hmooncreates

[hmooncreates]

As AI art gets harder to clock, I feel like we are going to need to have a discussion about attribution and it's probably going to bum some people out.

Because the surest way to avoid platforming, reblogging, or encouraging AI art posting is to know where every image you share originated and that's 1) boring, tedious research and 2) extremely limiting in what you feel you can reblog. But if unattributed images never gets traction, people will start attributing their images.

I've been guilty of this in the past, but for a while now it's been my policy that if I can't verify the origin, I don't share the image. That goes for stuff like screen grabs of headlines too -- more than once I've avoided spreading misinformation by saving a post to research before I reblog, then seeing the post refuted before I've been able to verify it.

And I usually try to attribute photos I take -- case in point, the "woman with shrimp" post gets a lot of attention but not one comment about it being AI, despite it being pretty similar to something you'd get from an AI. That's because I clearly state it's in a museum and link to its catalogue page.

I'm not saying this to scold anyone -- I think yelling at the Internet to cite its sources is very much a losing game -- but because I don't see this discussed much. We're such fertile ground to be fooled by AI art because we've grown accustomed to not questioning the origins of any given image. And of course I also want to encourage both OPs to attribute their images and rebloggers to verify unattributed ones.

[hmooncreates]

you've been trapped in dreams

not just one, but many. not just you, but all. the fey thought you needed to be taught a lesson. at least, that's what they said. with a snap, you and the rest were severed from your mortal bodies and locked in a series of dreams - dreams of fantastical worlds, monsters, magic, and trial. always trial. for each dream, there is something to fight, face, overcome ... proving yourself again and again to a being so otherworldly they may never understand just what this is doing to you

with each dream, you are made anew. who will you be in the next one? do you even remember who you were before? 

...

dream.scape is a campaign framework that follows the same core set of characters through multiple, shared dreams, each of which is played in a different ttrpg. your characters will shift, change, and be remade again and again, trying to complete trials set by the fey who trapped them

this framework comes with eight character archetypes to keep a consistent thread throughout your games, four suggested themes to base your games and trials around, as well as suggestions of 35 ttrpgs to set the dreams in

...

basically, if you want to try out new games but get super attached to your blorbo, this campaign might be for you! :) your blorb keeps one power throughout every game based on which archetype you choose, and then you follow them through multiple dream trials, potentially killing the fey who trapped them, and then can play out the aftermath of the dreams in one of several suggested changeling-based ttrpgs if youre like super attached and just want to keep going with your party :)

there are 5 suggested ttrpgs for each theme including games about witches, werewolves, vampires, monsters and monster hunters, and much more!! the different themes have varying levels of seriousness and dark content, so you could go very heavy with this or not as theres also a lighter / kid friendly theme included !

also it's pay what you want!! check it out on itch :D

[hmooncreates]

HI MY PAPER HAS EXPLICIT ELEMENTS ABOUT INTERSECTIONALITY IN ECOFEMINISM. TERFS DIE PLS THANKS

Submission to the Research Zine Jam!

This zine covers a longer research paper I wrote for an upper level English class. This explores the potential surrounding an ecofeminist lens on Indigenous land stewardship, and how Indigenous women specifically are being affected by lack of land stewardship.

THIS (SCANNED HANDMADE) ZINE COVERS

i. ecofeminism - definitions and controversies ii. Indigenous land stewardship - definition and importance iii. bridging the gap - how and why are these connected? iv. case studies - examples of Indigenous land stewardship and co-stewardship in practice v. proposed solutions - what can we do with this information

IMPORTANCE

By analyzing a very influential topic in a new lens you invite new eyes on it. This framework encourages you to examine Indigenous land stewardship through a lens that discusses how land violence can lead to violence against the people who inhabit it - especially women.

DOWNLOAD THE ZINE AND RELATED SOURCES ON ITCH.IO!!

[hmooncreates]

she died 17 days ago. you think. last weekend you got the letter in the mail. her handwriting. her lipstick stain on the crease. the return address carefully penned as her childhood home three states away

so you drove. barely packed. just drove and then you were there and then you were knocking and walking in when the lock clicked open and that was two days ago, maybe. you've been walking since

toxic yuri bury your gays haunted house game ... an attempt to make a ttrpg "walking sim"

ideally a game that feels bad and sucks to play 👍

32-page formatted zine with unique layout on every page plus a dyslexia friendly plaintext. explore 7 rooms (endlessly), with 15 rituals (mandatory), and 70 items to find herein

you'll need paper or a journal, a writing implement, as well as one full set of dice (d4 through d20) and an even surface to stack them on (and knock them down ...)

rancid little playlist included on the itch page

find it on itch here!!

