[X] She does a lot of intensive LARPing.
[X] She's a dancer or other performing artist.
[X] She's specifically into pole dance.
[X] She works in the middle of nowhere, so she has to walk everywhere.
Light I remember, but did I miss a vote for realistic? And will this also mean that minor sci-fi elements are also out? Because I'd be very much down for robots.
[X] She's a dancer or other performing artist.
[X] She's specifically into pole dance.
[X] She practices a martial art, like Judo.
If we want her doing nerdy swordy things without getting into roleplay-inception land like SCA might, having her do HEMA/kenjutsu/other swordfighting stuff would fit pretty well.
Dancing and especially poledancing also fits pretty well into the whole exhibitionism thing.
While this is completely something I'm into it can also be a thing where she does it on her own and is embarrassed to show it off even though she wants to. Also could just be a completely mundane no tie into kink variant.
[X] She's a sailor.
Ok, sailing is just cool. Sea air in the breeze and all that. Also near guaranteed coastal town or city. Don't think it hits any one area particularly hard if that's a factor for you.
Personal appeal here because I've sailed.
[X] She rows.
Get those shoulder and back muscles up there. Also goes hard in workouts because rowing does that to you. Honestly that's more a personality thing I find attractive but it's worth noting.
[X] She hasn't got her driver's liscence, so she gets everywhere by bike.
Another thing that pushed towards either city or town.
Personally I chose not to do larping because if she ends up doing a lot of roleplay stuff in the bedroom and for work for that matter I'd rather her not also do roleplay for recreation.
If that makes sense?
Makes sense though from anecdotal experience most larp groups seem more concerned with being fencing-light (or fencing-superheavy) then actual role play. Or role play at all in some cases.
[X] She's a dancer or other performing artist.
[X] She's specifically into pole dance.
[X] She works in the middle of nowhere, so she has to walk everywhere.
[X] She hasn't got her driver's liscence, so she gets everywhere by bike.
[X] She practices a martial art, like Judo.
[X] She does a combat sport, like Kendo.
Get those shoulder and back muscles up there. Also goes hard in workouts because rowing does that to you. Honestly that's more a personality thing I find attractive but it's worth noting.
Even though we didn't get bondage, I'm pretty damn happy with these results.
[X] She hasn't got her driver's liscence, so she gets everywhere by bike.
[X] She's a blacksmith.
[X] She's a mechanic.
[X] She does a lot of intensive LARPing.
Sailor refers to anyone working on any watercraft, but more specifically there are still tons of sailboats out there and many people whose profession involves operating them. It can also refer to the people who do the sport of sailboat racing. And yes, that does means operating the sails using ropes the old-fashioned way. People even circumnavigate the world in sailboats to this day. (Easier now that we have ports everywhere and GPS.)
Eh, to put it shortly it's still very much a thing.
Light I remember, but did I miss a vote for realistic? And will this also mean that minor sci-fi elements are also out? Because I'd be very much down for robots.
The science and art vote were about what tone we wanted including realism and the choice for weirder scifi stuff was a minority inclusion so we'll probably eventually see robots they just won't be as big as a focus as some people would want.
Side vote says she LARPs. I'm gonna also cherry-pick "performer", "bikes everywhere" and "blacksmith" out of the higher-voted options; she's a total dork who got so much into LARP that she went and forged her own fucking sword.
As for realism, there's actually a major issue there that needs to be ironed out:
Do nonhuman intelligences meaningfully exist in this quest?
[ ][Nonhumans] Yes.
[ ][Nonhumans] No.
Regardless of how you vote here, please at least consider the rest of the questions.
If nonhuman intelligences exist:
At the story's beginning, is the existence of nonhumans publicly known?
[ ][Alt-History] Yes.
[ ][Alt-History] No.
Were any of the nonhuman species made by humans?
[ ][Designer Species] Yes.
[ ][Designer Species] No.
Are all of them from Earth?
[ ][Gaian Only] Yes.
[ ][Gaian Only] No.
How common are nonhumans?
We'll use "elves" as a stand-in for all nonhumans in the votes here.
[ ][Rarity] Elves are as rare as people of Arthur Wadlow's height: there are or were only one or two of them on Earth.
