#i don’t usually use alt text is it a good description

[nitelytt]

[hrokkall]

[arecaceae175]

Hello! I noticed that some of your fics on Ao3 are tagged "Screen Reader Friendly," and I wondered what makes a fic screen reader friendly. Is it just about formatting, or does content matter too?

Hi, thank you so much for asking this question!!! Disclaimer I am not visually impaired so all of this information I have learned by seeing blind or visually impaired people talk about this issue.

It’s primarily formatting! I’ll list everything I do to try to make my fics accessible here.

Line breaks!!! Use the ao3 line break code instead of adding a bunch of symbols. This is the biggest thing I had to change once I realized my fics were not screen reader friendly.

HOWEVER some screen readers won’t pick up on the horizontal line, either. Another good option is to use a short series of symbols, for example: “~~” or “- - -“

Basically, just don’t use more than three symbols in a row. I used to use “~~~/\~~~” with a delta symbol in the middle to look like the triforce, but a screen reader would see that and say “asterisk asterisk asterisk delta asterisk asterisk asterisk” which is pretty annoying lol

Most screen readers don’t differentiate between regular text and bold/italics. It’s fine to have those in your story, but if the bold/italics significantly changes the plot or the implications of a sentence then it is not screen reader friendly

Screen readers can’t describe a line break that is just an empty space. For example, in one of my fics I have a character reading a note, and I have an extra ‘return button’ space before and after the note to make the note distinct from the rest of the text. To make that fic more screen reader friendly, instead of just an empty space, I wrote “[Line Break]”. That way, a screen reader can say “line break”, and readers still recognize it as a line break

If you have any sort of chat fic (AND this goes for hashtags on tumblr too!) with screen names, be sure to distinguish the separate words in the screen name. You can do this with by capitalizing the first letter of each word like this “ScreenNameHere” or with dashes in between each word “screen-name-here”. That helps screen readers and also people with things like dyslexia who have trouble distinguishing words if they aren’t capitalized or separated in some way.

Screen readers can read image emojis like this smiley face 😁 because they have embedded alt text, but they can’t read text emojis as an emoji, like this one “:D”. If you use any of those in your fic, add a description like this: “ :D [Image description: text emoji of a smiley face with a big, open mouthed smile. End description].”

Also, this one doesn’t have to do with a screen reader, but if you have an image embedded in your story, keep these things in mind:

Be sure to describe the image so anyone who is blind or visually impaired can still experience the image. I don’t think it’s possible to add alt text to the actual image, so I usually put this below the image: “[Image ID: description of the image. Note the important details, but be as concise as you can. /End ID]”. Including the image description instead of some sort of alt text is good for DeafBlind people who can’t see the image well enough but don’t use a screen reader.

Some blind or visually impaired people don’t use a screen reader and instead zoom in on the text. If an image is embedded in the story, be sure it is sized correctly. If it isn’t, it can make scrolling sideways to read zoomed in text more difficult because it makes the webpage much wider than the text itself.

Not all my fics have the screen reader friendly tag because 1. There might be a few I haven’t updated yet, and 2. I didn’t include the tag on fics that have weird formatting or are accent heavy. For example, in Kinship I wrote Twilight’s dialogue to represent his strong accent, and those kinds of things with apostrophes and half-words don’t come through well with a screen reader.

I personally don’t think it’s good practice to include a ton of apostrophes or shortened words to distinguish an accent. Even for people not using screen readers, it’s hard to read. For me, if I see a fic with things like that, I won’t read it. Maybe try having a few words that the character’s accent comes through on, or write something about their heavy accent outside of the dialogue.

The “Screen Reader Friendly” tag isn’t an officially recognized AO3 tag yet, but the more people who use it, the sooner it will be!

Those are all the things I can think of right now. If anyone has any other tips to add, please do so!!

[copperbadge]

Hi Sam. A potentially stupid question. Image descriptions for screen readers. Do they work the same way for audio and video? As in are they needed or helpful? I'm finding conflicting answers when I search for this.

Not at all a stupid question! I think sometimes it can vary by community, to be honest.

Screen-reader users, visually impaired folk, and others for whom IDs are particularly relevant, feel free to chime in; I'm going to ramble and you likely have more useful stuff to say. Remember to do it in reblogs or notes, as I don't post asks sent in response to other asks.

I'm not visually impaired, and I don't use a screen reader and thus am not really able to speak with firsthand authority. In the past, when I've asked, I've heard that in-post text is better than alt-text for images; even if that stops being the case, I prefer to use in-post text because there are people who aren't screen-reader users who also like the IDs. I do too, actually. And generally I've heard that video as well as image should be described. I don't do straight audio generally, but when I do, if it's a song I don't bother because the title is there and lyrics are googleable, if it's speech I like to see/give a transcript.

I like when videos have descriptions especially, because I am almost never in a position to play a video I see on my dash. If the video doesn't autoplay I don't want to hit play because then it will load with audio and I'm usually either a) somewhere I can't have audio or b) already listening to something and unwilling to turn it off. If the video autoplays it's muted, but if it's audio-heavy there's the same issue. So if someone posts a video without a description/transcript, unless it has captions, I can't engage.

There are a lot of guides out there for how to write IDs and I kind of think, based on conversations I've had, most of them are bullshit by people who don't use screen readers. In my experience, which is not universal but is relatively comprehensive, people who can't see an image often do not want a precise objective description as we're instructed to provide.

There's a great essay that touches on this, Against Access, where the writer, who is Deafblind, talks about how he doesn't want a diagram, he wants an emotional evocation.

Why are you telling me, telling me, telling me things? Your job isn’t to deliver this whole room to me on a silver platter. I don’t want the silver platter. I want to attack this room. I want to own it, just like how the sighted people here own it. Or, if the room isn’t worth owning, then I want to grab whatever I find worth stealing.

I've had people get shitty with me about putting "feelings" into my IDs, but the majority of people for whom those IDs are necessary have told me they like it because, for example, saying "She looks like she's about to commit violence" is a subjective opinion but conveys something that "A woman is standing with arms upraised and a frown on her face" does not. And if you're describing an image but there's not a ton of meaning to it, describing it in clinical detail is wasting time. A paragraph describing a fortysomething white guy and all the clothing he's wearing and the room he's in is not as helpful, on occasion, as simply saying "This is a photograph of me in my bedroom." It depends on context, which is your call to make, and the only way to get good at that is to do it.

But again: this is my experience with my readers, and even John Lee Clark, quoted above, doesn't speak for his whole community. So I would suggest that the best way to get an answer for this is just to ask your readers what they'd prefer. If you have friends who use screenreaders, ask them. If you don't, or if you don't get a response from your readers, I would do what you feel is best until someone tells you otherwise, and then be gracious and discuss it with them so you can better understand their needs. In my experience, when someone is genuinely trying to make a more welcoming space for disabilities -- as opposed to making virtue-signal attempts to Be The Perfect Ally -- they get a lot of slack when they don't get it exactly right. It is better to make a welcoming space for people to feel safe telling you that you fucked up than it is to pretend you're never going to fuck up.

