canondivergence-if

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This is something silly, and also something that will basically be revealed immediately. But I was wondering if, when the swap happens, does the Author keep their own clothes, or do they appear in the World wearing what the Self Insert was wearing at the moment?

Because there are two options:

1. MC appears exactly as they were in the Real world.

2. MC is wearing what the Self Insert was wearing..

Option 1 means that MC, for example, if they need glasses, may still be wearing their prescription (useful).

Option 2 means the MC, following the same example, may not have the correct glasses or any glasses at all. Which could be a problem.

Now I realize this makes me curious about something else: For trans MCs, who only realized later in life they were trans... Can their gender be different from the self insert? I would suggest the answer to be no, mostly out of convenience. Maybe for trans MC's the self insert was the gender they wanted to transition to from thst early age?

Anyhow, have a nice day!

TA appears in the world wearing exactly what they wore in our world! That's one of the first mini hurdles they face. They'd better protect their glasses, though, because even though spectacles exist, they're rare and expensive in-world compared to ours!

For trans authors: there will likely be the option to say that they experimented with gender stuff via their self-insert in their teens, so maybe if they were AFAB they might've dressed their SI masculine to explore that identity as they were growing up.

However, in the present day, aged 30, TA has transitioned however they wanted to. And even though they've been apart from the world for 15 years, the SI is still connected to them, so core identity decisions like that transfer. If TA transitioned with surgeries, so did the SI (since that's possible with help from magic in this world).

I went in-depth on gender and sexuality here, but the tl;dr of specifically trans stuff is: it's possible, generally accepted, and the only part looked down upon is the use of magic to do it (because magic is scary, not trans people).

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So Granger is not an only child, but how many siblings owes he actually have? What about the other RO’s?

Emil has three older brothers.

Eady is an only child.

Granger has one much older brother.

Tali has three younger sisters (triplets), and one younger brother.

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Good news, folks!

I've found an actual lore and plot validation for this now, SO:

Appearance options will now include unnatural hair colours, tattoos, and piercings!

I'm yet to decide how in-depth I'll go with them. It may be a case of starting with the basics and then expanding with every update. But I'm happy that all those pretty Ren Faire pictures I always see can now be used as inspo for this world!<3

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For the RO’s

A classic!:

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Easy one!:

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So … MC content… we should tag you in that, yes?

Always always always. Tag me, or (likely when the options for TA become more clear) come into my inbox to chat about them if you like. I thrive off MC content!

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So is Granger, like...trying super hard to be a dashing hero? Because that would probably work on my MC but she'd also be going 'wtf is happening"

L i s t e n.

Objectively speaking, he is both of these things.

Dashing? Absolutely. Not an innate skill, but one he worked at so now it comes easy (and perhaps he leans on it a little too heavily).

Hero? Sore subject. Because yes, he is. And he knows it. But the reason he thinks he’s a hero and the reason others say he is? They’re very different.

He's got himself trapped in a vicious cycle there. One of his own making. And it's a biiiig part of his problem.

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Will we be able to choose how our character feels about the SI? My MC has a massive bleeding heart and would feel guilty about what the SI went through even before she learns it all became real.

I'm just imagining the dramatic irony of MC going "wow this is terrible, i should write a final chapter to give my SI a happy ending and then the Switcheroo happens

Oh absolutely, how you feel about them is a whole Thing.

But I can't say what The Author will be able to do about these feelings. Because spoilers.

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So he's just kind of...intensely vocalising at them with desperation.

I need him.

Yeah, I feel that :')

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Actually, I'm going to be more specific for Emil's. The exact song I had in mind to match that vibe of intense nostalgia and yearning for home is this one:

can we have a random fact about the ROs past, current status upon the story starts [outside of their initial role], and what they HOPE for the future?

but instead of story-relevant -- or rather entirely so -- can it be more character relevant?

like in the past emilivaar shaved his head as a teenager on a dare or it has been years since granger has had rabbit stew and he desperately hopes he can have some in the future bc it reminds him of xyz. currently talitha owns a purple cloak that she'd kill anyone who dirtied it. these sorta things. just little morsels please.

I love the little tidbits about characters. I hope what I've got below is a little like what you had in mind!

Emil heard a beautiful, nostalgic song once in his homeland that he's been badgering the musicians he meets for years now on the off-chance that they know it. Trouble is, he doesn't know the words. So he's just kind of...intensely vocalising at them with desperation.

Eady got lost in the Valley for three days when she was a kid. She was saved by a centaur. Ever since, she's been delivering supply packages to their settlement, completely anonymously, as a way to help them out the way they helped her. She hopes she can influence her people to treat them better.

Granger used an old bestiary and map to sketch out where he's most likely to find all of the different types of monsters in the land. When he defeats one, he gets to check it off his list. He writes about his battles with each, and one day plans to publish a bestiary-slash-adventure book.

Tali isn't a spellcaster and never will be, but since she was a girl she loved the idea of sitting there mixing together ingredients to make spellflasks and such. She found a compromise hobby, and one that she got very good at: making her own oils and perfumes!

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Among the ROs, who is the best at singing and/or dancing? and who is the worst?

I'll do an answer for each!

Singing

Dancing

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are the ros associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)? is the SI? the queen?

Yes, they are! I actually kept this in mind when creating them to make sure they were all different. Obviously they don't fit with ALL the interpretations, so keep that in mind, but:

Emil: Water

Eady: Earth

Granger: Fire

Tali: Air

I'm not gonna do the Sovereign because her personality is...complicated. And the SI is so volatile right now, I'd probably say fire regardless of their original personality!

