#modification PDF

[larevuegeek]

UPDF : Un vrai couteau suisse pour vos PDFs

Comme beaucoup d'entre vous, je travaille souvent avec des documents PDF au quotidien. Que ce soit pour des contrats, des rapports ou simplement partager rapidement des informations, le format PDF est incontournable. Mais modifier un PDF n'a pas toujours été aussi simple qu'avec un document Word classique. Ça tombe bien, on m'a proposé de tester un nouveau logiciel : UPDF, un éditeur PDF disponible sur Windows, macOS, iOS et Android. Voici ce que j'en ai pensé après quelques jours d'utilisation.

UPDF : Un vrai couteau suisse pour vos PDFs - LaRevueGeek.com

[petitemortality]

FYF 12: X-Breed (18+) - OUT NOW!

Buy now - $3 on itch!

Check nutrient balance. Check watering rotation. Check temperature. Check soil PH. Check drainage. Check feeding schedule. Check light levels. Check spectral baths. Check deadfall. Check new growth. Check leaf, vine and flower health...what have I forgotten?

Verdant vines and dewy snapjaws grow thick in the jungles of Farah-3, but after sixteen frustrating cycles, Seppi's team still can't coax the local flora to seed inside their growlabs. New frontiers have become old routines - and by now Seppi has learned to make their own fun on long night shifts in the greenhouse.

Nobody would ever have been any the wiser, if only they didn't slip up that night. If they had just remembered to decontaminate...but now the damage is done. And the plants themselves are taking notice.

Almost 9k words(!) in EPUB and PDF format, with a cover by the tentacular @taylor-titmouse.

Content:

Plantfucking. Lots of it.

Nonbinary protagonist

References to body modification

Pheromone intoxication

Improper lab safety

🌿🧪 Buy Now - $3 on itch! 🧪🌿

This is the twelfth in the Fuck Yourself Friday series of shorts. New stand-alone erotic stories are released on the last Friday of every month.

FYF 1: Go Fuck Yourself

FYF 2: Shrinking Violet

FYF 3: Meatheads

FYF 4: Lucky Little Lunatics

FYF 5: Old Dog, New Trick

FYF 6: Seeing You

FYF 7: Break and Enter

FYF 8: Bodysnatched

FYF 9: Sangfroid

FYF 10: Don't Unwrap 'til Christmas

FYF 11: Passing Place

Or get stories 10-12 as a bundle for $7 until the end of May!

These stories contain explicit sexual content, and are intended for 18+ audiences.

[nornities]

How to use DXVK with The Sims 3

Have you seen this post about using DXVK by Criisolate? But felt intimidated by the sheer mass of facts and information?

@desiree-uk and I compiled a guide and the configuration file to make your life easier. It focuses on players not using the EA App, but it might work for those just the same. It’s definitely worth a try.

Adding this to your game installation will result in a better RAM usage. So your game is less likely to give you Error 12 or crash due to RAM issues. It does NOT give a huge performance boost, but more stability and allows for higher graphics settings in game.

The full guide behind the cut. Let me know if you also would like it as PDF.

Happy simming!

Disclaimer and Credits

Desiree and I are no tech experts and just wrote down how we did this. Our ability to help if you run into trouble is limited. So use at your own risk and back up your files!

We both are on Windows 10 and start the game via TS3W.exe, not the EA App. So your experience may differ.

This guide is based on our own experiments and of course criisolate’s post on tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/criisolate/749374223346286592/ill-explain-what-i-did-below-before-making-any

This guide is brought to you by Desiree-UK and Norn.

Compatibility

Note: This will conflict with other programs that “inject” functionality into your game so they may stop working. Notably

Reshade

GShade

Nvidia Experience/Nvidia Inspector/Nvidia Shaders

RivaTuner Statistics Server

It does work seamlessly with LazyDuchess’ Smooth Patch.

LazyDuchess’ Launcher: unknown

Alder Lake patch: does conflict. One user got it working by starting the game by launching TS3.exe (also with admin rights) instead of TS3W.exe. This seemed to create the cache file for DXVK. After that, the game could be started from TS3W.exe again. That might not work for everyone though.

