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[Eidre]

"This is a exceptional image of a dwarf and dwarves by Urist McEngraver.  The dwarves are refusing the dwarf.  The dwarf is making a plaintive gesture.  This engraving relates to the dismissal of Urist McUnpopular as Mayor of DoomedFortress.  The engraving of the dwarf has been defaced with silly glasses and a crude joke by an unknown malcontent."

Niche suggestion to add more color to the engravings on the walls...what if unhappy or "No Job" dwarves occasionally got out a sharp rock and made some graffiti on the nearest wall to express their angst and/or warped sense of humor?  There is certainly a vast real-world precedent for engraved graffiti all the way through human history.  Might even be worth a minor happy thought for unhappy dwarves as a minor act of vandalism (perhaps even punishable with minor jail time?).

[assasin]

I like it. But considering toadys schedual it'd probably have to wait until the crime and punishment arc.

[Eidre]

True enough.  Wanted to get an idea immortalized in the forum before I forgot about it...speaking of crime and punishment, such a bit of code would lead to the interior walls of jail cells getting a lot of graffiti (since the occupants are typically unhappy about being confined), which would, again, be entirely appropriate and colorful.

[Bumber]

Dryades eunt domus

[Eidre]

Hammerer: What's this, then? "Dryades eunt domus"? People called Elves, they go, the house?

Urist McVandal: It says, "Elves go home. "

Hammerer: No it doesn't ! What's the dwarven word for "Elf"? Come on, come on !

Urist McVandal: Er, "Dryadus" !

Hammerer: Vocative plural of "Dryadus" is?

Urist McVandal: Er, er, "Dryadi" !

Hammerer: [Writes "Dryadi" over Urist McVandal's graffiti] "Eunt"? What is "eunt"? Conjugate the verb, "to go" !

Urist McVandal: Er, "Ire". Er, "eo", "is", "it", "imus", "itis", "eunt".

Hammerer: So, "eunt" is...?

Urist McVandal: Third person plural present indicative, "they go".

Hammerer: But, "Elves, go home" is an order. So you must use...?

[He twists Urist McVandal's ear]

Urist McVandal: Aaagh ! The imperative !

Hammerer: Which is...?

Urist McVandal: Aaaagh ! Er, er, "i" !

Hammerer: How many Elves?

Urist McVandal: Aaaaagh ! Plural, plural, er, "ite" !

Hammerer: [Writes "ite"] "Domus"? Nominative? "Go home" is motion towards, isn't it?

Urist McVandal: Dative !

[the Hammerer holds a *silver warhammer* over his head]

Urist McVandal: Aaagh ! Not the dative, not the dative ! Er, er, accusative, "Domum" !

Hammerer: But "Domus" takes the locative, which is...?

Urist McVandal: Er, "Domum" !

Hammerer: [Writes "Domum"] Understand? Now, write it out a hundred times.

Urist McVandal: Yes sir. Thank you, sir. Hail the Overseer, sir.

Hammerer: Hail the Overseer! And if it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut your balls off.

[Apologies to Monty Python's Flying Circus, Terry Gilliam, and the human race in general]

[Putnam]

I like it. But considering toadys schedual it'd probably have to wait until the crime and punishment arc.

Actually, I think that this isn't altogether too out-of-the-way. There's already engraving code and vandalism is already a crime with a raw-defined punishment (ETHIC:VANDALISM:PUNISH_REPRIMAND, for example).

[kontako]

In Pompeii, graffiti was common. It was usually there to tell people who they should or shouldn't vote for, although it did include things like public recommendations or which gladiator is the best, etc. (Heres some, courtesy of the internet)

I.10.4 (exterior of the House of Menander); 8304: Satura was here on September 3rd
II.7 (gladiator barracks); 8792: On April 19th, I made bread
III.5.1 (House of Pascius Hermes; left of the door); 7716: To the one defecating here.  Beware of the curse.  If you look down on this curse, may you have an angry Jupiter for an enemy.

It definitely isn't out of the question for a group of drunken midgets to run around scratching their personal thoughts and ideas into a wall. Although should it be considered a crime if someone was caught vandalising? If an update were to come in the future which included several additions of both major and minor crimes, the option to manage the current fortress law and punishment scheme would be both useful and extremely fun. ( I honestly have no idea if any of this is already on the 'todo' list, I'm having trouble locating it... directions to it would be really helpful)

Anyway, I'm all for the idea.

[Detoxicated]

It would be nice, and FUN if the Urists would tag over the masterworks of their grudges, to piss them off.

[Baffler]

With this though would need to come the ability to remove them. It isn't enough to punish Urist McVandal for writing "Obok fondles elves" or whatever outside the king's bedchamber, it should be possible to remove whatever poorly spelled gibberish the dwarves write on the walls with the engraver skill. Just adding the ability to smooth over the walls again may well do it with minimal headache.

