#learning a lot abt food tbh even if it is fantasy food

[cinnabeat]

im reading dungeon meshi rn (painfully) and i really really sympathize with marcille rn

[iraprince]

I adore all your art with cookie and was interested in Sapphicworld- but I’m curious (so plz don’t take this as a negative-) what exactly in your opinion sets it apart from other Queer PBTA hacks like Thirsty Sword Lesbians?

I’d just really like to hear your thoughts about it as a system and world especially given you are a indie developer yourself?

hi!! thank you!!

so, a few caveats before i start off — one, i actually haven't played many other pbta games (like for example i know Of thirsty sword lesbians + own a copy that i've poked around in but im not very familiar w it), so i honestly can't provide much in the way of comparing/contrasting it w other pbta stuff in the same vein, and my impressions of sapphicworld are pretty much just contained to the game as its own thing, not so much sapphicworld as a Type Of Game

and two, while i am a dev myself, i'm a huge novice! like, i'm proud of the stuff i put out and i love doing it, but i personally feel like my lack of experience is such that like, i don't think my opinions in this case are particularly informed by my own work as a dev or anything. all this to say im happy to answer this question, i think i just gotta tackle it from a different frame than what ur specifically asking!

BUT ANYWAY. i can still talk abt why im so excited abt sapphicworld in a way that has kind of outstripped other stuff in general, and for me it's about the world 100%. like i honestly spend close to no time thinking abt the fact that sw is even pbta to be honest. not that the mechanics + gameplay aren't important, bc they are thoughtfully crafted and well done and fun, and i'm saying that from the perspective of someone who playtested earlier versions that have now been reworked! it's just like, not what comes to mind first for me — what's exciting and fresh and irreplaceable abt the game in my mind is like. it is fully committed to immersing you in an extremely lush, strange, richly fleshed out world, one with a long history and folklore/mythology and a TON of really fun npcs who all have different subcultures and its own calendar with seasonal holidays and regional terrain with specific fleshed out dungeons/towns/etc to discover and even like, specific FOODS typical to each different region and and and and —

and maybe at first that seems kind of overwhelming, and tbh it is. when i first got into it and i was going thru the playtest document (which if im remembering right was like. ~300 pages shorter at the time than the current playtest doc) i DO remember anxiously thinking to myself "god this is a LOT and idk if i'll be able to retain enough of this to rp convincingly" etc etc. but like... it's just really compelling, and it does an incredible job of mixing humor and gravity and horniness in a perfect ratio that always comes across as intensely earnest and makes it equally easy to have a fun goofy time or a really emotional time, which i think is REALLY hard to do.

and while normally it's hard for me to get thru something that dense and long all i can really say is that i just straight up like it enough and was charmed by it enough to pick away at it until i grasped it and felt like i understood a bunch about the world, which also has a curve to it bc in structure and tone its very different from any of your... idk more Standard fantasy or sci fi worldbuilding, so it's not like u can immediately slot in ur expectations from other settings and just learn some new vocab words, it's a world that from my perspective also Functions differently than a lot of other fictional settings in a way that's a little hard to describe succinctly. (none of this is succinct to begin with but ykwim). it makes me want to gm my own campaign, really really bad, when usually i have always been absolutely Terrified of the idea of gming! idk man. it has a Flavor. it's full of Vapors. u get transported somewhere else reading it and playing it in a way i haven't experienced in a while and a lot of times after a playtest session i felt like my brain stayed behind in sapphicworld for a pretty long time.

i feel like i am sounding a little melodramatic and incoherent but like. genuinely sapphicworld is just a fictional world that i am really bone-deep charmed by and interested in and when i WAS reading thru the rulebook for those first days it did not take me long at all to find myself constantly thinking "i want to play in this world, i want to play in this world, i can't wait to play in this world," and i just think that's really special. and like — just as your curiosity abt comparing sw to tsl was not intended as a diss or a negative, what im abt to say is similarly neutral — im a person who sometimes finds it a little difficult to click with or feel excited abt a lot of the Queer Indie Stuff that i see get popular with other people, bc it just doesn't connect w my specific lesbian + trans experience; not that it feels inauthentic but that im like, oh, idk, i think these guys are just. not My Zone, ykwim. on the flip side so much of the humor and heart and transness and sex in sapphicworld is something that really resonates w me and just Clicks in a way that i have also found really special.

rounding myself off before i ramble for like five more paragraphs but just as one more morsel of something i like abt sapphicworld that is a little more concrete than me spinning around the room yelling "I JUST LIKE IT OKAY": one of the most fun parts of character creation is getting to mix and match your kind (sort of like ancestry/species, the form ur physical body takes) with a subculture. so u get things like a werewolf babe (cookie! babe being a subculture that focuses on being Like, Totally Hot), or a centaur knight, or a minotaur debaucher, or a vampire cowboy, or an organist (cthulu-y tentacle guy) scenester, or a skeleton wizard, etc etc etc etc — there are SO MANY to pick from that when i was trying to bait my friends into playing w me i couldn't find a convenient way to list them all so ppl could start thinking abt their characters. and every possible combination basically is interesting and amusing and fun and practically THROWS a great oc into your lap and i literally think i could amuse myself endlessly just Making Characters in sapphicworld and never actually playing w them.

[panting, disheveled] so tldr. i like it. uh. what sets sapphicworld apart from other ttrpgs to me is that i have fallen balls to the wall in love with the very soul of it to the point where i don't even really think about it in comparison to other games at all and it has just become an Experience to me and i suppose i cannot guarantee anyone else will fall into insane homosexual hysteria in the same way but here we are. HOPE THAT HELPS

(ALSO PSSST. idk if this is just perfect timing or if ur curiosity was specifically prompted by this but the @sapphicworldttrpg patreon DID just launch and if any of this has been intriguing u should check it out. okay mwah bye)

[baddiedaddy7]

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜🦄💜

do not plagiarize. all of this is my work.

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

dreamy. big on makeup, enhancing your looks. eyes are usually round/almond. the best feature of their face are their eyes. so many gorgeous girl celebs have this. has a dreamy look, but may also look like a fish tbh lmao. sympathizes w/strangers. usually tender hearted manners, and lovely vibe. shy/reserved. you’re like a sponge. if someone is being bitchy, chances are you will be too. keeps personal life on the down low. can be unrealistic.

celebrities:Kylie Jenner, Marilyn Monroe, Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

voice is probably chill, or has a soft vibe to it. voice may also be naturally low. remember it’s nice to be generous, but not too generous. don’t just give your money away easily, or to just anybody. make sure the money, or possessions you give away are put to good use. don’t be naive w/your money/possessions. the clothes you buy are probably creative/artsy or discreet/low key. focus on loving yourself. seafood lover or hater lol. might like “weird” foods. indulgent.

celebrities:Jennifer Aniston, Tina Turner, Muhammad Ali, Dwayne Johnson

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

thinks unconventionally. you may lack communication w/siblings. may be great at poetry, writing in general. writing is probably unique, and beautiful. may love the beach or lakes, traveling to places with water lol. siblings may have pisces/neptune influence in their chart. the reserved student. might have a soft spot for math, english, or art classes. visionary.

