#the readmore is just the same text as above

[bumblingbabooshka]

Maquis Outfit

Text: I hate this orange-green color combo but this man rocked up to his pon farr holodeck in a green-purple flower grid clashing patterns robe combo so it's in character I usually associate Tuvok with jewel tones and cooler colors so it's interesting that his Maquis outfit doesn't have any of that

Also I know this is probably just them still deciding on Tuvok's look but in 'Caretaker' he has much heavier eye makeup and I'd like to imagine it was part of his disguise. That's his Maquis Look(tm).

[keplercryptids]

I know this was posted like. a week ago. but as someone thinking of running a forged in the dark game I would love to see your homebrew xp mechanics

hell yeah! so let me start by saying, forged in the dark games (at least, the two i've played, blades in the dark and scum and villainy) are designed to be run either 1. in campaigns with a maximum of 12-20 sessions, OR 2. in campaigns where you're running through characters frequently and telling a story of the crew as a collective, rather than focused on a specific group of characters. so if you do either of those things, i don't think you actually need to tweak the xp.

i am a longwinded bitch lmao and i also prefer running campaigns that don't switch out PCs often. so the rapid xp acquisition of these games is. troublesome. i've actually very recently decided to simply hand out milestone xp (which is what i did when i ran d&d 5e). basically, every few jobs, when something narratively Big happens, i'll give the players [x] amount of xp. but! i did come up with these narrative xp rules, which i like and i'm having fun with, so for now, any xp the players accrue by making desperate rolls will be added to their narrative xp bank to spend in the following ways:

(under a readmore cuz it's long!)

Narrative XP

At the end of each job, the maximum amount of XP that can be used for character advancement is 50% of the XP gained that session, rounding up. This is called Advancement XP. The remaining XP is called Narrative XP.

When Narrative XP is spent to increase or reduce a clock, 1 XP = 1 tick. Personal Narrative XP can be spent on campaign clocks, personal clocks, connection clocks, long-term projects or resolving traumas, as described below. With the exception of campaign clocks, any given clock can only be affected by 1 Narrative XP, per player per session.

At a player’s discretion, Character Advancement XP may be spent as Narrative XP, with the same restrictions as above.

CAMPAIGN CLOCKS

Throughout the campaign, there will be clocks tracking organizations’ goals, external forces outside the scope of the PCs’ sphere of influence, or events looming on the horizon. During downtime, these clocks can be increased or reduced by the use of Narrative XP. This is almost always going to be a meta decision made by the players and GM, rather than anything the PCs are doing within the fiction (though there may be some exceptions - talk it out!). The progress of campaign clocks can also be leveraged as Devil’s Bargains during play. There is no limit to how much XP can be spent on a campaign clock per downtime.

PERSONAL CLOCKS

Each PC can accrue personal clocks, tracked on your character sheet, that reflect potential complications, goals, or outcomes affecting your character. During downtime, Narrative XP can be used to increase or reduce ticks on these clocks (maximum 1 XP per clock per downtime). To use Narrative XP this way, describe or roleplay a scene to illustrate what your character is doing to affect the clock in question.

CONNECTION CLOCKS

[note: this text is taken basically word-for-word from Beam Saber by austin ramsay - a really cool game i haven't gotten to run yet! check out beam saber if you're interested in sci-fi forged in the dark games!]

The crew sheet contains separate 4-tick Connection Clocks for each other member in your crew, representing your character’s relationship with that crewmate. Make a belief about that crewmate for each tick on that clock (checking in with that player when you do). When the Connection Clock fills, ask the target crewmate for a truth about one of the beliefs tied to them, then reset the clock to 1 tick as you see them in a new light. When a Connection Clock resets, erase all the previous beliefs you had about that crewmate and write a new one related to the truth you just learned—it’ll take time and effort to understand them again.

A belief is a brief statement about how a character feels about another crewmate. Beliefs are simple, quick, and influential in the rapport between the two crewmates. However, the players need to remember that their beliefs are not necessarily true as they are based on incomplete information and gut instinct. A good belief is:

Something a character might say about their crewmate to a confidante.

Easily summarized, so that it can be quickly remembered when relevant.

Potentially true.

Suitable for the game’s setting and tone.

Something the player is interested in exploring.

During downtime or free play, Narrative XP can be used to add a belief and tick a Connection Clock with another crewmate (maximum once per session). To use Narrative XP this way, your character must have a one-on-one scene with a crewmate, which challenges their perception of their crewmate, and/or shows a new side of them, and/or during which the characters bond in a significant way. After this, spend 1 XP to tick the Connection clock with that character, and gain a new belief (see above).

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

During downtime, you may spend 1 XP to add a tick to a long-term project clock (maximum 1 tick per clock).

RESOLVING TRAUMAS

[note: there isn't a way in the rules as written to resolve traumas, but being able to do so is important to me, so i included this as a way to use narrative xp.]

When you gain a trauma, start a 6-tick Trauma clock on your character sheet. During downtime or free play, Narrative XP can be used to tick a Trauma clock (maximum once per session). To use Narrative XP this way, describe or roleplay a scene to illustrate what your character is doing to work on resolving their trauma. Once a trauma clock has been filled, you may remove that trauma from your character sheet.

[2dmax]

2dmax's commission info

custom artwork made to order; last updated 10/08/23

I have made the choice to rework my commissions to have a more traditional structure. This post is also currently somewhat of a WIP, and may be updated soon for clarification. Commissions currently in progress not subject to this update. Please see my new pricing below. Info will be repeated in plain text beneath the readmore. Also inside the readmore is what to expect when you order a commission, as well as my terms and conditions for use of my artwork. For something not listed here, please feel free to reach out with a question!

all art is defacto lined and flat colored/minimally shaded. sketch commissions are not available at this time.

Couples, groups, furries, scalies, ferals, pets, fantasy animals, robots, fantasy humanoids, backgrounds and props all OK. Not sure? Just ask!

Thank you for reblogging, even if you’re not interested in a commission right now! 🎨⭐

Pricing

Regular commissions:

chibi, portrait, bust, or icon:

$60 base price

request traditional art +10

request specific pose +10 (artist may choose to waive)

pair/couple interaction = subtotal x 1.2

group lineup or interaction = subtotal x 1.5

extra desired complexity +20 (if artist chooses to add on own accord/without request, no extra charge

half body (above the waist):

$80 base price

request traditional art +15

other options same as above

full body:

$120 base price

request traditional art +20

other options same as above

ref sheet; includes a combination of full body poses, busts/expressions, detail drawings, differing outfits, chibi art, and notes, as per your request; cost is subtotal x2

Experimental commissions:

18"x24" poster

artist's choice of medium only

base cost $200

paper clay figurine

chibi humanoids/animals/ferals/anthros only

base cost $100

delicate art items, not toys; not suitable for children

standalone comics page

2-5 panels, 1-2 characters, 1 location

artist's choice of medium only

base cost $200

wildcard commission

true PWYW - $1+

can only give me basic request; everything else up to artist, including medium, pose, decision to abstract or simplify, physical size, etc.

pay what you want means get what you get. quality not guaranteed.

