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[curry482]

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[stealthetrees]

So this is more of an AU of the fandom AU where the Coruscant Guard live in a shitty run down building that’s falling apart. But Commander Fox finds this unacceptable so he clears out a warehouse used for storage and builds a shiny new headquarters. The original building they fix up, but only the lobby, a couple offices, and the med bay so troopers on senate duty can stay there due to its proximity to the senate building. Their new building they can go nuts with, adding all sorts of stuff that they arnt allowed to have.

An entire room is filled with tv monitors so they can slice into security cameras around the planet and see everything. They get a nice rec room, an area for the engineers to play around with ideas, even an office for the medics to make you talk about your feelings. A server room is dedicated solely to storing and orgonizing blackmail collected on pretty much everyone worth mentioning on Coruscant.

But after one secret building, what’s another? Areas of strategic importance are carefully chosen and a new headquarters is established nearby. They are each given code names. The original building is still Headquarters, the new main building is the Barracks. The Office is where they run intelligence and investigations from. IT Department is next to the industrial district. The Kennals are much lower than some of their other buildings, a small station set up to monitor the rancor infestation (Thorn moves down there to become a cowboy after he “dies” on Scipio). The Lobby is set in the lower civilian levels as a way to help the people who arnt rich enough to bribe politicians into getting what they want. The Med Bay started as just somewhere for big surgeries, physical therapy and prosthetics, but which the “generous donations” they acquire it grows into a hospital for civilians as well, completely free, and they start hiring nat born doctors, surgeons and nurses while paying them well and proving a great work environment. Adding a therapist office helped a lot of troopers as well.

The system takes a long time to build and works perfectly. Until Fox figures out Palpatine is a Sith. It’s not actually world shattering news, but it does give him a panic attack after realizing Palpatine though Fox already knew, because he had threatened the chancellor with a slug thrower instead of a blaster. Through questions to his batch mates with Jedi generals he learns that Sith can influence people’s minds and decides that in order for the clone rights bill to pass Palpatine needs to die.

And die he does. The rest of the conservative senators are swayed by a mix of blackmail, bribes, and bomb threats. The bill does pass, and most of them are instantly arrested for sentient rights violations, assault, and various other crimes because government property can’t serve as a witness in a civilian court of law.

The timing of all this could not be worse, as two of Fox’s batch mates where on planet, Cody and Wolffe, and they loved to stick their noses in his business. Which means when a lot of Corries are injured in the fight with the senate guards and private security while trying to make arrests, Cody and Wolffe help get them back to Headquarters, because it’s much closer than the Barracks. But Headquarters has a very small med bay because so few troopers use it. So they are over crowded and run out of bacta.

Also Cody gets turned around in the hallway and discovers how bad the rest of the building is. So Fox has a choice to make. He grabs Cody and Wolffe and drags them outside and back to the GAR barracks while texting Thire and telling him he has an hour and a half to make Headquarters look lived in. Then Fox opens a one way comm line with every Corrie so they can keep the story straight as he answers his brothers questions.

Fox commits to the bit so hard they believe the Guard is suffering horribly from abuse and budget cuts while in reality they just steal money from what ever rich person they have the freshest blackmail from. He could just tell them all the illegal things he’s been up to, but Fox would rather die than tell someone more than they needed to know.

[aedearly]

hii! i absolutely love your work. i've been getting into trying to make borders myself, and i was wondering if you had any tips on where to find good pngs or do you create everything yourself? i feel like my luck so far hasn't been great but maybe i just don't know how to search for it correctly!

Hello, nonnie! I'm so glad you enjoy my work; thank you for your kind words. ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) And oh my gosh, it's so nice to see a new GFX creator in the making! One of us, one of us, one us. ~ Welcome to the wonderful world of editing, hehe!

I've compiled a list of websites that I use for my graphics, but please do let me know if you need anything else and I'll be happy to assist!

For general assets, as well as inspiration, I generally use these websites: behance (which is pretty much the industry standard when it comes to graphic design in general, they have cool studios or experienced designers that post their works and/or assets), booth (an independent japanese resources hub with many free and paid assets), huanban (an independent chinese resources hub, same proposal as booth), abdz (mostly focused on typography and branding), dribble (more focused on web applications and design) and envato (templates).

Since I'm colourblind, I'm not always confident about how to compose colours together. So whenever I'm in doubt, I use coolors (to get palettes from images and browse through palette ideas) and colorhunt (which gives ideas for palette themes and motifs).

I love typography a whole bunch, but sometimes it's hard to find that one right font for your project. Whenever I need to look for something else, I always run to these websites: google fonts (when I'm on a budget and want to use 100% free fonts, including for commercial use), 1001fonts (to quickly find fonts based on themes, it has a great tag system), dafont (a big classic huge dabatase of custom fonts), befonts (for more industry standard-leaning fonts) and kerismaker (for those magazine looks). When I want to identify a font used on an image and where I can download/purchase it, I use myfonts and font squirrel. They even give you similar options for free, too!

Suppose I'm specifically searching for illustrations/PNGs I can use on my upcoming project. In that case, I'll either go to flat icons (for websites, applications or presentations), vertex (for 3d icons and/or general vectors), graphic burger (for logo making), cleanpng (for I want a tree PNG and do not want to clean it myself, for example), pngtree (same idea as the previous one, you just search for a word and will see all PNGs related to it) and pngall (self explanatory).

Regarding backgrounds, textures, and photography in general, I rely on websites like pixabay, vecteezy, 3d ocean, morguefile, freepik and isorepublic. They have high-quality photos and videos that you can use on your projects. However, if I specifically need mockups or patterns, I turn to unblast, pacage and ava.

Besides those, you can always search for things on Deviantart and Twitter! Though I do not use those much, I think Instagram and Threads also have pages dedicated to sharing resources. Discord can be a nice place to search for graphic design servers, too.

However, if I cannot find specific resources for a commission/project for whatever reason, then I will make them myself. Be it through photography, drawing or anything else I can get my little hands on.

For the more technical/applications side, the programs I use for my graphics and edits are Adobe PhotoShop 2020, Adobe After Effects 2020, Adobe Illustrator 2020, Clip Studio Paint (for when I need to draw or polish something for specific projects/commissions), and HandBrake (for when I need to make screencaps). My drawing tablet is an oldie, Wacom One.

Hopefully, this can be a nice starting point for you! Please feel free to reblog and/or like this post if you'd like to save it for whatever purpose. ~ I hope you enjoy this journey ahead, and if you need anything else, let me know! You got this! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

[marveltrumpshate]

★ AUCTION WEEK INFO ★

We reached the halfway point! We’re so impressed by everyone’s kindness and generosity so far; we love seeing bidders and creators cheer on one another as they bid and get bid on...which is why we hope you’ll support our golden needle auctions!

What are golden needles, you ask? These are auctions that are less active but just as wonderful and deserving of bids. With 293 auctions, we want to make sure that no one gets lost in the haystack—hence why we have a dedicated “golden needle” category on our auction site to make these hidden treasures easier to find.

This tag gives everyone a chance to be bid on and allows bidders to find new creators they aren’t familiar with and/or auctions they can afford. We know that some people don’t have much money to spare but still want to bid, and this is a great way to find auctions that are within budget, other than checking out pod bids or making one of your own!

