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Transcript of Crossroads Story Time 1 – The Story of Creation

Oct 31st, 2019 by

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript.

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript. On the left, the sound is depicted by a pair of headphones with an audio wave going between the two ears pads. A simple black arrow goes from left to right. On the right, the transcript is represented by a stylized typed document.

 

In order to make these transcripts as accessible as possible, each one is produced in four formats: as an online post for access convenience, in a word document with a low vision friendly font (Veranda), in a pdf with a dyslexia friendly font (OpenDyslexic), and a low contrast blue on black pdf as an access option for people with migraines (Veranda).

 

Writing Alchemy Crossroads Story Time 1 – The Story of Creation

Note: “*” is used to indicate music and sound effects that were added to the original recording.

[*A bouncy, optimistic synthetic track with a happy melody plays and then fades out.]

FAY ONYX: Hello and welcome to Crossroads Story Time Number One, the first episode of a new Writing Alchemy series that explores the myths and lore of the Crossroads setting. I’m Fay Onyx and today we’re going to enjoy four short stories that delve into the cosmology and magic of Crossroads through the story of its creation.

To remind you, Crossroads is the setting that was used for the Owlbear Reintroduction Program Game. We will be returning to this setting in multiple future games that are currently in the planning stages, including a longer running game set in the Adventurers Academy.

Behind the scenes I’ve been working really hard fleshing out some of the key aspects of this setting in preparation for these upcoming games and I desperately want to share some of things I’ve been working on with you. Happily, since I write the setting documents in a fairy tale style already, it is easy to turn them into short stories and I am really excited to share the first set of them with you today.

And now I’m going to quickly mention that you can follow Writing Alchemy on twitter @ Writing underscore Alchemy, hashtag AlchemyCast, and on facebook at facebook dot com slash Writing Alchemy. You can find the show notes, with links, complete music and sound effect credits, and the transcript at Writing Alchemy dot net, where you can also find all of my podcasts, articles, stories, and other content. And if you want to help me keep this podcast going, you can pledge your support on patreon at patreon dot com slash writing alchemy, or make a donation through Ko-fi.

[*The bouncy synthetic music plays briefly and then fades out.]

Alright, so I’m going to start by giving you an introduction to land Crossroads.

[*The Crossroads theme starts playing. It is an ambient electronic track full of mystery and wonder, with an ominous undertone.]

Crossroads is a land of diverse peoples and geographies. In addition to humans, many nonhuman peoples call Crossroads home. From elves to merfolk, vampires to fairies, and trolls to talking animals, each species that lives here has as much cultural diversity as humans do. And all of this diversity creates lively trade, both between the different regions of Crossroads and with those outside of its borders.

In the past there were many wars, but now a unified kingdom spans the land. However these past wars have left many magical hazards. The presence of these hazards has led to the development of professional adventurers, individuals and groups who are called on to address a wide range of problems, both large and small. Continue Reading »

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Searching for an Artist to Do Character Sketches

Oct 1st, 2019 by

Black and white photograph of a person creating an elaborate drawing of plants. They are shown from behind, with the camera focusing on the paper as they draw with their right hand. Their face isn’t visible, but they have short dark hair and brown skin.

We are searching for an artist to do a set of eighteen short character sketches as a paid commission. These are expected to be simple sketches that don’t take a lot of time and there will be no revisions without additional payment. Because many of these characters are people of color, we are especially interested in hiring a POC artist. Experience drawing nonbinary, trans, queer, and disabled characters with diverse body types would be a real plus.

The characters are from a vibrant and playful fantasy world with diverse species and cultures. Character species include a merperson, a bat-like imp, an elephantfolk person, and a clockwork minotaur. There are also characters that are twists on more familiar fantasy species, such as an elf with bright green hair and bark-like skin. In addition, many of the characters have intersecting marginalized identities.

These character sketches are for a set of premade characters created for Magic Goes Awry, an independent tabletop role-playing game. This is a rules-light game with lots of creativity and magical mayhem. Magic Goes Awry is specifically designed to be accessible and inclusive. As part of that, it is available for free online.

