'Tis the season for applying to college, and college applicants can get pretty competitive. Students are doing everything they can to stand out on their applications through extracurricular clubs, volunteer work, and highlighting any uniqueness in their ethnicity--but unfortunately, one student's attempt to do just that resulted in a mortifying mistake.
Dungeons & Dragons, meanwhile, has an almost dizzying number of playable races, including one called Yuan-Ti. Normally, the subject of college applications and D&D lore don't pair well at all, but in this case, they're firmly linked: one student made the mistake of claiming to be a descendant of the fictional Yuan-Ti monsters from D&D.
That's a pretty crazy mistake to make, but those unfamiliar with D&D can probably relate. The Redditor in question grew up knowing they were 1/8th Native American; according to their post, the Redditor's parents kept a shrine of some kind in the house and collected leathers and animal skins, though their heritage was never really a big deal. When it came time to apply for college earlier this year, the Redditor identified themself as part Native American on their application--but then they had to write in the exact tribe too. The Redditor thought they knew the correct tribe, one that their parents first named when they were little: the "Yuan-Ti" tribe.
When their parents confirmed, the Redditor sent off all their applications, having described themself as a Yuan-Ti on every single one. Now, fans of D&D familiar with its lore and settings will know that the Yuan-Ti are actually a race of snake people; some look like actual sentient snakes with arms, while others could pass for human if not for their snake eyes and faintly scaly skin. Luckily for the Redditor, they were able to correct the online application. Of course, the Redditor confronted their parents about the lie and reported that the parents were "a little bit apologetic a little bit crazy" about the whole thing, so who really knows what they were thinking?
Either way, telling multiple colleges about being a fictional snake person could've ended a lot worse for this poor student. Hopefully, they'll find the real tribe's name and avoid any more bumps in the application process; it's hard enough without needing to unravel a case of mistaken ancestry.
If that Redditor does ever pick up a Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook for real, however, they can finally be the Yuan-Ti their parents always dreamed of.
Source: Reddit