Interview - April Ray - Slaydies ATL/Streamer/Podcaster/Diversity Advisor

Today I talk with TTRPG Diversity Advisor, Podcaster and Streamer - April Ray.

We discuss the Slaydies Re-branding, Gehenna Gaming, Diversity and Inclusivity, Folklore, Penguins and much more.

You can find April, SlaydiesATL and all of their associated content via the links below.

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AprilRaygun
https://twitter.com/SlaydiesATL
https://twitter.com/GehennaGaming

Website:
https://linktr.ee/aprilraygun

Other:
https://www.twitch.tv/slaydiesatl
https://www.patreon.com/ampistranodnd
https://twitter.com/ellie_a_collins
https://twitter.com/Gremlynnart
https://twitter.com/DuvalKingJacob
https://twitter.com/ComfortCarrion
https://twitter.com/pherbear
https://twitter.com/dimplesndice
https://twitter.com/DNDJordanLea

Please leave reviews on ITunes to help us to learn and grow as a Podcast

Yours Sincerely,

Adam 'Cosy' Powell

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CAST & CREW

Host: Adam Powell

Guest: April Ray

Sound Design: Adam Powell

Edited by: Adam Powell

Music: Epidemic Sound

Cover Art: Tim Cunningham - www.Wix.com

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Website:
https://linktr.ee/snydersreturn
http://snydersreturn.squarespace.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIoZ8iiYCp919UHXUYGghbw
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/?query=Roscoe%27s%20Chimkin&ref=search_box

Buy us a TTRPG Source Book: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SnydersReturn

Are you on DISCORD? Come hang out in our server! https://discord.gg/QgU5UNf Join us in the Snyder’s Return Facebook Group!

Visit https://www.patreon.com/snyders_return?fan_landing=true

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Social Media:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ReturnSnyder

Instagram -  Snyder's Return (@snyders_return)

Email - snydersreturn@gmail.com

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Transcript

Snyder’s Return: 0:26

Hello and welcome to Snyder’s return a tabletop roleplay podcast. My guest today is slaying all obstacles and challenges laid out before her building community and embracing diversity from the eastern seaboard. All the way to the salt coast and far beyond into the world of darkness, with faithful is sometimes disinterested. Edlin by her side, she is ready to roll with the punches, even if they range from the critical to the beast your failures, along with sharing fables and goodwill to all, always looking forward and not last antiquated, or should I say, antediluvian ways of thinking and judgments. My guest today shoots for the stars and guides our way there too. It is an absolute pleasure to welcome streamer, content creator diversity advisor and weapon. April Ray. April. Welcome to the show. Hi, hello.

April Ray: 1:15

I'm very excited to be here. Thank you. That was an amazing intro.

Snyder’s Return: 1:19

Like it was just your work right back to you to be fair. So you know, you need to take all the credit here.

April Ray: 1:24

Let's get away with words.

Snyder’s Return: 1:27

I have time and practice. I suppose that's all April. Before we go into some of the things I've alluded to there in the introduction, how did you get into tabletop role playing games, please?

April Ray: 1:37

Ah, that's I have not been in the tabletop scene for as long as some people it's only been a few years for me. I played some tabletop when I was younger, couldn't really get into it. I actually had moved to Atlanta and gone to a d&d meetup. Because I didn't really know a lot of people and thought, why not? It should be fun. The internet makes d&d look fun. And I met my friend Nikki Johnson, who is the co founder of Sadie's ATL. And she kind of adopted me taught me d&d was like, let's make more women in d&d. And we started ladies literally, that same week, I think she was like, working on the first ever charity event we did in Atlanta, and like, just dragged me behind her with her.

Snyder’s Return: 2:23

Wow, that's, that's quite an introduction. So during that first meet, you sort of said you didn't quite quite get into it when you were younger, and sort of wanted to give it a go. What was your character? How did you get? What How did you get drawn in what was it that really sort of caught you hooked like, line and sinker,

April Ray: 2:40

I had always been kind of shown it d&d, and tabletop is very serious and very, like these drawn out backstories and things. And I met Nikki and I found people who, it wasn't only seriousness, we had fun, we made jokes, we made these silly characters with funny little voices and did like these little things like goblins. And I found my my thing in TTRPG, and in role playing that I like embraced, and that's what got me into it.

Snyder’s Return: 3:08

So sort of building on there, and you sort of mentioned it straightaway. That's ladies ATL sort of formed and became, what was it like from going introduction straight into sort of introduction to production, I guess that's a big leap some people take, including myself to be fair take months, years, centuries to get into that.

