#revised editions linked above

[carylmeanslove]

Luke's wiki

There has been an attempt to add Nicola. What do they think they'll hard launch before they are ready just because it's based on fact? They can't & won't be keeping ANY revision to his personal life section until

Luke & Nicola are able to hard launch. When the obligations are complete & all things they are planning to do leading up to it happen.

When an official source link is able to be produced. In other words, the hard launch will come first/happen elsewhere (not on his wikipedia page) then the info will be added to his wiki page.

I don't think the official hard launch information revision will be made by a fan. I wholeheartedly believe that when the revision sticks it will be because they or their teams will be the ones writing it. That goes for Nicola's as well.

ETA: I personally believe the other side is getting desperate to have us be debunked & look crazy. But that is not going to happen. It's not a debunking based on the above & as for trying to make us look crazy I'm sure Lukola know it's not us that are the crazy ones, because it's not something that has happened before. We've always just been waiting for them to edit it themselves. That's true respect & love.

If we were the crazy ones, then there would have been endless attempts to add her all this time. Like their attempts have been.

Luke Newton: Revision history - Wikipedia

[souptastical]

💾Cursed Child Repository Info

All I ask in return for access to this collection is that you read this all & abide by the disclaimers in the directory file within the repository as its of legal importance💖

The above file delves more into it, but a quick & public disclaimer for Masters (not viewers) is here

Repository Updates Tags: #repoupdate (general)

#importantrepo (important, look through before messaging me)

New Requirement:

❗️If your coming from an empty/new blog, please tell me where you came from.❗️

MAJOR NOTE PLS ABIDE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD:

Stop mentioning my repo to others on tiktok. I love you all, but long story short, that app is insanely public & having this public like that ruins my ability to archive these performances, ruins your ability to have them/ones in the future, and drives this theatre niche underground. So please, stop mentioning it, stop posting clips there.

Now for the public disclaimers:

Disclaimer 1: I didn't originally record the performances, and I make no profit from them while also standing firmly against making any profit whatsoever by the sharing of media I do not own.

Disclaimer 2: Don't sell these files. You can gauge why but for further explanation, read all below.

Disclaimer 3: Do NOT post edits/clips/full videos of this on TikTok, Youtube, etc- making it ENTIRELY public is how access to these types of media dies. Even if its just a clip, then Encora gets back into the public eye which has been entirely wiped once already & made it so these files were insanely hard to find for a long time. Also, its against every single social media platform's terms & conditions to post bootlegged content, which they all take seriously. I know edits are fun, I get it, but please help keep this community alive & the joy in seeing this play accessible.

Continue to post under cut↓

|𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑|

*note: password includes brackets*

》 I don't include NFT recordings. When they expire, I will include them. If you don't know, just ask & I'm more than happy to let you know when they do.

》 The Cursed Child Repository is not only password protected, but the password & link will cycle once every day. This is to avoid the repository being entirely public. Only PM me for the password when you're able to download- but am totally still down for you to PM me anytime about inquiries regarding which performances are in the folder, as well as asking for the cycled password/link.

》 I NEED you to read the "Directory" file in the repository before downloading- mainly, the disclaimers about the recordings & the revised script transcription/translation as well as noting file sizes before you attempt to download. I tried my best to catalogue information correctly but if you find I have made a mistake, feel free to reach out.

》 Keep in mind that the entire collection is over 50 GB. This is an important note if you are downloading on low bandwith, as well as an important note regarding Mega's transfer quota. The transfer cap from Mega does cap usually under 10 GB, but that all depends on server traffic / other, so i can't really tell you what your cap would be within a 24 hr period.

》 I kindly ask that you not share these downloads in fully public folders/links, and strongly command that you not sell them. I would like to lessen the possibility of law violation as much as possible, despite the fact I wasn't the one to record any of these. This repository/its files are not meant for profit, and I strongly am against them being sold due to the fact it takes financial revenue away from rights holders like JKR, Warner Bros and Broadway Licensing/associated theatre companies. This is media archiving & making hard-to-view media accessible. That's all it is.

[slugluvr69]

Hey all! I'm opening commissions on behalf of Safaa @sfaamq10 who is trying to escape Gaza with her family.

Her campaign was reblogged by 90-ghost here (terminated blog, same person/gfm)

Donations dated before December 1, 2024 are not eligible.

Fill out the google form here to secure your slot, and I'll contact you for proof of donation and references before moving forward with your commission.

The amount you donate corresponds to the type of commission available to you, as pictured above.

Slot info and TOS/details below.

Prices are in USD.

FULLBODY ($80) - 1/1 SLOTS

Two Major revisions allowed, minor tweaks accepted up until piece is finished.

HALFBODY ($60) - 2/2 SLOTS

Two Major revisions allowed, minor tweaks accepted up until piece is finished.

CHIBI ($25) - 2/2 SLOTS

One Major revision allowed, minor tweaks accepted up until piece is finished.

BUST ($20) - 4/4 SLOTS

One Major revision allowed, minor tweaks accepted up until piece is finished.

LITTLE DOODLE ($5) - NO LIMIT, CLOSES WHEN I DEEM IT NECESSARY

Extremely minor revisions only, I don't do a sketch for these at all so you get what you get. Quick and dirty yeehaw.

TOS

All commissions are for personal use only. Absolutely no commercial use permitted.

Turnaround of up to 6 weeks for chibis/busts, and 2 months for full/halfbodies. Little doodles should be quicker. I draw slowly and have an insane work schedule, so please bear with me.

Please provide a clear visual or text reference for your character. Supplemental references (moodboards, faceclaims, other inspirations) are of course welcome and appreciated.

Complex designs will be simplified

If you have a pose/expression in mind please say so and give examples when you send your references.

I reserve the right to refuse any request, and may ask you to choose something else or look elsewhere.

In regards to furries/antho/monsters, I'd be happy to try to draw your character but I don't have much experience with that kind of design so I can't guarantee satisfactory results. If you're okay with taking that risk then request away!

Do not use the commission for NFTs (are these even still around lmfao) or run it through AI image processors. Do not edit the commission with AI.

All commissions are full color and lineless. Static poses only (chibis can get a bit weirder with it but no dynamic angles)

Single characters only this time. You can donate more to reserve more slots, but any additional slots will be for a single character as well.

I will draw real people, as long as you can prove that you have permission to make the request. Doesn't apply to famous actors of course.

I will be batch posting the finished pieces to my blog (lower res, watermarked), with a link back to each client's social media of choice. If you don't want yours posted, let me know.

Due to the nature of the process, there will be no refunds.

If you have any questions send me an ask and we can discuss :)

[literallyjusttoa]

Hey guys! I'm putting out a call for my commissions again for two big reasons: One, Emergencies have caused me to be low on funds when I wasn't expecting it, and that kind of sucks actually. Two, I have a project that I've been dreaming about for years but have actually been able to start working towards in the last couple of months, but to finish it I need to not be living paycheck to paycheck for like a month at the very least, which brings me back to point one :(. I will talk more about the big project under the cut, bc I think it's something you all might really enjoy!

