#and YES this still applies even if there’s ALT text

[aritany]

important note for if you’re sharing writing excerpts here in screenshots: if your images contain text that is so small i have to squint and/or hold my phone right up to my face, i simply won’t be reading it. thank u

[askablindperson]

In what way does alt text serve as an accessibility tool for blind people? Do you use text to speech? I'm having trouble imagining that. I suppose I'm in general not understanding how a blind person might use Tumblr, but I'm particularly interested in the function of alt text.

In short, yes. We use text to speech (among other access technology like braille displays) very frequently to navigate online spaces. Text to speech software specifically designed for blind people are called screen readers, and when use on computers, they enable us to navigate the entire interface using the keyboard instead of the mouse And hear everything on screen, as long as those things are accessible. The same applies for touchscreens on smart phones and tablets, just instead of using keyboard commands, it alters the way touch affect the screen so we hear what we touch before anything actually gets activated. That part is hard to explain via text, but you should be able to find many videos online of blind people demonstrating how they use their phones.

As you may be able to guess, images are not exactly going to be accessible for text to speech software. Blindness screen readers are getting better and better at incorporating OCR (optical character recognition) software to help pick up text in images, and rudimentary AI driven Image descriptions, but they are still nowhere near enough for us to get an accurate understanding of what is in an image the majority of the time without a human made description.

Now I’m not exactly a programmer so the terminology I use might get kind of wonky here, but when you use the alt text feature, the text you write as an image description effectively gets sort of embedded onto the image itself. That way, when a screen reader lands on that image, Instead of having to employ artificial intelligences to make mediocre guesses, it will read out exactly the text you wrote in the alt text section.

Not only that, but the majority of blind people are not completely blind, and usually still have at least some amount of residual vision. So there are many blind people who may not have access to a screen reader, but who may struggle to visually interpret what is in an image without being able to click the alt text button and read a description. Plus, it benefits folks with visual processing disorders as well, where their visual acuity might be fine, but their brain’s ability to interpret what they are seeing is not. Being able to click the alt text icon in the corner of an image and read a text description Can help that person better interpret what they are seeing in the image, too.

Granted, in most cases, typing out an image description in the body of the post instead of in the alt text section often works just as well, so that is also an option. But there are many other posts in my image descriptions tag that go over the pros and cons of that, so I won’t digress into it here.

Utilizing alt text or any kind of image description on all of your social media posts that contain images is single-handedly one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to directly help blind people, even if you don’t know any blind people, and even if you think no blind people would be following you. There are more of us than you might think, and we have just as many varied interests and hobbies and beliefs as everyone else, so where there are people, there will also be blind people. We don’t only hang out in spaces to talk exclusively about blindness, we also hang out in fashion Facebook groups and tech subreddits and political Twitter hashtags and gaming related discord servers and on and on and on. Even if you don’t think a blind person would follow you, You can’t know that for sure, and adding image descriptions is one of the most effective ways to accommodate us even if you don’t know we’re there.

I hope this helps give you a clearer understanding of just how important alt text and image descriptions as a whole are for blind accessibility, and how we make use of those tools when they are available.

[g0ldgauntlet]

Hilichurls and "Tribal" Portrayals.

While we're talking about Natlan, I also want to mention how awful it is that a section of the fandom tried to make us all out to be crazy years ago for pointing out how racist the portrayal of the Hilichurls are.

Quick content warning for mentions of slavery, colonization, genocide, and anti-Indigenous racism. (Image description is in alt text)

Hoyo used Indigenous people as references for these in-game enemies, which we literally have video proof of, provided by the company itself (Timestamp: 1:30).

The Hilichurls were constantly belittled by Teyvat's people, with an Inazuma npc likening them to demons. I remember Paimon acting like the items they collected were meaningless or pieces of junk during the earlier parts of the game.

They become a lot more sympathetic later due to their actual origins in-game (which I'm sure @phoenix-creates can confirm for me because I know you're farther ahead in Genshin than I am right now), sure, but I always found it strange that Hoyo used Indigenous cultures to portray these "monsters" who have lost their sense of selves (meanwhile their human forms are white), as if to imply that Indigenous cultures are more "wild" or "savage."

Genshin fans of color, since 2020, have pointed out the racist undertones that Teyvat's people were perpetuating against the Hilichurls due to them acting the same way that racists irl act towards non-White cultures, but they were told that they were overreacting and this was swept under the rug as a result. The very next year, it's brought up again with more people finding out about it, and we were still being told that we're overreacting.

So now that we're at Natlan, is it seriously that hard to believe that Hoyo straight up just doesn't respect Indigenous cultures? Black (and many brown) cultures too, because it's very telling that Iansan, the Natlan character with the darkest skin so far, is given a more stereotypically "tribal" look on her design with a bunch of bones used as her accessories despite that not being what her actual inspiration looks like.

(Artist for picture on the right: vieirapx on Instagram)

Sucrose has confirmed in her "Something to Share" voiceline that she collects Hilichurl bones, which is similar to colonizers taking the bones of dead Indigenous people with this added context.

Also, please read or reread the Teyvat Travel Guide Vol. 1. Alice basically confirms that she wants to enslave the Hilichurls for labor and also feed the weaker ones to the stronger ones.

That latter point is cannibalism. I know that many people are fans of Alice, but a lot of what she talks about in the first guide is why I don't like her.

Yes, it can be argued that Indigenous cultures are not the only inspiration for the Hilichurls, as it's been said that they may take inspiration from goblins, Bokoblins from the Zelda franchise, and the Amanojuku from Japanese mythology. Answer me this question, though.

Why is Hoyo capable of referencing a creature and not a human being when it comes to the Japanese inspiration for the Hilichurls, but this does not apply to the Indigenous references? It's dehumanizing, and it feels like another double-standard that needs to be addressed.

Hoyo has casually made black and brown cultures in Genshin appear to be less civilized and more "tribal" compared to our White and East Asian peers, both with the human characters and the non-human ones. Sumeru's quests and enemy npcs had multiple examples of this, with the Traveler and Jeht even destroying almost the entire Tanit tribe with the narrative justification being that, conveniently, most or all of them were selfish, bloodthirsty, and manipulative (Jeht's profile on the wiki page goes into what happened with more depth). They had to die because the tribe was dangerous - even though the main problem seems to be Babel - and Jeht's white, blonde companion needed to help save everyone from these evil, power-hungry savages.

(Sidenote: I think this is the second time overall that Hoyo has come up with an excuse to justify Traveler committing genocide on an entire group of people, with the first being the Iwakura Clan.)