A word on FPS and V-Sync

With such an old game it’s crucial to cap framerate (FPS). This is done in the DXVK.conf file. Same with V-Sync.

You need

a text editor (easiest to use is Windows Notepad)

to download DXVK, version 2.3.1 from here: https://github.com/doitsujin/DXVK/releases/tag/v2.3.1 Extract the archive, you are going to need the file d3d9.dll from the x32 folder

the configuration file DXVK.conf from here: https://github.com/doitsujin/DXVK/blob/master/DXVK.conf. Optional: download the edited version with the required changes here.

administrator rights on your PC

to know your game’s installation path (bin folder) and where to find the user folder

a tiny bit of patience :)

First Step: Backup

Backup your original Bin folder in your Sims 3 installation path! The DXVK file may overwrite some files! The path should be something like this (for retail): \Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin (This is the folder where also GraphicsRule.sgr and the TS3W.exe and TS3.exe are located.)

Backup your options.ini in your game’s user folder! Making the game use the DXVK file will count as a change in GPU driver, so the options.ini will reset once you start your game after installation. The path should be something like this: \Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 (This is the folder where your Mods folder is located).

Preparations

Make sure you run the game as administrator. You can check that by right-clicking on the icon that starts your game. Go to Properties > Advanced and check the box “Run as administrator”. Note: This will result in a prompt each time you start your game, if you want to allow this application to make modifications to your system. Click “Yes” and the game will load.

2. Make sure you have the DEP settings from Windows applied to your game.

Open the Windows Control Panel.

Click System and Security > System > Advanced System Settings.

On the Advanced tab, next to the Performance heading, click Settings.

Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.

Select 'Turn on DEP for all programs and services except these”:

Click the Add button, a window to the file explorer opens. Navigate to your Sims 3 installation folder (the bin folder once again) and add TS3W.exe and TS3.exe.

Click OK. Then you can close all those dialog windows again.

Setting up the DXVK.conf file

Open the file with a text editor and delete everything in it. Then add these values:

d3d9.textureMemory = 1

d3d9.presentInterval = 1

d3d9.maxFrameRate = 60

d3d9.presentInterval enables V-Sync,d3d9.maxFrameRate sets the FrameRate. You can edit those values, but never change the first line (d3d9.textureMemory)!

The original DXVK.conf contains many more options in case you would like to add more settings.

A. no Reshade/GShade

Setting up DXVK

Copy the two files d3d9.dll and DXVK.conf into the Bin folder in your Sims 3 installation path. This is the folder where also GraphicsRule.sgr and the TS3W.exe and TS3.exe are located. If you are prompted to overwrite files, please choose yes (you DID backup your folder, right?)

And that’s basically all that is required to install.

Start your game now and let it run for a short while. Click around, open Buy mode or CAS, move the camera.

Now quit without saving. Once the game is closed fully, open your bin folder again and double check if a file “TS3W.DXVK-cache” was generated. If so – congrats! All done!

Things to note

Heads up, the game options will reset! So it will give you a “vanilla” start screen and options.

Don’t worry if the game seems to be frozen during loading. It may take a few minutes longer to load but it will load eventually.

The TS3W.DXVK-cache file is the actual cache DXVK is using. So don’t delete this! Just ignore it and leave it alone. When someone tells to clear cache files – this is not one of them!

Update Options.ini

Go to your user folder and open the options.ini file with a text editor like Notepad.

Find the line “lastdevice = “. It will have several values, separated by semicolons. Copy the last one, after the last semicolon, the digits only. Close the file.

Now go to your backup version of the Options.ini file, open it and find that line “lastdevice” again. Replace the last value with the one you just copied. Make sure to only replace those digits!

Save and close the file.

Copy this version of the file into your user folder, replacing the one that is there.

Things to note:

If your GPU driver is updated, you might have to do these steps again as it might reset your device ID again. Though it seems that the DXVK ID overrides the GPU ID, so it might not happen.

How do I know it’s working?

Open the task manager and look at RAM usage. Remember the game can only use 4 GB of RAM at maximum and starts crashing when usage goes up to somewhere between 3.2 – 3.8 GB (it’s a bit different for everybody).

