important notes: as an example, i'm making an interest tracker with a short text field, a multiple choice drop-down menu, a single choice drop-down menu, and two long text fields, but you can use these forms in whatever way you like. also, there are two things you'll need to be able to do this - a google account so you can use google sheets, and have your carrd upgraded to either pro standard or pro plus so you can use the embed option. you're probably gonna need a basic understanding of coding if you want to change the looks of it, but i'm gonna try to make it as easy as possible.
― STEP ONE: PREPARING GOOGLE SHEETS
once your locked into your account, create a new spreadsheet on google sheets. you can name it something like "Form Responses" or whatever else you like to make it easy to find later. then, in the first row, set the headers to match your form fields. for my interest tracker, it looks something like this:
the next thing you'll need to do is open the apps script editor. you can find it under extensions -> apps script. delete whatever code is already added in and add this code and save it:
function doPost(e){
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
const data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
sheet.appendRow([
new Date(),
data.username, // change the values after data. to whatever you put in the id="" section in your code on carrd
data.museSelect,
data.dynamic,
data.theirMuse,
data.details,]);
returnContentService.createTextOutput(JSON.stringify({ result: "success" }))
.setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.JSON);}
save it and name the project something like "FormSubmit". next click deploy -> new deployment and a popup should open up. there you'll need select the type by clicking on the small gear symbol next to it. choose the type web app and more fields should appear on the right side. type some kind of description (optional), make sure that under "execute as" you've selected me ([email protected]), and under "who has access" you've selected anyone.
you'll need to deploy it now, and once it has finished loading, you'll need it to authorise access. do so by clicking on the button and choose the google account your currently using. once you do that a warning might pop up:
in that case, show the advanced options and choose Go to FormSubmit (unsafe). it will show you the app will want to use (in this case: See, edit, create, and delete all your Google Sheets spreadsheets) so allow it to do so - after all, this is exactly what we want the app to do. once that is dealt with, you'll receive a notification that the deployment was successful. you'll also receive a script link for the web app (highlighted in the picture down below) that we're going to need later so save it somewhere.
last thing you need to do now is go back to your sheet document, and go to extensions -> macros -> import macros. you'll find your project there. just click "add function" so it's marked with a checkmark and you're done. next up we're going to prepare your carrd.
― STEP TWO: ADDING HTML CODE TO CARRD
use whichever of your carrds you want the form to have and place the embed element in the space you want your form to show up.
make sure the "type" is set to code, as for the title, you can choose one (which i'd recommend if you plan on using more than one embed element, because as a heads up, what you're doing now, will not show up in the builder, it will only be visible in the actual page (see down below to see the difference - left image is how it will look in the builder and right how it will look on the page):
before we get to the actual coding, though, make sure to scroll down in the menu and uncheck "defer <script> tags". otherwise some parts of the code (the multiple choice drop-down menu in particular) are not going to work.
when that is done, you can find the code i've made in this file. you can just copy and paste it into the code area of the embed element. the grey text is my notes (you can just delete it if you don't need it, but it won't affect the form anyway) to make it easier for you to change things in whatever way you need and to figure out what is used/needed for which element.
now, you'll need your previously generated url from the web app we've saved previously, as you need to copy & paste it into the script section of your code (the exact place is highlighted in the image below):
when that is done and you've made it look the way you want, save your carrd and open it to see if it works. just put something in, click submit and the successful submission message should pop up and your input should show up in the google sheet with the time and date of submission.
now you've successfully made a submission form for your carrd! :)
― ADDITIONAL TIPS
if you want to play around with the code without having to save and check on carrd all the time, copy + paste the html code into this website, it's free, and you can change colors, sizing, everything you think needs fixing in whatever way you like and see results immediately (after clicking on "run"). this site in general is great if you have any questions regarding what each property does and in which ways you can change it. highly recommend using it if you have some trouble.
also, if you have any questions regarding this, feel free to ask and i'll try to explain it as well as i can.
this guide is for non-native roleplayers who want to write native characters respectfully and responsibly. if you’re not indigenous, you’re stepping into representation that’s not yours. this post isn’t comprehensive, but it’s a place to start.