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Yeah okay, I've taken down the specific 'Demo TBA' date on my intro post. I don't do well with set deadlines.

I might finish the prologue before that date, I might finish a week or so after. Point is: deadlines bad for brain. You learn and adapt. Begone.

[canondivergence-if]

can we have a random fact about the ROs past, current status upon the story starts [outside of their initial role], and what they HOPE for the future?

but instead of story-relevant -- or rather entirely so -- can it be more character relevant?

like in the past emilivaar shaved his head as a teenager on a dare or it has been years since granger has had rabbit stew and he desperately hopes he can have some in the future bc it reminds him of xyz. currently talitha owns a purple cloak that she'd kill anyone who dirtied it. these sorta things. just little morsels please.

I love the little tidbits about characters. I hope what I've got below is a little like what you had in mind!

Emil heard a beautiful, nostalgic song once in his homeland that he's been badgering the musicians he meets for years now on the off-chance that they know it. Trouble is, he doesn't know the words. So he's just kind of...intensely vocalising at them with desperation.

Eady got lost in the Valley for three days when she was a kid. She was saved by a centaur. Ever since, she's been delivering supply packages to their settlement, completely anonymously, as a way to help them out the way they helped her. She hopes she can influence her people to treat them better.

Granger used an old bestiary and map to sketch out where he's most likely to find all of the different types of monsters in the land. When he defeats one, he gets to check it off his list. He writes about his battles with each, and one day plans to publish a bestiary-slash-adventure book.

Tali isn't a spellcaster and never will be, but since she was a girl she loved the idea of sitting there mixing together ingredients to make spellflasks and such. She found a compromise hobby, and one that she got very good at: making her own oils and perfumes!

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how do the ros laugh and what is their main love language [giving/receiving]?

How do they laugh?

Emil: Quick to smile, slow to laugh—in general. And when he does, he has a habit of stifling it that he picked up in the last decade. Disguising a snort of laughter with a cough, or busying himself with something as an excuse to turn the other way. He's the first to shed tears while laughing from the sheer effort of trying not to.

Eady: A very free and bright, almost girlish kind of laugh/giggle. She's got a good sense of humour and doesn't feel the need to rein it in. She also finds it difficult not to laugh when something funny happens in a serious situation.

Granger: Possibly laughs the most out of all the LIs, simply because he also laughs when the world throws something terrible at him. Which it does, often. In general, it's a dignified kind of laugh, like somehow you can still hear his accent in it. But it can get pretty unhinged if it's a laugh of despair.

Tali: Often a reluctant chuckle as she shakes her head and looks down. Hers are soft, until you really get her going. Then, she's surprisingly loud, clutching her stomach as she doubles over. Her belly laughs are 10/10.

Love Languages

Emil: Time (receiving) + Touch (both)

Eady: Touch (receiving) + Words (both)

Granger: Service (receiving) + Words (both)

Tali: Gifts (receiving) + Touch (both)

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What currency will be used in the world?

Bartering would be used more commonly than coin for people who live out in the wilds/in the poorest places. I mentioned villages made up of centaurs, nymphs, and creatures like that; they'd prefer to barter too.

But even in the Valley of Drayth, most of the time, the currency of Lohre is based on the typical copper/silver/gold system, called talons, quills, and crests in Elaustriel, after their national animal, the gryphon.

In Raavad, their national animal is the wyvern, and they swap out the name 'quills' for 'scales'.

The common folk tend to deal in copper talons. Talons are associated with working with your hands and being used as a weapon. Also more generally the idea of being quicker to resort to violence. The lower classes in a nutshell (according to some).

The merchants and artisans tend to deal in silver quills/scales. Both relate well to merchants: quills represent literacy, and (balancing) scales represent precision and fairness.

The upper classes tend to deal in golden crests. Crests of a gryphon or wyvern are all about presentation and putting on a good display, which is naturally associated with nobility and royalty!

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Devlog #2

I might've gone a little crazy, both with the hairstyle options and just like, mentally. BUT, after two straight days of coding combos, I (tentatively) have finished the hair and facial hair section!

Now I can carry on writing the prologue starting tomorrow and slot it in down the line. Reason #447917323 why I prefer Twine's layout for how easy it makes things like that.

The options include:

A distinction between being unable to grow hair on your head/face vs being shaven/clean shaven. This will impact text during travel scenes where hair growth tends to happen.

Additional options for coily and tightly coiled textures that sets a 'base' for how you tend to wear your hair down, that also flavours how you wear each hairstyle. All of the hairstyles will be written to keep that base consistent.

Example: if you pick a loc base, then select a bun, you will have a bun styled from locs. If you have twists and a fishtail braid, your fishtail will be styled from twists. Or if you choose to wear your hair down, it'll either be completely loose, or down with braids/twists/locs. Etc etc. I've tried not to get ultra specific with some to make sure each base + style combo is viable. I'm creating a pinterest board rn to try to collect all the visual refs for each!

Currently there are 12 facial hair options because hhhhhhng I love facial hair. I've made a note for some of the options unlocking specific comments from characters. I don't think it's possible for me to do that with ALL the options but some of the more extreme ones (mutton chops, for example) warrant a comment or two hehe.

Added about 1k to my wordcount just coding this section! Only downside of twine so far is that it doesn't separate actual wordcount from the code, so I'll have to do that manually at some point in a doc or something.

Bonus:

I committed to the option for needing glasses! I think it'd be a fun thing for a 'travel to a fantasy world' character to have to deal with without it taking centre stage, because spectacles are still a thing in this world, just much rarer.