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laurasimonsdaughter · 4 months ago

Note

Could you send me a link to your sequel to The Swineherd?

Ehhhh, I wrote that a full 10 years ago, at the end of 2014. I think I did put it up on FictionPress once, but I took it down ages ago.

You're very kind for asking and I will put the story under the read more, but...the passage of time etc. etc.

Also, it doesn't include the story that came before, so it will make more sense if you read Andersen's tale first.

What of the banished princess?

The emperors daughter, driven off by her father, abandoned in the woods, sat down sadly and bowed her head. Her cooking pot and magic rattle did not bring her joy now, she was all alone and so desperate that big tears ran down her pretty face.

She was so engrossed in her own misery that the princess did not hear at first that a set of wagons was approaching. When she finally looked up they were quite close. The wagons were laden with cloth and timber and heavy trunks and a cheerful looking couple smiled at her from the first of the two.

“Look here, look here,” said the plump woman sitting on the wagon box. “A fine lady sitting all alone on a tree stump.”

The wagons halted and the woman and man looked at her. They did not seem unfriendly, but the princess was scared nonetheless.

“Who are you then, fine lady?” the man asked cheerfully.

The princess dared not say she was the emperor's daughter. They would not believe her, and besides, she could not go back there. So perhaps she wasn’t the emperors daughter any more.

“I am an actress,” she said. “But…but I’ve been left behind by my company.” She knew actresses belonged to travelling companies, for there had been a few performances at the palace.

“Och, dearie” the woman said sympathetically. “But then you are in good company, for we are all of us performers. Your troupe must have gone on to the next town, climb up and perhaps you will still catch them.”

The princess climbed up on the wagon box and smiled weakly at the couple. “Thank you,” she said.

“They’ve had you playing the princess too long!” joked the man. “You sound right posh!” And he roared with laughter.

The woman merrily laughed along and the princess tried to look amused. The man urged his horses and called to the wagon behind and so they all set off together.

The princess listened to the happy chatting of the travelling company until they reached the town the woman had spoken of and the wagons stopped at the inn.

“There we are, girly,” the woman said. “Now, where might your company have gone?”

The princess summoned all her courage. “To be honest I had much rather stay with you, if I may,” she said. “They were never very nice to me and you are.”

The woman laughed heartily. “Life’s too short to be unpleasant to people,” she said. “But we don’t do much in the way of fine acting, girly. We do farces and tricks, things to make the folks laugh. Is there anything you can do in that line of entertainment?”

The princess wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but she thought of her playthings that she still had with her, now wrapped in her fine silk shawl.

“I can predict what people are eating all over the city,” she said. “And I have a wonderful rattle that can play every waltz and jig you’ve ever heard of.”

The woman clapped her hands. “Well that surely is a good start!” she said. “You can gather a crowd with your fortune telling and we shall see about your music for in between acts. We don’t perform any fine dancing, but every crowd likes a jig!”

Before the princess could answer the doors of the wagon opened and four children tumbled out.

“There you are, my sleepyheads!” the man called out. “Go and great girly over there.”

The children crowded around the princess and asked her who she was and where she came from and what she could do. And when she’d told them they asked to see her rattle and asked to see her predicting cooking pot and they would have asked a million things more, had their mother not told them it was time for them to go into town and advertise their presence.

So the children, clad in brightly coloured clothes, ran down the streets, yelling and laughing and jumping like acrobats.

“Come along,” the woman told the princess as the motley crew began to take the trunks off the wagon. “We’ll get us some rooms and you out of that cumbersome costume.”

So the princess changed out of her clothes of satin, silk and lace and put on borrowed clothes.

“You look just as fine as I did when I still fit that dress,” the woman laughed. And she took down the princess’ elaborate up-do and braided her hair sensibly down her back. When the princess looked at herself in a small mirror she hardly recognised herself.

“The children will be back before long and the lads will have put up the stage soon enough in this fine weather, let me see what that rattle of yours can do and see if we can’t make some music to draw a crowd.”