But for now, I will link my commission sheet: Here (It's also my pinned post)

And my new Ko-fi!: Here for if you just want to donate, which would be literally incredible and I would owe you my soul actually.

Ok now for big Project Time!!!

I am in the process of editing and revising my first Youtube video! This has been an on and off dream of mine for like 7 years at this point, but I've finally taken the plunge and gotten to work on a channel. I wanna talk about all sorts of fandoms (including the riordanverse ofc) With videos ranging from plot and character analysis, to trends in fandom culture in general, to fun little ranking videos and speedpaints. All around, I just want the channel to be a fandom hive, where everyone can find something they enjoy.

I already have PNG's created of my sona to use as assets (And I have a sparkly new sona, the one in the pic above!) and I have two finished scripts, with the first one being fully recorded as well! One for my first video, which will be a retrospective on Gravity Falls, and one for a video about the Percy Jackson TV show, the inherent differences between TV and books as mediums, how I think the TV show could improve, and the things I think it got perfectly. I also have a bunch more ideas, such as:

BIG Trials of Apollo video essay, with a focus on how the books and the fandom have effected me over the years.

Ranking all of my favorite characters from all of the media I've been a fan of over the years (This would be over 70 characters)

Explaining the Iliad, but make it funny (with a side of Troy apologia)

Reading Lore Olympus and pointing out how it deviates from myth (the things I'm willing to do for you people /j)

Canon vs. Fanon, where I compare a characters canon characterization with their fanon counterpart and try to figure out how things turned out the way they did.

And more, but I don't want this post to be 5000 words long.

Now here's the big question. As I said in the part above, I'm struggling a bit now money-wise. And I really wanna make this project work, but there's also, you know. Tuition. Rent. Food. Stupid other adult stuff. So if anyone is amenable (and this is totally up to demand, I don't wanna pressure anyone into doing anything!) I was also thinking of maybe making a Patreon. Now, I'd have to do research for this, bc I wanna make sure anyone who signed up would get the right rewards and really get the bang for their buck. I'm pretty sure there's not gonna be much interest in this rn, cuz like, I'm not that big of a blog oof. But if anyone is interested! Here are some of the perks I would definitely be implementing! (sry it's another list)

Early access to videos, and behind the scenes looks at art assets and video creation

the ability to request topics for videos

Patrons names being shown in the videos. And higher tiered patrons getting custom chibis that will be shown in videos as well (and given to the patrons obv)

This ones a bit complicated, but I want to create a cover of a song that has to do with each video to play during their outros. So like, for the gravity falls video, I'm gonna record a quick cover of the Disco Girl song from the show. Only a small section of the song would be in each video, but patrons would get access to the full covers, and be able to request songs to be covered.

Discounts on commissions

A monthly speedpaint that would be exclusive to patreon. Patrons would be able to vote on what the drawing would be.

All of these ideas I'm 100% sure I want to add to a patreon if I make one, but obv there could be more that comes up later. I'm just gauging interest on this idea rn, so let me know if that's something you'd be down to sign up for! Maybe I'm jumping the gun here but I'm just really excited to create and give back to the community and aaahhhhh

Now, no matter what, I'm gonna have this first video out by mid-September at the latest. Because stupid money troubles are not gonna stop me from making this a thing dangit. So look out for that, I'll link the vid here when it releases! But I am just really stressed rn and any support would go a long way towards making this dream come true. And on that note, one more sappy real talk if I am allowed it?

If you've read this far, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. This community and fandom is truly incredible. My blog is about to reach 5 years old, and I've never seen a group of people so accepting and creative and just fun to be around. You guys have truly changed my life, and I wouldn't have the courage to try for this if I didn't have the support you've given me. I know this is super dramatic for just trying to make a youtube channel, but making a place where I could just talk about all the nerdy and overly specific things I care about and share them with the world is something I've wanted for my whole life. You guys gave me that with this blog, and if this channel works out, it'll be thanks to you, so you'll have given it to me twice. I don't have the words to express how much I love this community and all the incredible people in it. So even if you can't support, just know that being here for however long you have been, whether it's the whole five years or the last two days, has done more than you'll ever know. You guys are the best, thank you for everything <3

[disasterbuck]

FanFic Ask Game

So I saw this post (linked above) and decided to answer all the questions instead of just reblogging and waiting for asks. Enjoy getting to know a bit more about me as a writer!

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

I love how fluffy it generally is and how my fics always have a happy ending 🥰

😐 What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

I don't think I'm embarrassed about my writing? Maybe sometimes I'll write a kiss that feels a bit cringe?

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

'the heist wip'. Inspired by the episode Ocean's 9-1-1, I wanted to explore what situation could make them ACTUALLY turn to crime. I had a vague idea of a woman's dog being kidnapped by her abusive ex, and Buck gets all obsessed over it and eventually asks the rest of the team to help him break the dog out or something. idk. I don't have a solid enough idea and I feel like it would end up being a long fic which I just can't commit to atm. (If anyone reading this is inspired by this idea, feel free to write it!! But please tag me if you do! I would love to read it!)

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

... I don't think so?

Yeah I've just had a skim through and can't find anything that I would never share if I managed to finish it.

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

Ooohhh, I love getting comments on ALL my fics but I guess if I had to choose I'd probably go with Friends Don't (8.5k) because it has a special place in my heart.

✏️ Do you write every day?

Not strictly, but most days yes.

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

"Back to my point," Chimney said once Hen's laughter died down. "You two are codependent. I bet you couldn't even go a day without having to touch each other."

Buck's face flushed a darker shade of red.

"Yes we could," Eddie argued, suddenly stubborn and confrontational. "We could go a week."

"You wanna bet, Diaz?" Chimney asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

After a quick glance to communicate with Buck, Eddie nodded and said, "You're on. What are the terms?"

don't say his name wip

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

I wrote 4 drabbles exactly 100 words each!! It took quite a bit of editing and revising but I'm really happy with how they turned out! You can read them here if you're interested: buddie month | four drabbles

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

fhdskjfhs I HOPE NOT 😅

🌙  What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

I don't really have a preferred time of day?

👖 Are you a planner, plantser, or pantser? Is it consistent?

Yes. And no. lol

📊 Current number of WIPs

............................ 104 🙈

👨‍👧‍👧 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic? 

Depends ENTIRELY on the person. But generally yes. This does not equal letting them read my fics though lol.

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

Hm, good question. Maybe Athena?

📝 What is one growth area you have for your writing?

Uhhh I don't know. I feel like I'm constantly learning about writing and just generally trying to improve in all areas.

📚 Do you read your own fic?

YES ALL THE TIME. I looooove reading over my fics. Makes me so happy!!

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

Writing kisses. Or endings. Both. Every time Buddie are about to kiss I tend to abandon the fic for a while lmaoooo and then whenever I have to wrap it up it takes me 3-5 business days.

🧠 What’s an idea you have that you can’t quite call a WIP yet?