So if you see values like 2.1456 for RAM usage in a large world and an ongoing save, it’s working. Generally the lower the value, the better for stability.

Also, DXVK will have generated its cache file called TS3W.DXVK-cache in the bin folder. The file size will grow with time as DXVK is adding stuff to it, e.g. from different worlds or savegames. Initially it might be something like 46 KB or 58 KB, so it’s really small.

Optional: changing MemCacheBudgetValue

MemCacheBudgetValue determines the size of the game's VRAM Cache. You can edit those values but the difference might not be noticeable in game. It also depends on your computer’s hardware how much you can allow here.

The two lines of seti MemCacheBudgetValue correspond to the high RAM level and low RAM level situations. Therefore, theoretically, the first line MemCacheBudgetValue should be set to a larger value, while the second line should be set to a value less than or equal to the first line.

The original values represent 200MB (209715200) and 160MB (167772160) respectively. They are calculated as 200x1024x1024=209175200 and 160x1024x1024=167772160.

Back up your GraphicsRules.sgr file! If you make a mistake here, your game won’t work anymore.

Go to your bin folder and open your GraphicsRules.sgr with a text editor.

Search and find two lines that set the variables for MemCacheBudgetValue.

Modify these two values to larger numbers. Make sure the value in the first line is higher or equals the value in the second line. Examples for values: 1073741824, which means 1GB 2147483648 which means 2 GB. -1 (minus 1) means no limit (but is highly experimental, use at own risk)

Save and close the file. It might prompt you to save the file to a different place and not allow you to save in the Bin folder. Just save it someplace else in this case and copy/paste it to the Bin folder afterwards. If asked to overwrite the existing file, click yes.

Now start your game and see if it makes a difference in smoothness or texture loading. Make sure to check RAM and VRAM usage to see how it works.

You might need to change the values back and forth to find the “sweet spot” for your game. Mine seems to work best with setting the first value to 2147483648 and the second to 1073741824.

Uninstallation

Delete these files from your bin folder (installation path):

d3d9.dll

DXVK.conf

TS3W.DXVK-cache

And if you have it, also TS3W_d3d9.log

if you changed the values in your GraphicsRule.sgr file, too, don’t forget to change them back or to replace the file with your backed up version.

OR

delete the bin folder and add it from your backup again.

B. with Reshade/GShade

Follow the steps from part A. no Reshade/Gshade to set up DXVK.

If you are already using Reshade (RS) or GShade (GS), you will be prompted to overwrite files, so choose YES. RS and GS may stop working, so you will need to reinstall them.

Whatever version you are using, the interface shows similar options of which API you can choose from (these screenshots are from the latest versions of RS and GS).

Please note: 

Each time you install and uninstall DXVK, switching the game between Vulkan and d3d9, is essentially changing the graphics card ID again, which results in the settings in your options.ini file being repeatedly reset.

ReShade interface

Choose – Vulcan

Click next and choose your preferred shaders.

Hopefully this install method works and it won't install its own d3d9.dll file.

If it doesn't work, then choose DirectX9 in RS, but you must make sure to replace the d3d9.dll file with DXVK's d3d9.dll (the one from its 32bit folder, checking its size is 3.86mb.)

GShade interface

Choose –           

Executable Architecture: 32bit

Graphics API: DXVK

Hooking: Normal Mode

GShade is very problematic, it won't work straight out of the box and the overlay doesn't show up, which defeats the purpose of using it if you can't add or edit the shaders you want to use.

Check the game's bin folder, making sure the d3d9.dll is still there and its size is 3.86mb - that is DXVK's dll file.

If installing using the DXVK method doesn't work, you can choose the DirectX method, but there is no guarantee it works either.

The game will not run with these files in the folder:

d3d10core.dll

d3d11.dll

dxgi.dll

If you delete them, the game will start but you can't access GShade! It might be better to use ReShade.

Some Vulcan and DirectX information, if you’re interested:

Vulcan is for rather high end graphic cards but is backward compatible with some older cards. Try this method with ReShade or GShade first.