April Ray: 3:31

Nikki had this really great idea. And when I first met her, she was planning the first charity events lady started as a charity event. It was a week long event in Atlanta, where we would encourage female DMS nonbinary, DMS, pretty much anything But sis man to come play you discounted games, discounted drinks at bars, we'd raise money for all these charities. And she just presented in this way like I wanted to help. I wanted to make this dream a reality from day one. And that's what we did. We put a lot of tears and sweat into it and it worked out.

Snyder’s Return: 4:07

So through your blood, sweat and toil from that first sort of charity event. How has slightly he's grown and what is your experience as being an integral part of that team, a founding member of that team? has that experience been like for you?

April Ray: 4:23

It was supposed to always be an in person event. It was supposed to be this thing where we brought people in the Atlantic community together. Then COVID Hit literally a week before our second anniversary our second in person event. And we were crushed. We had put this huge storyline we had bars lined up and had this whole like 12 hour bar crawl d&d event, and we decided to do it everyone else I think at that time did and like let's do it online. Twitch looks simple. Oh, And that's what we did, we figured out a way to bring our players online, we we reached out to everyone we knew. And we're very lucky to have people who also reached out to everyone they knew. And we put together our first online charity event, which was kind of like the largest ladies and decided to kind of keep it going.

Snyder’s Return: 5:23

So sort of keeping this going, and and we will continue on this thread, but just so I can I can make sure we are able to support you sort of dip back into sliders in a second, where can we find you and everything you're associated with?

April Ray: 5:38

Oh, me. I'm April, you could find everywhere on the internet as April Reagan. That's what I do. Everything's there. It's, I just have that one, one tag.

Snyder’s Return: 5:51

Well, that one, you're being you're being gone, or you shall have one tag. There's your part of slavery. So there's your Twitter, your Instagram, there's Facebook, YouTube. What else have I found twitch of course, as previously mentioned, Kofi, for those that want to support you directly, and other revenue streams, I will put the links in the description below. Please scroll down.

April Ray: 6:14

I am very bad at selling myself. But if you bought a checkouts ladies, ladies details awesome. You have other people that you should totally support.

Snyder’s Return: 6:23

You have totally undersold yourself. So I'm gonna make sure I get to mention. So, ladies COVID, hit moved online start to expand, what was it like expanding the CDs team? And are you still a core team or are things in development for CDs ETL at the moment, it was,

April Ray: 6:45

it was a lot of developing it online. But we got to do something that we never thought we could do. And we now have people in our community from all over the world. We met all these new people, we got to play all these fun games and bring all these new players into our community and help kind of spread and especially in that time, build something that felt caring, and safe. And currently, we are in rebranding, we're in redevelopment, we are still a very small team. It's Nikki i And Meg. Meg was one of our original players, she kind of stepped in to do a lot of producing for us when it became a lot for Nikki and I because we've kind of started adding more games and more people and wanted to give more space to everyone. And now we're looking at the next steps and how to make Sadie's ATL, more inclusive and more global. And

Snyder’s Return: 7:37

how you do, you throw now that you've hooked me on I want to know more I want to

April Ray: 7:45

be a bit of a name change, we kind of, we can't as long talk, ladies is cool. I love the day, don't get me wrong. But we're not just women in the group. And we want to support all of our friends who do not identify as a female or a she her. Because that's not what our community is about our community is bringing everyone together who did not have a place before.

Snyder’s Return: 8:08

So will you still keep the ATL tango?

April Ray: 8:11

Nope, that's gonna be dropped as well, because we're not just in Atlanta anymore. We have people all over.

Snyder’s Return: 8:18

What's the furthest you've reached out to? Where? Where can we hear the voices of our community from?

April Ray: 8:24

So luckily, with our charity events, we've had people Australia, England do do Shift stuff with us. We've had a player for one of our upcoming things that we've looked at. She's also in England.

Snyder’s Return: 8:40

It's very cryptic, which is ironically something you will find in your Twitter handle to be fair cryptid

April Ray: 8:45

I can't give away too much it'll it arrives rebranded.

Snyder’s Return: 8:50

I'll we'll leave that to one side of the moment. But we'll stick with the inclusivity and the diversity so how to get you get into back technically but get into d&d from this meet forms. Ladies, when Where did becoming a Born Again player almost into a streamer? When did that turn into diversity advisor? When did you start sort of giving back in that respect? I mean,

April Ray: 9:17

as part of us ladies, it started with I didn't see enough women sis not or women non binary players out there, and I would I would just start yelling about it. And then I realised like I there's there's not just women who are being neglected and that we need more diversity in all these games period. And I was seeing more and more tables come out especially during COVID that were just all sis white people. And I got to talking with some my friends in different communities and groups and they wanted help and kind of looking at it through a non sis white person view. And so that's I kind of just started if I yelled enough that we needed more diversity that someone decided to listen to me.