The princess had much rather stayed inside, but she told herself: “I am a performer now and these people are very nice to me, so I must go out and try to be entertaining.” The princess had never needed to be entertaining before, because a princess must always be entertained by others.

But she bravely went out onto the town square where the stage was being built and started to swing the rattle. Wonderful dancing music streamed through the air. Soon the children came running and started dancing and frolicking. The princess laughed and she started dancing herself. She swung the rattle high above her head and whirled round and round with the children.

Passers-by slowed down to watch them and a small crowd began to gather. The man climbed on top the still-bare stage and called out in a strong, melodic voice:

“Come one! Come all! Come for the music, stay for the comedy!”

The children darted into the crowd and took people by the hand to dance with them. Some young men led laughing girls into the clearing and soon lots of people were dancing and laughing and whirling.

The man and woman who led the theatre troupe were very pleased. They could tell the princess was not used to this kind of thing at all, but she made the most wonderful music and she was pretty and merry, and that is worth a lot in entertainment.

The play was a great favourite with the crowd and in between acts there were tumblers and jokes and juggling, and the princess cooked a stew in her magical pot until the little bells started singing and the princess mysteriously waved her fingers through the smoke and then said:

“Your wife is cooking you meatloaf, sir,” or: “The maid is letting the roast apples burn, ma’am.”

And the people all laughed and told her that they’d see about that when they came home, but they tipped her very well. After all, predicting the future was one thing, predicting what’s for dinner is quite another.

So the first performance was a great success and they could all return to the inn with high hopes for tomorrow.

The following performance was even more popular. And so many people asked to see the girl that could predict so accurately what was being cooked for dinner, that the princess stood stirring her cooking pot until the very moment the first act began.

The woman was extremely pleased. “You’re a great addition to our company,” she said. “I’m not sorry you were left behind in that forest!”

The princess was not really sorry any more either. She liked the band of actors, who were all so eager to be on stage. She liked the hustle and bustle of laughing people and wondering children. She even liked the stains on her skirt and the runs in her stockings, for that meant she needn’t be so careful all the time.

The troupe left the town and went on to another and the princess stayed with them. She laughed and sung with the children. She tried her best to help the woman with cooking and laundry and dishes, even though she was not very good at it.

In this way the princess went from town to town and as time passed she began to forget the pleasures of life at court. She cut up her silk and satin clothes to make costumes for her new companions.

The princess learned to proclaim and sing, but also to clean and cook. She learned many things and they replaced her perfect vowels, cross-legged curtsies and even the one song she could once play on the piano.

After a while the woman was less anxious to always keep the princess by her side and sometimes she rode in the wagon with the other actors, or walked behind it with one of the young actors, who was so good at fine speeches and tumbling somersaults. He was a kind, cheerful fellow and the princess liked him. He taught her how to join in the puppet show, which could perform even where there was no room for a stage. And he saved the best bedding for her whenever they were obliged to sleep on the road for a night or two.

One day the young man said: “We’ll be passing by the emperor’s palace and pa says we might try to get a gig there.”

The princess felt very strange, but she said: “Oh, I would like to play the palace. I played there once before.”

He had always thought that the pretty girl must have been a very fine actress and he asked what her part had been.

“I played the princess,” she answered. “And very convincingly too.”

“I’m sure you did!” laughed he.

The closer they got to the palace, the more nervous the princess became. She wondered if her father would recognise her and then she wondered even harder if she would want him to.

The wagons stopped in the palace courtyard and several servants and their children ran out to hear news from far away and to see if there was any novelty to be had.

The emperor heard the consternation and said: “What is all that racket?”

“A theatre troupe, your highness,” a footman said with a bow. “Actors, dancers and acrobats, come to amuse the court with your permission.”

