#brackets for example of formatting

[octever]

Tag game idea!

Reblog with a question for mutuals and your own answer to it, and answer prev's question (and maybe the other rbs above too).

[pretend answer to some upper rb text is here]

[ex, my question:] What 4 music artists would you say are your main four? (top four or just favs)

[my answer to mine:] My fav 4 are: Oneohtrix Point Never, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, & Tally Hall.

tagging moots! @spottedstatic @ryusmadness @never-gonna-danse-again @autisticspirk @fucc-yeah-regretevator @randeeznuts @sukiithedummii @birdmanstein @mr-cleans-last-hair-follicle @identity-crisis-x2 @literally-a-waffle-fry @yum-zlurplie @goofy-gabba @clearance-sale

[disabilityawarenesspride]

How to Write an Image Description: A Fundamental Guide.

[Plain Text: How to Write an Image Description: A Fundamental Guide. End PT]

General Guidelines:

[PT: General Guidelines. End PT]

Object, Action, Context

[PT: Object, action, context. End PT]

This is what you want to prioritize. What are we looking at, what is going on, and what is the surrounding environment?

Keep it simple and get to the point

[PT: Keep it simple and get to the point.]

Try to use short, clear sentences and prioritize what the reader needs to know in the context of the post. We don't need to know that the tweet was posted at 2:08AM or what color rings someone is wearing. That doesn't really provide useful information. If you really want to provide some relevant details, be sure you get to the main point of the image first.

Context is Important

[PT: Context is Important. End PT]

Why is the image posted there? What information does it lend to the content around it? Make sure the viewer knows what they need to know to understand how the image relates to the text and content partnered with it.

For a meme or a tweet screenshot, we don't need to know all the details or what the background looks like, we just need to understand the joke. For something like art or photography, you may want to include more details.

Don't Assume

[PT: Don't Assume. End PT]

Don't assume gender, race, and pronouns of the subject(s) of the image. If you can find this context in the post, on op's blog, or somewhere else you can include it, but try not to make baseless assumptions.

Alt Text vs Image Descriptions

[PT: Alt Text vs Image Descriptions. End PT]

Alt text is great for people using screen readers, but it isn't always the most accessible option. Alt text can be glitchy, the font size cannot be changed for those who need large text, and it doesn't show up at all until the image either loads or completely fails to load.

For this reason, a longer description in plain text in the body of the post is a more accessible option.

I suggest a short summary in the alt text so people can get the overview of an image and a longer description in the body of the post. For example, compare the image description and the alt text for the following image:

[Image ID: A guide to writing alt text on images. At the top, it says "Writing Alt Text" in big white text. It then lists off five major steps to writing alt text. Identify who, expression, description, color, and interesting features. It then shows an image of a capybara, with a sample alt text that reads, "A capybara looking relaxed in a hot spa. Yellow yuzu fruits are floating in the water, and one is balanced on top of the capybara's head." with each block of text color-coordinated to show which of the five steps it corresponds to. At the bottom of the image is the word "Puzzle" stylized into a logo. End ID.]

The Alt text provides the bare minimum of what you need to know to contextualize the image, while the ID expands on details that help to understand it and provides more details.

Formatting:

[PT: Formatting. End PT]

Try your best to use correct spelling and grammar, but transcribe accurately. Use clear language and concise sentences where possible. However: Don't censor words or correct spelling when transcribing something from the image. You want the description to be as accurate to the image as possible.

[PT: use correct spelling and grammar, but transcribe accurately. End PT]

Always use plain text. Never use formatting like bold, italics, other fonts/font sizes/text colors, or text in all caps. If they appear in the original image, transcribe it in plain text like this:

[Bold, underlined] Always use plain text. [End bold and underlines.]

Begin an ID with square brackets [[these]], followed by "ID:" or "Image:". End the description with "End ID" and a closed square bracket ] to signify the end of the descriptions.

Screenreaders and visually impaired people sometimes struggle with symbols and emojis. Transcribe these instead when possible!

[PT: Transcribe these instead when possible. End PT]

The image description should be directly after the image, before any post caption or commentary.

Never use a readmore! If you delete the post or change your url the description is gone forever. It also makes the ID harder to reach in general, which is not accessible.

[PT: Never use a readmore! End PT]

Make your post accessible from the start if you can. Don't post something without an ID then reblog it with a description so that people have a chance to spread the inaccessible version of the post if they "prefer" the one without the "clutter" of an ID. That's ableist. If you post something without a description then end up describing it later, edit the ID into the original post.

[PT: Make your post accessible from the start. End PT]

Resources:

[PT: Resources. End PT]

The People's Accessibility Discord Server: I will always suggest this server! It's full of people that can help write descriptions, give feedback on IDs you've written, answer questions about accessibility, and more!

Online OCR: Image(/PDF) to text converter! This is really helpful, especially for transcribing text in tweet screenshots, article excerpts, etc. You will still have to do a bit of work formatting and correcting things sometimes, but it's a really helpful tool

CaseConverter: Good for converting lots of text in all caps for plain text transcriptions.

Meme Image Descriptions: This google doc has descriptions of many common meme images and templates!

Some simple Image Description formats: tailored largely for replies and screenshots from social media.

WebAim: A whole website for web accessability!

Online Accessibility Masterpost focusing on image descriptions from tumblr user @anistarrose. This has a ton of good resources, reading, and tips!

Reading & Guidelines:

[PT: Reading & Guidelines. End PT]

Cooper Hewitt guidelines for image description: This focuses on describing art, but it's a fantastic resource. It gives a good description on the distinction between alt text and long descriptions and gives guidelines for each. It's a pretty concise and easily comprehensible read with a lot of good tips towards the end.

Medium's How to Write an Image Description: Concise and helpful. The origin of "object, action, context".

Diagram Center Guidelines for Image Description: I really suggest reading through this. It gives a much more comprehensive understanding of what is important when writing a description and has different sections for help describing all sorts of things like photos, art, comics, diagrams, charts, math, chemistry, and more! A longer read, but it has a lot of specifics.

Perkins School for the Blind how to write alt text and image descriptions: Another great resource! Concise and helpful, shorter than Diagram Center's articles.

SiteImprove's Alt Text Best Practices: Focuses on Alt text not long image descriptions

Last Call Media- Accessible Comics: Great info for describing comics!

American Anthropological Association's Guide for creating image descriptions: an additional resource on IDs just because

Some tips from Tumblr user @keplercryptids! I reiterated a lot of these points here, but it's still a very helpful post!

General guideline from @can-i-make-image-descriptions and @accessibleaesthetics

Alt Text and Image Description Guide by @brownandtrans

Huge list of blogs that post accessible content!

And another google doc of accessible blogs!

If this post was too much information to read and absorb all at once, I suggest reading the first two links as well as some of the last few links that lead to Tumblr posts.

[PT: If this post was too much information to read and absorb all at once, I suggest reading the first two links as well as some of the last few links that lead to Tumblr posts. End PT]

Those probably have the most concise and easily digestible information, so choose one of those. If I've said anything incorrect in this post, please let me know so I can correct it ASAP! Thanks so much for reading and happy describing!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Tips for Writing Concisely

“Instant prose” can come from being forced to write papers of a particular length or being told that a paragraph must always contain exactly five sentences. This habit leads to the opposite of conciseness—wordiness in sentences and redundancy in paragraphs, which can confuse the reader and cloud your ideas.

Write what you mean—nothing more and nothing less.

Trust and respect yourself as a writer enough to not overstate what you mean.