Up for anything. All I've got for it so far is this:

Buck: No, I mean it. I'm up for anything. If you can come up with something I won't do you win. But I'm telling you right now I never back down from a dare.

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

fhjskfh I hate research. My deepest dive is whatever happens in the show. I'll rewatch or maybe read wikis to make sure I get show details accurate but anything else? I'm making that shit up bestie 😅

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

🙈 sweet, emotional, aaaaaand heartwarming? idk

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

I don't have headcanons about my own work! Everything is canon! They're my works! My reality! YOU can have headcanons about my works lol.

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

Of my own or someone elses?

Of my own fics, I love you (4k) is my fave.

Someone else's, the first that comes to mind is The Best Lie is a Truth (My Best Mask is My Face) (43k) by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels uggghhh it is chef's kiss!! Fake dating my beloved! 💕

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

Lazy Mornings (1k) for being so freaking adorable 🥰

⏰ Do you spend more time reading fic, writing fic, or do you do both equally?

I think it's fairly equal? But maybe a bit more time writing, because a lot of the reading I do is of physical books rather than fic.

-

taglist because there's a sneaky snippet hidden above:

@dluoser @taketheplanspinitsideways @loudenthusiastic @wallywise @mxrcjqckspnchqsc

@therosesaredying @stillfuckingtired @classtrialguru @smolfunpenguin

@awesome-igi @natnuszsstuff @olliesrants @crazyfangirlallert @delirium1995

@brah3280 @meanceclosetohell @anythingeverythingallofthetime @sunflower-eddiediaz

@darkrose6578 @veronae-buddie @steadfastsaturnsrings @loveyouanyway @inell

@spicyrottingbrains @gnoeltop @idealuk @donationwayne @lemotmo

@smilingbuckley @realpersonwithrealfeelings @superlock-in-the-tardis @mjthe14thdoctor @strxwbereee

@idontknowwhatimdoing777 @ashleigh2658 @mari-lwyd-fannibal-blog @mineyneedsmoney

@spotsandsocks @unlifeira @pirrusstuff @buddiedaydreamer911

@littlevampireprincessuniverse @misshiss727 @i-put-the-star-in-bastard @hermioneindisguise @dangerpronebuddie

@specialbrownieeater @blue-winged-boy @bucks-daddy-issues @lightningmcqueer8

Let me know if you'd like to be added or removed 💕

p.s. I'm updating my taglist, check out the info on this post

[hashtagdrivebywrites]

Hello, yes, howdy, welcome to...

✨Hashtag's Fic Masterlist✨

A little about me:

She/her pronouns

I write and sometimes make art

Here is my Ao3!

Asks are open! or you can drop me a message if you want to

I like ask games, but I might be late or accidentally lose track of them before I can respond to them (whoops!)

I'm into a lot of stuff so this blog/page/black hole will be a mixed bag of fandoms

[Updated June 16, 2025] - Fic links below:

Published, In Progress:

Imprint (DPxDC) (Baby G.K. Danny, Halfa Dad Jason, Fright Franklin Pickle Girl Knight, oddball co-parents, attempted qpr relationship) 6/16: Chapter 13 posted - making minor adjustments to the fic, started on 14 and planning on revising 1 soon to correct the tense.

Meandros (AC: 3 x AC: Odyssey) (Time travel/Reincarnation, Kid Desmond, OC's, Deimos!Kassandra, dumb mercenaries with a big bro/dad complex, Desmond "I'm Done" Miles) 6/16: Chapter 13 posted - started on 14.

Published, Complete:

As Long as Stars are Above You (TMNT (mostly Bayverse and Next Mutation)) (Family Fluff, Surprise Baby Acquisition, Good Big Bros, Momma April) 15 Chapters; 39k words; Sequel in progress

Our Mother Breathed Fire (GOT) (Dragon POV, kind of a character study? I don't know) 1 Shot; 2k words

Your Blood That I Bleed (AC 1, 2 & 3) (Family of Choice, Immortality, Cat Dad Desmond, Assassin Dads) 10 Chapters; 74k Words

"In The Drawer" - On Hiatus until I can give it the attention it needs:

A Place For Us (Batman (mostly Arkham Knight)) (Families of Choice, Kids, Adoption, Bat Fam coming back together) 6/16: My first fic on Ao3 and it's been set aside for a complete overhaul because there's no structure/direction and there's a lot of issues with how I was writing/presenting the characters.

Unpublished, In Progress:

And Longer Still If I Can - sequel to As Long As Stars Are Above You (TMNT) (Family and Found Family, Kid Fic, Adventure Fic, Larval Form Mutanimals) 6/16: On pause!

Red Devil Rowdy (title may change; DPxDCxSDxSPN) (Paranormal Mystery/Detective Fic, Family Reveal, Identity Reveal) 6/16: 5 chapters done but putting it on pause because I'm still trying to figure out how to write a mystery that actually reads like a damn mystery.

And Still You Stand, Sturdy and Smelling of Smoke (DC x Spider-man) (Peter Parker Fist Fights the League, Catatonic Jason, Hyper Independent Tim) 6/16: On pause!

Illin' and Able! (title may change; DSxTMNT) (Time Travel, Older Turtles (21), Mom Friend April, Gratuitous Use of "Bro", "Dude" and "Yo") 6/16: First arc finished! Didn't get published with Imprint and Meandros because I didn't want to start a new fic right in the middle of changing ao3 accounts - but we'll get this one up soon.

Holy War is On The Phone (DPxMHA/BNHA) (Ghost Prince Danny, Undercover Investigation, Fake Family, Pissed Off Danny) 6/16: On pause!

Redline (DCxMHA/BNHA) (Robin!Jason, Jason has the Metagene, Accidental Dimension Travel, Pro-Heroes/Older Class 1-A) 6/16: On pause!

(Recently fallen head over heels into a Star Wars hyperfixation, which has naturally spawned a bunch of WIP's of its own, so expect some content soon (EDIT: there's three independent SW wips and three crossovers with other fandoms in progress - will list them soon on the WIP list (10/10)))

[headfullof-ideas]

Soft follow-up to my Monumential post. We don’t know much about Lemuria and the Monumentials themselves, aside from the fact that Lemuria sank six thousand years prior to the show, and the Monumentials have been around for at least a little longer than that. Long enough that Lemuria already had more than one device to control them, and effectively enough that it seemed to be a somewhat militant thing. At least that’s what the intention was when the Benthos line tried to usurp Doreus.

But that’s all we know. There’s not much information about how long the Monumentials had been around, or what Lemuria was like in regard to the rest of the world. Which means it’s a whole entire sandbox for us six fans to play with. I’ve already talked about how I also like to imply that the Monumentials aren’t from this world, but I also like to play with Lemuria’s origins, the Nekton and Benthos’s families connection to one another, and all sorts of other stuff. Each AU I have tends to have slightly different origins or functions when it comes to Lemuria and the Monumentials lore, but I’ve built an entire background for the Monumentials and how they’re linked to Lemuria’s history.

