Narrative shorthand is still important. Using existing accents, and leaning somewhat into stereotype, can communicate a great deal of context without spending a ton of time on fictional history. Is it lazy? Often, yes. But it works; just like shape language and color coding are useful tools for visual storytelling.

It’s so established in the way we tell stories that avoiding these tropes is a deliberate subversion that can be thought-provoking or distracting.