#I can't even imagine what it's like for people who rely on the captions because of audio processing or hearing issues

[highfantasy-soul]

Is anyone else having issues with the Amazon Prime Video player? It just...doesn't register the ad at the beginning of the video so everything other than the episode itself is completely out of sync. The 'skip recap' and 'skip intro' buttons come on a full minute too early, when there are alternative language subtitles they show up a minute too early (which SUCKED for the WoT finale when the cold open was in the Old Tongue and I had no idea who was saying what, and had to try to remember the dialogue that was coming up over the recap and try to match it to the scene that didn't start for a bit, just hoping I got who was saying what lines right not to mention that in the middle of the episode, I get a subtitle talking about 'you said you saw and Ogier here' and that dialogue went with the NEXT scene, not the scene we were still watching) AND the end of episodes are extremely frustrating because the interface thinks the episode is already over when it's not, so it shows the 'next up' suggestion with NO FUCKING WAY TO HIDE IT!!!! When you're watching a 'free with ads' show and there's a next episode ready, it tries to quickly skip to the next episode when there's like a full five minutes left of the episode due to it ignoring the ad breaks!! And as there's no 'previous episode' button, you have to go fully out of the player, try to get into the show page without it just starting another episode, and replay the end.

Like, how does one fix that and could Amazon get it together because it kind of ruins the climactic ending of episodes and all the reveals/set ups when you're frantically trying to stop the next episode auto playing or you're staring at a super bright 'My Spy' ad in the corner of a super dark and intense scene for about two minutes.

[thechekhov]

So I'm not an artist but i know a few things here and there about it, so i can understand some things about what people talk about like layers or some brush stuff but when it comes to AI art I don't have that artist eye that would help immensely distinguish between real art and ai generated images. I used to use the "look at the hair/hands/fingers/toes/ribbons" advice but some AI is actually progressing to a point where the people making those images hide the noticeable stuff or the AI actually did a decent job .

I looked at that ghost image and the only thing i could even kinda assume was the rainbow glass looking effect but I've seen oil painted images that look so realistic that i immediately assumed it was AI until i read a caption or notes.

Do you have an insight or advice or tips to share to make it a bit easier to distinguish without relying to see other people, if there even are people, who say anything about questionable art?

I don't know if they're really tips, per se. I'm not an AI sleuth or anything, nor do I mean to be. I just think it's necessary to label this stuff. Especially because the further in we go, the better AI is getting at looking very reputable and real. There will be, I imagine, a day when no one can tell an artificially generated image from one created by a person... and it's important to try to normalize NOT hiding it early on.

That being said, with that image in mind I saw the following:

Yeah, the cabinet handles. They're not symmetrical. That's it. That's the only thing that tipped me off. That and just... another sixth sense I can't place.

If I was an artist that drew these, I would probably fix that. It's not an aesthetic choice.

[sincerely-krp]

no hate cause maybe you can't help it and it's your passion to write krp think pieces but don't y'all think being this emotionally involved is... insane? /gen meanwhile when there's long sns post captions all you guys can muster is a cheesy "congratulations or sorry that happened" meme, like... // like.... i think you should take a step back for a moment and stop judging when you don't know the people who speaks up? personally, as the op, i tried to share my experience based on what i've heard from numerous people (several who i've made friends with too during and after) about the group. i've tried to stay neutral, while also not hiding the positives and negatives related to the experience.

please remember that krp, rp and writing in general is a hobby. and just like no individual is the same, neither is any of us who engages in the krp community. and as it is with any other hobby, this is one that some of us can get very invested in. and that's not a bad thing!

but the last thing you should do is start generalizing and judge someone for how they experience things once they start to speak up (after people ask for general reviews on the subject). this was *my* experience, and i have every right to feel the way i did without being generalized based on your belief.

to elaborate further, and possibly to provide context—i've been a part of the indie (canon muses) rp community for 10 years or so before i switched over to krp about 2 years ago. it's in the krp community that i first started to develop original characters. and that is what i've enjoyed ever since, which is also why i am not joining gen rp's.