Details:

  • Number of Characters: 18
  • Budget: $200
  • Future Plans: We know that this is a limited budget for a project of this size. There is a long term plan to do a Kickstarter for the print edition of Magic Goes Awry. When this happens, additional payment for these sketches will be included.
  • Style: Given our budget, we expect these to be simple black and white sketches that capture just one or two aspects of each character.
  • Timeline: Ideally we’d like to have these sketches done by the end of 2019, but this timeline is open to negotiation.

Please spread the word about this! And if you are an artist who interested in doing this commission, please contact Fay using this form or send a direct message to the Writing Alchemy Twitter. Thank you!

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New Podcast – Pandora Files: The Case of the Missing Hope

Sep 22nd, 2019 by

In this episode several storybook characters have gone missing from the kingdom of Tome. Making things worse, a Storyteller has just disappeared. Frecka and Salvinia, Agents of Pandora, were assigned to the search for Loren Hope. Will the two agents be able to crack a case that all the king’s horses and all the king’s men have failed to piece together?

I am really proud of the way this episode came together. And thanks to the hard work of Larcie and the rest of the team, the transcript of this episode is up. You can find it here.

This is a special collaboration episode that was created for the 2019 International Podcast Month event. This diverse and inclusive event is all about celebration, building community, and sharing our love of podcasting. I highly recommend checking it out.

Listen now!

Stylized human figures in different colors are shown with a web of gray lines drawn between them, indicating connection and collaboration.

Stylized human figures in different colors are shown with a web of gray lines drawn between them, indicating connection and collaboration.

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Transcript of Collaboration 2 – Pandora Files: The Case of the Missing Hope

Sep 22nd, 2019 by

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript.

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript. On the left, the sound is depicted by a pair of headphones with an audio wave going between the two ears pads. A simple black arrow goes from left to right. On the right, the transcript is represented by a stylized typed document.

 

In order to make these transcripts as accessible as possible, each one is produced in four formats: as an online post for access convenience, in a word document with a low vision friendly font (Veranda), in a pdf with a dyslexia friendly font (OpenDyslexic), and a low contrast blue on black pdf as an access option for people with migraines (Veranda).

 

Writing Alchemy Collaboration 2 – Pandora Files: The Case of the Missing Hope

[Happy, bouncy, electronic music plays.]

Fay Onyx: This is a special collaboration episode that was created for the 2019 International Podcast Month event. This diverse and inclusive event is all about celebration, building community, and sharing our love of podcasting. I highly recommend checking it out.

[The bouncy music fades out and creepy, suspenseful music starts playing as the teaser for The Redacted Files starts.]

ASER: Shadowy conspiracies, ravening beasts, the cold embrace of the void. These are just some of the dangers awaiting those who stand between the innocent and the multitudes ready to destroy everything we believe in. And the way our heroes roll, whether it’s Warhammer 40,000, Delta Green, Numenera, or any number of other games we’ve tried, they’ll probably encounter these dangers sooner rather than later. Join us at The Redacted Files dot com.

[The suspenseful music cuts out as the teaser for The Redacted Files ends and the teaser for Writing Alchemy begins.]

TOBI: It’s more like she’s gonna cut in front of you in the lunch line [FAY laughs] and pretend nothing happened.

[Bouncy music with a cheerful and mysterious flute melody starts.]

FAY: Writing Alchemy is a storytelling podcast that centers intersectional characters, including a fairy tale series that combines humor and magic with serious topics, and a tabletop role playing series about the adventures of disabled and mentally diverse heroes. Check out Writing Alchemy at writingalchemy.net, or subscribe on Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Play.

[The bouncy music fades out as the Writing Alchemy teaser ends.]

JONN: Hi, this is Jonn, welcome to International Podcast Month. We’ll be playing a game using Forthright, called Pandora’s Dream. With me, I have Fay.

FAY: Hi, I’m Fay Onyx, and my pronouns are ze and hir, and I’m going to be playing Salvinia, who is a nixie. And one of the things that’s going on for her, and she’s got she/her pronouns, is that she can perceive, like, all of the different possible outcomes of different actions. So kinda like perceiving potential features. And sometimes this is overwhelming for her. And sometimes it’s helpful. And she finds it the most overwhelming in social interactions, particularly with talking. So she has some pretty intense social anxiety. But she’s also very determined. And she’s all about trying to prevent injustices from happening to others.