[hmooncreates]

My mom kept complaining that all of a sudden the Beatles are back and they're fucking everywhere and they're so obnoxious and were practically having an orgy in her garden under a cucumber leaf and that's when I realized she meant spotted cucumber beetles and not Paul McCartney

[hmooncreates]

My firm belief is that you can save yourself a lot of heartache by asking yourself, when the urge to start an Actual Play strikes, 'am I sure I don't just want to audition for a community theater production?'

[hmooncreates]

"The shift from the Afro-Caribbean zombie to the U.S. zombie is clear: in Caribbean folklore, people are scared of becoming zombies, whereas in U.S. narratives people are scared of zombies. This shift is significant because it maps the movement from the zombie as victim (Caribbean) to the zombie as an aggressive and terrifying monster who consumes human flesh (U.S.). In Haitian folklore, for instance, zombies do not physically threaten people; rather, the threat comes from the voduon practice whereby the sorcerer (master) subjugates the individual by robbing the victim of free will, language and cognition. The zombie is enslaved."

— Justin D. Edwards, "Mapping Tropical Gothic in the Americas" in Tropical Gothic in Literature and Culture.

Follow Diary of a Philosopher for more quotes!

[hmooncreates]

The PCs for a Lancer game I'm running. Very fun system so far!

[hmooncreates]

Finding that friend you can go "our sickos should fuck or kill each other" with in a ttrpg is more important then any government official

[hmooncreates]

<- guy who kinda disappeared

[hmooncreates]

About Me

Hello, I'm Mint, and for whatever you want to game, there's probably a TTRPG for that! I post ttrpg recommendations every week! I know the tag is pretty full, but if you're on a laptop, you should be able to check my archive with the filter applied for an easier search. You can also check out my system overviews if you want to learn about a system and the games within it.

The inbox is currently closed! I'll post another announcement when I've finished working through the queue.

I also make playkits for games I like on Google spreadsheets! You can check the tag to see a few, or check out this folder to see what I've made so far!

I have a Ko-fi, which you can check out here. You can also check out my Itch Games Library Masterpost. Sometimes I write things! You can check out my Itch.io page here. I'm currently working on a FitD game of monster babysitters, so you'll find info about that in the Protect the Child tag. You can get involved in play-testing this game here! Other Tags: Mint Reviews - my thoughts on on games people have asked me to review. Mint Creates - the projects I am working on!

Mint Plays Games - re-caps and thoughts that I post after playing games (or runs of games).

[hmooncreates]

I Want to Play your TTRPG!

Every other week, I go to a local art space where I live with a game, an adventure, and some pre-generated characters. Then, I play for whoever will join me. Then I write about the experience of play and promote the game on this blog! And I'm looking for games add to the list.

What am I Looking For?

The goal of this recurring event of mine is to make RPGs accessible to a casual audience, especially including newcomers to the hobby. I'm also restricted to 2 hours per game. This means I'm looking for games with the following qualities:

100 pages or less

A GM/Player structure (or a structure which supports one player guiding/facilitating for the table)

Tools for generating characters/adventures quickly

Can be meaningfully played satisfactorily in less than two hours (factoring in explaining the rules & waiting for latecomers

What do you Get Out of It?

I want not only to expose your game to my local community, but to promote it generally! I will link the game wherever it's available via this blog, and whenever possible I review the games I play on the platforms that sell them. I'll also say nice things about it to boost your ego!

Things to Know

Currently, I have about 6 months worth of games lined up, meaning that your game probably won't be played for a little while. I also can't promise direct sales - I will happily buy your game if I don't already own it, but I always bring my own copy to the event and don't expect that attendees buy their own in order to participate. I can only promise that it will be played, and that I will promote it here after the fact.

If you made a game that you'd like to submit, put it in the notes!

[hmooncreates]

Submission to the Research Zine Jam!