I'm sure that the same thing is going to happen with Natlan's quests and npcs because Hoyo has always been weird about the portrayal of black and brown-inspired characters. The question is not whether any of the creatures or humans from specific groups are bad, suspicious, or designed to fit a specific image. We know the answer to that. The real question is why they are portrayed like this, and why it keeps happening more commonly to the black and brown cast members compared to our lighter peers.

[dbh-bb]

Yet More Questions

As we come up to the final sign up deadline for Artists we've been receiving a lot of questions about how much we expect by June 1st, so we wanted clarify some information for both artists and writers

ARTISTS

Oh my god, how much do I have to have ready to submit by 01 June? What will the form ask for?

The form will ask you to submit the following things:

Identifying info (obvs), including whether you are a minor

Your willingness to be paired with a minor

A sketch, layout, or concept of your art

The premise of your concept for the story

Ratings you’d be happy with on the story

Things you really don’t want to see in the story

Let’s break down a few of those.

Sketch, layout, or concept of your art: 

This should be substantial enough to get your idea across to the writer. It does not have to be finished or near-finished (although it can be if you’re there). If you work in a medium that takes significant time to generate, or where the concept of a “sketch” is hard to apply (such as 3D render art, gifs, or fanvids), do your best to express what the idea is. This could include a storyboard, a rough sketch, stick figures, and/or references/examples to show what you mean. We want the writers to get the general idea of what the final art will look like.

We will ask these submissions to be in standard formats (i.e. .png, .jpg, .gif, etc) that can be accessed on anyone’s computer without the use of special software. Your final art can be in your preferred format.

There will also be a text box where you can describe what the final art will be, like you might for an alt-text.

Premise of your concept for the story:

Artists aren’t just sharing a sketch, they’re sharing the concept behind that sketch. The concept of your story should be enough to give your writer a good direction to head in, without being so limiting that you’re ‘ordering’ a story rather than planting an idea. Yes, you can give ideas for bits of dialogue, and scenes, and major story beats and character dynamics. We want you to be either providing a jumping off point that a writer can build from, or full on working with the writer to tell a story. You need to give them enough that they can write ten thousand words from it, so we want more than the idea for the scene you are depicting yourself and a pairing.

That being said, this isn’t an opportunity to demand a very specific story out of a writer; that’s called a commission. There should still be room for the author to help shape the story as well. As Atro said, you’re giving them the blueprints; they’re building the house.

Things you don’t want to see in the story:

This is where you can let writers know anything you really don’t want added to the story. Including your personal specific do-not-wants is a way to help writers pick which stories they want to bid for. For example: “No X/Y, I prefer X and Y as platonic,” or “Please no background A/B.”

Keep two things in mind: first, writers are not allowed to add any of the AO3 Big Four to a story unless the artist suggests it first. Second, we do expect writers to work with the artist’s concept. So you don’t need to list out every single possible thing you don’t want.

What if my idea is risque, or even extreme?

We’ll make sure you get into the version not provided to minors, and you’ll have the same space to explain your concept as everyone else. Sometimes having a more extreme concept makes it harder to find a writer …but sometimes, you find that one person who does see your vision! All we ask is that you remain flexible in case the idea has to evolve to find you a match.

I’m not a writer. How much do they need for 10,000 words?

In writing terms, 10k and up is a novelette or a novella — either way, a short novel. Significantly, this will introduce plot. Now sometimes people think “plot means an entire movie” and it might not — sometimes the plot is “X and Y on a date.” Sometimes the plot is porn. But 10,000 words gives you both room to play with moving pieces. 

Example for artists who don’t write: Let’s use a very generic concept: a heist fic. You want the Jericrew on a heist. THESE ARE ESTIMATES DONT COME AT ME based on mods being old enough to remember when a drabble was 100 words exactly, but in general:

~3000 words will get you a scene. A dramatic scene or a confrontation! Cool! But a single scene.

5000-7000 words is a bit of the plot. Maybe the heist itself. Or a bit after the heist. More details, some repercussions.

~10,000 words will cover… let’s say planning the heist, executing it, and a bit of what comes after. 

A full mystery novel is usually 70,000-90,000 words. 

I’ve seen heist fics that break 200K.

This is why the minimum is 10,000 words — we want to generate deeper works where things happen. And the artists get to start the process this year. For those of you who wanted to make multiple arts and are limited by our writer count: this is your chance to think of other artworks you’d like to make within this concept!

WRITERS

How much information / freedom am I going to have?

First: We ask that writers do not add any of the AO3 Big Four to a story unless the artist suggests it. 

Second, see above for the information artists are being invited to share, to get a feel for it.

Third: There will be a variety of offers to choose from. Some artists might have a much more vague concept, while others might have a lot of the story in their head already. Remember that writers get to pick in this scenario. So if you prefer jumping into a fully-formed idea, look for those. If you prefer a less-firm idea where you can really collaborate with your partner to flesh it out, look for those. 

Artists are expected to understand that their concept is a suggestion, not a commission. So even if an artist sounds like they have a narrow view of the story they want, they know that they need to work with their writer to make it belong to both of you. Even at low levels of collaboration, we’ve seen this work out so that both contributors can be happy. So if there’s an idea you love but/and have suggestions for, go for it — there’s a good chance your artist will be happy with all your enthusiasm.

[accessibleaesthetics]

Hello! First, I'd like to thank you for this blog, it's really helpful and informative!

Second, I have some questions about image descriptions and plain text:

1.) If an image has an alt text, should I copy and paste it in a post when reblogging or is it accessible as is? What about if there are several images with alt text in a post separated by text? I'm guessing if I post an image myself it's best to have both alt text and a description, but I've seen you do just alt text, so is it enough?

2.) What if another user posted some images and the text under them is generally describing the images but is not marked as image description. Should I write an image description in my post when reblogging? Just say that the images are of what the OP talks about?

3.) If there is a post that is made of multiple additions and reblogs and several undescribed images. Is it accessible to just describe them in order of appearance in my reblog? Or is it confusing and I should just tag it as undescribed instead?

4.) Is plain text needed when any kind of text formatting is applied or are there exceptions? And again, if only some posts in a chain need plain text, is it accessible to just list them all in a reblog or is it confusing?

5.) this one is more minor, but is it ok if my avatar and banner are only described in the pinned post or should I put them in my bio as well?

If you answer this or leave some links to the answers, thank you greatly for your time!

You're so welcome!

1.) This one is tricky. As you've noticed, I've decided to consider images with alt text as accessible enough to be on this blog becasue they come with a built-in expandable written ID, and even do it myself when it's short enough. However, some people still very much prefer image descriptions for various reasons. You can also use them together by putting a short description in the alt text that ends by directing people to a longer description (when needed) in the body of the post.