Snyder’s Return: 9:59

No well You're part of the Ghana gaming team. So was that an opportunity that sort of spun out? How did you get involved with that team? Some may know ravenous make sure I pronounced from from Twitter. So how did you get involved with Ghana gaming was that they? Did you reach out to them? Did they reach out to you was there

April Ray: 10:20

I actually, le le helped out with some slaty stuff when we first started. And it was a really big like, help and getting us in the community, talking to people and really helping us learn how to do things in the community, and streaming in general. And through there, I met Ian ravenous, and their, their, their group Gahanna. I did some events with them. And it was at PAX last year that we were working together and they asked me to join the team, because we kind of we just clicked we work together really well. We had a lot of the same ideas of wanting to bring more diversity into spotlight more things than just the the especially in the horror and vampire. Time. That wasn't just white. And sis.

Snyder’s Return: 11:03

Yes. So for those that may not have made the connection, Ellie is the storyteller for ATL by night. Fantastic person had the pleasure to chat with her. Obviously, you have more interaction with her. Lovely, lovely. Yeah, absolutely. And so I keep going back to it because of the timeframe, you've sort of built all this in, but you've gone from Meet and Greet to streamer. And now you're dipping into or now and frankly, my mind now an integral part of the world of darkness. What's it like moving from system to system and trying to understand the nuances and wanting to bring that diversity to all of us.

April Ray: 11:43

Um, I like try new systems, I am the worst when you give a new system to because I also am the one who's like, I'll skim this, I'll figure it out as we go. Which kind of helps in the whole streaming world. I do a lot of things. We had we all in the streaming world and I think in the podcast TTRPG role in the last two years had to learn everything very quickly, just as we did it. And that's kind of what I'm doing. I'm doing my best and learning as I go. Just making sure to try to not fail to harder.

Snyder’s Return: 12:15

Well, I would say you're you're definitely succeeding. I mean, you've you've moved on, moved on is the wrong way of phrasing it. You have appeared on other streams, you played fables, and I make sure I get the name right. Ampere. Strano.

April Ray: 12:29

Yes. Infrastructure. Oh, that's, that's one of our newer ones. And I'm very excited. Well, tell us

Snyder’s Return: 12:33

more about it. Since I can I can see and I can hear your enthusiasm, your excitement for it. So please, sell it. Sell it, please. Yeah,

April Ray: 12:42

this Toronto is written and created its d&d Five e game by d&d Jordan Lee. If you don't know her, check her out. She's amazing. Wonderful. She has done so much for the community. And as far as charity work, just It blows my mind every day that I get to work with her. But she's made this world and it's a it is a very fantasy esque world I play a fairy monk. I like to call her my monkey and fairy with. And she's best friends with my friend Ferris character, do Dora and Aria, and it is still new. But right now we're kind of travelling between learning about what things like crystals have in common and what these residents have, that are different that you don't really see in d&d, you get to learn like, oh, gems have powers, you need to use an amethyst gem for this spell or that but an ampere, Toronto, those actually matter. And if you like for fairy, like my character, there's a certain gem that I touched, and it drained out my abilities, I couldn't very anymore. And we're learning all these new cool things. And I'm very excited. There's, it's only been a few episodes. So it's still kind of a mystery to me what's going on, we have to solve this big mystery in this university. And it's a lot of fun. We also all just got familiars, and it's, there's going to be problems.

Snyder’s Return: 14:04

Due to questions, what is your familiar and to is there going to be one of those mythical familiar only episodes with do we think one of those is coming up?

April Ray: 14:13

I'm just gonna say there is because if I say it enough that the episode will happen. But so one of the cool things about my theory is we have created a new subclass. We're kind of basing it on the protagonist that kind of fails upwards, I kind of tripped over something and punch in the right place. But my ability when I use flurry of blows, is I kind of blink out of existence into the bait veil, which is kind of our form of death, like the fairies in this world kind of help escort people to the next world, which is really cool. And so I kind of fade in and out. And so my familiar is the displacer kitten, so we both can blink in and out in tandem around an opponent and just be pretty annoying.

Snyder’s Return: 14:58

Bobby's amazing. Bye. is amazing. What have you wanted? Have you seen that? The more of it? I'm losing words. Does your displacer kitten have a name?

