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The communication of ideas, or emotions primarily through symbols, or images. Pictographs are used as an alternative to dialogue, or inner monologue, and serve as a more visual way to show what a character wants, feels, or is thinking about.

Pictographs are usually contained within a speech bubble, or thought bubble, but the term may apply to various situations in which interpretive symbolism is used as a narrative mechanism.

Very common, abstract, or basic symbols are generally excluded from this tag if they appear outside of a text container.

For general visual information used as interpretive, or communicative symbolism that is not being directly communicated from a character, use pictogram instead. The pictogram category includes most static usages (signs, labels, notifications, instruction manuals, etc).

For images that are part of a text messaging system generally fall under emoji instead.

Categories

• mental_pictographics

Common symbolism

• <3
• check_mark
• egg (Impregnation symbol)
• Facial expressions through dialogue / inner monologue
• food
• eggplant
• peach_(fruit)
• Fullness meters / indicators - meter
• gender_symbol
• iconography
• cross-popping vein (also known as "anger vein")
• blush_symbol
• frustration_cloud
• sweatdrop_(iconography)
• knotting_symbol
• lock_symbol
• musical_note
• no_symbol

Does not typically apply to punctuation (..., ?, !, ?!).

See also

• tag_group:narrative_elements

• Wikipedia article on pictogram
• emanata
• grawlixes
• iconography
• speech_bubble
• symbol
• lewd_symbolism - commonly used pictographics for sex and other lewd acts
• text
• dialogue
• inner_monologue