#rc app

[sweetiebriar]

I really shouldn’t get involved in this debate because, first, it's utterly absurd and immature, and second, it will likely earn me a few enemies and drag me into conflicts, which I despise more than anything… Yet, I can’t stay silent. My anger is boiling over because creators and writers like myself are being bullied by so-called fans with narrow-minded perspectives, forcing us to bow down to politically correct foolishness just to be able to continue our work in peace.

¡Swearwords Alert!

What the fucking, shitty, bloody heck is wrong with these people?! This is a work of fiction—a story set in a fantasy, medieval Slavic world. The rules of the modern, real world do not apply here. Why on earth is representation being demanded in a context where it makes no sense?

¡Swearwords Alert End!

For those who’ve wisely avoided this whole debacle—and I congratulate you, keep doing so in the future if possible, let me fill you in: our dear RC team, along with the author of "The Thunderstorm Saga," Alexander D., were recently pressured (and in some cases harassed) into changing the main character sprites, which originally consisted of various elven races—forest, moon, and dark elves—into human representations (Asian, Caucasian, African, Latin, etc.).

AS: I didn’t get involved in the uproar about Volot’s skin tone in "And The Haze Will Take Us" being a player choice, because frankly, it was ridiculous for a portion of the community to react negatively, as if RC’s decision was some kind of racist move. Let me remind you, we’ve had this kind of choice before, like in "Vying For Versailles" with King Louis, and no one complained. Also, if you weren’t aware, book covers are often altered in their Russian versions. A main character who is Black or Brown in the American/European editions is frequently depicted as white in the Russian versions, except in rare cases where the character’s ethnicity is central to the story, like in "Garden of Eden" or the "Kalis". This change is due to the narrow-mindedness of the Russian community, and RC makes these changes to avoid backlash from its largest player base. Perhaps the decision to change Volot's skin was made with the Russian market in mind, and they decided to keep it consistent for all players. But frankly, I don’t care, and I don’t want to know.

Now, back to the main issue:

I’ve been a writer for most of my life, and I cannot stress this enough: a writer’s vision is theirs and theirs alone. While we might choose to revise certain aspects of our stories or find new ways to tell them, the opinions of readers and fans should never dictate those decisions. We are the creators of the content you enjoy. You read our work because you appreciate our vision. If we start crafting stories the way you want, it ceases to be our vision, and the magic is lost. Instead of venturing into the unknown, the story becomes a mundane reflection of everyday life. People read books to escape reality, not to mirror it.

Frankly, I find the elven races in this story quite representative, if you ask me—certainly more so than in LOTR (And remember the backlash about the Black dwarf queen? How ironic…).

- Forest Elves One have very fair skin, which can be linked to Caucasians. The Forest Elves Two can be more compared to Mediterranean people.

- Moon Elves One & Two, with their warm, brownish skin, can be connected to Hispanic or Latin people.

- Dark Elves, as you might expect, are associated with people of African descent, with group One being darker than group Two.

Sure, not every community is represented here—where are the Asians, the Eastern Europeans, the Arabs, Indians, and Indigenous peoples? There are more than just three skin tones, after all.

But this debate is utterly ridiculous. This is a work of fiction set in a fantasy realm. These characters are elves, not humans, and they don’t need to represent human diversity. The vast majority of players enjoyed the story as it was, and do you know why? Because they chose their main character based on who they found most appealing, not because the character resembled them. Contrary to what some believe, representation isn’t always necessary in fiction. Yes, there were fewer Black and brown-skinned characters in the past due to racism and segregation, but today, in a diverse and cosmopolitan world, young writers incorporate their modern perspectives into their work, and people generally don’t complain about representation anymore. So stop making a fuss over something that was never an issue to begin with. Let writers do their work. Criticising elves for not being "human enough" is not constructive; it’s just nonsense. And if you want to argue with me over this, don’t bother. I refuse to debate anyone over a fictional world, and especially over a game.

[sweetiebriar]

With all due respect, this perspective on a new story every update may mainly applies to those who started playing the app fairly recently (within the last 2-3 years). Of course, this is just my point of view, but I’ve been on RC since the very beginning—back when Sails in the Fog was the only story available—and I’ve never had trouble keeping up with all the new releases.

I can see how it might feel overwhelming, especially if you’re trying to keep up with the latest releases and discussions in real time. It’s understandable to feel that way, but the nice thing about RC is that everyone progresses at their own pace, and the app has made it easier than ever to do so lately—especially with the frequent Diamond Rush and Tea Party events every two weeks or so.

Personally, I don’t force myself to read every single story. Over the past year, I’ve dropped some as soon as I realised they weren’t for me (Soulless, 7 Brothers, and especially the Heaven’s Secret franchise, for example). But for all the other ones, I’ve never struggled to finish new chapters before the next update rolls around. Plus, if I ever feel like I didn’t fully connect with a story, I just revisit it later—usually during Tea Party, so I don’t waste my cups.