i'm not the sole native voice in the rpc. if you'd like more clarification, please ask others in the community! if another native has a different idea than what i've listed below, that's fine! this is just to help those that don't know where to start try to understand things better.
naming your native muse
do not make up a "native-sounding" name for your character. names like "red thunder," "greyeyes," "whitefeather," etc. are often used by non-natives trying to signal indigeneity in the rpc, but they come from a very specific historical context.
these weren’t just aesthetic choices. many native people were forced to continue these names during colonization, often by government officials or missionaries, when forced to register for census, land allotments, boarding schools, etc. these names were often translations, misunderstandings, or simplifications of actual indigenous names or meanings. they were not chosen in the way settlers chose surnames. they became permanent family names through colonization, not by cultural tradition.
so when non-natives try to replicate that style, without knowing what the names mean, why they were given, or what community they come from, it’s shallow at best and disrespectful at worst.
what you should do instead: most often, native people today have common surnames just like anyone else (smith, johnson, etc.), or inherited names from the colonization period. best rule of thumb: pick a european name. of course, some natives have traditional names used within the community. if you're not native, don't try to replicate traditional names. it's not your place. for example, i have a kiowa gordon named joseph anderson. doesn't make him any less native to have a "european" name.
*also, try to stay away from "native sounding" words for names. i know non-natives can be named these things, but i always give a little side-eye to natives who are: sage, willow, river, storm, wolf, bear, echo, etc.
how much background should you include?
it’s important to say where your muse is from, what tribe or nation they belong to, what area they live in or grew up in, but you need to know your limits. don't info-dump cultural details unless you fully understand them, which, if you’re non-native, you probably don’t.
saying someone is diné (navajo), from arizona, and maybe was raised around certain customs or ceremonies? that’s fine. pretending you can describe those ceremonies or the "spiritual meaning" behind them? not fine. mentioning things to understand your character more is welcomed! we just don't want non-natives to write about the ceremony of a powwow in depth.
your native muse is more than trauma
one of the most harmful patterns non-native writers could fall into is making their indigenous character's entire identity revolve around suffering, pain, trauma, hurt, etc.
yes, native communities live with ongoing impacts of colonization; boarding schools, land loss, mmiw, racism, addiction, environmental harm, the foster system, and more. these are real, lived traumas. but reducing your muse to only these things strips them of their full humanity.
your muse should be more than what’s been done to them. they should laugh. they should have hobbies, bad habits, complicated family dynamics, love interests, favorite foods, weird dreams, inside jokes, petty opinions, and goals for the future. joy, humor, and resilience are central to indigenous life.
don’t write a tragedy with a face. write a person who exists, who happens to be native, whose life is shaped by history, but not defined only by it. again, having these things in a muses backstory / mentioning them does not necessarily mean it's a "bad" thing (i, for one, love fucked up tragic pasts) but give them more substance outside of that, too.
"native american" is not a culture
this should be obvious, but it’s often overlooked: there is no single native culture. there are 500+ federally recognized tribes in the americas alone, each with their own language, traditions, government, and worldview. if you're writing a native muse and just labeling them as "native american" without choosing a specific nation, you’re already off track.
"native american" is a broad political term. it’s not cultural shorthand. it doesn’t tell you where someone’s from, how they were raised, what language their family spoke, or what their values are. saying someone is "native" and stopping there is like saying someone is "european" and expecting people to know if they're french or romanian or english.
what to do instead: pick a specific tribe or nation, and do real research. if you’re not sure where to start, choose a region and look up federally recognized tribes in that area. don’t blend cultures. don’t invent one. specificity shows respect.
your muse is not a magical being
please don’t write your native muse as if they have innate spiritual powers, a mysterious connection to the earth, visions, or vague "ancestral wisdom" just because they’re indigenous. this is a colonial trope, built out of the "noble savage" stereotype, and it’s incredibly dehumanizing.
you might not think you’re doing it. but if your muse is always the one to deliver cryptic advice, commune with animals, feel the spirits in the air, or silently guide others with intuition, take a step back. are you writing a person, or are you writing an aesthetic?
native people have spiritual practices, yes. but those are specific, tribal, and usually not open to outsiders. spirituality isn’t a personality trait. it’s not something you can generalize or sprinkle in to make a character seem deep. if you wouldn’t do it with a character of another background, don’t do it here.