Study sentences in your first draft to see what you can delete without losing meaning.

Read each paragraph aloud. Be sure that all sentences support the topic sentence.

Keep concrete, specific examples. Cut out extra words, empty phrases, weak qualifiers, negative constructions, and unnecessary “to be” verbs.

Also, watch for sentences and clauses beginning with it is, this is, and there are.

EXAMPLE 1

Wordy: The economic situation of Anne Moody was also a crucial factor in the formation of her character.

Concise: Anne Moody’s poverty also helped form her character.

EXAMPLE 2

Wordy: Frequently, a chapter in a book reveals to the reader the main point that the author desires to bring out during the course of the chapter.

Concise: A chapter’s title often reveals its thesis.

WEAK INTENSIFIERS & QUALIFIERS

Sentences are more forceful without them.

Notice how much clearer the following sentences are without the words in brackets:

We found the proposal [quite] feasible.

The remark, though unkind, was [entirely] accurate.

The scene was [extremely] typical.

That behavior is [fairly] unique for such an intelligent animal.

The first line [definitely] establishes that the father had been drinking.

SPECIFIC & CONCRETE Make sure that sentences are specific and concrete in their conclusions instead of raising more questions:

Wordy: In both Orwell’s and Baldwin’s essays, the feeling of white supremacy is very important. (This raises the questions: How is it important? Why?)

Concise: Both Orwell and Baldwin trace the consequences of white supremacy. (This revision states its point conclusively.)

"TO BE" Avoid unnecessary use of “to be” verbs:

Wordy: There are two pine trees which are growing behind this house.

Concise: Two pine trees grow behind this house.

REDUNDANT WORDS/PHRASES

Wordy: Any student could randomly sit anywhere.

Concise: Students could sit anywhere. (If they could sit “anywhere,” seating was clearly “random.”)

NEGATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS TO POSITIVE

Wordy: Housing for married students is not unworthy of consideration.

Concise: Housing for married students is worthy of consideration.

SIMPLIFY

Wordy: This is a quote from Black Elk’s autobiography that discloses his prophetic powers.

Concise: This quote from Black Elk’s autobiography discloses his prophetic powers.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Basics ⚜ Avoid Wordiness

[daughterwifed]

second part and this is not even all of it if I am honest the first part to this post is here

this is from my fic nymphomania.. I also call Leon a sex doll in that fic and in a lot of fics actually so it’s legit just rewording my things to sound different to not get caught atp?

^^ first screenshot mine second is fraise

the next is from a jimmy drabble.. I actually got inspo for that line from an audre lorde poem which may be disgusting to use in porn bc I found the image of like somerhing so disposable compared to human skin very interesting

um this is just an example of how the style I use italics and brackets has kind of been taken? I know it’s not a new thing but I really.. like idk how to explain it I feel like I like to use punctuation and writing quite stylistically rather than sticking by rules and idk.. like maybe im reaching here but when u read my fics and then go to read fraise’s you’ll see what I mean 😭 like this isn’t the best example but I have over 30 fics where u can go and see what I mean..

the first screen shot below is from my fic im dumb she’s a lesbian.. the second is from fraise’s fic.. just rewording somerhing I had said to point out Jimmy’s misogyny like .

the first screenshot is from a jimcurly fic I wrote on ao3.. so it’s not even my reader fics being taken from it’s the ones on ao3 too Im just upset by this truly

second is fraise’s.. again like a lot of this wouldn’t be of note if . all of the other copying hadn’t happen before it 😭

and to me formatting fics the same way is not a problem.. and like but I noticed purely bc the fics were so similar that my authors notes and the way I talk?? And none of this would actually matter to me if it hadn’t been for the plagiarised content .. also the credit to me in the note was added AFTER I asked LOL so it’s not like I really get credit bc the damage has been done tbh and clunky .. disjointed.. grain of salt!?? LIKE sorry maybe im nitpicking and insane but a whole ass authors note low-key tjis is what tipped me over the edge

um.. I just overall am really disheartened by all of this it’s been a source of writers block for me bc If somebody can write how I write so easily gneuinley what is the point in writing? it’s hurtful to see people leave nice feedback, comments likes for work.. that is plagiarism maybe tjis is unfair to them after I said I was ok with credit but in the dms in the other post I did offer fraise the chance to admit to this themselves bc call-outs often result in hate that isn’t needed yknow.. but actually this is jusy something that’s upset me and it is wrong.. and maybe it is wrong for me to do this but yah..

um these r my last dms to them below I feel like I have gone about tjis kindly bc to me the notion of oh but other people have plagiarised and not been caught is unfair .. bc it’s just that I haven’t seen it myself ! and um yah sorry if this seems like it’s done out of malicious intent im just sad about it

[rwuffles]

How & Why to add Plain Text to your Coining Posts!

[PT: How and why to add plain text to your coining posts. END PT.]

What is plain text?

Plain text is just text without any outside formatting (i.e. bold, italics, big, etc.) that's added to posts that have them.

Why do posts need plain text?

A lot of the time, it's for people who are visually impaired and/or who have any vision issues! Bolded or italics may be harder to read, big text might be worse for some people instead of better, and colored text could mess with a person's eyes (like me!) for some examples. At the end of the day, it's for accessibility!

Okay, how do I do plain text?

There's a few different ways you can write the plain text itself, and really, how you do it is up to you.

[PT: Text. END PT.]

[pt: text. end pt.]

PT: Text. END PT.

pt: text. end pt.

Those are just a few of the most common ways we see people write them; essentially, the core components are "PT" (to indicate a start of a plain text) and "END PT" (to indicate the end). As for the plain text itself, it should be the exact same thing but with proper grammar/vocabulary (other than capitalization, if you prefer all lowercase). Some examples are:

hallo!!! how r u doing today :333 -> PT: Hallo! How are you doing today? :3 [cat emoticon]. END PT.

vi'm doing good, how about kyu? -> [PT: Vi'm [I'm] doing good, how about you? END PT.]

th4t's g00d! h4v3 y0u n0t1c3d th4t 0ur tqs 4r3 ch4ng1ng 3v3ry m3ss4g3? -> pt: that's good! have you noticed that our tqs [typing quirks] are changing every message? end pt.

why ywes, the fictional character has! h♡ believes that the op of this post is a dork -> [pt: why yes, [i have]! h[heart] believes that the [original poster] of this post is a dork. end pt.]

Personally, if something needs to be changed in a plain text—that being an acronym, pronoun, or something else—I flip-flop between adding it next to it in brackets or parenthesis or just straight up replacing it in brackets. Either or works!

Where should I put plain text?

It depends on the text you're making plain, if that makes sense. For example: if it's something unreadable (i.e. replacing letters with numbers), then you're gonna want the plain text before the actual text. On the other hand, if it is readable—at least to screenreaders—you should put the plain text right below the text itself. Some people like to put all of the plain text at the end of their posts, too; the only thing you're going to want to stay away from is putting it under the cut! This is because if you change your URL (I believe) or deactivate your blog, anything under the cut is no longer accessible and therefore your post no longer has a plain text.

But, plain texts don't fit my post's aesthetic/make my posts look more cluttered!

Have you considered that, in that case, it isn't the plain text's fault? If your post has so many things that need separate plain texts that it ends up just making your post look bad, then I don't think that the plain text is to blame; having a million different things of text colored and bolded and using fancy fonts is just unnecessary. I like to think that my posts are fairly aesthetic, albeit a bit simple.