If cryptids exist, this is how rare they are. Elves' existence in the public eye would be unprecedented. Expect hoax accusations.
(Six standard deviations from the mean.)
[ ][Rarity] Elves are as rare as people as tall as Shaquille O'Neal. There are less than fifty of them in the United States.
At this level, elves are known but noteworthy. Being an elf can be enough to make you a celebrity. People will tell you about that time they met an actual elf, in the same astonished tone they'd use to describe having been struck by lightning.
(Five standard deviations from the mean.)
[ ][Rarity] There's about one elf for every hundred thousand people on earth. Assuming they aren't clumped, that means there's somewhere around fifty in a major city like Los Angeles.
At this level, elves exist enough that it stops being celebrity-worthy: you can find one if you go looking for one. However, you've never seen one in real life - nor has anyone you know, or anybody they know.
(Four standard deviations from the mean.)
[ ][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 25 thousand people on earth. That means there's a couple hundred in LA, and probably one in any large town.
This is about the incidence of dwarfism or albinism in the real world. You may have seen an elf in real life: if you did, you had difficulty not staring. You have definitely seen an elf on TV. There's probably an underfunded and poorly-exposed Elvish Rights group.
(Three standard deviations from the mean.)
[ ][Rarity] There's about one elf for every five thousand people on earth: that means there's almost a thousand in LA.
To put this in perspective, this is about your odds of being drafted by the NBA. You've got about a fifty-fifty chance of knowing the name of that one elf from your neck of the woods. It's possible-but-unlikely that someone you know has met them.
(Two standard deviations from the mean.)
[ ][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 625 people on earth: there'd be an entire town's worth in LA, a few dozen in any notable town, and probably one or two even in a tiny rural backwater.
This is about the incidence of deaths from cancer. Most people know someone who knows someone who's an elf. There would have been one in your high school, and you would remember them as "the elf kid at my high school." There's probably a respected charity for the advancement of elves, which you've never heard of.
(One standard deviation from the mean.)
[ ][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 250 people on earth. You'll have met one, even if you live in a small town. There were likely a couple of them at your high school.
Elvish rights could be a wedge issue in the next election, but because they're part of a larger coalition. You can find a group of elves fairly easily, but they're still Weird. Multiple support organizations exist, and probably have decent funding.
This is about the real-world incidence of trans people.
[ ][Rarity] There's about one elf for every ten or twenty humans on earth.
There was an elf clique at your high school -possibly more than one. It's possible for being elvish to not be the most interesting characteristic of someone new you've met. You might know an elf personally. You've definitely worked with one at some point. Elvish issues are probably major in election years.
The high end of this range (one in ten) is about the proportion of Americans who are black. The low end of this range (one in twenty) is about the proportion of Americans who are gay.
[ ][Rarity] Elves are as common as people who wear glasses. Nobody cares.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-ten minority.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-250 minority.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-625 minority.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-5000 minority.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-25,000 minority.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-100,000 minority.
[ ][Rarity] Humans are as rare as Shaq. Our heroine might be part of a lost expedition.
[ ][Rarity] This is literally an Isekai.
How far into nonhuman cognition are you willing to venture?
[ ][Alien Minds] Please stick with minds that would be neurotypical for humans.
[ ][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds that are neurodivergent within real-world variation.
[ ][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[ ][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[ ][Alien Minds] Let's explore experiences that are fundamentally outside human mindspace. What if we had no autonomic nervous system? What if we were each composed of a council of subminds that voted on each individual issue? What if we were incapable of lying? I want to examine genuinely challenging questions about what minds and intelligence even are.
How far into nonhuman forms are you willing to venture?
[ ][Alien Bodies] Natural human variation gives us a tremendous amount to work with already.
[ ][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humans with cosmetic tweaks. Elves, Orcs, Vulcans, catgirls, Twilight vampires and subtle cyborgs all fall in this category.
The most radically nonhumanoid this should get is somewhere around The Hulk.
[ ][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humanoid species, but we can play around within that region. Draenei, androids, obvious cyborgs, pixies, giants, feathered-wing angels, succubi, and so on all fall in this category.
Yabalchoath from Kill Six Billion Demons is near our upper limit.