Here’s what to expect when you order:

Send me a PM with basic info; what you would like me to draw, your budget, and if you have a deadline.

I will ask a few questions to be able to build up the concept. I will also give you my e-mail, where you can send me further info and any references you'd like to share!

Your sketch is typically ready within a week; I’ll always update you on my progress. After we agree on the sketch, payment will be due. After it’s paid, I will give you an estimate for when I will be finished with your piece.

Your finished artwork will be e-mailed to you. I am also happy to mail physical art at cost!

Your commission is for personal use; icons, roleplaying, in your blog theme, as a wallpaper, or to print out and tape to your fridge. Commercial use can be negotiated.

You must credit me on the platform used if reposted. Always OK to post to ToyHouse; my username is 2dmax there. On instagram and all other platforms where I don't have an account, please credit my instagram @/maximumgroove.

You may not use my art to promote anything hateful or illegal. You may not claim it as anyone else’s creation. You may not use it for commercial uses, or to edit, adapt, trace, or directly reference, without getting permission. I may use my art in my own promotional material.

FAQ: TBD

[subwaytostardew]

Did someone say Skull Cavern death? It really would be interesting to see, cause of how much more serious it is, I think Ingo would cry finding out the player nearly died. Have you guys thought of the dialogue for it, if so, could we see it?

We actually didn't start on writing anything for it until you sent this ask! This is what we settled on for their finished events!

Progress commentary and first draft for Ingo's event under the readmore!

▷ Station Steward Thylak

Along the way, we realized that the Skull Cavern death uses the same generic hospital cutscene as getting killed anywhere else (so... it shares severity with the slimes in the secret woods and bombing yourself too many times on your farm. I was bombing myself to death in my house for testing!).

This resulted in Kade and I having to revise Ingo's event to be less situation-specific quite a few times. Emmet was fine! His focused entirely on his distress at needing to take the player to the hospital in the first place.

Ingo, however... revolved more around the absurdity of the situation and Ingo tutting the player for spelunking in the Skull Cavern.

▲ Skull Cavern Death - First Draft ▲

The scene is at first a black screen – text box (non speaker indication one) 

Are you sure their cab is alright Dr. Harvey? They have not woken up yet! 

The scene then opens to the hospital, The farmer has woken up and sees Ingo nerviously talking to Harvey. Who is trying his best to settle Ingo’s anxieties. 

[Harvey] They’ll be alright, Ingo. @ just needs to rest and recover. Just like you have to yourself. I don’t know where in the valley you retrieved them from. But you're lucky to have found them. 

[Ingo] A-ah…. You see Dr. Harvey I found them by — 

Ingo at this point noticed the farmer awake. 

His voice raises in volume causing Harvey to flinch and cover his ears.   

Above Ingo’s head. YOU’RE AWAKE! 

[Ingo] ARE YOU ALRIGHT @?! I found you unconscious, collapsed on sand by the Desert! 

Above Harvey’s head – The Desert?! 

[Ingo] The creatures coming from the cave were about to cause irreparable harm to your cab! Myself and Chandelure managed to fend them off – albeit – I-I may have…. made a bit of a blunder or two trying to retrieve you while she focused on driving the creatures back into that cave….. 

Above Harvey’s head as he paces a bit upset at the farmer - of all places! 

[Ingo] You have made me greatly worried…. @. I thought I was too late to assist you. Chandelure was…. concerned as well… if we did not arrive here to this station in a timely manner…. 

I’m afraid of what the future tracks could have look like. 

[Ingo] BUT! YOU ARE ALRIGHT! AND THAT IS A RELIEF! Please! Conduct your safety checks more thoroughly. I would like to see you come back home safely! 

[Harvey] Yes @ please do. Of all places! And don’t think you’re getting away scot free from this either, Ingo! Going into such places…..  The mines outside of town are one thing. But the Desert?!?! That’s miles out of town!! 

[Ingo] Aaah….. my apologies… Dr. Harvey. 

[Harvey] *Sigh* What’s done is done….. No use having an argument over this. Rest. Recover. The both of you….. 

Now I’ll be leaving you two to do that while I go and sort out your medical records. If you need anything. Flag down myself or Maru. 

[Ingo] Thank you…. Dr. Harvey for keeping our cabs well in order and maintained. I do not know what the valley would do without your insights – even if we disagree on some aspects. 

Above Harvey’s head – Just rest.

He exits the room. 

[Farmer] I’m sorry. 

[Ingo] I am just glad that you are alive and well @. Now while we are staying here for a while…. WHAT IN DRAGONS AND ARCEUS’S NAME COMPELLED YOU TO GO TO SUCH A PLACE!?!?! 

The Farmer spends the rest of recovery… talking about their adventure in skull cavern.

*Gasp* What this? A draft?! Yup.. this is how I type out and do my event dialog and draft work. Since Thylak here has to code in the scenes, I make sure to give a visual description of what is going on, how characters are feeling etc.

So I follow a format that is

Scene text

[Character A] Dialog

[Character B] Dialog

Scene text

Any dialog that has to be above the head - As it is coded a certain way - Has to be limited in characters. (Cause too long of a dialog bubble causes issues) I note which character is saying.

When I also write out these dialog scripts I basically think of it like a comic book or an anime scene. My head is just playing movies non-stop!

Kade is great at writing scripts! They're so fun and expressive! Whenever I draft anything, it ends up being a wall of dialogue... Her descriptions remind me to add emotes or move the characters around more.

The draft also kinda showcases how Harvey as a character acts towards the twins, he is a caring individual, does he like Pokémon? He is mostly uneasy about them but that's because he knows how dangerous they can be. (and if you played PLA it ramps up the dangers of Pokémon attacks and moves) So really he tolerates their antics with Pokémon and treats them like he would everyone else in the valley..

For the most part... they agree to disagree. Submas themselves are a little stubborn and get on Harvey's nerves. They try their best to not go to the hospital mostly because they don't want to deal with each other (which is fine... more reason for them to conduct their safety checks!). With the finalized draft, I tried to show how each twin downplays their conditions and make Harvey's job more difficult. They both don't say anything about their problems... Talking is stressful enough for Emmet. Ingo talks a lot, but his concern for the player and adrenaline from the situation distracts him for the most part. They both don't want their own injuries to make Harvey sidetracked from treating the player! But... they'll get nagged in the end anyways.

Being a nag and making sure you're healthy and keeping up to date on things. He's a good Dr! (Totally not bias cause Harvey is my go to vanilla bachelor....)

Unfortunately with how the game is coded and how deaths are — (unless there is a way to code separate death events in) I had to coordinate with Thylak and revise the script, but also change the tone of it too where it is more serious. The twins don't know what happens to you, you could have gotten seriously hurt or pass out who knows. They just saw you and knew to bring you to the hospital. (Because the farmer character is completely insane for going into the mines or secret forest or carrying.. bombs of ALL THINGS!)

As far as I know, there isn't a way to seperate the deaths outside of the one in the mines (you would think that the Skull Cavern would have its own cutscene considering that it's like... the mines but worse). I tried to make the tone more serious for them but... Ingo's just kept ending up silly for some reason (poor Emmet is miserable though). We cut out a lot of lines for Ingo and Harvey nagging the farmer for their recklessness and questioning them, but figured they would catch up with each other while the farmer is unconcious (Ingo has a tendency to ramble after all...).