The emperor walked to the window and looked down. He saw the wagons and besides them he saw a rag tag of cheerfully clad people. They were laughing and bowing and jumping about. Men were cracking jokes and children were playing and a merry girl sat atop one of the wagons, swinging her bare feet.

“Send them away!” the emperor ordered, turning his head from the sight of such dirt poor happiness. “I am in no mood for their antics!”

The footman bowed and hurried downstairs.

So the theatre company piled into their wagons again and left. They laughed at the grumpy emperor and waved at the cheering children that ran with them for a while.

“His loss,” laughed the young actor.

“And who needs him!” cried the princess, sitting beside him on the wagon, and she laughed with relief.

So now they laughed together, nicely side by side on the wagon box and the woman riding behind them thought they looked uncommonly well together.

The young actor must have thought so too, because a week later he brought the princess a stray kitten that he had found and asked if she’d like to go dancing with him.

The princess was delighted, she’d always wanted a kitten and she the young actor more than any other, and laughed at him for thinking she might not want to go dancing with him.

So out dancing they went, and come back laughing they did. And one fine summer day a wedding was held with bright colours and loud voices and merriment all about.

Only the bride frowned one frown, when she thought of her old father. But right at that moment a nightingale burst out into a sweet song and chased the frown away. So the bride laughed and danced and the groom leaped over the bonfire for joy.

And if the mirth at the wedding is any indication for happiness in married life, it is sure to say that neither the bride nor the groom would ever want for anything from that day on.

#I had to go dig in my archives for this #I did change it a little here and there because I couldn't help myself #laura drabbles

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android-anthology-hub · 2 months ago

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Caretakers

“So, why then do you wish to work for us? Biorobotics is a challenging field.” “Honestly?” she looked past the Overseer, her gaze tracing the fine circuits and servos that glimmered in the light. “Hoping to be a designer one day.” The Overseer walked around the front of her desk, watching the smaller woman through the eyes of the drones, “Ambitious, miss Himari..."

Here is another character short, this time exploring Himari's past. Before she joined the Workshop, before she'd changed...

Explore this story below the cut, on Ao3, Fictionpress, and Tapas (Parts One and Two).

OS-R-311 was unlike any model she'd seen before. Most androids were built with function in mind, shaping the body to purpose. But this android was a showcase, every joint and bit of metal polished and beautiful. She stood with authority, golden mechanical eyes studying her from across the desk.

“You may refer to me as Overseer 311 or simply Overseer,” the android said, straightening her dark gray suit as she sat down. “And you must be-”

“-Himari. People just call me Himari, ma'am,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for taking the time to see me.”

Overseer 311 smiled as she leaned back in her chair, tapping the link in her temple. A pair of drones whirred to life at her command, orbiting them both with a dull hum.

Her office didn't feel like something that belonged in a factory. It was more like an art gallery, with glass cases and projection panels lining the walls. Every case held a display - skeletons, musculature, and nerves rendered in ivory plastic; standing out against the white, golden circuits and machinery were woven into the displays. But the case behind the Overseer - a towering wall of glass - was the most eye-catching. Clean and polished cybernetics hung suspended within, arranged into a human figure, the mechanics of the android body laid bare.

“Now then, Miss Himari, your record is certainly an impressive one,” Overseer 311 mused, eyes flickering as the projection panel in her desk ignited.

A wall of projected light rose between them, the records of Himari's entire life laid out like the display.

She sorted through Himari’s history with a single gesture, “Full member of the medical union for five years, with licenses in cybernetics as well as mechatronics. A rather eclectic work history.”

“Mechs were the family business, ma'am,” Himari said, leaning forward with a smile. “I’ve learned the trade since I was small.”

“And yet you chose to study medicine.”

“That I did.”

“So, why then do you wish to work for us? Biorobotics is a challenging field.”

“Honestly?” she looked past the Overseer, her gaze tracing the fine circuits and servos that glimmered in the light. “Hoping to be a designer one day.”