So yeah, as someone who is more or less fully sighted, that's my two cents, but if you really want to know what your readers want, you know...I'd ask them. :) Good luck, either way.

[autball]

There are two questions I see most often in discussions about masking.

One is, “What’s the big deal about masking? Doesn’t everyone have to pretend sometimes?” (This is usually from allistics or people who have not yet realized their own neurodivergence.)

And the other (usually from Autistic people) is, “Why do people say masking is bad? I think it helps me.”

But instead of thinking of masking in terms of good or bad, or whether it’s exclusive to Autistic people or not, it might be more helpful to think of it as a matter of degree.

Masking costs us something, everything from a bit of mental energy that can be replenished afterwards to our entire identities. Some people learn to take the mask on and off, while others find it quite the involuntary response. Some have to do it at work or school but get to be themselves at home, others have to keep it on 24/7 because even their home environment is unaccepting or unsafe.

Masking is a survival skill, something that develops out of trauma, and also has the potential to shield us from further trauma. At the same time, it’s linked to PTSD, burnout, and suicidality in Autistic people.

It’s a necessity for many Autistic people, whether it’s to keep a job or not get kicked out of a housing/school situation or to keep from getting killed. It’s also something that not everyone can do, no matter how necessary.

To better understand the impact of masking, try asking these questions instead:

How many of the things in the picture below are you/they having to consciously think about when interacting with people?

How much effort does it take you/them to suppress urges/perform as expected?

How much time per day do you/they have to spend masking?

How much time per day do you/they get to spend unmasked or recovering from masking?

How much time do you/they get to spend in community with people who you/they don’t have to pretend with?

How much is riding on being able to mask?

How much control do you/they have over the mask?

How much does the stress of masking manifest in physical pain?

How much of yourself/themselves have you/they lost to the mask?

Like I said, masking costs us something, always. If someone feels that the benefits they receive from masking outweigh the costs, then they will probably call it “good.” If someone feels they have lost more than they have gained (and that’s an awful lot of us), they will probably call it “bad.”

The one thing we can probably all agree on is that we wish we lived in a world where we didn’t have to do it at all. If you have an Autistic loved one, the more time you can give them where they can be their authentic selves, the better off they will be.

There are many more things that can go into masking than the things I listed below, I just ran out of room. What are some other things that go into YOUR mask?

(Image description in Alt Text.)

[mibyledraws]

alt text 101 for artists

I’m not an accessibilty expert, but I gathered these tips here and there, and it has really been helping me writing better alt texts - and I hope they will help others too!

Alternative text is a description of an image that can be read by a screen reader. It also can help the understanding of an image for people who don't use screen readers.

What do you write?

It all goes down to including what is relevant to give the user an accurate idea of your artwork:

the medium you used to make the artwork (is it a digital illustration? a traditional oil painting? a graphite pencil sketchbook doodle?)

the subject of the artwork

anything that is relevant for understanding the meaning of the artwork. For instance, is the lighting important, or does it bring a particular meaning or mood?

Write sentences - don’t just throw away key words. EDIT: don't write full sentences, but phrases and fragments to keep your description concise

adding one more thing after getting feedback: keep it concise! Under 125 characters (even 100 is best)

Where/how do I add it?

The alt text feature is more or less obvious on the apps we usually post on. In doubt, please just search for it on a web browser, you’ll find how to add it in the blink of an eye :)

On Twitter

enable the alt text reminder! Everytime you post an image, it will remind you to add alt text if you forgot it. Go in your settings, then “accessibility, display and languages”. Then “accessibility”, and in the media section, check the “receive image description reminder” box.

on web browser: once you’ve uploaded your image, click on “add description” under it.

on the app: once you’ve uploaded your image, click on the “+alt” bubble in the right bottom corner that appeared on your image.

On Instagram

at the bottom of the posting page, go in “advanced settings”, then “accessibility”, then “write the alt text”.

On Tumblr

once you’ve uploaded your image, click on the three dots icon that appears when your mouse is on the image, then click on “update the description”.

On Mastodon

once you’ve uploaded your image, click on the “description missing” message that appears on it.

On your website (portfolio, shops, etc)

Where and how you can add it depends on the platforms but there’s always a way! My tip for this would be to schedule yourself an alt text audit of your website to take a moment when you would search how to do it and when you would add all the necessary alt texts! I’d also encourage you to pay attention to some other accessibility features - for instance contrast between background and text. There are lots of ressources out there and I admit it can sound overwhelming: digital accessibility is an expertise, a job field in itself after all. In my opinion, taking it a few steps at a time is a good way to go! For instance I like to do little accessibility audits of my portfolio every once in a while and check a new area that I might have missed before.

I forgot to add it, what should I do?

On some platforms, you can add it after posting if needed - it’s the case on the Instagram app for instance. Always try to see if you can add it afterwards. If you can’t, add it in the replies (if it’s on twitter for instance) or edit the body/caption of your post if you can change this but can’t change the alt text.

Adding it as a “simple description” instead of an alt text that will be read by a screen reader in lieu of the image isn’t perfect, but having it somewhere very close to the image in plain text that will get to be read by screen readers is way better than nothing to my knowledge :)

It's Disability Pride Month (July, when I'm writing this)

I wanted to take some time to encourage you to take some time and energy this month, and at anytime of the year, when you can, to learn about Disability Justice. I’m not the best at explaining what it is, and how much there is at stake. I’m better at this, making small guides about what fellow artists can do to make their work more welcoming to disabled people. But it doesn’t mean Disability Justice isn’t close to my heart and that I shouldn’t even mention it.

There’s a documentary about the Disability Rights movement that I can only highly recommend - it’s Crip Camp. It’s on netflix, and even watchable in full on Youtube.

Pay attention to us, disabled people, to what we have to say. ”Nothing about us without us”: our perspectives and opinions are those you must focus on when it comes to disability and to our lives.

[69constellationsinatrenchcoat]

hello! for the disabled systems ask game: 8, 13, 14!

8. How can people best accommodate you online?

- Using tone tags for certain things (jokes, sarcasm if it’s not clear etc). Not a necessity but they do help! Especially in anon suggestions/feedback/criticism where it’s hard to tell if someone’s being genuine or not.

- Using trigger warnings and using post tags properly (ie. tagging syscourse, vents, tagging triggers in posts etc - this is good for your reach as well as making it easier for others!!)

We use filters on our tumblr so certain words are blacked out or completely blacklisted - we come here to relax most of the time, we don’t want politics, bullying and unpleasant content playing without us expecting it. We engage with the news etc at our leisure, but don’t enjoy having to see it during our break times.

