drawing from my own personal experience, sometimes you can come from the “perfect” stereotypical family and still struggle.

We also wanted her to be Filipino-American as an homage to Aireen’s own beautiful, Filipino heritage. Aside from our character’s olive skin tone, and having “eyes that kiss in the corners” (we love you Joanna Ho!), she’d have attributes that could be considered more traditional to the Phillippines. We’re also excited to sneak in subtle cultural symbols here and there, some of which you might even spot in our sketches!

Then, we started crafting our character’s personality specific to being nerdy and girly:

• Easy going; not too shy; not overly outgoing
• Likes to be sarcastic when the time is right (...Don’t we all?!)
• Wears lip gloss to school and is interested in makeup, but still learning how to apply it
• Has pierced ears, and wears a necklace she made
• Asks for sparkly apparel from Lola and The Boys as gifts
• Her favorite foods are chicken adobo and grilled cheese
• And, her favorite song is Landscape by DROELOE, Banji

Our character’s more nerdy traits were pulled from my own: A passion for video games, a natural curiosity to learn, finding joy in writing code that produces something interactive, and an affinity for astronomy - to name a few. I was raised by Trekkies and had a Super Nintendo growing up, so it was destiny, really. (Although, now my kids are being raised in a Star Wars home with a Nintendo Switch!)

In true Millennial fashion, we're breaking away from the either/or mentality of our childhood. Pearl's story shows kids they don't have to choose between being tech-savvy and fashion-forward.

After writing down every trait, we came up with two names: Pearl and Ruby, both nods to foundational programming languages. The twist is that the Philippines is known as The Pearl of the Orient based on their tradition of pearl farming, and the country naming pearl as its natural gemstone.

So, world, meet Pixelated Pearl, a girl who has a passion for combining pink and pixels into her personality.

We rarely saw characters like Pearl in our own books and media when growing up in the 90s. Now, as part of a generation that craved this representation, we're lucky to have the chance to create these stories for our own kiddos.