celebrities:Madonna, Dua Lipa, Keanu Reeves, Ryan Reynolds

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

parents may have been absent, or neglectful. parents may have also been addicted to substances(alcohol, drugs, even food, etc). parents may have sheltered you from certain things, that you had to learn a different way(puberty, sex in general, etc) might’ve been raised by other ppl than their bio parents, but if it’s positive, parents may have taught you to be creative, and sweet. this indicates the childhood house being near water or wanting it to be, or even being aesthetic lol. may have love fantasy growing up, fantasy movies/shows, mystical creatures, etc. childhood memories may be foggy. you’re distinctive/stand out, but you may also be over-sensitive.

celebrities:Emma Watson, Jessica Alba, Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙵𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

may have “pisces” traits in the dating world(wears rose tinted glasses, loving, naive, selfless, etc). try not to put your partner on a pedestal too high, cause then you might be disappointed. you may get too caught up in the moment, so birth control may be your best friend. i’ve heard of ppl w/this placement that had unexpected pregnancies. your hobbies range from painting, singing, inventing, sleeping, binge-watching, daydreaming, hanging out, astrology, and if on the bad side drugs/alcohol. children may have pisces/neptune influence in chart. very artistic ppl.

celebrities:Angelina Jolie,Cameron Diaz, Drake, Elon Musk

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚂𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

don’t stress so easily. when stressed, letting your creativity may help how you feel, or just letting it all out(crying, writing in a diary, etc). sleeping probably even helps your stress lmao. may be a vegan/vegetarian since they adore animals sm. neptune rules pisces which is represented by fish, so a fish may be an ideal pet. if not then a cat, as cats are mysterious. may not prioritize their health. may love junk food. likes being an helping hand, so may put themselves out there to help certain organizations, ppl, etc. i feel like these ppl probably shower/bath more than once a day. you’re very considerate.

celebrities:Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Will Smith, John Lennon

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

attracts ppl with pisces/neptune in chart, platonic and/or romantic. enemies also tend to have pisces/neptune energy. ppl you attract may be cheaters/liars, so watch out. they may also be really romantic or obsessive/delusional. you may attract damaged souls, that may end up trying to put their damage on you. make sure to set limits in love. but on the bright side, you may attract ppl w/positive pisces traits(dreamy, selfless, good listener, etc). senseless in love. believes in fairytales. you’re gregarious.

celebrities:Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Denise Richards, Ashton Kutcher

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙴𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

prefers to fuck ppl they have a connection with. may like to have sex in water(showers, bath, jacuzzi, etc)or near it(beach,lake, etc). sex can take you away from the real world. emotions are powerful. got some psychic shit going on😂. dreams are usually in depth, and interesting. might hide vulnerable side. death may be bc of drugs, alcohol, etc. also you may drown, die in water in general or die in your sleep. death may also be mysterious(going missing, not knowing the cause of death, etc). may be moody.

celebrities:Whitney Houston, Demi Moore, Michael Jackson, George Clooney

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙽𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

flexible mind. may go to college for drama, artsy jobs, etc. probably believes in religious miracles. probably loves traveling to places with water, so an island is your best bet/not a landlocked country. may be fascinated w/other cultures. in laws may have pisces traits(positive:loving, good listeners, considerate negative:manipulative/backstabbing, liars, addicted to substances, etc). try not to accidentally join a cult lmao.

celebrities:Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Heath Ledger, Jimi Hendrix

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚃𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

(i’m gonna say “we” cause this is my placement☺️)

if you’re famous, fans will fantasize abt you/crush on you. will have a career where they can express themselves(acting, singing, painting, etc), water related(marines, scuda diver, etc) or one that helps ppl since neptune is selfless(mental health, hospital, paramedic, humanitarian, etc). we can’t decide what we want to do in the future 😂, might even have multiple jobs. we may be known as romantic, sweet/loving, selfless, naive and other pisces traits. we’re usually so creative, and charming that ppl copy off of us(ik that’s said a lot but it’s true), we’re 💫inspiring💫. on the bad side, our reputation can be messed with since ppl make rumors abt us, and neptune rules illusion. good at coming up w/ideas, and inventions. resourceful, but can be off track.

celebrities:Christina Aguilera, Kourtney Kardashian, Matt Damon, Bruno Mars

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝙴𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

friends may have neptune/pisces influence. friends are usually toxic. also attracts damaged friends. watch out for who you hang out with/don’t put all your trust into certain ppl. friendship is very important to these ppl, and they’re usually the advice giving friend, or just the one that’s laid back tbh. a lot of your “friends” tend to be 🐍. usually shy as a child, but comes out of shell as they get older. ppl that may crush on you may have pisces/neptune influence often. altruistic, but strange.

celebrities:Zooey Deschanel, Christy Turlington, Zayn Malik, Brad Pitt

𝙽𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝙸𝚗 𝚃𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚏𝚝𝚑 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

sleeps often. follow your gut feelings. usually empaths. stay away from addictive things. not confident. doesn’t express their feelings. focus on loving yourself, it’s okay to take time for yourself. clairvoyant. you’re a dreamer. enemies take advantage of your/pray on your weakness, are manipulative, and you may also feed of off each other’s toxic energy. enemies may have pisces/neptune in chart. you happen to be self-contained/shy.

celebrities:Megan Fox, Winona Ryder, Bradley Cooper, Prince

[whales-are-gay]

re: ttrpgs, I think my favorite piece of advice I've ever been given by a friend, after spending like an hour telling them abt my super intricate dnd homebrew game, is "why not just make this its own game?".

And this totally changed my perspective on homebrewing bc like,,, that's essentially what ur doing when you get that deep into it. When you're reworking the magic system and making your own classes and races and all new monsters, you've just theseus's-shipped DnD. And like- when I realized I could just write my own game, my ideas also got like 10x better because I stopped being shackled to DnD's existing biases and systems (even if you don't think about it consciously, DnD has unwritten rules of conduct and how to play that you can choose to toss out the window or change when it's your game).

Like I feel like homebrewing has become sort of a pride thing, like "look at me I know the system so well I can add more to it!" which is just silly tbh. Like if it's a matter of pure passion, congrats! Go write a better game than DnD! and if it's about doing it yourself/being the Grand Master Who Created It All- don't make your players be your first unknowing playtesters, when you play in an already developed, different game system, you get to skip a lot of the jank and clunky parts for something someone HAS extensively playtested and edited so it flows better. It's literally better for everyone- just write ur game on the side and enjoy a less stressful tabletop games with ur friends.

AND AND, AS A FINAL THING- if you play games in the genre you want to write about, 9 times out of 10 you'll get a better awareness for how to make that genre good !!! Like if you're trying to make sci-fi dnd, playing sci-fi systems will help inspire you !!!! there is NO DOWNSIDE to branching out creatively at ur table besides ur friends being butts and not wanting to try to learn something new.