- Having alt text or image descriptions with images, and GIFs. We have GIF autoplay disabled, and often will read alt text instead of watching them (as we struggle with flashing lights)

- Understanding we aren’t always going to be 100%, and our 100% is incredibly rare (and best spent.. not online). It may look like we’re doing well, but usually we are not lol. I can’t remember the last time we felt okay. Also it may look like we’re online all the time/the fronter talking to you isn’t the one posting - we use queue post a lot :3 and understanding we aren’t always gonna reply to DMs immediately!

I’ve totally missed something lol but that’s what i can think of rn

13. Hobbies: how does your system affect your hobbies?

In every single way possible honestly. I believe our hobbies vary between alter even if we do have some shared things - almost all of us love art and craft in some way. Sometimes someone will start something when they’re fronting and then switch for some reason…and then the thing will be forgotten. We have so many unfinished hobbies and projects.

14. Funny story related to being a disabled system

Omg omg I have a good one for this - one of our syskids was doing wheelies in our wheelchair the other week and then covered all the metal parts in stickers 🥹😭 It was so cute

We keep leaving our cane, crutches and wheelchair places because not all of our system is aware that we use mobility aids

Our cat always seems to know when we’re feeling unwell (even before we’ve realised) and will supervise and observe our behaviour and make sure we are okay. He’ll sit on our chest, stomach and legs while we rest, or he’ll curl up around my arm and put his paws in my hand. He knows when we’ve fainted and he’ll poke our face, sit next to us until we come around or go get our mum… but he also knows when we have switched out. He’s started using our amnesia against us to get more snacks - we’ll switch and he’ll come ask for more food 😭 Smart bugger. It took us ages of forgetting to feed him/overfeeding him before someone realised what he was doing. I don’t know how he knows, but he really does know. We’ve had to start leaving notes on the fridge to tell the household and any other fronters that he’s eaten.

And another one; we wear a subtle kitty plural venn diagram pin on our sunflower lanyard (along with a bunch of other pins) and our statistics teacher asked if it was because we like her subject lmao

Thanks to @disabled-systems for the ask game :)

[autobot2001]

Avoiding Sleep

Author: Autobot2001 Genre: Fanfiction Fanfom: Transformers Rating: E Warning: None Pairing: Drift X Jamie (OC) Description: Crosshairs and Drfit realize Jamie hasn't slept in two days. They need to help her get to sleep. Continued from whumpay aftermath 7.

@medwhumpmay day 30, alt 11; exhaustion & alt 12; shaking

Crosshairs and Drift thought Jamie had been sleeping the past two nights. At first, they thought her shaking was because of her being sick, but she hasn’t shown other symptoms of being sick. Jamie remains shaken from the nightmare. Which Crosshairs and Drift are concerned about. Crosshairs goes to get breakfast for the three. Aware of others other than the twins and Lightning would ask what’s going on. Drift watches Jamie get a sweatshirt from the closet to put on. This adds to Drift’s concern since it’s not cold enough to need a sweatshirt.  She hasn’t been sleeping like we thought. Drift concludes. He texts Crosshairs what he’s thinking and to get the twins up here.

Crosshairs accepted his sister would accompany him and the twins, despite his reservations. She also notices something is going on. The three already have a plan. They want Crosshairs and Drift to talk to Rung, but they know that’ll have to wait, hoping Jamie forgets about the nightmare soon.

Sideswipe is successful in getting Jamie to play video games with him. He sees how exhausted she is. “So how are we getting her to sleep?” Crosshairs whispers. “Not with drugs. That’s ignoring the problem. It’s concerning she’s still this frightened. I’m uncertain how cramming in one bed will help, but that’s the best we can do.” “You’re right, but we can’t let her avoid sleeping. It’s already been two days and look how she is. I hope this works.”

The two sit on the couch with Jamie between them. With how exhausted Jamie is and her usual lack of eating; Drift gives in to feeding her. He knows this could become an unhealthy habit, but he’s also concerned about Jamie not eating.

The day is uneventful. The twins and Lightning stay until lunch. They decide not to return. Crosshairs and Drift were hoping Jamie would have taken a nap. They worry about how much she’s fighting about going to sleep. 

Crosshairs and Drift decide to get Jamie to sleep at eight. Deciding if she’s not asleep by then, then they’ll use drugs. Worried about how she’ll be tomorrow if they don’t get her to sleep.  Jamie is beyond exhausted, but the nightmare still frightens her. She believes it’s because she’s with Drift and always fears either he or Crosshairs will be killed.

Jamie didn’t think Drift would suggest a bath while she was exhausted. Jamie realizes she forgot Drift would suggest a bath and stay with her when she’s sick, or the last time a nightmare frightened her. He’d stay in the bathroom by the tub. Jamie knows he wouldn’t do it if she showed him she didn’t want him seeing her nude. Drift sees Jamie still trying to avoid sleep.

Crosshairs prepares Drift and Jamie’s bed. He told Drift he was not sleeping in the bed. Jamie was fine sharing a bed with the others, but Crosshairs preferred not to. Once he’s finished, he sits on his bed, waiting for Drift to walk out of the bathroom. Hoping Jamie is asleep.

Drift can’t believe Jamie is still awake after a twenty-minute warm bath. She’s struggling to keep her eyes open. Crosshairs and Drift can’t believe they didn’t see her doing this all day. Once Jamie is dressed, Drift sits on the floor by the tub holding Jamie. Hoping she’ll fall asleep. Drift knows a drive will work. Drift knows Autobots and soldiers will still be roaming the halls. He’d rather no one else knows what’s going on.

Crosshairs sees Drift walk out of the bathroom. He sees Jamie still trying to fight going to sleep. Drift tries what he’s Jamie to calm down; swaying.  This is not good. Crosshairs worries. It’s concerning that she’s scared to sleep, and it’s not ideal if this continues regularly. 

Drift tries this for twenty minutes, before trying to lie Jamie on the bed. It’s concerning she won’t let go of Drift. The mech hoped she wouldn’t do this. He and Crosshairs did plan in case this happened. The mech gets into bed while holding onto Jamie. He has her lying on his chest. Crosshairs puts the blankets over his friends and lies next to them. Drift has Jamie lie her head on his chest as he rubs her back. Both mechs remain silent. Crosshairs lies next to Drift, feeling like he’s not helping. Jamie tries not to sleep for ten minutes before giving in. “She’s asleep,” Crosshairs whispers. He gets off the bed, gets in his own bed, and turns off the lamp. Both mechs hope Jamie will sleep all night and won’t remember the nightmare.

