#indy speaks

[creator-indy]

Eh why not lets do this

#indy speaks

[lesbian4mothman]

chronic pain sucks, i just wanna be held ):

#femme4butch #i love butches #lesbian #men dni #minors dni #indy speaks

[badolmen]

People against piracy fail to realize that no, I can’t just ‘buy it.’ They stopped making DVDs and Blu-Rays. They’re barely offering digital copies for download. I am not spending money I could use for food or bills to pay for a subscription service just so I can always have access to a beloved piece of media. Especially not when the service will remove media on a whim without concern for how the loss of access to that piece will make its artistic conservation nigh impossible.

For example, I recently learned that Disney+ had an original film called Crater. It’s scifi, family friendly, and seems cool - I would love to buy it as a holiday gift for my little brother! But: it’s exclusive to D+ and THEY REMOVED IT LITERALLY MONTHS AFTER ITS RELEASE.

The ONLY way I can directly access this film is through piracy. The ONLY available ‘copies’ of this film are hosted on piracy websites. Disney will NEVER release it in theaters, or as something to buy, and it may NEVER return to the streaming service. It will be LOST because we aren’t allowed to purchase it for personal viewing. If I can’t pay to own it, I won’t pay for the privilege of losing it when corporate decides to put it in a vault.

So yes, I’m going to pirate and support piracy.

#ra speaks #piracy #media piracy #pirate to make hondo ohnaka proud #obligatory ‘don’t fucking pirate small authors/artists works wtf dude’ statement. #anyone who’s seen my media bitching before knows I’m a hype man for indie films this ain’t about them #this is about corporate streaming services killing physical media bc sales numbers are less impressive than number of streams #edit: USAmericans stop telling me to buy DVDs and blurays at Walmart. think outside your borders for a hot sec. fun thought exercise. #your experiences are not universal #edit: WHO GOT THIS TO 100k. I JUST WANT TO TALK (this post is my second to hit 100k woahg.) #in other news: fix your fucking posture. drink some fucking water. and go the fuck to bed if it’s late bc it’s for me rn. peace and light.

[fiction-fantasy-fellowship]

I need to get better at posting in and interacting through this blog. I'm trying so hard to get away from my tendency to lurk. Especially now that I'm finished grad school craziness and have actual free time instead of just time where I'm not working and feeling hella guilty because of it.

#indy speaks #personal rant #probably will delete later #but i also need to put these thoughts in a public space #so that i feel like im being held accountable for acting on them

[theresattrpgforthat]

@martianworder asked me about this on my Forged in the Dark post, so here we go!

Clocks

So Clocks have been a tool that have been used before and outside of Blades in the Dark, but BitD was where I think they were made really popular.

Golem Clocks designed by cmartins on Itch.io

For all intents and purposes, a Clock is just a track that you fill, but in some cases it's preferred over a track because it fills less space, and it's easy to just draw a clock on a piece of paper to help you keep track of something as you play.

A Clock can be more than just a track. It can be a countdown, a timer, or a representation of a person or faction's goals. The larger the Clock, the bigger task it is. Here are some examples of how you could use them.

A Healing project clock from Blades in the Dark.

A player could have a project Clock that they fill over the course of many sessions. Perhaps they want to research a cure for a vampire virus that is threatening a loved one. The GM would ask them to make a research roll every downtime, and how successful they are indicates how many slices they fill - effectively, how much progress they make towards finding a cure.

Rebellion and Sedition Clocks for Brinkwood: Blood of Tyrants.

A play group might use a Clock to track a common goal, such as winning over a number of anarchists to help take down a mega-corporation. If this is a campaign-long goal, you might use a series of linked clocks to represent the jailbreak you need to assist before you can win over a computer hacker, and then the massive hacking project you need to support before you can overwhelm the corpo servers.

Faction Clocks from Scum & Villainy.

A GM might use a Clock to track the work a Faction makes towards their goal. Every downtime section, they GM might roll to see how successful the Faction is, or simply tick one slice of the clock if the Faction has no reason not to be able to do what they want. If the Faction is allowed to work unimpeded by the PC's, they might eventually do something that changes the world around them, for better or worse.