2.) This is what I like to refer to as "functionally described." Once in a while I will reblog something without an image description and tag it #functionally described as an indicator to people that the text in the post fully described the image or images in it.

3.) I usually described them in order, yes.

4.) This one is also tricky. Some will say yes, but there are certain cases, such as headings, where I've yet to encounter someone who benefits from making a smaller plain text version of the large text. I hope some day to meet one, because in theory they exist. I am also a bit more lax with things like bold or italics in moderation, because the research suggesting that can hamper readability for those with dyslexia is really more for huge chunks for text. But again, doesn't necessarily hurt!

5.) That one is up to you! I do it in my bio to make it as easy to get to as possible, but I think a pinned posts is good too. Honestly, I wish they'd let us add alt text to it, it would be a good use for it.

[canmom]

mmo rp is kind of fundamentally not so different from RPing in any messaging program, something we've been doing since the days of IRC. the story you co-create is primarily driven by what's written in the text box. no matter how well made the emote animations are, they are not communicative enough to really tell a complex story, so you always fall back to prose. your character's voice will be limited to a handful of nonverbal expressions - a laugh, mm-hm, uh-huh. you are constantly having to reinterpret bits of game jank as you construct your mental version of the 'real story'. and yet

these visual aids do make a really substantial difference in how you experience it i think. to honestly a kind of surprising degree. of course having a character design on screen helps avoid writing tons of descriptive prose - but there's also a lot that can be done with simple movement through space, like a character positioning themselves besides another, retreating to sulk, getting up to dance.

like in visual novels and manga, you have essentially a set of codified, symbolic expressions - but in FFXIV, every race has its own set of very charming and polished animations for nearly every emote, which adds a huge amount of info in how you interpret that character (and slot them into the otaku database). a roegadyn will by default be loud and brash, a viera refined and dreamy, a lala mischievous and childlike. a mi'qote is a cat. since all of these are chosen by the player, they act as a strong signal of what your character's deal is - their body language comes across even if it's not like the actual scene fully acted out.

and what's fascinating to me is that even when i know what the player looks like irl, i still find myself responding to their game embodiment in how i think about them, i don't picture them irl... but also, having the embodiment helps me get into character. I have two alts, and with each one i feel drawn to a different style of roleplay. just like a list of prompts in a ttrpg sourcebook, the embodiment you've chosen gives you something to bounce off when you're improvising.

roleplaying is very similar to improv comedy, and many of the same analysis concepts - 'offers', 'yes, and' - apply. we're essentially improvising a digital puppet show. building up an RP venue and customising our model is a way of laying out props to help that process roll smoothly.

i often dream about an mmo animation system that would be less janky - more control over camera placement, better handling of interactions between player characters and characters with their environment, more ability to plan out timing and blocking and so on - essentially trending towards multiplayer source filmmaker.

the problem is that such a system would probably have way too much cognitive overhead to be usable in real time improv. i think what something like ffxiv shows is that even very simple elements - besides the emotes, your character looks towards your target and moves their lips when you talk, you can adjust their expression and there's animation hooks all over the place line chairs you can sit on - can actually be a very expressive palette and people are pretty good at filtering out the jank when they want to create a story together.

indeed, it becomes a skill - knowing what animations you have, how to reinterpret them, how to line yourself up with other players. and in the end you don't remember the time spent shuffling forwards and typing /hug again and again, or standing up and sitting down repeatedly until it lines up right. you remember the cute sight of your character sitting beside your friend, looking fondly at each other.

there's also another angle which is like... i find real life 'going out' very difficult - usually hitting a point of information overload very quickly in a pub environment, and while music is easier to manage than a wall of conversation, i never really learned how to interact with strangers at a club, concert, convention. I'm not good with alcohol. when i try to a pub, i usually end up retreating into myself and ducking out. in mmos, though... i find prose much more easy to be expressive in, and the limits of the animation system kind of level the playing field a bit in terms of The Autism when it comes to body language and the like.

still, sometimes it feels like a very sad existence - i rely on this simulacrum, pretending i am being intimate and social with people i can't touch through a computer program that draws triangles. everything in an mmo is muted, blunted by the medium - which makes it 'safe', but also tinges it with a loneliness that can't really be broken. but for now, i guess the simulacrum is all I've got, you know? and i can appreciate how it's put together, all the effort that has gone in from devs and players alike to realise this alternative channel for connection.

but yeah. i guess it comes back to this again... there's a reason my online 'face' is a low poly approximation of an animal!

[glacierruler]

Sides and Neurodivergency results!

This, this is gonna be a long post!

Taglist: @cutebisexualmess @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @nebulous-astronaut @pandagobrr @awitchbravestheverge

First I'm gonna look at all the general responses, and then screenshot some of the replies/extra info that was given in these!

Everyone who responded was really nice, so I'm definitely down to do these again, just maybe not for a little bit! Gonna do a read more, and put everything below that!

First, the overarching responses to the questions!

Every person who responded to it said Yes, they think it's okay to write the sides as neurodivergent. One person went on to say:

Which is a fair assumption of what I'm trying to ask, considering the phrasing of the question. However, I do want to clear up, that I asked this question to know your opinions on it, not to ascribe morality to it. I get that the wording is kind of confusing, but I'm unsure of how else to word it.

Next question is this one. I'm asking if they make the sides neurodivergent, which neurodivergencies does the individual give them? There was an other option for any that I didn't list.

As you can see there is a long list, a good chunk of the answers were put in by the people who responded by filling out the other answer box. Here's the ones that were cut off:

To the first one, yeah, that's completely fair. I'm also hesitant to delve into neurodivergencies if I don't feel like I've done enough research or have personal experience with it(and even with personal experience I get scared to do it still).

To the second one, thank you so much for this long list! I didn't know a good chunk of these existed, and this will be so helpful in any future polls about this subject that I do! /gen

The next two questions were optional, and I'll be sharing my favorite answers. The first one:

Why do you/don't you make the sides neurodivergent? And why that/those specific neurodivergency(ies) if you do?

I'll be putting the Image ID here, because some of these screenshots are too small for me to put it in the alt text.

Image ID: 5 screenshots of 5 different replies to the answer above. Screenshot 1 says: I make the Sides neurodivergent because it's mostly me projecting as a neurodivergent person. This includes me leaving things implied as I slowly figure myself out.