DirectX is more stable and works best with older cards and systems. Try this method if Vulcan doesn't work with ReShade/GShade in your game – remember to replace the d3d9.dll with DXVK's d3d9.dll.

For more information on the difference between Vulcan and DirectX, see this article:

https://www.howtogeek.com/884042/vulkan-vs-DirectX-12/

[morgenlich]

sooo i recently decided to pay for stitchly….

text and the mushrooms except the magma cap are from the stardew valley cross stitch guide with a couple minor modifications; the vegetal patterns are based on patterns from it as well. the magma cap i did based on the actual sprite

i tried to minimize the number of colors used, which is where most of the modifications came from lol. it’s still 23 for the plain version and 27 for the fancy version, you can feel free to tweak it as you like, especially if you also own the guide and want to use the exact mushroom patterns lol. i also think some alignment stuff is a hair wonky, so i’ll probably continue tweaking it before actually stitching it myself

but these are def free to use, i won’t charge for (non-commissioned) fanwork stuff lol

ETA: google folder containing pdfs

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Glitch Art

Glitch Art - a type of media art where video and image files are already or intentionally corrupted to include glitches, creating a stylized viewing experience. What may look like an imperfection is the end goal and a result of the visual artist’s pixel sorting.

The glitch aesthetic includes:

elongated images,

pixelization,

color degradation, and

double exposure.

How to Create Glitch Art

Consider the following ways to create this unique form of visual art:

Digitally engineer glitches. Video editing software or apps can let you safely play with your hardware without damaging it. You can play with databending in video files in a photo or video editor and add in manufactured, intentional glitches.

Use magnets on screens. You can also play a video on a screen and employ a heavy-duty magnet, holding it close to the front to warp the pixels on the screen. Note that this has the potential to have long-lasting effects on the quality of your screen, so use this tactic wisely.

Work with broken devices. Damaged devices can yield the glitches that glitch artists seek in their media. Busted but still usable DVD and VHS players can warp the presentation of the video.

Forms of Glitch Art

Since glitch art is often not static, it takes forms outside of still .jpegs or .jpgs. Some forms include:

Glitch music: Glitch music involves the playing of distorted records, CDs, cassettes, or sound files that feature glitches, which may include skips or missing moments of music.

Glitch videos: Glitch videos are the most common type of glitch art, and you can create them by damaging e-files or hard media such as DVDs or video tapes. Artists can also warp videos by toying with a VHS or using magnets to distort pixels on the screen.

Glitch websites: These websites with errors coded within can make for more interactive pieces. Glitches spread throughout the website enhance the user experience and operate as a form of art.

A Brief History of Glitch Art

In technology, a digital glitch refers to a malfunction, often in video games or software development.

Intentional glitches: As technology evolved, artists harnessed the creative opportunities glitches presented and began deliberately incorporating them into various formats in the 1970s, popularizing an intentional glitch aesthetic. The Cubist movement influenced many glitch artists.

JODI: In 1994, Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans started the highly generative art collective JODI, which purposefully coded errors into website pages to display underlying error messages. The movement weny by the name “net.art.”

Global conventions: The glitch moment gained traction in the 2000s. The tech-art collective Motherboard hosted an international symposium for this new media style in 2002 in Oslo, Norway. In 2010, Nick Briz, Evan Meaney, Rosa Menkman, and Jon Satrom led the GLI.TC/H convention in Chicago with tutorials, performances, and screenings.

GIFs: Over the years, conventions have taken place in Minnesota, Croatia, and Iran, showing how popular the art form has become. Today, GIFS (.gifs), in many ways, echo some of the elements of early glitch art, where a single file repeats its media in a cyclical pattern.

Artists can use digital or analog modifications to create this type of modern art.

To produce glitch videos, artists distort pixels by placing large magnets near the screen or artificially create glitches in Photoshop.

Famous glitch artists include Len Lye, Daniel Temkin, Nam June Paik, and Rosa Menkman.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[monstrifex-art]

21. CAT - Vivid Shadows 2023

“That’s what you defaults never seem to understand. Once you get a taste of real you, it’s all over. There’s no going back.”