The Overseer walked around the front of her desk, watching the smaller woman through the eyes of the drones, “Ambitious, miss Himari. But it takes more than ambition to design models for us.”

Himari rose to her feet, standing firm despite how the android towered over her, “I'm aware. I'm prepared to do the work, to earn that title.”

“So you are,” Overseer 311 said, the doors to the factory sliding open with a mere wave of her hand.

Himari had done her research on how androids were made. And still, the scale of the factory astounded her. All around the factory floor were bays of assembly tanks, androids of varying stages floating in bio-polymer fluid. The air was filled with the hum of life support, countless machines working tirelessly to bring the androids to life.

Moving about on the factory floor were the caretakers, going from tank to tank, keeping a watchful eye on their patients.

“You'll be joining a crew of caretakers for one of our batches,” Overseer 311 said, her drones flanking close to Himari on either side. “You understand the length of your contract?”

“Three years,” Himari said, fighting back a grin as she watched robotic limbs go to work inside the tanks.

“Very good. Your job is to monitor the construction and development of the batch. Once they are online, you are to help assess before they are shipped.”

Himari bit her cheek in thought as she followed the Overseer, curiosity burning in her mind.

"Ma'am, if I may-" Overseer 311 paused at the door to another chamber within the factory, golden eyes glinting with curiosity. "-I... I've never seen a model like you. I mean, support androids have wireless uplinks, sure. But I've never seen... You're fully integrated! Sharing senses across multiple systems, directing them at a whim."

She tilted her head as her two drones circled her in a slow orbit, “Miss Himari, understand that my model is proprietary to this facility. I am designed to assist and oversee the staff from anywhere in this factory.” she stepped so close that Himari had to stare up at her to meet those golden eyes, “Does this satisfy your curiosity…?”

“Incredible,” she whispered as she stumbled back. “Your designer, your caretakers, they must be proud. I know I would be.”

The Overseer pulled back, a curious look on her face, “I… I like to think they are.” she beckoned Himari into the chamber beyond, lit at first by the many monitors within, “Now then, we still need to create your imprint.”

The chamber lit up once they were inside, the noise of the factory floor vanishing as the door hissed shut. Code rippled and streamed over the monitors mounted on the walls. Images - memories - flickered from the projection panels built into the consoles that dominated the room.

“I-I've never heard of an imprint,” Himari said, watching the dream-like memory of an android learning their first word.

“Despite the circuitry incorporated within, android brains still behave much like a human’s. And so they require a human touch,” Overseer 311 led Himari into a glass booth at the center of the room. “As part of their basic programming, we imprint them onto their caretakers. This protects the health of the batch and ensures they will recognize and trust you.”

With a wave of her hand, the Overseer made the rest of the chamber vanish. The projectors within the booth enveloped everything in light, before resolving into the image of a dormitory. Trees were scattered about the strangely peaceful space, and light panels provided simulated sun from overhead.

This–It had to be another part of the factory. Somewhere for the androids. Maybe the workers too?

“All you have to do is interact with me,” she said, moving Himari across from her.

“With you…?”

The Overseer’s gaze flicked to the side, a prompt window projecting just above her head, “You have a script, Miss Himari. Follow it and you’ll be fine.”

Himari looked at her hands, uncertainty weighing heavy in her chest.

Was it really that simple? Just a few words and they’d just trust her?

Overseer 311 took her by the hands as she spoke, drawing her attention, “It is a simple call and response. Talk to me as you would a patient, Miss Himari.”

She took a breath and closed her eyes, centering herself.

Focus on the job…

She shook her head and went to work, striding along the aisle of assembly tanks she’d been assigned.

The floor boss walked alongside her, hardly even glancing at her, “We usually test newbies on a single model batch. But you’ll be working with us on what the suits call a ‘Multi-Service Batch’.” he chuckled - more to himself than her - and leaned against one of the tanks as Himari took her time to examine the tank’s readouts, “I wouldn’t have put a newbie on an assortment like this, but you got dropped on me from on high.”