I’m writing this because I’ve been revising and editing my Subnautica/The Deep story, and all the above is pretty important to the story itself, aside from a few tweaks to make it fit with the games lore

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic #640 - "Ragnarok"

Originally posted on March 12th, 2012

Story - Juan Pablo Osorio Art - Mitsuko Hazama Letters, Edits - Franco Villa Edits - Zac DeBoard

deviantART | Seibertron | TFW2005

Later revised and annotated for Transformers: The Lost Seasons

wada sez: See the link above for some commentary! On deviantART, the project team clarified: “Yep, multiple Abominuses (or is it Abomini? :D ), these guys had so little personality in the cartoon that the ones we saw in the show could have very well been different sets of Terrorcons, it's also a nod to the armies of Terrorcons the Quints had in TF:Energon.” They also had this to say about their involvement with Mosaic generally: “this will be most probably one of our last Mosaics as we've been asked to not submit any more thre-part stories.” The evil is defeated!

[sunny-in-gotham]

A free image hosting solution for AO3 and elsewhere - A Tutorial (mobile-friendly!)

See the demo site made from this template IN ACTION: https://hotlink-archive-template.pages.dev/

This guide is for an easy, mobile-friendly way to host files for hotlinking on AO3 or elsewhere, using github and cloudflare pages.

I've encountered far too many dead links in fanfics and forums simply because a hosting service decided to dump older files, or they decided to change their TOS to no longer allow hotlinking or certain kinds of content (nsfw, fictional graphic content). See Optional Steps for even more options.

This is an easy, barebones way to permanently host images that you don't want deleted unexpectedly or that you can't host elsewhere. (Emphasis on barebones. This will not be a nice portfolio style site. Unless you decide to code that yourself!) You can follow the link above for an example of this type of site.

It is also EASY to upload and use on mobile devices after initial setup!

Tools you will need:

Cloudflare Pages/Workers is a free to use static site hosting service. This will publish your files and make them available online. This will publish your files and make them available online. There is a limit to the amount of data you can upload for free, but you can pay for proper hosting if you want to exceed it.

Github is a code sharing/storage platform. Your files will go here first before being published on Pages. You can edit and upload files through your browser at github.com, or through Github Desktop, a program you install on your computer. There are limits to Github repositories, but they are also generous (suggested 1GB to 5GB per repo).

Basic Setup

1. Create a github account

2. Copy this template repository hotlink-archive-template

Your website will be contained in a repository, a place where all the files and the revision history for your project are stored.

This template repository uses an "Action" (using python) to automatically create a "home" page with an Index of all the files in your repository every time it is updated.

NOTE: I recommend you set your repository to Private. Github's history feature is extensive, so if you have sensitive content or think you might want to delete something later, it will be hard to get rid of it completely once it's been committed and publicly available.

3. Enable Action permissions

In order for the Action script to work, you need to give Actions permission to read and write in your repository.

Within your repository, go to the tab Settings > Actions > General > Workflow Permissions

4. Create a Cloudflare account

5. Create a Pages (or Workers) project and link it to your Github repository

Your Pages project will create the front end of the site where the images will be displayed. You will be able to link those images to other platforms like AO3.

You can create either a Workers or Pages project by going to Add > Pages (or Workers). Name your project WISELY! This name will be your site's URL.

Workers vs. Pages

Workers is subsuming Pages on Cloudflare and now has all the same static hosting capabilities, in addition to its original server-side processing services. If you'd like to, read more about this.

While Workers has similar capabilities, I recommend Pages for this project. Pages has the added bonus of a cleaner URL if you do not have your own domain: “MySite.pages.dev” in Pages vs Workers' “MySite.username.workers.dev”

You will be prompted to import an existing Git repository. You will need to give it access to your Github to do this.

Select the repository on your Github you made for your project, then hit "Begin Setup".

Name your project WISELY! This name will be your site's URL.

You do not need to change any settings on the next page, so hit "Save and Deploy". Your image hosting site will now be live!

The URL will be "https://ProjectName.pages.dev". It may take a few minutes to become accessible.

Now you're done with the basic setup!

How to Add files

You can add any files you want to link to on AO3/elsewhere through mobile, desktop browser, or the Github desktop program!

Here is how to do it on Github.com:

Open up the repository that you made (it can be found at github.com/username/repositoryname). You will see a list of folders and files that are in that repository.

Click into the folder "fan-stuff".

In the top right, go Add file > Upload files and drag in the images you want added. You will need to name the images BEFORE you upload them, as there is not an easy renaming feature within Github's browser interface.

In the Commit changes box, choose a title for what action you are doing. This will help you backtrack uploads if needed.

For example, it could be "Uploaded Batman Art". Make sure it's set to "commit directly to the main branch", then commit those changes. This will upload the files.

Now, if you visit your site, you will see your uploaded image under the "fan-stuff" folder!

To embed/link your image, navigate to your file on your Pages site and copy the URL in the address bar. This URL is what you will use to embed your photo (using HTML or "add image as URL" tools some sites have).

Continue onto More Setup to customize your site and implement more advanced settings. See Tips/Troubleshooting if you're running into problems.

More Setup

Perform site customization/advanced setup with Github Desktop on your PC

Github’s web UI is great, but it has major limitations. I highly recommend that you use Github Desktop during the initial setup, as well as when you want to make major organizational changes to your files/site. Once you have everything set, though, you can use Github in your browser to upload whatever files you want to hotlink at the moment.

Download Github Desktop and “clone” (download a copy of) the repository you made.

This is the best time to rename/rearrange folders + files, etc.

There are other methods in the Troubleshooting section if you need, but Github Desktop is by far the easiest way

see Adding/Renaming Folders for important info on how to properly rename/add folders

see About the Index Page for how to customize your Index pages

Once you’re done editing, “push” (upload) all the changes you made to your online Github repository.

Having some sort of text editor like Notepad++ is useful for editing any code, the automatic color-coding is very helpful. You can edit in plain old Notepad as well, it just won’t look as nice.

About the Index Page

The template repository uses a python Action to automatically create an HTML "home" page with an Index of ALL the files in the folder every time it is updated.

This is particularly convenient for mobile use, as you can upload a file, and the python action automatically updates the Index page.

If you don’t want this, just disable the “create-index” Action and delete the .py files. You can just type in the file locations to get to each file, or you can manually maintain an home/Index page yourself, which isn't hard if you know some basic HTML and can remember to do it consistently.

Also note that if you wish to change any of the content on your Index pages, you must edit the "index.py" file, not the "index.html" file. The "index.html" file gets re-written every time the "create-index" Action is run in order to keep the file index up to date.

Adding/Renaming/Deleting Folders

Disclaimer: This is a bit convoluted because I am extremely unqualified to be working with python OR HTML. There’s probably an easy way to do this, but I don’t have the skill to do it, and most of the stuff here is copied from stuff I found around. If you know a better way to do things, please let me know, it’d make my life easier too!

Adding or renaming folders involves some extra steps.

