-figure out a Trope. a Fella full of Tropes. like omg thats a Fella who Likes Puns. take your Trope Fella thats your basis.

-give them a secret. or more. the secrets will drive their actions. this Fella has amnesia and also has abandonment issues. do not reveal the secrets until the Right Moment, but you should often allude to it

-with those two things you will get Rules. this is a Fella who likes Puns. they use puns to deflect. so if someone asks a question that is a little too close to home, they will ALWAYS DEFLECT.

-write them in so many situations. how would they react to this? what would they say here? how would they answer when someone asks about their favorite hobby? would they be honest about it? or are they lying about it? why?

-every situation theyre into should go back to the rules. even if you’re the only one who knows it. just a sprinkle to make people go “huh that was a weird reaction….”

-that way, people experiencing the story again will be able to go “OH MY GOD… THAT WASNT A PUN OUT OF NOWHERE… THAT WAS A /DEFLECTION/” and they will love it.

-rules are here to be broken. but only for the best moments ever

-lastly, give them a hobby or two to make them seem like real people. be REAL specific about it. this girl doesnt just like romance books she likes MONSTER ROMANCE

vibes and divine revelation and my secret sauce:

-3 colors only

-simple shapes and silhouette

-simplify as much as possible so 1. i can draw them forever 2. people can draw fanart

-at least one (1) eyecatching detail

uuuuh it’s scary yeah. like ok yes i am part of some communities but i can only put my own experience in my stories, and also i am not every community so i can do my best to imagine what a character would act like in this situation but also what if i have made THE WORST FAUX-PAS POSSIBLE!?!?!?!

and the answer is ask someone that is part of the community what they think. ask them if you’re doing a faux-pas. and even if you didnt, they might tell you about a facet of their experience you hadn’t considered before that could make your story so much stronger. so thats one thing handled

and in the end yeah maybe you WILL do a faux-pas. but maybe you won’t. and i am personally not a fan of “only talk about your own experience”, because i have read some really insightful stories about women written by men, some really wonderful queer stories by cishet people, and some really good explicit fanfics by ace people. so like who cares. i think it’s fascinating to read what someone think and see them put themselves in another space and dip a toe in The Other Side.

and thats without talking about the fact that sometimes, if you write about a community you don’t think you belong in, that could be you working through some stuff. obviously, thats not always the case, but often if you’re cishet and you’re writing about queer stuff. then. perhaps? no. it can’t be. unless…?

and fuck it sometimes you WILL do a faux-pas and people will be mad at you and it’ll suck but you will learn to read beyond the anger and learn what you did wrong and do better next time. SO WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WANT AND DO YOUR BEST

-if you bought the game on steam, leave a review on steam! Reviews tell the Steam Algorithm™ that the game is worthwhile and cool, and so the algorithm will be more likely to show off the game!!!

-if you bought it elsewhere uuuuh leave a review on metacritic i guess????

-word of mouth!!! tell your friends!

-word of mouth, 2!!!! SOCIAL MEDIA!!!! tweet about the game! reblog other people’s posts! make fanart! make fanfic! write a long essay about which parts made you cry! cosplay as the characters! make a video essay! just yell!!!!! you know how you only got into That One Thing because someone made a post about it? you could be The Post.

-(this one is if you want more merch specifically) buy the merch if it’s available! the only reason we have a second Loop wave with the Yetee is because the first wave sold so well ;w;

-ummm that’s it really????? that’s already a bunch!!! but yeah!!!!!!!!!! ty!!!!!!!!!!

Word Of Mouth For Dummies (written by me, a professional Word Of Mouther)

ok so if you wanna make your friends play the game. here is my advice. or at least thats how i do it. i made all my friends play disco elysium and. ive even made one. play. umineko (everyone gasps in amazement)

1. dont be too insistent about it. so, GO CRAZY AAAH GO STUPID AAAH only ONCE. and explain the game in thirty pages there if you want. ONCE. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.

2. if you know them well and what they like, personalize the paragraph. you like timeloops? thats for you. you like old ladies? thats for you? you keep beating me at rock paper scissors? Do I Have The Game For You.

3. now that you’ve gone crazy aah stupid aah Once, you have successfully PLANTED THE SEED. like in inception. no need to go crazy stupid again for a while. i know it’s hard. but you don’t wanna go crazy stupid too much. control yourself. for the Thing.

4. from that point on though, when the game is on sale, just go “hey btw the cool game i told you about is on sale! smiles smiles smiles”.

5. every six months go “i was just thinking about a cool game again.” “what cool game?” “IN STARS AND TIME” and you can go crazy aaah go stupid aah again.

6. after Some Time (from 2 weeks to 5 years) they will play the game. yes i said 5 years. word of mouthing is a WAITING GAME. little sprouts grow into trees.

7. they play the game

8. ????

9. profit <3

just start <3

jokes aside, you have to make it. you’re the only one who can. start your quest and never give up, young one