when i create an original character, i put a lot of effort into it. i kinda see it in a similar way as the quote: "a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. the man who never reads lives only once," where i, as the writer, gets to explore various lives through my muses. which is again why i put so much effort into them.

i am also a very visual person. this may be foreign to some, but just how some people are very smart when it comes to letters or numbers, or even music... i'm the kind of person who has a tendency to visualize things i read. and so i enjoy fledging out my original characters to give them a story that makes sense in my head. which is also why i have a tendency to overthink at times.

in the end, this is what makes me a *literate writer* which i have come to learn over the time. i favor fledged out characters, intricate storylines, interconnected connections between several muses, and most of all... i favor plotting.

i'm not the kind of person who can just write a few random facts about a new muse and suddenly jump into ic dm's, because i personally need more context. which is also why i am very offended by being so generalized by those who frowns the themes surrounding groups such as starlight.

i did *not* join starlight to partake in the 'belief of fetishizing sl*very*, as someone else stated it. i am not partaking in it to hide my ooc self behind a face, because i don't want to treat it as a case of 'self-incerts'. i genuinely put a lot of effort into this. which is also why i rely heavily on those who are willing to ping-pong with me and meet me half way.

i was fortunate enough that the first krp i ever joined lasted for several months. and the muse i made almost 2 years ago is still stuck with me because i put so much effort into them, to the point i can probably write a whole book about their life at this point. and THAT is what i enjoy about rp'ing as a hobby.

i get to explore a character and a story that is unlike my own life. and i am okay with it because i treat it as a hobby, and i know when to step back and breathe because i also know how addictive this hobby can be.

to get back on track—starlight IS NOT filled with weird freaks. it's filled with creative writers who are very imaginative. during my time there, i experienced a genuine effort when it comes to participating in SNS posts too and commenting as well.

i didn't join starlight because of a personal king or whatever it is some people would presume. not for fertilization either. i joined because i am most comfortable with writing a male muse. and using a fc i am familar with, so i know what sources i can use for edits. beyond that, the muse i write is my own creation, and i try to fledge them out as much as possible. to for the kinks such a premise allows, but for the reality i imagine it brings. the struggles, the tension, the drama.

i am not saying there aren't writers who joins just for the smut and the nsfw themes but.... please don't generalize. there's a lot more to a story than just that, especially when you consider the *individual* writer at hand.

sure, there's a clear distinction between those who are more active and outgoing when it comes to gc's and dm's, as they are likely to be experienced with gen rp's and puts more effort in that over actual plotting and writing, which is favored by more literate writers. but that doesn't mean there isn't a genuine interest, effort and care when it comes to the rp and the group people write. it just means we are all different. experienced in different ways and favors different things. and sometimes, it just doesn't match, meaning some people will feel left out and eventually leave.

i think the big issue for me was that.... there was a big gab between those who joined and were used to gen rp's, and by so had it easy when it comes to being loud, outspoken, approachable and generally active in the ooc and ic gc's, as well as in dm's. i'm not judging, because i genuinely admire their ability to just run with things. but as a literate writer? i overthink a lot. and i need a foundation, a plot or just come context before i can just engage like that. and i think that's where i started to feel left out.... because i wasn't engage in the gc's and in dm's like that, so i didn't get to feel the 'instant gratification' of it all.

also, i think my personal issue with the group was the overall meta gaming amongst other things. as in—people run with things they read ooc, without discussing it properly. and i understand real life comes first, but there were still cases of admins promising updates which never came. events were delayed. ooc messages with admins were delayed for almost a month while (as i've been told) the admins were active on their own muses. and not to mention the fact that several times there were cases of someone suggesting something, the admins saying they would get back to you, and yet they never did. and also several errors in terms of the activity check as well. i still don't know who the admin muses are and i really don't care (not judging either), but it's those kind of things that kinda bugged me. and in the end, when i tried to speak up about things, i didn't feel welcomed anymore. which is why i made the decision to leave.

again, i am not saying starlight is a bad group!! in all honesty, i even considered re-joining recently because i did miss the place. i miss some of the people there, and i want nothing but the best for them.

but to me, the group just didn't end up working well for me anymore.