1. The "index.py" file inside the folder needs to be edited to match the parent folder name.

The place you need to do this is found near the top of the file (highlighted below)

2. Then the outer-most "create-index.py" file needs to be updated to match the new name as well. If you’ve added a new folder, duplicate and adjust the code to match.

The place you need to do this is found at the bottom (highlighted below)

If you don’t need any folders at all, great! Just delete them and their contents! No need to edit any files. (Don’t delete “index.html” or “create-index.py” or “.github/workflows”!)

If you would like to have these folders for later use, leave them as-is and simply edit the index files.

The relevant lines of code at the bottom of "create-index.py" like in the previous step for renaming folders. You may delete this code, or comment it out (using # at the beginning of a line will make it “invisible” to the computer)

Then, add the folder’s name to the “exclusions” list at the top of the "create-index.py" file so that it doesn’t show up on your Index page (highlighted below)

You can also use this same concept to create "invisible" files/folders. Any files/folders included in the "exclusions" list in "(create-)index.py" will not be listed on the Index page, however they can still be found through the direct URL to the file.

On the flipside, this means simply hiding the file/folder from the Index page does not get rid of the file from your site. Anyone who has the URL will be able to find that file unless you remove it, or move its location to change the URL

Tips/Troubleshooting

(Re)name your files before uploading

It’s not possible to rename image/media files on Github’s web UI (it is possible with the local Git program). The "create-index" Action lists out the names of your files exactly, so you will end up with ugly strings of numbers and letters on your Index page if you don't rename them, which is terrible to look at and also plain old CONFUSING to navigate.

So if you're uploading on mobile or through Github on browser, name your files with easy to remember and distinctive filenames before you go ahead and upload them. This makes everything much easier, and it makes your Index page look nice :)

My website isn’t updating when I edit my Github repository!

Check to see if your Pages is retrieving from the correct branch, and if it has automatic deployments enabled.

Can’t see your Github repository when trying to link it on Cloudflare?

Check your Github applications Repository Access settings. Go to your ACCOUNT Settings > Integrations - Applications > Cloudflare > Repository Access

Index action is failing!

Go back to step 3 in Basic Setup and check if you’ve given Actions permission to read and write. If that’s not the issue, check to see if you’ve set up your "index.py" files correctly. The folder names should correspond to the parent folders, and the "create-index.py" file in the outer-most folder should have the correct folder names at the VERY BOTTOM.

How do I rename a folder (or move a file) in Github’s web UI?

It isn’t possible to directly rename a folder in Github’s web UI, doing it using Git on your computer is the most foolproof way to do it. But there is a way (except for media files).

Go into the folder you want to rename and select a file such as “index.html” and enter the “edit” mode.

Go to the file name and backspace until you can edit the parent folder name as well. This will create a new folder with the new name.

You’ll have to do this to every file in the folder until they’re all in the new folder.

Unfortunately, you can’t do this with media files like png/jpg/etc, because entering the “edit” mode on a photo “breaks” it somehow, and bye-bye image :’) (Don’t worry if this happens, just don’t commit the change or roll it back in your history).

Optional Steps

Make deployment (semi-)Manual

You can play with cloudflare and github to make deployment of your site a manual step you have to trigger, instead of automatic with each commit (default setting). This is a safeguard in case you accidentally make a change or delete something from your github, it won't affect your website.

Deploy w/ Branches

You could do a semi-automatic deployment with a "Production" branch on your github that is separate from the branch you edit. This creates an extra step before anything is published on Cloudflare. A safeguard against accidental changes/deletion of sorts :)

Go to Settings > Build tab > Branch Control

Choose your Production Branch (MAIN or CLOUDFLARE) and enable (or disable) automatic deployments

If you choose MAIN, every change you commit to MAIN will be published to Pages

If you choose CLOUDFLARE, any changes you make to MAIN will not show up on your Pages site until you Pull from MAIN to CLOUDFLARE

To Pull changes from MAIN to CLOUDFLARE, go to your github repository

Above your files on the Left, you will see a toggle to choose which branch you are on.

Choose Cloudflare. There will be a message like "This branch is 7 commits ahead of, 2 commits behind main." Click "2 commits behind"

Click "Create a Pull Request". Then click "Merge Pull Request". If everything is correct, this should trigger a build on your Cloudflare

Deploy w/ Github Actions

Or you can create a manual command that you have to enter on github to trigger a deployment on cloudflare. If you're paranoid about anything happening to your site due to a mishap on the Github side, this is a safe choice. Unless you manually trigger the command, your Pages site will be completely untouched no matter if something happens to your repo.

This can be done in many ways, I think the most straightforward is with Deploy Hooks (maybe in conjunction with Actions if you want to make it mobile-friendly), and might be a bit complicated, but not too hard to figure out with some Google-fu.

Here’s some links I think will be useful (note: I don’t use this method, so these haven’t been tested)

Manual trigger action tutorial

How to configure Github webooks

Storing Locally instead of on Github

Although this guide is written with Cloudflare's Github integration in mind, particularly for easy online/mobile access, you can also keep your files locally on your PC and directly upload your assets onto your Pages project. This gives you full control over what happens to your files. (Keeping backups is a good idea. You can still use Github Desktop to do this, just keep your repository on your PC.)

Simply clone/download the repository as it is, customize it as you like, and create a NEW Pages project on Cloudflare, using "Direct Upload" to upload your files

Once you have connected a Pages project with Github, there is no way to change the deployment method to Direct Upload or vice versa. Direct Upload is also not available for Workers.

One thing that will NOT work the same is the "create-index" Action that only works on Github.

I have made a "create-index.exe" that will execute the "create-index.py" files in the exact same way as they would work with the Action. You do not have to install python for this to work (if I did everything right). Simply run "create-index.exe" whenever you make a change and want to update the "index.html" files

Remember, this is EXACTLY THE SAME as the "create-index" Action, meaning you have to edit each "index.py" file when you rename folders, add a folder, want to exclude a file from the Index page, etc. (See Adding/Renaming Folders for how to do this)

Find me on Bluesky. Or if you have a problem, open an Issue on this project :)

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can! But really, I am the most amateur of amateurs and figured this all out using Google, so I might not be of much help ^^;

I also recommend Squidge Images (an offshoot of Squidge.org) as a fairly trustworthy alternative. However, Squidge Images does have some additional rules that Squidge does not, and what crosses the line is at their discretion.

I also posted this over on AO3!

[underdark-dreams]

Can you please talk about your writing! how you write and revise and where you get your inspiration you are just so amazing! I could use some tips to get my writing to the next level. maybe some fic recs you find inspiring as well? only if you want too.

I sat on this ask for a while to mull it over, so thanks for your patience! I can definitely talk about my general process and link some fics that have inspired me.