Screenshot 2 says: I don't usually focus on that part of the story, it might be implied, but not explicitly said. despite being a neurodivergent myself. Idk I guess I'm just more interested in fun fantasy world than real world problems that kinda stress me out. But I would totally read a fic that focuses on any sort of neurodivergencies!

Screenshot 3 says: I like to because i tend to project my own neurodivergencies onto them, and i use my fic writing as a way to cope with my own internal issues sometimes. Expressing them with problems similar or reminiscent of my own, even if not explicitly so, allows me to figure out and work through my own issues. I have diagnosed ADHD and self diagnosed ASD and C-PTSD, so i find myself able to write about my own experiences through them.

Screenshot 4 says: When I write them this way, it's for the same reason I write them with a handful of physical disabilities. I want to explore the sides struggling with things I struggle with in my life. Because it's cathartic for me and also it falls under the "write what you know" adage. I also find it comforting or cathartic to read about the sides struggling with these or similar things. I think it's important for people without any neurodivergencies to do a lot of research before writing fanfic (or original fiction) with neurodivergent characters. I would do the same for a neurodivergency that I didn't personally have. But people everywhere *are* neurodivergent, there's no good reason *not* to explore these topics in fanfic.

Screenshot 5 says: If it's all the sides with the same diagnosis, that's another thing entirely. Part of it being that it's applying a diagnosis onto a, albeit fictional, version of a real person. I understand that the *Character* Thomas is different from *Real* Thomas, but it still feels weird and icky to do so to me. I won't judge anyone who does so, because that's a me thing rather than a problem thing, but it's just not for me to diagnose someone via fanfiction.

End Image ID

All of these are fair, personal reasons as to why they make the sides neurodivergent or they don't make the sides neurodivergent. (I did not ask if they did or didn't, which was an error on my part imho).

I will say, that in fandom and fanfiction, giving characters neurodivergencies is not the same thing as armchair diagnosing a real person with a neurodivergency, but I totally get how it can feel similar to that. I think for most people, the reason they give the sides neurodivergencies is to feel more connected to these characters that they know and love, or even to explore the characters more.

As for not exploring neurodivergencies in fanfic, there might not be a good reason for it, but there are definitely valid reasons for it. Honestly, even though I hc Remus and Patton as being bipolar(like me), I'm always hesitant to write about it. Mainly because of my own internal anxiety of what if I get this wrong, what if this isn't true for everyone, what if etc... So I completely understand people being hesitant to write the sides as neurodivergent even when they have said neurodivergencies. It's not necessarily a fear that will go away with time, it just becomes easier to overcome some days(at least for me). And to anyone who is unsure about something when attempting to start writing neurodivergencies in fanfic, research and ask questions. There will be those who are willing to answer.

I asked if there were any comments or questions for me, and I'll share these two answers!

Image ID: 2 screenshots, the first one reads: I would love another form like this but specifically for what neurodivergencies people give each side, I’d love to see the data on that

The second one reads: you can do anything you want with characters, they aren’t real, and it isn’t unethical to portray them how you want! in the same way people draw the sides to look physically different from irl thomas, people are going to headcanon their internal lives differently too

End Image ID.

To the first person! That's such a great idea, and I'd love to do it when I have the time/energy for it, maybe sometime this summer?

To everyone who took the time to respond, thank you so much! Your answers have been very insightful, and it was really enjoyable doing this! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

[littlegaydruid]

Re: The most ridiculous posts I saw talking about how

1. the gods would “probably hate trans activists” (contradicting an even earlier post of this user’s that said they didnt like how people used the gods to further political agendas).

And 2. that people you disagree with are still pagans and should be allowed to be part of the community.

And anyways Im not linking the tumblr because I dont want to give them any kind of attention, but I wanted to talk about the posts themselves. Here’s your warning for some talk about terfs, alt-right, etc.

First I’ll address this person’s second point. And I’ll say yes. People who are on the far right, terfs, you name it, are still pagans, or Christians, or whatever spiritual path they choose to follow. Religion and spirituality, (and witchcraft to add that in for the sake of this argument), are inherently neutral things. They can be used to further good or to harm depending on the intent of the individual (or group).

And frankly it does no good to say “so-and-so isnt a real pagan/etc because xyz” because its almost a guarantee that they will turn and point at you with their own reasons why you arent the real one. (no true scotsman…).

What matters here is acknowledging that bad people and people with agendas will be in every group, even if by partaking they are being highly hypocritical. These things dont stop them from worshipping the gods, these things dont stop them from experiencing the gods or their own UPG.

What matters is that despite them being pagans it does NOT mean that they are free from the social consequences if they spout harmful beliefs or engage in harmful actions.

If a community deems your actions/beliefs as harmful, its within their right to exclude you to protect themselves. (And an aside, this is the internet. No one truly speaks for the whole, and with the amount of communities within communities within communities, you’ll find like-minded individuals eventually). But if youre so pressed to be a part of the “broader community,” perhaps its time to do some introspection and consider what it is about what youre doing that makes people unwilling to have you around.

If Jill starts talking shit every time she goes to the Sunday Night Sewing Group because she doesn’t like that Becca and Amy decided to go off-pattern, she shouldn’t be surprised if the group kicks her out because they didn’t want to deal with her toxic behavior.

And, look. I personally believe compassion and respect at an individual level is important to have for people, especially if youre trying to get through to them. But that doesnt mean those people are entitled to receive that from the whole group.

>

That brings me to address the first point. Im not even going to get into the transphobia part. This is where I laugh, because this person started their post like “I dont want to speak for the gods, but—”

Then DONT. Don’t speak for the gods. We can make inferences and form our own opinions based on the texts about them, but no one truly knows for certain what they feel.

All we know with even semi-certainty is the gods are often depicted as fickle, and that their stories were written down by humans and which change frequently over the ages. For all we know, the gods want the exact opposite of what we think. Its even bold to assume they would even care about anything humans do.

“Well I just think so-and-so deity wouldnt like this because theyre the god/dess of x and—”

No.

That’s your opinion, and youre applying it to a deity in order to validate your own beliefs, plain and simple.

Do not do this then complain that others do the same thing.

Do not use your opinion of a god’s feelings to justify treating other people badly.

