#lol I just properly read that URL

[radrobotz]

i was planning to finally move dc stuff to a sideblog but i keep posting abt it here 😭

[emry-stars-art]

EDIT: PENCIL HAS BEEN REPLACED AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING AGAIN!! Thank you to those who donated, you have my ENTIRE heart for now and always

Hiii I’m back to bother you all again with technical difficulties. Long story short, if I have diagnosed the problem properly, I need a new Apple Pencil! And if I’m wrong I’ll need to replace both my pencil and the iPad itself!! But (and I am sure this will surprise no one that’s read this far) - I have no money 🥲

This isn’t quite a 100% necessary expense. I still have a handful of job applications sent out that are still waiting on replies, and hopefully I’ll have some more income sooner rather than later - but since comms and art have been one of my main sources of income this year, this is gonna be a decent problem for a little bit 😅 in the meantime I’m going to reach into the void and boost some stuff and offer additional ways that maybe I can earn some money for the month!

So if you do happen to have extra cash, some ways that would help a ton: my patreon (this month’s star tier sticker is going to be an aftg mermay design of some sort or another), my etsy, my kofi shop, or plain old kofi donations. But I also wanna be able to sweeten the pot a little, so there’s more!

I’m selling a couple original pieces over on kofi as well, including Raven Kevin, the Jean & Jeremy piece, and the og mermay comic from last year 👀

I’m taking low-stakes sketch commissions, also on kofi! For 15usd you can drop an aftg/tsc sketch request, and if you want to be tagged when I post it, leave your url as well! Additional characters for a little extra, and you can drop specific reqs - give me thoughts, ideas, meme redraws, outfits, or ask for a specific scene or specific au of mine (sure is a good month for mermaids 👀). I’d also take requests of my own ocs, but unfortunately for these kinds of sketch requests I won’t be taking others ocs.

All that being said, of course I understand if donating isn’t possible for you rn, so I’m not trying to make you feel guilty about scrolling past lol. If you’d like something free to do you can also just leave a nice comment or tag on something I’ve drawn to get my mind off the issues 😅 thank you so much to all you lovely people who support me in every way, it’s literally my livelihood and makes me so happy every day to make you happy, so! I hope you all have a wonderful time zone, and I hope you’re as excited for more merms as I am 😌💕

[mamawasatesttube]

omg wait i just read your url properly for the first time and ive been following you for so long

i knew it was Something but my brain processed it as like. a language i didnt know. or a weird word combination i couldnt get. that's just straight up english and i didnt realize.

like my brain kept processing it as mamawantanabe or something.

LOL yeah its a kon quote!!

[atuats-sidechick]

second ask bc it's fun to read them (ifff you do want to do more) 1, 4, 5

Aaaaaa these are so good! Sorry for taking so long to answer <3

Long answers under the cut. Sorry if they are a bit messy (I just woke up lol)

1. Who fell for the other one first?

Hmnn so, I think when Hei-Ran first visited the NWT with Kuruk and they were in their late teens or early twenties, Atuat had a massive crush on her. I don't think they got close or even got to meet properly back then.

BUT, btw trok and tsok, Hei-Ran definetely fell first. Partially bc Atuat takes healing very seriously and wouldn’t get distracted by romance unless she had *a reason*. But I also think that Atuat is very much Hei-Ran's type?

I keep joking about her being a pillow princess, letting Jianzhu take the lead on the Avatar stuff, and basically doing nothing in trok. But maybe she's the kind of person who doesn't like to take the lead and only does when she thinks it's really important and there's no other way (which is often, cause she's a perfectionist)? And Atuat is so resolute. So I can imagine her being attracted to that.

4. What do physical trait do they love the most about each other?

SFW answers: Hei-Ran loves Atuat's hands. I've seen this HC going around that waterbenders have longer hands and I'd like to think that Atuat has particularly strong hands, so yeah, Hei-Ran loves them. Atuat loves Hei-Ran's eyes. The doe-bitch can scare anyone with just a look! Atuat finds that incredbly hot.

NSFW answers: Atuat's incredible boobs (honestly, this should have been my new url)! I think Hei-Ran is in the aro/ace spectrum and doesn't really feel strong physicial atraction. BUT she does like playing with them.

