Everyone Is American

[skeppsbrott]

-When my partner references something and I've no idea what it is
-When I want to reference someything but like at least I can google what my partner's talking about, they google and all THEY get is Börk Börk Börk
-Having to do tons of research for subjects that come naturally to americans
-Alright but like seeing as all the trolls are from wayyyy different castes and most of them interacted mainly online why? Is it so weird? When I want to play my character as being from somewhere NOT the US?
-When there's cultural cues and you don't get them so you make your character seem completely socially incompetent when really you're just. Not from the new world.
-Where the fuck is the midwest anyway
-"THAT'S NOT ACCORDING TO THE LAW/POLITICS/WAY THINGS WORK" wrong, in the US, it isn't! But I had no idea! What the fuck do you mean there's no unions.
-Different school systems? What the fuck is American high school anyway all I have is stupid movies.
-"OH MY GOD WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU NEVER WATCHED SESAME STREET" what do YOU mean you never read Bamse?
-When you roleplay with other non-Americans but neither of you bring it up so you end up with this incredibly unnuanced continent that's just a mishmash of what both of you've attained from cultural osmosis and the US being the cultural capital of the western world for half a century.

Just for once I want to be the one who's entirely at home with the setting of the universe. I just feel like J.K.R. trying to write a canon of the US wizarding world only to have it steamrolled by americans.

[Homestuck]

I feel this in my /soul/

[musicismymuse]

I can explain what the Midwest is. *ahem* The midwest is basically the states in the center of the continental US. This includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, and Iowa (I think that's all of them). Basically, the states that are not especially eastern, western, or southern. There's also technical climate aspects, I think.

[mogseltof]

I'm crying the unnuanced mishmash when neither of you are american is so fucking true??? one of these days I'm gonna write a prompt set explicitly in non america and see what happens

[davedudie]

im laughing this thread is my entire life

Apr 29, 2016 2:49:58 GMT mogseltof said:

I'm crying the unnuanced mishmash when neither of you are american is so fucking true??? one of these days I'm gonna write a prompt set explicitly in non america and see what happens

PLS DO IT did u see the aus-stuck thing on tumblr for a lil while that was actually a thing i cri

[Dave Strider]

Apr 28, 2016 22:23:05 GMT skeppsbrott said:

-When you roleplay with other non-Americans but neither of you bring it up so you end up with this incredibly unnuanced continent that's just a mishmash of what both of you've attained from cultural osmosis and the US being the cultural capital of the western world for half a century.

oooooooooooh my god I feel this so bad

[skeppsbrott]

Apr 29, 2016 2:46:16 GMT musicismymuse said:

I can explain what the Midwest is. *ahem* The midwest is basically the states in the center of the continental US. This includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, and Iowa (I think that's all of them). Basically, the states that are not especially eastern, western, or southern. There's also technical climate aspects, I think.

That. That doesn't make any sense at all.


On a related note, has anyone had any sucess with non-american set prompts?

[Dave Strider]

I have!! A long-ass time ago, I had a prompt where both characters lived in Europe, albeit in different countries. It went on for a while and it felt much more natural tbh.

[mogseltof]

Weirdest location thing for me I just remembered is that I've never really lived anywhere that's more than half an hour away from the ocean. The closest I've come was three days in Canberra for a family reunion, every other major city in my country, and all the ones I've visited and lived in are coastal. Half of the things I do with my friends involves the beach in some way or another; the idea of living in the middle of a continent or far enough inland that the beach isn't a spur of the moment "what do you wanna do this arvo" option is bizarre.

[davedudie]

ive been 15 mins from the beach since i was smol and still the most ive eve r gone there is twice a year omf

[Nepeta]

If anyone wants to RP non-American stuff with me I am all game for failing as bad at figuring out ur lifestyle/Area as I am, like I do America. Because u think I would actually theme my RPs in places like, I've lived. Like California, Northern Florida and Texas. Nah says I, everything's themed up north, or big cities like New York.
TBH, I've been better schooled by folks outside the US bein like 'Hey this don't work that way' over US systems. IDK if it's just me being lucky, or what.
{Also Mogs this means u can BS what ever u need to in the Fae/Monster RP because outside of like the few big landmarks in NY I know nothing.}

[skeppsbrott]

mogseltof said:

Weirdest location thing for me I just remembered is that I've never really lived anywhere that's more than half an hour away from the ocean.

This, also. Like, For most part of my life I've literally lived within a five minute walk to the sea. Summertime? Go have a swim. Wintertime? Go have a skate (if it's frozen). Any other time of year? Take a walk by the beach. The fact that people literally have to plan going to the beach is really absurd to me, and even when I've been to the inland (Småland, my mother grew up there), there's still fucking lakes all over the place so y'know.



Also, the fact that you can't go to another country without flying? I've been on day trips to Norway. I've done weekend trips to pretty much all scandinavian countries + a few other european cities. You take the wrong train and whoops welcome to fucking Denmark. My mother's SO has a in-law who lives in Sweden and works in Norway. This is not entirely uncommon, either.

Apr 30, 2016 19:17:30 GMT Nepeta said:

TBH, I've been better schooled by folks outside the US bein like 'Hey this don't work that way' over US systems. IDK if it's just me being lucky, or what. 

It might just be that we KNOW that it's not an area of confidence for us, so we put greater care into researching. Also, from experience, it's really shitty to have someone D/C on you because they don't believe you're the age you claim to be, because you don't have any experience with American college/high school/work, though not because of your age. So, yeah. I think we might just be more paranoid about that.

Anyone wanna do a exchange student AU HMU.

---

ALSO I JUST CAME TO THINK OF THIS BUT: IMPERIAL MEASUREMENTS. WHAT THE FUCK IS A FOOT. DO YOU MEAN A MILE OR A MILE? I AM SO CONFUSED ABOUT INCHES. FARENHEIT MAKES LITERALLY NO SENSE.

[Nepeta]

skeppsbrott
That makes sense! The less I know on a subject, the more I tend to research it. So it would make sense people not from the US would try to do as much research as possible to make the RP work. An Exchange Student RP would be pretty grand, too. Actually it would probably be loads of fun.
If anyone has questions about US Culture stuff, I can try and answer best I can. Esp. anything Cali/Texas specific. Not so much Florida, since I lived in the sticks, and most my neighbors were gators.

[mogseltof]

FARENHEIT IS THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE OH MY GOD

[Ethan]

this is the funniest thing ive read ever

im so sorry you guys