I just. aubbhsefwghtergsafiDIAFGSFHFDREYJGFSD. it's time to let go of dnd. I promise it'll still be there when u get back. be actually adventurous you weirdos. stop limiting ur creativity to a janky ass system when you could be playing something better. It's like insisting on making every meal with a pb&j as your only ingredients- like yeah it's a great pb&j, and you sure can try to make other foods with it, but why not just use other ingredients from the get-go instead of continually reshaping and reconstituting this sandwich so that, as the best possible outcome, it becomes a weaker version of the food you could've just gone and made yourself!!! AND, AT WORST- you just have a gross pb&j mess that makes you think "I guess the only food that's good is a standard pb&j since I couldn't make anything else." and that sucks ass !!!! this metaphor is rapidly slipping away from me but you know what I mean. ughrghfthergwhgherugh >:I

yes exactly! i really like the pb&j analogy. and i think dnd is tied to its origins as a war game and a western fantasy medieval roleplay game (tolkein-esque fantasy, essentially). not entirely a bad thing, but like ursula guin said- by ignoring what already exists in the genre you’re doing your audience (and in this context) your players a disservice.

if your players dont want to learn a new game, take the time to teach them! it might mean extra long (or multiple) session 0s but like. it opens up a whole lot more

[aresrl]

I hihi I am!!! A little nervous w/ doing this bc I've never done this b4 so please bear🐻 w// me💦 May I request a match up? A vision, a romantic partner and maybe a friend and/or enemy? If that's too much feel free to just assign me a vision + partner, ehe/// Preferably male for a romantic match-up, but either gender is fine with a friend and enemy match-up^^ I tried to be as detailed as possible but I think I ended up just ranting, so im v v sorry if it's long! I sort of fluctuate when it comes to being an introvert/extroverted. W// strangers and irl, I'm very introverted and shy!! Rarely speak and if I do it's just the usual "Hi how are you? That's good. I'm good too, thank you for asking:)" yeayea I'm not too. Keen on social interaction irl. But I always do my best to be very nice!! I never wanna come off as mean bc wow what a bad first impression that would be. But with friends / ppl ik online?? Whew I am very very friendly n chatty ^^ Either very high energy or very chill, there's rarely any inbetween. Sometimes I like to jokingly tease my friends but I'd never go too far / make them uncomfortable!! And if I do I always apologize right away!! I like to say that I'm affectionate?? My strongest love language is def physical affection, if not quality time. Idk man there's just something about vibing with someone or hugging them that just aaaaa/// Although I usually display affection w// words of affection bc. Literally most of my friends are online friends so I can't actually hug them, sad times. Idk if this is needed/important info but I just remembered: I'm 5'6 around??? Need glasses bc. Whew i am blind (near sighted), I'm poc (specifically black) anndd, hm. Actually I think thats it for this section, aha. As you can see I'm, not really all that organized. Also I don't have the best attention span - while writing this I'm circling between 4 different apps - and I'm a bit of a mess. And also a little stupid. Just a smidge dumb. But I have my moments - I solved like. 2 puzzles in Inazuma by myself so I think that counts for something. I also find that I tend to talk a whole lot when I have an idea or smthn to say abt a thing I'm super interested in!! That's info-dumping. I info dump. Yes. I also really like to listen to other people talk abt things they like!!!! Its so nice :) I'm protective over people I care about!! I've never done it but 100% would bark at someone who messed with someone close to be. Arf arf yaknow. I tend to he impulsive. I'll do something, and be all "YEAH>:D" and then regret it later. And then I'll do it all over again in a fun little cycle :) I consider myself an optimist, but quickly turn into a pessimist whenever it concerns myself. Fun funfun. Should probably mention that I am. A very insecure person w/ dangerously low self esteem, which is super fun esp when you mix that with the fact that I'm rarely ever motivated to improve. Yayayay Also sort of a pushover?? Like most often than not I'll be convinced to do something, even if I'm not too keen on doing it. Also afraid of confrontation when it comes to my friends and strangers (that is, if it's concerning me!! I'll order smthn for my friend but if I need to order for myself?? uhh stutter time aha). I'm also a mega simp ahah! Srsly though if I fall for someone/get infatuated with someone I. Will be so obvious abt it even though I try very hard not to be. Would gush over that person probably. I don't really like mean people tbh. Like yes I'll be nice and civil with them but!!! I cannot stand!!! Rude people!!! Esp when they're mean for no reason like sir??? maam??? homie??? chill pls ty<3 People who aren't necessarily mean, but moreso have bastard energy and are just really "hehe>:D" but playfully are p poggers tho!!! I think I get along with kids!! I have a little sister,, around like. Nine? And we get along really well!! I also try and match a kid's energy whenever I'm tasked with looking after them. I take pride in the fact that kids like me >:].... even if they sometimes scare me-- Ok, interest time!!

I like art!! Quite a bit!! Less of a realistic artist and more of a cartoonist!! Idk there's just something fun abt drawing cartoons, hehe. I also like self ships - I have quite a bit of them, actually ! Idk its comforting drawings your fictional crushes loving you idkidk. I like writing too! Both original stories, and one-shots or personal fics that are associated with already created media!! Writing character backstories and personalities and stuff is also fun too! I've even made my own fictional world with a full fledged backstory n everything! It's very fun to think about. I'm a day dreamer!!! Yea remember when I said I write stories? I day dream abt potential stories even more. Mmm daydream world so nice so warm so fun I read aswell!! Mostly fantasy books, or stories where animals are the protagonists. Think Warrior Cats. But my favorite book series has got to be Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Fantasy owl books, anyway! X Readers are also things I enjoy reading :) Again, s I m p Also gaming!!! Is something fun I do sometimes!!! Although it's usually Genshin Impact, or Wii Sports/Resort w// my little sister. Oh, also pokemon! I rlly like Primarina, Vaporeon, Sylveon and Vulpix/Ninetails! I absolutely adore sweet foods, and baking is smthn I'm def interested in! Don't like foods w// weird textures though, like beans or mashed potatoes. Also I. Love spice so much. Mmm love it when my mouth burns so bad. Don't have a favorite animal but I've had three cats in my lifetime (btw not important but my current cat is named Sylvester and. He's my baby boy) so I am. A very big cat fan. Probably not needed but I really like sword and claymore characters. Literally all of the characters I main are either sword or claymore users. Although I did get Diona, so I miiight start forcing myself to learn how to aimmm. I see that I tend to like people/characters that are a little more extroverted than me. Upbeat, happy type beat!!! Nice sunshine babies, :) I think thats it! I hope this was good enough? Again, first time doing this (at 2am nonetheless) so forgive me if I got too rambly or did anything wrong ^^ Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this! And I hope your day is good / you had a good day, depending on when you read this, ehe!

Hey! Sorry if the wait has been long! I also love Warrior Cats (I promise myself, one day I'll finish it.)

You received... A Pyro vision! Optimistic, enthusiastic, impulsive, reckless, and a lot of energy are the general characteristics held by the Pyro vision. • I hesitated between the Pyro and Hydro vision, but your energy distinguishes you from the Hydro vision. • You said you were impulsive, always doing something you might regret later but still doing it. • You react quickly: as you said, if somebody hurt someone you love, you won't think twice before barking. Your partner would be... Xingqiu! “This feeling was unexpected.” • At first, you were just friends, and Xingqiu really loved to tease you. Actually, you both teased each other. But eventually, a feeling of love towards you grew into Xingqiu. And that was reciprocated. • Your relationship is filled with teases, jokes, and good/funny moments where you mostly share what you commonly appreciate. • He also knows when to get serious: for example, he does everything to support you during your moments of struggle concerning your self-esteem. Your friend would be... Childe! “Luckily, I'm here!” • You two also share funny moments, especially during situations where your “stupidity” is overtaken by his insight. • Sometimes, he finds you cute. • He likes the fact that you get along well with kids. It leads you to great moments with him and his siblings. • You're quite the opposite in terms of self-esteem. I think it's a good thing because it makes you complementary. Your enemy would be... Albedo! A misunderstanding. • You wouldn't hate each other, but I think Albedo wouldn't like the way you use your energy, and when you're more in a chill mood (meaning you're more available for him to talk), he could get pissed at how much times he'd have to repeat himself for you to understand something. • He's very patient, but he understood quickly that his interests would maybe not be within your reach. • You would just be too different. Worth to mention • You and Venti are like drama queens in Mondstadt. You are good friends. But you both know that you can't be more, as it would eventually both drag you down (because of similar problems). • Klee is also your best friend: both of you share decisions that you definitely will regret later. Or maybe not. • Hu tao and you are kinds of silently competing over who's the best tease, and she beats you. My goal is definitely not achieved. I hope I can catch up tomorrow. And don't worry, it was surprisingly good for a first description!