April Ray: 15:11

So right now it's kitty because I haven't decided what I would I'm waiting as in real life I wait till it's personality shows it to me and I want to get through another battle or two with it before I really like cement the name

Snyder’s Return: 15:26

that's something to look forward to and listen to. Or watch for for sure. So, with you mentioned fairy and and all this content and excitement. So when you are building a character like you have done for ampere strano or other sort of games you've run, where do you draw your inspirations from

April Ray: 15:52

it's kind of a joke that I think of something so ridiculous. And I'm like, I'm gonna make that work. And that's how I get a character. The premise of my my monkeying Berry was my idea was fairies are like an inch tall. And I wanted to be like one inch tall and still do in one day six damage, like I wanted to go full like tiny ant Man. And that's where that can that came from. But then I've been a little bit more serious with some of them like for fables, we got to not just play characters in the fables universe, but to bring in other fables from outside. And I really wanted to bring in some Korean folk tales. So my characters based on a chemo, which is the Korean version of the 19 bucks. And we're and ravens I think is based on the BFO. So it's really cool that we got to bring in folk tales from not just the fables MindScape, which was mostly just Eastern European. Yeah,

Snyder’s Return: 16:45

no, that's amazing. That's the flexibility and sort of diversity and inclusion. I mean, it touches all the bases of why I really wanted to get to chat with you because we sort of knock it out the park or shoot out the skirt and I don't know you're Reagan. So you're shooting both out. No, that doesn't work it is. But ya know, you know, you bring so much and you're so creative and just from chatting to you, you're so humble and and so incredible that having this opportunity to chat with you and let the people that listen to my podcast and just anybody that that will sort of follow me follow you and enjoy the content. Ukraine has been such a privilege. So slight ease is being rebranded as being rebuilt. Are you going to start re energising or resubmitting stuff on to your Instagram and YouTube? Are you rebuilding twitch and all those sorts of things really sort of kicking all of that back into to a higher gear?

April Ray: 17:51

October is our three year anniversary. And so maybe you'll see where we start coming back? I actually not even joking have immediate with Nikki after this. Oh, wow. So it is it is it's happening? We're coming back soon. Nikki had a baby. There was a then people were moving. And so that's kind of what delayed us a little bit. But we want to make sure that we're going to come back stronger and better. So we're gonna take our time and make sure it's right.

Snyder’s Return: 18:21

Yeah, absolutely. I can't wait so between sort of the quieter period of sleaze and and the build up, which is coming as you sign October, you've been able to get out to a couple of conventions this year. In 2022 you managed to get to PAX unplugged and Dragon Con what what was it like responsibly masks and all that because of the situation at the time, but what was it like getting back into the conferences and could tie back into the conventions and interacting with people on a on a face to face pretty much sort of level?

April Ray: 18:58

Well first off, I'm a big big proponent of masks even at Dragon Con masks all the time. I don't understand how people can still go out with masks sometimes. Packs though it was there's a difference for me for packs and Dragon Con Dragon Con was more of like a fun one. I didn't really tell anybody I was going I just kind of showed up and ran into some friends saw some cool costumes and then went home because it's Atlanta and I can do that Pax was a little bit different because it was also a little bit more my first real interaction with a lot of these people that I've been talking to and playing with for over about a year at this point in real life and there was a lot of you're so taller you're you have legs because I've only seen like two inch square in a box for last year. And so that one was it was a little surreal it was it was a lot cuz also had been locked away for three years at that point. But it's a lot of fun. It's I think my favourite part of it. Just getting to see and interact with those people that you've been talking to have you built these bonds that relationships online with in real life and it just, especially with some of them just so seamless

Snyder’s Return: 20:10

and amazing to sort of, I'm very jealous for being able to get to cons I haven't had the opportunity or the good fortune to get 20 Yeah, but that that is that is the plan in the future to change because I need to come and meet everybody because you're fantastic. I hope to I hope to between like Dragon Con and and and where we are now and moving on to enslave these the rebrand of slides I will keep correcting that the rebrand and the relaunch happens. We've had some developments in certain TT RPGs we saw the release of the announcement and the release of Spelljammer. And you said you wanted to play whose character have you managed to do that? Yeah,

April Ray: 20:55

I'm actually it has been announced scum and villainy is the new game for North by Northwest this season. It's dM by dibbles and dice mazing person who don't know who he is, you should go check him out. Love him to death. We've put him through so much. We actually recorded our first season of Dorfman requests where i i play I played I get a little I just get to make a little bubble sounds and be weird. It's a lot of fun. I like playing nonhumanoid creatures. I like being kobolds and oozes and just getting to not fit in a normal character.

Snyder’s Return: 21:39

That's fair enough. So out of all of these unusual characters should we play? You have played should we say? Have you got a favourite because you've described some your fairy views. So when you would say this my favourite at this moment in time, I love them all. But this one, this one just sits and resonates with me just a little bit more.

April Ray: 22:01

I have characters that I love for so many different reasons. I played a cold artificer that I love because I got to try to break so many rules. I love trying to find little ways to get my way within the ruleset I got to play a clerical otter in a red ball game dM by Duvall, which I we told an amazing story and I got to play a type of character I've never played before. I my character in Hades high Dusa she was very awkward. I love her actually she might be one of my favourites. She's kind of the one I always slip into when I'm trying to think of something really fast. Just a fast talker little awkward person who accidentally freezes people. Oops. She was a gorgeous

Snyder’s Return: 22:48

explains what happens. It's fine. So between your work Magana, as a diversity advisor, your work with the rebrand, building up and sort of appearing on other games and streams, do you get time for you? Do you get some downtime away from the screen? As it were?