Also Ingo and Emmet kinda know the valley isn't really all that safe either. They just have their Pokémon with them. Which, if you seen Emmet's 4 heart event... they needed some help with the slimes.

Creatures in the valley are unpredictable cause no one knows if they are or aren't Pokémon or a completely new thing in general it's up to interpretation. (Stardew Valley is such a strange place...)

Either way, Ingo's did have to be revised.... considering Emmet is just too upset to even speak. Ingo is just a run away train with worry.

We also found out that the death scenes don't randomize between the twins... I was wondering if Emmet was just really clingy or not (it's both). There's a reason why the mod I used as reference is called "Spouses React to Player Death", you're locked into a character!

Which twin you pick is the twin you get in a playthrough (of course, you can see the other's events by divorcing one for the other but um... You could also just make a new file instead since that's a little cruel.) Since Ingo's mines death is more serious in tone than Emmet's, I suppose it balances out how the seriousness/sillyness is flipped in the hospital event (Emmet's just complaining about how he doesn't want to go to the hospital if you die in the mines...)

Also with my draft work when I send it off or share it with Thylak, he has to double check some grammer, spelling. There are sometimes even things I couldn't think up on right on the spot he puts in as well, whether it be a train term or even a tonale shift with a line change.

I try my best to make the dialogue fit! Of course... I do miss a lot of grammar and become numb to the dialogue when playtesting. ^^; So events and such do go through corrections even after recording a progress video!

Sometimes I get so caught up in storytelling I forget the game has limits... also.

But hey it's fun. I could talk about this for ages. I'm rambling again. Woops.

Thank you for reading!

[berensteinsmonster]

. girls who hold forbidden dark powers. girls who are distressed girl who are cringe.. look up those words n youll see her... Shower Curtain Wizard

and shes like sooooooooo weird..... i lvoe her ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

(reblogs help my posts be seen :) (more lore in readmore but its messy lol)

shes like one of the migrating jellyfish in woy but gained sentience somehow and went to magic school to learn magic. but then she learned too much magic and accidently fused her body with WATER MANIPULATION POWERS🌊🌊🌊 that gave her new arms and eyes. The bowl on her head helps her contain it

She's ranking below the Top 50 of the villain leaderboards but that doesn't mean she isn't dangerous. She just doesn't do the conquering planets often

shes actually like. normal

shes so boring and normal and thats why ppl think shes weird

i ehmmmm i wanna write more lore abt her and emperor awesome

her lore is kinda unfinished but the main idea of it is what i said above abt her gaining sentience and absorbing magic into herself ^^

i like to think that before she went to magic school she and emperor awesome used to be.... BEST FRIENDS!!!!

i like to think she and emperor awesome used to be GEEKS they used to be NERDS and emperor awesome wore braces

they were like Those Two Guys in school everyone hated them but they didnt care lol

also shes trans so she used to be a boy. i think she may have transitioned after entering magic school becuz until now Emperor Awesome only remembered her when he was in his brace-face phase and basically never contacted her after that cuz they interests change and they felt like they didnt know eahc other anymore :(

. also shes trans becuz ehmm yipepeee lalallalaa whooooo!!! ^_^

after she left for magic school they basically never met eachother again until now in what id imagine to be season 3

shes basically like omg hi friend its so good to see you again :)))) and hes like OH FUCK MY LAME PAST. and i think that like he finds it weird at first. not because shes a girl now, but because she still acts the same as she did when they were best friends and that also means shes still the weird kind of kid hes grown to be ashamed of now.

so while shes one of the rare amount of girls that emperor awesome actually treats normally he tries to keep it low profile with how he used to be lame like her while shower curtain wizard is just confused about why emperor awesome acts so distant to her... sad :(

character development is probably needed here for them to repair their friendship and become buddies again yay :)))) wander would be of help here

OH ALSO

she does not live in the galaxy that woy season 1-2 takes place in. its like. just a galaxy next to it

most of my ocs live in that galaxy and were probabily next on lord dominators to-destroy-list if wander and co didnt stop her

She is however on the Star Force Enforcement Force's To-Stop list because even if she hasnt reached her full potentional, her ability to manipulate ALL kinds of water (Orble juice, orange juice, planet water and so on (but not veins)) make her note-worthy threat to their self-righteous quest to deliver justice

i prommy ill write abt it in a text post another time i think ive gone on long enough

[a-queer-seminarian]

Episode 75 of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers, a multifaith podcast of trans stories, is out! Listen wherever you get podcasts, or click here for direct links + the episode transcript.

Jayne X Praxis (she/they) is many things — she’s Buddhist and a tantric witch; she’s an ordained minister and a Satanist; she’s a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence and a licensed therapist — but above all, Jayne is forever becoming more and more their authentic self, and they invite you to do the same through curiosity, humor, and embodied self-exploration.

Image descriptions in alt text + under the readmore.

Text on a teal background decorated with constellations reads, “As a trans person, just existing is — for one, I'm doing it for me, because I want to be authentic in my own life — but at the same time it's transforming the world. …I'm hopefully being a beacon… I'm giving representation. Somebody may see me and be like, ‘Oh yes, I can do this too.’ … I'm just being me, but I'm in my glamorous trans glory, and I don't know who down the line is going to benefit from that.”

Next image text reads: “I used to get accused of doing things just to shock people…But then I realized: Shock is important. Shock is when you wake up. Shock is when all of your senses become alert, and you start paying attention to what's in front of you. It isn't just because I'm sophomoric and I want you to piss you off. I'm trying to get people's attention!”

[astarionspocketpussy]

Been chewing on some ideas today and I have Thoughts(tm) to share.

[Now with a readmore because I hadn't noticed how long this was. Oops!]

There's a lot of discussion around the different endings for main characters, especially in specific areas of the fandom, and especially pertaining to what counts as a 'good' ending for a character. And that argument gets especially heated when it pertains to Gale and Astarion's endings because the camps there are super divided. Note, I'm talking about Tumblr (and to a lesser extent, Tiktok) because that's where I engage with the fandom. I do not know the horrors of Twitter, nor do I want to.

But something came up about this while I was obsessively scrolling through @/karz_2's page on Tiktok. (You should check out her stuff she's really funny.) She had a video talking about the endings and she specifically pointed out how Astarion and Gale's endings get that, like, debate about whether it's a good ending, but Shadowheart and Lae'zel's comparable endings (Dark Justiciar Shads route and Vlaakith's chosen route) generally get acknowledged as being clearly bad. Karz makes a point that all these routes parallel each other by being closely aligned with what these characters wanted at the start of the game (with Shads and Lae'zel's endings being more stated in the text and Gale and Astarion's requiring a little more thought in that regard, but not by too much).

And I was thinking about it after, and I think the main difference in the ways the fandom talks about these endings is that in Shadowheart and Lae'zel's endings, there is a more clear presence of their respective abusers and a more clear connection to the shitty circumstances they were in before the game. Shadowheart remains under Shar's control and authority, the same with Lae'zel and Vlaakith. Even if they're given ostensibly more power, its more visible to the player that they are being manipulated still. The effects of the cycle of abuse are there, but because the abusers are still present, players are more readily able to point out that those endings are fucked up.