[kurain-genealogy]

okay, so to everyone not on freddit, something insane just happened.

basically, last night someone posted a video of an email conversation between themselves and scott cawthon regarding the canonicity/continuity of the Fazbear Frights and Tales from the Pizzaplex books. the mods asked for additional proof, which they did. here is that post.

here's the supposed email between OP and scott. the video quality is shit so i'll provide a transcription:

OP: "Hey, Scott, I bet you've gotten lots of emails like his before, but it's been a concern of mine on what the canonicity of the Fazbear Frights and Tales From the Pizzaplex books are. I previously remember you saying some in Fazbear Frights are directly connected to the games, but what exactly does that mean? This debate has been really big, and really tiring, and I was wondering if you would provide an answer"

"Scott": "Hi there, I understand your concern, and its been a growing concern within the community what the novellas entail for the canon of FNAF. You brought up what i said in a Steam post years back, and that still applies even now, but I've noticed that there has been a difference of opinion in regards to what I said, which I understand. I had created the Fazbear Frights novella series in order to clear up confusion regarding the story, but I now realize that by doing so I had only contributed to more confusion, as my intentions had not come off as clear as I thought they were. I've avoided giving an explicit answer ever since that Steam post. I wanted to see if the fanbase could figure it out themselves, and so I did try and steer people towards the correct interpretation, by leaving hints in Security Breach, but it doesn't seem like they were noticed by a lot of people. I don't want to see people bicker and fight like this, it reminds me of the Bite of 87 and MikeTrap debates, it's not something I'm necessarily fond of seeing. I've gone a long time without giving an explicitly cear answer, so I feel I can end this now. The Fazbear Frights books have certain stories which are in the continuity of the games (those stories being the ones that connect to the larger plotline concerning Andrew, Larson, and Jake), and Tales From the Pizzaplex's entirety is in the continuity of the games. I tried to bridge that gap with Frailty, but that didn't quite tum out how I expected. I hope I was able to be of help! :)"

OP: "Wow! First off, I wasn't expecting a reply. I'm actually kinda shaking right now, because this means that there's actually an explicitly clear answer. Seriously"

"Scott": "You can go ahead and post it."

while the additional proof op provided seemed solid, everyone rightfully remained skeptical until scott cawthon appeared to prove or disprove it himself. which he did, this morning.

(transcriptions in alt text)

...which... doesn't really clarify anything.

so now people are arguing over if scott means "the email is fake, but regarding what was said about the books' continuity, that's true" or if he's intentionally being vague by saying "yes" as an answer to a divisive debate, akin to his response to mangle's gender:

so basically, scott returned to confirm that the email was fake, but instead of clearing up the debate, threw a bunch of gasoline on the fire with yet another vague, hard to interpret comment, and dipped.

so the StitchlineGames vs. non-SLGames debate continues, just with even more fire

[isobug]

fair warning for discussions of bigotry, n*zism/antisemitism, r*pe, and "tr*nsx" content

( to avoid issues with the post going into undesirable tags, an asterisk is used in place of the letter "a" in some places. sorry to everyone with screenreaders. let me know if there's an alternative method !! )

INB4 anyone misinterprets this post, I don't "" ban "" people from identifying with or using my works. It'd be silly of me. I also support anyone archiving them ( yes, even if it means not directly reblogging the source post from me !! all i care about is that you're accurate with your archival / don't change anything just in case the source post gets wiped or we have another mass wikia purge event like what FANDOM did )

From now on this blog is officially NOT "tr*nsx" friendly for reasons I will get into under the cut. I genuinely had a very open mind about this community but I've constantly had my personal interaction boundaries broken by those in it. I'm going to be reworking my rentry ( both my main and request guideline pages !! ) to reflect this soon.

People in this community have frequently broken my one hard rule about bodily minors with eighteen plus explict content on their blog not directly interacting with me through said blog. This is an issue because I am a tr*ns adult in a shitty country that stereotypes me as a pred*tor, so interactions like that are uncomfortable and even potentially dangerous for multiple reasons.

I can understand some of the terms used or coined in "tr*nsx" spaces, especially in regards to BIID. But things like "transr*cist", "transn*zi","transr*pist", and similar being posted and fully accepted ( especially by those saying things like "but they aren't saying they're r*cist! just that they feel they should be!" or similar ) made me realize that the "tr*nsx" community is actively unsafe for me as a multiply marginalized/minority individual even though it claims to be incredibly safe/progressive for those like me.

I feel the need to point out, this is one of many posts that makes me feel like I need to set this personal safety boundary. There are multiple posts promoting child/animal *buse ( "pro-cont*ct/*ction" ) which is also just accepted. It's really easy to just stumble on, especially if you're checking out a new follower or note.

I would not be or feel safe letting people who accept/identify with/condone terms and community standards like this onto my blog or in my DMs. Especially since many of my followers and those I interact with are similarly marginalized like I am.

I'll be going through my follower list and blocking people soon. If you're in that community and going "oh but this post doesn't apply to me !! why do I get grouped in with these guys !!", maybe work on the N*zi and *buse problem to the point where I can't stumble on it ten posts into your blog and I'll rethink it.

ALT text is provided but I will NOT be adding it uncensored to this post, sorry again screenreader users. (EDIT: I had linked the OP here so people who thought this might be a sockpuppet could go through the notes and see it wasn't, but OP and most of the notes have been deleted by staff)

EDIT: this is a warning post that includes more Tr*nsn*zi symbols, so this isn't a one-off person making a joke term or something (it still wouldn't be alright if it was btw)

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

For Fanfic for the New Year! Feel free to answer either as an artist or writer or both!

Very curious about #8 and #23.

Hiya, Romaine! Oh, yes! I think it'll be fun to mix up for fic and art, so I'll run with that. 8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it? I've answered this for one fic idea here, but I am more than happy to go into another idea from my filing cabinet of chaos. So...I think about a decade ago, I used to run a multi-media community for a Drarry series (inspired by the Shoebox project, WTF Drarry, etc.). Back in the LJ days, I had about 200+ followers who tuned in for 8th year shenanigans, and lord how many letters and fics I even wrote for that. There were lots of letters between a lot of people, and the ficlets together made up about 12k. Obviously, RL gets busy, I had to put it on indefinite hiatus and yeah. It’s still up for archival reasons. The writing does make me cringe now, but the concept is still intriguing and a fun one. I’d love to doing something more on a smaller scale for that. Maybe for a bunch of different HP characters so they each have a short story. I do have an outline already to see if I can work this out for Perciver. I haven’t gotten too far into this yet, but there’s sooo much potential. Since my writing style has changed, I think it’s doable but it’s more on the how. And making sure I can reign it in before it gets big (writer problems, of course). Multi-media is definitely a huge commitment though, especially when it comes to letters, now that we have screen readers. So there would definitely need to be some alt text or AO3 skins/coding needed for this. Since I’m already writing a Teen Wolf fic that uses the latter, that’s going to be my test run to see how multi-media goes for me! If we’re talking about art stuff...goshhhh, if I had time to make more comics I would. For any ship. Comics are soooo hard though and since my style has matured, it definitely takes more time to complete. Besides last year’s Career Fair Drarry piece, my last comic was a spicy Perciver one for Kinkfest in 2020 (I did this while sick and buying a house at the same time lol, insane, yes). So yeah, when an idea and the timing lines up, maybe that’s when I’ll poke at making more comics again. The key is being invested and having enough uninterrupted time to draw up all the panels! Easier said than done, I know. 23. Would you like to go on a writing retreat? HELL YES. 100000%. Meeting folks and talking with them about fic and writing in the past has been so cool. I’d love to see more of this workshoppy/discussion vibe and learn how others write and apply some of that to my own writing, for sure. Even sprinting together or whatnot could be really fun. I’ve talked about this option with a few friends, and maybeeee for 2023, that could be a thing. Even if it’s a small get-together where we just work on writing stuff. Though, I might have to longhand it since there’s no way I can bring my big ass desktop PC with me, and I kind of hate writing on tablets. Thanks for the ask! ___ Previously asked: 8, 11, and 12 Have a question? Send a q for fanfic asks for the new year!