I've also answered some other asks about writing process and technique. You can read those here if you like:

Emotional and feelings-focused writing

Writing descriptively

Fic writing: general process

First, it's good to have your opening and your ending in mind before you start. Even if it's just:

OC walks into Sorcerous Sundries

Rolan and OC fall asleep together

If you have the bookends, it's a lot easier to find the story's beats in the middle. (Or decide that you can't find the path from A to B after all & need to change one of them around)

Once I have those two down, I usually write out the main beats of the story next. These will be the parts that excite you most as a writer!! Like, they make you giddy to write about! Getting these down on paper has ALWAYS given me a burst of momentum to get through the drier/connecting bits.

So I encourage you to write out the story events/scenes that make you most excited first. Exposition will come later! Don't worry about 'setting things up' right now, unless you really want to start there. Remember that your first draft only has to make sense to you.

Inspiration

Damn if I could bottle the answer to this one, I'd be set for life! lmao

A lot of people start writing first and find the inspiration along the way. It's a valid and effective method!

I usually wait for ideas to come to me first, and they usually come when I'm totally disconnected from my writing computer. I swear, my strongest ideas for a fic setup or interesting scene always come when I'm at work or vacuuming or some crap

Best advice I can give is to keep a notes app on your phone or something similar. Rotate your characters around in your mind while you're doing other random life things, and good ideas will usually come to you. Jot down the framework or some dialogue or whatever strikes you before you forget it, then revisit it when you have more time.

Revising and editing

I'm one of those writers who edits a ton as they go, instead of drafting out a story and revising in one go. So this part is kind of difficult for me to answer...the two processes are unfortunately so interconnected in my head!

The main thing is to make sure you give yourself a few days between writing and doing your final edit. Even if you've been revising along the way, taking some time away from your fic lets you gain a fresh perspective.

I will admit, I also keep thesaurus.com open in a tab at all times. Like. I am addicted to finding just the right word

As with all of the above, your mileage may vary! The right technique is the one that gets you writing and creating. 💯

Fic Recs

Here's a list from back in December! Still in love with all of these!

Also:

Deeply and Immovably So by Cometra / @dutifullylazybread - Absolutely required reading for any Rolan x Tav fans! Tav is AFAB/she/her. Darcy's worldbuilding and imagery is incredible, very deep and meaningful. Just all-around excellence!

verso by aes3plex - Zevlor x m!Tav oneshot. This story like...made me understand who Zevlor was as a character. I don't know how else to describe it. Really wonderful backstory threaded through a present-day encounter with some of the best prose ever. Love!

But I will admit, I grew up reading Trek fics, and those stories and writers have stayed with me longer than anything else. I think old fandom + huge universe + writers with sheer decades of experience in fanon have a lot to do with the quality of writing there. Not relevant to BG3 but has definitely shaped how I write today!

[the-undercity]

Careful With Otherlinking (May Lead To Thoughtform)

(edited as of 8/20/23 to be a little more concise, hopefully sound Less Aggressive, and revised without links for the sake of brevity)

TL;DR available at the bottom!

THE POST:

I'm not an expert on the subject of otherlinking. I'm simply making this post to inform people who either stumble across the community (like I did), or who may be in the community and are not already aware of the information I will be talking about here. Namely that some guides detailing how to form a linktype have a similar enough process to thoughtform creation that there may be the unintended side effect of accidentally creating a thoughtform if you are not careful with what you're doing.

The guides for forming a linktype that I have seen follow the steps of immersing yourself in things related to the linktype you are trying to work towards, which itself is very innocuous and not at all an issue! However, with communities/practices such as soulbonding, the same steps are present. The difference is whether your focus is placed internally or externally (with things such as asking in your head what your chosen linktype would prefer in certain situations, this line of thinking can particularly easily move into the "external focus" area).

With otherlinking having similar steps to something like soulbonding (the example here, and what originally made me write this post), it's no wonder that there have been reports here on Tumblr of people who ended up experiencing accidental thoughtform creation while trying to form their linktypes. The numbers are slim, but the potential does seem to be there, if their stories are to be believed!

Otherlinking itself is nothing that is any different from another alterhuman community. My intention is not to scare anyone off who is a prospective member of their community or make people in the community question what they've been doing already. My whole goal for this post is to inform people that there is the potential for an unwanted side effect like thoughtform creation. You should be aware of the effects of everything you do in life after all!

Whether or not this is a bad outcome to you, or you believe in thoughtforms at all (for those who doubt things related to the topic), the fact of the matter is that it is a serious outcome for people who otherwise may not fully understand what is going on, or what they're getting into. To put it simply, if you follow a guide to form a linktype, you expect a linktype, not another consciousness in your head!

WHAT TO DO:

If you're someone who writes guides for forming a linktype, it would be helpful to add a note about the possibility for this outcome in the guide, or if possible (and if you'd like to), revise any steps that might contribute to the unintended consequence. If you're someone who has linktypes or would like to get into the community, just do your best to be aware and educated! Talk to your peers, get involved, and find out what's the norm and what isn't for your experiences. There's a good chance it'll never happen to you, but do your best to understand the methods you're using and why they work the way they do. If you're someone who HAS experienced what I mentioned in the post, I implore you to reach out and ask questions! Don't hesitate to seek advice or find others who might be able to help you understand your situation better. Finally, if you're anyone else, aside from the above- perhaps even just a curious onlooker who happened to read this all the way to the end (or skipped here)- spread the word if you can! Likes and reblogs help and are greatly appreciated.

Feel free to message me questions, comments, or concerns related to this post. If you think I missed something or should have reworded anything in here, let me know! I wish the best for anyone who reads this. Thank you!

TL;DR : This is a notice about otherlinking's methods of forming a linktype being similar to methods of creating a thoughtform, and that trying to form a linktype may lead to unintentional thoughtform creation.

[esoteric-chaos]

Pine - The Mundane and Magical 101

Growing up on my edge of the west coast, Pine trees have always been abundant. Specifically the Western White Pine for example.

This plant spirit is one I work with generally in the winter as this is where I personally feel it’s energy is stronger. It's a wonderful plant to work with and has been used by indigenous cultures to this land for healing. To venerate and honour this land I work with Pine.

Scientific Name: Pinus

Family: Pinaceae

Parts used: For species of Pine it varies

Planet: Mars

Element: Air

CAUTIONS: It is important to know not all species of Pine are edible. Also please note that if you have pets be cautious with Pine as it can cause irritation to the mouth and gastrointestinal issues. Which can lead to serious complications if ingested. Keep any pine needles and oils out of reach.

ALWAYS check with your local herbalist and doctor before consuming any medicinal medicine as they will be able to direct you on proper dosages. Some medications can also interact and so can some conditions with certain herbs.

Do NOT consume if pregnant and Pine may irritate the gut by creating heartburn.

IMPORTANT: Some Pine trees look very alike to other toxic plants so source responsibility and safely.

Uses in Herbalism and healing:

Internally, pine is a traditional remedy for coughs, colds, allergies, and urinary tract and sinus infections.

Topically, pine is used for infections and to lessen joint inflammation in arthritic conditions.

Uses in Magic:

Pine's correspondences are purification, protection, prosperity, healing, fertility and strength.

