just need to say something really quick and i hope brianna lei can see this: hi! im an asian lesbian and i really really love your game and it completely changed my life and it's probably one of my favorite things ever that's going to stick with me for a long time. it's probably saved my life, actually, but something that's been really bothering me is how akarsha uses AAVE sometimes when she's speaking, for ex. in the auditorium with the word "deadass" and i believe the text where she refers to diya as min's ex the word "lowkey" was also used. im sure that since this game was released in 2017 and some internet lingo hasn't revealed or talked about as appropriated AAVE that it wasn't your intention but it's really uncomfortable to see a non-black character use AAVE in this way, especially with the situation with awkwafina, so i was wondering if it won't be too much work to change some of the dialogue containing these terms?? no pressure at all! i love akarsha a lot (shes my favorite haha) and these are just a little bit a nitpicky thing i had about the game. im very much looking forward to anything you create next!! (im sure ill weep real tears anytime you release something new lolololol bc reiterating what i said earlier butterfly soup really changed my life ive never felt so seen as a nonbinary lesbian asian)
Hi! I just wanted to say that I agree with your critique of the AAVE usage -- you're being very charitable assuming people weren't talking about AAVE appropriation back in 2017, but they were and I was just ignorant! It's something I regret and would do differently if I were making the game today (among other things like using less ableist language).
Unfortunately because of all the translations that are tied to the lines of text in the game, it's very easy for me to accidentally break it even by making small changes like this. But I'll be more mindful of these issues in my future games, and do my best to keep improving as an artist and a person. I hope you understand!
As an actual Black person, this is a complete non-issue. There's so much more to Black culture that quirky phrases and we celebrate when things we use and love permeate into other cultures. I wish Black beauty standards, music, fashion, and role models ingrain themselves into more and more communities across the world. They deserve to be shared. This is not to be conflated with cultural appropriation--as that just muddies the water of the harm of actual appropriation.
It's frustrating when other other well-meaning groups outside of black culture "speak" on our behalf. We don't want Akarsha to speak any differently--honestly, that's neither on my radar AND is a simultaneously thing that I love about Akarsha's personality. Black folks ultimately just want the same thing we have always been asking for: respect and to be regarded as fellow human beings. That's always been it.
If someone out there really wants to protect and offer something to Black community, how about this?--stop referring to us (even through abbreviations) as African Americans. Honestly, it's 2022. We're Black. Charlize Theron is African American. Brii, you're good, don't change a thing.