[britcision]

The most important point to remember on tumblr is that the thing your alt text needs to communicate is the point of the image

It doesn’t matter what the background looks like if the only thing you want a viewer to focus on is the subject

In that example, the whole image is important so it all gets put in the description

If I’m showing off my progress making a doll (did it last night it’s on the top of the pile), it doesn’t matter what else is in the picture

So my alt text for this was something like “picture of a headless little soft white chenille doll with stuffed arms and legs”

No one needs to know about the envelope or the stickers; they’re irrelevant

I do find it helps to determine whether something is a photo, drawing, or screenshot, but it’s not exactly mandatory

The point is to use the alt text exactly how you’d explain what the pic was for to someone who didn’t get it right away

You don’t need a long and serious description of a meme, although identifying the character is usually s good start

Also, your alt text doesn’t have to be serious. You can put a little joke in there, so long as it doesn’t detract from the relevant information

yknow i never noticed the sheer rareness of images having ids or alt text on this website until i started adding alt text to my art (and trying to remember to add it to any images i post in general, especially text screenshots) and that makes me kinda sad

[parker-d-bloodrose]

Adventures in Bike Commuting 12/14/22

[Note: I can’t get the alt-text to work when posting this from the text post editor, though I can usually get it to work from the image post editor so I will be including an image description written in the body of the blog.]

Today’s a short post so I won’t really do a TL;DR.

Ghoulie needed a tune up, and I needed a donut of employment because I am starting a new job soon! So, I went to my donut shop and had coffee and then took Ghoulie up to my local bike shop. I mentioned this already, but I found out that we have some cool local anti-fascists who are willing to cover up fascist propaganda. The mechanic was like “oh yeah this’ll only take about 30 minutes” to do the basic tune up. It took actually closer to like, 40 minutes but that was fine. Dude did a damn good job of fixing her up. There were two small hiccups. The first was that I dropped Ghoulie and broke her bell, so I am currently bell-less and will need to replace it soonish. The second was that the mechanic accidentally unplugged my throttle, but once we identified the problem, he fixed it and I was on my way. 

This was probably the coldest ride I’ve done, which brings me to some gear updates. Yesterday I grabbed a snowboarding helmet to better secure my goggles, as well as a new pair of goggles because the old ones had a disintegrating liner. The snowboarding helmet is less than ideal for what I am doing with it because it is by nature, a helmet for a different sport. However, it is keeping me warm and giving me a place to store my goggles when I’m not using them. If I had the money for it, I’d probably manufacture something similar for bicycles specifically. I don’t like the mountain bike/ down hill helmets for the kind of riding I do. Those helmets draw heavily from dirt bikes because you experience similar terrain, but wearing one for commuting just seems... kind of weird. Anyway that’s all for commuting. I hope more people do bicycle commuting because I’ve been enjoying it and I want other folks to enjoy it, which is why I post these blogs even though they’re different from my other content.

[Image Description: A picture of a chocolate covered donut sitting on a paper plate with a paper cup of coffee on a small wooden table next to it.]

[altamont498]

I posted 6,085 times in 2022

That's 2,814 more posts than 2021!

90 posts created (1%)

5,995 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@somethingscarlet13

@homoclothes

@plaidsquid41030

@vampireautism

@queenmorningrose

I tagged 382 of my posts in 2022

#the great ace attorney - 37 posts

#altamont498 - 37 posts

#bungo stray dogs - 17 posts

#ryunosuke naruhodo - 14 posts

#long post - 14 posts

#ace attorney - 14 posts

#club penguin - 11 posts

#lupin the third - 10 posts

#nsft - 10 posts

#youtube - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 121 characters

#''i am leaving to set up a retirement home for elderly goldfish on top of mt. kilimanjaro. my last day will be march 20th

I sent 2 gifts in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Unfriendly reminder that the image description/alt text option on website builders and social media platforms is there for you to describe images for people that are reliant on screenreaders.

It's not there for you to put in some hidden snarky comment or to use in lieu of a caption or an image credit.

[Image is described in alt text]

208 notes - Posted June 15, 2022

#4

With everything that’s going on at the minute, it’s probably a good time to remember how to spot a scam, because they’re not always obvious and you aren’t necessarily immune to them on account of age or intelligence level.

The following are genuine examples of scams that have been reported by others on the internet. They are not intended to be exclusive or exhaustive and are used for illustrative purposes only.

Seems too good to be true

Like something for nothing or an unusually large discount on something that’s usually hard to come by or very expensive.

Came from out of the blue

Someone claiming to be your internet provider calls up saying there’s an issue with your device or internet connection, even though both have been working fine all morning.

Account details/Access requested

Someone claiming to be from your bank calls up asking to confirm your account details for security purposes, or asks for you to download a program to resolve an issue with your internet banking which will allow them to control your device remotely.

Money or vouchers requested

A relative calls up and asks for money out of the blue, saying that they’re in a foreign country and have been injured and that doctors refuse to treat them until they’ve been paid, and that they need you to sort out payment for them.

Or: Someone from the tax office calls up saying you’re £500 on taxes and you need to send them Amazon vouchers right away.

’

Disguised or under Duress

Someone calls up claiming to be from the police, saying that they’re investigating counterfeit currency and need you to withdraw £2500 to hand to a courier. They tell you to tell the clerk it’s for a birthday present for your spouse if they ask you why you need such a large amount of money and not to tell them the real reason why, or else you’ll end up going to jail.

If any of the above fit the bill or sound very similar to what someone is asking you to do, there’s a chance you could get SCAM’D.

And if you do happen to fall for scams, make sure you tell the authorities or your bank right away as they may be able to put a stop to them (no organisation known by an acronym wants anyone impersonating them) and maybe able to recover some or all of your money.

Don’t feel embarrassed about it—scammers can often exploit our “off” days.

227 notes - Posted August 24, 2022

#3

[This image is alt text enabled]

275 notes - Posted January 12, 2022

#2

It is not enough for me to stretch after a 7 hour shift in work. I need someone to pick me up and wring me like a wet cloth.

356 notes - Posted July 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Shout out to the people not doing Inktober, Flufftober, NaNoWriMo, etc. this year (or any year) for whatever reason.

Because they have prior work commitments (retail/service can be hell this time of year).

Because they’re too busy with school work or exam prep.

Because they’re dealing with chronic conditions and illnesses.

Because they have poor mental health and want to prioritise that.

Have other personal priorities and commitments.

Because they have no ideas or are between projects.

Because they don’t have energy.

Because they just don’t bloody well want to thank you very much.

You aren’t any less valid as an artist/writer/creator, and can’t/shouldn’t be pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do or made to feel bad about it.

This list is not intended to be exclusive or exhaustive, additions are welcomed.

P.S Not intended to be hate on anyone who does actually participate or enjoy these monthly challenges.

3,664 notes - Posted October 4, 2022

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[blindbeta]

Hey what are your thoughts on creating image descriptions for comics? I currently have a couple of web comics that are completely inaccessible to blind and low visibility readers that I want to make more accessible. I'm currently thinking about making audio description recordings with a transcript of what's going on, but I'm unsure of how to go about editing old posts (as one of the comics is hosted mostly on tumblr). I want to create something that will make coherent formatting that will match future posts as well.

I would like to potentially use alt text on the image-based comic posts themselves and then create a separate post with the audio+transcript (and linking that post onto the image-based post of course). However I hear that some screen readers don't like playing nice with hyperlinks at all. Plus I'm not sure how viable of a solution that is anyways. So I'm a bit stumped at the moment.

