i'm glad to hear that, ty!! the characters i've enjoyed the most are mavuika, xilonen and kachina! very long answer incoming bc i want to take some time to discuss what i enjoy about each character since i think there are some meaningful aspects of natlan's writing despite how hoyo's racism and anti-blackness influence its execution

i appreciate mavuika's commitment to maintaining her people's history and culture and how she sees the past, present and future as so deeply intertwined that preserving their history is necessary for securing their future. she doesn't view herself as exceptional, insists that she exists beside her people, not above them, and believes very strongly in self determination in a way that centers love for and dedication to others, not only by protecting other's happiness but also celebrating it. she cares very deeply about her people having the space to grieve without their pain and loss defining their existence and understands the importance of unity, insisting "no one fights alone", and this is an important message with real applications as oppression globally is intertwined and we are strongest when united

it's very significant to have a character care so deeply about preserving the past and view it as something that exists alongside the present and future bc colonialism and whiteness continue to try to erase and condemn indigenous history, culture and practices and violently rewrite history in a way that upholds systemic oppression and treats physical and sociocultural death as inevitable so i appreciate natlan's approach to war from the perspective of love as resistance, the importance unity, self expression and happiness and how it centers the idea that death isn't the end bc our history and people live on through us

these ideas extend to xilonen too as she puts in great effort to learn as much about the past as possible when protecting people's memory bc preserving true history is how we honor those who came before us and express our love for them and their influence as something that we carry with us moving forward. when playing the children of echoes' quest chain we see the suffering that comes with grieving alone and are reminded of how children's wellbeing is a communal concern, not the responsibility of the parents alone, and how we owe children our compassion and support. i like that the quest highlights children as an oppressed class and how necessary it is that we listen to and advocate for them bc their personhood and agency are just as important as any adults' but their needs and wants are often ignored under the assumption that parents are always acting in their children's best interest. xilonen is very attentive, caring and dedicated to to her community and she plays a crucial role in cherishing the memory of others and fostering hope for the future through preserving the past while also spending most of her time supporting her people's livelihoods by forging tools and weapons and i think sometimes we can get caught up with thoughts of grand gestures that we forget how valuable every small interaction is. there are so many ways to help and support each other so i like how xilonen's character expands on the significance of simple actions

kachina's character and the way she's deeply adored, supported and respected by the main cast continue to explore the importance of loving and respecting children and i really appreciate the emphasis placed on her resilience, how growth isn't linear and value is inherent and not granted on the basis of achievement. kachina is celebrated for who she is now, not what expectations she could possibly meet in the future, and the love and adoration she receives aren't conditional. her kindness, curiosity and ambition are very endearing and i think the way others validate her emotions and concerns while also expressing their faith in and love for her is a very meaningful portrayal of how to respectfully and mindfully interact with children. they're our futures so it's important we give them as much support as we can and i think natlan does a good job of highlighting just how significant that is