“So…” she did her best to ignore his dismissive tone as she focused on the work. “What models are we working with?”

Her boss just raised a brow and jabbed a thumb to the tanks behind him, “No better way to get the hang of things than to check it yourself, newbie.”

“Stop calling me that,” she muttered, keeping her voice even as she went to check the readouts on the next tank. “I have a name–”

“Well, hold onto that for next year, if you’re still here by then,” her boss lightly punched her shoulder, walking off across the bay. “For now, you better get a move on, newbie!”

“Son of a…!” Himari grit her teeth, rubbing her shoulder with a frustrated growl, and turned back to the tank.

She buried herself in her work, moving along with her fellow caretakers. She studied the readouts of each tank, noting down the models as she went. They were working a batch of fifty, half of them were all industrial models. The rest were slated for security and emergency rescue.

She couldn’t help but smile at the golden-haired android floating in the tank in front of her, laying a hand on the glass.

They were still in their infancy, but already she could see what they’d be in the future. She could almost picture it, the android’s figure stepping through fire and smoke to rescue a survivor.

“You’re gonna save people someday,” she mused to herself with a proud smile. “Let’s get you there, hmm?”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” one of her fellow caretakers said, leaning against the neighboring tank.

“Wouldn't do what exactly, Mr…?”

“Samuels,” he said with a gentle smile. “You don’t wanna get too attached at the beginning. Odds are we’re gonna lose a few.”

“Wha–” Himari blinked, confusion and disbelief settling in as she looked back at the tank and the sleeping android inside. “I thought they would have–”

“Fixed it? Look… There’s always gonna be mistakes that show up. Sometimes there’s just something wrong with the template, some flaw in the cloning process. Don’t take it too personally when you lose your first one.”

“I’m not… Isn’t there anything we can…?”

“We all lose one eventually… We can help, sometimes. But others… They’re just broken from the start,” he said with a shrug. “But it could be worse. I had a whole batch fail once, genetic errors,” he chuckled and shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice. “Someone up in the labs got fired over that, I’m sure.”

“You don’t know?” Himari asked, clenching her fists tight at her sides.

“You’ll get used to it. They don’t tell us anything other than what they have to.”

She went to the next tank over by Samuels, her hands aching from how tight she’d been holding them.

Just focus on the job. That’s all she had to do.

She closed her eyes, took a shaking breath, and got back to work.

She would fix it, she just had to get higher up the ladder first.

“Hey,” Samuels laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. “Don’t think you’re alone in this. This whole crew’s gonna have three whole years to get to know each other. So, lean on us. Okay, newbie?”

“I’m not–” Himari bit her cheek, speaking softer as she looked at him. “My name’s Himari…”

“Himari,” he hummed, nodding along as he moved on to the next tank in his lineup. “Like the sound of it.”

She smiled to herself a little as she worked, watching the android’s projected growth on the tank monitor.

Maybe three years wouldn’t be so bad…

The years passed, the work continued, and Himari watched them all grow before her eyes. Each had the same face, the same genetic template. And yet she quietly named a few - under her breath - when no one else could hear.

She could see how different they would be. It wasn’t how they were built, the way the cybernetics shaped them. It was in the way that they moved. How they stirred in their three-year-long sleep, every little expression that flitted across their faces as they dreamed.

“Okay…” she hummed to the android inside the tank, smiling at them as if they could see her, hear her. “Looks like your construct download is going just fine. Polymer circuits are integrating and cybernetics…” she idly tapped the console screen, watching as mechanical fingers curled and flexed at her instruction, “Okay, cybernetics are operational. Half a year and you should be moving around just fine.”

“How are our patients?” Samuels called out from down the aisle.

“They’re in the green, developing on time,” she called back. “I’m looking forward to meeting ‘em!”