Hei-Ran's tight little butt! So, I imagine that, during recovery, Hei-Ran was incredibly anxious about regaining strenght and getting back into shape. Plus (idk if this is canon or if I imagined it bc F.C. Lee keeps talking about firebenders eating a lot) in my mind firebenders have super fast metabolisms. So, I do imagine that she put on a good amount of muscle mass back, but maybe not a lot of fat. And though Atuat worries about it, she really likes her tiny butt dgshagaj also, butt dimples

5. What personality trait do they love the most about each other?

Hei-Ran loves Atuat's confidence and how comfortable in her own skin she is. Atuat loves Hei-Ran's determination (and recklessness, though she won't admit it).

[uglypastels]

New Taglist

It's been over a year I think that I made my original Stranger Things taglist and since then -and I'm only sharing this because it is actually incomprehensible to me- over 150 people signed up to be tagged in my fics. So, first of all, I do want to thank everyone who has done so.

Unfortunately, with such a huge list, there are some problems that come up. Some people have perhaps changed their URLs, or hadn't filled them in correctly, so I have not been able to tag them properly, and also Tumblr has lovingly made a 50~ tag limit per post, which means I have to reblog my fics several times to make sure everyone gets notified which takes a lot of time and effort.

I have also realised that I would like my tag system to be a bit more specific to ensure that people get tagged in the things they want to read and not see the content they are not comfortable with, so I have made a

New Taglist

brief explanation on the update:

from now on, and let this post be an example already, tagging will be done through reblogs of my new side-blog @uglypastels-taglist. this is so I will not be clogging up people's feed, and also maybe making the notifications a bit clearer. since that account will always mean UPDATE!

I am including more questions for even more specifics when considering content/trigger warnings

I will be checking for ages. I have always said that smut is 18+ only, but I would prefer if those who want to be tagged in that content have their age specified somewhere on their blog. Minors/ageless blogs signing up for NSFW content will be removed from the lists.

No idea how it will work exactly, but I have permitted response post-editing, so you should be able to change your answers after submitting.

I am also including a question box for song recommendations for a collaborative reading playlist. just as a little fun project :).

Book Club Playlist

If you have added yourself to my old taglist and wish to remain being tagged in my fics, please fill out this new form. See it as a [completely free] subscription renewal lol

[toki-toro]

For the evil art style challenge‼️ soft lineart that's usually not black (sometimes it is but when I picture your style I picture it w/o black lineart) generally your art style looks very soft which is a little vague but I think you know what I mean. You usually use warmer and more saturated colours, especially when shading. You don't always shade but when you do it's usually smooth and not cel-shading.... your proportions and expressions are pretty realistic and not too exaggerated, and the brushes you tend to use are quite simple, as in they're not excessively textured. You also have a distinct way of drawing hands but I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is that makes them look so distinct to me (I once recognized one of your drawings as being yours just by the hands alone before I even read the url)

THIS isn’t the first time you paid really , really close attention to my art and then perfectly described it to me !! You’re literally the best for putting in your time into do that ❤️ like I feel as if I should thank you bc you explaining every detail to a T. So ty bestie lolol

I absolutely get what you mean by the hand thing lol. I have never properly learned how to draw hands so I think they’re just so bad that they’re instantly recognizable, and somehow became a staple of my style. Like seriously lmao I’m not even trying to exaggerate that. Ik artists typically make a big deal about hands being so hard to draw, and hands aren’t really even that bad. But for some reason, I’ve been drawing hands the same way for several years now and have never been able to improve upon them

I don’t exactly know why that’s the case. There really is just something about the way I draw them. Maybe its the lack of detail (compared to the rest of the drawing) and weird fingers. But it’s okay <3 I forgive my weird hands