While many of our auctions offer fic or art, we also have exciting offers for beta services (editing, soundboarding/planning, fact-checking, culture-picking, sensitivity reading, knowledge about specific topics or experiences, and cheer reading), crafts, digital works (graphics/edits, gifsets, manips, mood boards, etc.), podfics, translations, videos, and other fan labor. There are several one-of-a-kind auctions on offer, so feel free to browse the golden needle pages in their entirety. To search the golden needles by work type, rating, or special auction categories, use the filters to the right of the page.

For those of you who want to narrow down your search to your favorite fandoms, ships, and characters, you can do so by searching multiple keywords (e.g., ship: stony “golden needle” for Steve/Tony golden needles). Please refer to our tag list to see all of our tags and some search tips and our search guide for instructions on doing a multiple keyword search.

We’d also like to remind creators that your starting bid and bid increment can still be changed if your auction has not yet received a bid. If you’d like to make a change, please email us at marveltrumpshate+creators@gmail.com or ping a server mod (@mod) on our Discord server with the details.

We hope that you’ll support all of our lovely golden needles. Let’s try to get a bid for every auction!

____________________________________________

Read our daily update posts for more information:

Day 1 - Viewing Tumblr posts on mobile, using our auction watchlist feature, and changing your Discord DM settings

Day 2 - Bidder–creator matchmaking and group/pod bids

Day 3 - Commissioning gifts on a friend’s behalf (fanworks are great holiday gifts!)

Auction spotlights:

Beta services, translation, and other fan labor

Craft or merch auctions

Digital, podfic, and vid auctions

Poly ships

[nintendont2502]

cant find the original post but a while ago i impulsively decided to add all 32 sburb players (betas, alphas, alternians *and* beforans) to a random name generator and then randomly mix them up - characters kept their original first name and class, and took on the last name and aspect of whatever character they took the role of. this was just meant to be a funny 1am experiment so i could laugh at the cursed results

...yeah it has lore now. i cant stop thinking about it. help.

Beta Kids:

Gamz Egbert (Gamzee) - Bard of Breath. One of the most chill guys ever. Constantly zoned the hell out. Loves clowns :0) him and his dad bond over it. Hangs out with Kari a lot over vc, where it's basically just Kari talking at him uninterrupted (the kid needs it sometimes)

Kari Strider (Kankri) - Seer of Time. Gifted kid and he won't let you forget it. Permanently lives in a sweater vest even though he literally lives in Texas. Constantly annoyed by how childish and immature his older brother is. Lectures him a lot. Lectures his friends a lot. Has 'visions of his past lives' (aka occasional memories from his post-scratch/alternate timeline counterparts). Lectures his friends about how theyre real and valid whenever they make give him shit for it (which happens a lot). Dedicated pacifist - for now, anyway.

John Lalonde - Heir of Light. Golden child. Has an over-bearing mother that constantly pushes him into learning instruments/lanugages/skills, participating in competitions and events, winning award after award. Sure, he's... kinda sick of doing things all day every day, and he doesn't really want to do any of this, but... shouldn't he do it anyway? Even if just for his Mom? Hell, he can't really complain about it, right? He has such a good life! He goes horseback riding every sunday! Sure, it sucks that he doesn't have any free time that isn't controlled by his mother, but he can deal with it. It's fine.

(Things get even worse during the three year trip when Wuh Oh! Gender crisis time! Except he can’t be a girl because he was always meant to be his mom’s perfect son, and he’s already let her down once by letting her die, right? He can just… live with this. Its fine. It's not that bad. It's for her, after all.)

Roxy Harley - Rogue of Space. Grew up living on a small island somewhere in the Pacific that her grandfather 'won in a poker game' (aka probably scammed someone out of, knowing him) - or so he says, anyway. He also used to say he got Roxy the same way every time she asked where she came from! Haha very funny Roxy definitely loved hearing that and not a real response every time she asked where she came from and why she didn’t have any parents. That was great. Her grandfather died when she was fairly young, leaving her alone on the island with nothing left of him but the small inventions he left around the place to make life easier for her. She grows up learning how to maintain them, and although she tries becoming a great inventor like her grandfather, she just... doesn't have the skill. Hacking, on the other hand - shes great at that shit! She finally cracks her final goal - cracking into her grandfathers servers - just before her friend Gamz's 13th birthday, finding mostly boring shit - expenses, customer complaints, legal threats, budgets, etc. What's mildly more interesting to her, however, is the insane amount of money (if they lived on the mainland, they'd be fucking LOADED), and a .exe file for a really cool looking game, with a note from her grandfather congratulating her on finally getting in. And hey, would you look at that? Its multiplayer! And all her friends are free - even John, who through sheer coincidence found himself with a free weekend after his tutors came down with various mysterious illnesses and injuries. It's like the universe wants them to play the game or some shit! Haha wild

Alpha Kids:

Raph Crocker (Rufioh) - Rogue of Life. The living embodiment of all those business major memes. Dude is *dedicated* to the Crockercorp brand - he's determined that one day, he'll climb the ranks and become head of the company, and hopefully lead it just as well as his great-grandfather did. He unironically wears a suit everywhere, and seems committed to sounding like a 50 year old boardroom exec trapped in the body of a 16 year old - although it isn't hard to get him to crack. As much as he pretends he has no patience for his online friends and their constant stories of 'living on a remote island' or 'living in the post-apocalyptic future' (seriously guys, he isn't that gullible), he does genuinely care about them. Besides, when you're stuck in the house all day, there isn't much else to do.

Tuna Strider (Mituna) - Heir of Heart. Trans king. Exudes pure 'disney channel older brother' energy. Shithead (affectionate). Looks up to his Bro, a famous pacifist who resisted the Batterwitch's rule with a global peaceful protest... only to be killed the moment he became too much of a threat. Yyeah. Tuna has... some thoughts about how that should have gone down - most of them involving swords. Or guns. Or both. Maybe if his Bro had a sweet katana, the world wouldn't have been flooded! Although it's too late for his Bro, Tuna has decided to take up the fight in his stead by creating his own 'sick as fuck gun-sword' with whatever scrap metal he can find in the apartment (his Bro, for some reason, didn't think to leave him any useable weapons. cringe). He's got the sword part down great, but the gun... not so much.

Vris Lalonde (Vriska) - Thief of Void. The second half of the 't4t post apocalypse chaos squad', as Tuna calls them. Girl doxxes people for fun - what are they gonna do? Doxx her back? lmao good luck with that losers - closest youre gonna get is still 400 years off. Constantly daring her friends to do stupid shit and quote, 'stop being so fucking boringggg'. it usually works on tuna. sometimes on dave. she still hasnt gotten raph yet, but *one day*...

Dave English - Knight of Hope. smooth talking mile a minute inventor who *loves* trying to 'pitch' his latest invention to his friends. its become almost a game to them, where theyll take turns bidding increasingly ridiculous amounts for an umbrella that shoots seeds ('for easy planting in the rain yknow') or a beat-boxing robot ('i dont even need to explain this one just look at it man. cool as shit'). hell, even raph gets involved sometimes, usually turning it into a shark tank style negotiation. dave swears hes keeping a tally of how much everyone 'owes' him, and claims that one day hes settling that bill. his inventions are genuinely pretty impressive, especially considering his limited resources - being stuck alone on a remote island makes sourcing parts pretty hard. he probably wouldnt even need to jokingly scam his friends in order to jokingly sell his inventions - they jokingly sell themselves. he just thinks scamming people is fun.