He chuckled softly, shaking his head as he moved across the bay to check on the rest of the tanks, “Aren’t we all, Himari. Aren’t we all…”

“Look alive everybody!” the floor boss barked out, stomping along the bays as the assembly tanks finally began to drain. “Three years of work! Let’s make it across the finish line!”

The androids began to stir for the first time, eyes fluttering as they started to come online. Some choked and sputtered as the fluid drained below their faces, their first breaths in a new world.

“Himari,” the floor boss called out, his attention more on the androids than her. “What have we got?”

Himari tried to keep her hands steady, fumbling with the panel as she checked the readouts of the tanks, “Forty-six coming online. Vitals are holding… They’re no longer on life support!”

The tension broke as a cheer cascaded up and down the bays, the excitement of the moment numbing the ache that sat in Himari’s chest.

They’d lost four…

The tanks lowered to the floor and slowly began to open. At first, many only leaned against the supports, coughing and gasping as they breathed for the first time. But one by one the androids began to step out, their caretakers at the ready for those that stumbled. Himari quickly steadied the one closest to her as they emerged, holding them up.

They looked to her as they held her arm and all she could do was smile, small and proud, “Welcome to the world.”

Even after the month they’d spent running them through their paces, Himari couldn’t help but watch as the first airships were loaded up. They’d be heading off soon to deliver the androids - their androids - to wherever they were needed.

“Do you ever think to check?” she asked softly, looking out towards the sunset as it painted the open sky.

“Think to check what?” Samuels asked with an exhausted shrug.

“On the androids,” she said, nudging his shoulder with a small smile. “Ya know, after they’re rolled out.”

What had been a smile slowly fell as Samuels looked at the horizon, “Don’t…”

“What? I’m just curious.”

“And I'm telling you, don’t. Company doesn’t pay us to make house calls. Nor do they want them.”

“I…” Himari shook her head, thumping her fist on the docking bay floor. “Don’t you wonder?”

Samuels sighed and ran a hand over his face, giving her a tired smile, “Of course I did, when I first started…”

She frowned in thought as she stared at him, “What happened?”

“Got over it,” he said, but she didn’t think he believed it either. The look on his face was too worn, too hurt, “You see enough batches, the novelty wears off. You get used to it.”

She… She didn’t know what to say. And she tried. She tried to think of something. But, whatever she thought of she knew he’d already heard it, already said it himself once…

She hated the quiet pity on his face as he smiled and lied to her face, “They’re just numbers, ‘Mari. Sooner you get used to it, the easier the job gets…”

It felt like a lifetime since they’d talked on that docking bay floor. In some ways it was. A lifetime of mistakes…

Himari rolled her shoulders, wincing as she strode through the workshop. Sunlight poured in through the skylight above, so much warmer than the cold lights of the factory. Even the machinery felt warmer, well worn with use and care.

It was home, plain and simple.

She called out, racing up the steps to the common room and into their little makeshift infirmary off on the side, “Alright! Let’s help get our guest patched–”

She froze, staring at the android on her table, their body covered with burns and scars across their skin.

It had been years, but she knew that face. She’d watched them grow up before her eyes after all…

They were hurt - blood and polymer leaking through cracks in their cybernetics, and still, they smiled when they saw her, “Hello… H-Hello again - miss Himari.”

“You… You remember me?” Himari shook her head, quickly getting to work as she checked their injuries. “L-Let’s get you patched up…”

“Miss Himari?” her heart ached at the sound of their voice, like they didn’t blame her at all, like they still trusted her after all this time.

“Y-Yes?”

“It’s good to see you again, miss,” they said with a smile that made her resolve crack.

She shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help but smile back, her voice shaking, “It’s good to finally see you again too.”

They winced and clutched their shoulder as a short surged through the circuits and nerves in their arm. Worry twisted in Himari’s gut as she looked over the cybernetic limb with care.

“Will I… Will I be okay?”

“Everything will be alright,” she whispered, more to herself than them.

And yet- “Now that you’re here…” -that half-remembered phrase echoed back at her, made her stare at them.