[wavesmp3]

some of my fave rbs or asks or comments ive received... thank you all :) - no need for anyone to respond or anything to this, just really wanted to put this together more for myself - i doubt most of your remember these but i do heh [more under the cut, and perhaps lil notes too depending on the comment]

the first three!! major huge moments for me. from sha (@dinoshaur) one of the first comments i received on a work that wasn't fanfic exactly. meant the world to me then, and still does now. | from @redevenir the very very first comment (i believe) i ever ever received on the sea is yours to take,, it's been nearly 4 years since i first posted that piece and people still somehow find it, and it all started with that rb | and from choco ! @chocosvt one of the very first comments/rbs i got when i started properly writing on tumblr in 2020, this got the ball rolling on what became (and still is) such a dear passion/hobby of mine (also also can you believe i still use the mlist banner that choco oh so kindly made for me ages ago LOL its beautiful, i'll never get rid of it as long as this blog exists

and moment of silence for my old url :0

the first one... when another line of mine is quoted in another piece of mine's comments... head in hands forever. 2/3 of these were left by @gracefulweather (one for sure is, and i think the uquiz comment was also left by them but not sure) but thank you either way sherri!! | the second sc tbh i don't remember who left it but it was on tsiytt and it made me feel like i achieved something in crafting that world. although i may never revisit that world in writing, i revisit it often in my mind.

flower anon your comments meant so much to me, i hope youre still out there somewhere doing well :) | and to the other anon that left the second one, i was speechless and honored to reach that ask

@hhjs amal's comments have always made me feel like im doing something otherworldly which isn't true at all but i will forever love rereading their tags. also just amal's mind in general, i wanna pick your brain forever

n! i already made an emo missing n post but here are some comments from them lol. and the last one!!! me and water <3333 when people starting associating me with water/ocean/sea/waves too <333333

@heavenlyhaechan zahra!!! there were so many ones i could have put here but this one seemed to sum it all up. you get me :p if you see this, i hope you've been well :))

@dapingu the first and third one are just ones that make me giggle still LOL and then the second one is one that i hold so so close to me cause i had absolutely no idea if anyone would read that piece but then you did ! and you left this comment even after the fact too! i was so touched. i feel like i should personally apologize for making no moves to continue the series (and probably also for deactivating the gifts and sins blog) BUT thank you nonetheless. and as a added bonus you never failed to make me laugh so thank you also for that

@thepixelelf ursa!!!! the first one is horribly cut off but is prob one of my fave notes you ever left on a fic of mine (battling also with that one sunwoo recovery files style inspired drabble) and then ofc i couldn't not mention the 'boo you whore' comment :D also so glad to have you on this site still and to have your friendship and to look at bees and bears and think of you :) you mean the world to me

@kabira manx i think the fact that there are so many screenshots here speaks for itself like... i just simply could not bring myself to pick one !!! i am so lucky to have found you on here. i think in a way you helped me find out what i was good at and what i liked about my own writing before i even figured it out myself <3

@sagescaffeinemania the first one made me laugh and the second one makes me emo. feels like a declaration of love in way but i don't mean that in a weird way LOL i think your support on oasis singlehandedly introduced so many others to that piece, how can i ever thank you for that? and i apologize if i haven't even attempted a thank you yet

@cuppasunu KYU your bulleted comments on my silly long fics always meant so much to me ,, i know its been a very very long time but i hope you've been well

@blossom-hwa lina! best for last some might say. i mean you must know how much that oasis rb meant to me right? because it means the world. i think you calmed every doubt i had about that piece and lifted even higher everything i loved about it too. and the first sc esp, i couldn't have said it all better myself. that scene felt like i risk when i was writing it and im so glad it played out the way i was hoping it to and not the dreadful other way lol | and as for the second screenshot. really i think i love that comment because of how you wrote it more than what you said about the piece if that makes sense. one can tell from that little paragraph alone what a writer(!) you are. i love rereading that comment but i think i mainly just love reading your writing lol (dont think im not making my way through worn out soles)

[ob4yme]

🍒 for ibring1ife and timedten /anonymous clearly pfft

send me 🍒 (or cherry)  +  a url and i will write some positivity for them.