[lilquill]

lil! concerning ur latest post abt white authors making their characters of color seem like racebend white poepel, do you have any advice to give concerning fantasy stories? if real life cultural groups don't exist in a story so cultural details can't b included, how can someone avoid their characters of color being inauthentic?

Hello anon omg!!

And for readers who don’t know what anon is talking about, it’s this post. The notes are also a really great read!

Here’s a couple pieces of advice I can think of at the moment. If anyone has any resources or additional advice they’d like to share please add in the notes/reblogs!!

1. Consider the character’s race, and the culture(s) analogous to your character’s background.

This is the step everyone probably saw coming, probably! But since you’re starting off with a character of color, pin down what ethnicity/ethnicities they’re supposed to be.

Since characters of color exist in your fantasy place, their places of origin must be floating around somewhere in the sea! Even if this place of origin doesn’t actually show up in your story, figure out some basic ideas of what this place is like. The easiest way to do this is by basing it almost entirely on a real-life culture.

Feel free to also come up with your own culture by (tastefully) combining some traits from various cultures! What you’re doing doesn’t have to be as fully developed as your story’s actual setting, but figuring out a few basic things will help you in deepening your character by fleshing out their identity.

For example, in Jade City, author Fonda Lee creates a fantasy East Asian country. She pulls some things from various different East Asian cultures and politics and such things to create Kekon, and main city of Kekon we focus on, Janloon. She also does the same with Espenia, which is based on western countries but has cultural and political elements of a lot of different western countries and their relationships to East Asia. Her worldbuilding is intense and detailed, and it’s a level of worldbuilding I don’t expect from most fantasy books, but she creates a fully fleshed-out world and culture even though it’s a combination of different elements from different places.

Once you’ve pinpointed this, a lot of the character development starts falling into place a bit better. After all, the world hasn’t suddenly shrunk down to the typical fantasy setting of Europe From The Past; in fact even Europe From The Past was the way it was because of other, nonwestern cultures (e.g. the Reconquista in Spain, trade routes to various Asian and African countries especially because the Mediterranean Sea is literally RIGHT THERE, Romani people, etc.). Other cultures and places certainly did exist, and tbh you can’t write a character of color and ignore that fact.

2. If the story is set in some fantasy historical period, take a peek at history and culture of the character’s analogous place of origin.

If your character is fantasy!Filipina, consider what was happening in what we now call the Philippines, and in Southeast Asia, at the time period your story is set in. What was culture like at the time? What were important or notable historical events that would have shaped this? What did people like to eat? What did people like to wear?

Just as food and fashion and music and such things have evolved in the west over time, these things have changed in nonwestern countries as well, with as much or more complexity!

3. Research history and culture regardless of historical period.

Things like Greco-Roman mythology, Celtic mythology, etc. have deeply shaped the west, millennia later. Holidays, values, traditions, idioms, stories, etc. are heavily rooted in lots of these things.

Nonwestern cultures have important mythology and stories and holidays and cultural practices and things like that too! These things often show up in the world today, too. For example there’s idioms and sayings and stuff based on very old South Asian mythology that are still in use today.

Read some of the mythology! Understand religious practices! Think about important values and how they are reflected in those groups.

4. Consume fantasy media from that culture.

Don’t stick to just white western fantasy media for your inspiration; that’s how you end up with trying to use white western archetypes and things for your characters of color! Try to incorporate elements of nonwestern storytelling into your portrayal of your characters of color.

Your conceptualization of your fantasy world doesn’t have to be white and western! There are so many unique kinds of fantasy in other cultures; magical realism is an example of that!

5. Consider assimilation and ethnic groups in western places.

How did your character of color get to the setting of your story? Was it immigration, where they or their ancestors went there? Was it colonialism, where they had been living there and now others have taken the land? Are they a refugee? Are they part of an ethnic group that has simply been living in a “western” place for a really long time?

For instance, my parents are immigrants. My family wears a lot of western clothing, but we still do have some traditional ethnic clothes that we wear for festivals and religious events and things like that.

6. It’s the little things!

Things like an ethnic name, the way the character addresses family (e.g. a South Asian character calling her grandmother “nani”), maybe a lullaby they know in another language, family heirloom jewelry, recipes, form of prayer, etc. can all indicate being of a different culture without having to, y’know, fully create a whole different place!

Even consider things like accents. Look up how people from the culture your character is based on speak english, or even just what the language sounds like. I would highly NOT recommend trying to write the accent into the dialogue, but you can reference what the language itself sounds like. The accents people have often reflect in how they speak other language.

Another thing I’d like to add:

Usually, with other forms of representation in these settings, such as with lgbtq+ characters and neurodivergent characters and disabled characters, etc., these identities are expressed through actions.

For example we learn that a female character is queer, not because the author called her lesbian or bi or something, but because she has or has had romantic interest in other female characters.

We learn that a character is autistic, not just because they are called autistic and then act like your average neurotypical character, but because they think and perceive and act differently.

It’s not just about throwing out a descriptor for an identity, it’s about showing that identity in action. The same goes for characters of color!

I hope this was helpful and relevant!

Good luck anon!! Have a lovely day, and happy writing!!

[obeetlebeetle]

Do the rest of the ocean asks!!