don’t box your muse into stereotypes
not every native muse has to be quiet, wise, brooding, or angry. let them be awkward. let them be funny. let them be annoying, overly ambitious, soft-hearted, selfish, bubbly, arrogant, flirtatious, whatever fits.
when all your ideas of indigeneity are rooted in solemnity or pain, you miss the huge spectrum of native personalities. native people are just people. some are loud. some are shy. some are deeply cultural, some are disconnected and trying to reconnect. some are traditional. some are queer. some are both.
don’t flatten your character into a type. don’t let their "nativeness" be their only character trait. and definitely don’t limit how they act because you’re afraid of getting it wrong. get curious. do the work. and write a full human being.
if you’re non-native, you’re writing from the outside. that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do with care, but it does mean you have to move slower, be willing to be corrected, and know when to back off.
respect begins with humility. you’re borrowing from someone else’s reality. treat it with the weight it deserves.
One thing that can really weigh down a starter is information that isn’t vital to the scene; key word being scene not the plot entirely. That in depth character analysis might be great writing, but a writing partner can’t really reply to meta. It’s not something their muse can interact with or use to further the scene. I know sometimes our writing gets away with us, and I have often times taken parts out of replies and then later expanded on it in another separate post because it was more suited there The same thing can be said for backstory; while I am always a fan of backstory, I’ve noticed a trend where people try to summarize their entire plot in the first starter, both for their partner and for any one outside reading it. It’s always good to set up something in a starter, but keep it focused on that specific scene. A partner cannot reply to just meta and backstory, you need to give them something to respond to.
2) “No really, do you really need this part?”
I cannot stress this enough; your starter needs to set the scene --- so it really needs to be focused on that scene. If your starter involves one or two (or more) scene changes before you even reach the part where your partner’s muse comes into play; than odds are that you need to step back and focus on what really matters. Ask yourself what the purpose of this interaction is, what is it your muse wants from mine specifically. Are they an obstacle? A goal? Scene direction and focus is very important in both starters and replies.
3) ALWAYS CUT 10% BEFORE FINISHING
This is actually something echoed in many writing classes and by authors, filmmakers, and various other content producers for years ! What this does is force you to focus on what actually is important to your scene, and help you remove anything that might be nice writing but doesn’t contribute anything.
4) Establish, thoughts, action
A starter should always be equal parts establishing information, what your muse wants, and an action to react to. It doesn’t need to be in that order, and there might be times where you need to outweigh one over the other due to the unusual nature of the scene; but 90% of the time, regardless if it’s a short para, proper para, or novella, you should always keep these three balanced.
Establish what is vital information for your partner to know right off the bat, you can always flesh things out in replies later both in character speech and in narration. Giving the reader a glimpse into their head is not only good writing, but it can communicate the direction the scene may be going further down the road. This can allow for more coherent plotting and a chance to plot a new direction if you aren’t up for that.
Give your partner some idea of what’s going on in your muses’ head. How they feel about the situation, what they want. This doesn’t need to be expository, you can convey this easily by describing the others. If they are speaking pleasantly or angrily, if they view the location as a nice or bad place. Things like that help make a scene feel more organic.
Lastly, of course there are actions. This covers: speech, physical actions or anything in your reply that’s observable to the other muse to respond to. Your partner’s character needs something to respond to
5) Remember you do not have to establish everything
While it’s important to give your partner something to work with, do not get carried away or think the sole responsibility of fleshing it out rests on you. Let your partner’s reply add more to the world, add in details and give it colour. It’s way to easy to accidentally god mod in starters by setting the scene as if you are expecting a certain response. Leave some of it to them. Its your shared scene, you both are responsible for giving it life.
6) Watch out for accidental god modding
When we think of godmodding, we often imagine someone writing out our character’s actions or feelings or outright telling us what to do. The thing is, it’s easy to do it accidentally in more subversive ways.
If you write a starter that’s clearly angled for a certain type of response or end goal, plotted or not. It can make your partner feel trapped, like their just going through the motions of your fantasy, and not your shared one.