i put this under a cut because it's very long, some might say stupidly long, and extremely emotional. don't worry about it. @ibring1ife @timedten

look. i started getting properly close with you two when i was going through a really hard time. i won't go into it too much but i was in the miserable place of figuring out how to move forward after looking a lot of really difficult, uncomfortable truths straight in the eye. i felt very much unworthy of any care at all, but you both showed me so much kindness and understanding anyway. you listened, you offered your support, you watched shows with me and played games with me and made me laugh when i felt, the dramatic bitch that i am, like i would struggle to ever find a reason to smile again. i know it hasn't been too long since we all started talking, but you both mean a lot to me. you really did get me through, and i'll be forever grateful for that. (i know i come on a little strong, i know i'm a little too affectionate sometimes... that's kinda why. sorry lol)

seren, you are a treasure. i have such admiration for your artistic skill, for the creative's approach you take to the world and to the media you consume. i love reading your analysis, the quotes you send me from the books you're currently reading - i love your passion for literature and for women who are allowed to be complicated and angry and something more than human. i respect your boundless kindness, the love you always have to give, and your strong moral fibre. i love your deliberate use of metaphor and envy your keen aesthetic eye. know, today and everyday, that you are valued, cared for, and this tardis team would be worse off without you.

darian, you are BRILLIANT! god, i admired you so much for the longest time before we ever got to really talking and that opinion has only strengthened now that we've gotten to know each other properly. you're always so much fun to hang with, whether it's stardew or farscape or literally just sitting on the phone shit talking steven moffat for an hour. your edits are gorgeous, too, and you positively channel the doctor in your writing, which is itself so unique, unlike anything i've seen in all my years in the rpc. your laughter is infectious, your excitement a joy to be around - you genuinely brighten my days, and your adventurous willingness to go with me on the wildest tangents is so appreciated.

one of my favourite things about rp is weaving interconnected stories, and what we've all developed is a prime example of exactly why. i feel so deeply invested in our plotting because it's so rich and expansive and thoughtful, because the arc of it is so satisfying, because you both bring such insightful takes on your muses every time. it feels like taking this medium to its extreme, and i'm always pushed to do my best writing with you.

i've been rambling entirely too long but to close i just want to say that i hope you both know how special you are. seriously. this world is better for having you in it, and if ever you forget that or are struggling to believe it, you know where to find me. <3

[adamwarlock]

you’ve probably been asked this question before but I’m curious; how did you get into comics/Adam? and do you read things other than just cosmic stuff? <3

I was really into manga growing up (still am) and I'd read some various Marvel/DC comics as a kid but as I remember it back in 2011 I got obsessed with X-Men: First Class for a bit LOL which led me into the Marvel/comics fandom properly... Originally I was really into Thor comics actually (I STILL LOVE THOR) but at some point in late 2011/early 2012 I got influenced by an old mutual (now deactivated but they gave me this url 🫡💔) to read the Annihilation Saga. Obviously I fell in looove with GOTG and Cosmic Marvel there, then Avengers 2012 came out with the Thanos cameo and I was like Hmm I need to know more about this guy. So I started reading every Thanos comic chronologically which naturally included Adam as well and now I'm incurably insane over them. Hate to say it but this is all kinda the MCU's fault.

I used to keep up with various releases every week at one point but then I got so pissed off at Bendis/Aaron/Hickman/Marvel shitting all over GOTG/Thanos from like 2012->forward I lost faith in the company as a whole and stopped checking in. I really only actively keep up with the cosmic side of things nowadays but I do read other stuff occasionally, especially if I hear people rave about it enough lol.

[kithtaehyung]

Hi! So excited for the drop today!! Been having a really tough month, and I’m looking forward to both a therapeutic cry and any bit of comfort that Yoongi or friends or bro or whoever is likely to dole out in the fic (bc while you don’t hold hands, it seems like Yoongi always seems to lol). I know I’ve been a relatively silent reader for a bit now compared to how I used to engage, just with how much energy a lot of changes have taken over the past year not leaving a lot of time to read or get back around to responding properly. But wanted to let you know that this story continues to bring me so much comfort, even just seeing people discuss it as I scroll to unwind and escape.