Could we get a boost for this post? (not forced!) @radiomogai @the-astropaws @local-maneater @hysangel @rabidbatboy @vampitsm @icwdtea @smilepilled @pupcoins

[irradiatedsnakes]

hey! here's the rip of all of dialtown's text!

hiiiii it's finally here! i cleaned it up! every line of dialogue in the game ripped out (over 300k words, it's a chunky game!) and laid out in plain text for your easy reference. includes both the basegame and roger dlc!

HOW THIS WORKS:

there's a couple versions of the 000 ALL THE TEXT IN THE GAME CLEAN file. this is the entire game in one file, for easy crtl+f'ing. it's also the cleanest version, without any code/font specification/color specification present. this file is included in both .txt and .docx versions. i don't recommend opening this file with google docs, the length makes it sad. it works just fine for me opening in MS word and notepad for searching up dialogue. this is what it looks like!

there is also the 000 RAW ALL THE TEXT IN THE GAME file. this is the un-cleaned-up version, as the text ripper spit it back out at me. it has no paragraph breaks. it looks like this.

lastly is all the rest of the files in the drive, ALL THE INDIVIDUAL MAP FILES. in these, dialogue is split up by each individual map (generally, every scene is its own map). these are ordered and named according to the ingame data. these also include code bits- font changes, text colors, pauses in speaking, text size, and so on. it looks like this!

enjoy! i hope you find it useful. (and tysm to dogman for permission to post this!)

HOW TO READ THESE:

so, there's a couple quirks with these. firstly, nested choices don't really display in a very comprehensible format: they're more just in order. so, for example, this exchange:

what i've highlighted here first are gingi's 3 dialogue options. you can see each option denoted by a -. so like:

Gingi: -"Option 1." -"Option 2." -"Option 3."

the corresponding start of peter's dialogue is highlighted in the same color. in cases like this, you mostly have to use context to figure out what's responding to what.

you'll also see repeated lines when someone uses a gendered term to refer to gingi- all versions of the line (for whether you're playing as a man/woman/neither) will be in a row, like so.

one kink i wasn't able to iron out is the narrator's dialogue in the all-the-text-in-the-game file. while the paragraph breaks in the individual map files make it clear (because the narrator's the only one with no name and font tags), the all-the-text file just has narrator's dialogue immediately follow whoever spoke previously, almost always gingi. use context clues, or check up on the individual map file

all-the-text:

individual map:

use context clues, or check up on the individual map file to be absolutely sure. if you want to know which map file you're at, scroll up til you get to something that looks like this:

so, you can see that this convo with madame mediocre happens in map 31, "randmug". this one!

you may also notice the blank space or \n[#] where gingi's pronouns would go. that's just a byproduct of the pronoun system. imagine whichever gingi-noun you wish

laaastly, a little guide to the individual map files' code bits, or at least the most common ones:

\fn changes font. usually present at the start of someone's dialogue

\. indicates a 1/4 second pause in dialogue

\c[#] changes the font color

\{ and \} text within these brackets is bigger

\m[Name] a shorthand macro used for a few characters to call their font and color.

\fi makes text italic. most of the text in the game is in italics, so a lot of dialogue starts with this.

i think that's all the notes i've got..let me know if i've missed anything egregious. have fun!

[mangionebabymama]

https://x.com/witchywrld/status/1898204579516334274?t=M4xI3fPm4J3zJK04rtWiSQ&s=19

This whole thing is so adorable to me because he IS such a tech guy ( coming from a tech gal ) 😭 he said I'll follow an algorithm - I mean seriously those letters are arranged chronologically AND then alphabetically. He made a unique ID for everyone.

And like everyone at work, the code isn't enough you need documentation so other engineers or your bosses who don't have tech backgrounds can read theory and understand everything 😭😭

Its so fucking endearing to me I love it.

I also love how he used the typical placeholder name of John Doe to provide the example of a sender’s initials and even the actual mailing zip code of MDC Brooklyn 😭 and how organized and orderly he was with using the brackets and parentheses to explain the format, like it’s so thorough and articulate

[headmate-polls]

Hello! This is poll-based blog for fun kinds of polls about headmates! We will make ones about ourselves, and you can also submit your own.

You can call us SOA, it/its and hy/hym [auxillary he/him], NO they/them or it&/you& type pronouns, non-human and masculine terms only. We also run several other blogs with an official Discord server.

We are pro-endo, naturally so is the blog, but it is not enforced that anti-endos DNI. We just ask everyone to be respectful and keep syscourse out of the blog content.

Submission guidelines and tagging system under the cut!

Anonymity will be the default! If you want to be tagged [@ and #] let us know which blog/s.

Some examples of poll types this blog will host:

Smash or pass / hot or not

Kiss, Marry, Kill / Wed, Bed, Behead

Bracket wars! with any topic of what they're fighting for.

It does not need to be a game! Those are just what I currently want and can think of.

Suggestive/NSFW topics are fine, NSFW media is not.

Some kind of picture of the headmate is strongly encouraged but not required. Can be canon media, fanart [with credit if possible], Picrew, particularly for the SoP and KMK.

Include some kind of blurb about the headmate. Up to you what to include or not. Name and pronouns and something about personality I would say is 'minimum' personally but up to you! Plus it depends on the poll type. If you want SoP to be just looks-based for example.

Tagging system!

Poll type will be tagged

'anonymous' will not be tagged but if requested, the blog [or anon signoff] will be

If ever applicable, TW tags will be in 'trigger tw' format.

'nsfw' but not 'nsft'

'submission'

We will also sign the headmate processing the post with '-- Name || pro/nouns' as well as the date it was was processed with '-- XX Month 202X'

Tagging for boosts! -- @plural-polls @plurr-polls @fictive-culture @headspace-polls @plural-questioning @fictionfolk-safehaven @funnier-as-a-system @funnier-as-a-fictive

-- Lucas (it/hy/ask)

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Yeah, I think I have that trick in my ao3 tag somewhere. It's very clever!

(If I don't - because I forgot to reblog it - it's easily googleable under “ao3 hover notes”. Add “mobile” for a variant for phone browsers.)

Anyway, for the formatting - I prefer the non-English word to be written in italics, because that's what's standard in published books. (Brackets are a vestige of the early days of internet fandom, when fanfics were posted to mailing lists and Usenet in text format only, because that's all that could be used at the time - so often *asterisks* or _underscores_ would be used for emphasis, and [brackets] for thoughts and non-English words, and <<other symbols>> surrounding telepathic speech, and so on and so forth. But now that we can use formatting, we should.)

Translation can be done via that hover trick, or put in an author's note at the end of the chapter. Or via clickable footnotes (that's another cool AO3 trick you can google). Or, inline, by the person speaking - no brackets please, just a comma or different sentence, however it makes the most sense. For example:

"Konnichiwa," he said. "Hello."

Or it could be translated by the person who heard the word, if they know the language, translating it in their head or speaking it - again however it makes sense. More examples:

"Konnichiwa," he said. Hello, she knew, and smiled in reply.

"Konnichiwa," he said. "Hello to you too," she replied, smiling.

Now, if you mean a sentence where you're not actually writing out the non-English words, but translating the whole thing, that can be written like:

"We need dark in order to show light. You can't make a mistake," Bob'ross said in Artesian. "Anything that happens you can learn to use - and make something beautiful out of it. You don't have to be crazy to do this but it does help. Imagination is the key to painting."