JONN: Also with us is Whitney.

WHITNEY: Hi, my name is Whitney and my pronouns are she/her. I’m going to be playing Frecka. And she is a werewolf based on the archetype of the Big Bad Wolf. She is- mostly wants to be a soft, forest-gardening wolf drinking tea, but then people like to come and tromp. And she doesn’t have a lot of patience and maybe has a couple anger issues. So she’s trying real hard to be friendly and deal with people, but sometimes it’s very difficult. So she’s super interested in like, justice and making sure that the good right gets served. She’s like hella Gryffindor, let’s be real. [FAY and JONN laugh]

JONN: I’m Jonn, he/him, and I’ll be the GM. I’m gonna start by giving an introduction of the world. Welcome, all, to the lands of Tome.

[The Tome theme, a slow, eerie, but beautiful track featuring violin and other string instruments, begins playing.]

JONN: The land lost amongst the clouds, a world as vast as it is diverse. These lands are the manifestation of the collective imagination left to run wild. Here in Tome, [transcriber’s note: pronounced tohm] medieval towns, desert oasises, and fairy tale kingdoms can be found. Alongside them: forgotten ruins, sprawling metropolises, and cities of the future. The inhabitants are born from the minds of the visitors to Tome. Some visitors come infrequently, while others spend a great deal of time here. They go by many different names, come from many different places. They are called storytellers. And Tome is where storytellers come to imagine. Continue Reading »

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New Podcast: Accessibility in RPGs Collaboration

Sep 12th, 2019 by

In this episode, Fay, Mimsy, and Rhi dive deep into how the RPG community can become a more accessible and welcoming space for disabled players, GMs, and designers. Learn about some of the excellent work that Fay and Mimsy are already doing in this space, and leave with plenty of ideas on how to play, run, and make games that are better for all players.

Rhi did all the hard work of organizing this discussion, cutting the audio, transcribing it, and pulling everything together. I am deeply grateful to her for making this happen.

This is a special collaboration episode that was created for the 2019 International Podcast Month event. This diverse and inclusive event is all about celebration, building community, and sharing our love of podcasting. I highly recommend checking it out.

Listen now!

Stylized human figures in different colors are shown with a web of gray lines drawn between them, indicating connection and collaboration.

Stylized human figures in different colors are shown with a web of gray lines drawn between them, indicating connection and collaboration.

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Transcript of Collaboration 1 – Accessibility in RPGs

Sep 12th, 2019 by

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript.

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript. On the left, the sound is depicted by a pair of headphones with an audio wave going between the two ears pads. A simple black arrow goes from left to right. On the right, the transcript is represented by a stylized typed document.

 

In order to make these transcripts as accessible as possible, each one is produced in four formats: as an online post for access convenience, in a word document with a low vision friendly font (Veranda), in a pdf with a dyslexia friendly font (OpenDyslexic), and a low contrast blue on black pdf as an access option for people with migraines (Veranda).

 

Writing Alchemy Collaboration 1 – Accessibility in RPGs

[Happy, bouncy, electronic music plays.]

Fay Onyx: This is a special collaboration episode that was created for the 2019 International Podcast Month event. This diverse and inclusive event is all about celebration, building community, and sharing our love of podcasting. I highly recommend checking it out.

Rhi: Happy International podcast month. In this episode, we’re going to be talking about accessibility and disability in tabletop RPGs. There are a lot of systemic, society-level barriers that can block disabled people from participating in games. These barriers can range from poor PDF design to lack of space for wheelchairs to ableist content in the games themselves. So today, we’re going to shine some light on these issues and on what the RPG community can do better. My name is Rhi, pronouns are she and her. I am the GM and producer of the Magpies Podcast, a Blades in the Dark actual play. I also run Skill Check, which provides copy editing and digital document accessibility services to the RPG community. I will be acting as moderator for this conversation. And I’m joined by some really fantastic people from the RPG community.

Fay Onyx: My name is Fay Onyx and I use ze and hir pronouns. I have an invisible physical disability, and I’m also neurodivergent. And so I do for a bit of work with disability in my podcast, which is called Writing Alchemy. And currently, it’s focused on a tabletop roleplaying game series that does one shots and short games in a range of different genres that center heroes with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and divergent minds, which are then played by people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and divergent minds.