This zine covers a longer research paper I wrote for an upper level English class. This explores the potential surrounding an ecofeminist lens on Indigenous land stewardship, and how Indigenous women specifically are being affected by lack of land stewardship.

THIS (SCANNED HANDMADE) ZINE COVERS

i. ecofeminism - definitions and controversies ii. Indigenous land stewardship - definition and importance iii. bridging the gap - how and why are these connected? iv. case studies - examples of Indigenous land stewardship and co-stewardship in practice v. proposed solutions - what can we do with this information

IMPORTANCE

By analyzing a very influential topic in a new lens you invite new eyes on it. This framework encourages you to examine Indigenous land stewardship through a lens that discusses how land violence can lead to violence against the people who inhabit it - especially women.

DOWNLOAD THE ZINE AND RELATED SOURCES ON ITCH.IO!!

[hmooncreates]

Submission to the Research Zine Jam!

This zine covers a longer research paper I wrote for an upper level English class. This explores the potential surrounding an ecofeminist lens on Indigenous land stewardship, and how Indigenous women specifically are being affected by lack of land stewardship.

THIS (SCANNED HANDMADE) ZINE COVERS

i. ecofeminism - definitions and controversies ii. Indigenous land stewardship - definition and importance iii. bridging the gap - how and why are these connected? iv. case studies - examples of Indigenous land stewardship and co-stewardship in practice v. proposed solutions - what can we do with this information

IMPORTANCE

By analyzing a very influential topic in a new lens you invite new eyes on it. This framework encourages you to examine Indigenous land stewardship through a lens that discusses how land violence can lead to violence against the people who inhabit it - especially women.

DOWNLOAD THE ZINE AND RELATED SOURCES ON ITCH.IO!!

[hmooncreates]

announcing spiritkeep: a therapeutic ttrpg

howdy all! some big announcements!!!

first, im nearing the end of my master's program, studying rhetoric and writing, games, and educational psychology. im about halfway done with my thesis, and figured it was time to make an announcement …

my thesis, entitled "designing ​spiritkeep​: therapeutically applied RPGs as a discourse community" is … about what it says on the tin :) in it, I look at the practice of TA-RPGs, which are TTRPGs run for the express purpose of inducing therapeutic growth. TA-RPGs are usually run by a clinician, like a therapist or counselor, or a certified therapeutic game master. my thesis is looking at the needs of therapeutic game masters as a community and asking … what do they need from TTRPGs that isn't currently available?

the thesis takes concepts from rhetoric, linguistics, game studies, literature studies, psychology, and more to ask the question … what would a TTRPG specifically designed for therapeutic use look like? i examine concepts like bleed, close to home characters, dramatic rehearsal, performative speech acts, fixed vs growth mindsets, information processing theory, and more. i also look at criteria set forth by current TA-RPG practitioners for what makes a good TA-RPG, and examine five current games against those criteria. then, i put together the research into a foundation for spiritkeep, a dedicated TA-RPG

spiritkeep is designed around the goal of helping teens and adults heal from complex trauma

that said, its perfectly suitable for a homegame as well, as long as everyone is on the same page and approaches it with the mindset of collaborative growth. all in all, it's still going to be a fun game and a good TTRPG!!

in spiritkeep, you play as a smalltown taskforce with the shared goal of restoring your currently struggling community to a thriving state. you go out on missions like finding resources, diplomacy with neighboring cities, researching ecological problems, and more, while you slowly make your town a better place to live. spiritkeep includes collaborative worldbuilding, a large assortment of playbook options like the Wayfarer, the Knight, the Ghost, or the Shepherd (all designed to hit where it hurts, at least a little!), and a brand new system inspired by PBtA, FitD, BOB, WoD, and more. while the game is designed around grappling with identity and learning how to grow, it can also get a bit tactical and crunchy!! the new dice mechanic makes you think on your feet with every roll

this announcement is also to say that i am beginning the initial crowdfunding of the game through itch. right now, im trying to raise funds to pay the fee to my school to make my thesis open access, meaning anyone can read it. then, remaining funds will go towards things like resources, consultants, art for the kickstarter, and everything else i need to get this project off the ground. ideally, ill be able to team with a publisher to cover the logistics of business while i can focus on the game itself. once the game is finished, there will still be plenty of playtesting, consulting, and other work to do. but!!! this post marks my first steps towards what has been my dream for years now

this sale is how im starting the funding process. it includes the zine preview of my thesis, covering my chapter outline and big concepts, and also my first TA-RPG: with breath & sword, a solo game to help players calm down from anxiety. both items have community copies available: please feel free to grab one if you can't contribute !!