-🚌

ahhhh i meant to respond to this earlier, bus! but i was in full crunch time mode so here we are now. giving you lots and lots of hugs and this might certainly give you that therapeutic cry you're looking for. (but that's a big maybe - dunno how much it takes for you to cry in fics!) no hand holding is right LOL

and it's totally okay! i still see your url in my notifs so i know you're around. absolutely no pressure to say something all the time. just reaching out once in awhile makes me happy and know you're doing okay. and there will be plenty of discussion this time! so have fun and i hope you enjoy the chapter to the fullest.

[seadeepy]

Cat!! <3 4 & 17 for the end of year reading asks please (and also drop your storygraph so I can add you if you like? 👀)

Hi!! Thank you for the ask!! 💜💜💜

You'll never be able to guess my StoryGraph username! (It's also my Tumblr URL, and my Ao3, and my Discord handle LOL)

(4) Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Ok I just finished pitching these books in a previous ask, but I'm gonna re-recommend the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. I got absolutely hooked on the laugh-out-loud narration and how thoroughly he evokes detective noir vibes despite his protagonist being a whole entire wizard. Perhaps best summed up by this quote:

So I got out of the Beetle and opened the storage trunk at the front of the VW. I took out a few wizardly implements: my blasting rod, the replacement for my shield bracelet, and one other thing that no wizard should be without. A Smith & Wesson .38 Chief's Special.

~

(17) Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Oh for sure -- I finally read Howl's Moving Castle and found myself in complete agreement with its vocal fanbase. The movie is really beautiful and Howl is so gender, but the versions of Sophie & Howl in the book are sharper, stronger, funnier, and overall more engaging to me! I also find the plot of the movie kind of hard to follow, so it was nice to have it properly laid out in the book. I read the other two books in the series and enjoyed them too, but the first one's definitely the best.

[mchiti]

I was meant to do this yesterday but...yeah.

tagged by: @swaggypsyduck (thank you hbiba i love you)

name: Hala

birthday: June 24

zodiac sign: cancer ♋

hobbies: football lol; but also: cultures, reading, music, movies

favourite colours: red, orange, green

favourite books: The grapes of wrath by John Steinbeck without a doubt. A lot of who I am and what I believe in is because of it.

last song you listened to: Black Sheep Boy by Tim Hardin. idk I'm going through my baba's old music tapes these days. He likes old american songwriters from the 60s and when he was a kid he would get badly recorded unofficial records in local markets in Morocco. He'd trade them for cheese lool. He was very poor but loved music.

last film you watched: Antigone. It's about an Algerian family who migrates to Canada. I recommend, so beautiful.

something that helps people: I wish I could answer this properly... But I think indifference is the worst we can offer to humankind these days. I think it's a time we have to stick together because the world is collapsing in so many ways. Not being indifferent to other people's struggle, let them know we care.

meaning behind url: it's actually a song by an Algerian band called Babylone. They are they one who did the more famous song Zina (the soundtrack of my -and like everyone's - maghrebi early teenage dramatic years u know. also if you don't know about hakim and appie (Nouri <3) singing it pls this video is still my life. might be 2023 for u, it's still 2017 for me). Yeah anyway my nickname is another song from them. My mama loved it a lot so it stays with me at all times.

(If I don't tag you it's because I know you've done it already or I saw you were already tagged, bc just so you know I love and would tag every single one of you). @bobbyfirminos @books-loverss @honeyjar0902 @stevengeorge @errythinisblue @0alanasworld0 @riffiandenador @artwords @roobylavender @clay-terran @bukayos @bostonoriginal @dalia-12-3 - only if you want of course <3

[masterjedilenawrites]

Hi! so I have some questions based on operating a blog (i’m new and i have no clue what to do… sorry)

what would you recommend putting on a pinned post? how do you put links of other posts (like stories/hcs/etc) onto another post like for a master list? when you start a post for hcs/oneshots do you do it in drafts or on another app and copy and paste it? i’m sorry if this is a lot to ask :,)

Also! i love your blog sm! your writing is so good!!

Hello there! No apologies necessary! Happy to answer any and all questions about this sort of thing 🙂

I'll answer your questions in reverse order. So, starting with drafting posts... I personally have always used Word or Pages when I write (and I was cool with using Google Docs in college as well). And honestly, I would recommend others do the same, mainly to avoid issues with Tumblr drafts not always saving properly. There is no worse feeling than losing all your hard work and not being able to recover it! Tumblr's post editor is just, not the greatest, to put it politely. It's glitchy, difficult to format certain things, and way too easy to mess something up or accidentally delete it altogether. For peace of mind, draft your stuff in a more reliable app and then copy over when you're ready to actually post.