pearl: if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?i know i always say venice but... how many times can u say venice?? i wanna go there so badly.sails: describe your perfect partner.o man... i mean everyone has their own complexities so in broad strokes... someone who is emotionally intelligent, who can handle their feelings and is comfortable expressing them, bc that's such an important part of relating to others. someone kind, compassionate, and optimistic - i admire that kind of strength. someone who wants to grow and keeping changing things for the better. someone creative and intelligent, who i can really talk to, who wants to listen to my dumb ideas too. most of all someone who wants to build a strong, lasting love. someone who can be very serious and genuine abt their relationships, bc even if plans change i would still want to love each other as friends.lighthouse: how much makeup do you wear?a little cover-up if i'm breaking out but day to day i don't often go for it. i will do a full look for special occasions tho bc i like looking pretty.shells: would you prefer to be a vampire or a werewolf?answered!mermaid: most embarrassing moment?well. there have been A Lot of those. probably when i passed out at marching practice?turquoise: weirdest dream you’ve ever had?had a dream where i had to stop a mouse from controlling a country. the mouse gave orders by playing a piano, my base was a candy store inside a volcano, and i could fly using sheets of glass.waves: favourite season and why?winter bc Cold ❤❄breakers: would you ever consider getting married?hell yeah! it's not a Necessity for a happy and fulfilling life but i would love to settle down w a spouse i adore and maybe kids.seafoam: describe your ideal summer vacation.answered!rain: if it were possible, what exotic animal would you keep as a pet?not Super exotic but a flying fox!sunlight: least favourite song?whoa wild question. probably that nasty "blurred lines" shit that came out in hs.marine: would you ever consider plastic surgery?nah i don't think so.sea glass: what do you consider to be your best physical feature?answered!storm: do you like piercings and tattoos? Why or why not?answered!boardwalk: who is your favourite fictional couple?darcy and lizzie my good bitch!!!!coral: if you had to describe your personality as a food, what would you be and why?cornbread. kind of plain, and if ur not familiar w it kind of an acquired taste, but a reliable staple for those who dig me!nymph: old-fashioned or modern decor? old-fashioned...... i love that Romantic shit.seawater: scariest movie you’ve ever watched?tbh the woman in black really got me.siren: in a fantasy setting, would you be a warrior, rogue or mage?answered!tempest: your favourite Pokemon?tropius!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🍌🌴tropic: what is your least favourite thing about your appearance?i don't like my jawline, it's kinda weak and gaining weight didn't help that at all.aquamarine: describe your dream date.i pick them up in my car - a playlist i spent days working on is playing but we don't even listen to it bc we're talking the whole time. we spend all day going to museums or gardens or aquariums or galleries... anywhere we can walk around together holding hands and still talking abt everything we see. when the sun begins to dip we get cheap takeout and go watch the sunset over the lake or the ocean or the fields. the best view we can find. and we're still talking, the playlist is long over, the stars decorate the night sky. we don't go home until we realize, laughing, how late it is. i take them home while they doze, and i start the music up again, music that makes me think of them.brine: gold or silver?silver looks better on me!tidal: what is a colour that best describes your personality?answered!azure: what is something that you do that makes you happy?i like to take a drive out to somewhere pretty and sit by myself for a bit.fog: describe where you think you’ll be in five years.hopefully... graduated with a master's degree, working in publishing. maybe even past an entry level job, making enough to help pay for a small place i share with friends, or a partner, people i love that i can spend my time with. i have a cat and a stack of books to read. i call my parents every weekend. more of an ideal than anything but o well.coastline: what is your favourite flower?you know ;)shallows: what is your typical Starbucks order?answered!voyage: what are your favourite names?answered!shipwreck: do you have an OC? If so, describe them. i have... a lot. describe them all, together, in One Go? Brats.cerulean: do you believe in true love?idk what that means but i believe in love for sure.shoreline: if you could become fluent in another language, which would you pick and why?ahhhhh omg......... i always wanted to learn italian.tsunami: describe a dream outfit of yours.pls............ google "erk fire emblem"riptide: are you introverted or extroverted? Are you happy with this?introverted! and yeah i'm comfortable.hurricane: describe a strange habit of yours.answered!

[dawnhyuck]

1. What’s your mercury sign, and how do you prefer to communicate with people? (Through call or text, gently, loudly, bluntly, etc.) capricorn mercury, i communicate through people over text more, but if there is a lot i have to say, i prefer calling to make things easier. if im really excited, i talk loudly, if it’s a normal conversation, i speak at a normal tone. i’ve been told i’m a bit of a pessimist when it comes to other people’s situations even though i find myself to be more of a realist - even an optimist. i usually am reaaalllly fucking blunt in person, but online i’m more aware of what i’m saying. 2. What are your moon and Venus signs, and what type of movies do you like? aquarius moon, sagittarius venus. i actually don’t like to watch movies often, but usually my favorites are indie movies or cartoon-animated (pixar/dreamworks shit) or even action (marvel) 3. What are your moon, venus & mercury placements, and do you like reading? If so, what are your favorite books/genres? aquarius moon, sagittarius venus, capricorn mercury. i like to read fantasy more than any other genre, or something that involves tense plot like six of crows. i also like fantasy tied w romance cause why not <o/ 4. What’s your sun sign (plus any major aspects) and what do you tend to brag about most? sag sun in 8th opposition north node exact 27 degrees, uhh i actually don’t have much to brag about?? im a bit too self-centered on my looks at times - just in general selfish, that’s p much it tho 5. What are your sun and mars placements, and what is your greatest accomplishment so far? sag sun, pisces mars - i dont have any to consider great 6. Where is Jupiter in your chart, and what do you tend to be careless and self-indulgent with? 2nd house . i do notice i tend to be careless w my money at times but most of the time i have a good grip on it, but im careless and self-indulgent when it comes to food LMAO

7. What are your moon & Mars placements, and what’s your immediate reaction to someone annoying you, attacking you, being hurtful to you, etc?

aquarius moon, pisces mars - one of two ways. either i throw extreme shade and am insanely passive-aggressive and i act like i’m not bothered/like its no big deal 

or : i pop off and fully explain multiple times in various ways until im sure they get the point of what they’re doing.

depends on the person.

8. What are your sun, moon and Mercury placements, and how do you react to people disagreeing with you on something?

sag sun, aqua moon, cap merc, - i usually don’t care enough to give a fuck but if it’s something clearly wrong or something i personally don’t agree with on. i usually move on and stop trying to explain my point, because by then it’s like talking to a brick wall.

9. What are your Mercury & Venus placements, and what’s your sense of humor like? cap merc, sag venus - i tend to just roast my friends on the stupid shit they do 9/10 times

10. What’s your Venus placement, which sign rules your 5th house plus any placements in them, and what are your hobbies or things you enjoy doing?

sag venus, virgo 5th empty house. - astrology firstly, i used to enjoy editing a bunch, still a hobby i do once in a while. at times i like to read. i like anything tht feeds me knowledge in an interesting way. 11. What signs or placements do you LOVE seeing in people? i love fucking leo placements, i always get along w them.  12. What signs or placements do you tend to not get along well with?

i typically get along w everyone 13. What is your favorite element in astrology and why? imma hav to say fire bc they always the most fun to be w

14. What signs/placements do you seem to attract the most of? god i fucking attract aquarius bitches like the plague, gemini placements (sun/moon esp) air signs in general tbh.  15. What signs/placements do you seem to be the most drawn to? i always tend to like people who have gemini moon/sun, don’t @ me.  16. What are your two favorite signs/placements to see together? (For two people in a relationship or in one person’s chart) scorpio and sagittarius in a person’s chart makes a sexy and wild bitch 17. What sign rules your 6th house plus any placements there, and how productive are you? Do you enjoy running errands, or do you put stuff off till last minute? libra in 6th, - i act like doing errands, just when it comes to work i procrastinate til last minute or i actually do it early.  18. What is your Venus sign and what types of plants do you like?

sag venus - i like roses (not red ones tho) or sunflowers. 19. What placement or aspect in your chart challenges you the most, and why? pisces mars - makes me so lazy and unwilling to do anything unless it’s something i actually give a fuck about, but i love it at the same time bc makes me tune into my spiritual side. it makes me so unconfrontational LMAO  20. What is your favorite placement or aspect in your chart? god i love my aqua moon and my sun in the 8th - makes me feel like a bad bitch 21. What was the turning point for you that made you believe “ok this astrology thing actually makes too much sense”? 

when i learned abt houses/aspects, it started to make more sense rather than just the placement in itself.  