With Astarion and Gale, however, their endings place them in a different situation. For one thing, in both endings they appear to have risen above the control of their past abusers. Cazador is very much dead, and as a god, Gale is no longer directly under the control of Mystra. This is already placing them in a position where the player is primed to be happy for them-- they're no longer trapped in the shitty circumstances they were in the start of the game, and the abuser can no longer hurt them. Not only that, but the increase in power gives both characters a sense of control, a sense that they can protect themselves now. For many players, that alone makes it a good ending because they perceive the characters as having escaped their abuse.

The thing is, neither of them really have escaped the cycle yet.

Gale's ending places him in a position of authority and power, yes. But it is also an expression of a self-fulfilling prophecy that his abuse taught him to accept: the idea that he would never be good enough as he is. By claiming godhood, Gale has just trapped himself in that same cycle. He's the God of Ambition, but that ambition is in part fueled by the abuse he suffered. He will always try to aim higher and higher because he was made to feel insignificant before. Removing himself from his humanity does not address the underlying problem, it only serves to allow him to ignore what happened to him, and puts him in a position where he'll never truly be able to heal. Becoming a God changes people in this universe in ways they can never truly come back from. Mystra is the way she is because she is a Goddess- every person who becomes Mystra corrupts in some way, because Gods fundamentally cannot understand human beings. In fulfilling his wishes when he first started out, his desire his own worth, Gale loses himself, and that is a tragedy that only further prolongs the cycle of abuse he is trapped in.

And Astarion, by ascending, gains power, which he believes will finally be enough for him to be safe. But by taking Cazador's place, he only restarts the cycle of abuse. His abuser is dead, but he has assumed his place. Becoming a vampire ascendant necessitates the loss of one's soul and one's humanity. The text in the game itself shows how he begins to devalue the people around him, and the changes to his personality after he ascends are exacttly the same as Cazador- he's manipulative, selfish, and cares only for his own desires. By ascending he does not escape the cycle of abuse, he simply becomes the abuser, and he no longer has a chance to properly heal, nor atone for the genuinely bad things he has done. This ending robs Astarion of a chance to live as an equal among people around him.

Like with Lae'zel and Shadowheart, the power they gain is superficially good, but it only serves to bury the core of the issue and does nothing to help them heal from the abuse they received. But I think it's because their endings are a step removed from the people who began the cycle we see play out in the game that influences how the fandom perceives these endings as opposed to their counterparts. But all this is just my own interpretation of the game.

I think Wyll provides a really interesting foil to this conversation with his endings and how they explore the cycle of abuse, but he deserves his own post because I have a lot more opinions on his endings and how Larian handled him in general. So for now, just take this.

And just as an quick thought to finish this off: You, personally, are allowed to enjoy whatever endings you want, whether they're in game or stuff you make up yourself. These are fictional pixels on the screen and there is nothing wrong with enjoying 'bad' endings. I am not making a statement about your personal morality or intelligence.

Now that I've said that, I really hope no one starts beefing on this post because my notifications cannot handle that. (I would like to hear your thoughts, though!)

[nyandela-catalogue]

︵︵୨୧ PINNED POST ୨୧︵︵

Gonna make this short and simple:

[edit: We post stuff that’s ~16+ rating max, so do with that what you will.]

Main fronters (lately) are Mark, Cesar, Adam, and Jonah

Bodily an adult (2002)

Alters will tag with their names (if they want to)

If you want to see our cool and pawsome vrchat/3d model-related tiktoks, you can go here: TikTok Page

We try to add subtitles when we can in our videos, and we’ll try to add good or adequate alt text to any photos we post on here.

Further links/info to where you can find other things we do are in one of the pinned posts on that page :)

Our Neocities :) (has links to our twitch, yt, etc)

@kinito-bonito <-KinitoPET blog

pronouns + emojis

VRChat groups

Official Nyandela County Spotify Playlist(tm)

Nyandela County AU/The Nyandela Catalogue

small statement on Alex Kister situation (HAS BEEN EDITED)

important post <-addresses harassment

blogs lore lol

post abt The Singing Reindeer

(more info below readmore since i dont want this to be 13 miles long -Mark📕)

———

Do not come to us asking for medical/system/relationship/etc advice, that’s not what we’re here for

We will post Mandela Catalogue and AU-related stuff here, as well as source-related posts.

We will not be seeking external sourcemates, as we have everybody we need.

However, if you wanna talk to us, go ahead- just make sure you clarify who you’re talking to.

We don’t do the “doubles dni” thing bc A) gatekeeping alters/sources isn’t something we believe in, and B) we don’t judge who you are. Just be nice lol

We block fairly freely. Don’t take it personal. Or, if you do take it personal, keep it to yourself honestly. We don’t need more bullying or harassment over misunderstandings.

Anyway, we’ll tag things as necessary and will always put warnings for flashing lights, fast movements, and/or other possible necessary warnings.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to drop them in the askbox :)

ANOTHER COUPLE IMPORTANT THINGS:

1 - Playful “flirting” is okay(as long as you’re of-age), but don’t try to date us. We don’t date outside of our system anymore bc of repeated trauma 🙃

edit: above boundary made more clear

2 - We will talk about trauma and possibly-triggering and/or dark topics. If that isn’t your cup of tea, the back button/door is right there.

3 - Don’t tell us what we can and can’t do. We likely don’t know you, so your opinion isn’t going to be held to the same value as someone we do know.

I think that’s everything for now… Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy our blog~

-(Alt) Cesar🥀

[atieflingtime]

GAME: A Fool’s Errand by Mike Free

DESCRIPTION: “You are the jester in King Lyrics’ court. Through mere observation you discovered a conspiracy threatening their rule. You now have the fruitless task of warning their majesty.”

ITEMS NEEDED: A deck of playing cards (jokers included)

THOUGHTS: I read the rules wrong! I used both the number and suit of the same card to determine the petitioner, rather than drawing one card for the kind of petitioner and a second one for their relation to the conspiracy.

My mistake didn’t wind up taking enjoyment out of the game at all (which is a plus in my books!) since it also means it didn’t rely on everything being followed exactly. The only thing is I had to adjust to not getting repeat petitioners, but that’s because of my mistake rather than anything in the actual game haha and it still worked out well imo

It was pretty interesting to play through a situation where your goal is futile — like no matter how much your jester character desperately wants to warn the king about the conspiracy, they are destined to ultimately fail.

Perhaps having some reference to what sort of timeframe in-game we’re playing under? I think that’s really the only thing that could be a tweak, but tbh ain’t ABSOLUTELY needed since players can decide how long time is between petitioners. I kinda threw myself off since I didn’t make myself any time indicators in my own text-playthru but I intended it to be seen as taking place over several years!