I have seen professional examples where that whole dialogue section would be italicized. But usually it's left as plain text, so that italics can be used for stressed words, or for other-language words the author prefers to not translate (usually because they've been previously translated within the story, and are that language's name for their ruler, or for a particular food, or kind of weapon, etc).

Though tbqh... if this is fanfic and not an actual pro manuscript, you are free to do what you want, please don't mind me. But this is what I like to see, and do in my own work.

* “<actual english>, japanese written in english”, “[actual english], japanese written in english”, “«actual english», japanese written in english” ** “actual english, japanese written in english”

please reblog if you want for a bigger sample size!

[lesmisshippingshowdown]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!!!

Hello everybody! I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the love for, and enthusiastic participation in, the Les Mis Shipping Showdown so far. It's been incredible to see so many people get on board with my silly little gag and I'm so excited for the tournament to continue playing out

HOWEVER - currently we are lacking in two very important things that only you guys out on the frontlines (on the barricade???) can help with.

1) PROPAGANDA

In 2009, Cheryl Cole dropped her debut solo single and changed lives by reminding us all that we've gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for this love. I need you all to be more like Cheryl. Don't be discouraged if your OTP is currently losing - and don't become complacent if they're currently winning by a landslide. We're not even halfway through the round of 32 yet, and you - yes YOU 🫵 - can help turn the tides of battle by telling the world, in an easily shareable format, why your preferred Les Amis pair the spare combo deserves to take victory in this noble contest.

Examples of things you could submit as propaganda include: fanart, fanfiction, AMVs, clips or gifs from your favourite screen adaptation or grainy bootleg that prove your blorbos' love, well-researched meta with supporting quotations from the Brick, completely unresearched rants based entirely on vibes, etc.

Ways you can share your propaganda with the world include: appending it in a comment reblog (not whispering in the tags!) of the relevant poll, sending asks to this blog, submitting posts to this blog, or making an original post and tagging it #les mis shipping showdown. (<- please use this specific tag. we're not checking any others. if you just put it in the generic les mis tag or ship tag with no reference to the poll we won't know it's for us)

2) FANART AND/OR EDITS

As much as I loved trawling through Tumblr tags and Google Images (and editing a few really stupid stock photo memes) to find visual references for every ship in the Round of 32, this was a) very time consuming and b) not as collaborative a process as I'd like for a fandom wide enrichment activity, especially for a bracket that's SO chock full of fanon-based shipping.

So, in preparation for future rounds, we would LOVE to receive submissions of fanart and edits for your favourite ship(s) to be used - with credit, of course - in polls.

We are looking for submissions for ANY AND ALL SHIPS INCLUDED IN THE BRACKET, regardless of their popularity, the amount of canonical visual content (like screencaps and production photos), or how likely you think your ship is to make the round of 16. As I've already said, we're only partway through this round and anything can change, plus I have a little surprise planned for the eliminated ships anyway that could still use your artistic contributions ;)

Here's a reminder of the current bracket so that you know which ships we're looking for artwork for:

As a bonus, if you send your art to this blog or tag it as #les mis shipping showdown, it also counts as free propaganda for your ship!

FURTHER RULES FOR FANART & EDITS:

No AI-generated content. Not going to get into the discourse on this one, I just don't want to see it.

No NSFW art, including artistic nudity. This is a theoretically all-ages contest, plus random polls getting flagged as mature will just make sharing that specific match up a complete mare.

Please ensure any art/edits are formatted so that they can be added to the poll as one single photo.

If you prefer to be credited by a different pseudonym to the URL you're using to submit your artwork, please make this clear to us at the time of submission!

Again, if you're posting art with the specific intention of having us use it, make sure you specify that either in the caption or by tagging it #les mis shipping showdown. We won't know it's for us if it just appears with no comment in the general tags!

To keep it simple & avoid any suggestions of favouritism etc., fanart, as long as it abides by the other rules, will be used on a "first seen by mods, first served" basis. We'll make an effort to reshare all art that isn't able to be used in a poll proper either because you got there too late or because your ship got eliminated before we could get round to using it.

Thanks in advance and happy propaganda-ing! 💋

[undertale-npcs]

Undertale NPC Popularity Tumblr Tournament FAQ

Hello! This pinned message will be updated throughout the tournament while I realize things to put here. Also all of these questions except one aren't actually Frequently Asked, they haven't even been asked once! So I'm kinda lying about this being an FAQ heehee.

What is this?

This blog is a series of Tumblr posts, posted frequently, that feature polls to vote on pitting two characters from the game Undertale against each other in a popularity contest. The results of these polls are then used to instruct the results of a tournament bracket, which is posted after each tournament round, with the end goal of finding out who the most popular Undertale character is!

What characters are featured in this tournament?

Ideally, this tournament includes every character in the Undertale game that is "a minor NPC". Now that's kinda vague so my best approximation of a solid definition for this would be "Characters that are exclusively featured in the overworld", that mean no characters that appear in battle and no characters that are shopkeepers. For example, NPCs you fight that appear in the overworld after you complete an area are not included because they are featured in battles.

When are polls posted?

The posting schedule is 4 times a day. Every 2 hours between 2-8 PM EST.

How is this tournament set up?

This tournament features 96 characters in a double elimination format, meaning that the loser of each round is moved to a secondary bracket and must lose a second time before fully losing. 64 characters start placed in round 1, and 32 additional characters start placed in round 2, I have tried my best so that the most recognizable characters featured here are placed in this second round so that the more obscure characters are pitted against each other first.

How long is this tournament?

There will be 190 individual matches, 8 rounds in the winners bracket and 11 rounds in the losers bracket. This tournament is currently planned to last 2-3 months in total.

Is your broken finger doing okay?

Yeag.

I think you're awesome and epic?

Wow! Oh my goodness! That's not a question! But if you want more of me for whatever reason: @blargensnorf is my main account where I make my own homemade posts! I've recently finally started using frequently! @reblargensnorf is where I send my reblogs to, if you want something more frequent to fill your dashboard with. @undertale-encyclopedia is the blog I run that maintain a catalogue of in-game screenshots of every line of text in Undertale. Also is used as a place where I talk about Undertale and Deltarune in general.

Thank you for reading and participating!

[splatvox]

home dog is it true youtube tells you what countries and cities are playing your videos the most???

i can see country, gender, age brackets, and time of viewing. its meant to help gauge what kind of audience youtube has found to be most receptive to your content. for example, here's mine:

creators cant see people's information or anything through youtube studio. but i do also get the format in which people are watching my videos, and a whopping 3% of viewers watch my stuff on a television which just tickles me pink

[black-crested-jaybird]

House Bill 22: What To Know

Non-inflammatory/non-doomscrolling information on House Bill 22, the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” or “SAVE” Act.

Summary: This bill would disenfranchise legal voters. It is bad legislation that should be opposed. It is cause for opposition and monitoring. It is not currently cause for panic.

Post sections:

Explanation of bill

Information on bill status and how to track it

Current threat level and suggested alternate action

Talking points for opposing the bill

Explanation of Bill

HB 22 would introduce additional requirements for proof of eligibility when registering to vote. The allowable forms of identification as described at the beginning of Section 2 would be (bill text in purple to differentiate it; my notes in brackets):

(1) A form of identification issued consistent with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States.

[getting a "REAL ID" requires the following, per the Department of Homeland Security:

At a minimum, you must provide documentation showing: 1) Full Legal Name; 2) Date of Birth; 3) Social Security Number; 4) Two Proofs of Address of Principal Residence; and 5) Lawful Status.