Mission Clock from External Containment Bureau and Doomsday Clock from Apocalypse Keys.

Clocks might also be used as a timer, to indicate when something terrible might happen, or when the group's time is up. This might be the amount of time before a murderer next strikes, before the haunted house claims another victim, or before the world begins to end. In some games, specific points in the clock (such as halfway, or a quarter of the way through) may trigger special events that give the PC's more information, or remind the group that the pressure is really on.

Clocks for Protect the Child.

All in all, Clocks are a great visual tool to help you and your game group keep track of what's going on in the fiction, and it can also help you keep track of a number of narrative threads in a fairly condensed space. Even if they're not built into the game you're currently running or playing, I think they're a fairly easy addition, and can certainly help with bookkeeping!

#mint speaks #clocks #forged in the dark #indie ttrpgs #dnd #tabletop games #asks

[kalpasoft]

A small peek at how things are coming along. Still some work to be done but I'm pretty happy with how things are shaping up with They Speak: Zenith.

#they speak from the abyss #low poly #ps1 aesthetic #indie game #horror #video

[princessbrunette]

I need head pusher!jj now :(((((

you’re right. i giggled when i mentioned it.

ִ ۫ ּ 𓂅⋆ 🫧｡˚. . .♡

to me headpusher!jj is just bsf!jj, because he’s used to being a little rougher with you. the two of you have known eachother for ages, you can take a little manhandling — hell, that look you always give him is living proof that you infact like it. he’s allowed to be brutish, less gentlemanly with you — because, well… you’re not his girl. you’re friends. you just happen to be a girl. and you also happen to be his, but that’s more unspoken.

you can act real slutty with him sometimes, especially after the two of you have smoked a joint together, rolling around the floor of his empty house, free of luke. you weakly pound your fists into his chest as you play fight, the much stronger boy pinning you in a comprising position, practically wearing your own knees as earmuffs.

“you’re such a cheater, jayj. always such a guy about it.” you pout and he grins, sitting back on his knees allowing you to sit up, legs either side of him.

“dont hate the player, hate the game baby.” he smirks, the playful nickname making you clench around nothing the way it always did.

“shut up, idiot.”

“ohhhh, still got that attitude in ‘ya duchess? you’re lucky imma real gentleman. would’a shoved somethin’ else in that mouth to shut you up n’teach you a lesson.” he starts lightly grappling with you again, and it takes everything not to break out into a needy whimper at his vulgar words. you’re used to him being gross and expletive, but at a time like this it was only turning you on.

“bet you wouldn’t.” it unfortunately comes out in the shape of a horny moan, brows knitted almost pleadingly making him slow his movements to a stop, adjusting his backwards cap with a taken aback smirk.

“oh really? so that’s how you wanna play, mama.”

in no time he’s got his dick in your mouth, lip bitten in concentration as he stares down at the way you take him in amusement.

“yeaaah, not so much of a chatty cathy now are you princess?” he teases, making you moan and shift your hips where you kneel— desperate for some touch down there. you wanted to say you couldn’t believe you were sucking your best friends dick, but anyone with eyes could tell it was a long time coming.

in retaliation to his meanness, you go to pull off him, lips nearly breaching his tip. he catches you in the act, heavy hand splaying out on the back of your skull, pressing you back down. “ah, ah— i don’t think so. wanted to act brave earlier, so i think it’s best you keep that dick in your throat babydoll.”

you definitely tease him after whilst he’s cleaning you up, being all sweet and slightly condescending. “cant believe you’re a chronic head pusher. i should have known.” you giggle, scrunching your nose as he digs the tissue into your nostril to clean away some of the rogue cum that had spurted out as an after shock after you’d swallowed him all.

“damn, quit moving would you gorgeous? anyway, i don’t wanna hear it ‘cus you totally loved it. you would’a done anything for me in that moment, i’on care. if your mouth wasn’t stuffed you’d have been callin’ my ass daddy.” he teases, using a separate corner of tissue to wipe the mascara from under your eyes.

you press your lips together, getting all shy on him again. “mm, i think that’s a confession for another day.”