She cradled their face in her hands, brushing their golden hair like a child she’d lost and found again.

She wasn’t their caretaker anymore. Maybe she should never have been. They’d deserved better than her youthful ambitions, better than the burden she’d helped make them for. And yet-

“I mean it,” she said, soft and desperate. They had to know she meant it, that it was more than just the imprint, “You’re safe here and I… I-I’ll help you, I promise.”

-she was proud. Damn her heart, she was proud to see them still standing, to see this life she’d made still here. They had done so much to help people, that much she was sure. Now, it was her turn.

They closed their eyes, relief on their face as they leaned into her hand, “Thank you, miss Himari…”

#Caretakers #d'anna android detective #science fiction #original fiction #character short #Himari

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mohgreal · 5 months ago

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PSA type post for people who use ao3 (mostly meant for people in the elden ring fandom who keep complaining about the fandom incest)

Frist of all, I think I should mention that ao3 is a anti-censorship site and if I remember correctly the creators ship lots of incest and whatnot. The main reason it gets targeted by things like KOSA bill is because it's anti-censorship. This is why you're not supposed to do things like tag petplay with "petp!ay" because 1) this isn't tiktok 2) people who filter it out will see the censored tag

If you really don't like things like incest, rape, abuse, and etc, you have wattpad and fanfiction.net and fictionpress and a bunch of other fan fiction sites right there.

Secondly, you can filter out things on ao3. People don't even know how to use the tagging system. If you want to avoid romance in general, click the "gen" category when searching for a fic.

Second option, you can choose the tag "No romance" or "No smut" and etc.

Funny enough it looks like not many people choose this tag because it's almost all of my fanfiction. A certified mohgreal fanfic is one of the first things that pop up.

So, if people aren't using the tag you can also just filter out tags like rape, smut, abuse, incest or even ships.

How?

Well here's a link to a tutorial:

Note that if you choose this route, it may filter out almost every single subfic (any fic that uses a tag akin to the ones you used) and that you may filter out almost every fic on ao3 ever; Which is why I recommend using a different site for lighter fanfiction.

That's all good luck and godspeed 🫡

#mohgreal posts #elden ring #eldenring #ao3 #fanfiction #psa

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iloveyou-writers · 8 months ago

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In case you all haven't noticed, I've decided to stay. I don't recall if I've made an official announcement about it.

I have already deleted most of my actual writing blogs, other than my main, but even that blog, I'm planning to delete all actual writing and just post about writing and life on it. I don't plan to post my writing anymore. I'll post links to the other sites where I have been posting them.

I also might or might not create a blog for writing advice again, now that I've decided to stay but I haven't decided yet. I'll let you all know. But yeah. As of now, I went from having 10+ blogs to I think 5? I kept writeblrsvoid, this one, my main, whozzat writer and the writeblrrag blog.

So yeah, I'll perhaps be around more coming up, but I won't be posting my actual writing itself anymore. :) if you all want to see my writing, you can find me on quotev, fictionpress and wattpad.

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rontra · 12 days ago

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Could you please send me a link to brilliancey I'm having trouble accessing fictionpress

hi! thanks for being interested (and/or nostalgic), but it's not available and i'd prefer to keep it that way. the same is true for the other story you mentioned (with the shot glass thing).

if i write it again, that'll be the way. for now, there is no way. but i hope you can still enjoy my doodles of the goobers!

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zoanzon · 2 months ago

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If you've seen the post circulating around that HR9495 - the bill to strip nonprofits of their tax-exemption - is a credible threat to AO3 and to download your fic, you may or may not be going 'oh fuck'. This might be because 9495 is a fucking abominable document...or it might be because you're like me and you have far too many fics to download one at a time.