So, no pressure, friend. Go at your own pace. And if spoilers are your main concern, disconnecting from social media during updates is honestly the best solution. I usually avoid my RC Tumblr feed or filter out spoiler-tagged posts (though, admittedly, not everyone remembers to tag them). Just something to keep in mind for anyone reading this!

P.S. I completely agree with you on the CGI opinion though!

Opinions that nobody asked for nº 649587115339:

Remember that this is just my opinion and y'all can disagree.

I really don't think that bringing one story per update has been very beneficial in the long run. We have 18 stories on the go and we'll get one more in the next update, 19 stories to read!

But you might think, "you're complaining on a full stomach", but we're starting to see the consequences of that now, at least I'm realising it. Firstly, we no longer have time to digest the new stories, because there's always something "new" in the next update that steals our attention. It's tiring to read all the stories and really take the time to like and appreciate them, especially if you're trying to experience and read them all as often as possible. You could say that "you don't need to play all the stories now" and you're right, but following the story in real time, without spoilers, is much better. In short, it's overwhelming.

Second point is the CGs, I think from now on, more than ever, you've realised the use of AI (although they'll never admit it, and let's face it, there'll never be an admission of that - but it's become even more blatant, especially with the latest Diamond Rush card), maybe they thought it would improve the workflow and they could make more CGs - and now the cards, easier (and cheaper). But the result is that stories are getting fewer CGs - especially the ones that aren't so popular, like The Parallel Universes Bureau which only has 2 CGs related to the LIs so far (and I believe it's only going to have two more - for the remaining LIs - Orion and Glim), which is a huge shame, and they're coming out very different from the base sprite of the characters. Not to mention the extra workload with the cards. I think the artists must be having a lot of trouble trying to fix the things the AI delivers.

And adding the two problems, 19 stories to produce CGs (among other things like backgrounds, minor assets and music) and always another one coming up with each update. It's a very long production cycle and the loss of quality is already showing.

I don't know, if they reduced the production of stories to every two or three updates, it would give readers a breather, not only to digest the stories that have been released, but also for the production itself, with more time to produce with quality.

[rcmclachlan]

Can you imagine what Tommy looked like when he went in for his shift later that day?

(8x11 coda)

+

When Kinard walks into the locker room at the start of their shift, Lucy does a double take that would make Tex Avery weep with envy.

No one at Harbor would be able to say with a straight face that Kinard's been fully himself over the last few months, what with the wistful eyes and the almost complete lack of Independence Day quotes, but watching him stow his shit in his locker now, he looks diluted, like someone spilled water past the edges of his outline until he grew blurry and ephemeral. She has no idea what could've happened to make him look like this.

He shuts the door to his locker not with the cheerful flair with which he's done since she met him, or the way he's been doing it as of late: quick and perfunctory, like if he wastes even the slightest bit of movement, he'll be losing some kind of bet with himself. 

He shuts the door with a quiet click. Then he just stands there, hand on the handle. She's not even sure he's registered that she's in there with him.

"Kinard," Lucy says. "You good?"

It takes a second for it to penetrate, but she sees the moment it does. He blinks himself out of the fugue state and straightens up,  no expression on his face. He looks like the fucking Terminator. 

"Kinard," she says again, this time barking it out as forcefully as she thinks he can handle. That tone never fails to work on her brother's demon kids, and also Captain Ribiero.

"Donato." He says her name slowly, almost dreamily. He's as solid as a cloud. If she got off the bench and put her hand on his arm, it would fall right through him. "Do you remember the second time we flew together? The gas explosion at Park Fifth. Do you remember what you said to me after we got the kid out—Charlie?"

Wide-eyed, she stares at him, because he's never once brought up Park Fifth since it happened, mostly out of fear that she'd bludgeon him to death with the closest thing within reach for the reminder. It's been literally years since then, and the trust and rapport they've built has erased any hard feelings from that night.

"I asked..." She trails off with a grimace.

It hadn't been her finest moment, considering the kid had just died in his arms. It was her fault—for not listening to him when he wanted her to fly to the east side of the building, downwind, so he could get in and run to where little Charlie Kindstrom was trapped inside with a gas fire that wouldn't quit no matter what they threw at it. She had wanted to get in from the apartment window, have him attack it head-on, to save time, and she'd used her seniority to override him. They wasted precious minutes anyway, trying to get him inside by way of the one clear corner and somehow keep him from being flambéd. 

When they finally got Charlie on board, Kinard had been covered with ash and blood from where Charlie's skin had sloughed off during the transfer, and when Reina, their aeromedic, couldn't get her pulse back, he looked at Lucy with what, at the time, felt like blame. The guilt and frustration and the fact that this smart-ass fucking newbie was calling her out on her mistake, even though he wasn't, not really, got the best of her, got control of her mouth before she could wrestle them back.