Thank you for your time, I hope you have a good day!

Image Descriptions For Comics

Here are some relevant asks:

-one with reblogs on alt-text and image descriptions

-Your Content and Accessibility for the Blind

-An excellent post on image descriptions by @mimzy-writing-online

-And here is an amazing masterpost on image descriptions on tumblr

Alt-Text vs Image Descriptions

While alt-text can be helpful for providing context for images (so the screenreader says ‘page 1’ or something instead of just ‘image’), it is not very useful outside of that. For one, alt-text is for very short text. Additionally, having image descriptions normalizes them for sighted people and also helps people who don’t use screenreaders.

Image descriptions are favored not only for increased detail, but because seeing them on posts normalizes them for people who aren’t blind. This normalization may increase the amount of posts that include them from the beginning. They also allow those who don’t use screen-readers to access the description and are helpful for people using Braille displays.

Because of that, I normally suggest treating alt-text more as a label than anything approaching an actual description. For comics, this would mean something like alt-text that says “Comic Name – Page 1. ID below”. Then you can add image descriptions.

Audio Transcripts

I also had this idea myself. I think it is an excellent way to improve accessibility as well as providing another means to engage with the content.

You can post the images, include a link to an audio transcript, and include the image descriptions.

As for hyperlinks, I don’t know if I have had any trouble with them, nor has anyone I know described problems with hyperlinks. It is usually better to include a link with text rather than a full link because the screen-reader reads out the entire string of letters.

For old posts, you could edit them to add image descriptions and links to audio transcripts. It may also help to create a master-list of each comic with the pages in order, so that links to the ones with image descriptions are easier to find.

I hope this helps.

This post has been cross-posted onto WordPress

[antimonarchy]

How to Create Image Descriptions

So I’ve been creating image descriptions on tumblr for about a month, and I wanted to share some helpful guides I’ve found on how to create them as well as my own tips that I’ve picked up. Video descriptions and transcripts are also necessary, but since I mostly focus on image descriptions that’s what this guide is about. This might get a bit long, so fair warning. 

What are image descriptions?

Image descriptions are a textual depiction of what is going on in an image, as shown with the image below. 

[Image ID: A picture of a person with short black hair working on a computer. They are sitting at a wooden table with a large blue pot of pink flowers in front of a grey brick wall. A guitar is propped up against the wall in the background, and there is a string of lights near the ceiling. /.End ID]

Why create image descriptions?

The primary reason for creating image descriptions is to allow people who are blind/have limited vision to experience visual content. Many people who are blind/have low vision use screenreaders, which read text out loud when it is clicked or hovered over with a mouse. A large amount of online content, such as pictures, graphics, or drawings, is visual and so possibly cannot be experienced by someone with vision problems. As a general rule of thumb, anything that can be dragged or dropped most probably requires a description. In addition, if someone has partial vision and attempts to zoom in on an image, sometimes it can become pixelated and impossible to understand. 

Some neurodivergent people might need a description to understand the tone of an image, such as the meaning of facial expressions of a person to understand what emotion the artist is trying to depict

Some people might not have high speed internet or have low computer memory, meaning that they turn off images in order to save space. This means that they as well might require descriptions of visual content

Are image descriptions the same as alt text?

no, alt text and image descriptions serve the same purpose, but they are different in how they are presented. Alt text, short for alternative text, is included in the html of an image and can be read by a screen reader. However, there are many reasons why many prefer image descriptions over alt text. 

There is a limit of 200 words in alt text on tumblr specifically (and not in other contexts, which makes this information only applicable here), which means that detailed images or graphics are unable to be described fully without possibly cutting out important information. 

People who require descriptions, but who do not use a screenreader, must right-click and search through the html of an image in order to find alt text, but with an image description they are saved that work. 

Who should create image descriptions?

Everyone who is able to should create image descriptions. A content creator is best able to communicate the message of their work through text, as they are the one who created it and thus understand its message the best. While of course it takes practice when starting out, over time image descriptions become second nature when posting visual content. Always check the notes of a tumblr post for an ID rather than reblogging without one. 

What should be included in image descriptions?

There is no simple answer to this question, there are a variety of resources and guides on how to create one, and you should not accept my advice as the ultimate authority, as I am by no means a professional, and only create descriptions in my spare time as part of the effort to make Tumblr more accessible. However, here is my information for those starting out. 

First, consider what type of visual content it is. Is it fanart of a tv show, a screenshot of a tweet, or an informational graphic meant to educate people on a particular issue? 

Then, consider what information is most important in the image. If the visual content is an image of a famous building, then in writing the description the focus should be on the building, rather than describing for instance the color of the sky, surrounding buildings, or the clothing of the people walking by, as they are not the information that is being presented. 

Perkins ELearning has an excellent list of things that should generally be included, which I will include here. In my experience, these are the most important elements to describe

The people and animals in an image

The background or setting of an image

Elements that relate to the context specifically, so if it was an image of a congested highway on a news website, the description would mention the packed cars

The colors of an image (don’t overdo it however, a simple ‘light blue’ will suffice, no need to say something like ‘a color blue that is similar to the color of a robin’s egg’ unless it is crucial to the viewer’s comprehension of an image)

Context for an image. For instance, imagine if someone had drawn a version of the Bernie Sanders ‘I am once again asking’ meme, with Eleanor Shellstrop from the Good Place saying “I am once again asking for there to be a Medium Place.” Rather than provide a description to the example such as:                                          [Image ID: A drawing of Eleanor Shellstrop saying “I am once again asking for there to be a Medium Place.” /.End ID] you would instead say                                                                                                [Image ID: A redraw of the Bernie Sanders ‘I am once again asking’ meme with Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place saying “I am once again asking for there to be a Medium Place. /.End ID]

If the image is of a social media post, include the username/handle of the creator as well as the reactions (likes/reblogs) if they are visible in the image, as they may be cut off by the original screenshotter. 

If it is a drawing or piece of art, always look for the artist’s signature when writing a description

How do I write an image description?

To start off, here is an example description written for a piece of art I made myself. 

[Image ID: A digital drawing of Suki from Avatar: The Last Airbender over a gold background.  She is shown from the shoulders up facing the viewer, and has a neutral expression. She is wearing metal armor over a light green tunic, and is wearing her Kyoshi Warriors facepaint and headdress. The artist’s signature ‘Astra’ is written in the lower right of the image. /.End ID]

In this description:

I made clear where the description begins and ends, so that someone with a screenreader is not confused. I usually use brackets ([ ]), write the words ‘Image ID’ (or video/gif/other) and finish with a slash, period, and the words End ID. (/.End ID)

I emphasized the type of image, in this case a digital drawing

I said the character’s name (obviously this may not be known if describing a photo or something you are not familiar with)

I described the background and the character’s clothing

I described her expression

I included the description of my signature.