I also create a lot of resources around disability and accessibility in tabletop roleplaying games and storytelling that are on my website, writingalchemy.net. This includes pages of links to various accessibility resources for tabletop roleplaying games, a series of articles about addressing ableism and tabletop role playing games. And I’m also collecting a list of disability consultants for geeky projects that I’m always looking to add more people to, in the hopes that we can help further the conversation and help make more amazing content that is fully accessible. I am also working on a rules light, high fantasy, whimsical and humorous game system called Magic Goes Awry that is designed to be accessible to a wide range of people.

Rhi: That’s awesome. So much going on! (laughs)

Fay Onyx: I have a lot of projects! (laughs)

Mimsy: Well, hi everybody, I’m Mimsy and I use they/them pronouns. I’m one of the moderators for the largest 5th edition group on Facebook, we’re about 130,000 members strong at the moment, so that takes up a lot of my time. I have multiple disabilities and neurodivergencies, and I’m starting work soon as an American Sign Language Interpreter in a school system. So I deal with other disabled students and people like every day, that’s kind of my job now. So that’s really exciting, providing access that I didn’t always get growing up. I’m also nonbinary. It actually sounds like most of us are at this point.

Rhi: (laughs) I think I think I’m the odd one out.

Mimsy: Oh, you can be our token cis.

Rhi: Yeah. (laughs)

Mimsy: So I don’t have a lot of official projects going on, I guess. But I am working with Jess Dempsey with DOTS RPG project for blind and visually impaired gamers and I work with Misty Vander with ASL for RPG, where we’re finding American Sign Language signs to go with tabletop RPG concepts.

Rhi: That’s awesome.

Mimsy: So, great projects that I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a while. Doing stuff now.

Rhi: Yeah, I’ve done a little bit of work with DOTS. I did some mailing around to game stores in the Chicagoland area. And yeah, they do awesome work.

So to start our conversation off, kind of the first question and topic to discuss, how do each of you define an accessible tabletop RPG experience? What–What does that include? Continue Reading »

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Bonus Cast #7

Sep 12th, 2019 by

In this Bonus Cast I talk about something I think about a lot—creating accessible settings. This topic was started by the question, “How Can I Make My World Accommodating to Disabled People?” which I answered on the Mythcreants blog.

I have been working on this Bonus Cast throughout my move and I am excited to be able to finally share it with you.  I hope you enjoy it!

Photograph of a silver and black desktop microphone sitting on a white surface with its black cord trailing off to the left.

Photograph of a silver and black desktop microphone sitting on a white surface with its black cord trailing off to the left.

Bonus casts are something that I want to be doing from time to time. This will be a great way for me to share some interesting thoughts, behind the scenes tidbits, and fun pieces of world building. If you have any questions or topic ideas, please send them my way. I’d love to hear from you!

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Transcript of Bonus Cast 7 – Creating Accessible Settings

Sep 11th, 2019 by

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript.

Black and white clip art depiction of audio being turned into a transcript. On the left, the sound is depicted by a pair of headphones with an audio wave going between the two ears pads. A simple black arrow goes from left to right. On the right, the transcript is represented by a stylized typed document.

 

In order to make these transcripts as accessible as possible, each one is produced in four formats: as an online post for access convenience, in a word document with a low vision friendly font (Veranda), in a pdf with a dyslexia friendly font (OpenDyslexic), and a low contrast blue on black pdf as an access option for people with migraines (Veranda).

 

Writing Alchemy Bonus Cast 7 – Creating Accessible Settings

Note: “*” is used to indicate music and sound effects that were added to the original recording.

[*Happy, bouncy, electronic music plays and then fades out.]

FAY ONYX: Hello and welcome to Writing Alchemy Bonus Cast Number Seven. I’m Fay Onyx and today I’m going to talk about creating accessible settings.

There will be a more detailed update after the discussion, but I wanted to let you all know that my family just finished the worst part of moving, which is something that has been especially difficult for me personally. This move, and all of the things leading up to it, has been slowing down my ability to produce new content for a while. However, because I am participating in International Podcast Month, an event which is happening right now this September, I will be releasing two collaboration episodes this month. The first is a discussion about accessibility in role-playing games and the second is a folklore-inspired adventure with two new heroes. More details about both of these projects is coming up in the updates at the end of this episode.

