Description Tokens
Tokens are words wrapped in {braces} inside a description. When
the description is shown, each token is replaced with the right word
for the viewer and the situation. Any text that is not in braces
is shown exactly as written, so you only need tokens where something
must change.
There are two kinds of tokens: pronoun tokens and
number-flexible tokens.
# subtopics
## pronouns
Pronoun tokens adapt to your character's gender and to whoever is
looking. Use the lowercase form mid-sentence and the capitalized
form at the start of a sentence.
{they} / {They} - subject (he, she, they, you)
{them} / {Them} - object (him, her, them, you)
{their} / {Their} - possessive (his, her, their, your)
{theirs} / {Theirs} - possessive absolute
{themself} / {themselves} - reflexive
A viewer looking at someone else sees third-person pronouns matching
that character's gender; the character themself sees "you/your".
Example:
A long scar runs down {their} cheek.
others see -> A long scar runs down her cheek.
you see -> A long scar runs down your cheek.
## time
Time tokens read the colony clock. They belong on timepieces —
a worn chrono, a platform clock, an integrated display — and that
is deliberate: there is no command that tells you the hour. A
character carrying nothing does not know what time it is.
{time} - 24-hour (19:32)
{time12} - 12-hour (7:32 PM)
{date} - date (Jul 30, 2126)
{datetime} - both
{hour} - hour alone (19)
{period} - vague (the small hours, morning, evening)
Use {period} for anything that does not deserve a number — a
sun-line, a sky, a device too cheap to be precise.
Example:
A scratched field chrono, its face reading {time}.
you see -> A scratched field chrono, its face reading 19:32.
Two attributes let timepieces disagree, which is the point of
owning more than one:
clock_skew minutes fast (+) or slow (-)
clock_stopped a timestamp it died at, and shows forever
## number
Number-flexible tokens let a single description read naturally
whether a body part is paired (both present) or a lone survivor
(one lost). The token flexes between plural and singular to match.
Brace the body-part noun and any verb that must agree with
it:
{Their} bright brown {eyes} {accent} {their} skin.
both present -> Their bright brown eyes accent their skin.
one present -> Their bright brown eye accents their skin.
The recognised part nouns are the symmetric pairs: eye, ear, arm,
hand, thigh, shin, foot. A single braced word that is not one of
these is treated as a verb and conjugated to match.
Articles: brace {an eye} (or {a hand}) to let the
article appear only in the singular form and drop in the plural.
The article re-agrees a/an automatically.
Caveat: if you put an adjective between the article and the noun,
omit the article from the brace and write it plainly, so the plural
stays clean. Prefer:
{eyes} of pale jade not {an eyes} of pale jade
## verbatim
Braces are entirely optional. A description with no tokens is shown
verbatim, exactly as you typed it. Use tokens only where the wording
must change for the viewer (pronouns) or for missing body parts
(number). Check your spelling inside braces. A braced word the
resolver does not know is treated as a verb and conjugated, so the
typo {thier} renders as thiers rather than staying on screen
with its braces. Nothing warns you; read the preview.
See also: help describe.