States may impose additional requirements, so check with your state’s driver’s licensing agency website, before visiting them in person, for additional guidance and assistance.]

(2) A valid United States passport.

(3) The applicant's official United States military identification card, together with a United States military record of service showing that the applicant's place of birth was in the United States.

(4) A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.

(5) A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government other than an identification described in paragraphs (1) through (4), but only if presented together with one or more of the following: [a birth certificate or other certification verifying place of birth]

Under this Act, providing acceptable forms of identification to register to vote will be more challenging for people who don't already have these forms of ID, including people who do not have easy access to birth certificates (for example, people who don't live in the same state they were born in); people who lack the time and/or money to acquire acceptable documentation; and people whose current names do not match their birth names (for example, many married people, and anyone who has changed their legal name for any reason). It is yet another attack on voting rights and voting access in the name of "protecting" voting (as always, cui bono: who exactly is this bill trying to protect voting from?)

You can see the full text of the bill at the link above; if you end up at the main page for the bill you can find the text by choosing "bill details" > "text" or clicking the "text" tab on desktop.

Information on bill status and how to track it

You can track the bill's progress in the same way: choose "bill details" > "actions" or clicking the "actions" tab on desktop.

Currently (Feb. 15, 2025), it's been referred to its first committee, the House Committee on House Administration. (I can't find any information on which committee, if any, it would be sent to next. Additions are welcome.)

You can also see the list of co-sponsors, of which there are currently 80; about half that number were original co-sponsors (when the bill was introduced).

The GovTrack.us site (the link goes to the page on this specific bill) also provides text, sponsor, and tracking information, in a more easily accessed (but ad-supported) format. The GovTrack site also makes it easy to find out who is on the committee currently considering the bill, which the Congress.gov site does not.

Current threat level and suggested alternate action

GovTrack also gives an estimate of the bill's likelihood of being enacted, and explains the rationale for this estimate. Currently they estimate that the bill has a 6% chance of becoming law (most bills never make it out of committee to a vote on the House floor; those that pass a vote still have to get through the same process in the Senate. "Dying in committee" is a common saying for a reason).

The TL:DR: While this bill is an unjustifiable attempt to make it harder for people to vote and should be opposed, it is not something to panic over. It should be monitored, and if and when it heads to the House floor for a vote, that will be the time for a concerted effort in opposition.

If you want to take action on something that is directly harming people now, I suggest finding your local ACLU affiliate and looking up resources on immigrant rights.

Talking points for opposing the bill

That said, if you are particularly passionate about voting rights and access and/or have the resources to do so, opposing this bill while it's still in committee is a great idea. I have been a voter registrar for years and I want EXPANDED voter access, not more restrictions on who gets to vote, so I will be contacting my Congressional representative and voicing my opposition. Here are my intended talking points:

This bill is unnecessary and wasteful. Almost nobody votes unlawfully, and those who do often do so because they were mistakenly told they could vote legally. (You can read more about that in this NPR news article). The main outcome of this bill will be increased time and money spent by state government employees who have to take extra steps to verify people's citizenship records to process their registrations (a waste of state funds) and increased time and effort for people registering to vote (creating a chilling effect on registration numbers).

We need more voters, not fewer. Voter registration and turnout in the U.S. is already abysmally low. According to recent census data, just under 70% of eligible citizens are registered to vote at all, and only about 52% of registered voters cast ballots in the most recent midterm election (2022). Presidential elections tend to have higher turnout; in the 2024 election just under 64% of the eligible population (registered or not) cast ballots. That means a majority of registered voters cast ballots, but over a third of eligible U.S. citizens did not vote at all in 2024.

Lastly, and most personal to me as a volunteer voter registrar, this bill extends the penalties for unlawfully registering to vote from the voter to also include the person who registered them (towards the bottom of section 2, (i) Private right of action.—Section 11(b)(1) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20510(b)(1)) is amended by striking “a violation of this Act” and inserting “a violation of this Act, including the act of an election official who registers an applicant to vote in an election for Federal office who fails to present documentary proof of United States citizenship,”., bolding mine). There are already severe penalties for voting illegally, but this makes anyone who processes voting registration paperwork criminally liable for any errors they might make in verifying voter eligibility. It adds a chilling effect that would essentially eliminate volunteer voter registrars (too risky!) and would make it much easier and personally safer for elections employees to err on the side of denying voter registration applications.

[mesetacadre]

The Yugoslav volunteers in the International Brigades

Translated from this article, my own comments in [italicized brackets]

The total number of Yugoslavs in Spain differs according to researchers. The French historian, Hervé Lemesle, states that the total exceeds 1900, with the main contingent being Croatian, followed by Slovenes and Serbs. A majority were workers from many sectors and peasants. There were also doctors, engineers, teachers, journalists, and students. Most traveled from Yugoslavia, although there were groups of exileds or migrants from many European countries, as well as the US, Canada or Argentina.

The number of deaths (including MIA) in Spain is close to 800, a very high percentage (40%), although other studies estimate 32%. At any rate, it’s higher than the average losses for the International Brigades (27%). The most notorious victim was Blagoje Parović [Šmit, nom de guerre], part of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia’s Central Committee and political commissar of the XIII International Brigade, who died the first day in the Battle of Brunete. His remains were buried in the Fuencarral cemetery.

There were 16 Yugoslav women in the Health Services. The oldest was 43, while the youngest were only 22 years old. Most of the female volunteers arrived in Spain in 1937, from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia or countries such as Algeria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, and Uruguay. Some of those women had been active agents of the worker movement or even members of the CPY before leaving for Spain. Those who lacked medical training attended a preparation course beforehand. They worked in the hospitals of Murcia, Albacete, Benicasim, Denia, Madrigeras, Vic, and other cities. Avgust Lesnik writes: “There were 16 women: doctors Adela Bohunicki, Nada Dimitrijević-Nešković, and Dobrila Mezić-Šiljak, [as well as the nurses] Ana-Marija Basch (Baš), Olga Dragić-Belović (Milić Milica), Elizabeta-Liza Gavrić, Marija-Peči Glavaš, Marija Habulin, Lea Kraus, Tereza Kučera, Lujza Pihler (Demić Borka), Ottilia Reschitz-Zanoni, Ana Seles-Brozović, Kornelija Sende-Popović, Eugenia Simonetti, and Marija Šneeman”.

Borka Demic (right) in the Pasionaria Hospital of Murcia (colored by Tina Paterson)

If I were to be born again, I’d continue fighting for the ideals of my youth. Then, nothing was difficult and I don’t regret anything (Borka Demic)

The Yugoslav volunteers in the various units and arms

After the formation of the International Brigades, the Yugoslav volunteers were distributed throughout different units. For instance, the Edgar André battalion had 36, the Thälmann had 93, Garibaldi had 40, and Chapaiev had 78. The main body of Yugoslavs, however, were first integrated into the Balkan company of the Dombrowski battalion (120), and immediately after, into the Dimitrov battalion. By early 1938 a good portion of the Yugoslavs were integrated into two of the 129th Brigade’s battalions: Dimitrov (191) and Djaković (150). They were also a part of the 45th International Division (108)

There was Yugoslav presence in various arms and services: 4 in aviation; 12 in transport units, 1 in the navy, 33 in the International Brigades’ health service, and 26 in the guerrilla groups (one of the most experienced of which was Ljubomir Ilič). More important than this was their presence (131 members) in the artillery arm, of which there were 21 in the heavy artillery Slav Group, 22 in the 2nd heavy artillery Škoda Group’s Liebknecht Battery, 18 in the 3rd heavy artillery Group, 38 in the 4th anti-tank Group’s Stjepan Radić battery, 6 in the 35 Division’s Ana Pauker artillery Group, 5 in the 45 Division’s Rosa Luxembourg artillery Group, and 21 in the Gottwald battery. Furthermore, 65 Yugoslavs fought in the Spanish units of the Republican Army. (Avgust Lesnik)

They fought in almost every front in Spain, from the defense of Madrid to the very last battles of the retreat into France (Januray-February 1939) being an example of fearlessness and courage, because of which a good part of them received war medals from the Spanish Republican Government.