I think I played for about 3 hours? Definitely could have gone on for longer but my shuffling put my two joker cards only one card apart lol

Also I’ll be entirely honest I don’t know anything about jesters or courts but I had a lot of fun :P

unedited playthru is under the readmore (:

The King: (8 of diamonds) A prophesied demi-god Goal of the conspiracy: (Queen of hearts) eradicate loyalty to the king

The King is prophesied to be a demi-god, half-seeded from the god of the sun. There’s a conspiracy brewing to eradicate loyalty to the king — people whispering he’s no sun god’s son.

The Jester is a rather rude man. The sharp smile combined with a foxed face makes even the kind words he says, however infrequent, sound rude and disingenuous.

FIRST PETITIONER: 3 of Clubs A merchant asking for a permit to sell wine; unaware of the conspiracy

I could hear the merchant approach before he rounded the corner to walk through the archways of the hearing hall. He was already fat and jingled with the coins in his coin purses. His strides were clipped and unconfident, and the etching of uncertainty showed in the flush of his face. This wasn’t anything I hadn’t watched happen before. People are funny when in the presence of others they think are above them.

Watching his flushed face as he spoke to the court of the god-king — I didn’t realise anyone could costume themselves to look like they had berries smeared across their nose and cheeks so thoroughly without ever touching the fruit — it seemed just pedestrian petitioning for a permit. The maroon of his clothes stitched in greens and yellows didn’t look familiar, and there was no other families in the area with royal ambitions that had that particular stitching colouring that I could recall. And I would be able to, if there were.

After the rambling, disorganised, and frankly extraneous request was ended with the merchant’s voice petering out, my god-king looked to me and gave me a nod. The beginning bell of my performance.

In a fluid motion, I got to my feet and removed the heavy winter weight cloak I’d left sat beside me. Fashioning it around me in a crude approximation of the size of the merchant, I bound to the court’s floor making deliberate movements to the bells on my wrists with my footfalls. Jingle your coin at me, and I will jingle back. It means nothing to me.

A wide arc of my arms out hold them as far apart as I was able, punctuating the movement with a flick of my wrists to make the bells tink. “Oh dear, glorious, illustrious, golden god-king of whichever other descriptors my father of name Orszak before me told me to call you to flatter you.”

Small stifled chuckles rippled through a few of the court attendants.

“I wish to request permission to drink my wine-wares inside of the city walls for coin!” An over exaggerated sway as I stood, “pardon me, I want to sell the wine I am unable to drink myself to the fair peoples of your inner city.” I jingled my wrist-bells again, tugged at the lapels of my overcoat. “We produce it ourselves; Orszak family name is proud. My father was the businessman, I’m merely inheriting his routes.”

Glancing over to the Merchant, his large grey eyes were fixed to the floor.

I postured my hands out, palms up but not supplicating like a beggar, my back kept farm-straight. “My father and elder brother, Tomasz Orszak, were only recently unfound through their route. An injured and scared ass only what we’ve found so far.” My nod was slow, and could easily be mistaken for a theatrical over-exaggerated motion, but my unwavering eye contact with the god-king let him know my personal answer. “I am the second-son and thought always my future was in the fields.”

The second eldest Orszak merchant rubbed a wrist, one of his meaty hands covering over the pulse point and lightly wiping the crooked and dirt-marred thumb of his rubbing his skin. Nerves from a fish out of water. Or a farmer without a field, I guess.

The god-king raised one of his slender, gilded hands. I straightened and stood as motionless as I was able. The courtiers sounded like they were holding their breath.

“You are approved for you and your foodwares to be sold inside the inner city,” the god-king’s voice was smooth and tinny, “I ask for your family to write a formal request with your situation, in addition to sending one of your ilk to acquire the permit.”

The merchant visibly sagged in relief — all the tension pulling his spine tight leaving in an instant. He thanked the god-king in a thick and clumsy country term, and left quickly.

I knew the look in the god-king’s eyes was saying to me that I was took harsh in my initial portrayal. That’s fine. He’s allowed to be wrong about things as interpretive as art. Though that certainly wouldn’t be an opinion I’d ever let taste oxygen.

SECOND PETITIONER: 9 of Diamonds A doctor needs subjects for research ; a neutral party in the conspiracy

Doctors always had a particular stench that seemed to follow them. Maybe death, but more likely just a miasma of sickness. This one was different from the rest. They stood rod-straight, but their shoulders rounded forward to create an odd gathering of fabric draping over their chest cavity. When told to remove any of their garb, they refused. A curiously higher-than-expected voice carried muffled from the beak-mask of the doctor. I decided not to include that peculiarity in my performance.

Not being able to see the doctor’s face made my job more challenging, but when the god-king gave his nod, I had no choice but to perform.

They were aware of the conspiracy for treason — I could tell that much — but it seemed they weren’t swayed to either way. Doctors were hard to convince into the kingdom, and seldom lasted very long. I wasn’t about to dissuade this one from continuing.

I stood as tall as I was able, jutting my chest out instead of caving it in like the doctor was. There must be a reason they’re keeping that posture, and I was not going to draw attention to it with my performance. “”Regardless of any situations that arrive,” I tried my best approximation of their accent, eating my Rs and pushing the sides of my tongue to my teeth, “matters of the body still need to be investigated.”

Arching my arms to hold my palms up to the gilded ceiling, a position of higher pleading. “These subjects of research will help future generations of the sun-god’s kingdom.”

Eye contact. Slow nod.

Approval.

THIRD PETITIONER: 3 of Diamonds A merchant asking for a permit ; neutral party to the conspiracy.

Immediately, I didn’t like how this merchant walked into the court. He looked too at-ease and comfortable.

His ashy straw-coloured hair laid in a thick plait twisted around itself and pinned against the back of his neck. Impossibly intricate embroidery made the previously soft felt-fabric stiff and likely itchy. Stabbing storm-silver in jagged patterns through the cobalt sky of his coats. A brilliant red waist-apron secured with a thick blue cord weighted at the ends with metalcrafts spilled down his lap like a bloody waterfall.

The nod.

“God-King,” I tried to force my voice to have the same tenor as the petitioner, “even as I stand here asking for permits to continue growing my hoard of silver, I speak to you as one powerful man to another.” I glanced to the merchant, his dark eyes glowering at me from where he stood. “Do you not deign to meet me on the same level? Truly it isn’t so far down?”

A murmur of light shock and gossip rustled through the rest of the court.

“These goods are merely the work of others, but I know I’m among compatriots when it comes to building things off others.” The merchants face was flushing in anger. I locked eyes with the god-king, and lolled my head side to side in a ‘no’ while speaking, “There’s few differences, yes?”

Denial of the petition. The merchant spat at me when he left. I’d fear I’ve made more enemies than allies in my time here but I don’t particularly care either way. When the god-king dies, I’ll still be alive.

FIFTH PETITIONER: 4 of Hearts A famous musician hoping to be commissioned ; loyal to the king.

If the clang of brass and the hollow noises sounding when she rounded a corner too closely weren’t enough of a tip-off, then her poufed hat with feathers and filigree certainly took out the guesswork.

She hoped to be commissioned for at least one ballad extolling the virtues and benefits of the god-king and his kingdom. From the rolling of her silver ring, however, I believe she was hoping to be taken on as a resident artist. Those kinds of silver rings were made by hand only for those who you loved.