"I asked if you ever got tired of being right all the fucking time."

He'd rocked back from it like he'd been slapped, eyes wide and hurt, red from the smoke and the loss, but he never answered her. Reina called time of death, and nobody said a word the entire flight to LA General. When they got back to Harbor, they had it out right there on the tarmac, then walked back inside, arms slung around each other, to find three of their teammates holding up pieces of paper with scores written on them. Nico gave them a 6.5, the fucker.

Now, she watches with wordless horror as a smile like a flatline slowly creeps across his face, eating everything in its path. He steps back from his locker.

"I do," he murmurs. "I really do."

Kinard exhales, then visibly steels himself, plates of armor sliding down, locking in, and then walks out into the hangar like nothing can touch him. Like nothing will touch him ever again. 

Realization hits, and it takes conscious effort to dig her nails out of her palm so she can grab her phone off the bench and open a very, very, very old text thread.

Blowing out a breath, she puts her phone on Do Not Disturb then slides it into her pocket so she can finish tying her boot laces, trying to unclench her jaw with varying success.

Not only does she have an entire shift to lead during the fourth straight day of a county-wide burn ban, which means every idiot from here to San Bernadino is going to try to burn their neighborhood to the ground because they couldn't go a week without throwing a backyard barbecue, but her best pilot's nursing what is clearly a freshly broken heart, and that's a thousand times more dangerous than some dumbass lighting up a firepit in their bone-dry yard.

"I should've called out," she mutters, then stands up.

Would've, could've, should've, but that won't pay her bills. Spending the next 48 hours keeping Kinard from falling out of the sky, however, better come with OT pay.

[dumpingscreenshotshere]

[aslanvlad]

Arina never stop writing for RC please

[lovedisiac]

It's honestly so weird how some people are reacting to the delay, especially on Reddit. Yeah, I get it. It's frustrating when you're hyped for something and then it gets pushed back. But acting like the devs are doing this just to mess with us and saying they "never do anything right" is ridiculous. This delay wasn't on purpose; it seems like a last-minute issue, which probably means they're scrambling on their end, too.

I think people forget that game development can be very complex, and unexpected problems can pop up even in the final stages. I don't think you'd like that they push out a buggy, half-broken update just to meet a deadline? Because if that happened, you'd still be here complaining.

Delays suck, but at the end of the day, they usually mean the devs are trying to give us a better experience. A little patience never harms anyone.

[hojiteaversion]

"You came" "You kidnapped me"

[salisburyliam]

every time i replay arcanum:

[suckitphaneuf]

[sweetiebriar]

I’m really starting to question how RC’s algorithm determines romance points with Love Interests. I've noticed some strange inconsistencies, especially in the latest story, "And the Haze Will Take Us." In this story, the known LIs so far are Dragan, Ozar, and Tata.

For the record, I've been disappointed with the female LIs lately due to their lack of usefulness, so my main character is only pursuing male interests in this story. However, when I checked my profile's top matches, here's what I found: Ozar and Dragan are both at 100% right away, which might be normal, but I'm not sure yet. Not only that but Tata is completely missing from the list, even though friendship points should still show up, (like with Eve in "Chasing You 2", for example).

To make things more confusing, a random guy named "Volot" showed up with a 100% match too, even though my MC has never met him. Like, who are you, mate !? So, I thought for a moment and figured, 'maybe he was one of the priests with the skeletal cow mask'; but then, when did I romance him? Was it when I chose the diamond option to help MC breathe after the procession? That just doesn’t make sense.

So, yeah, RC , could you please explain how this wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff works again? Cause it really throws me off.

[theodoravery]

jeez guys, with the way some of y'all are reacting to the new story MAYBE having some sort of sex related plot it's like you're being held at gunpoint and forced to play every single book romance club puts out? be fucking for real

[heavens-secret]

So let me get this straight, RC FINALLY releases a Lucifer card… and I can’t even purchase it? I have to die an agonizingly slow death at the hands of the wheel or spend hundreds of dollars *trying* to get it? Do I have that right?

[casualwriterssideblog]

Romance club Heaven Secret Face Claim

A/n I try my hardest with this and pretty damn proud of it

Mimi - Eliza Gonzalez

Dino- Luke Einser

Adi - insta -alexruii

Sammy- tsokur

Main Character 'Vicky' - Deva Cassel

Lucifer- Vlad Uonlad

Andy- Brandon.nevrarez01

[skettibun]

I don't really mind showing these since they ARE something I made and I've blocked my face pretty well, but I made a little paper mache friend with some old cardboard jewelry boxes I didn't want to waste!

I'm hoping to recycle more :) it's really nice

[weezeranitsweezy]

rivers rocking da new weezer merch !!

[kamliah]

"If you die, I'll descend into Nonexistence and kill you one more time for leaving me."