April Ray: 23:15

Oh, yeah, I built it into my schedule between work, my human life work and streaming, I make sure to take some time for myself because if not, I will burn out and that's not fun for anyone involved.

Snyder’s Return: 23:28

How was it you? Do you have anything you have to relax? How do you sort of put yourself in that mind or lack of mindset, whatever, how do you switch off?

April Ray: 23:38

I play a lot of video games, which doesn't really take me away from the screen. But outside of that, I like to cross stitch. I'm I stepping something with a little needle 1000 times really, really relaxing.

Snyder’s Return: 23:51

I can imagine what you you're if you go through your Twitter feed the there was a number of feline familiars is yes, yes.

April Ray: 24:02

My I think I'm they're familiar. They rule everything in the house. I cannot when I've been I outnumbered myself. But yes, there's potato chip. He's my oldest. He's Pope. And then there's the twins Lilith and Eden who are my little monsters. I'm gonna keep you ever if you've ever watched our house, that's who they're named after is the sisters from our house. That show because that show doesn't need to be cancelled.

Snyder’s Return: 24:34

I can't promise to do much but I could try. So and then so being able to relax and be able to sort of look Is there anything and I realised there was a lot going into the rebranding and re release of of your other streaming content and shows and things like that. Is there anything beyond that that you're excited for any anything to do with your sort of diversity advisor stuff any other TTRPG project Extra sort of working on or even stream games that are sort of just being discussed in the background?

April Ray: 25:07

Well, I mentioned Hades, that's with my friends to cathodic kids who, funny enough got me to stay in TTRPG is when I was going through a hard time. And we kind of made this pact that we each have to run a game for each other. So Hades High School, camp, Half Blood, strict Haven after the fall, our first three, Billy table goth. Thursday, half month, and then me DMing. And now we are recording our fourth game together good society. And that is a mess. If you want messy drama, that one is, that one's amazing. And a lot of fun. I'm working on a couple other games and stuff with some friends that we're really excited about. Can't give too much away.

Snyder’s Return: 25:53

Of course, of course. So of the systems you have played or look to play, as you mentioned, you just sort of skim it and make it work. Are there any systems that you haven't played that yet that you're like, Oh, I wouldn't mind having a shot at that one. If a group Person X was would be available to run it? Are there any games out there that you're like, maybe I should give that a shot. One day, as I

April Ray: 26:16

look at my shelf of books that I have. One Ring, I really want to play anything Lord of the Rings base, because I'm a huge Tolkien nerd. Aliens, I really have been trying to try to find time to make that game work. There's a couple systems that I've been dying to try that I'm going to try out soon. And I have a mark board game coming out I can't tell you too much about. But I'm finally going to get to play that. And what's that game called? I forgot the game? Oh, well, I'll think of it later when this is done recording at like 3am. And

Snyder’s Return: 26:49

you know, me or something? I remember.

April Ray: 26:52

Record me saying it and

Snyder’s Return: 26:55

place it here. The joys of audio editing. Some fantastic game choices there, I have to say, a few alien is is a personal favourite I've mentioned a couple of times. So I may may be able to help you out with that. Obviously, that be scheduling and all that sort of good stuff. As we spoke before we started recording life schedules and time zones are the challenge of the modern day, streamer podcaster TTRPG community

April Ray: 27:30

regarding that,

Snyder’s Return: 27:31

yes, indeed, scheduling. So between your various social media platforms, which will have a link down in the description below. And I was going somewhere without question, I looked at my notes, and I looked away, and now it's gone. I'm gonna rescan that

April Ray: 27:48

social media, we like it, we use it well.

Snyder’s Return: 27:53

Are you also available on Facebook to be fair, I guess and that will get a refresh along with all the rest of the branding, are you bringing on sort of a media designated person to help sort of a community manager almost always, that aren't

April Ray: 28:08

going to wait on stuff like that, because we do not want to bring on people that we cannot pay. That makes sense. We are very, we want to pay people, if you're going to do stuff for us, if you're going to work with us, you deserve to be paid if you're in our games, you deserve to be paid.

Snyder’s Return: 28:23

That's that's that's totally, totally respect. And if if I was in that situation to be to be able to pay out retrospect, you know, I, I commissioned artists when I can and when I needed to, and I try and sort of make sure that I contribute somehow. But there are restrictions and things that impacted each and every one of us and as you say, we need to do right by those in the community. So we do right by the community in that respect. I've written I've written a random note down here, penguins. You went to the zoo. What's it like?