Alternia Rapid Fire Round lets goo

Cronus Megido - Bard of Time. relentlessly flirts with anyone of a higher caste than him in the hopes that, if he can get into a quadrant with them, he'll have more protection than he would as just a solo rustblood. this strategy ultimately fails when he flirts with a particular Serket one too many times and gets killed for it. damn. oh well.

Sollux Nitram - so so tired of everyones shit. the only person that actually vaguely got along with Cronus (because he was the only person that Cronus didn't flirt with). just wants to play his pokemon in peace man stop dragging him into drama

Damara Captor - Witch of Doom. 'curses' people. seems weirdly unsurprised when those curses actually work. after cronus' death, a rumour went around that she was the one who caused it, and she absolutely wasnt denying that shit - now no one wants to fuck with her, and those that do? well, she still has her psiionics.

Meulin Vantas - Mage of Blood. Basically the only fucking thing holding this friendship group together. Despite all the complicated as shit relationships - the friendships, the exes, the mortal enemies, the attempted (and successful) murders - Meulin somehow manages to navigate the web of relationships and keep everyone relatively stable

Jaydee Leijon (Jade) - Witch of Heart. catgirl :33. Wishes she lived closer to everyone so she could see them 33: especially her moirail!! at least she still has her lusus to playfight with

Karkat Maryam - Knight of Space. basically a tboy vampire. Used to live in the caverns, but after he realised he was a dude, he began to feel uncomfortable with how oppressive and 'feminine' the caverns were. ran away. struggles with his identity - the contrast between the typical female jadeblood standards of being caring and nurturing, and the typical alternian female standards of being violent and aggressive, leave him stuck in the middle, unsure of what to do or who hes 'allowed' to be. swings wildly between being aggressive and letting himself care about his friends. he eventually figures out that gender stereotypes are bullshit and he can care abt his friends and still be a dude. hes still an asshole though <3

Eridan Pyrope - Prince of Mind. Incredibly committed to a strict moral code - which... no one can figure out. it seems to vary wildly depending on what suits him best at the specific moment. Used to roam Alternia looking for 'criminals' to 'improve' or, if that failed, 'bring to justice' with one Serket, but after an incident involving the loss of three eyes and one arm... they arent exactly on speaking terms.

Dyrrhk Serket (Dirk) - Prince of Light. i dont know how else to say it this mfer makes saw traps. he claims its to 'improve' people - by putting them through some specific trap, it... fixes a percieved issue? even if its an issue only he can see. and if they die in the trap? well, they should have just tried harder right. they probably deserved it. he isnt even doing this out of a desire to hurt people hes *genuinely* convinced that what hes doing is helping, and thinks that this is the best way to go about it. puts eridan through one one day, resulting in the loss of his vision, and after he (finally) figured out that 'huh maybe that wasnt a good idea', he... apologises. lmao just kidding that would be too reasonable - instead he mind controls one of his friends into putting *dyrrhk* into a trap of his own design, resulting in the loss of an eye and an arm. he seems genuinely convinced that this should make them even. everythings fine now, right? he scares me just on a conceptual level

Tavros Zahhak - Page of Void. hes basically a himbo im ngl. hes tall hes ripped hes clumsy and he cant help but draw attention to himself wherever he goes - attention he *hates*. moirails with jaydee. theyre cute <>

Latula Makara - Knight of Rage. clown... despite the usual purpleblood stereotypes, she doesnt really get angry all that often - most of the time, shes just vibing. but when she *does* get angry? its always for a reason. theres always a specific goal shes fulfilling through that anger (even if its just intimidating someone into doing something). i have the least thoughts about her but shes interesting

Jaiikk Ampora (Jake) - Page of Hope. Just a funny lil guy that likes playing pirates :) all the lowbloods he roleplays with definitely want to be there and don't feel coerced by being 'asked' by a literal violetblood :)) if people die during his 'games' well that sucks but he cant exacly stop playing because of a few small accidents right? ..yyeah. hes incredibly ignorant of his position in society and how that effects other people, even if (especially if) those consequences are deadly for others. after a certain point its just easier to not know whats going on than to face all the damage youve caused right. claims he loves the ocean and dreams of living in the depths. never goes into the ocean. hes a weird guy

Equius Peixes - Heir of Life. Future heir to the Alternian throne. Determined to lead Alternia into a new era of strength, no matter the methods to get there. moirails with Jaiikk (which absolutely doesnt help the whole 'Jaiikk accidentally pressuring lowbloods into doing things for him' thing. bro has scary dog privileges with the future emperor looming behind him at all times)

Even faster Beforus speed round because you cant legally make me think about them for more than five seconds

Porrim Megido - Maid of Time

Feferi Nitram - Witch of Breath

Rose Captor - Seer of Doom

Nepeta Vantas - Rogue of Blood

Kurloz Leijon - Prince of Heart

Aradia Maryam - Mage of Space

Aranea Pyrope - Sylph of Mind

Kanaya Serket - Sylph of Light

Jane Zahhak - Maid of Void

Meenah Makara - Thief of Rage

Terezi Ampora - Seer of Hope

Horuss Peixes - Page of Life

[atlastseason]

Original post from my patreon post; Read free!

Hi Everyone! It's me, atlast. Today I want to talk about some complicated stuffs.

I just moved to my newly, and not finished, built house for about three weeks now. Things are still moving in places but my budget are running low as well.

So, my immediate goal right now is to secure some fundings to be able to clear my statement that had been used on buying things around the house.

I want to take this opportunity for whoever is out there that are willing to support this little artist that has to take care of himself and his family (also his cat). So I can dedicate my time to fully work on the creative stuffs and not worry about the debt that has been creeping towards me every week.

More details in each posts.

I will link the support channels that you can use to help me below.

Thank you for your supports, truly. I'm really grateful for you guys!

See you around, you beautiful people!

atlastseason, the green dragon from page @greendragonbluecat

This is all my monthly bills and spendings I need to fulfill, for myself and my family. My house isn't finish yet, just livable inside but the outside are still a construction site with no fences and no kitchen as well. I need to save some more to be able to afford them all but for now it's still work in progress, I guess. I try to remove some extra spending but still not enough. I'm still worried whether I could afford a commute and upcoming hospital bill. I could use some loan but it's not a good place to rely on.

These channels are my main focus for work.

Patreon

For posting all my works, arts, animation, learning, anything that's related, with no watermarks, some behind the scene and thought process about that piece for fully experiences and getting the whole picture of my work. I'm holding a monthly activity for my member so if you're interested, join me and be a part of my green army!

Starting 3 USD a month. https://patreon.com/atlastseason

Twitch

Live on Tuesday and Thursday, 20:30 UTC+7. I'm trying to be on schedule so you can reliably find me when you're free. I mainly speaking Thai there but I could do English as well if there's more international audiences. I first started with daily drawings, some events or fanart of something then I talk about my experiences on my life with art and creative work that I've gone through. I'm doing some emotes and stickers so if you want to be able to use them, consider subscribe to my twitch Channel to be able to use it, when it's fully finish!