The Dimitrov battalion until December 1937

As has been explained in another article, the Dimitrov battalion was formed in January 1937 in the instructional base in Mahora. They entered battle the 12th of February in the Jarama battle, which finished the 27th of that same month. Then, until mid June, it stayed covering that from with the other battalions of the XV International Brigade.

After a two week rest in Ambite (Tajuña valley), the XV Brigade travelled to Madrid’s north to take part of the first great republican offensive in Brunete. Combat started during the night of the 5 to the 6th of July. The XV International Brigade was a part of, along the XIII and 16 BM, the XV Division under general Gal’s command [János Gálicz, a Soviet-Hungarian officer who also led the Lincoln Battalion]. The mission was to take the heights of Romanillos (XIII IB) and Mosquito (XV IB). It wasn’t possible because operations were slow and the brigades could not take the important francoist positions. The Dimitrov went as far as taking the Miraval Olive Grove, but in the 18th of July, when the first francoist counter-offensive commences, they lost it. Since that point, the republican positions began to retreat until the 22nd, when they were forced to cross back through the Guadarrama river. The XV IB was relieved the 26th of July and went back to where they began the offensive.

In late July, the Dimitrov returned to Ambite (Tajuña valley) and was able to reorganize: the battalion, that had arrived with 143 combatants, reached 563. In this way, in the 24th of August, it threw itself with renewed force against the Aragonian village of Quinto, which fell 26th. During the taking of the village and the Purburell hill, which defended them to the east, the Dimitrov battalion’s courage stood out. The same was true in the fierce week-long combat to subdue Belchite.

After this battle, the Dimitrov was detached from the XV Brigade and, during the few following months, was a part of, along with the Djuro Djakovic battalion, the 45th International Division’s Reserve Group. It was a period that they dedicated to military education and to the surveillance of the Huesca Front from the second line. In January 1938 they received the order to transfer to the Southern Front. Close to Almadén, in Chillón, the last International Brigade was formed, the 129th; composed of these two battalions plus the newly created Masaryk battalion.

The Djuro Djakovic Battalion

Composed primarily of Yugoslav volunteers, plus a few Czechoslovaks and Bulgarians, adopted their name in memory of that Croat revolutionary and member of the CPY, tortured and executed in 1929 by order of the king and dictator Alexander the First.

It was formed in April 1937 from the Balkan Company of the Dombrowski battalion. This Company had participated, with the Dombrowski, in the Defense of Madrid and in the battles of Boadilla, Jarama, and Guadalajara. Its excellent conduct pushed general Lukács [Béla Frankl, or Máté Zalka, nom de guerre Pál Lukács, a Hungarian veteran of the Russian Civil War, where he fought alongside the Bolsheviks, he died 2 months later in Huesca], leader of the XII IB, to convert the Company into the core from which the new Djure Djakovic battalion would arise. Its first combat happened in April 1937 in Santa Quiteria, in the Aragon Front, along the Rakosi battalion and the Karl Marx Division.

It returned to Carabaña (Madrid) to reorganize under the command of Bulgarian captain Jristov, and marched to Roquetes in June (close to Tortosa) to join the 150th IB (Dombrowski Brigade), formed in May from the Dombrowski, Rakosi, and André Marty battalions. This brigade plus the XII IB formed the 45th division, under the command of General Kléber [Manfred Stern, nom de guerre Emilio Kléber, a Ukranian Jew member of Soviet military intelligence], was sent to Madrid in early July to take part in the Brunete offensive as a reserve unit to the XVIII Army Corps.

The Djakovic battalion did not have any special role in Brunete, but it did in the following offensive towards Zaragoza (24th of August - 7th of September), as was expressed in Wladimir Stopczyk’s final report as Commissar of the XIII IB: “It has been told to me how, when they had been encircled and cut off there was no panic whatsoever, nor any case of disobeying an order. They conducted themselves with an equal parts spirit of sacrifice and discipline, as they continue to do so, as well as the soldiers of our Brigade’s other battalions. I have to specially remark the Djakovic battalion’s attitude who, despite the heavy losses suffered in the last scuttles, with intense fire from fascist artillery and aviation, maintained a dignified and heroic attitude”.

Both in this instance as in the October attack against Fuentes de Ebro, this battalion suffered many losses. Afterwards, the Dimitrov and Djakovic battalions were designated as the 45th Division’s Reserve Group. This division, from October 1937 to January 1938, remained in the Litera region as reinforcement of the first line at the Huesca front.

The 129th International Brigade

In February 1938, these two battalions, with the predominantly Czechoslovak Masaryk battalion, formed the 129th IB, in Chillón, close to Almadén. It was led by the Polish Wacław Komar [born Mendel Kossoj, known in Spain as Wacek Komar, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and member of the Polish Communist Party until his retirement in 1967]. In addition to these battalions, the 129th IB had at its disposal an anti-tank battery made up of Yugoslavs, a mortar company and a cavalry squadron. In late March 1938. the 129th IB was transferred to the area around Morella, where it suffered heavy losses. The fascist troops led by general Aranda and the Italian Divisions advanced with numerous human and material resources, and the three battalions suffered severe losses. To this, the errors of the Republican command must be added, despite which the volunteers fought with high valor. Finally, in the 4th of April, the 129th evacuated the fort of Morella and retreated to rebuild its forces in Benassal, northeast of Castellón.

Yugoslav volunteers of the Djakovic battalion during the strategic retreat in Teruel

Once rebuilt and rearmed (the brigade once surpassed 2000 members), it initiated a series of defensive combats in the 17th of April in the province of Teruel in the context of the battle of the Levant. The scarcely-known feat began in Ejulve, in the province of Teruel’s north. For three months, these volunteers had the leading role in a strategic retreat of 225km [139.8 miles], through the mountains of Teruel, which brought them up to the Javalambre front, passing through Mora de Rubielos. In this last front, the 129th IB kept the defense and carried out a few attacks, highlighting the 18th of September attack to take the road from Teruel to Sagunto, the last swan song of a brigade that covered itself in glory during its short 7 month lifespan.

The Yugoslav volunteers at the end of the war in Spain

The international volunteers were disbanded in the 24th of September. In the center-south area it was done 2 weeks after, in early October. Those who remained in the Catalan region were concentrated in Campdevanol, north of Ripoll. A good part of the Yugoslavs, presents in the 129th IB and the artillery units, were concentrated in the Admiral’s headquarters in Valencia. In December, they were transported to Almusafes until they were able to travel to Barcelona by boat the 20th of January.

Days later, before Barcelona’s fall and the coming republican collapse, most of the Yugoslavs offered themselves as volunteers to help in the task of preventing the fascist advance, which they did from the 26th of January until February 6th. This is how Svetsilav Dorevic told it: “The end of our fight has come, the internationals’ last compromise was to help the Spanish fellows to contain the enemy at least a little bit, so the evacuation that had to be done could be done without panic and in order, so it did not fall prey to the enemy, as well as to prevent the capture of people at risk of death”.