April Ray: 29:02

I think the thing with much

Snyder’s Return: 29:06

was looking through my notes. I was like, there was a question coming next. Penguins. Penguins. Yes, penguins. You are a big fan of penguins. How does that come about?

April Ray: 29:16

So first, I have to preface this I hate birds. I don't care internet come for me. It's a scary there. I mean, I've been attacked by chickens on far more occasions, but I think a normal person should. I just don't trust birds. Except for penguins. I love penguins. I got a little stubby little walk. I don't know.

Snyder’s Return: 29:35

I just love that is sorry. No, no, that's some random question. I'm glad you answered it to be fair, penguins. So

April Ray: 29:49

at that zoo, it's so weird because the penguins they're inside and outside. But the fence I'm five four, and the fence only comes like half to my chest. I'm like you could you could Take a peek when I hope no one hears me there was a puffin there was a puppet that was real close to glass and I was like I can't run fast but if I could read have a problem right now,

Snyder’s Return: 30:10

I will scoop that into my coat

April Ray: 30:13

it splashes what it like swam by. Yeah, yeah, see I see your face the listeners can't see your face. You're thinking about taking a trip to St Louis to steal a penguin

Snyder’s Return: 30:25

approximately six foot ages probably shrunk me a little bit I could probably reach

April Ray: 30:31

I've already started plotting out this how to do this but we can we're working with the plan don't work because

Snyder’s Return: 30:39

if all else fails, that's a good good TTRPG adventure I mean, we've had honey heist we might as well sort of step it up. Why not? So we can also going back to supporting as well as sort of Flying Without Wings? No, that doesn't mean the penguins swimming. We can also sort of find and come and join your slate ease I realised the name is changing and I will keep reminding

April Ray: 31:10

of using it I still use it to you have a discord

Snyder’s Return: 31:15

for the show, and things like that. So what's it like having a community built around your show? Discord is a very popular most shows have a discord community or are part of a subset or subsection of another network or whatever. So what's it like having a designated Discord server? And what can we find on the server if we, if we were really weird?

April Ray: 31:44

It's really weird for people. I have always kind of been a kind of private person. And so when people are talking about shows or characters I was like, oh, yeah, we put it on the internet. I have to I have to be okay with you talking about it now. So it was a big thing for me to kind of get used to it. I'm still not the best discord I real world stuff during the day usually takes me away from that. But it's a fun little place. There's a lot of cooking shots, we talk a lot about food and pets.

Snyder’s Return: 32:17

Fair enough. So well. If I can isolate the link will be down in the description below. Please go and follow these links support APR support, slightly support Gahanna gaming support everything that APR does. And we'll continue to do our time recording. You're amazing. on future lessons, you will still be amazing. So

April Ray: 32:39

I'm good try my best or at least a bit.

Snyder’s Return: 32:44

So your Twitter profile mentioned cryptid There's horror Are you into you mentioned alien more Borg both have sort of horror underlines his horror sort of your genre. And d&d is just another system. You played a you do lean into that more.

April Ray: 33:00

I first got back into TTRPG is because of Vampire the Masquerade. Oh, and I am a huge horror fan. I love scary movies. I I watched every have shutter and I watched that far too often. And just getting to play in these horror worlds and doing these things like Alien and and more Borg it's really cool to see how people integrate horror with a role playing game in both a safe and fun way while still getting feel that fear, which I think is is a very delicate thing to do, especially when you're playing with people you've never met. And you're just talking to a screen.

Snyder’s Return: 33:42

Yeah, definitely. So we'll stay with the whole theme because now I'm very intrigued. Both on two fronts, one with respect to Your word of darkness experience. Is it more on the vampire side of things? You're Have you sort of spent more on on the vampire,

April Ray: 33:59

mostly vampire? I really would like to play more. I know Hunter I've been checking out Hunter Hunter and Snoop Dogg looks really cool. There's that the mage show that I forgot who's did it. I'm gonna feel so bad later. Mage looks so much fun. Well, the darkness just looks really cool. And I like the kind of what's the word overarching sort of noun or that connects everything. Yeah. So a bit more.

Snyder’s Return: 34:27

Fair enough. skim read the rules dive in the law. That's where it's at. So if so good. So if someone was to say, April, we need to Kotori tonight summons le contexture. April. We're doing a vignette for ATL by now we need we need you to join the coterie just just for a quick word. Where does your vampire heart in inverted commas? Because I guess that doesn't really work in the grand scheme of vampires. What's your sort of vampire of choice?