Well, this is a bit quicker-and-dirtier than the post I'd planned on making next month, but as it's needed now:

Bulk Downloading from Ao3

Nianeyna has a program up on Github that can download Ao3 fics in bulk. You give it a starting URL (such as the start of your Bookmarks, or someone else's Works page) and tell it to either stop at a certain page or to keep going until it downloads the whole range. If you don't have code experience, that's fine, the linked page has a basic walkthrough on how to download and initialize the program.

Now, if you're also worried about fiction on other sites too...

Downloading from Fanfiction.net, SpaceBattles, SufficientVelocity, QuestionableQuesting, & More [WITHOUT Embedded Pictures]

Have you heard of FicHub? You have now.

FicHub only goes on fic at a time, and if you try and feed it too many URLs too quick it'll time out and you have to wait a bit to let it 'cool down', but it was the first program I encountered that could not only download fics from FF.Net, but also the forums where the Worm fandom is found.

Plus, that's not all it download from. To quote FicHub's site:

Supported Sites SpaceBattles, SufficientVelocity, QuestionableQuesting (XenForo) FanFiction.net, FictionPress Archive Of Our Own Harry Potter Fanfic Archive Sink Into Your Eyes AdultFanfiction.org Worm, Ward Partial support (or not tested recently): XenForo based sites (Bulbagarden Forums, The Fanfiction Forum, Fanfic Paradise) Fiction Alley The Sugar Quill (largely untested) FanficAuthors (minimal) Harry Potter Fanfiction (archive from pre-revival)

One thing I really like about FicHub is that it doesn't default to EPUBs. Like how Ao3's built-in downloader gives you file options, FicHub lets you choose between EPUB, a zipped HTML file, MOBI, PDF, and a 'sharable link to this export' which I've never used but sounds nice.

The downside of FicHub is that if a fic has embedded media - pictures, for example - you don't want to be using FicHub as it won't embed the picture. All it'll do is embed a link to were the picture was supposed to be drawn from. However, this isn't a concern for most-all FF fics as well as a good chunk of stuff from other sites. Just be warned that if you want media embedded, you want the next tool.

(You'll also want the next program if downloading from a forum and the OP who's fic you're downloading has a gigantic signature box: for some reason, FicHub adds the signature page to the bottom of each chapter in the document you download. Fine enough if it's a line or two, annoying if it takes up a page or more.)

Downloading from AlternateHistory.com, SpaceBattles, SufficientVelocity, QuestionableQuesting, & More [WITH Embedded Pictures]

This time we're looking at a Firefox addon: WebtoEpub.

According to its page, its download options include the following:

Baka-Tsuki.org (obviously) ArchiveOfOurOwn.org Blogspot (some) FanFiction.net. gravitytales.com hellping.org krytykal.org moonbunnycafe.com mugglenet.com nanodesu (some of the *thetranslation.wordpress.com sites) readlightnovel.com royalroad.com shikkakutranslations.org http://sonako.wikia.com And many other web sites.

It only downloads EPUBs, but if you're trying to grab a fic that has facecasts for characters, or maps, or anything like that...well, this actually grabs the pictures.

However, brief tip: I don't know how it is for any of the pages it actually lists, but if you use this for a fic from AH/SB/SV/QQ - the forums listed in the header - you want to open the page and then click the button that opens the whole index of threadmarks, and then call the function. If you don't do it that way, it won't know the full range of posts.

So, yeah...

While I hope HR9495 dies and isn't passed, it's better to prepare than to not. Even if it doesn't pass, I lived through the NC-17 purges on Fanfiction.net and saw thousands of fics vanish into the abyss; and I've seen authors delete fics or their whole collections off of Ao3 too. All that's taught me that I can't rely on just going to a bookmarked fic and expecting it to be there; if I want to be able to find and reread anything into perpetuity, I need to have a copy downloaded.

Hopefully this helps some of you download up the fics you want to have on hand, too.

#the monkey speaks #preparing for 2025 and after #he says 'its like all my birthdays have come at once'#building walls to keep the waves back (an ode to the archivists)#where did we come from (we don’t know: there’s nothing left of it)

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