・❥・

[demigodseameg16]

I am updating this as I see clips circulating and I see people defending Marinette. And all because a girl was making friends with Adrien? That they shared a class? Marinette has "won" in the sense that she's dating Adrien, and even by the clips Adrien is kinda uncomfortable with Marinette's behavior (if only he knew how deep it went) but he tried to frame it in his mind with Marinette trying to make friends, because to his knowledge, what else could it be? But that's not enough for Marinette. Adrien has to be hers and hers alone. Does she even consider WHY Adrien may be wanting to make new friends? Everyone considers Gabriel a hero, which must make conflicting feelings on Adrien (if only the show got to explore that but I know it won't) while we, the audience and literally half of the heroes know Gabriel was Monarch. Adrien is finally free from Gabriel's controlling and abusive environment and is trying to explore new avenues of expressing freedom, like running. And he probably sees himself a bit in Sublime, and wants to help her out. Sublime might not even know who Gabriel Agreste is or was, which may be such a relief for Adrien in some way he can't place yet. But you know what scene hurts me the most?

THIS. THIS SCENE RIGHT HERE.

The expression on Sublime's face, pure exhaustion, grief, as her legs are broken, nay, destroyed. This girl has probably had mishaps before with prosthetics but this is akin to being assaulted, someone violated her personal space and ruined a piece of her. And she has to keep going, because that's all she knows. Because if she breaks down, she is seen as weak, pathetic, invalid. And if she keeps going everything is fine, but she's also seen as heartless, a machine. And that balance is exhausting to maintain and I am sick of that double standard placed on disabled people, especially disabled women/female presenting. She is allowed to cry, allowed to get upset, and yet literally the caption is about freaking Marinette. Marinette, the one who destroyed her legs and pretended to be an akuma to harass her, and we are supposed to feel bad for her? To pity her? No. Absolutely not. Imagine all the young disabled kids watching this scene, especially disabled girls, seeing that their feelings are invalid because their sadness got someone akumatized when in reality it was the harasser whose actions should be held accountable, but the narrative won't let that be shown. They must have been so happy to see a girl like them in a show, only for her to be suddenly the "bad guy"? And if they feel one negative emotion, bad things happen. Sure in real life a magical terrorist won't turn you into a monster, but it might as well have the same reaction. Because we aren't supposed to feel unless it's positive, and even then we can't show too many positive emotions because that's being haughty. The double standard indeed. And it hurts even more because of that face on Sublime? I see that every freaking day in the morning.

( TW for seizures, hospitals, skip to * if you need to.)

Getting personal here, but not only do I have a cane that I need to use as necessary, and have been relying on more and more, but recently I have been having seizures. And these suck. Like so bad. Especially since nobody can figure out the cause of them. I live in a state with one of the best healthcare systems for my country and yet nobody is figuring out what's causing them, and I've had so many horrible experiences with paramedics and hospitals (some thinking I'm faking it and won't treat me, others I won't mention here because their harm is still fresh). And what's worse is that they are triggering conditions I thought had gone dormant after physical therapy, like a condition that paralyzes my legs and vocal cords. It's making me have a worse short term memory and making me so afraid and exhausted. *But I have to keep going. But sometimes you don't want to, and you can see that in Sublime's face that she's so tired but she knows she has to. Her trembling fingers as she tries to fix her shattered prosthetics BY HERSELF .

And the sad thing is? She's trying so hard not to blame Marinette, because in her mind she's responsible for her prosthetics and any damage that happens to them. If this was a reverse situation, Marinette had no problem blaming Sublime for talking to Adrien when she literally did nothing wrong. But here's the kicker. Marinette did do something wrong. She accosted, tampered with, and harassed a girl all for being potential friends with Adrien, who she should know would never cheat on her, he's not built like that (literally. And Marinette knows this and YET-) Sublime shows the maturity of a girl who had to grow up too fast, which often is the case with disabled kids, not to mention probably a result of her mother/coach. Marinette shows the maturity of a girl whose favorite doll might have to be shared with the class. And one of them is a hero of Paris. To reiterate my earlier point, screw you Astruc. And even though she's not real, this is for what she stands for: Screw You Marinette.