[violetfoxyplushie]

Welcome to Pirate's Cove, but Violet

Yarr, welcome to my meme page archive. Here you'll see me tags and me faq.

FAQ, yarrr.

What is this page?

This is an archive of an Instagram meme/shitpost account that I started on December 28, 2018 after I received the eponymous Violet Foxy Plushie as a Christmas gift. I've uploaded to the page on-and-off since then.

Why are you putting an Instagram page onto Tumblr?

Long story short, existential dread. I realized that at any point Instagram could take down my page, and while it is just a silly meme page, I've put quite a lot of time into it. It's also become a staple of my friend group and has spawned and memorialized many inside jokes. I'd hate to see it disappear overnight since it holds so many memories, so I'm archiving and reposting it here too. Even if this blog is deleted too, I'll still have downloaded everything in the process. And, hey, if the people here enjoy my stuff too then that's fun as well.

Are the posts exactly the same as on Instagram?

Not always. I started this page while I was still in high school, and have grown up a lot since then. The page acts as a bit of a diary, a diary that sometimes had some questionable takes. For the most part I'll keep the original posts and captions and add commentary, but for cases where I find the original caption wholly unhelpful or egregious I just won't share it. I also might change names or tagged accounts from the original for privacy.

I will adapt posts to tumblr formats, to the best of my ability. I might put repeated images into a reblog chain, or post a screenshot of a post instead of a downloaded image where the caption adds visual humor. Some gags might not translate, such as ones where a punchline is only revealed after swiping through a slideshow, but I'll do my best to adapt them.

Do your images have image descriptions?

Yes! They're in the alt text. I'll do my best to put at least a basic description for every picture and video I upload.

Why are the memes so outdated?

I'm uploading all of the public posts starting from 2018 chronologically, so plenty of the humor will be era-specific. I hope this can serve as a bit of a throwback. Not to mention, my criteria for posting are "memes I want to remember" and not necessarily "the hottest and freshest ones." Tumblr cares less about relevance than Instagram does though.

What are your pronouns?

As an entity, the Violet Foxy Plushie goes by it/its (or tit/tits ;). The person running the page goes by something like they/them.

Do you have a DNI?

I don't, but I have an active block button. LGBTQIA+ phobes, racists, xenophobes, sexists, bioessentialists, TERFs & radfems, antisemites, islamophobes, and staunch Zionists are not welcome.

What are this page's content warnings?

I'll tag each post individually starting each tag with "cw," but expect some sexual and edgy humor. This is also a Five Nights at Freddy's themed page, so all warnings for that franchise apply (child death, child murder, abuse, abusive parenting, ghosts, hauntings, etc). I am an adult and will post about adult topics, sometimes including sex, drugs, and kink. I'm not going to tell minors not to interact because that doesn't really stop anyone (I was a minor on the internet once I know how it works), but if you're a minor be aware of the content I post and use your own judgement if you want to follow me. Generally I'd rate this page 16+.

What are your thoughts on Scott Cawthon?

His beliefs and politics are shitty and he shouldn't have donated that money to conservative campaigns. He's not evil, but he seriously betrayed his fans and did harm with his decisions. I'm still a fan of the franchise unironically but I'm no longer a fan of his.

Did anyone actually ask these questions?

Nah, not yet, this is just a convenient way for me to format my introduction.

My tags, yarrr.

#vfp archive- Posts reuploaded from Instagram. They will have the original date of posting and in most cases the original caption.

#vfp new- New posts that I will be posting here as well as on Instagram. While I will archive chronologically, I'll post new pics here simultaneously and reblog them when I've reached their place in the archive.

#vfp commentary- Used for reblogs where I want to comment or elaborate on the meme and its context.

#vfp asks- If I get asks I want to answer I'll tag them with this

#vfp tumblr original- Used for posts that I'm posting to tumblr first, most likely reblogs from tumblr about things that I think are important or funny

#vfp archive reblog- Some of the memes on violetfoxyplushie are indeed tumblr screenshots, and when possible I want to reblog the original tumblr post. This designates a reblog as something I posted.

#vfp reblogs- Used when I reblog from other people

[vinguist]

Itll be "cringe is dead" and then "the tiktok kids are into the stupidest roblox games and unfunny memes look at how weird they are".... Yeah sure....

Tired of people thinking "cringe culture is dead" just applies to a specific genre of what the 2000's called cringe (furries, scene & emo) instead of literally ANYTHING you find cringe. Idc if the millennials were saying heckin doggo pupper or the gen z are saying unaliving rizzler skibbidi in ohio. Or if artists are making art of characters they only know from fnf mods and not their og source material. Or if someone likes that song because of tiktok. Or if they like a cheesy romance drama book they say is spicy. Literally it shouldn't matter.

Cringe isn't dead if you just change up who to cringe at.

Why yes I am unironically interested in a CW vampire show and selfship with an educational kids cartoon (not bluey) character. What should it matter to you? Ill heckin unalive your ass idgaf (non-serious threat for humor.)

Anyway have fun be cringe in even more than just the typical :3 my fursona is wearing kandi!! kind of way. Or in that kind of way still if that's your style.

(image ID for both gifs are in alt text. Lmk if anything should be added/changed.)

hey guys reminder that cringe culture is not in fact dead and some of you motherfuckers are actually perpetuating the shit out of it.