Nod. Expectations or my performance.

I took a supplicants posture. “Would you not want someone so deeply in love to write and sing about the beauty inside the fair kingdom of the god-king?” A jingle of my wrist-bells and I dramatically gripped my abdomen. “For one to give you and your subjects the love I have felt inside my heart and soon to grow in my belly?”

Wide-faced fear and surprise jolted through on the musician’s face, her lips sticking out just a bit as she ground her teeth to try and keep the expression from pulling any noises from her throat.

Eye contact to the god-king. “Merely exchange my talents to the god-king in return to consistent work and stable housestays for me and mine.” I nod to him.

The musician glossy eyes nearly overflowed when the god-king said she will be held for contract, and her own may also live in one of the sites in the inner city.

FIRST JOKER DRAWN

My words were quick and plain. “There’s a conspiracy whispered through the inner city and the fields outside it.” I stood straight, shoulders far more relaxed than I felt. There was far more than whispers snaking their way through the ears of the god-king’s spheres of influence. Even the more loyal subjects of his were wavering in their faiths.

I’m not wholly surprised.

The god-king has been taking less and less interest in the common subject — preferring to dote on emissaries from surrounding kingdoms, boldly to the detriment of the people that keep him safe.

“If there’s more than a whisper, then that’s when we will simply order them buried,” the god-king’s voice disgusts me for the first time. It sounds greased from the pheasant poached in butter he’d eaten with the jewel-dripping emissaries from the southwestern country lining the border.

I nodded. I couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Leave if there’s nothing interesting to come out of you, then.”

I did as I was told.

SIXTH PETITIONER: 10 of Spades A diplomat attempting to establish a new trade agreement ; part of the conspiracy

The diplomats were certainly a sight to behold.

The main speaker out of the pair of them was tall and glinting with the sheer amount of filigree inlaid to the layers of cloth draped so delicatly in dizzying amounts. I couldn’t make sense of when a swath of fabric ended and another started, or if they were just metres-long sheets of finery folded in meticulous ways. Her hair hung heavy over her back near-below her shoulderblades, with the ends of it somehow tied and pinned under so the shown length was only half the true amount. It was covered with constellations of filigree pins inlaid with precious stones.

Her companion was a man in similar stature to her. His foxed face reminded me of my own, though his eyes were rimmed with a purposeful soot, and his mouth was less scarred from teeth. The same dizzying swaths of fabric made up his clothing, though his seemed less imbued with threaded metal since it didn’t glimmer the same way as the speaker’s did. There was a heavy overcoat of fabric placed over his shoulders, splitting somewhere under his long hair from the single pane down his back, to two tails down either side of his neck. The leather belt holding it tight to his waist almost looked out of place, but it clinked and glittered with chatelaines full of golden curiosities.

“A new trade agreement needs to be worked out,” the Speaker’s voice was clear and decisive. “Your kingdom is left wanting.”

The god-king sat with glazed over eyes — bored before any conversation had ever started. This was exactly why the conspiracy has been able to grow like wildfire. Apathy was oxygen to its fire.

I watched the man, beautiful and glinting, move his rough hands over to an empty spot on his belt. Probably habit from having a sword or other weapon hung there for longer than it rested elsewhere. “I implore you to listen to the Speaker,” is voice held less presence than the Speaker’s, but it was oaky and I wanted to hear more.

A moment of pause before the god-king waved his hand dismissively and turned to me. “Perform. Now.” His eyes slid off me as soon as the word was spat out.

I ground my teeth. I didn’t expect to be treated as even partly an equal, but I never would have though the king I served to the detriment of my life milestones to not even look at me as he spat commands.

Rising from my seat — downgraded severely from my previous spot near the court’s seats, to a threadbare pillow on the chilled floor with the petitioners — I exhaled and dropped my shoulders. Trying to relax my jaw and prevent soreness from grinding my teeth. I stood straight and unwavering, feet squared and arms bent lightly out at the elbows with my palms down. I can feel the metal in my over-cloak bite me in the ribs.

“I implore you to listen to the Speaker,” I repeated the man’s lovely oaky words in my own thistled voice. A deep, measured breath shook its way out of my throat. I repeated the Speaker’s words with as much clarity as I could lend my own voice. “Your kingdom is left wanting.”

SECOND JOKER The conspiracy is successful ; game finish.

I threw knife.

Gods don’t bleed, and neither do their offspring. The former king proved to be neither.

[firedragon1321]

Tag Master List

I use a few tags often around here, so I decided to make a list of tags. Trigger tags included in the readmore.

General Tags

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[bakugames-fr]

The thread was locked so instead I'll ask that if you can, send feedback through contact us about this. No spam/insults but the more people raise this issue the better. I'll be posting the thread in the readmore for anyone who'd like to read it in case its deleted

Hello, I'm here to talk about the issue with Auraboas, their design, lore, and the racism contained in them. Please read the entire thing before replying and be respectful, thank you. The issue: Auraboas are an ancient dragon species with a crest that has a headdress design, that live in a remote isolated area and are so exotic and different from other dragons that they cannot communicate with other species beyond baby talk (explicit text in their lore) until BoE happens in world and their children act normal.

The entire plot is about a dragon being confused and condescending about the elder Auraboas, who are panicking about losing their connection to the new generation who cannot speak like them. This entire situation is 1:1 with various stereotypes and racist beliefs about native people, and it needs to be addressed. Before you comment, I am not saying individual elements of the lore are racist, but that the combination of them and the context of the dragon design result in a racist narrative.

Deconstructing each argument:

1. The “not like us” setting and the difficulty with learning the other's language is a common stereotype for native people to treat them as exotic and uncivilized. Through the story, elder Auraboas are described as talking like a newborn hatchling:

Not only that, but they're completely unable to understand basic concepts that other dragons do, and will often need explanation. They're placed in this “beyond comprehension” box that ostracizes them as not like the others:

This is a good segway to the next issue: 2. Auraboas are treated extremely condescendingly by the narrative. Not only is there the issue above of not understanding simple concepts, but their main peril of losing contact with the next generation (who cannot communicate with them proper) is treated as funny, small issue and an opportunity for them to finally interact with other dragons.

In world, this is a character finding another species losing the connection to their young and the latter losing part of their culture in the process funny, and replying condescendingly that this is just how normal children act, and they'll figure the issues out tomorrow. The panicking Auraboas are meant to be a little gag, why are they stressing over something so minor? The kids are fine, this is just how everyone does it (“and you're the weird ones” is not said, but implied).

The final scenes barely touch upon how terrifying, how worrying this is. We don't get to know how the Auraboas feel beyond a panicked adult that's treated as overreacting and background characters who exist to not understand things.

Instead, we get a cute scene. The hatchling got a name! They finally have the chance to experience the world as everyone else does it. They're free from being Auraboas.

I know there'll be a few arguments, so I'd like to reply to them before it starts:

1. The crest is just a bird crest, it being similar to headdresses and war bonnets is just a coincidence.

I ask you to look at this image, and tell me which side does the Auraboa design looks more like:

2. They act like this because they experience time in a non-linear fashion, it's nothing to do with racism.

The fact that there's an explanation on why they act they way they do does not erase the connotations that the lore + design leave. Auraboas have an important native cultural piece in their design and a lore that reads in the same way as the exotic native stereotype does. The ostracization and othering doesn't go away because it has a motive.