Bro as someone who uses a walking aid (a cane) and is disabled seeing the new trailer for Miraculous Ladybug makes me absolutely furious. I have never felt so much hatred for a fictional character before and yet here we are. I didn't like Marinette before but like, this just. This hits way too close to home and I know Astruc is going to frame it in a way that makes Marinette the good guy. But NOTHING excuses touching a disability aid without permission, especially fooling around with it and sabotaging it. And the fact that a younger generation is going to see this, I absolutely can't. I feel so bad for disabled children who will see this scene on TV and have their feelings be in the wrong, shown that they are the bad guys for getting upset, or heavens forbid being disabled. Screw you Astruc.

[atalana]

i can't speak for every disabled person, but here's some things i know are important to consider:

-timed challenges, particularly involving dexterity. some people cannot have good reflexes for stuff, so by all means include these in the main game, but having an option to remove timers (or skip difficult fights if you can't take the timed feature out of the fight) is going to be very helpful. i always breathe a bit easier when combat in games is turn based rather than real time because i know i won't get penalised for not being able to hit buttons fast enough. if it's something like a timed puzzle, allowing an option to either remove the timer or set the rate (a slower timer for people struggling, a faster timer for people who want the challenge) benefits everyone. obviously this isn't going to work for mmos, but generally people who have problems with this prefer to stick to games where they're not going up against other people

-crucial parts of the game relying on fine motor control. if it's a side challenge, sure, we can skip that, but if it's cutting off our ability to proceed, and it's something that cannot be done with shaky hands or it needs all five of your fingers to be doing different jobs? that's gonna lock some people out of the rest of the game. widen your margin of error, find something that can be done just with one or two buttons if possible, or allow an option to skip it

-i'm not blind so i don't know what good audio descriptions sound like, but i know there are blind people who enjoy video games, so they exist out there, i'd encourage you to do your research and see what you can accomodate for

-caption everything. please. don't include vital information only in sound. some people can't hear it, some have audio processing issues, some have panic disorders, some people just wanna be able to play the game without having to listen to the sound, if you've got important dialogue, put it in text form somewhere. this goes for important sound effects, too, if you have a sound effect you don't want your players to miss, describe it in brackets in your captions. (for example, (footsteps) or (heavy breathing) or whatever)

-warnings for flashing lights and sudden sounds, you don't gotta put these right before it shows up and spoil everything, but give a warning at the start of the game that they are present, and give an option to turn them off (when it comes to selling the game, mentioning your accessibility settings on the steam page or equivalent will go a long way in getting people to love your game, as you can imagine it's hard to commit to buying a game if you don't know ahead of time that you'll be physically able to play it or not)

-keybinds. most games do involve some measure of letting you change the keybinds, but i'm encountering this problem in deltarune at the moment, where you can only keybind numbers and letters, you can't even set space as a control. just, don't do that, let people use whatever keys are available to them in whatever configuration they need. and let us use the space bar it's the biggest and easiest key to hit

generally i'd say you can put whatever in your game, but give us a menu setting to get around it, the more flexibility you offer the player the better. supergiant games are honestly a good example, they're not perfect yet, but they've provided some of the best accessibility mechanics i've seen so far, in that everything is variable. if you want a more challenging game, there are a huge amount of difficulty settings, but there's also things to make it easier, they have an auto aim system, keybinds can be changed to anything you like, and their most recent one (hades, the one that actually got popular) introduced god mode - basically it's a game that relies on a certain level of failure, so they can't make you immortal immediately or you'll lose the story, but every time you die makes you 2% more resistant to damage, so you know you'll get enough failure states, but eventually you'll get to the success as well, even if you're struggling immensely with fights

all video games should have a “I’m shit at video games but I’m curious about the story and I don’t want to watch a let’s play” mode