[ponderousorb]

More ramblings re: the Dexter Friends Extended Universe

word vomit below the cut, cw: depression and dysphoria mentions, also weed mention but very briefly Mainly to do with Mandark, Surfer Boy, Dee Dee and her friends

So in this universe, which I would say is pretty much my own bubble universe and nothing I would expect as canon, especially since the Powerpuff girls are just There, I've been thinking about how the timeline goes. One of the themes I'm interested in is the idea that people can change and evolve, especially from childhood, and Dexter learning slowly to make his thinking less black-and-white. (He has a real problem in the show thinking in binaries/opposites like "girl things" vs "boy things" and good vs evil even in situations where it doesn't really apply. Very typical kid thing to do and, doubly so with the heavy autism-coding let's be real. Anyways, my bubble universe subscribes to the Trans Mandark theory because we love Applicability in Storytelling, even if accidental. I'm now currently debating when Mandark and Taylor met back up, because Mandark pretty understandably avoided the beach through puberty bc it's a dysphoria nightmare, but I don't think he'd be very comfortable explaining that to people.

So I'd imagine Mandark avoided him, not knowing how to handle stuff and feeling deeply embarrassed and awkward, and the fact they go to different schools would make this easier. I'm debating whether they stay in contact via text/skype as was the style at the time, I'm thinking yes, but Mandark does not want to meet up in person because he has horrendous self-esteem at this point, you know - being 15 and all that - and doesn't want to be perceived by this very cool person that gives him confusing feelings. Taylor remains kind of hung up on this boy that gave *him* funny feelings and Marie teases him about his 'imaginary boyfriend' they've never met.

I am thinking Goo's parents and Mandark's parents probably are aquaintences because they seem to be part of the same very hippy-dippy crowd (Goo's parents being less intense and giving her more actual free expression, but not realizing she's lonely), so she probably knows Mandark through that and likely getting put in a Gifted Class or two together in High School. (It's the 2000's so I can't imagine Goo gets diagnosed as ND even though she clearly is, lmao) Dee Dee would also probably be friends with Nazz as Popular girls who Do Sports, but like - casual friends. They don't necessarily hang out in the same group all the time but will be the connector piece for several smaller groups to hang out together and go to parties. Dee Dee's besties in highschool are Goo and Bubbles who are extremely like... colourful and energetic and Nazz has Alt Girl stoner vibes (since childhood, irrespective of actual weed being involved) so they're quite different but have this mutual respect, you know? So Nazz's main group is Taylor and Marie (maybe I will think of others), and both her and Dee Dee also can command a crowd of others for parties etc with their popularity. So, if Dee Dee is having a RAWR XD scene girl party, Goo asks if she can bring her friend from her AP classes, Dee says sure and it ends up being mandark in the middle of his Emo phase - he gets extremely embarrassed over his past behavior and spends the night hiding from Dee Dee who is oblivious to all this. Nazz turns up with her skater crew and, in his efforts to hide from Dee Dee, Mandark walks straight into Taylor who is HYPED to see him. Eventually, Mandark and Dee Dee mend fences and strike up a tentative friendship through Goo, but Dee Dee is at first still pretty sus about him, and in fairness she has every right to be. Dexter also still sees Mandark as his arch-nemesis despite this kid getting hit with depression like a ton of bricks. But he has an 'evil aesthetic' according to Dexter so he must be plotting something dark. This actually spurs Dee Dee to befriend him more because she hates Dexter telling her what to do, and they bond over their terrible, terrible poetry. Bubbles probably becomes closest to him because she's a sucker for taking in wounded animals and he has wet cat energy, that and their music tastes overlap a wild amount. (Bubbles is a huge System of a Down fan) - Bubbles also feels like she can let out her Dark Side around this emo friend of hers, in a way her sisters would usually laugh at, and Dee Dee and Goo don't always know how to relate to. Like yeah Dee and Goo feel sad and angry sometimes, but Bubbles has this real issue since she was little of no one taking her seriously, and treating her like a little insipid baby, and it ties into how Mandark's parents treat him.

[heeracha]

forty-seven. / alternative ending. — the one where the universe only lent you to me.

for me. — k. sunoo

✴︎ synopsis: to sunoo, you were just a random girl in one or two of his classes who happens to be friends with his friends while to you, sunoo was the guy who you’ve been swooning over for a year or so. now, with you tweeting about your crush on him on the wrong account, sunoo has just one question. you’re the one who confessed to him, so why the hell is he the one chasing (literally and figuratively) you?

✴︎ pairing: sunoo x fem!reader

✴︎ content/genre: smau, college au, fluff, angst (?)

✴︎ warning(s): swearing, always HEHE unproof read :D

✴︎ note: alt ending !! this is what i originally had in mind. but i cancelled it bcs,,, well,,, i didnt want it to be sad. but i'm still posting this bcs,,, i just want to share hehe. this is just the gist of it. what i head in my mind was better but it would be longer and i currently don't have the time rawr. but here you go. thank you again so much, my loves <3

after sunoo grinned at you, waving to you from outside, you blew him a kiss as you plop down beside jay. once sunoo is out of sight, you turn your head to jay who had a wide smile on his face. "hey, you look very happy." jay commented and you laugh, nodding. "i'm glad you are."

"ugh, this is so—" you groan, hiding your face with your hands. "i just want to be with him all the time, jay. i mean, we were together all the time before, but it's nice that we finally got it out on the open that we feel the same towards each other, you know? he feels the same, jay."

jay smiles and you sigh, smiling. you feel your phone vibrate, thinking it's sunoo who texted, immediately opening it. but it was not. jay looks at you, studying how your smile got even brighter. "what?" you mumble, attention on your phone as you reread the message again.

"what is it?" jay asked.

"oh my god," you giggled. "jay, remember the university i applied to? the one that i've been dreaming about since we were in middle school?"

"yeah,"

"apparently, they rejected me last year because there was no slot left, but now, they want to know if i'm still interested. i just have to pass a few more requirements and they'll decide if i get in." you explained and jay smiled, standing up as he hugged you.

"oh, y/n! i'm so proud of you." jay said, but he pulled away when he remembered one small detail. he looks at you with a frown. "isn't that.. out of the country?"

your smile falls off and you look down. "right." you say. "well, they still have to look through my files for this year. i might not get in." you say as you feel your phone vibrate again.

you look at it to see sunoo have texted you. "sunoo." you mumble, frowning. "if i get in, i can't stay for him. i've wanted this since forever. i.." you sigh as jake looks at you. "i'm not going to think about this for now."

but there was absolutely nothing you can think of. even when you have passed your requirements, all you thought about was sunoo. you know you shouldn't let one guy affect your decision, but you can't deny it, you really want to be with sunoo.