[theottergod]

o shittdd i got tagged by @defying-all-stereotypes to do a thing thank u

1. Coke or Pepsi Bepis

2. Disney or Dreamworks tbh i can never keep straight which movies are which and i dont rly watch that many movies but i hear walt disney was an ass

3. Coffee or Tea coffer

4. Books or Movies movies bc im illiterate

5. Windows or Mac windows bc you can work on them and do things with them

6. DC or Marvel marvel made fuckin antman and it was a decent movie also logan is one of my fave movies but dc over here cant even make a good movie when it has their two biggest ips

7. Xbox or Playstation i guess i own a playstation 3 but rly neither

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect havent played em

9. Night Owl or Early Riser night owl

10. Cards or Chess cards bc im dumb

11. Chocolate or Vanilla chocolate

12. Vans or Converse i used to wear converse a lot but i have been wearing vans more

13. i honestly dont even know this are these acronyms or smth i dont even want to type them

14. Fluff or Angst idk what this means either

15. Beach or Forest def forest

16. Dogs or Cats thats tough bc i love both for different reasons

17. Clear Skies or Rain rain is calm and gives me a reason to be sad and do nothing

18. Cooking or Eating Out ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

19. Spicy Food or Mild Food spicy

20. Halloween or Christmas both have lost their magic for me as ive gotten older

21. Cold or Hot cold bc you can always layer

22. Choose a Superpower i always thought itd b cool to manipulate gravity like angle and magnitude and whatnot

23. Animation or Live Action idk fam but animation is p versatile but live action can use cool practical effects

24. Paragon or Renegade i vaguely remember this as some kind of personality scale in some videogame but thats abt it

25. Baths or Showers i almost exclusively shower

26. Team Cap or Team Ironman idk man they need to use their words

27. Fantasy or Sci-Fi probs sci-fi

28. three favorite quotes i have no idea but theyre all probably from my dad like “spiders are good” as one goes up his leg that was p funny

29. Youtube or Netflix youtube unfortunately but the new season of the get down just came out and i gotta watch that

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson harry potter

31. When do I Feel Accomplished rarely 

32. Star Wars or Star Trek star wars

33. Paperback or Hardbinders what is hardbinders thats a dumb word

34. Horror or Rom-Com horror

35. TV shows or Movies movies i think

36. Favorite Animal what do u think

37. Favorite Music Genre who knows maybe hip hop?

38. Least Favorite Book whatever im using for school

39. Favorite Season i think fall

40. Song Currently Stuck In Your Head i want you back by jackson 5 bc i just made a good meme w it

41. What kind of pajamas do you wear som sweatpants and a loose soft shirt

42. How Many Existential Crises do yo Have on an Average Day wtf where is this coming from idk if i do

43. Song You Want Played at Your Funeral cotton eye joe slowed down 8000%

44. Favorite Theme Song to a TV Show xfiles

45. Harry Potter Movies or Books the hp series p much makes up the entirety of the small list of books i like

46. You can make an otp canon but youll ok im not writing the rest of this what year is it

47. Favorite Flowers irises are cool

48. A Language You Really Want to Learn spanish tbh bc its a shame i dont already

im gonna tag @powershouse, @thewebsurfingscientist, @the-mag1c-ends-here, @temporalmoose, and @flying-spagaytti-monster 

[avpdalec-blog]

answer... all of them...

,,,,,,,,,,,, first of all, how dare u ,,,,,,,,,,,

pearl: if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

answered !!

sails: describe your perfect partner.

answered !! (you ofc !!)

lighthouse: how much makeup do you wear?

depends? but i wear at least some every day

shells: would you prefer to be a vampire or a werewolf?

oooo boi … probably a werewolf

mermaid: most embarrassing moment?

……….. does my entire life count?? #edgy for real tho everything is embarrassing w avpd

turquoise: weirdest dream you’ve ever had?

uhm i had a dream that was a mixture of shrek, most haunted (the british ghost hunting tv show), skyrim, and the ring once ???

waves: favourite season and why?

it used to be autumn, but i actually prefer spring now? just bc my moods get extra messy during autumn and winter and i just associate that with those seasons now which is :-(

breakers: would you ever consider getting married?

i’ve never really considered it in much detail before? before i was ever in a relationship i never really cared for it, but now, honestly i’d get married to you/my boyfriend in a heart beat if i could. it doesn’t even need to be a big ceremony. we could just go to some shady chapel in las vegas or to a registry office and sign the forms and i’d be happy

seafoam: describe your ideal summer vacation.

well i mean ,,, i’m visiting you/my boyfriend this summer in july until the end of august and we might be going to the grand canyon. i’d say that’s pretty damn ideal to me

rain: if it were possible, what exotic animal would you keep as a pet?

answered !!

sunlight: least favourite song?

baby by justin bieber tbqh

marine: would you ever consider plastic surgery?

definitely pls change all of my appearance

sea glass: what do you consider to be your best physical feature?

answered !!

storm: do you like piercings and tattoos? why or why not?

i fucking love piercings and tattoos omg !!! they’re so attractive ngl. but i’m still so upset and salty over my nostril and septum piercing tho and probably will be forever so pffd

boardwalk: who is your favourite fictional couple?

uhm magnus bane and alec lightwood yes pls thank u lord

coral: if you had to describe your personality as a food, what would you be and why?

answered !!

nymph: old-fashioned or modern decor?

answered !!

seawater: scariest movie you’ve ever watched?

answered !!

siren: in a fantasy setting, would you be a warrior, rogue or mage?

answered !!

tempest: your favourite pokemon?

i don’t really know a lot abt pokemon but vaporeons are adorable !!

tropic: what is your least favourite thing about your appearance?

kind of everything tbh but i guess primarily my weight

aquamarine: describe your dream date.

pretty much what you’ve/my boyfriend’s described; films, chinese food, and lots of inappropriate touching ;-) uhm yes please

brine: gold or silver?

silver

tidal: what is a colour that best describes your personality?

egg-shell blue or light grey

azure: what is something that you do that makes you happy?

occasionally i can apply my eyeliner perfectly in one go ??

fog: describe where you think you’ll be in five years.

i really fucking hope i’m doing my working abroad in america and living with you/my boyfriend. i really don’t care what job i have as long as we’re living together

coastline: what is your favourite flower?

lily

shallows: what is your typical Starbucks order?

i don’t ever go starbucks so i have no idea

voyage: what are your favourite names?

just generally? i really like evangeline, gwenevere and noah ?? and alec ofc pffd

shipwreck: do you have an OC? If so, describe them.

i have many !! but nil beaumont is my son and i love him with all my heart. he’s a cyborg and he’s very soft and very tall and very anxious and very gay.

cerulean: do you believe in true love?

kind of ??? or something like it ?? like if nothing else then the possibility of having an instant connection with someone on a deep, intimate level

shoreline: if you could become fluent in another language, which would you pick and why?

maybe french? just because it’s such a widely spoken language after english? all languages are so pretty, tho, even the dead ones. i wish i could learn them all

tsunami: describe a dream outfit of yours.

tbh i just love the idea of being able to properly pull off wearing like some sort of sheer or fishnet over shirt/crop top w a black bralette underneath w some high-waisted, ripped jeans and mid-shin-length combat boots mm yes

riptide: are you introverted or extroverted? are you happy with this?

introverted as fuck and ,,, idk

hurricane: describe a strange habit of yours.

