I have been thoroughly enjoying my time on Sylestia so far! I love the creativity and variety in the pet traits and avi items, and the community has been super kind and welcoming!

That said, I would like to bring up something that's been bugging me. I've noticed various traits, like the witch doctor gene, shaman feathers, and tribal runes, that seem heavily inspired by real-world cultures and religions, especially indigenous and African ones. While I know that no offence was intended, using these names and images in a fantasy/decorative context without any connection to or acknowledgment of their origins can come off as cultural appropriation or stereotyping.

Lots of games and media are making efforts to avoid cultural appropriation and be more mindful of representation. Even small changes can help Sylestia feel more inclusive and welcoming to a wider range of players. With that in mind, I would love to suggest some alternative names that have a magical, fantasy feel without referencing real cultures and identities.

Witch Doctor >>> Spiritcaller's Mark / Skeletal / Ghostly Swirl

Shaman Feathers >>> Swamp Witch's Outfit / Mystic Feathers / Spellcaster's Feathers

Shaman Mane >>> Elven Tresses / Sage's Mane / Spellcaster's Mane

Tribal Runes >>> Wild Stripes / Primal Runes / Nature Runes

Tribal Jewelry >>> Witch's Jewelry / Swamp Creature's Jewelry / Curseweaver's beads

I figured it would be worth mentioning since I think many of us care about making Sylestia a fun and inclusive space for everyone. Thanks so much for reading!

Support! It's something that was brought up a while ago and nothing came of it, so I'd like to see some change regarding these names

In total support of this! Always loved the traits but didn't care for their names for the reasons you listed.

Definitely agree with this!

Along the same lines I would also suggest changing the name of (or altogether removing or replacing) the "witch doctor" avatar outfit (maybe it could be Eerie Beaded Outfit, Skeletal Body Paint, etc.)

I do not agree with this. I understand where the sentiment comes from, wanting to make sure no one is upset or misrepresented, but it can hurt people from those other cultures too. What gatekeeping like this really does is erase representations of their culture and identity from yet another game or piece of media. What if someone from one of those cultures was playing and wanted to wear that, or have that trait on their pet /because/ it comes from their culture, and now we got rid of it? And since most of the traits and avatar items are player suggested, how can we be sure that we aren't erasing the input and suggestion from someone who was from those cultures, someone who wanted to see their culture represented in their favorite game? I personally feel like Sylestia does a wonderful job /celebrating/ the different cultures around the world with its wide array of avatar items and pet traits, which is a much different thing than appropriation. I genuinely enjoy seeing aspects of other cultures pop up around me and would hate to see it all blotted out.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=110350&page=1#5 Author: Zekotan Time Posted: 11/29/2025 at 6:24 PM I do not agree with this. I understand where the sentiment comes from, wanting to make sure no one is upset or misrepresented, but it can hurt people from those other cultures too. What gatekeeping like this really does is erase representations of their culture and identity from yet another game or piece of media. What if someone from one of those cultures was playing and wanted to wear that, or have that trait on their pet /because/ it comes from their culture, and now we got rid of it? And since most of the traits and avatar items are player suggested, how can we be sure that we aren't erasing the input and suggestion from someone who was from those cultures, someone who wanted to see their culture represented in their favorite game? I personally feel like Sylestia does a wonderful job /celebrating/ the different cultures around the world with its wide array of avatar items and pet traits, which is a much different thing than appropriation. I genuinely enjoy seeing aspects of other cultures pop up around me and would hate to see it all blotted out.

I hadn't considered that - thank you for the additional perspective!

My general understanding of "cultural appropriation" is that some poeople think we'll upset people from other cultures, but most of said cultures are usually actually happy to see their cultures represented outside their homes, instead of just having everything feeling like only one culture is represented/matters.

I think that, unless you are of the said cultures, you don't get to say to remove/change something like this.

I heavily dislike how many cultures are erased, for the supposed "sake of not insulting anyone", instead of just seeing them as ways of celebrating diversity.

If it is actually problematic, then it can be dealt with, but otherwise this is essentially cultural erasure.

Representation is important and make people feel included.
That isn't restricted to the color of one's skin, but also to their cultures.

These threads tend to pop up from time to time. While I have changed a couple of things over the years due to player feedback, my stance has always remained the same. I can say, very firmly, that anything we ever release here on Sylestia is only ever done out of the upmost respect that we can manage through pixels. I do think that is a very important aspect to consider.

Speaking from my perspective, I personally love learning about other cultures. I can't tell you the amount of times while researching future Avatar Sets, Pet Traits, etc. that I end up going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole learning about some new culture that I was previously unfamiliar with - whether it's their customs, names, outfits, weapons, folk tales, etc. I personally feel that, unless the members of a culture specifically do not want their culture shared, cultures are meant to be shared, appreciated, and enjoyed by others - respectfully, of course.

Another factor, as mentioned above, is that we do indeed have players all over the world who play and enjoy Sylestia. People play Sylestia from every single continent - well, except Antarctica as far as I know. =P I definitely have made an effort over the years to include various cultures as I add new Avatar Items or Pet Traits. A lot of them are even from player submissions - I believe that very conversation has popped up before in one of these threads from a few years ago. One of the things being talked about was a player submission and then I think that player responded saying that they chose it specifically because it had meaning to them. So I think that's definitely a part of the conversation as well.

One last thing to keep in mind is that we are a fantasy game. A lot of the things being pointed to in the original post here are very, very generalized concepts. A "witch doctor", for example, really has no specific IRL cultural origin - it could be referring to any numerous "cultures". However, in our use, we are using that purely as a fantasy concept - something you'd see in Dungeon and Dragons fantasy. It absolutely is not inspired or meant to represent any specific culture at all - just a fantasy concept.

Overall, I do appreciate the feedback - I always read it even if I don't directly respond - and I hope you don't feel like you're being attacked for my comment and the others'. I think this is a very constructive conversation and, again, I do appreciate the feedback. Everyone's feedback matters. =)