[ ][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
Miia from Monster Musume is about as nonhumanoid as we should get.
[ ][Alien Bodies] So long as it's broadly humanoid, I'm fine. Gungans, Dragonborn, Kobolds, Minotaurs, Kzin, Thri-Keen, and most anthros. I dig The Shape of Water's Amphibian Man.
[ ][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
[ ][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with nonhumanoids even if they don't have access to a humanoid form. Non-shapeshifting dragons, uplifted or magical animals, Shoggoths, Daleks, burning-wheel angels, etc. The sky's the limit.
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
[X][Designer Species] Yes.
[X][Gaian Only] No
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 250 people on earth. You'll have met one, even if you live in a small town. There were likely a couple of them at your high school.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every ten or twenty humans on earth.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-ten minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-250 minority.
[X][Rarity] This is literally an Isekai.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Alien Minds] Let's explore experiences that are fundamentally outside human mindspace. What if we had no autonomic nervous system? What if we were each composed of a council of subminds that voted on each individual issue? What if we were incapable of lying? I want to examine genuinely challenging questions about what minds and intelligence even are.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
Miia from Monster Musume is about as nonhumanoid as we should get.
[X][Alien Bodies] So long as it's broadlyhumanoid, I'm fine. Gungans, Dragonborn, Kobolds, Minotaurs, Kzin, Thri-Keen, and most anthros. I dig The Shape of Water's Amphibian Man.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with nonhumanoids even if they don't have access to a humanoid form. Non-shapeshifting dragons, uplifted or magical animals, Shoggoths, Daleks, burning-wheel angels, etc. The sky's the limit.
I like exploring nonhuman characters who have a different mindset then humans how relationships whether platonic or romantic would work so here's my vote.
[X][Rarity] Elves are as rare as people as tall as Shaquille O'Neal. There are less than fifty of them in the United States.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every hundred thousand people on earth. Assuming they aren't clumped, that means there's somewhere around fifty in a major city like Los Angeles.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 25 thousand people on earth. That means there's a couple hundred in LA, and probably one in any large town.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every five thousand people on earth: that means there's almost a thousand in LA.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 625 people on earth: there'd be an entire town's worth in LA, a few dozen in any notable town, and probably one or two even in a tiny rural backwater.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 250 people on earth. You'll have met one, even if you live in a small town. There were likely a couple of them at your high school.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds that are neurodivergent within real-world variation.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
Miia from Monster Musume is about as nonhumanoid as we should get.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 250 people on earth. You'll have met one, even if you live in a small town. There were likely a couple of them at your high school.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every ten or twenty humans on earth.
[X][Rarity] Elves are as common as people who wear glasses. Nobody cares.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-ten minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-250 minority.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Alien Minds] Let's explore experiences that are fundamentally outside human mindspace. What if we had no autonomic nervous system? What if we were each composed of a council of subminds that voted on each individual issue? What if we were incapable of lying? I want to examine genuinely challenging questions about what minds and intelligence even are.
[X][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humanoid species, but we can play around within that region. Draenei, androids, obvious cyborgs, pixies, giants, feathered-wing angels, succubi, and so on all fall in this category.
Yabalchoath from Kill Six Billion Demons is near our upper limit.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
Miia from Monster Musume is about as nonhumanoid as we should get.
[X][Alien Bodies] So long as it's broadly humanoid, I'm fine. Gungans, Dragonborn, Kobolds, Minotaurs, Kzin, Thri-Keen, and most anthros. I dig The Shape of Water's Amphibian Man.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with nonhumanoids even if they don't have access to a humanoid form. Non-shapeshifting dragons, uplifted or magical animals, Shoggoths, Daleks, burning-wheel angels, etc. The sky's the limit.
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] No.
I love the idea of masquerades, fits with some of my kinks and has potential for intrigue, especially for an organization-focus.
[X][Designer Species] No.
[X][Gaian Only] No.
Continuing from the previous votes, these seems like reasonable vote options.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every five thousand people on earth: that means there's almost a thousand in LA.
I'll explain what this means exactly on the bottom, but let's say that I have a combination that I prefer.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Alien Minds] Let's explore experiences that are fundamentally outside human mindspace. What if we had no autonomic nervous system? What if we were each composed of a council of subminds that voted on each individual issue? What if we were incapable of lying? I want to examine genuinely challenging questions about what minds and intelligence even are.