questions, comments, or partnership offers can be sent to psychhoundgames @ gmail(.)com

thanks y'all!!! wish me luck!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[hmooncreates]

original indie ttrpgs by luka brave. find them on itch here

he/they

queer, disabled, jewish

studying therapeutically applied ttrpgs

open to writing, sensitivity reading, & layout freelance!

portfolio

osteotzee - magical monster augury yahtzee hack

dead man's hand - weird west storytelling card game

bagel, lox, golem talks - write an ethnography of a magic jewish shtetl - pwyw

the graveyard game - write an ethnography of a magical haunted graveyard

the narrator paradox - narrate a story while trying to wrangle your protagonist into listening to you

with breath & sword - fight monsters to calm down from anxiety

song a scene - a playlist-driven writing game that fits on a bookmark - pwyw

not a tabloid - absurdist comedy interview game

mama werewolf - werewolf family drama run on nature mechanics

shadow / giant - a traumatized, magical child and the jaded adult who cares for them

familiar field trip - competitive game for witch's familiars causing havoc and mayhem in the village

interstate 10 1/2 - a one page weird roadtrip light horror game built on horseshoe

crescent grin - a one page eldritch noir mystery game built on horseshoe

the pyrite bullet - a one page spaghetti western drama game built on horseshoe

small towns, big secrets - 200 word competitive drama game

little shepherd, little spy - spy in the fairy war using your bookshelf

advanced darning & dragons - comedy game about old people gossip and high fantasy - pwyw

hashtag girlbots - absurdist robot survival game about the tumblr bot takeover - pwyw

lullaby nights - song driven writing game - pwyw

beach day! - sweet party bonding minigame

how high! - an industrial fantasy city setting

you are thinking about silver - an autofiction game about a werewolf family

when you love someone: three rituals - three rituals to honor love in all its forms - pwyw

she shall not be raised a fey - a 36 word game about revisiting your changeling child - pwyw

we are but plants - 1 word we are but worms hack - pwyw

homebrew masterpost

autism & adhd, trauma, & service monster mechanics - pwyw

wild magic artificer, psychopomp sorcerer & living instrument bard

witch class (con based half caster made with @hmooncreates), handler class (pokemon inspired mon collector), & paternal class (these are just dilfs)

studio ghibli inspired pack with feats, backgrounds, races, monsters, and subclasses

ttrpgs used in teaching composition to college students

the family tree

village witch

what little the flames leave us

personal narrative essay solo journaling games

not a tabloid

we are but worms

graves for funerals

the world is ending and we are very large dogs

vessel of the garbage god

literary analysis essay games

grandma club

LOGAN: an autobiographical tabletop game

[hmooncreates]

Submissions Open Today!!!

Research Zine Jam!

Welcome to the February Research Zine Jam!

This jam invites everyone to produce a Zine (either physical or digital) on research they’ve done OR a correctly cited/referenced research paper they really love.

Why This Jam?

Faun (@paladinbaby) and Hollis (@hmooncreates) (us, the co-hosts!) are two people very passionate about research and learning. Once you leave a traditional academic setting, there seems to be a steep drop off in how often you get to nerd out on research, or even get to deep dive into a topic.

So - what do you do about that? You make a zine jam of course

The Goal: To celebrate research you love/has affected you and to make research more accessible. 

Everyone is allowed to participate but we do have some ground rules:

Rules

Not required, but making something physical/that can be printed out is preferred! You can read a beginner-friendly guide here or if you want something more complicated here. 

The zine can be your own research OR a correctly cited/referenced research paper written by someone else. No matter what – your work must be properly cited unless truly all original. 

Be accurate, be careful, be specific. We want this information to be easily readable, but in making it easily readable, we shouldn’t make it inaccurate!

No AI generated content. 

Don’t be hateful! No bigotry allowed.

Future Goals

Our goal is to run this jam every other month, with a two week posting period. This gives everyone a six-week period to get their research together, think, and even collaborate (after this Jam!). We hope as we do this the zine gets bigger and more people get the chance to share information that’s passionate to them!

Happy making!