Behind the scenes: SLARPG's writing and worldbuilding tenets (Patreon)

Hi everyone! Here's something a little different for a behind the scenes SLARPG post. While working on the game's story, I developed a list of "writing tenets" outlining some of my main creative goals for writing stories set on Reverie, as well as some general fantasy storytelling tropes I'd rather avoid. Some core worldbuilding stuff is also in there, because good worldbuilding exists to prop up the stories set in that world.

These are not Bobby's Universal Rules For Writing A Good Story - storytelling is an art, not a science, and there is no one singular "correct" formula. But these are things that help define SLARPG and its style of fantasy.

Here's the list itself, mostly taken straight from my notes - albeit with some light editing to redact a few thoughts on potential future storytelling avenues and obscure some spoilers. (That being said, there will still be some spoilers for SLARPG in this list.)

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1) It's modern fantasy, so characters know about things like the internet, cell phones, cars, etc. Some things are replaced with more fantastical equivalents - for instance, airships instead of planes - but generally, don't muck up dialog with unnecessary jargon. A phone is a phone. (This is also why I avoid having characters say things like "oh my gods" or "gods dammit" despite the lore. People don't talk like this in real life. It sounds corny.)

2) The intelligent species on Reverie are not culturally homogeneous. A character's species shouldn't be a shorthand for their entire personality. Elves don't have to be mystical nature lovers, and orcs don't have to be meatheads. Beast folk come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments, and so should other groups on Reverie.

3) Most characters should have built-in "contradictions." Even on a surface level, they shouldn't just be one thing. Melody is a shy fox paladin. Allison is a buff bunny. Claire is a small, magical cow. This goes against the stereotypical images of these animals and gives them texture. A perfect example as far as NPCs go is Catherine, whose function in the game is to sell you Spellbooks, but whose character is a smoking middle aged mother who enjoys gardening. These traits have nothing to do with her role as a Spellbook vendor, and that's what gives her flavor. Of course, some characters can seem to "fit their roles" more naturally - Faith and Jodie come to mind, being a strong, brave tiger and a magical unicorn - but this shouldn't be the case for a majority of characters. It should be an intentional choice.

4) Incorporate earnest, real world details into characters whenever possible. For the important stuff, make it honest, not a cartoon. Take inspiration from life. Jodie and Allison were internet friends before Jodie moved to Greenridge. Claire is driven by a desire to succeed in her chosen field before it's "too late" and her dream becomes unsustainable. Hell, I could list dozens of little things for Melody, but make sure this applies to as many characters as possible. When you strip away the adventure elements, the Novas are normal 20-somethings.

5) No chosen ones. There are no prophecies saying that any of the characters will do anything they're doing. Their actions are dictated by their personalities, their values, the people they surround themselves with, and the situations they find themselves in, not by some ancient legend.

5b) Minimal royalty. Characters are not special because they're born to royal families. Nobility is the antithesis to the themes of this universe. We don't need every fantasy series to be about The Good And Noble Royals saving the day. (Plus, this is a modern setting where even the countries with royal families are actually run as democracies.)

6) Minimal macguffins. Plot should be driven by the characters. Any powerful magical object given plot importance should have a connection to the characters - either some sort of backstory thing, or playing off of their personalities in an interesting way. The dungeons all have some plot relevance of their own, and aren't just places you're visiting to gather the seven legendary crystals that can defeat Javis or whatever. The only "macguffin" in the game, really, is the Fortuna spellbook that Claire uses, and even then it has clear limits on its usefulness and is directly tied to specific character arcs, rather than just being a legendary magical item that can fix everything.

7) No Dumbledores. Here, a "Dumbledore" is defined as an older character who's framed as wise and benevolent, when in reality they're some kind of secret mastermind coldly manipulating the events surrounding the heroes from the shadows. They'll secretly put the heroes in danger as part of their big 4D chess game... but the audience is still ultimately supposed to believe this is good and cool, because the heroes win in the end. If you know me you know I'm just sick of this trope lmao

8) No one is born with superpowers. Magic is not genetic on Reverie. Some people are more naturally predisposed to picking up magic than others, but anyone with enough drive and the right resources can learn magic. No one is special because of their bloodline, and no one is born superior to anyone else. Having characters' fates be decided at birth would be completely out of place in a game that revolves around trans characters choosing their own paths in life.

9) Reverie is not Earth. I just wanna avoid the common twist where the fantasy world was secretly Earth all along. It's been done enough. Reverie is not Earth. It may be possible that it's this universe's rough equivalent of Earth, but it is not a post-post-apocalyptic future version of Earth. It's its own world with its own history.

10) Not every antagonist needs a redemption arc. I love a good redemption arc, as well as media where everyone gets one, but not every villain can support that kind of story. The character has to want to change for the better, and some people will just not see any reason to stop being cruel.

And last but certainly not least... the secret sauce:

11) SLARPG is a shounen anime for lesbians. The protagonists training, striving to grow stronger, overcoming increasingly powerful foes, fighting cocky rivals, befriending former enemies, having dramatic backstories, using bombastic named attacks, unraveling the secrets of their world, and believing in the power of friendship are all core aspects of the story. That grounded, relatable writing gives the characters their heart and soul, but the Anime Shit gives the story its excitement. It's a careful balancing act between the two.

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And that's it for this month! As always, if you have things you'd like to hear more about in a future behind the scenes post, let me know!