After, came the concentration camps in Argeles sur Mer, Saint Cyprien, Collioure, Gurs, and others. Many managed to escape, others were transferred to the French work camps, others to the French resistance, as well as the resistance in other European countries. The metallurgical worker Koturović (“Cot”), of Belgrade, was a legendary hero of the French Resistance Movement, in which Ljubomir Ilič, Vlajko Begović, and Lazar Latinović also played a marked role.

Almost 350 were able to return to Yugoslavia, of which 250 joined the partisan fight beared by Tito [Another international volunteer] and the CPY. Around 150 perished in the national liberation war from 1942 to 1945. Many of those organized insurrections, led guerrilla detachments, or were unit chiefs. Because of their merits in the fight against the fascist invaders, the Popular Hero of Yugoslavia medal was awarded to more than 50 ex-combatants of the International Brigades, amongst which were Franc Rozman, Koča Popović, Kosta Nadj, Vladimir Popović, Peko Dapčević, Iván Rukavina, Danilo Lekić, Dušan Kveder, Veljko Kovačević, Srećko Manola, Vlado Cetković, Vojo Todorović, Otmar Kreačić, and Vicko Antić. All the rest were awarded with high medals.

[phazepheonix]

Mers at the dentist

The mers all get routine dental inspections as part if their medical work, some like it more than others. dreamnap aren't huge fans of it and beep in protest when they're informed it's dental day and they're taken out of their tank. (Their beeps sound like deaths head hawk moth squeaks BTW)

After the 1st time they did start hiding but they would be tricked with some treats and blocked from hiding in the burrow, once resigned to their fate it's was constant angry squeaks and beeps and the occasional bite on the tool in their mouths.

A lot of the other mers hate dental day too, it's more a 'why is this in my mouth it tastes bad' thing rather than anything else, they know why the humans are checking their teeth they just don't like it.

Since all mer teeth are different there are multiple dental specialists to tackle certain tooth formations. For example some fish have bony plates to grind their food and others have large canines such as eels, for beak like teeth like dreamnap their mouths consist of a large sharp beak like tooth on the upper jaw and a more rounded tooth on the lower jaw bracketed by sharp canines that grow separate, they then have bony plates at the back to break up any small bones they might consume.

The point of the dental checks is to make sure there is nothing stuck between their teeth that may cause them harm like a fish bone and to clean them if needed. It's not common for teeth to need to be manually sharpened, but in captivity where they don't have the natural materials to wear their teeth down it may be needed in the mers who's diet is harder things like snails.

[blackboxtheater]

Hi, for my prompt, I think I'm going to go with "Silly arguments". For example, whether or not $16 dollars is too much to pay for a candle (it's an argument i've had with a friend. I still think it's way too much) Things like that, you can make it more minecraft related if you want. Either way, if you feel like it, you can have some other hermits notice and be like "what kind of argument is this?" or "wait why the *bleep* do you think that!?"

Mumpearl stays wiiiiiiiiinning!

Before time runs out, make sure to go vote for Mumpearl in the Mumbo Jumbo ship bracket!!

Now! Onto the prompt!

I'm extremely conflict avoidant, so the idea of a silly, light-hearted argument between friends didn't come naturally to me.

So I did write about a silly argument.

There are other hermits who notice and comment on it.

It's just....probably not in the format that your prompt originally intended.

Instead I wrote *checks notes* mumpearl enemies to lovers arc?

With a side of *squints really hard at notes because that can't possibly be right*….penis?

So fair warning, this is suggestive because it's about that pink tower from Secret Life episode 5. It's not explicit because its literally only about a wooden and cobblestone tower but the "silly argument" is about if that tower looks like….well…...

Mumbo's Video and Pearl's Video for reference

🌸

The sound of dog paws accompanied the quiet footsteps on the path behind Mumbo, which gave away who was approaching without him even having to look at her. So when Pearl stopped beside him, he didn’t turn to acknowledge her. Instead he kept staring up at the pink cherry wood tower stretching into the sky above the Mounder's compound.

The warm glow of the setting sun was not helping the coloring one bit.

"So we built a penis on top of you base."

"Stop calling it that!" Pearl's voice slid into a whine half way through the sentence as the entire day's worth of this debate erupted out of her again all at once. 

"Look at it Pearl! Look at it!"

He finally turned towards her, the exasperation sending his own voice up an octave as he frantically waved at the tower in front of them.

"Look at that tower and tell me what on earth you would call it besides that."

"I would call it a lovely tower."

Pearl's statement had the definitive tone of a declaration that left no room for argument. But Mumbo couldn't believe that it was possible to hold that opinion of their hideous tower for any reason other than to incite an argument. 

So he just sighed, shook his head, and started walking back inside their compound walls.

Mumbo didn't mean to turn this into another competition. He really didn't. But he would win it.

It was obviously an ugly tower. It obviously looked like….well. And he woul win when Pearl would finally admit that.

🌸

"Is that a crimson forest?" Mumbo craned his neck around the towering nether landscape, straining to make out what was on the other side of the sizzling molten lava lake.

He turned back to Grian, who was looking at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"Why do you care?" Grian stared at him, before shaking his head and asking again. "No, really Mumbo. Why do you, of all people, care if there is a crimson forest over there? You didn’t even want to come with me to the nether!"

"I need to get some crimson blocks."

"Jesus Christ," Grian sighed, running a hand over his face. "Is this for the pink monstrosity you built on top of Pearl's house?"

"Yes! Thank you! It’s a monstrosity and I know it’s a monstrosity and you agree it’s a monstrosity but Pearl won't agree with me! She says it looks lovely."

"And you think making it out of crimson stem is going to help?"

"I think it will help get Pearl to admit the tower looks like the thing it definitely looks like!"

Even as he said it, Mumbo knew he was getting too worked up about this. They had tasks to complete, red lives to avoid, and he was definitely going to take damage trying to get all the way over to that forest and back.

But if he made the tower redder, Pearl had to admit what it looked like.

She had to admit he was right.

Grian looked Mumbo up and down, before finally rolling his eyes and sighing again.

"Don't say I never did anything nice for you. Because this is stupid but I am going to help you not die on this ridiculous mission," Grian said before heading off towards the crimson forest with Mumbo quikcly trailing behind.

🌸

"Uh, Mumbo," BDubs called over from the entrance of his house. "What are you doing?"

"I'm updating the base!" Mumbo shouted back, replacing another row of cherry wood with stripped crimson stem.

"And you think making this color choice is…"

Mumbo could almost hear BDubs desperately looking for a positive thing to say about the purplish blocks now in place of nearly the entire cherry wood section of the tower.

"I think," Mumbo said, putting the final block in the row down with a loud thunk and turning to BDubs with a huff. "That now Pearl will have to admit that this is not a very lovely tower."

"You're right," a voice called from down below.

Pearl was looking up at them both, arms crossed and an immensely self-satisfied grin on her face that Mumbo did not like one bit.

"Now the cobblestone bracers really don't match with the tower," she continued, grin widening even as Mumbo narrowed his eyes and glared at her.

"I hope you didn't strip all the logs yet Mumbo. Because the bracers would look lovely in the crimson stem bark. It has such a lovely texture."

The way she drawled out 'lovely' burrowed its way under Mumbo's skin, a burning itch of energy he couldn't get rid of.

She was doing this on purpose. She had to know what the tower looked like.

She was doing this specifically to torture him.