This is my basic process for writing a description

I first say what the content is, such as a drawing, photo, or screenshot of a tweet.

I then use what is called Object-Action-Context for the most part, which UXDesign has a long article on https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-write-an-image-description-2f30d3bf5546. For example, [Image ID: A photo of a person standing in a crowd waving to someone out of view in front of a river. /.End ID] While obviously I would usually provide more information than that, Person = object, standing + waving to someone out of view = action, and ‘in a crowd’ = context. 

I describe the clothing that might be worn

I talk about the position that people in an image might be in, such as leaning against one another on a couch, or standing with their fingers intertwined

I talk about the expressions on their faces, if shown

I talk about their general appearance (if important to the description) such as hair color/length

As said before, I talk about the context of an image if necessary

If the background is a simple color, I usually include it in the first sentence of the description. However if it is more complicated, such as a river winding through a dense forest, I include that at the end of the description after describing the important elements. 

Typically if I am reblogging an image, I do not add on any commentary after creating an image description, as this allows others to reblog my description without my personal reaction. If I want to add on to an image, I usually reblog my description post. 

In general, it is best to remain objective when writing a description, meaning not including your opinion of the content. However especially in an informal setting, say for instance you were describing an adorable cow, I would see it as fine to say [Image ID: A small drawing of an adorable cow. /.End ID] because the emphasis is on the appearance. There isn’t a clearcut answer, and it really depends on the context. 

What are some tips for writing descriptions/common pitfalls?

If there is an element of an image like a line that represents an emotion, or a sound effect like ‘clang’ if something falls, include that in the description. For instance, [Image ID: ...beside the mug that has fallen on the floor, there are the words ‘sploosh’ indicating the sound of the water that has spilled out. /.End ID]

Put image descriptions first. Don’t hide them under readmores or any other text. If you have something with multiple images and you are the creator, place the description under each image in succession rather than all at the end. Readmores are ableist, as they require someone who has vision problems/one of the conditions described above to do more work to access the message of visual content. 

If you are mentioning the skin color and/or race of someone in an image, make sure you describe it for anyone else who might be in an image. Don’t just describe the race of someone who appears to not be white. This doesn’t mean that you have to describe race, such as if the character is one whose race is commonly known, just that if you do, make sure you do it for all characters/people in an image. 

In order to write IDs effectively, I’ve found it useful to download a screen reader. I use NVDA, which is entirely free and easy to use and can be downloaded here: https://www.nvaccess.org/download/. 

Insert + Q turns it off

While my guide has focused mostly on image descriptions, video descriptions are also necessary. However they are not my area of expertise, and differ slightly, so I would recommend anyone interested in them to check out this website https://www.washington.edu/accessibility/videos/

Transcripts, for those who are d/Deaf/Hard of Hearing, are also necessary for making content accessible, and might be required for content that also has a visual format, such as a Tiktok. I would recommend this website https://www.w3.org/WAI/media/av/transcripts/ for anyone interested in writing transcripts

What are some more resources I can check out?

Here are a series of websites that I have found while researching how to write descriptions

UX Design -  I mentioned UX Design earlier when talking about Object - Action - Context, this article is very useful and examines how to structure a description and provides very useful examples for beginners

Perkins E-Learning - This article is very useful in helping someone what to include in a description, such as clothing or background information, as well as providing some additional information on alt text if you are interested

Meloukhianet - This blog post by s. e. smith goes into detail on the elements of an image to emphasize depending on its context, using the example of a picture of their cat sunning himself. 

SOAP - This article by the Stanford Online Accessibility Program (SOAP) provides a large amount of information on the purpose of image descriptions and what content requires them

HubPages - This article by SOTD and Zera discusses the difference between sparse, lush, and overdone descriptions, which is the amount of information included, and if/when each should be used. 

I hope you found this information helpful, I encourage everyone to check out these websites, and my inbox is always open for questions!

[sourassin]

I can’t speak from the pov of a screenreader user, but I’ve noticed that (unsurprisingly) Tumblr has implemented their alt text in a way that doesn’t align with best practice. If an image doesn’t have alt text, some screenreaders will indicate that there’s an image, usually using the file name, unless the html image tag includes an empty alt field that indicates the alt text is deliberately missing, in which case the screenreader will skip it (this is recommended for purely decorative images, eg a decorative scroll between page sections). Tumblr puts alt='Image' whenever the poster has missed an alt text - so a screenreader will read out 'Image' for every image used.

Given that including alt text for images is still not as widespread as it should be, I suspect anyone using a screenreader is used to this. It’s also true that sometimes a single description of a group of images can be more coherent than individual description for each image. The temptation might be to include both, but generally speaking you don’t need to include alt text if the information is conveyed in the text.

W3C has a good breakdown of recommended accessibility practice for images. I don’t entirely agree with their assessment of ‘ambience’ images as not requiring alt text, but I see where they’re coming from with that - using a screenreader is complicated enough without having to plough through extraneous information. In a situation like this where the platform is rendering images with an unhelpful alt text by default, I’d definitely recommend including an alt text/id.

For anyone more broadly interested in web accessibility, the a11y project is a great starting point and has lots of good resources.

I’d be interested to know if anyone is accessing tumblr with a screenreader, given that historically it’s been very inaccessible.

(I don’t know why tumblr has the little alt button to make it appear in a pop-up, that’s not what alt text is there for 🤷‍♀️ - thinking about it, there’s a good chance this makes it less accessible, because anything that has an interactive element is more complicated to access with a keyboard, but I haven’t looked that far into the code to see how it’s rendered)

Unexpectedly relevant thought given it’s Disability Pride month: Screen Reader users, how are we feeling about “description in alt”? Last time I checked in, people said it was difficult to use and they preferred descriptions in post, but that was at least two years ago, so probably time to see if anything’s changed.

I do like putting the descriptions in the post since it helps all users and sometimes I get to be quite funny in them; if the “alt text” function is no better than description-in-post I’ll keep doing that, but if there’s a significant advantage to the Alt Text now, I do want to at least know about it. 

Thoughts? Opinions? 

[levymcgarden55]

[header id: a gif of clouds drifting over a starry sky.

icon: a sprite of angel Kirby from Kirby Squeak Squad over the top of a pastel rainbow pride flag.]

Welcome to my blog! I’m making the internet a little more accessible one post at a time. If you want to know more about me, here’s my pronouny and you can check out #getting to know levy. If you appreciate what I do, please consider tipping me on ko-fi. $8 gets you a doodle or ID request!

If I described your post, please add the description to the original post directly under the image. Not under a cut, or in small, italic, bold or colored text please. You can edit or add onto it if you like. Yes I know an ID may spoil a joke or “ruin” an aesthetic but it’s important to keep the internet accessible to everyone.

If you want to learn more about IDs:

What are they for, anyway?