If you haven’t plotted, ask questions like “is it okay if I say this?” if referring to their muse or past events that would involve them both. If you have plotted, than try to stick firmly to what was already discussed. Don’t embellish beyond that. You can allow things to grow naturally in the scene and continue to discuss things ooc with your partner as the thread continues.
Adding things that aren’t strictly locked to your own muse is another way of godmodding without realizing it. You are eliminating your partner’s ability to decide and choose things for themselves.
6) Communicate
Regardless if you plotted or not, it’s okay to admit it if you are stuck. Sometimes some scenes are fun to plot but don’t lend themselves to writing as a thread as easily. Sometimes you need to talk a little more to get creative juices flowing. Do not be afraid to reach out.
7) Accept that not all starters will be knockouts.
Sometimes a starter just won’t take. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It doesn’t mean their rude for not answering. Sometimes things in that set up just don’t click. Occasionally, you can fix this by taking a new approach, but sometimes you’ve gotta cut your losses and try again. It’s going to happen, and accepting that this isn’t a reflection on you can be the biggest challenge yet.
8) BE FLEXIBLE
Roleplaying is a mix of writer’s craft and drama/improv; the writer’s craft part is obvious but there are key stage rules that apply as well due to the back and forth nature of RP. Sometimes you’ll set a scene, and your partner might see a starter and take it in a direction you weren’t thinking of when you wrote it. That’s okay ( as long as it’s within both of your comfort zones).
The rule of improv is “Yes, and...”, meaning that if you expected your partner to say X but the end up saying Y, don’t go turn around in or out of character to say no it’s x.
This isn’t so much about writing starters as it is accepting that once you’ve written it, you have to let it go. It’s someone else’s to be creative with. It might not go the way you want it to, but that’s not a bad things inherently.
9) ACCEPT FEEDBACK AND GROW.
Let your craft develop by opening yourself up to notes and suggestions. You’ll become bored with writing if unchallenged and your partners will become bored of the same thing constantly. This doesn’t mean rebrand yourself a million times, but let yourself grow. There are many guides, books and activities that can help you do this !
okay so this post will be linked on my blog BUT , i have decided to make a running , changing post with google doc links that’ll feature verse dumps , extensive headcanons , expansion on certain verses , a larger bio , etc etc . so yeah idk what im saying here’s the verse dump lmao.
alt. title: your knee-jerk reactions are only digging you a deeper hole.
NOTE: this guide is intentionally general. it aims to be a starting point for evaluating your behaviour when you’ve been called out for doing or saying something offensive and hopefully prevent you from causing more harm, by giving into knee-jerk reactions. specifically, it is aimed at those who’ve caused harm to a minority group they are not part of; this guide is not intended to apply to discourse within specific communities about community-specific issues.
so, someone has called you out for doing something problematic or harmful. maybe they’ve written a post about you and your behaviour. you’re probably feeling strongly about it and want to respond or defend yourself, but what you don’t realise is what you’re about to let loose is only going to do more harm -- the last thing you or anyone should want in this situation.
before you start hitting that keyboard, here are some common phrases that pop up time and time again in these situations, the issues with them, and what you should do instead of saying them.
“i’m not [racist/homophobic/thing you’ve been called out for] !!!”
✘ defensiveness is a common reaction, but it’s not really appropriate. as an outsider to the minority group you’ve harmed, it’s not for you to decide what or who is harmful. if members of a community are calling you this, you’ve obviously done something to prompt it, so listen to what they’re saying.
✘ don’t compare yourself to other people who have been accused of the same thing. it doesn’t matter if you believe john doe said something “worse”, you both have shit to work on.
✔ try thinking about why people in the group you’ve harmed have labelled you as such by reflecting on your words/actions. if you still don’t understand, head to google and, after that, ask why what you said/did is considered problematic (but also note that no one is obligated to educate you).
“i didn’t intend to be [x].”
✘ while this might be reassuring to you and your personal feelings, it’s not relevant. your intent is secondary to the harm you’ve caused, so it shouldn’t be given as a defence for your behaviour.
✘ it also serves as shifting the blame onto those who have been hurt by your actions, putting the focus on how they took what you said/did, rather than the fact you did it in the first place.