Commission

Starting at 45 USD. You can get a nicely, clean drawing for a single character. You can read more about it here on my website! https://blog.atlastseason.art/blog/2025/february-commission/

Like, Share and Follow

I know this is kind of a stigma to be said but it can help me in the long run! In this world of algorithm and engagement farming, my little art account can't keep up with that if there's no traffic around them on those platforms and I totally get it and I don't blame them on how they operated. I'm trying to be authentic and true to my goal of becoming an artist that is truly love to do his own craft with his audience waiting for him. Money is not the first things I'm after but it's needed for me to be able to live normally. So I'm just trying to reach out to those who truly want to see me thrive and grow as an artist. Please make sure to spread around and hopefully, they can find me in this vast sea of all the world wide web.

Discord

I also have a Discord Server for all the enthusiastic friends that love to talk with art related or just something else, like gaming or music or FURRY (Especially Furry :3)

So, you're all invited! https://discord.gg/adZMQ4uDKu

I have been thinking about this subject for sometimes but can't find the right word to say. I've stumbled upon this article that might convey what I'm trying to say.

In 1872, George Sand, a French novelist, wrote that the artist has a “duty to find an adequate expression to convey it to as many souls as possible.” To put it more succinctly, art needs an audience.

Quote from Jeff Goins on his website https://goinswriter.com/art-audience/

Hope you have a fantastic day.

See you around!

[alongthewayfanzine]

Below the cut is a detailed FAQ for the zine. Please read before sending questions!

General Information

What is this zine about?

Along the Way is a charity zine celebrating the Linked Universe as a comic, a fandom, and a community.  The overall theme will focus on the found family aspects of the chain and the friendships forged on their journey. Each of the 9 Linked Universe Links will have a section dedicated to them, which will include 1 short story and 3 pages of art.

Is the zine digital or physical?

Both! The zine will be produced as a digital PDF and as a physical book.

Will there be extra merch?

Yes! There will be a keychain, a bookmark, and 3 sticker designs available in addition to the zine.

What's the content rating for the zine?

The zine will be limited to a maximum content rating of Teen, or PG-13. The tone of the zine will be optimistic, so we won't be including any intense content.

Will the zine feature AUs or ships?

No, this zine will not feature any specific AUs or ships. Along the Way is focused on the friendships between the Links.

Regarding headcanons, we will be sticking as close to canon as we can. Widely-accepted fanon (i.e. Time and Warriors knowing each other from the War of Eras) can be acceptable, but is discouraged.

If you have a specific question about what is and isn't alright to include, ask the mods.

What's the production schedule?

You can find the full timeline, including contributor deadlines, here.

~~~

Finances and Charity Information

How much will the zine cost?

We have four bundles currently available!

Digital zine only - $7.50 USD (includes 1 digital PDF)

Physical zine only - $24 USD (includes 1 physical zine + 1 PDF)

Merch only - $15 USD (includes 3 3" vinyl stickers, 1 acrylic keychain, + 1 tasseled bookmark)

Full zine + merch - $30.45 USD (includes 1 physical zine, 1 PDF, and all merch!)

You can check out our shop here! Preorders are open until May 4th, 2025.

What are the shipping costs?

We are producing and shipping our zine and merch out of the USA! According to our interest check, plenty of our orders will be international, so we've attempted to split the difference with shipping. We are charging a flat fee for shipping the physical zine bundles (less for the merch-only bundle) and will handle shipping individually or to central locations.

Shipping on all of the physical zine bundles will be $15USD, and merch bundles will be $2USD.

How is the money being used?

Along the Way is a nonprofit charity zine. Money will first be used to cover the cost of creating and shipping the zine and associated merch. Digital-only orders will help us cover overhead costs such as shipping supplies and website fees. All additional proceeds will be donated to the AbleGamers Foundation.

What's the AbleGamers Foundation?

A charity focusing on "creating opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities". They have won several awards for working with disabilities and give their own awards to games with accessible features. You can learn more about them on their website here!

~~~

Contributor Information

Who can contribute?

Writers and artists will comprise the majority of the zine, but cosplay and crafts are also welcome.

Contributors must be aged 18+.

How many contributors are there?

Each Link has been assigned one writer and two artists, for a total of 9 writers and 18 artists. We also have 5 merch artists (with a few of them doing page art as well!)

Will contributors be paid?

Since this is a nonprofit charity zine, contributors will not be paid. Depending on our budget, we may be able to offer free copies of the zine, or free merchandise. Details will be determined later.

Where do I apply?

As of 8/29, applications are now closed!

~~~

Communication

Communication with contributors will be handled using both a private Discord server and direct email.

Discord will be used for announcements and deadline reminders for contributors.

Official communications will be through our email, alongthewayfanzine@gmail.com.

How can I contact the mods?

For the general public, feel free to send an ask to this blog. For contributors, Discord is the best option for general questions (Discord handles are listed below). For urgent needs, email us!

Can I send questions through Tumblr?

Yes, Tumblr asks are open! I (mod G3) will do my best to answer as quickly as possible, though please note that Tumblr is not the most direct method of communication with the mods.

If you are a contributor, we would prefer you use either Discord or email for communication.

I don't have Discord. Can I still be a contributor?

Yes! All official communications will be through email, so it's okay if you can't join the Discord.

~~~

Who are the mods?

We have four mods on our team!