April Ray: 34:58

Oh, so that you Used to be Ventrue I used to always just always go Ventrue were the best. I like that. Last time I played vampire, I got to play Tremere. And it was really cool because I also kind of again integrated some of the Korean folktale and lore of the Korean shamanism into my Tremere. And got to like, take it to a whole different weird level. And I'm kind of into Termeer. Now, like I'm, I like that we're a little blood magic people.

Snyder’s Return: 35:26

So you mentioned that sort of bringing your Korean roots and the folklore and things like that. So how important has it been to sort of be able to share your own heritage, I guess, would be a fair term with both your your local groups. And now because you're a streaming and a popular streamer. It was just be honest. Share that with a wider audience.

April Ray: 35:54

A lot of these games and especially fantasy, it feels like it's based in a European view. And I love it. I love Tolkien. I've already said that. I love all those weird fantasy things, but they are just predominantly Eastern European. And so to get to bring in some of my culture that I didn't see a lot when I was growing up, and especially in fantasy, sci fi and horror, it means a lot to me, because I for the longest time didn't really get to show that off, or people didn't in the last few years, like Kpop and all that stuff has grown and it's become far more accepted. Then X amount of years ago when I was a small child,

Snyder’s Return: 36:33

of course. So with respect to and and obviously, you can, we can steer away from this if you want but with respect to Korean folklore, you mentioned a few examples already. Do you have a personal favourite folk tale that sort of sits in the back of your mind or resonates with you from childhood maybe.

April Ray: 36:56

So the one that I always got told that I 100% believe for the longest time was there as a rabbit on the balloon making rice cakes. That is kind of a a traditional story in a lot of Asian cultures. But to me, even as an adult, I still will look up and I'm like, There's a rabbit up there making rice cakes. I know, but I know it to be true. And that one's always stuck with me. I know it's not the most deep or like fairy tale esque but there's a rabbit up there.

Snyder’s Return: 37:28

It's It's funny, you mentioned them and I took a picture of it. There's a there's a large moon out this evening here in the UK. And to me looking at the moon it always looks because of the way that the craters aren't like there's almost like a wolf or a werewolf sort of shape sort

April Ray: 37:43

of. I'm going to make a note I'm going to send you that the because there is a certain point where the moon if you look at it looks like a rabbit with a little mallet hitting rice cake

Snyder’s Return: 37:53

right that's right, I'm writing that down yes, please send that pitch I will.

April Ray: 38:00

It's in the it's in the fall it's autumn around the time of the autumn festival the mooncakes actually a big Korean Thanksgiving is coming up soon. And so it's a big deal and you'll you'll start to see them in the fall along the rabbit hole mallet,

Snyder’s Return: 38:13

RABBIT MOON mallet. If this comes across as the right picture type I might actually change the pitch of this episode. Because that is awesome. I will I've underscored that so no, brilliant. So I mean we've gone well off topic from TTRPG now but that is amazing and something I'm going to look into. Yeah, please send me that picture. That'd be amazing April Thank you. So not only do you advise on products found another note I was gonna get to you have back certain things on Kickstarter. So what what projects have you seen on Kickstarter that you're excited for one of them is still fleet.

April Ray: 38:54

Oh, that one's really good. I actually packed a bunch that my friends are in that are coming up that none of the names I can remember all of a sudden because she asked me and I don't know anything. One big one that I'm excited is die. Okay, this the TTM for us and for die. I got to play like a beta version of that a long time ago and it was so much fun and the comic is I love the comic. It's it's a really cool thing. Have you read die?

Snyder’s Return: 39:19

I haven't that's another no I'm making

April Ray: 39:21

cute and Gilliam wrote it. And it's a group of friends play a go to play like a d&d S type game. And they each have a dice from like the dice set and the dice kind of transport them into this other world where they now have powers based kind of on their characters. And it's um, it's kind of dark. It's very dark. So

Snyder’s Return: 39:44

so it's just with your theme. That's fine.

April Ray: 39:46

Yeah. And the there's a there's a character class that's like the god colour, where you literally like make deals with gods to get powers and then have to do their bidding in game or else they like start stealing your powers from you. Bye that wow. And I think it's it's a kind of cool play on like the cleric or Paladin role where in a lot of these games you just like, if you I played a cleric and I was like my powers are from here, we're just not going to ever talk about it again. But in that one like, you have to literally talk to them, or else they take it away. Wow, I think it's kind of cool to see that built into a system

Snyder’s Return: 40:24

di e or di or

April Ray: 40:26

D. And the comic, I think the comic Yeah, the comic is finished now. So you can read the whole thing. It's a really cool comic.

Snyder’s Return: 40:35

comic, underlined. This is why right? This is why I don't do the interviews to sort of do anything else. But learn about cool things from people like you. This is amazing. So thank you once again. Yeah, let

April Ray: 40:50

me know how you like it.