✔ realise your intent doesn’t matter. understand that continuing to use this defence shifts blame, which is the opposite of taking responsibility for your actions.
“i’m sorry i hurt your feelings/you were offended by what i did.”
✘ this is not a sincere apology as you are not apologising for the harmful thing you did, but the fact that someone was hurt/offended -- i.e. you are making it about how the person affected by your actions took it, when the issue lies with what you did.
✔ own your actions and take responsibility for them. apologise properly and sincerely; don’t pass the buck.
“you hurt my feelings by getting mad/calling me out !!!”
✘ that’s unfortunate, but your feelings do not and will never matter more than the fact you have done something harmful.
✘ once again, you are shifting the blame onto those who have been hurt and demonising them for speaking up about your actions.
✔ understand that, like your intent, your feelings are not the focus here. again, you are in the wrong and should be taking responsibility for your actions.
“you’re giving me [mental health issue] !!!”
✘ DO NOT USE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AS A TOOL TO GET PEOPLE OFF YOUR CASE. I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS HAS TO BE SAID.
✔ understand that you’re shifting blame/the focus onto you etc. also realise that your mental health issues don’t give you a free pass to do harm to others. you still have to take responsibility for your actions, regardless.
“my [minority] friend said--”
✘ your friend does not speak for a whole community, nor do their views invalidate those of others. opinions vary and your job as an outsider is to do no harm to anyone, regardless of whether your friend says otherwise.
✔ realise that you can still be harmful to a group regardless of how many connections you have to it. listen to multiple opinions from outside of your social circle, so you get a well-rounded view and understanding of why your actions were wrong.
“what i did wasn’t even that bad !! it was only a small mistake !!”
✘ you don’t know this; it is a baseless claim. if you’re not part of said minority group, you have no idea of scale. you don’t know how seriously your actions have affected people, because you have no understanding of what being part of that community is like. by saying the above, all you’re doing is minimising the struggles of that group and the impact of what you’ve done.
✘ let’s say you’re correct and it was a “minor” faux pas, your actions have still contributed to a wider issue of discrimination that a minority group faces. you are still part of the problem.
✔ realise your perception of the level of harm you’ve done is skewed and that you are incapable of making a judgement on it, as you are not part of the group you’ve harmed.
“getting mad doesn’t help anyone !!! you should approach people nicely or they won’t listen !!”
✘ people will get mad when you’re causing them harm, that is just human behaviour. moreover, people have to deal with this in their day-to-day lives, so it’s silly to expect them to put emotion aside when someone is contributing to the bullshit they face, in a place where many go to escape that.
✘ oppression and discrimination are serious issues, with real-world consequences, so minorities have a right to be angry when seeing people perpetuate this online.
✘ all policing tone achieves is prioritising the way someone expresses themselves over the content of what they’re saying.
✘ people don’t listen, regardless. implying that the only reason discrimination is still rife is because minorities haven’t been “nice enough” in addressing it puts the responsibility on the people who are being oppressed. those causing the harm are the problem, not those being harmed.
✔ know that people’s anger is valid and that them directing it at you, after you did something harmful, is also. concentrate on the content of what they’re saying and realise that their reaction speaks volumes about the impact of your words/actions.
“how am i supposed to know if you won’t educate me ???”
✘ understand no one is obligated to educate you. it’s very privileged and entitled to demand this from people, at the expense of their own time and often mental health.
✘ there are plenty of resources out there written by members of minority groups who educate people for a living and plenty more blogs etc. that are happy to answer any questions you might have. google is free; demanding education from someone you’ve harmed is highly inappropriate and disrespectful.
✔ try seeking out information yourself. as mentioned above, there are countless resources out there. none of us were born knowing everything; you are the only person responsible for correcting your behaviour and doing the necessary research to ensure you’re not causing harm.
✔ it’s okay to ask community members for help, but don’t demand it of them. lots of people are willing to answer any questions, but let it be on their terms; they’re doing you a big favour and going out of their way to help.
hopefully, that’s enough to give anyone reading this some food for thought or some guidance about how to deal with being called out.
the best thing you can do in this situation is always to take responsibility for your actions, understand why you were wrong, apologise for the harm you’ve caused, and work on doing better in the future. that’s all it takes, folks !
