Post by skmccord in Yrsa Major comments

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This is perfect! I don't even know what to say!

PROS

Story, characters, setting, art, music, emotions, writing, colors, clarity, lore..... EVERYTHING

I really connect to this story specifically. I'm not a skilled fighter or strong like Yrsa, but I am a strong, 6ft tall, broad shouldered, pale lady who has light red hair, big calves, big hands, is nicknamed Bear, and has been made fun of for all of the above. Oh my god this was a fantastic story! I so appreciate Yrsa's backstory and how she was able to move on from the pain of ridicule and judgement but how she also wasn't. She really internalized those feelings and just assumed that she wasn't ever going to be a "real" lady. I almost cried. I'd done the same thing. I leaned into the stereotype and decided that I was going to embrace my strength but also had to learn that strength is not being able to break things or using force. Still don't want to wear dresses sometimes because I feel silly and like I'm a walking giant that everyone will stare at. Some days are better and I do love heels and being tall. I want to go to the gym and get stronger but am also scared...

My nickname Bear was more of a fond one and my dad encouraged my strength but my mom wouldn't let me play "boy sports" and seemed embarrassed if I ever stood out for being strong or wanted to roughhouse. My dad would bet his friends that I could pick them up and he was always so happy when I proved them wrong and lifted them off the ground when I was only in 5th grade. I noticed though that the guys I lifted would sometimes look at me with a mixture of wariness and like I was some sort of thing... Also I'm assuming that Yrsa has the same problem that I do when shopping for shoes. They're never right and men's shoes and jackets fit much better but then you're wearing "men's clothes" and get told you look like a linebacker or like you're going to break something??? Was told by my boyfriends mother once that we "looked bad together" and by a different boyfriends mother that we "didn't look right together" I was too tall. My dates were always shorter than me which I thought was fine but they would also be made fun of and get asked things like "Who wears the pants" and "how do you two.. ya know?" and my fav "If she falls on you she will crush you"....-_-

I could go on forever. I wish I could go to this town and meet her and Uribel. I would love to learn woodworking even if I'm older than all her students by a lot... Ugh I want to cry again. I love this story and am going to recommend this to my friends online who play too <3

shibalist2 years ago(+1)

Thank you so much for giving your story! When I came up with the concept for Yrsa Major, a significant part of it was drawn from my experiences of feeling like there was One Right Way to be considered a woman, and I wasn't fulfilling it. (I also completely understand the experience of looking at pretty women's shoes and sighing, because big square feet.) So I wanted to put a little of my feelings into this story and push it out there for whoever needed it, but wow, I hadn't expected it to be so on-the-nose for someone else's experiences.

(Thinking about it, Yrsa probably DOES just buy men's boots, or gets them tailored/alchemized to fit her size if she has some extra income... but would she, considering how much of her money goes towards helping the village......)

Hearing that it resonated with you so much is really humbling, honestly. It also makes me feel like I definitely need to keep moving forward with stories of "women who feel like they're bad at being women and who are still worthy of love". But that aside, you'll definitely see Yrsa and Uribel again in the next game in this universe, Heart Sigil Elchemia! I hope that the future stories I tell can be just as cathartic to you and others who may need them :D

skmccord2 years ago(+1)

I am obviously following you now and eagerly awaiting any new games you make!!! When I realized her nickname was Bear I laughed like a crazy person XD. My husband jumped and looked at me and asked, "whoa what's going on!?" then.... "Hey she looks like you" !! I regaled him with the entire story during our long car ride last weekend and he loved it too :)

I thought about it and she would probably just buy "men's shoes" and be done with it. Maybe there is a cobbler in her town though (depending on world building) and she just has shoes made for her as a trade for her carpentry work or, better yet, she makes/repairs her own because shopping for shoes or going to a tailor was such a pain.

I think you DEFINITELY hit on stereotypes for men and women. Uribel (not knowing that homemaking, cooking, and cleaning were "women's tasks") was just being helpful in any way he could. I love where Yrsa was thinking to herself that what he was doing was more of a womens role and pretended in my head that she mentioned that to him (in passing or just thinking out loud). Just for him to ask, "oh, does it matter?", and her to say, "...no it doesn't:)" I know she did have that realization but I just think he is so sweet (^_^) Women who are "bad at being women" and men who are "bad at being men"! It kills me that female MCs in dating games are 99% of the time taller than all the LIs. In M/M dating games it's almost just as bad for some reason??? Like the MC regardless is going to be short. I know short people exist, and I don't have a problem with seeing them or something BUT wow, ok, I see how it is. I could go on forever with weird stereotypes in dating games because I have played voraciously for the past 11 years. But your game is a breath of fresh air. I love it, and I wish I could wipe my memory of it and play it again for the first time. I'll definitely play again though :)

(I can't stand people who try to get away with mean comments (like her stupid date when she was 18) by just saying "I was just kidding" or "it's just a fact" or "I'm just telling you what other people are thinking, I'm trying to help". )

I have zero doubts that all your future endeavors will be of great interest and comfort to me <3

itch.io

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