BEING HOT ALL THE TIME IS NOT A STRANGE HABIT OF MINE LEAVE uhm ?? i don’t really have any strange ones? i pick/bite at my lips and pick/bite the skin around my fingers but that’s not strange ?? i have no idea

ocean asks

[earthdeep]

so I actually finished fe echoes shadows of valentia after *checks back through blog* about one and a half years. or rather, I got totally fed up on my first playthrough and restarted a few days ago bc I was sick of having it semi-complete. I have Thoughts so... under the cut

might as well get the technical stuff out the way. 

loved the artstyle. but the ui fucking sucked. all the important numbers and stuff is WAAAAAY too small to make room for character portraits and the layout of a lot of options is just... weird. oh and there’s no way to look at a zoomed out map and it’s a pain in the arse when I just wanna check where the fucking enemies are.

combat system is... definitely interesting for a fire emblem game. I enjoyed it overall, but it felt a bit lopsided. no weapon durability (yay), no weapon triangle (eh), magic users learn spells in character specific orders (hm), 90% of bow using enemies can’t do shit against fliers (wtf?), absurdly high crit rates (ugh)... lance users ended up near useless by endgame. I had a single one who could hit hard enough to take down an act 5 enemy, and he was too slow to chase them. meanwhile I could keep my archers back way out of enemies’ range and crit them, or field my many mages who could do massive damage AND heal each other constantly. srsly, all hail our lady and saviour delthea, who by the final boss had 30 atk and could oneshot almost every enemy with her lowest level spell. she is the best, and I love her very much.

there was a lot of other fidgety stuff especially on the overworld that really got on my nerves after a while. I’ve never been fond of the point hopping system that’s fairly common in tactical rpgs, but echoes has the infuriating variation that forces u to fight every respawning enemy u cross. fuck those graveyards. fuck them to hell. especially fuck them when I have to pass them so often to complete sidequests in the villages and such. but at least dungeon exploring is still fun. well, I say that, and it leads into another bother.

fates, the previous fe game, did a lot to improve the experience of casual players such as myself. the protagonist being allowed to fall in battle without an insta game over, for example. phoenix mode was nice for replays too, tho since echoes was preeeeetty linear that’s a moot point for me. echoes decides no, actually, fuck that, and also fuck the battle saves introduced in awakening. ur gonna work through duma’s tower for an hour with no way to save and reload and if one of the ten million enemies in there knocks down celica ur losing all ur progress without even a chance to use the in-universe save scum device. bc fuck u.

incidentally, duma’s tower is where I quit during my first playthrough.

buuuuuuuut there’s more to games than mechanics. there’s story too! and... hoo boy. there’s two major sticking points for me that ultimately make it a disappointment. spoilers ahead for literally the entire game.

number one: the broken aesop of alm’s arc. ie, fernand was right.

so, fire emblem games have a lot of birth destiny and divine rights to rule and all that jazz. while it can be just a background fact of life (awakening and imo path of radiance fell into this) or a major problem that causes protagonist centred morality out the whazoo (Y HALLO THAR FATES’ CONQUEST ROUTE), echoes tries to go a different route, especially in the first act. alm butts up against those who don’t think he should be allowed to be a knight, let alone lead an army bc he’s of common birth. even those on his side (*cough*clive) struggle to hold noble and common life of equal worth. but here’s alm, the poster child of destiny caring not for trivialities such as parentage. he’s a good fighter and a good leader, and proves that even a commoner can become a hero!

except they can’t. alm isn’t a commoner. he’s a prince. he could never vanquish duma if he hadn’t noble blood in his veins, bc the falchion is locked in a vault only royals can enter, and is a sword only he can wield. were he truly a commoner, he would have failed. and all this would’ve been easily forgotten fridge logic if the characters hadn’t kept bringing the even a commoner bs all the way with them until he found out who his dad was! fernand, the primary voice for this shit, doesn’t die until after seeing alm revealed!

frankly, alm being a lost prince was purely a detriment to the story. oh no, he killed his dad? who fucking cares. blood is the only thing they share. I’ve seen this dude like twice before I cheesed his ass by warping my best units up to his section of wall and zapping him. half his dialogue is only available post-patricide. alm had more of a connection to Asshole Cousin Berkut that to him. also, his plan for preparing for the end of the world as is stood was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.

but there’s also a more fun point. number two: the straight agenda!

ugggggh. listen. on my first round through, I joked a lot abt all the unrequited love going around. and honestly there’s quite a lot of interactions that I found genuinely nice. faye and leon being open about their feelings and accepting they aren’t requited, and alm and valbar being honest and comfortable with that. or delthea mentioning her crush on clive to his sister and having mathilda immediately pointed out. or like, clive and mathilda’s entire relationship during the game. I like me a lovey dovey battle couple.

but then the epilogue slides hit. why the fuck would mathilda become a Good Housewife(TM) after marrying a man who encouraged her as they fought alongside each other. delthea gets the same treatment and settles down with an unnamed husband and becomes “normal” in her slide. then u have mae and boey who get married and have children and argue AND THAT IS IT. like guys, I like me some rivals to lovers as much as the next lesbian, but u can’t be said to have kids that give u more reasons to fight and have me believe this is any way healthy. please find a replacement for celica bc u do NOT work together on ur own. *sigh* at least clair and gray have a nice marriage where they’re both free to be themselves. in my game anyway, idk if she hooks up with tobin if they get higher support, but when he’s an archer and she’s a frontline fighter, they never had a chance.

and then there’s alm and celica.

I could’ve liked alm. I really could. while his base is still Default Fantasy Hero, I like his comments when u examine things, I like that he has the nerve to stand up to clive when he’s on his bullshit. but dude. u met ur fake cousin celica briefly when u were kids, got along well, then obsessed abt her for like a decade. get. over. it.

same to u celica. u were fucked in my eyes from the beginning bc I find devout characters actively dull, but come on. u made a friend who had a birthmark like urs. as far as ur concerned, that’s all. stop reading the script and try learning the politics of running that kingdom ur set to inherit.

beyond the “alm...” “celica...” wistful calls, and the forces of destiny/the writers, I could not tell u what draws these characters together. the one time they’re not staring into the middle distance at each other, they’re in a petty fight that makes celica look like a spoiled child (and keeps her there until after she sells her fucking soul to the shadiest guy in the fucking universe? celica. celica cmon.) like why do these people like each other. with as much as destiny pulled them together rather than human connection, they may as well have been siblings instead.

on my first run, I genuinely thought that was where they were headed. I got given “alm can lift royal sword” and “celica ‘lost’ brother in fire” and put together that OH! they’re brother and sister! like mila and duma! bc it’s history repeating itself! and then conrad showed up and I was confused. also, iirc alm genuinely believed celica was a cousin of his while they were interacting as kids and didn’t learn she was just in Fantasy Witness Protection until later, so for that to turn into poorly telegraphed romance is just... ew.

anyway. at least most of the characters were good. can’t even pick a favourite tbh. I like clair a lot, and tobin and gray. mae and delthea are both fun and adorable. the valbar/leon/kamui trio are great and chill dudes. I even like silque despite being the nun type, bc she just tries so hard and I appreciate that. oh and sonya’s very lovely with genny and DESERVED BETTER THAN BECOMING A LITERAL SOULLESS HUSK IN THE EPILOGUE AS SHE TRIES TO HELP OTHERS, FUCK U ECHOES.