Okay, what should be done then?

The best case scenario would be a redesign of their headcrest AND a rewrite of their lore. Both contribute to the racism in Auraboas, and are being addressed equaly. Even if the design is somehow untouchable (though I believe removing racist depiction should come before gameplay and people's feelings on redesigns), the lore should still be removed and written from scratch.

Furthermore, I believe FR should hire sensitivity readers. We had the same issue of racist narratives with the beastclans, and if FR wants to stick to writing a new lore that doesn't fall into these issues, they need to consult more than themselves, because they failed completely with Auraboas. Thank you for reading

Wait what's up with them??

they made a ancient dragon with a headdress that lives in a remote part of the world and have such exotic existences they can barely communicate with other dragons beyond baby speak until the elements get fucked up and now their babies can talk like normal. and their entire story is just some random dragon being vaguely condescending to their real fear of losing the connection of language that they have with their children

[airlock]

I posted 1,780 times in 2022

That's 479 more posts than 2021!

47 posts created (3%)

1,733 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@purplespacefairy

@deepest-dope

@sparrow-va

dingdongyouarewrong (hopefully thus mentionn't, but if otherwise, hi saz-)

@nastypass

I tagged 1,771 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#reblog - 1,472 posts

#'reblog' - 240 posts

#fire emblem - 161 posts

#fucking incredible - 118 posts

#. - 84 posts

#beautiful - 66 posts

#fódlan fe - 61 posts

#pokémon - 42 posts

#ace attorney - 40 posts

#perfect - 35 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#it's about protecting the rights of the accused. it's about having a voice in the procedings that says the state can't just do as it pleases

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

a few days ago, I finished the Azure Gleam route on FE Warriors: Three Hopes! so here’s me, back at it with all the opinions and takes and criticism and whatnot

(jesus they really just put the post up in here in integra. I put a readmore on that thing for a reason! just, here, let me link you there instead)

23 notes - Posted July 29, 2022

#4

airlock grades the villain archetypes: Three Houses edition

(so, this post is going to be, in fact, long as fuck -- which is a good opportunity to once again plug my dreamwidth, where you can read this post with more tidily organzed sections, as well as individual spoiler warnings on each one!)

you know, it's an interesting coincidence, it really is. when I originally started making those villain grading posts, we were just a few months away from a long-anticipated new Fire Emblem release, and that moment gave me the idea to take on that little exercise for a number of reasons. and then, here we are, about three months shy of three years later. for a number of different reasons, I started to think about finally making a follow-up post, seeing how I'd compare the antagonists from Three Houses to their predecessors. freshly boosted on new meds, I whip out a very long draft for a post in just a few days. and then, the day after I was done, a long-anticipated new Fire Emblem release is announced. and so, just on a whim of fate, I'm technically returning to this text post series under the same conditions as I started it! isn't it poetic? (funny thing is that they eventually decided to put a cutoff on this one, but only after enduring the entire preface AND all of the section on Thales. anyway, still best I cut it off myself right here, and you can see the full version right here -- or on dreamwidth, via the link above!)

28 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#3

okay, yeah, so, I think I’ve officially seen this one spelling error happen one too many times in fanfic. and like, I don’t like to be pedantic, but I guarantee that if you trip over this one you will punt readers off the narrative and into the stratosphere

so let’s understand the difference here:

a segue is a fluid movement from one state into another, or a rhetorically opportune change of subject. for example: “Since she brought up the lawn, I managed to segue into complaining about what happened to my flower garden.”

a Segway (R) is a two-wheeled battery-powered micromobility vehicle, typically associated with mall cops, dorks, and dorky mall cops. for example: “I’m still upset that her idiot cousin drove his Segway all over my flowers.”

as you can imagine, if you tell me about the segway that your character just pulled, that will immediately shatter the illusion that they’re a smooth talker.

36 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

#2

so there was that whole fiasco with a map of Europe going around claiming to be about in which countries it is or isn’t typical to feed one’s houseguests, and this is now being regarded as an open fiasco because it’s come to light that the map is false and does not correspond to any real information about the countries highlighted, even though a lot of people were quick to throw stones at the ones where it supposedly was not common to feed one’s houseguests

I suppose it’s as good a time as any for me to point out that, as far as I’m concerned, this was a fiasco well before then, and wouldn’t have been one bit less of a fiasco if the map had been 100% true.

because here’s the thing... it may be the case that, when presented with the idea that it may not be common in some cultures to feed one’s houseguests, your instant, kneejerk reaction is to think, huh, that sounds inconsiderate and antisocial. if that’s what you thought, though, and if you chased that thought all the way down to the end and to its logical conclusions, then what I’d really like to ask is... who the fuck died and made you the arbitrer of other people’s cultures???

I’m not saying that a cultural difference justifies any and everything, but man alive, how jingoistically arrogant do you have to be in order to make and sincerely believe in snap-judgements like these? how do you decide, based just on a colorful little map, void of any other context, void of any other information on what the people of a certain country are like, that they’re just rude as hell because in your mind that one thing you heard sounds rude as hell? what head-spinning idiot attitude is this where you think you can pass judgement on an entire people, based on so little?

so if nothing else, what I’d really like for this mess to pass on in people’s minds is not just that they should maybe check sources and not believe everything that’s presented to them in a colorful little map -- but really most importantly, that when you’re hearing and thinking about a whole other culture, you should, no, must, approach it with the attitude of a listener and a learner, not the attitude of someone who knows better.

74 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

so I found out about ryunumber a while back and what can I say, this is the exact kind of shlock that I can spend entire days thinking about

I thought about asking about some Fire Emblem character or another, but then I realized -- oh, right, I could actually easily discern the Ryu Number of every single Fire Emblem character myself in just a few broad strokes. so... this is me, taking on that challenge!

(yeah, this one had a readmore too; check the post out here -- or better yet, check out the follow-up from the legends themselves, which is the reason why this is my post with the most notes this year. just ahead of the lengthy sociological tirade!)

77 notes - Posted June 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[hidef-quatrevingt]

mecha’s image description & visual accessibility reference post:

disclaimer: This is mostly a reference for myself for the image descriptions I write in the future, including common things I see that I want to avoid. Some are with screenreader users in mind, some are with non-screenreader users in mind. I’m not claiming this is where describing images should begin or end, and i’m not the only low vision person out there. if you want to have better reference guides, i find here to be helpful.

Image description in alt text: Not all people who need image descriptions can or do use screenreaders. Alt text is hard to access without a screenreader on most browsers and versions of the app. Just put it in the post. If you don’t, it’s just showing that you don’t actually care about accessibility.

Image description under a read more, in a reblog, in small print, etc: This is a big one, and I’ve seen a ton of posts about it, but it can’t hurt to restate. This is inaccessible, and shows that your “accessibility” is performative. If the image description is under a readmore, if anything happens to your blog, then it will no longer be accessible. If a description is long, that’s ok. Just tag the post as long instead of using a read more. If you post art (or anything) with an image description in the reblog, people will have to go searching through the replies for it. It also makes it easy to separate the ID from the rest of the post. If the description is in small print, or otherwise formatted not in plain text, it’s inaccessible. Not all people who need image descriptions use screenreaders.