Links... The one thing I'll say in Tumblr's defense is it does have a fairly easy way to link to other posts.* You don't need to know html or coding or anything. I'll explain as a step-by-step:

Copy the url of the post you want to link to. Best way is to click the three dots in the top right corner of the post and then "Copy Link." You can do this part on mobile or a web browser.

Create or edit the post you want to contain the link. Highlight the words you want (ex: Read here!) and a little bar of options will pop up (below the color options on mobile, above the highlighted words on the web). Click the symbol that looks like a chain, then paste the url you previously copied into the designated area. That's it!

For a post with multiple links (like a masterlist), you need to do it on a web browser. Keep the post you're creating up on one browser tab, and then open additional tabs to grab the links to your other posts for copying.

And then one note of caution (because even though it's easy, it's not perfect lol): If you edit a post with links it in, like changing the wording or moving things around, the links will sometimes "break." So I usually open two tabs, one with the post in its original format, and one where I'm editing it, and I can grab from the original if I accidentally mess it up.

*These instructions are for adding links in a post. If you want to set up links in your blog's bio/description section (like in mine), then you do need to use some basic html codes. I referenced this post when I set mine up.

And then finally, pinned posts... this is really up to you. Personally, I think you can't go wrong with some kind of a masterlist, or a "welcome" type post that includes a link to a masterlist. As a reader, whenever I find a new writer I like, I want to be able to see their bibliography, to see a list of all the other stories and things they've created. It helps me get to know them, their style, their fandom preferences, etc. And if I ever lose it or want to go back to it later, it's easy enough to just pull up their blog without having to scroll or search their whole posting history.

But it really depends on what you want visitors to your blog (and yourself!) to see first. Is there an issue/take/sentiment you're especially passionate about? Pin it. Are you running some kind of a game or focusing your writing on a particular prompt list? Pin it. Is there one story you are really proud of? Pin it. And the best part, you can change your mind and pin something else later. I currently have pinned an "I'm back!" post after I went MIA for a bit last year, because idk, I figured that was important for people to see. But I'm probably going to change it back to my masterlist now that it's been a while and I miss seeing that dumb meme I edited for it 😂

I hope I answered your questions and explained everything well! Again, happy to answer anything along these lines! I know starting out can be overwhelming, but a lot of it becomes second nature the more you play around and take note of what other blogs are doing. Then your focus can be on just having fun with your writing!

[thisismeracing]

I use my old tumblr from like 10 years ago and I have no f1 followers - do you still want me to reblog bc I will if you want me to it’s just nobody will see it lol🫶🏼

Hi, love!!! I melted with how kind this ask sounds, thank you so much for considering reblogging/interacting even though you don't really use your account that much 💖

And answering your question: Yes, I still want the reblog. The thing is, Tumblr's algorithm is terrible, and most of the time they're not delivering the content properly, so when you reblog (even though you don't have many followers) you're increasing the chances of the app showing my content to others. Do you know that "top" section when you search from a tag? They usually leave it for the pieces that have more interaction, and so when you not only like, but also reblog, you're -again- helping people get my stuff. Also that "for you" section is based on the stuff you consume, so you're also increasing the chances of getting very specific recommendations from the app (though they usually only recommend what already has tons of notes, not necessarily what you'll like the best, you get what I'm saying right?).

Plus: there's always someone who's gonna be curious about your profile (either your URL, your profile picture, or a comment you left) and when they open it they're gonna see the stuff you've been reading and maybe that's what they would like to be reading too, so yup.

To some, when people like our work (only like, only heart button, no comments, no reblogs), it's like "I find it good, but not good enough to want others to see or display it on my profile" :( I do understand that each reader works in a way, maybe they're shy, maybe they just really prefer a blank blog, but it's nice to get an ask saying you liked an imagine/mood board/post in general, and it's even nicer get a reblog and then see that someone else saw your work because of that one reblog. Most of the things here are for free, so showing love and appreciation for content creators is the only payment some ask for.