ִ ۫ ּ 𓂅⋆ 🫧｡˚. . .♡

#anon #jj maybank prompt #bsf!jj #the indy duchess nickname agenda speaks once more

[gods-favorite-autistic]

Track list for Fig and the Cig Figs independently published Junior Year album (officially named “Infaethable”)

Teenage Rebellion

Night Yorb (a heavy metal banger)

Summer Scaries

Devils Nectar

Time Quangle (a love song about Ayda)

Multiclass (Gorgug sings on this!)

The Ballad Of Lucy Frostblade (Kristen was the one who convinced Fig to write this)

So Late, So Tactical

Do You Have A Fucking Warrant

Cassandra (Can You Hear Me)

Hall Of Mirrors

President Applebees (written entirely in the night after Kristen gets elected by a drunk Fig with extremely drunk notes by Kristen)

Raging For Love (inspired by Gorgug, of course)

The Elven Oracle (Has A Day Job) (So Stop Bothering Her)

Maximum Legend

Fury Of The Ball

Cursed

Infaethable

The Bad Kids

#i neeeeed fig to go indie it’s her destiny #she promises each of them that she’ll dedicate at least one song to them and then dedicates a track to each of them individually #sklondas seething a tiny bit that she called riz the ball but he won’t stop playing it so it keeps getting stuck in her head #adaine summons mephits to help with her track #you can hear her in the background near the end yelling ‘yeah!’ and ‘fuck off!’ #fabian wanted his to sound like a shanty but fig said it wouldn’t go with the vibe of the album #they eventually compromised by having the noise of waves and seagulls subtly in the background throughout #kristen actually cried the first time fig played the ballad of lucy frostblade for them #summer scaries sounds like an olivia rodrigo song #gorgug gets a sick drum solo in raging for love #time quangle opens with fire crackling and a bird cawing and a quiet clip of ayda saying ‘I love you’ before the instrumental starts #fig stuck a quiet sound clip of gilear saying ‘oh fuck’ and then a louder sound clip of her saying ‘oh fuck!’ in cursed #devils nectar is one of the slower tracks on the album #hall of mirrors is heavily inspired by the events at evil mordred and baron so you can hear a lot of influences from baronesian music in it #fig has a fucking sick as hell guitar solo and a couple of samples from just the bottomless pit in general in infaethable #Gorthalax also gets some lyrical input on it #fig manages to get a clip of riz saying ‘the ball bitch!’ to kalvaxus in freshman year to put in fury of the ball #is this too long for an album? maybe but who cares I love this #a good portion of the profits made from the album goes towards college for the party #having thoughts about fig and the cig fig’s Junior year album #autism (mads) speaks #fantasy high #fhjy #fig faeth #fantasy high junior year #dimesnion 20 #d20 fantasy high #fig and the cig figs

[cocaineheartz]

how schools been feeling

#2014 revival #2014 grunge #grunge #indie sleaze #tumblr grunge #girl blogger #girlblogging #soft grunge #manic pixie dream girl #female hysteria #effy stonem #melinda sordino #speak #skins #skins aesthetic #effy stonem aesthetic #effy aesthetic #2k14 grunge #2014 style #2014 aesthetic #2014 fashion #femcel #girl interrupted syndrome

[mwagneto]

the sandman (2022)

#not a single straight character it feels like an indie podcast lmao #the sandman #dream x hob #the corinthian #johanna constantine #oh speaking of she wasn't a love interest AND they made sure we #know she's bi and she got to kiss a woman so i retract my earlier statement go women

[paradoxlemonade]

Why you should play the game Soul Void:

[art by @/kadabura, the creator]

So some of my followers already know that I'm going absolutely insane over Soul Void and I want to get other people to play it like I'm a pied Piper dragging people into my interests. But it's so good! I'm going to lose my mind! I've heard other people describe it as a cross between OFF and Yume Nikki, so if you like those games then you should like Soul Void too!