Mina - Project Manager

Pronouns: she/her

Tumblr: @zarvasace

Discord: zarvasace

G3 - Social Media Manager

Pronouns: they/them

Tumblr: @that-g3-artist

Discord: that_g3_obsessive

Kahl - People Manager

Pronouns: she/her, fae/faer

Tumblr: @vagueandominousvibes

Discord: chrestomanchi

Zola - Human Spackling Paste

Pronouns: they/them

Tumblr: @zolanort

Discord: zolanort

Official mod intros are under #meet the mods!

~~~

This FAQ will be updated as more details are figured out. Follow this blog for updates on the zine's progress!

[tea-and-secrets]

I'm so frustrated rn because fucking NOBODY will commission me. I'm not a bad artist, my commissions are DIRT CHEAP (literally u can pay like 25€ for a whole ref sheet) and yet every time nobody wants my art!! At all!! I try to advertise my art in every discord server with a dedicated self-promo or commission channel and nothing! Even when I reach out to people asking for someone with a cutesy/cartoon style to draw their characters with a budget higher than my prices time after time it's just "mmmmh.. no thanks" or "this isn't really what I'm looking for.." and the whole time I just KNOW they think my dirt cheap art isn't good enough for them. Like is it such a big deal to pay me ten bucks for your stupid headshot for me to finish in under an hour. Seriously. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or like I'm demanding people commission me but ffs. But when I offer requests it's always "woww your art is so cool/amazing/pretty tysmm!!"

.

[political-land]



Amazon Paid Almost $1 Billion for Twitch in 2014. It’s Still Losing Money

In 2014, Amazon made a significant splash by purchasing Twitch for nearly $1 billion. The acquisition aimed to strengthen Amazon's foothold in the booming live-streaming and gaming industry. Despite Twitch's immense popularity, a decade later, the platform is still grappling with financial losses.

A Strategic Investment

Amazon's decision to acquire Twitch was driven by the platform's rapid growth and its potential to dominate the live-streaming market. Launched in 2011, Twitch quickly became the leading destination for gamers to broadcast their gameplay and engage with fans. The acquisition was seen as a way for Amazon to diversify and tap into the expanding digital entertainment sector.

Popularity Without Profit

Twitch's user base has continued to grow, attracting over 30 million daily visitors. The platform hosts a variety of content, including gaming, music, art, and talk shows, making it a cultural phenomenon. Major events like TwitchCon draw large audiences, both online and offline, showcasing the platform's broad appeal.

However, despite its popularity, Twitch has struggled to turn a profit. The costs of maintaining and expanding the platform are substantial, with significant investments in infrastructure and payments to top streamers. Competition from other platforms like YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming further complicates Twitch's financial situation.

Financial Challenges

One of Twitch's main financial challenges is the immense data requirements to support its vast number of streams. The platform relies on powerful servers to handle millions of live broadcasts simultaneously. Additionally, Amazon's continued investments in Twitch, including exclusive content deals and streamer incentives, put additional pressure on the platform's budget.

Although Twitch generates revenue through advertisements, subscriptions, and bits (Twitch's virtual currency), these earnings have not been sufficient to cover the high operational costs. Amazon remains committed to Twitch, hoping to eventually achieve profitability through new strategies and revenue models.

Future Prospects

Despite these financial hurdles, Amazon is dedicated to Twitch's success. The company is exploring various approaches to enhance Twitch's profitability, such as deeper integration with Amazon Prime and exclusive partnerships. These initiatives aim to secure Twitch's market position and improve its financial health.

Show Your Twitch Spirit!

While Twitch works towards a profitable future, you can show your support by getting some awesome Twitch merchandise. Check out the Twitch Core Logo Tee and proudly wear your passion for Twitch. It's a fun way to back the community and look stylish too! #ad

Conclusion

Amazon's acquisition of Twitch was a visionary move that has kept the platform at the forefront of live-streaming. Despite ongoing financial challenges, Twitch remains a beloved platform with a dedicated user base. With Amazon's continued support and innovative strategies, there's hope that Twitch will eventually achieve profitability while continuing to offer top-notch entertainment and community engagement.

 

[gpu4host]

GPU vs. CPU for Gaming: GPU Dedicated Servers for High Speed

Check out the key differences between CPUs &amp; GPUs for gaming. Know how GPU dedicated servers improve gaming performance. Get the Best GPU dedicated servers under budget.

[eudedicatedsblog]

Cheap dedicated server hosting Germany offers budget-friendly solutions for businesses looking to host their websites or applications. These servers provide great performance while keeping hosting costs low.

[quietbooklion]

Thoughts on: Stellarium of the Fragile Star (Ranuste)

Normally when I write a Thoughts On post, it's usually me giving my honest thoughts about a story, usually an otome game or any other thing that's on my mind. In this case, however, I'm not reviewing something I've played to completion. Rather, I want to give my thoughts on a game I've never played and only seen through their official page and vidoes. That game is Stellarium of the Fragile star or Ranuste for short.

The main reason why I wanted to give my thoughts is because Ranuste got hit with the dreaded EOS announcement a few months ago and was going to shutdown in March. The game came out in April of Last year and by the time I'm posting this, it will already have shutdown and there will be an offline version available. It did not last a year before it got the EOS announcement. The thing is, I wasn't surprised initially because from the start of its release, it was already in some tight competition with other Joseimuke games that were doing significantly better in terms of financial gain and player base. It had a following and some dedicated fans but from the looks of it, it wasn't enough to keep the game alive so it's no surprise it got hit with an EOS announcement. What did surprise me was how quickly it had happened. Again, it didn't last a year. The only time I remember something like this happening was with Tales of Luminaria, a mobile game that's part of the Tales series, also got an EOS announcement just six months after its release and shut down in July of 2022.

So this brings up the question: What happened to Ranuste? What caused it to essentially fail?

I'm gonna start by saying I'm no expert in anything mobile gaming related nor do I know the intricacies of finances gained from mobile gaming and what's going on with the company that developed the game. I'm just giving my thoughts about the game.

Ranuste is a game that centers around alchemy. Seeing as it was only released in Japan, I don't know much about the main story, it's central plotline, or much of the characters and their development. All I know is that it's main focus is alchemy. It's very reminiscent of the Atelier series albeit the latter is an RPG with combat. Ranuste is an AFK kind of game where you can take your time with the mechanics of alchemy. Overall, it looks like a fun, cozy, cute game that can be appealing to a lot of people.

It has some amazing character design and the art is abso-freaking-lutely beautiful art. And don't even get me started on the fashion. Just look at these beautiful art and clothes!

And the men themselves are handsome. These are my personal favorites.

And don't even get me started on the BGM. This game's soundtrack is top tier levels of amazing. A mobile gacha game should not have such an amazing soundtrack but it does. I haven't been invested in a gacha game's soundtrack other than Reverse 1999. Seriously, go listen to the soundtrack on their YouTube channel. I cannot recommend it enough. This one is my absolute favorite.

We have handsome men, amazing art, top tier soundtrack, and gameplay that is easy and appealing. What more could you want?

So, what went wrong?

I can only think of a few things that prevented it from succeeding in the long run. Those would be: 1.) It was already in competition with other joseimuke games that had a better successful release. 2.) Ranuste was on a budget and unfortunately wasn't bringing in enough revenue to hold the server. 3.) Despite it's appeal, it didn't grab people's attention.

Before I get into my points, I do want to point out that the devs didn't want any kind of translations of the game to be made anywhere. Which struck me as odd. I get that there may be some contractual obligations to not have any kind of fan translation. But the game was never going to be released in the West. So it was a strange choice to make. I've seen people express that they lost some interest in Ranuste because of the translation ban. Did it hurt the game more instead of helping it? I honestly don't know. I just wanted to get that out of the way first.

Now onto my points.

The gacha sphere is a tough one to be in, especially if your game is more f2p friendly. Ranuste already was in competition with other games that had a strong following before their release. On top of that, there are other games that had come out long before Ranuste was released that had build up a fanbase and enough publicity, that it's not out of the realm of possibility that Ranuste was overshadowed by much larger and more popular games.