Honestly? The other thing that I adore is an eldritch theming. A bafflingly incomprehensible yet endearing love interest is something intriguing to explore. Also opens avenues for mindbreak, though again, most of you people do not like that.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with nonhumanoids even if they don't have access to a humanoid form. Non-shapeshifting dragons, uplifted or magical animals, Shoggoths, Daleks, burning-wheel angels, etc. The sky's the limit.
Ditto for above, the more incomprehensible the form, the better. Though nothing is wrong with a humanoid form, of course.
So this voting option would be an interesting one. Which basically means that somehow there's a large variance of nonhuman creatures utterly fantastical in both form or mind... and yet for the most part, the public knows not about their existence. Which means that they are either very good at remaining unseen or outright invisible... or somehow blending in plain slight.
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
[X][Designer Species] No.
[X][Gaian Only] Yes.
[X][Rarity] Elves are as common as people who wear glasses. Nobody cares.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-ten minority.
[X][Alien Minds] Please stick with minds that would be neurotypical for humans.
[X][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humans with cosmetic tweaks. Elves, Orcs, Vulcans, catgirls, Twilight vampires and subtle cyborgs all fall in this category.
[X][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humanoid species, but we can play around within that region. Draenei, androids, obvious cyborgs, pixies, giants, feathered-wing angels, succubi, and so on all fall in this category.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds that are neurodivergent within real-world variation.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] No.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 25 thousand people on earth. That means there's a couple hundred in LA, and probably one in any large town.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every five thousand people on earth: that means there's almost a thousand in LA.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 625 people on earth: there'd be an entire town's worth in LA, a few dozen in any notable town, and probably one or two even in a tiny rural backwater.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every 250 people on earth. You'll have met one, even if you live in a small town. There were likely a couple of them at your high school.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-100,000 minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are as rare as Shaq. Our heroine might be part of a lost expedition.
[X][Rarity] This is literally an Isekai.
As far as I'm concerned, "elves" should be either just common enough that it wouldn't be a huge coincidence for us to eventually meet one romantically/sexually compatible with us, or so common that us being human is the outlier.
Also I find the phrasing of "this is literally an isekai" amusing for some reason.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds that are neurodivergent within real-world variation.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Alien Bodies] So long as it's broadly humanoid, I'm fine. Gungans, Dragonborn, Kobolds, Minotaurs, Kzin, Thri-Keen, and most anthros. I dig The Shape of Water's Amphibian Man.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
I enjoy the thought experiment of truly alien minds and the striking visuals of strange forms, but find it difficult to conceptualize having an intimate relationship with most examples. Dating an uplifted animal feels like it would be taking advantage somehow, and how do you cuddle a burning wheel with eyes?
More seriously, my upper limit is actually somewhere in the lower bounds of the most extreme options. While I could imagine a romance with someone incapable of lying or perhaps an uplifted animal, I can't do so with something as alien as, for example, a true hivemind as conceptualized by science fiction or a biblical angel. I'm skeptical of a truly alien being's capacity to empathize with the human experience or a human's capacity to do likewise of the alien experience, and empathy is pretty important to relationships.
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
[X][Designer Species] No.
[X][Gaian Only] Yes.
[X][Rarity] Elves are as common as people who wear glasses. Nobody cares.
[X][Alien Minds] Please stick with minds that would be neurotypical for humans.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds that are neurodivergent within real-world variation.
[X][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humans with cosmetic tweaks. Elves, Orcs, Vulcans, catgirls, Twilight vampires and subtle cyborgs all fall in this category. The most radically nonhumanoid this should get is somewhere around The Hulk.
[X][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humanoid species, but we can play around within that region. Draenei, androids, obvious cyborgs, pixies, giants, feathered-wing angels, succubi, and so on all fall in this category.
Yabalchoath from Kill Six Billion Demons is near our upper limit.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
Miia from Monster Musume is about as nonhumanoid as we should get.
[X][Nonhumans] No.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
[X][Gaian Only] Yes.
[X][Designer Species] Yes.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every hundred thousand people on earth. Assuming they aren't clumped, that means there's somewhere around fifty in a major city like Los Angeles.