I'm adding screenshots of the stuff I mentioned, and also this new feature Tumblr gave us, it shows a reblog chart and how one reblog can actually turn into two, and then three, and possibly over ten.

But basically, a short answer: I still want your reblog, and I'm really flattered and happy that you considered doing it even without this whole dimension of what it means to us content creators. Thank you so much and I hope this whole answer and my other rants do not sound like me complaining, it's just it is nice to get some love when you work so hard on something. I think I'm posting a small "guide" on how you can interact and why it is important and leave it on every post just so people can understand the way you're probably going to with this ask 💖 thank you again, nonny!! ily *mwah*

(reblog chart - here's a post that explains a bit more about it).

[cassynite]

Hi there! Hope you are having a good day! Can I ask what exactly your url means?

Hi!!! It's just "pro-life is no choice." It's a pro choice slogan I came up with that I thought was very clever up until all the pro life blogs didn't read it properly and thought I agreed with them 🤮

I should probably change it, I just made it up when I wrote an oratory essay defending abortion rights in high school that I was really proud of and it reminds me of when I became the Hot Controversial Topic in my mock trial class for two days lol.

[nimrodimus]

this post is a fair size already so idk who all will see this, but as a neocities enjoyer and useless-degree-haver who specialized in and has worked in web design— i wanna add some things!

Tips for HTML/CSS and Making Your Site Accessible:

1. validate your HTML and CSS!!!

basically it’s for making sure your stuff works properly! you can search “html validator” or “css validator” to find the appropriate sites, where you can upload your work to be checked!

validator at w3 dot org

2. you can write code in any basic text document. but if you’re new to html and css..

try a free program to help you out, it’s like having the code equivalent of a spell checker. can also help organize and keep your code simple and clean! :>

hell even if you’re not new, it can be nice to help speed up the process and avoid mistakes, so why not.

iirc VSCode is the microsoft visual studio adjacent one for this and is pretty good!

“brackets” is also a big one, because it’s owned by adobe (..and so eats up all the features and innovations of the competing programs they subsume, cough cough).

you can find more alternatives pretty easily with a quick search if you don’t like either of those!!

3. use alt text!!

use alt text on all your images!! this is not only good for accessibility purposes, but also improves the searchability of your site!

if you’re interested in more in terms of searchability, if for example you want to make something like a portfolio site, read up on SEO!

4. make your site readable and accessible— for example, with smart use of color contrast!

while you may be more inclined to use more “aesthetic” color schemes, you really should be checking your color contrast! you should always do your best to make sure everyone can use your site! luckily, there are plenty of sites online just for that.

webaim color contrast checker

link to read more important information on making your site an accessible, disability-friendly space!

w3 dot org quick hand reference to the web content accessibility guidelines

4.5. while there are some fun tempting toys to add to your site (and relive those earlier web days), keep in mind that some of those things died for accessibility reasons! i won’t be able to make an explicit “do/do not” list on every single possible thing. but basically: use your head, be considerate, and check out the web content accessibility guidelines to understand some things to consider!

5. use big enough font sizing!

ok, this kind of also falls under 4?

for your body text, you really don’t wanna go below like 16px— that’s default browser font size! there’s other measurements you can specify that do also scale (like ems) if you wanna look into what they are and how to use them!

contrasting by good use of headers is incredibly helpful, as well!

5.5. font choice in itself can also contribute to accessibility and readability!

things like contrasting a sans-serif header font with a serif body font, for example.

you can see more about specifying fonts in the css tutorial resources like w3schools. you will want to keep an eye out for bits about setting backup/default fonts (for when the viewer can’t see or load your font for some reason— you can, for example, import fonts via google fonts url).

really it’s a simple thing to add, but you can see the listing there about what fonts are like.. “default” browser fonts that pretty much every visitor will be guaranteed to see on their end!