[kontako]

Possibly another use for plaster, it could then be further covered up by painting over plastered walls. (Another great idea there, 'painting' artworks on plastered walls and canvas)
Although that depends whether they drew, or engraved onto the wall. Engraving would probably be more common since dyes, I would imagine, would be expensive and hard to come by.

[Dirst]

Possibly another use for plaster, it could then be further covered up by painting over plastered walls. (Another great idea there, 'painting' artworks on plastered walls and canvas)
Although that depends whether they drew, or engraved onto the wall. Engraving would probably be more common since dyes, I would imagine, would be expensive and hard to come by.

Dyes already exist in DF, but engraving is more dwarfy.  I do recall seeing an Egyptian hieroglyph slab as a kid that had a mistake plastered in, so it's not unheard-of to fix an engraving.  However, if the graffiti makes the original engraving "ruined" then there isn't much difference in just smoothing it over and trying again.

Graffiti would come in three levels of increasing severity: carving into rough stone, carving into smooth stone, and carving into an engraving.  And some sort of "aggravating" circumstance if the content of the graffiti is offensive to the leadership.  Inoffensive graffiti in rough stone might not even be a crime.

[Eidre]

It would be nice, and FUN if the Urists would tag over the masterworks of their grudges, to piss them off.

Might also be a good way to create grudges or increase the intensity of existing grudges.  I can easily see prisoners (especially those imprisoned in error) developing grudges against the Mayor, Duchess, and Captain of the Guard, resulting in them scratching nasty things about them on the prison walls; for added realism, this should reduce the quality of of the walls (and furniture? statues? doors?) so they produce less happiness to those who look at them.  Prison cells (and the private quarters of unhappy dwarves) should slowly turn into depressing slums, plastered with graffiti, at least until a benevolent overseer orders urban renewal, plastering over/smoothing the offending scribbles and replacing the defaced statuary and furniture.

Also, cement (made at a kiln with limestone and sand) to repair damaged or defaced stonework.

[enriquefynn]

Hammerer: What's this, then? "Dryades eunt domus"? People called Elves, they go, the house?

Urist McVandal: It says, "Elves go home. "

Hammerer: No it doesn't ! What's the dwarven word for "Elf"? Come on, come on !

Urist McVandal: Er, "Dryadus" !
(...)

Oh man... I read that in John Cleese's voice :-)

[Karnewarrior]

With this though would need to come the ability to remove them. It isn't enough to punish Urist McVandal for writing "Obok fondles elves" or whatever outside the king's bedchamber, it should be possible to remove whatever poorly spelled gibberish the dwarves write on the walls with the engraver skill. Just adding the ability to smooth over the walls again may well do it with minimal headache.

Possibly as a passive job to keep your engravers busy, like looming or fat rendering. You could, of course, turn it off..


Not sure I like the idea of looking at it making dwarves unhappy. It might reduce the value of the room, sure, but an unhappy thought can be fatal in a fort that already has problems, which is when the graffiti would normally start rearing it's head. Though, that might be contained by a small cabal of legendary engravers, so...

[kontako]

Not sure I like the idea of looking at it making dwarves unhappy. It might reduce the value of the room, sure, but an unhappy thought can be fatal in a fort that already has problems, which is when the graffiti would normally start rearing it's head. Though, that might be contained by a small cabal of legendary engravers, so...

But that is how it would work, I imagine, in a real situation similar to what said dwarves are experiencing.
A Dwarf which is unpleased with the current mayor would wish to have his/her message heard by others, yet in an anonymous form as anyone caught badmouthing the mayor has been sent into prison.
Depending on the dwarfs traits and beliefs, he/she could either:

• Ignore the risk and speak openly to other dwarves, who would hopefully share a similar opinion.
• Prefer to stay anonymous is said situation, but inscribe into the wall something along the lines of "Ubok is a bad mayor!"
• Sit back and do nothing, out of fear

Dwarves which share similar thoughts and see the graffiti or overhear what the dwarf has to say would receive a positive thought, and would be more likely to act out as they now know others are behind them.
Dwarves which do not share similar thoughts, or thoughts which oppose what they hear or read would receive a negative thought and would be more likely to act out against these rebels.
If the graffiti were to be plastered over or removed, those who had opposed the message would receive a positive thought and those who created the graffiti would receive a negative thought.
I imagine those who supported the graffiti, yet had no part to take in it would be indifferent.

The problem that I see with the situation is that tantrums are so unspecific and are always directed towards the player as a sort of punishment. Hopefully in the future tantrums would be specific towards other dwarves, and not always end out as bloody riots including all the innocent civilians.