A step by step guide to IDs

The ins and outs of alt text (this also explains the uses of each type of ID)

I make sure to tag the common stuff along with eyestrain, eye trauma, guns, drugs, and food. They will usually be just plain #[thing] but when appropriate I may tag it with #cw [thing] or #[thing] ment or mention. I will never tag as #th1ng/// etc unless I’m purposefully trying to keep out of the searches. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need me to tag something.

My tagging system: #hilarious (makes me laugh every time), #tell me a story (fun stories), #romanticize life (pretty and good posts), #happy tag & #animal tag (posts to cheer me up), #accessible (anything w a description), #my ids (stuff I ID), #inaccessible (no ID)

#fanart & #art (beautiful art), #not fanart (stuff I wanna look at later), #campaign tag & #nature tag (pretty stuff to fit my eventual campaign that revolves around flowers), #social norms (posts that fight against social norms), #mental health, #aesthetic, #reference, #important, and #inspo

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a great day! (:

[alderaani]

more than gold

summary:  A lost Jedi Temple, a riddle, some literature, and feelings that Cody isn't ready to speak out loud. | AO3

note: written for @codywanweek and the alt day 5 prompt Sith/Jedi Artefact Shenanigans! sliding in on the last day with one more thing written than expected, so i’m happy with that! i’m pretty ill today so i hope it actually makes some coherent sense 😂 also if the riddle was super obvious, soz, never written one before and turns out it’s really hard.

-

“You know, I could have sworn I told you not to touch that,” Cody says conversationally, from where he’s splayed out on his back.

“Really? I’m sure I didn’t hear you,” Obi-Wan says, cheerful despite being crumpled in a heap. His elbow is in Cody’s gut. Cody glares at him.

The room they’re lying in is circular, stone, carved out of some Forced-damned mountain and according to Obi-wan, practically thrumming with power. The ceiling is high and vaulted, letting in slivers of light where intricate mirror systems catch the sunlight of double suns and project it deep underground. It takes on a slightly blue cast, reflecting off the huge pool of water they were lucky to not fall into. Four walkways at each cardinal point lead to a central platform, and interspersed between them are four waterfalls.

It should be serene. Except now the waterfalls are travelling backwards, and all the doors, including the one they came in by, are blocked. Cody scrambles up onto his elbows, dislodging Obi-Wan with a grunt.

“What did you do?”

Obi-Wan follows his gaze and gasps, delighted. “Now, will you look at that?”

Cody is looking. Frankly, he doesn’t trust this place enough to not keep his eye on it at all times. Obi-Wan keeps saying that this temple was built long ago, by ancient, peaceful Jedi as a place of learning, and that it won’t hurt them. After they got cut off from the rest of their men at the entrance, however, Cody thinks he could be forgiven for having his doubts.

As Obi-Wan himself proves, peace-keeping hardly rules out danger.

“Amazing,” Obi-Wan breathes, hoisting himself to his feet without a second glance, to walk back up to the plinth and stalk round it, examining the incomprehensible runes engraved there.

Cody is left to peel himself off the floor, and instead goes to prod at the barriers now sealing the exits with the end of his blaster. He tries not to look too much at Obi-Wan, at the soft sweep of his hair and the span of his shoulders. Being on their own like this is something he’s avoided, of late - not because he doesn’t enjoy it, but because he’s starting to enjoy it all too much.

He doesn’t trust the way his heart leaps when Obi-Wan smiles, when he asks him to call him ‘Obi-Wan’, when the cycle draws on and they’re up late again, companionably finishing reports and debating strategy. Or, as they had been doing until Cody got cold feet and started finding excuses, debating novels, which Obi-Wan checked out of the Temple archives and read aloud, one chapter at a time, before they turned in for the night.

He doesn’t trust himself not to ruin this by overstepping. There’s something about his general that makes him lose all control of his tongue, and puts him in danger of voicing thoughts that really he should not be having at all.

It’s agony. It’s bliss. It’s stretching him to breaking point, and this is possibly the worst situation they could have ended up in, really.

“These are made out of water,” he says over his shoulder, grunting as he tries to push his blaster through. He is, of course, unsuccessful.

“Ingenious,” Obi-Wan says. “How did they manage that, I wonder?”

Cody cuts a glance back at him, and grins, despite his exasperation.

“You’re not more worried about how we’re going to get out?”

Obi-Wan waves a hand. “I’m sure the path will reveal itself, in time. Oh, look - Cody, I think this is a puzzle!”

Cody bites back a groan. They do not have time for this. They never really had time for it, but Obi-Wan promised it would be a brief detour on their way to the capital for hyperspace lane access negotiations. He’d looked so excited by recon reports of a lost temple that Cody just hadn’t been able to say no. He’s never able to say no to Obi-Wan, even when he isn’t following orders. It’s probably his fatal flaw.

“I don’t suppose there’s an off switch? A back button?” He asks hopelessly. The Force, at least the Jedi sort, very rarely seems to work that way. Obi-Wan is always talking about moving through problems, about seeking balance and adapting to what’s around you, rather than manipulating it. It’s not Cody’s favoured approach; he was trained to leverage his environment to its maximum advantage, and finds he has little patience for anything else.

Obi-Wan snorts. “This is a defensive mechanism, I’m afraid. Judging by the architecture this was built at the height of the Sith Wars. This artefact is designed to trap us here until we understand the mechanism and progress, or until, back when the temple was occupied, someone would come and deal with the intruder.”

“That doesn’t sound very peaceful,” Cody says.

Obi-Wan shoots him an amused look, the warm, soft kind that makes heat rise from the pit of Cody’s belly right up to his ears.

“Even a pacifist may defend himself,” he says, then leans over the pedestal. “Now, how about you stop grousing and come help me with this?”

Cody rolls his eyes, but goes, slinging his blaster across his back and crossing his arms.

“And stop looming,” Obi-Wan laughs, catching one of Cody’s gloved hands and pulling it down to rest at his side. The simple touch makes Cody’s cheeks burn.

“Don’t see what help I can give you, Sir,” he says, frowning down at the characters surrounding the bright blue artefact. “I was never any good at Ithorian.”

Obi-Wan pauses, then tilts his head up. “Ah. Is that what it is?”

“I - I think so?” Cody was never any good at his language flashtraining; he never had the proper patience for it, but he can usually figure out the basics.

“No, no,” Obi-Wan muses, stroking at his beard with his free hand. “You’re quite right. Goodness me, it's been a long time since I last saw this dialect. Let’s see now…”

Cody steps back and waits, keeping his attention firmly split between their blocked exit points while Obi-Wan ponders. The slow upward movement of the waterfalls is eerie - it still makes noise, but none of it is right. Instead of the gentle patter he expects of water joining a larger pool, there’s a faint gurgling as they move further into each grate, travelling somewhere he cannot see.

Obi-Wan finishes his fifth circle round the platform, and the hand at his chin goes still. Cody stands at attention, expectant.

“It’s a riddle,” Obi-Wan says, and if possible, his delight grows. “Yes - the language is coming back to me now. Do you know, I haven’t looked at Ithorian in maybe 12 years?”