"y/n? is something bothering you?" it was a week after when sunoo finally noticed it. you wanted to say 'yes'—lie to him, but he has to know it.

"there was this university i applied in last year. it was actually my dream university," you started. "they gave me a second chance this year and they want me to transfer if i want to."

"oh? that's great!" sunoo says, brightly smiling as he was about to pull you into a hug.

"it's outside the country." you say and sunoo's smile falls. you look down, seeing his expression but sunoo swallows his sadness.

"great!" sunoo says, exclaiming a little too much as you don't fail to hear the crack on his voice at the end. he pulls you into a hug, chuckling sadly. "when.. when do you leave?"

"in a month." you mumble and sunoo hums, nodding as his hold around you tightens. you wrap your arms around his shoulders as you sigh. "i don't know what i'm going to do. i want it, but i want to be with you—"

"you're not choosing me over your dream university, y/n." sunoo cuts you off as he pulls away from you. his hands on your shoulders as you look at him.

"if i choose the university, then... we'll end before we even started." you say and sunoo nods, shrugging.

"what can we do?" sunoo chuckles sadly. "we have no choice but to make each second that we're together memorable." he says and you nod. you sigh, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as he hugs you tighter.

many thoughts crossed sunoo's mind, but he could only ask one thing. why didn't admit it to himself sooner?

you don't know how, but the one month passed by so fast. you tried not to think about leaving, but it was constantly on your mind. sunoo never said anything about it—never tried to say something about how you should stay. when you two just get into that topic, all he'd say is he knows you're going to do great.

"nervous?" sunoo asked and you nodded. "you're going to do so amazing, i just know—"

"why haven't you asked me to stay?" you cut him off.

it was the night before your flight. one last night with the beloved. last night with the boy who randomly gravitated towards you. the boy you never thought would feel the same way as you. but here you are, spending your last night with him, hoping he'd ask you to stay for him.

"because i love you." sunoo says and you chuckle, shaking your head. "if you stay here for me, you will end up hating me."

"but i—"

"that's noww, y/n. but what will you think of a year after? you're going to regret not going because you stayed for me. if you're going to stay, stay for you, not for me." sunoo said. "love, i want you to stay, too. believe me. i really do. but i can't stand the fact that you will hate me in the future because of one stupid mistake."

you know he was right. no matter how much you want to stay and be with him, you know it wasn't right. a year ago, you wouldn't even think twice about this. but it was sunoo.

"i know you're trying to make this easy for me," you say, chuckling lightly as you look at your hands. "but it's still really hard."

"i know." sunoo says, nodding as he pulls you into a hug and presses a kiss into your forehead. the night went on and the two of you said nothing but stayed in each other's arms, silently crying because whatever the two of you had has to end here tonight.

day came, and you're finally here at the airport where the rest of yourfriends came to say goodbye. sunoo pulls you from the others as he smiles at you. "i, um," he chuckles.

"yeah?"

"i.. you know." sunoo mumbles, pressing his lips into a thin line as he chuckles. "i want to say it, but—"

"don't." you cut him off, sighing. "it will only make me stay."

sunoo nods. "but i do."

"me, too." you mumble.

sunoo gives you one last kiss on the forehead as you turn around, going inside and never looking back. wherever it is, sunoo only prayed that there was another universe where the two of you were together and nothing had come in between what was something supposed to be beautiful and not sad. for him, he was thankful that in this universe, fate lent you to him even for just a little while.

✴︎ note: i swear, what i had in mind was not as shitty as this. but this is the gist of what i originally planned.

✴︎ au taglist [ taglist closed. thank you so much for everyone who supported this fic <3 ] : @tomorrowbymoa-together @icywhatim @giyyuzz @ncityy04 @yougeans @hobistigma @nyfwyeonjun @big-fool-energy @amakumos @pixyseeun @angel-hyuckie @meiiiwa @jvnsun @aria-grace-scott @msxflower @pebbypenny @isaluv @snowfalltxt @dinosdance @m1ng-how @taylorswifeyyy @tobiosbbyghorl @urresidentdrugdealer @leeis @yizhoutv @chirokookie @apricottulips @jay-durian @studioreader @hibuki-chan @mildlystupid @tenten-67 @hiqhkey @wh4txium1n @uhhalexwashere @sunswoonie @ahnneyong @clarakyunisageek @silkyyvenus @wonderwrench @yourlocalhotgf @jaycheoluwu @haechans-sunflower @hoonstrology @mybabywearschanel @xeirisarax @lilacsxjoon @ifwtyun @ily-cuz-i

[monstrouscrew]

and and and folks i've brought you some reasons to cry (or to curse me, if anyone dares :DDD)

Parker Yang, rn not at your service, alive and with his best friend who got into a fight for nonexistent justice. and some angry thoughts + explanations below.

- you didn't need to start the fight...

- i DID. how *muffled* how they dare..!

(ID in the alt text)

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i've thought a lot about how a Chinese American could've been treated in Arkham of 1930s. judging by what i found out about segregation, denying citizenship and all the fuckery you can imagine - even a lucky guy from a wealthy family couldn't have allowed himself to behave like Arthur, a fucking white British, "superior" from the pov of many white American dickheads. side note: as i hc human body or any physical human-looking shape for John looking East Asian (the easiest and most natural to me regardless of his nature - and the King who treats him like an object WAS white if he was ever human), Arthur calling the amnesiac version of his friend "yellow" sounds terrible and deserves a good punch in the face for this, too.

the country i live in nowadays treats Asian, Caucasian (not equal to "white", better learn it if you haven't yet) and other indigenous people like shit for their appearance, language and origin, and i, unfortunately, contributed to it a while ago, too (and i'll live with this black mark of a racist dick no matter what i do and learn and where my roots are, i know, and fuck the concept of forgiveness). i applied what i see and what i read about to Parker's way of interacting with others. tread carefully, learn how to talk people into what you need them to do without any obvious threats, be ten times smarter than an average white guy to make others listen to you. Parker's skills to "get along with anyone" must cost much. so...

i imagined a night in a bar or any other public place. Arthur and Parker do their job and have drinks, probably, and there is someone - or even a group of people - who call Parker [racist slurs]. the young man has no luxury of fighting in a, well, "civilised" place without being called names more. his friend, Arthur has. Arthur starts a fight, Parker has to intervene and to get him out of this place. a broken nose, a cut eyebrow, yes of course a few motherfuckers get beaten and guess who will talk to the police. to me - very much Arthur. and this is the reason why i draw him like this, with asymmetrical face. hc that he still has something that's left of Parker. also scars.