[X][Alien Minds] Please stick with minds that would be neurotypical for humans.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Bodies] Natural human variation gives us a tremendous amount to work with already.
[X][Alien Bodies] Let's stick to humans with cosmetic tweaks. Elves, Orcs, Vulcans, catgirls, Twilight vampires and subtle cyborgs all fall in this category.
Not a big ban of animal parts, but Elves and Vampires can be pretty hot.
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
[X][Designer Species] Yes.
[X][Gaian Only] Yes.
[X][Rarity] Elves are as common as people who wear glasses. Nobody cares.
[X][Rarity] This is literally an Isekai.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with any mind you could plausibly reach through a series of experiences had by a human. This is the domain of questions such as "What would someone 400 years old be like?"
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
Miia from Monster Musume is about as nonhumanoid as we should get.
I am very much in favor of this being a humans-are-nondefault world; I don't have strong feelings about exactly how nondefault, beyond "not so rare that we're likely to be the first human any given person has met". Given that preference, it's hard to see how a masquerade could be pulled off, so I'm also in favor of the alt-history vote. I'm a big fan of alien minds and very much hope that we get to see some of them. And then, alien-bodies-wise, I've got a slightly odd split vote, where I'm fine with monster-girl-level humanoids and with shapeshifting non-humanoids but not with the more extreme edges of humanoids; what's going on there is that I get uncanny-valley feelings about the far extremes of humanoid-space that I don't get around more outright non-humanoids. (Although I'm uninterested in sex bits with many non-humanoids, and hope that there'll be a separate vote for that following this one if applicable.)
Edit: ended up deciding I wasn't actually all that invested in humans being not-too-rare, and so altered my vote accordingly.
[X][Nonhumans] Yes.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
(votes omitted for Designer Species and Gaian Only because I have no strong feelings about either)
[X][Rarity] Elves are as common as people who wear glasses. Nobody cares.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-ten minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-250 minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-625 minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-5000 minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-25,000 minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are a one-in-100,000 minority.
[X][Rarity] Humans are as rare as Shaq. Our heroine might be part of a lost expedition.
[X][Rarity] This is literally an Isekai.
[X][Alien Minds] I'm fine with minds outside of normal human variation, so long as they are "human with an exception" - EG, robots that can't feel emotions, bee aliens that can see into the ultraviolet, elves with telepathy...
[X][Alien Minds] Let's explore experiences that are fundamentally outside human mindspace. What if we had no autonomic nervous system? What if we were each composed of a council of subminds that voted on each individual issue? What if we were incapable of lying? I want to examine genuinely challenging questions about what minds and intelligence even are.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm alright with significant modifications, so long as there's a major human component: this includes all "tauric" species, such as centaurs, lamia and driders, as well as heavy cyborgs and most gijinkas or "monstergirls". (Such as harpies, cyclopses, dullahans, etc.)
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with outright nonhumanoids so long as they have access to a humanoid form. This includes most shapeshifters, such as werewolves, kitsune and D&D dragons; it also applies to free-roaming AI, such as Halo's Cortana.
[X][Alien Bodies] I'm fine with nonhumanoids even if they don't have access to a humanoid form. Non-shapeshifting dragons, uplifted or magical animals, Shoggoths, Daleks, burning-wheel angels, etc. The sky's the limit.
[X][Nonhumans] No.
[X][Alt-History] Yes.
[X][Gaian Only] Yes.
[X][Designer Species] No.
[X][Rarity] There's about one elf for every five thousand people on earth: that means there's almost a thousand in LA.
[X][Alien Minds] Please stick with minds that would be neurotypical for humans.
[X][Alien Bodies] Natural human variation gives us a tremendous amount to work with already.
Can't make a long post at the moment but I'd ask anyone who's not voting for at least non-neurotypical perspectives as an option reconsider.
I don't know any other groupings it opens up but it would allow individuals with autism spectrum disorder to appear.
...this normally when I'd make a big argument but I don't actuallly have one. I just want to have it so someone with my diagnosis can show up. That and dear god there is almost never any good representation of high functioning individuals and this might be my best chance to get that in anything I see for the next year plus.