Put the most important info first: This is so someone can skip the screenreader to the next paragraph once they get the idea of the post.

“Image ID”: ID stands for “image description.” It is a common misconception that ID in this context means “identification” instead.

Capitalization (id vs ID): Maybe you’re going for aesthetics, or maybe you don’t capitalize letters very often. Keep in mind that screenreaders tend to read “id” (lowercase) as a word, like Freudian psychoanalysis, while “ID” (uppercase) is read as the individual letters. Hopefully you’re aiming for the individual letters, since that’s what Image Description is short for in this context.

Bold, Italicized, and Strikethrough text: I don’t know about others, but the screenreader I use doesn’t tell you which text is bold, italics, or strikethrough. If that is in any way relevant to understanding text in the image you’re describing, please specify what sections are bold. Example of how to do that: The text says: “My favorite color is green.” The word green is bolded.

Colored text: Similar to the above, colored text on Tumblr is not registered as different than plain text with a screenreader. It would be helpful if you made a note of colored text. You can use the same format I specified above.

Colored text, the sequel: Provide plain text when you‘re making posts that use colored text. Some people don’t use screenreaders, and they don’t need to justify that for you to make your posts accessible to them. Colored text on its own is inaccessible because it simply cannot be seen well by some people.

Video descriptions: Don’t separate video and audio descriptions. I don’t understand why this would make sense to anybody to do, but I’ve seen people do it regardless. In most videos, the audio and video are relevant to each other, and separating them makes it really confusing. I know it seems obvious, but think: is the content of the video actually understandable given the description you’ve provided?

Note when the image description is done, in a way that can be understood with or without a screenreader: The commonly used square bracket ] is not sufficient, because screenreaders do not read them aloud. Doing this well is most commonly achieved by putting “End ID” at the end of the description.

Sorry if this is too long, but if you do use this I hope it’s helpful. Have a good day!💗

[papier-ciseaux]

I have a question about being aroace, if that's alright! If you were ever to be in a romantic relationship or tried to, would you get things like panic attacks from it?

I was going to keep it short, but then I saw an opportunity to mention QPR so it got longer. As I’ve said in the last panel, I won’t answer any questions about them. 

I also tried to add image descriptions (under the readmore) to make these more accessibles :v

[Image ID: Five digitally drawn pictures.

Image 1: a simple cartoon character with short brown hair, white skin, and green blush on their cheek. They are wearing a striped green shirt and grey pants, like the aromantic flag. They’re saying “No.” with a smile and blank expression. A text above their head reads: “short answer:”

Image 2: The words “longer answer:” are at the top of the image. On the left, a dark green negative symbol with written below “Some people are: Romance Repulsed”. On the right, a dark red positive symbol with written below “Some are: Romance Favorable”. The same cartoon character as above is shrugging in the middle with the words “I’m not either” above them. On the left, there is written “They find romance or romantic activities uncomfortable or even revolting. They can be fine with romance as long as it doesn't involve them or dislike it completely” and on the right “They enjoy romance, romantic activities, or just the concept of romance. Cupioromantics are very often romance favorable”

Image 3: The words “If I were into a romantic relationship, it wouldn't be fair to me or my partner.” are at the top of the image. On the left, there is written “At best, it's a very close friendship with extra cuddles and social experimentation (but not a "real" romance)”. Below the text, the cartoon character is hugging a giant teddy bear and is saying “I’m a cuddler & I’m curious”. On the right, there is written “At worst, I'll be exhausted from performing attraction for them and feel guilty”. Below, the character is confused with question marks above their head. They’re holding a red heart card with their right hand and white roses with their left. Their hair is pointing downward instead of up and their cheeks aren’t flushed.

Image 4: The words “an alternative to romance/friendship exists:” are at the top of the image. In capital letters and in the color of queerplatonic flag (yellow - pink - white - grey - black) is written “A QUEERPLATONIC RELATIONSHIP (QPR)”. Under it is written “They are an unique commitment determined by the people in it. It's not exclusive to arospec people, you can be allo and in a qpr”. The cartoon character’s face is peeking out of the bottom of the image with a surprised expression.

Image 5: The text “I don't feel qualified to answer any questions about QPR so: check the notes, research on your own, ask someone else” occupies most of the space. The character is on the right and look tired but happy. They’re saying “thanks”

The background of all those images is a continuous gradient from white to dark grey

/End ID]

[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!

[t4t-lumpygrab]

LG2 August Event!

Image descriptions under cut

As some of you know Lemongrab 2′s debut episode aired on the 27th of August, making this his birthday month! So like I did a few months ago for LSP, I’ve put together two bingo sheets of prompts people can do over the month.

The way to participate is simple! You make a Lemongrab 2 centric piece of fancontent responding to one or two prompts and then cross them off. Whoever gets the most bingos (rows and I count diagonals) at the end of the month wins!

What do you get if you win? I’ll make a silly little certificate for you.

Rules:

Please be responsible about posting gore if doing the second sheet. Put artwork and writing under a readmore so people don’t accidentally come across it, and be sure to add age warnings and appropriate trigger tags.

I’m gonna limit it to 2 prompts per piece of content if you decide to include more than one.

I’m keeping the term fan content intentionally vague, if you think what you’ve made counts it counts! That includes fanart, fanfiction, edits, playlists, moodboards, anything else- it’s up to you. 

For the second angst sheet, feel free to switch out the prompts for other ones (will include a blank ver underneath) as I don’t want people’s personal triggers to be a limitation for them :)

The free space prompts are for people to do their own ideas, just to clarify.

Image descriptions:

The first image is a picture of background art that depicts a hallway with a lemon patterned carpet, greenish yellow walls, and an open window with green curtains on the left with two lit lamps on either side of it. On the right hand side of the corridor is a brown door, which is closed. A picture of Lemongrab 2 from adventure time sat on his pegasus has been pasted over it in a dark brown frame. Lemongrab 2 is holding a sceptre, and looking to the left with a smile. The writing above the picture reads “LG2 event” and the writing at the bottom reads “Good things.” There is a bingo sheet to the right of the image, imposed over the door, which can be seen through a yellowy haze. There are 9 prompts that read from top to bottom left to right: sharing a secret, comfort, animal companion, friendship, alternate universe, going shopping, truth or dare, parenting, free space.

The second image is the same background picture with a different picture of Lg2 on the left. This one is of him looking frightened and clasping his hands together, backing away into a corner. He is missing his left eye, which has been bitten off as is evident by the massive bite mark left behind. The text at the top reads Lg2 event, and the text at the bottom reads bad things. There is another bingo sheet to the side, with the prompts reading: blood loss, wound from a weapon,  dysphoria, hiding tears/an injury, touch starved, unrequited feelings, free space, memory erasure, hospitalised. ED

ID: the image is the bad things bingo sheet with all the prompts removed, leaving just the blank sheet. ED.