And now I’m going to quickly mention that you can follow Writing Alchemy on twitter @ Writing underscore Alchemy, hashtag AlchemyCast, and on facebook at facebook dot com slash Writing Alchemy. You can find the show notes, with links, complete music and sound effect credits, and the transcript at Writing Alchemy dot net, where you can also find all of my podcasts, articles, stories, and other content. And if you want to help me keep this podcast going, you can pledge your support on patreon at patreon dot com slash writing alchemy, or make a donation through Ko-fi.

[*Bouncy jazz music fades in and out.]

Today’s discussion was prompted by a question from Kiera on the Mythcreants blog.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the Mythcreants, they are both a blog and podcast that discusses storytelling in speculative fiction. One of the things I enjoy the most about their work is that they have a solid understanding of how oppression works. And, not only do they have episodes and articles on social justice topics, they also bring that knowledge into other discussions.

Their work, and especially the Mythcreants podcast, is very entertaining and frequently funny. I don’t like a lot of writing podcasts, but I really love the Mythcreants podcast.

I have been collaborating with the folks at Mythcreants for a while and I’ve been a guest on six of their podcast episodes, including three that came out recently. The first is called “Avoiding the Fridge,” which is about creating tragic events in stories without furthering oppression. The second is about creating healthy magic school learning environments. And the third is about harmful disability tropes. I’ll put links to all three of these in the show notes.

I am also the Mythcreants’ disability consultant. So, when Kiera sent them her question, it was passed along to me and I was the one who got to answer it in the Mythcreants’ Q & A segment.

Here is Kiera’s question:

“I am writing a non-magical fantasy story set in a low-tech world that is primarily composed of city-states with limited regional authority. I am trying to work out what kinds of seemingly realistic accommodations could/would be in place for disabled people. Culturally, I am trying to craft a world whose prejudices are very distinct from Earthly ones: no sexuality, gender-related, disability-related, or “race”-related discrimination exists. I am not trying to be “realistic” in terms of portraying the accommodations that the real past or the real present offers; I am trying to be realistic in a very optimistic, yet low-tech way, when it comes to accommodations. Do you have any advice for me?” Continue Reading »

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Accommodations in Historical Fantasy Settings

Aug 5th, 2019 by

The Mythcreants podcast image is a stylized white crescent moon inside concentric rings of dark blue and purple that get darker father out.

The Mythcreants podcast image is a stylized white crescent moon inside concentric rings of dark blue and purple that get darker father out.

“How Can I Make My World Accommodating to Disabled People?” is a Q & A on the Mythcreants blog where I answer a reader question about accessibility in a historical fantasy setting.

Here is the Question:

“I am writing a non-magical fantasy story set in a low-tech world that is primarily composed of city-states with limited regional authority. I am trying to work out what kinds of seemingly realistic accommodations could/would be in place for disabled people. Culturally, I am trying to craft a world whose prejudices are very distinct from Earthly ones: no sexuality, gender-related, disability-related, or “race”-related discrimination exists. I am not trying to be “realistic” in terms of portraying the accommodations that the real past or the real present offers; I am trying to be realistic in a very optimistic, yet low-tech way, when it comes to accommodations. Do you have any advice for me?

– Kiera”

Read my answer here!

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Disability Tropes with the Mythcreants

Aug 5th, 2019 by

The Mythcreants podcast image is a stylized white crescent moon inside concentric rings of dark blue and purple that get darker father out.

The Mythcreants podcast image is a stylized white crescent moon inside concentric rings of dark blue and purple that get darker father out.

A collaboration podcast with the Mythcreants about harmful disability tropes in stories! (There is a transcript in the show notes.)

“More than one in ten Americans is disabled, making it one of the largest marginalized groups in the country. Even so, storytellers often have a really difficult time portraying disabled characters. We want to change that, so this episode is all about the most problematic tropes that surround disabled characters and what storytellers can do instead. Listen as we discuss magic as an assertive device, disabled characters with physical abilities, and issues that intersect with disability.”

Check it out!

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