Note that those who do not like body horror (even when non-graphic) will not likely enjoy this title as it is a consistent theme. But if you do like me, then that's just bonus points lol

It's free and launches in your browser (link to itch.io page), so there's no monetary or technological barrier to play

It's about two hours long, so it's not a huge time commitment

I absolutely love all the characters. They're all so unique and varied from each other and other popular characters

The setting is so dreamlike and fantastical to explore. It's creepy but not overly horrific (and although it does have its creepy moments, there are no jumpscares and any horror/gore is non-graphic due to being a pixel game)

You get to make friends with the monsters and help them

It's an emotional gut punch, but it has a happy ending with some of the best catharsis I've gotten from a game in a while

The message and themes are very positive and relatable to those who struggle with mental health issues

Please

#i am so normal about this #soul void #indie game #things i like #idea speaks #please anyone who plays this game come talk to me I'm losing my mind over it #idea original post #i made the tv tropes page which shows I'm pretty invested in this lol #free games #free game

[creator-indy]

My favorite part of kings tide is when luz is trying to convince belos/Phillip to let her free when she offers to be his guide in the modern human realm and when she points out his outdated fashion sensibilities he’s just like:

That’s the look of someone who didn’t think things through

#the owl house #emperor belos #phillip wittebane #indy speaks

[hanasnx]

#this was revealed to me in a dream #indy: memes #ch: jason #arkham knight #batman: arkham knight #batman arkham knight #batman #not sfw #jason todd #red hood #arkhamverse #batman memes #jason todd smut #arkham knight smut #red hood smut #arkham speaks #jason todd x reader #arkham knight x reader #red hood x reader #scarecrow #bruce wayne

[indieyuugure]

I’m stealing this concept for my Leo and his love interest muahahaha

(If you and the asker is okay with it) It’s so cute I love this idea so much ☺️

lol, 😂

Yeah! Of course! I don’t mind at all! I feel like it would be painfully hypocritical for me to accuse you of using someone else’s idea meanwhile I solely make comics out of someone else’s ideas 😂

Good question! :]

#tmnt #q&a #indie’s turtles #indie tmnt #lol #I can’t speak for lexa-ocean though #Idk what they think #Otherwise you’re good 👍

[fiction-fantasy-fellowship]

Don't mind me, I've just returned from the dead to read and reblog all of the amazing g/t and noms fics and art that posted while I was MIA.

Current status: screaming inside (and maybe once out loud shhhhhh) about @cyncerity 's new crimebois au. If you haven't read it, don't walk, run 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

#indy speaks #a rare event indeed #i hope you dont mind the tag cyncerity! #myct g/t

[theresattrpgforthat]

System Overview - LUMEN

This week has been a break from my regular recommendations to cover a few popular game systems and talk about what makes them tick. This week, we're covering the fast-paced combat-friendly LUMEN system. This is all the systems I'll be covering this week, but I hope to do some more system overviews in the future!

LUMEN is a game system originating from Spencer Campbell of GilaRPGs, for use in his game LIGHT. It has gained popularity over the past few years due to its ability to replicate fast, powerful combat, and a simple set of rules.

As a disclaimer, I haven’t played any LUMEN games yet (although I really really want to give NOVA a go). What I have seen is a consistent amount of high-quality, exciting games being released over the past few years using the LUMEN system. The SRD is only 13 pages long, and the pieces are simple enough to pick up, re-mix, and turn into something engaging, which makes LUMEN a great option for new game designers - especially since the designer really wants to see what people are making with this toolkit.

So, let’s talk about some of the pieces that make up this game.

Attributes as Approaches

LUMEN gives your characters 3 stats that define how they approach an obstacle, rather than defining a specific skill. You’ll have something for raw power, one for quickness and speed, and one for precision and details. Your characters are expected to be professionals, the best of the best. Of course they know how to fight - this a power fantasy, after all. By focusing on an approach rather than a list of skills, these stats are also flexible: if you are using your raw power, you could open a door, swing a sword, or pull someone back from a ledge.

Depending on the game you’re using, the names for your approaches may differ. In Hedge, your approaches include Might, Sleight and Bright. In LOOM, these are re-tooled into Passion, Fleetness and Serenity.