The budget is also something to take into consideration. When it was first released, it wasn't fully voiced. Only snippets of voice acting was sprinkled here and there. That already meant that Ranuste was on a budget and couldn't afford full voice acting. Combine that with the cost of hiring compsers for the BGM; artists for character art and background art, keeping the server online, and among other things, Ranuste had to earn a lot if they wanted to continue to add to keep the game up. Unfortunately, it seemed that it didn't make enough revenue and they had to shut down. Thankfully, as compensation, the story did get fully voiced near the end. And there's also the offline version. So there's the silver lining in all of this.

As for its general appeal, I can see why some may not have been attracted to the game at first. When you really think about it, there are other games that do kind of follow the same setting. You have games like Twisted Wonderland and Obey Me where it has an academic setting with magic. And what does Ranuste have? An academic setting and magic in the form of alchemy. That isn't to say Ranuste doesn't have its own thing going for it. But when I think long and hard about it, Ranuste didn't really stand out among the joseimuke/gacha sphere. It's a tough business to be in and you've got to do your absolute best to promote whatever it is you're selling. And Ranuste wasn't able to achieve that kind of attention it needed.

I don't want to end things on a negative note so I'll list out some positives. It's clear from the get-go that a lot of hard work and dedication was put into Ranuste. From the cast of characters, to the setting, to how it implemented an AKF kind of gameplay, to having amazing art and music, Ranuste was born from passion. You can tell just how much the game received love from the devs and writers. And even the fans expressed how much they enjoyed the game. While yes, you can make the argument that it's a gacha game at the end of the day, I still think that it was a game worth knowing about, even if you didn't play it.

The future of Ranuste is up in the air at this point. There's no telling how long the offline version will be up. I could definitely see the game either being made into a light novel series or get a PC/console release as a visual novel. The game has enough character development and worldbuilding that it can be made into a different type of media that isn't mobile gaming.

Even though I never played the game, it holds a place in my heart.

[10-best]

10 Best Web Hosting in Karachi

The right choice of web hosting can make all the difference when it comes to hosting a website. Whether you’re starting a small blog or launching a large online store, you need a fast, reliable, and secure hosting provider. Karachi, the bustling business hub of Pakistan, has many hosting providers to choose from.

List of Top Karachi's Hosting

In this guide, we’ll look at the 10 best web hosting in Karachi to help you make an informed decision.

1. QW Hosting

QW Hosting is a standout choice for web hosting in Karachi. Known for its reliability and excellent customer support, QW Hosting provides shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. They focus on fast performance, security, and ease of use. If you are looking for a hosting provider that offers great uptime, excellent speed, and 24/7 support, QW Hosting is the one to go for.

Their hosting plans are affordable, and they offer a user-friendly control panel, making it easy for beginners to get started. Whether you need hosting for a personal blog or a business website, QW Hosting can meet your needs with its high-quality services.

2. HosterPK

HosterPK is one of the most popular hosting providers in Karachi. They offer a variety of hosting options, including shared hosting, cloud hosting, and dedicated servers. Their services are well-suited for both beginners and advanced users. One of the standout features of HosterPK is its focus on providing local server locations, ensuring fast loading speeds for Pakistani users.

The customer support team is responsive and ready to help at any time, which is a big plus for people new to web hosting. HosterPK also offers affordable pricing with flexible plans, so you can find something that fits your budget.

3. HostBreak

Another top contender in Karachi’s web hosting scene is HostBreak. They offer shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting solutions. HostBreak is known for its fast server speeds and great customer support. Their servers are optimized for WordPress, which makes them a good choice for those looking to run a WordPress website.

What sets HostBreak apart is its reliability. The uptime is excellent, which means your website is less likely to face downtime. They also provide free SSL certificates, which are essential for securing your site and building trust with your visitors.

4. WebSouls

If you’re looking for affordable yet reliable hosting in Karachi, WebSouls could be a great option. They offer shared hosting, cloud hosting, and VPS hosting, all with high uptime and excellent customer support. WebSouls focuses on providing an easy-to-use experience for beginners. Their hosting plans come with many useful features, such as free backups, unlimited bandwidth, and free domain registration.

WebSouls also stands out for its transparent pricing, so there are no hidden costs. This makes it a great option for those on a budget who want solid web hosting.

5. SiteGround

Although SiteGround is an international hosting provider, it has a strong presence in Karachi and Pakistan. Known for its excellent customer service and high-speed servers, SiteGround offers shared hosting, cloud hosting, and dedicated hosting. The user interface is simple and easy to use, making it a good choice for both beginners and experts.

SiteGround offers 24/7 customer support and is praised for its fast response times. Their servers are optimized for various content management systems, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

6. BlueHost

BlueHost is another global brand with a strong presence in Karachi. They offer a variety of hosting plans, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. BlueHost is especially known for its integration with WordPress, making it a popular choice for bloggers and website owners.

The hosting plans come with free SSL certificates, domain names, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you peace of mind if you're unsure. BlueHost offers a user-friendly control panel and excellent customer service, which is available 24/7.

7. PakHost

As a local hosting provider in Karachi, PakHost offers a range of affordable web hosting options. Whether you need shared hosting, VPS hosting, or a dedicated server, PakHost has plans to suit your needs. Their hosting services come with a solid uptime guarantee, ensuring that your website is always accessible.

PakHost offers a cPanel-based control panel, making it easy to manage your hosting account. Their customer support is reliable, and they offer 24/7 assistance for any issues that may arise.

8. InMotion Hosting

Although InMotion Hosting is not based in Karachi, it is still one of the top choices for many Pakistani website owners. Known for its fast and reliable hosting services, InMotion Hosting offers a range of plans, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers.

InMotion Hosting provides excellent customer service, with a team that is ready to help whenever needed. Their servers are optimized for speed, ensuring fast page load times for your visitors. The company also offers a 90-day money-back guarantee, which is a great option if you’re not satisfied with their service.

9. A2 Hosting

Another international provider that is popular in Karachi is A2 Hosting. They are known for their speed, offering ultra-fast page load times, which is crucial for website performance. A2 Hosting offers shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. They provide free SSL certificates, unlimited storage, and free website migration.

One of the best features of A2 Hosting is its Turbo plans, which give your website an extra performance boost. This is ideal for sites that require higher speed and resources.

10. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a well-known name in the hosting industry and is widely used in Karachi. Although its hosting plans can be a bit pricier compared to local providers, GoDaddy offers solid customer support, high uptime, and fast loading speeds.

They offer a range of hosting options, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. GoDaddy is a good option for businesses that need reliable, secure, and feature-rich hosting.

Conclusion

Choosing the right web hosting provider is essential for the success of your website. Whether you are just starting or have an established business, the hosting provider you choose can make a big difference in terms of website performance, security, and customer experience.

The 10 best web hosting in Karachi listed above offer a wide range of services to suit different needs and budgets. From local providers like QW Hosting, HosterPK, and HostBreak to global providers like SiteGround and BlueHost, there are plenty of options to choose from.

When making your decision, consider your website's specific needs, such as the type of site you’re running, your budget, and the level of support you require. Happy hosting!

[buysellram]

Efficient GPU Management for AI Startups: Exploring the Best Strategies

The rise of AI-driven innovation has made GPUs essential for startups and small businesses. However, efficiently managing GPU resources remains a challenge, particularly with limited budgets, fluctuating workloads, and the need for cutting-edge hardware for R&D and deployment.

Understanding the GPU Challenge for Startups

AI workloads—especially large-scale training and inference—require high-performance GPUs like NVIDIA A100 and H100. While these GPUs deliver exceptional computing power, they also present unique challenges:

High Costs – Premium GPUs are expensive, whether rented via the cloud or purchased outright.

Availability Issues – In-demand GPUs may be limited on cloud platforms, delaying time-sensitive projects.

Dynamic Needs – Startups often experience fluctuating GPU demands, from intensive R&D phases to stable inference workloads.

To optimize costs, performance, and flexibility, startups must carefully evaluate their options. This article explores key GPU management strategies, including cloud services, physical ownership, rentals, and hybrid infrastructures—highlighting their pros, cons, and best use cases.

1. Cloud GPU Services

Cloud GPU services from AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure offer on-demand access to GPUs with flexible pricing models such as pay-as-you-go and reserved instances.

✅ Pros:

✔ Scalability – Easily scale resources up or down based on demand. ✔ No Upfront Costs – Avoid capital expenditures and pay only for usage. ✔ Access to Advanced GPUs – Frequent updates include the latest models like NVIDIA A100 and H100. ✔ Managed Infrastructure – No need for maintenance, cooling, or power management. ✔ Global Reach – Deploy workloads in multiple regions with ease.

❌ Cons:

✖ High Long-Term Costs – Usage-based billing can become expensive for continuous workloads. ✖ Availability Constraints – Popular GPUs may be out of stock during peak demand. ✖ Data Transfer Costs – Moving large datasets in and out of the cloud can be costly. ✖ Vendor Lock-in – Dependency on a single provider limits flexibility.

🔹 Best Use Cases:

Early-stage startups with fluctuating GPU needs.

Short-term R&D projects and proof-of-concept testing.

Workloads requiring rapid scaling or multi-region deployment.

2. Owning Physical GPU Servers

Owning physical GPU servers means purchasing GPUs and supporting hardware, either on-premises or collocated in a data center.

✅ Pros:

✔ Lower Long-Term Costs – Once purchased, ongoing costs are limited to power, maintenance, and hosting fees. ✔ Full Control – Customize hardware configurations and ensure access to specific GPUs. ✔ Resale Value – GPUs retain significant resale value (Sell GPUs), allowing you to recover investment costs when upgrading. ✔ Purchasing Flexibility – Buy GPUs at competitive prices, including through refurbished hardware vendors. ✔ Predictable Expenses – Fixed hardware costs eliminate unpredictable cloud billing. ✔ Guaranteed Availability – Avoid cloud shortages and ensure access to required GPUs.

❌ Cons:

✖ High Upfront Costs – Buying high-performance GPUs like NVIDIA A100 or H100 requires a significant investment. ✖ Complex Maintenance – Managing hardware failures and upgrades requires technical expertise. ✖ Limited Scalability – Expanding capacity requires additional hardware purchases.

🔹 Best Use Cases:

Startups with stable, predictable workloads that need dedicated resources.

Companies conducting large-scale AI training or handling sensitive data.

Organizations seeking long-term cost savings and reduced dependency on cloud providers.

3. Renting Physical GPU Servers

Renting physical GPU servers provides access to high-performance hardware without the need for direct ownership. These servers are often hosted in data centers and offered by third-party providers.

✅ Pros:

✔ Lower Upfront Costs – Avoid large capital investments and opt for periodic rental fees. ✔ Bare-Metal Performance – Gain full access to physical GPUs without virtualization overhead. ✔ Flexibility – Upgrade or switch GPU models more easily compared to ownership. ✔ No Depreciation Risks – Avoid concerns over GPU obsolescence.

❌ Cons:

✖ Rental Premiums – Long-term rental fees can exceed the cost of purchasing hardware. ✖ Operational Complexity – Requires coordination with data center providers for management. ✖ Availability Constraints – Supply shortages may affect access to cutting-edge GPUs.

🔹 Best Use Cases:

Mid-stage startups needing temporary GPU access for specific projects.

Companies transitioning away from cloud dependency but not ready for full ownership.

Organizations with fluctuating GPU workloads looking for cost-effective solutions.

4. Hybrid Infrastructure

Hybrid infrastructure combines owned or rented GPUs with cloud GPU services, ensuring cost efficiency, scalability, and reliable performance.

What is a Hybrid GPU Infrastructure?

A hybrid model integrates: 1️⃣ Owned or Rented GPUs – Dedicated resources for R&D and long-term workloads. 2️⃣ Cloud GPU Services – Scalable, on-demand resources for overflow, production, and deployment.

How Hybrid Infrastructure Benefits Startups

✅ Ensures Control in R&D – Dedicated hardware guarantees access to required GPUs. ✅ Leverages Cloud for Production – Use cloud resources for global scaling and short-term spikes. ✅ Optimizes Costs – Aligns workloads with the most cost-effective resource. ✅ Reduces Risk – Minimizes reliance on a single provider, preventing vendor lock-in.

Expanded Hybrid Workflow for AI Startups

1️⃣ R&D Stage: Use physical GPUs for experimentation and colocate them in data centers. 2️⃣ Model Stabilization: Transition workloads to the cloud for flexible testing. 3️⃣ Deployment & Production: Reserve cloud instances for stable inference and global scaling. 4️⃣ Overflow Management: Use a hybrid approach to scale workloads efficiently.

Conclusion

Efficient GPU resource management is crucial for AI startups balancing innovation with cost efficiency.

Cloud GPUs offer flexibility but become expensive for long-term use.

Owning GPUs provides control and cost savings but requires infrastructure management.

Renting GPUs is a middle-ground solution, offering flexibility without ownership risks.

Hybrid infrastructure combines the best of both, enabling startups to scale cost-effectively.

Platforms like BuySellRam.com help startups optimize their hardware investments by providing cost-effective solutions for buying and selling GPUs, ensuring they stay competitive in the evolving AI landscape.

The original article is here: How to manage GPU resource?

[xerxeslimitedireland]

What Is Website Hosting and Why Does It Matter for Your Website?

Introduction

There is always a host when you attend a party. The host is usually the one who chooses the site so that everyone may attend. Consider your website's host like the host of a party when it comes to website hosting. Like a party host, your web host gives you a place to put your website so everyone on the internet can enjoy it. In this guide, we’ll go over the fundamentals of website hosting, explore a few different types of web hosting, and explain why choosing the appropriate provider is essential for your organization and your website development company.

What is website hosting?

As previously mentioned, website hosting allows your website to be accessible online. You can have the most beautiful website in the world, but without a host, you're simply a data collector with nowhere to go. When you pay a hosting company to host your website, you’re paying for server space. The quantity of space and pricing may vary depending on your choice. Web hosting refers to the service that enables individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible via the internet. All of the files, text, images, and code needed to build a website must be stored on a server that’s online 24/7. This server is provided by a web development services company or a dedicated website hosting business working with website developers to keep your site live and available.

What are the different types of web hosting?

1. Website builder

Website builders are online tools or platforms that enable individuals or businesses to create websites without needing advanced technical knowledge or coding skills. These platforms offer a user-friendly interface and a range of customizable templates and features, allowing users to design and build their websites through a visual interface. Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress are popular website builders among small businesses and bloggers. Additionally, website builders empower users to instantly edit their sites without any coding knowledge, making them an excellent tool for beginners and a great resource for website developers looking to create quick prototypes or manage projects efficiently.

2. Dedicated server

This type of hosting involves having a whole physical server devoted to your website alone. Maximum resource, control, and customization are available with this option. It's entirely yours with a dedicated server. You don't have to share any space with other websites. You have the entire server to yourself. You also have complete control over the server. You should consider a dedicated server if your website has more than 100,000 monthly visitors. However, if you run a small business on a tight budget and your website has fewer than 100,000 monthly visitors, this is probably not your server type.

3. Shared hosting

One of the most affordable solutions is shared hosting. On a single server, resources are shared by several websites. Small to medium-sized websites with modest traffic can use it. You share a server with other websites when you use shared hosting. So, if your website doesn't get much traffic, this choice can be a good fit for you. The disadvantage is that if one website breaks the server, you're stuck with it. And if you weren't the one who broke it. It will slow down your site.

4. A virtual private server

A virtual private server, or VPS, is shared with other websites in the same way that even a shared host is. On the other hand, the server is divided into virtual servers for each site. So, despite sharing a physical space with other sites, each has its small enclave. VPS hosting provides a midway option between dedicated and shared hosting. It creates distinct virtual servers on a single physical server by utilizing virtualization technologies. With its own resources, each VPS runs separately, giving it greater autonomy and scalability.

5. Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting hosts websites on a number of networked servers. Because resources are sourced from a network of servers, it provides scalability, flexibility, and dependability. It works well for websites that need to scale or deal with varying visitor levels, making it a valuable option for website developers looking to support dynamic traffic demands.

6. Reseller Hosting

This type of hosting enables people to buy hosting resources and then resell them to other people. It is appropriate for business owners who want to include hosting in their list of services.

Choosing the right web hosting provider is crucial for your company's success. Making the wrong decision might be detrimental in the long term. Opting for the lowest-priced option may save you money initially but could result in a slower site and fewer visitors over time. Today’s users have high expectations for site speed; if your site takes over three seconds to load, many visitors will abandon it. When users leave, it signals a poor user experience or that your web development company hasn't met their needs. Even if your site has all the answers, a slow load time will impact your search engine results. The farther you are from the top of search results, the less traffic you will receive.

To ensure your website performs at its best, research and determine your company’s needs before selecting a web hosting service. If you need support with website design websites and hosting maintenance, don’t hesitate to contact our team at Xerxes. We’d be delighted to assist you with your web design and hosting requirements so you can begin generating revenue for your clients.

Conclusion

Each type of hosting has its own advantages and is suited to different needs. Factors like website traffic, resource requirements, scalability, technical expertise, and budget influence the choice of hosting type for a particular website. So, research and determine what your company needs before paying for web hosting services. Therefore, don’t hesitate to contact our team at Xerxes for Web Design and Development Services in Ireland if you need help maintaining your website. We'd be delighted to assist you with your web design and hosting requirements so you can begin generating revenue for your clients.

[unique-reviews]

Unleashing the Power of A2 Hosting Review: Hear Why Customers Are Raving

Introduction

Overview of A2 Hosting

When considering web hosting providers, A2 Hosting often comes up as a distinctive choice. Known for its speed and reliability, A2 Hosting caters to a diverse range of users—from bloggers to large enterprises. Their commitment to performance is backed by a suite of features designed to offer not just hosting, but a robust online experience. What sets A2 Hosting apart? Let me simplify it for you:

Turbo Servers: Up to 20x faster than standard hosting

Developer-Friendly: Supports various programming languages and frameworks

Green Hosting: Environmentally responsible with energy-efficient practices

Using A2 Hosting has truly allowed me to focus on what I love—creating content—without the worries of server downtimes.

History of A2 Hosting

Founded in 2001, A2 Hosting began with a clear mission: to provide a top-tier web hosting experience. What started as a small startup has evolved into a significant player in the hosting industry over the years. Here are some pivotal milestones in A2 Hosting's journey:

2001: A2 Hosting was established in Ann Arbor, Michigan, mainly targeting developers.

2003: The introduction of their "Turbo" server line showcased their focus on speed.

2013: The launch of their Managed WordPress hosting solidified their offerings.

A2 Hosting Features

High-Speed Servers

One of the standout features of A2 Hosting is its high-speed servers. Speed is crucial, especially if you want to provide users with a seamless experience. When I first migrated my blog to A2 Hosting, I noticed an immediate boost in page loading times. Their Turbo Servers promise up to 20x faster performance, which is a game changer! Here are a few highlights about their speed capabilities:

SSD Storage: A2 utilizes solid-state drives that drastically improve data retrieval times compared to traditional HDDs.

Turbo Boost: This optional feature allows for even faster speeds by optimizing server settings specifically for your site.

Global Data Centers: With multiple data centers across the globe, A2 Hosting ensures that your content is as close to your visitors as possible.

Reliable Customer Support

Another noteworthy aspect of A2 Hosting is their reliable customer support. We all encounter technical hiccups from time to time, and having a responsive support team can make all the difference. Personally, I found their customer service representatives to be knowledgeable and eager to help with any questions I had during my initial setup. Here’s what you can expect from their support services:

24/7 Availability: Whether it’s the weekend or the middle of the night, help is just a click away.

Multiple Support Channels: Reach out via live chat, phone, or email—whichever method suits you best.

Comprehensive Knowledge Base: A detailed library of articles and tutorials helps users find answers swiftly.

A2 Hosting Plans

Shared Hosting

When it comes to affordability and ease of use, A2 Hosting's Shared Hosting plans are a fantastic option, especially for beginners. I still remember my initial foray into web hosting; I started with a shared plan simply because it fit my budget and needs perfectly. With shared hosting, multiple websites share the same server resources, which is both cost-effective and simple to manage. Here are some key features of A2 Hosting's Shared Hosting:

Low Starting Price: Their plans are competitively priced, making it accessible to many.

Free Site Migration: A2 offers migration assistance from your existing host, saving you the hassle.

Unlimited Storage and Bandwidth: Ideal for growing websites that may need more resources as they scale.

VPS Hosting

As my website grew, I found myself needing more control and resources, leading me to explore A2 Hosting's VPS Hosting options. Virtual Private Servers offer dedicated resources within a shared environment, providing better performance and greater customization. Here's what I discovered about their VPS Hosting plans:

Flexible Resources: You can scale your resources according to your site's evolving needs.

Root Access: Ideal for developers like me who want complete control over their server's configurations.

Enhanced Security: A private environment adds an extra layer of security for sensitive data.

Benefits of Using A2 Hosting

Enhanced Security

One of the aspects of A2 Hosting that truly stood out for me is their enhanced security features. In today’s digital landscape, safeguarding your website is crucial, and A2 Hosting takes this concern seriously. From the moment I started my journey with them, I felt reassured by the various security measures they implemented. Here are some highlights of their security features:

Free SSL Certificates: A2 provides free SSL certificates, which are essential for encrypting data and boosting customer trust.

HackScan Protection: Their proactive monitoring helps detect vulnerabilities and block potential threats before they cause harm.

Reinforced DDoS Protection: This feature safeguards your website from malicious attacks that could disrupt services.

Knowing these measures were in place allowed me to focus on my content without constantly worrying about potential breaches.

User-Friendly Control Panel

Navigating the world of web hosting can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to it. That’s why A2 Hosting’s user-friendly control panel is yet another reason I appreciate their service. It simplifies website management, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise. What I love about their control panel:

Intuitive Design: Easy-to-navigate menus mean you can quickly find what you need.

One-Click Installations: Setting up applications like WordPress or Joomla is a breeze with just one click.

Resource Usage Stats: You can easily monitor your resource consumption, helping to manage your site effectively.

Customer Reviews

Positive Feedback

As I dove deeper into the world of A2 Hosting, I couldn't help but notice the buzz surrounding their services. Many users rave about the performance and overall experience they receive. The positive feedback is nearly unanimous, emphasizing how this hosting provider sets itself apart from the competition. Here’s what many customers appreciate most:

Speed and Uptime: A consistent theme in reviews is the impressive speed and reliability. Users often mention page load times significantly improving after switching to A2 Hosting.

Responsive Support: Customers frequently highlight the quick response time and helpfulness of the support team—something I can personally attest to. I reached out to them once, and I was amazed at how quickly I received a thorough solution.

Testimonials from Satisfied Customers

Real-life testimonials often speak volumes, and A2 Hosting is filled with success stories from satisfied customers. Many express how transitioning to A2 Hosting transformed their online presence. For instance:

John, a Small Business Owner: Sharing his journey, John mentioned that after moving to A2 Hosting, his e-commerce site experienced record sales due to faster page load times, which directly bolstered customer satisfaction.

Sarah, a Blogger: Sarah remarked, "The user-friendly control panel took the headache out of managing my blog. It's simplified everything for me!"

In my experience, witnessing such genuine testimonials gives me confidence in A2 Hosting. Their customers not only praise the services but feel genuinely looked after, and that’s something we all want when selecting our web hosting partner.