Pine needles scattered on the floor is said to drive away evil

When burned it can purify negativity

Needles can be burned for reversal spells or back to sender spells

Money magic

Can be used in oils, teas, incense, washes, etc. Get creative!

Makes a great purifying natural cleaner mixed with vinegar

Branches of pine above the bed is said to keep sickness away

In Japan Pine trees are venerated as sacred. Symbolizing longevity. Some place Pine above the front door to ensure lasting joy within, for the leaves are evergreen.

Recipes:

Herbal Salve for Inflammation - Makes 5 ounces

What you need

1 oz. beeswax (use carnauba wax for a vegan salve)

4 oz. Pine Pitch infused oil in Olive Oil - See my Infused Oils post to learn more

Directions

Wrap beeswax bar in an old towel. On a sturdy surface, use a hammer to break bar up into small chunks.

Place beeswax in a double boiler and gently warm over low heat until the beeswax melts.

Add herbal oils and stir over low heat until well-mixed.

Remove from heat

Quickly pour warm mixture into prepared heat safe tin(s) or cosmetic glass jar(s)

Store in a cool location for 1 to 3 years. 

Sources and extra reading material:

Please remember while I provide sources, some content is my own UPG from working for years intuitively with this herbal ally. What you do not see from my sources assume it is my UPG and take what information you will. Always cross reference and research yourself. All medical knowledge will be sourced.

Books:

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Expanded and Revised Edition) by Scott Cunningham

The Complete Herbal Tutor by Anne McIntyre

Links:

Want to check out my other posts? Here’s the Masterpost

[onyx-archer]

WRITING AND EDITING COMMISSIONS

As I'm in the need of a bit of money due to vet bills hurting my wallet, I'm offering writing based commissions. This can be fanfiction, original fiction, or even an essay if you're feeling spicy and want me to spout opinions from my mouth-hole through my keyboard. I also offer my services as an editor for small to medium sized projects other people have written.

For Fanfiction: Because these require me to have some level of knowledge of the source material, I'm offering fanfiction at a slightly lower price over all than the other options. I'm willing to write for most ships, even ones I don't like, provided they aren't pro-ship stuff (incest, adult/minor, fetishized abuse, etc).

Starting Price is $10 USD for 5000 words.

From here, it's an additional $2 USD per 1000 words.

In most circumstances, I will not exceed 10000 words.

Limited NSFW is allowed, with the price ranging from $5-10 USD, depending on my comfort level with what is requested.

You are given 2 free revision edits per 5000 words if you are unsatisfied with something.

All revisions after those free revisions incurs a fee, which will range between $1-3 USD, depending on how much needs to be revised.

You do not own the fanfiction in question, and it will be posted to my AO3 and Tumblr (at minimum), which you can link.

If you wish to post it on your own platforms, instead of them being posted on mine, you can pay a $5-10 fee, and I'll consider it a ghost writing project.

For Original Fiction: Most of the above applies to Original Fiction, but the prices are different. This is because I can't read your mind, and unless you give me a clear enough vision of what you want, I'm less likely to satisfy you.

Starting Price is $15 USD for 5000 words.

From here, it's an additional $3 USD per 1000 words.

I will not write anything more than 10000 words for original fiction. This is due to the level of commitment involved.

Limited NSFW is allowed, but will incur a $7-15 fee, depending on my comfort level.

You are given 3 free revision edits per 5000 words if you are unsatisfied with something.

All revisions after that will add a fee of $3-5 USD, depending on how much needs to be revised.

I own the story, and will post to my Tumblr and Wattpad (at minimum), which you can link.

If you'd like to own the original fiction outright, you can triple what you paid to own it. I can still list it in my credits though.

If you want to not have me take any credit at all, it's a flat $100 USD minimum.

For Editing: I will edit any form of writing, but it comes with different pricing.

I have a mandatory cost of $10 USD to start, regardless of what it is, or how long it is.

This mandatory cost is increased to $20 USD if the thing I'm editing is NSFW.

If the work exceeds 5000 words, I will charge an additional $2 USD per 1000 words.

If the word exceeds 10000 words, then I will double that to $4 USD per 1000 words.

I will not exceed 25000 words per job at this time. I just don't have the time for that.

I will require editing credit in the event the thing I'm editing is original fiction that you intend to publish. This does not apply for Fanfiction or Essays.

For Essays: If you're a weirdo, and just want to pay me to write some kind of essay akin to some of the ones I post on here, then you can do that. I charge a base fee of $15 USD, but the price will fluctuate depending on the subject matter. I won't write any essays on anything overtly political. They will be posted onto my Tumblr. I can't guarantee you will agree with the thesis though, so you've been warned if you wanna do this.

Contacting Me: I can be reached via DMs or Asks (I prefer asks before DMs, but whatever works). From there, we can discuss whatever it is you want me to write, as I want to confirm if I'm comfortable with writing whatever it is you want me to.

Additional Terms & Conditions:

ALL SALES ARE FINAL ONCE WORK HAS STARTED UNLESS THE FOLLOWING SITUATION OCCURS: If I am unable to work on the commission for one reason or another, I will then refund you 50% of the money, and give you all things produced for you to do with however you please, without needing to credit me.

In the event that you harass me about a commission, cross boundaries too often in our conversations, or I otherwise deem you to be rude, at my own discretion, I will cancel the commission. You will not be refunded. By paying me, you are agreeing to this condition. I have a life outside of this, and I will not be harassed for it.

Payment will be done over Paypal with an invoice. I will give you 3 days to send payment from when the invoice is sent, unless we've reached an agreement otherwise. Otherwise, I will consider you to be uninterested in proceeding, and will cancel the commission. I do not like having my chain jerked around by people saying they want a commission, only to ghost me.

My writing is NOT to be used for any Web 3.0 or AI Training Data. While I'm sure that many companies will scrape it anyway, I do not work with people who want to put my work into training data.

I will not give you a guaranteed delivery date, but it will usually be within 2 weeks of getting the commission, depending on my schedule.

I know some of this might come off as a bit strict, but I want to cover my ass. Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. If you have any further questions, please, feel free to ask me! Thanks!

(I'm hoping I can get a few so I can manage like, 200 bucks. I had to go to the vet the past month to get one of my cats some shots, so I'm running a bit low on funds.)

[aboleth-workshop]

Hey there friends. I've decided to upload all my D&D 3e/3.5 Homebrew (and other TTRPG Writing) to a new blog.

It's a slow start but we're making progress, so give it a read if you like! And if there's a class or race or other homebrew idea I've made that you want uploaded and revised earlier, let me know!

Recently I haven't liked the organization for my homebrew--how each of my custom fantasy races, classes, etc were all scattered on different Google doc links and random posts on this side Tumblr. So I am collecting all my past homebrew and slowly uploading it all to a new blog - linked above!

Everything will still be available to read in my Homebrew Masterpost while I slowly upload everything over to the new blog. And it will remain, as ever, free to use for your own games/campaign (with credit please). I am doing some revisions while uploading, however; so if any class, race or other homebrew is published on the new blog--that is the most current and revised version.