“Sir?” Cody says, tilting his head to look at the characters more closely. He doesn’t have even a passing proficiency at modern Ithorian, and presumably it’s changed a bit over the millennia. His training was focused on the basics, and only the useful bits, at that. He thinks he can make out the words for ‘ water ’, and ‘ enemy’ , both of which are either unhelpfully descriptive or frankly discouraging, but that’s about the extent of it.

“My old master - he loved prophecies. When I was a teenager I could never see the point of it, but it meant I spent a lot of time learning the old Ithorian dialects. They’re known as the most peaceful species, did you know?” Obi-Wan shakes his head. “They’ll exile anyone violent, it’s quite remarkable, really. I suppose in some sort of idealistic emulation, a lot of the early Jedi texts are written in their dialect.”

His blue eyes are keen, his laser sharp focus firmly on the podium. It gives Cody a moment to observe his clever fingers, the long line of his neck, the open delight with which he tackles this new problem. It’s a rare thing, to see him so relaxed, and Cody can’t help the fond smile that creeps up on him despite the circumstances. This almost makes it worth it, and on reflection, he’d rather an ancient temple than the last thing that had made Obi-Wan so happy; a wretched, bioluminescent fungus, which had infected half the battalion and given them hives. Their general had studied it for weeks.

Obi-Wan’s lips quirk up. Cody barely trusts himself to speak.

“I didn’t know, Sir,” Cody croaks, then pauses, fishing for something normal to say. “Didn’t we have to defend the governor’s daughter from an Ithorian bounty hunter on Ganaris-IV?”

“Well,” Obi-Wan grins. “Those exiles have to go somewhere, don’t they?”

Cody huffs a laugh and reaches up to scratch his neck at the seam of his bucket.

“Let’s just hope they didn’t all come here. What’s this riddle, then?”

Obi-Wan shifts to the side, then points at a spot on the podium. “As I said, it’s been a long time, but I think it starts here, and goes something like:

A thing to be forged, where water is thicker,

Worth more than gold, unless it’s pyrite that glitters.

An enemy of my enemy, or in hard times, in need,

Sometimes fair-weather, or in high places indeed.

What are you, traveller? ”

All of Cody’s hopes that it would be something nice and obvious, like “lightsaber” or, given what’s going on around them, “gravity”, escape from him like smoke. Jedi and their metaphors. It’s not just a quirk of Obi-Wan’s, clearly.

“Does that mean anything to you, Sir?” he asks, turning the words over in his head once, twice, then frowning when nothing comes immediately.

Obi-Wan’s brow is also furrowed, but in a leisurely, meditative manner.

“...I have some ideas, I think,” he says. “How about you, my friend?”

What does he think? He thinks that there are other sorts of puzzles he is much better suited to. Word play and idioms...what does a clone have to offer that?

Still, Obi-Wan is watching him, expectant and gentle, and he sifts back through the lines, a little more seriously this time.

“Ice, maybe?”

Obi-Wan nods, slowly. “Perhaps. Walk me through it.”

Cody swallows. “Ice is something that can be made, right? It’s not exactly forged, but…”

He trails off in uncertainty.

“Go on,” Obi-Wan says with another one of those soft, devastating smiles. It fractures all the thoughts in Cody’s head, and he has to stop, clear his throat and gather up all the pieces.

“I suppose...it’s just thicker water, isn’t it? On warm planets it’s a valuable commodity, it’s found in high places, and I suppose if you wanted snow, a freeze would be fair weather.”

Obi-Wan is rubbing his beard again, and he’s still smiling. “Fascinating. I would never have thought of that...only, I don’t think it’s quite there. That mention of pyrite is troublesome, and the ‘enemy of my enemy’, where does that fit in?”

Cody shrugs his shoulders, frustrated, and feels a hot flush creep up his neck. “Don’t know why you’re asking me, to be honest, Sir. Kamino hardly covered poetry.”

There’s a slight pause, then Obi-Wan’s hand is on his again, tugging it slowly down from where he’s crossed his arms.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” he says, soft.

“Do what?” Cody’s voice is gruff.

“Dismiss yourself. You do it sometimes when we’re reading together. There is often no right and wrong answer to these things, no secret. There is only perspective, and you see things I never would, if only you would trust yourself.”

Cody looks down and away, back towards the waterfalls and their slow, glacial climb. He isn’t sure that’s true. He enjoys what Obi-Wan shares with him, what other lives he gets to touch in their books, but more than anything they convince him that, beyond war, he knows very little of anything at all. He would like to, someday.

His eyes land on Obi-Wan’s lips briefly, before he tears them away. Particular experiences he would like to know more than others.

There was one book that Obi-Wan had read early on, back when this infatuation was just setting its first tendrils into him, about a forbidden romance at the heart of the old Mandalorian court. Two heirs of rival clans battling to be together against the good approval of their noble relatives. It had been torrid, ridiculous and entirely unexpected when Obi-Wan had suggested they break up their reports with some literature.

But what it had done was give him the words to express the crawling heat in his stomach, the urge he has to reach out, to touch, to soothe, to care for. He’d known what he wanted before that, of course, in a more rudimentary manner, but it had gifted him the language of yearning.

Suddenly, a particular passage springs into his mind and he straightens.

“You don’t think it could mean ally, do you? In Beneath the Armour, Mata threatens Clan Riza by saying he has ‘allies in high places’.”

Obi-Wan pauses, and then a brilliant smile spreads over his face. “Yes, that’s it! Pyrite - Fool’s Gold; a false friend! Brilliant Cody, whatever made you think of that?”

Cody grins, even though Obi-Wan can’t see it, and doesn’t answer.

“Is that really it?”

“I think you’re very close,” Obi-Wan says. “The characters engraved into the platform...yes! Stand close to me, Commander.”

Cody does, watching curiously as Obi-Wan lifts his hands, shuts his eyes, frowns, and pushes . Six blocks that make up the platform lift, the characters on each glowing bright, lurid blue. Under their feet, something scrapes, shifts and clunks, before the platform lurches upwards, spinning gently.

There’s a thunderous gurgling sound, before all of the pool beneath drains away.

“The answer,” Obi-Wan says, slightly breathless, his hair a little out of place. “Was friend.”

“The doorways are still blocked,” Cody notes drily. The plinth with the blue orb that started this whole mess has also risen, and underneath it are a set of very wet, slimy looking steps. “I don’t suppose it’s as simple as just walking down these and getting in?”

“Likely not,” Obi-Wan agrees, then inexplicably shifts a little closer, so that they are sharing space. Cody’s heart skips a beat. “But it’s like I told you, Cody. You are far greater than what you have been given.”

Cody coughs and looks at his feet, at their boots almost toe to toe, pleasure at the praise singing low through his body.

“Now,” Obi-Wan says, too close and not close enough. “How do you feel about another puzzle?”

Cody groans, laughing, and after a moment, follows his General into the dark.