6. by default, most stuff is gonna be responsive (resizing to fit different browser or window or device sizes).

hmm if you’re having issues with text and image and layout responsiveness, you could try adding something like bootstrap framework.

it’s pretty helpful for short handing some things, and helping you get a good layout across any device. particularly if you are totally new to html and css and want some organizational help yknow?

basically it’s just some commonly used files you add to your site and then don’t touch lol. like prebuilt css classes to apply to your divs and style certain things. it’s like having a grid to put your stuff into! it is still used a lot ime, but thanks to browser responsiveness improvements across the board, it isn’t quite as relevant/necessary as it used to be (some of my other points about font and image responsiveness can somewhat fall into this, as well, but i like to be extra safe and feel like it’s good to understand the concept).

7. and always remember, for the love of fucking god compress your images.

uhh i’m sure there’s so much more i could say. ig also if you use contact forms, be careful about how you put them together/be safe. but yeah, w3schools is a great starting point and reference for getting started! they have lots of live examples you can edit and copy/paste if you need help figuring out how to make something new.

but i hope this is helpful (and hopefully readable? i did not sleep last night and am solely running on coffee lol).

have fun stay silly etc etc :>

neocities guide - why you should build your own html website

do you miss the charm of the 90s/00s web where sites had actual personality instead of the same minimalistic theme? are you feeling drained by social media and the constant corporate monopoly of your data and time? do you want to be excited about the internet again? try neocities!!

what is neocities?

neocities is a free hosting website that lets you build your own html website from scratch, with total creative control. in their own words: "we are tired of living in an online world where people are isolated from each other on boring, generic social networks that don't let us truly express ourselves. it's time we took back our personalities from these sterilized, lifeless, monetized, data mined, monitored addiction machines and let our creativity flourish again."

why should I make my own website?

web3 has been overtaken by capitalism & conformity. websites that once were meant to be fun online social spaces now exist solely to steal your data and sell you things. it sucks!! building a personal site is a great way to express yourself and take control of your online experience.

what would I even put on a website?

the best part about making your own site is that you can do literally whatever the hell you want! focus on a specific subject or make it a wild collection of all your interests. share your art! make a shrine for one of your interests! post a picture of every bird you see when you step outside! make a collection of your favorite blinkies! the world is your oyster !! here are some cool example sites to inspire you: recently updated neocities sites | it can be fun to just look through these and browse people's content! space bar | local interstellar dive bar creature feature | halloween & monsters big gulp supreme peanutbuttaz | personal site dragodiluna linwood | personal site patho grove | personal site

getting started: neocities/html guide

sound interesting? here are some guides to help you get started, especially if you aren't familiar with html/css sadgrl.online webmastery | a fantastic resource for getting started with html & web revival. also has a layout builder that you can use to start with in case starting from scratch is too intimidating web design in 4 minutes | good for learning coding basics w3schools | html tutorials templaterr | demo & html for basic web elements eggramen test pages | css page templates to get started with sadgrl background tiles | bg tiles rivendell background tiles | more free bg tiles

fun stuff to add to your site

want your site to be cool? here's some fun stuff that i've found blinkies-cafe | fantastic blinkie maker! (run by @transbro & @graphics-cafe) gificities | internet archive of 90s/00s web gifs internet bumper stickers | web bumper stickers momg | gif gallery 99 gif shop | 3d gifs 123 guestbook | add a guestbook for people to leave messages cbox | add a live chat box moon phases | track the phases of the moon gifypet | a little clickable page pet adopt a shroom | mushroom page pet tamaNOTchi | virtual pet crossword puzzle | daily crossword imood | track your mood neko | cute cat that chases your mouse pollcode | custom poll maker website hit counter | track how many visitors you have

web revival manifestos & communities

also, there's actually a pretty cool community of people out there who want to bring joy back to the web! melonland project | web project/community celebrating individual & joyful online experiences. Also has an online forum melonland intro to web revival | what is web revival? melonking manifesto | status cafe | share your current status nightfall city | online community onio.cafe | leave a message and enjoy the ambiance sadgrl internet manifesto | yesterweb internet manifesto | sadly defunct, still a great resource reclaiming online social spaces | great manifesto on cultivating your online experience

in conclusion

i want everyone to make a neocities site because it's fun af and i love seeing everyone's weird personal sites that they made outside of the control of capitalism :) say hi to me on neocities