This way of building a character is very good for players who may not want to juggle a number of different values in their head, and keeps the table focused on what the battle looks like more than anything else. It also makes a statement on what kinds of actions your characters don’t need to bother rolling for. No perception checks, minimal social obstacles, and don’t bother doing a memory check in this system. In LUMEN, you’re here to kick ass.

Dice Pools & Staggered Success

The number attached to your selected approach determines how many dice you roll to do an action. The highest number rolled is the only result you need to focus on.

Similar to Blades in the Dark and Powered by the Apocalypse, LUMEN uses a series of staggered successes. However, unlike the previous two games, success is a little more likely - 2/3 of the time, you’ll succeed. On a 1-2, the action failed with a consequence. On a 3-4, the action succeeds with a complication. On a 5-6, the action succeeds, no problems in sight. The difference in probability compared to Blades is one decision that indicates how powerful your characters are; they’re less likely to fail on any given roll.

To add a layer of complexity, you can include specific scenarios that determine how many dice you roll. For example, in Apocalypse Frame, there is a difference between rolling while inside or outside of your mech. When outside of your mech, a character subtracts 1 dice from their dice pool, and when attacking with your mech, you use a number attached to your Armament, rather than your Attributes. There are also character class abilities that may give you extra dice, such as the Ancient Technique ability attached to the Ancient class in Deathless. These abilities will only give you extra dice in very specific situations.

Character Classes

One thing is common among all three of the systems that I’ve talked about this week and that’s pre-packaged character abilities. LUMEN doesn’t use playbooks though, possibly because the characters are so lightweight that they wouldn’t take up that much space on a piece of paper.

Your class will come with special moves, abilities or gear that sets you apart, and will likely also define your play style. In Black Hole Era, for example, you are spaceships with system arrays and weapon bays. A Warlord ship has powerful long-range particle beams, while an Inquisitor ship has the ability to teleport or turn invisible.

That being said, you don’t have to use character classes with this system. In Wild Duelist, the game presents the character options as either a static stat build, from which you choose a few different options, or a character life path, in which you roll randomly to determine your heritage, weapons, approach scores and special powers.

Your character powers will usually come with a few important pieces of information: how they affect the field of play, what their range is, and how much it will cost you to use them. You do not roll to use your powers: you are powerful characters, and when you choose to do something cool, it works. In some games, your powers can be get more powerful as your character advances, or have tags added to increase range or damage dealt. Because LUMEN is meant to replicate combat-heavy video games, it also is designed to replicate the ability to customize your character to match the combat style that you prefer.

Room to Add Complexity

The LUMEN system is quick and only has a few core pieces, but there’s plenty of room to add more complexity in order to incorporate factions, long campaigns, and special details.

In Emblems of Their Dying Breaths, characters dig into dungeons that are procedurally-generated using a deck of playing cards. .brawl centres its combat on a map, using miniatures to help your players strategize as they fight in a cyberpunk arena. Clean-Up Crew diversifies the resources needed to pay for special powers, making enemy drops more interesting - and more necessary, if you’re going to find the specific resource you need.

The original designer is also updating and re-designing LUMEN, with the plans to release a LUMEN 2.0 SRD that does away with dice, health, and a few other pieces. You can check out some of his design thoughts on his YouTube channel, and take a peek at how this new version of LUMEN will play out in his game DUSK.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about some more games in the LUMEN series that I have yet to highlight on this blog.

Brawl City is a Street-Fighter game, still in development.

Dust is a game about surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, inspired by works such as The Book of Eli, and 9.

Photon is a two-player game about fighting a Singularity trying to consume the world.

paktbound is inspired by Dishonored and shackles your characters to a Stranger who sends them on heists in a rotten world.

If you want to check out more LUMEN games, there's a compiled list of games kept by Spencer Campbell, as well as a LUMEN collection that I'm adding games to as I find them.

Do you have any favourite LUMEN games? What kind of video game do you think would work well for this system? Share them in the comments and tags!

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #system overview #game recommendations #LUMEN #mint speaks