Many of you are likely familiar with The Mask of Mr. Veils, which at a cost of 35 Fate can allow you to change your character’s cameo. I wonder, though, does this face change allow one to alter their gender and/or sex as well? Where my questions arise are in the in-game lore behind this process as well as the meta repercussions of this act.
Where changing one’s gender is concerned, what exactly does it mean for a character’s cameo to change? At first I thought it was disconnected from the canon of a player’s experience, just changing your pronouns and it would be assumed that you were always like that in the game. But is it that simple, or does this carry over to the story of Fallen London? For instance, would accepting to change your gender in-game be seen as altering yourself from one sex or gender to another after having previously being something else entirely? Or would it be considered that while you changed either physically, mentally, or both but were considered to always be that sex or gender due to reality-changing magic courtesy of the Bazaar? Perhaps it could even be seen as you revealing your actual gender or sex to begin with rather than changing yourself; a revelation of being something instead of something else rather than a transition of sorts.
As for the meta aspects of changing this, I’m curious as to how this would affect interactions between players in the game itself and on the forums. Depending on the change you’re undertaking with your character, you may not only be altering your character’s appearance and/or personality but also your own name. Without some sort of explanation either on the forums or on one’s profile, it would be fairly easy for people to be confused as to why someone has disappeared from the forums and may even take the change in identity as a new person altogether without clear identification to their previous persona. Any advice as to how this could be rectified into a simple solution?
I ask this because I’ve been wonderintg for a while if I want to change my character, but first I’d like to know what I’m getting myself into both from a story perspective as well as the issues that may arise in the community.
I recently saw gender change as something Failbetter would be working on implementing. Can’t recall where that was right now. Anyway, it’s not possible yet: if your character’s a gentleman, the Mask of Mr Veils will only allow you to change to another gentleman’s cameo.
As someone who’s been dealing with you a bit, that would be, errr, curious. Mental image and all that, but I’d admit curiosity on why.
That said, your profile name on this forum looks easily changeable. And perhaps putting a signature message might clear some confusion (formerly known as?) at this level.
I’ve no information on in game changes except I thought I saw a Twitter (or Tumblr?) message that someone stated their character was older than their realization of their gender and asked for it to be changed. It was probably within the last week.
[quote=Parelle]As someone who’s been dealing with you a bit, that would be, errr, curious. Mental image and all that, but I’d admit curiosity on why.
I’ve no information on in game changes except I thought I saw a Twitter (or Tumblr?) message that someone stated their character was older than their realization of their gender and asked for it to be changed. It was probably within the last week.[/quote]
I suppose I’m in the same boat with them. Well, sort of? Maybe? Still not sure. The point is, I’ve been questioning myself for a little while now, and to be honest I’m still not sure as to what to think about it. When I originally started off in Fallen London, I was more sure of my identity. Now? I’m not entirely sure.
Yes, I could see the confusion in that. I can imagine our characters meeting to swap boxes and you looking confused that I’m wearing a different face and body XD. That’s not to say that I’m planning on changing should the opportunity come up eventually, but I am keeping it in mind.
Regardless of what I’d plan on doing in the end, I hope that gender changes become a thing for players. It’d be nice for people to have the chance to change who they are in-game to how they feel. edited by Sir Joseph Marlen on 2/4/2016
Wellllllll, I always imagined we were mostly dropping boxes off in a mysterious manner and waking up in the middle of the night to three knocks and then a fourth to announce yet another box has arrived. Or simply leaving one on that stairs for you to trip over in the morning. Mostly because it’s hard to picture a cameo face to face everything appears in shadows.
So perhaps it’ll be more of a bad case of Irrigo? Or the knowledge that your shape seen out of the corner of my eye looks … different?
Fallen Londoners wear fashionable masks as a matter of course. Some go perpetually wrapped in bandages, never showing their features at all. And there are enough sciences dedicated to altering one’s face and form that they’ve developed a complicated internal politics. Suffice to say, we’re used to this sort of thing down here. I’m not saying it goes entirely without comment, but it’s very far from unheard of.
(In game mechanics terms, I’m very much in the camp hoping that FL’s gender- and cameo-options are updated to something like Sunless Sea’s. It might not be easy to implement, but FBG have talked about it, they’re aware of it, and I’m sure they’ll do all they can.) edited by Sir Frederick Tanah-Chook on 2/4/2016
Rather than changing gender, perhaps allowing the Mysterious cameos to be usable by both Gentleman and Lady characters, and by that same token, giving Mysterious characters access to all cameos.
I should think that, in a narrative context, it would pass in Neathy society with barely a ripple. I mean, there are walking squid - squid, I say! - amongst us on a daily basis, and we are all free to romance whomsoever & whatsoever we please. So I should think that a change to one’s outward presentation would be taken most easily in stride, should the mechanics to do so become available.