also there are definite immersion hiccups. oh, the land’s barren and we’re facing famine, huh? *stares at trees full of oranges* *stares at wells full of water* *stares at baskets full of fish* *stares at inventory full of meat and vegetables* *stares at knife that can produce food if I kill an enemy with it...*

wait. I turned a lot of enemies into food with that knife. like my inventory for celica’s army filled up with it. was... was I eating people the whole time?! D:

anyway, fe15, 7.5/10 too much swamp

[wyrmsandrocs]

all the ocean asks!! u can skip any that r uncomf

pearl: if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?- Hm, i really want to do a trip to see the historical stuff on the US east coast, I’d also really like to go see ruins in Rome and Greece. Aside from historical interests I just…really want to be in Oregon right now

sails: describe your perfect partner. - Someone I love who loves me too

lighthouse: how much makeup do you wear? - I usually do white or black winged eyeliner, silver + whatever my colour for the day is eyeshadow, lots and lots of mascara, and some lipstick, usually non natural colours like purple, green, or just like pastel pink. Even if i decide to forgo my eye makeup im usually wearing lipstick

shells: would you prefer to be a vampire or a werewolf? - tbh a vampire cause then I would have eternity to figure out who Agent 355 was

mermaid: most embarrassing moment? - Hoo boi okay sO. One time many years ago I was a 10 year old girl on quotev. I really really liked one direction. I clicked something I probably shouldn’t have seen because of quotevs lack of an sfw/nsfw rating system. I read a lot of these because I was confused as to what they were. Instead of forgetting all about them and deleting my account like a sane person, I sent them to my best friend at the time to get /her/ to read them. Instead of asking questions abt why the hell i was reading this shit, she found way worse and kinky ones. I was horrified. I didn’t know how to delete my web history. My dad almost found the links like 20 times

turquoise: weirdest dream you’ve ever had? - The dream where my subconscious tried to tell me i was gayyyyy. It was, again, years ago, and I thought I was straight. I had just made up my first ocs cause I was doin NaNoWriMo for the first time (spoiler alert, I made it to 50,000) and i had this dream where I met and then fell in love with my oc who was super pretty and i refused to believe I was a lesbian i just chalked it up to my sleeping brain being weird

waves: favourite season and why? - Autumn and Winter are my faves because there’s rain.

breakers: would you ever consider getting married? - Yes, definitely, but gdi why isn’t poly marriage legal yet

seafoam: describe your ideal summer vacation. - Ignore summer all together and continue school where it’s rainy

rain: if it were possible, what exotic animal would you keep as a pet? - Omg a Fennec they are my favourite little animals they are so cute. My first original story that i actually wrote down and still have was about Fennecs

sunlight: least favourite song? - The Sans version of Stronger than you

marine: would you ever consider plastic surgery? - Probably not i’m ot the hugest fan of surgery at all

sea glass: what do you consider to be your best physical feature? - Man I really love my eyes i have sectoral heterochromia so my eyes are green with stripes of deep brown.

storm: do you like piercings and tattoos? Why or why not? - I really do like them, but i probably wouldnt get any more piercings than I have, I have two on each ear, but I wear a fake nose ring cause it’s pretty. I dont love the idea of getting a tattoo cause owww im a wimp also needles are not good.

boardwalk: who is your favourite fictional couple? - I really love Wylan and Jesper from Six of Crows, also lotsa ships from other stuff but right now I’m loving my children, Aria and Sitara. My smol gay witch daughters

coral: if you had to describe your personality as a food, what would you be and why? - Super dark chocolate that gives you a headache but is also really great. I’m known for giving people headaches lmao not really. Idk why it just seems right, like I may seem sweet and nice but i am actually like the most bitter person. Or sea salt caramel. I am like super salty and bitter save me lmao

nymph: old-fashioned or modern decor? - buddy old fashioned decor is the shit 

seawater: scariest movie you’ve ever watched? - Okay it’s really stupid but Dot and the Red Kangaroo scared the /fuck/ out of me as a little kid the bunyip song was terrifying. I don’t really watch scary movies tho

siren: in a fantasy setting, would you be a warrior, rogue or mage? - Maaaaaage

tempest: your favourite Pokemon? - Eevee or Vaporeon. I also really love Vulpix

tropic: what is your least favourite thing about your appearance? - I’m p self conscious abt being not a small person height or weight wise. I used to always want to be a lot smaller so that I could just kind of disappear but recently i’ve just decided that if people are gonna notice me, they are gonna notice that i’m beautiful. It’s actually really helped my confidence which is kinda weird but i’m really glad for it

aquamarine: describe your dream date. - Staying at home watching musicals and drinking hot coco in the middle of a storm

brine: gold or silver? - Silver

tidal: what is a colour that best describes your personality? - I actually really like pinks and reds and how quickly a pink can merge to a more red colour. They both stand for love, but red is also anger

azure: what is something that you do that makes you happy? - Writing honestly. Also like i really enjoy school and learning about history and languages

fog: describe where you think you’ll be in five years. - Hopefully well into college by then, I’m still in highschool but I’m gonna add college english in the fall.

coastline: what is your favourite flower? - Violets. I really like the smell of jasmine or orange blossoms

shallows: what is your typical Starbucks order? - Venti Java Chip Frappuccino idk how to spell that tho

voyage: what are your favourite names? - I really like names related to the sea like Mara

shipwreck: do you have an OC? If so, describe them. - Okay I’m gonna tell ya abt Aria and Sitara.  Aria is a Hellenic polytheist who leans toward tarot and sigils rather than actual spell work. She’s pan and loves her gf v v much. Her parents were shit and she had to leave home as soon as she could. Her parents gave her the name Megan but she really hated it so she gos by Aria. She doesn’t really know all of her parents lineage but her mother was of middle eastern descent way back in the family that no one really remembers. She doesnt want to find out and prefers looking to the future. Sitara is an atheist and has a more traditional path. Shes bi and attractd to nb peeps and women but not men, she’s also polyam which shes v v happy her gf accepts. Her parents were better but they fell out of contact a while ago. Despite not believing in Aria’s deities, she lets her worship on her own and doesnt bother her. They met in an art store, both needing to get red ribbon for a love spell. Bonus: Aria means song and Sitara means poem

cerulean: do you believe in true love? - I do, but not just the romantic kind. I think that true platonic love is also super important.

shoreline: if you could become fluent in another language, which would you pick and why? - French because I’m trying to learn it rn and it’s a royal pain. Eventually I want to learn all the Latin based languages

tsunami: describe a dream outfit of yours. - Someday I’m gonna get cute heeled boots and wear them with tights and a skirt and like a flowy long sleeve black shirt I have and do all purple makeup this will happen someday

riptide: are you introverted or extroverted? Are you happy with this? - I’m somewhere in the middle. I love talking to my friends and like that but its also really nice to just shut down skype and tumblr and read a book, yknow?

hurricane: describe a strange habit of yours. - I tend to carefully chack all the walls and corners of a room while I’m entering it, like just look around and check for anything weird, even if I’ve been there a lot. This happens with places that feel specific ways tho, like they just have suspicious energy.

Ty so much for asking, friend! ^u^