He couldn't win this stupid argument until she admitted it.

"Do you need any help with this?" She offered, the innocent sing-song of her voice offset by the glee she was clearly deriving from his frustration.

"No. I've got it covered," Mumbo gritted out between his teeth.

"Suit yourself. I'll be off visiting Scar if anyone needs me," she called up before turning on her heels and walking out of the Mounder's compound.

"You know that bark is super veiny?" BDubs said, pulling Mumbo's attention away from the holes he was glaring into the dirt after each step Pearl took away for their base.

"Well Pearl is an excellent builder, so I will just have to trust her advice on that," Mumbo said, already checking his inventory.

Well, would you look at that.

He did have a stack of the wood left unstripped.

🌸

"Pearl. Whatcha doing?" BigB called down into the mesa mineshaft after he gave the very patient Mailbox sitting at the mine's entrance the requisite pats.

"I need terracotta!" her voice echoed back, followed by a slightly unhinged laugh that hadn't historically been a positive omen in this series.

"I guessed that much. Want to tell me why you need terracotta?"

"Do you have a furnace?"

"Not unless you tell me what you plan to use it for."

"I'm making glazed terracotta," Pearl said, emerging from the mineshaft with a single smudge of red clay streaking across her cheek.

"We have red lives running around trying to kill us and you're making....glazed terracotta?"

"Yes," she said, with a wild grin that did nothing to make him feel any better.

"I already got the red dye from Scar so now I just need enough terracotta and a furnace to finish up my supplies."

BigB sighed, looking up at the sky as if to ask the Secret Keeper to give him the strength he needed to get through this conversation.

"Is this a Scarlet Pearl thing? Or an eyesore of a tower off thing?" he asked, unsure which of those was the better option.

Option 2 was better for his chances of survival, but he already had to suffer through a tall, thick, pink tower and now a tall, thick, purple veiny tower.

A red terracotta tower? He'd prefer not.

Never mind whatever she was planning to do with glazed terracotta.

"The tower isn't an eyesore!" she exclaimed.

"You can't really think that. Pearl. Pearl you're an excellent builder. You can't think those towers look right," he pleaded, but the look in her eyes wasn't giving him hope that this silly tower debacle would be resolved soon.

"Well obviously it's an eyesore now," Pearl said, rolling her eyes.

"Once I replace all the cobblestone on the top half, then it will match the bottom half much better!"

"I'm a yellow and could try to guess your task, but I don't even think I could because I have no idea what the secret keeper could possibly have asked you to make you do that."

"This wasn't from the secret keeper mate. I just want to do this."

BigB wasn't sure if he believed her, but then again, no one quite did life series chaos like Pearl.

"Well I hope you finish your task Pearl," he started, holding up a hand to stop Pearl before she interrupted him.

"Or that you accomplish whatever you want out of this endeavor."

And with a final scratch behind Mailbox's ears, he left Pearl to her terracotta mining. She could find a furnace to finish this project on her own.

🌸

"Pearl!" an absolutely incensed voice called up from the bottom of the ladder.

"Mumbo! Welcome back to our-"

"If you say lovely I will…"

Pearl tried really hard to suppress a giggle as Mumbo sputtered for an appropriate threat.

"I will….I will throw you off this tower!" he finally landed on with an exasperated huff.

"Mumbo! That wouldn’t be very nice of you, now would it?" She said, dropping down from the upper half of the tower to the small platform in the middle. When they first put the fence posts up in the center of the tower, it had been just a random spur of the moment thing to add a bit more height with limited resources.

Now it was a perfect divider between the purple hued crimson stem tower Mumbo built below, and the warm red terracotta tower she was putting the finishing touches on above them.

She casually leaned back against the fence posts as Mumbo hoisted himself up from the ladder to face her.

"I think all the red in the upgrades I just made really brings out the red in your tie Mumbo. Don't you agree?"

She couldn't help herself from teasing him again.

She just…Mumbo wasn't the type to get frustrated like this.

She'd seen him actually upset and frustrated a few times before, usually about redstone mishaps and big setbacks. But that version of those emotions was subtle, quite.

This kind of blustering, loud, bombastic anger was always a front for some other motivation. Some pretense for another plan.

She remembered slammed doors before end crystal standoffs and big pronouncements before pranks.

So when that same flavor of frustration shifted towards her, she was curious.

When Mumbo went to the Nether in a hardcore world specifically to gather resources to prove her wrong, she was very intrigued.

And now? Staring at a red faced Mumbo before her, she wanted to know exactly where this was all going.

"I think that you need to admit these towers are ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous? That's what you want me to admit? Because I can say that they aren't very practical and it was a rather convoluted reason to build them, so sure. They are ridiculous."

"Thank you!" Mumbo threw his hands up in celebration.

"But they still look fantastic," she clarified, relishing the way his eyes snapped back at her.

She shot him a smile that was all teeth.

"No they don't. Admit it. Admit they look like….you know exactly what they look like!"

"What Mumbo? What do they look like?" Pearl opened her eyes extra wide, batting her eyelashes at him with the most innocent expression she could muster.

"You know because you just redid the top in red terracotta!" he nearly shouted, waving wildly at the blocks above their heads.

"I thought it matched your redesign of the bottom better. You did such a good job of that Mumbo. Did I tell you how wonderful that looked," she said, remembering some lovely noises he had made the last time she complimented him.

This time the groan he lets out wasn't quite the same.

"Why can't you just admit that they look… Uh! You are so frustrating!" Mumbo shouted.

Before Pearl could even shoot some snarky response back, Mumbo closed the distance between them, grabbed both sides of her face and kissed her.

"Oh my god," Mumbo sputtered out, immediately letting go of her and staggering back. All the frustration and bluster from before evaporating into the nervous Mumbo she was much more familiar with.

"I don't know what came over me. That's not- I am so sorry Pearl. I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't? Really?" she asked, stepping towards him until his back hit the fence posts on the opposite side of the tower.

"Because Mumbo," she started, crowding against him. "I think you spent a lot of time and energy fighting with me about this tower for it mean nothing. So either tell me why you really wanted to fight about this stupid tower or kiss me."

🌸

"So you're red," Joel leaned over to Lizzie as they watched Pearl and Mumbo bickering in the middle of their tower.

"Wonderful observation Joel. How long did it take you to notice that?" Lizzie drawled, sending him exactly as much side eye as he deserved.

"That's not what I- I mean you can cause chaos."

"I can try."

"Can you burn that tower to the ground?"

"Why? Aren't they your allies? Isn't that your base?"

"Just because they are my allies doesn't mean I like living in the shadow of the floating penis tower. So that’s why I need you to burn it down."

Joel gave her the best pleading look he could. Lizzie's puppy dog eyes always worked on him. It was only fair that he occasionally got to pull that trick too. Lizzie's expression wasn't particularly promising though.

"I don't know. I think Pearl and Mumbo are really enjoying themselves with that project."

"Enjoying themselves? They are trying to kill each other over it. Or maybe us with how terrible it is to look at."

"Nah. I think they're flirting."

"Flirting?" Joel balked. He was the king of teasing as a form of flirting, and the argument between Mumbo and Pearl over this ridiculous tower wasn't flirting. It was-

"See," Lizzie said, straightening up with a triumphant smirk as Mumbo and Pearl were either kissing or engaging in the strangest battle of hand to hand combat he had ever seen.

"I told you they were flirting," Lizzie gloated. "But if they finally got together that means the tower did its job. So now I can try to blow it up."

"Thank god."

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