Snyder’s Return: 40:52

Yeah, no, well, I will definitely for sure. We have touched on some very random subjects that I was never thought I was gonna get to in an interview. But we've spoken about LIBOR. Is there anything we haven't spoken about yet in this interview that you want to bring up towards the end?

April Ray: 41:08

I know we have talked about a lot of things. And now my brain is like in 1000 different directions.

Snyder’s Return: 41:14

Scribble everything down

April Ray: 41:15

to good notepad, I, I have a pin. I've literally had a pen in my hand, but I have nothing to write on. So literally, this pin is useless.

Snyder’s Return: 41:23

Keeps the hands moving. That's all that's what it's for. But yeah, is there anything that you want to bring up just at the end? I'm sorry, I'm trying to think I'm trying to write so we've discussed the rebrand and redevelopment your work we get into gaming diversity, diversity in TTRPG. Using general systems you're interested in systems you've backed rabbits with magnets on the moon penguins. I mean, we've we've been everywhere. We've talked

April Ray: 41:50

about a lot it makes sense where my brain has like short circuited into 1000 directions. If you just keep giving more time, it's gonna start talking about other awesome people that I think everyone should know about.

Snyder’s Return: 42:02

I'll tell you what, let's let's do that at this point in time before before we ask where we can find you again. I want to know about other people that we should be following people that I can put a Twitter handle in the description below.

April Ray: 42:16

Okay, I got this. So tonight that tonight no one knows what night we're doing this

Snyder’s Return: 42:25

time of recording,

April Ray: 42:26

Digital's and dice. Check him out. He's awesome. Miss Penny Dreadful. SSM furrows. Oh, God, I threw my pin. Ricky Raven. Duvall. I've talked about him follow any of the cathodic hits Vin box. Carrying comfort West brakes. Um, Billy table Goff. Who else d&d Jordan Lee, fair bear, everyone part of AMP Estrada was amazing. And I love them. They're so good. Oh, Robo goblin. Follow TTRPG gifts, Rob was probably one of the best of us. There's so many people know who J, Gremlin. Higher Gremlin Gremlin art. They are amazing. They have done art for I'm getting I don't know why I'm like yelling. I'm like pointing at the camera. No one could see me but you I'm sorry.

Snyder’s Return: 43:13

No, no, I'm taking that as passion. And you Yeah, like gremlins? I've scrolled through because I was looking through your Twitter and Oh, yes. Incredible. Incredible.

April Ray: 43:26

I'm gonna try this now no plug for Gremlin. If you want an artist who could take three sentences of incoherent garbage and make a character that almost makes you cry without any notes, get Gremlin. I don't know how she's made art from some of the things I've given her and then she gives me this art back that's exactly what I wanted. Even more so than I knew. And I've literally cried

Snyder’s Return: 43:51

it's incredible that you can sell someone else far better than you sell yourself. But I definitely agree that the artwork that Gremlin does has done is incredible. So why don't we because I will put links to as many as though of those great content creators I will include a link to

April Ray: 44:11

someone's gonna be mad at me happy capsure Berea

Snyder’s Return: 44:14

maybe Go Daddy coins and ATL by night. Big up the the Atlanta Atlanta team as well. So where April as we sort of draw this to close where can we find you and everything you're associated with please

April Ray: 44:30

you can find me everywhere as April Regan everything is my socials are linked to that. And on my Twitter is my link tree which has links to everything I'm part of I Twitter's usually the best place because I that's where I'm gonna post everything I'm in. I'm very bad at Instagram. I post silly things when I remember it exists. I don't tick tock I don't understand it. I have one. People send me things on it and I forgive them. exist on tick tock on never check it. Noted. Twitter's the best way. Yes,

Snyder’s Return: 45:09

yes, that is well, I will make sure that there is a link down to Twitter, to your Twitter. In the description below this podcast. Please scroll down support a full support. Everything that Slade is doing and those amazing content creators we've just mentioned in a very quick list. So I may slow that audio down. Just love it to help to help the listener. April has been such a pleasure. It's been real fun having this chat with you today. And I'd love to get back in the future be for another an updated interview, I am sure or any combination of things anyway, I can support you in that.

April Ray: 45:43

I would love to play with you. I followed you for a while too. So let's play a game together

Snyder’s Return: 45:47

much. Let's do it. We will sort that out after this interview. Amazing. So, yeah, thank you so much, April for joining me today. Thank you. Thanks for listening. If you'd like to learn more about the show, then go to www dot Snyder’s return.squarespace.com. Alternatively, you can find us over on Twitter. At return Schneider, you have a link tree link in the description of this episode. And if you want to support us, come and join us over on Patreon and we also have a Discord server. Please leave us a review because we'd love to learn how to improve the channel and provide better content out for for those who are listening until we until we speak again. Thank you