Sadly, except for maybe answering Asks and responding to homebrew suggestions, I am not planning to upload any new projects to this side Tumblr. I will still be available to chat about homebrewing and ttrpg worldbuilding on here and my main blog @aboleth-eye, but this new blog is where I'll be posting updates about new 3e/3.5 content and any homebrew games--like future ideas for D20borne, the Land of the Lustrous ttrpg, and other new games I may work on.

And just in case, I am still uploading the story of my Ravenloft D&D campaign, Freaks & Facades, to its own Blog here!

Thanks for understanding, and for reading all this! I hope the new blog is a better tool for fans of ttrpgs and Dungeons & Dragons to get to see the versatility of D&D 3e/3.5 edition (which I forever stand as the best edition to this day, sorry not sorry lol).

Aboleth Eye

[tomorrowusa]

French public broadcaster France 24 has live English-language covered of the second round of the snap election for National Assembly.

The far right RN (National Rally - in English) is being opposed by a loose coalition of centrist and leftist parties.

The RN needs 289 seats for a majority.

EDIT: France 24 abruptly ended coverage on the previous YouTube link and continued it on the revised link above. zut alors!

But bien joué to the voters of France for apparently rejecting neo-Nazis!

[four-loose-screws]

(Apologies in advance for the long ask, there was just a lot I had to say on this topic, and wanted to present my case as throughly as possible)

Hello there, first I just want to say thank you for all the hard work you do, I and no doubt many others truly appreciate it. Anyway, I saw your translation regarding Etie and Goldmary’s support conversations and it reminded me of a personal theory regarding it that I’ve had for some time. When I first heard of the differences between the Japanese and English conversations, one thing that came to my mind was a somewhat similar conversation that was also changed for presumably similar reasons, that being Tharja and Nowi’s Harvest Scarmble conversation in Awakening. Basically that conversation initially had Nowi admiring Tharja’s, umm … “boingy bits” but was changed to Nowi admiring her hair instead. Now this change was only made in the EU version while the NA version kept the “boingy bits” part intact, and the more I’ve learned about how rating systems in different regions tend to operate, I’ve begun to noticed certain patterns. In this case when it comes to places like Australia, they can be extremely strict when it comes to any sort of sexual content particularly when it involves younger looking characters, which in the case of Nowi is very evident thus offering a possible explanation for why that particular conversation in Awakening had to be changed. The reason I bring up Australia in particular, is that if you’re not aware they have quite the history of editing games and even refusing releases for all sorts of reasons, including the aforementioned “sexual content with younger looking characters”. If you want more information, here’s a link to the Wikipedia article that goes more into it with some examples: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games_in_Australia

So what does all of this have to do with this conversation in particular you may ask? Well perhaps due to Etie being 17 there was some concern if this conversation could place them into a similar issue. Now yes the ages are strictly resorted to the data files of the game and whether Etie in particular looks young enough to raise some flags is debatable (especially since she’s not in the same camp as a Nowi per say), but the fact that it’s at all present in the game to some capacity might be enough to err on the side of caution, and even if that wasn’t an issue I still think it’s possible that it could potentially raise the game rating up in some part of the world or worse get the game refused for classification, since it appears that even T (ESRB) or 12+ (PEGI) games aren’t exempt from the latter. And as a result of the change, it had a knock on effect to the B-Support as now the original wouldn’t exactly flow all that well into the revised A-Support, essentially keeping the overall theme of the conversation as close as possible within the limitations. Of course this is purely speculation, as far as I know I could be totally wrong on this but I do find the discrepancy between the aforementioned Tharja and Nowi conversation to be worth bringing up. Perhaps the reason why both NA and EU received the same conversation is that since it’s now fully voiced, they didn’t want to go through the trouble of making an alternative and since NOA and NOE in recent years have more or less unified to have the same English script everywhere in contrast with previous generations where both of them would do their own thing, possibly as a result of games typically coming out on the same day everywhere now.

Personally I like to believe that the issue that the team ran into was the A Support for all the reasons listed above and thus had a knock-on effect to the B Support to make it flow better, as I don’t think they would’ve changed that on its own, maybe they would’ve reworded some things but otherwise keep it relatively close, especially since some other “spicy” stuff like Goldmary undressing in her support with Framme was kept intact, but perhaps the A-Support could’ve be seen as pushing it when it came to getting a higher age rating or worse banned. It’s tough to say since unless someone who worked on the localization ever talks about this, all we can do is speculate and unless something else comes up, this sounds the most plausible to me with my understanding of ratings and how it can affect localizations. But what do you think, have you ever ran into something that made you consider the possibility of tightroping rating boards, whether it be the ESRB or elsewhere, I’m really interested in hearing what you have to say. Once again thank you for all your hard work and I hope you have a great day.

This is great speculation, everyone please enjoy a good read! I don't have too much to add, but here goes!

I didn't think too much into why exactly Etie and Goldmary's supports were rewritten, just had some vague ideas like "them fighting over who's more attractive to men wouldn't sit well with a general audience nowadays." If my thoughts are too speculative, sometimes I'll just choose to keep them to myself, lest the inevitable game of internet telephone turns my vague ideas into some sort of fact or something. It just happens sometimes.

I can't think of any other specific examples right away where the localization team might have had to tightrope rating boards, but I'm sure I've seen some examples in the past. It's just not an angle that tends to come to my mind when doing my original vs localization work.

Your thought that the Etie and Goldmary change was due to rating board guidelines makes a lot of sense, I don't know why I didn't think of that! Everything you say lines up with the general trends I've seen over the years. The Tharja and Nowi convo is a perfect parallel.

While I choose to focus on a USA perspective in my posts, of course, because that's the one I have, I to have read a bit online over the years about what's "too sexy" and "not too sexy" in the US vs. JP vs. Australia. Plus I made several Australian friends while teaching English in Japan, so I learned lots of bits and pieces of cultural differences from them. As a result, I've seen lots of little signs that show Australia was one of the first areas of the world to start to crack down really hard on sexualization of minors (both real and media characters), starting the global ripple affect we continue to see today.

And it's easy to prove that English language localizations are being more and more centralized, because, well, that one's easy - you just don't see differences between NOA and NOE, etc. scripts as much anymore. So that can mean localization teams have to pass multiple rating board "checks" at once.

Is this all for better or worse, that video games are becoming more of a melting pot to sell on a global scale? That rating boards can have such an influence over media? Well, that's hard to judge as a general concept. The answer is different case by case.

In my personal opinion on Etie & Goldmary's supports, I overall like the changes the localization team came up with. Whether the decision to make the changes was made internally or due to an outside influence like the rating boards, I think the team still carefully read the original conversation before making their changes. Even with entire lines rewritten, the general flow is still the same. Localizers can't always keep scripts the same detail to detail, but they can prove that they researched, cared for, and understood the game they were assigned to localize!

And that's generally what I have to say about that. Sorry its not a little more detailed!