This is part of Vivid Shadows 2023, our art book inspired by transformation, mythology, and general monsterfuckery. We worked really hard on this, and your support means the world. Consider picking up the PDF here!

Full background text for those who are curious:

Name: Senait “KASKARA” Zain

Charges: DESERTION, THEFT OF UNSP GENOME EDITING TECHNOLOGY, BREACH OF INFORMATIONAL SECURITY, MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE, ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON, PUBLIC INDECENCY

WARNING: Subject is extremely dangerous and trained in advanced UNSP-proprietary close quarters combat techniques. She has gene splices that augment her reflexes and strength far beyond the capabilities of an unmodified human. Engaging with surprise and numbers is highly advised.

SPLICES INCLUDE:

Acinonyx jubatus

Archilochus colubris

Dendroaspis polylepis

Felis catus

Hypsibius dujardini

Lynx pardinus

Mustela putorius

Panthera onca

Panthera tigris

Thylacinus cynocephalus

Xenopsylla cheopis

DOB: 1/21/2025

POB: Asmara, Eritrea

SEX: F*

HGT: 232cm

HAIR: BLK

WGT: 105kg

EYES: GOLD

The United Nations Emergency World Government is offering a reward of up to U24,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Senait “Kaskara” Zain.

An extended U2.4M reward is offered to anyone who captures or kills the subject and brings their remains to any UNSP outpost for genetic verification.

Collateral damage inflicted in pursuit of the fugitive is acceptable. Up to U1M of damages will be expensed by the UNSP, after which the remaining damages will be deducted from the bounty.

KNOWN AUGMENTATIONS:

-UNSP Genetic enhancement package [details confidential]

-Metatungston Carbide Claws and Teeth

-Zaibatsu Cardiovascular Engine HRM4290

-Tarkus Subdermal Nanomesh 550V

-Alacrity Sensory Enhancement Suite 7

-Grasshopper Mobility Plus Muscle fiber Sheathing v6360

-Symtek Nightline Ocular Feedback Drivers

- Immunovox Regua internal Nanoswarm IS2230

The full extent of the modifications the subject has made to their body is unknown, and as such this list should be assumed to be incomplete. Information regarding additional genetic and cybernetic modifications will be rewarded at a lesser percentage of the full reward.

[tsukikonikushimi]

The Art and Making of Arcane (Masterlist)

I watched Arcane and loved it since the beginning! I got my hands on a PDF version of the artbook so I'll start posting screenshots of certain pages (like I did for the Avatar cookbook), I'm still deciding if I'll post the entire book or just some of the more interesting pages, regardless I will make a masterlist later DONE and link it to my pinned post so everything is easier to find!

The masterlist is in this post (under the image). ⬇️

For submissions and the schedule of posting: Info and Rules

For info on the China-Exclusive Art Book: Here (MASTERLIST)

As it's an PDF version some things are missing like Vander's letter, the jinx wanted poster, etc. Even the amazon list is incomplete, so i'm not really aware of what other things could be inside:

IN-WORLD EXTRAS: This stunning tome will also come with a trove of in-world extras. All editions of the book will include a Jinx poster, a removable map of Piltover, an in-world blueprint, a Vander Letter, fold-out spreads showcasing content from seasons one and two, and more.

I'm trying to buy a paperback English version of the book, which has proven to be very difficult. 😰 If i can find and buy one at a reasonable price, I will scan the extras and post them for people who also found the PDF, but can't buy the book (because of money or because it's almost out of stock everywhere). Due to some privacy related issues I will not give the site where I found the PDF, but it's pretty easy to find in my opinion [artbook name + PDF] , as long as you know one thing or two about pirating books, movies and shows.

Masterlist

Cover

Page 1 to 6

Page 1 & 2: Cover page, Jinx's spread and doodles, featuring some other characters - Here

Foreword

Page 7

TBA

I. Letting Creativity Come First

Page 8 to 16

Page 13: Storyboard of the flashback of EP1 - Here

TBA

II. Symbiosis & Synthesis

Page 17 to 26

Page 26: Easter Eggs - Here

TBA

III. A Citadel of Ambition & Invention

Page 27 to 47

Page 41: Crossroads of the Worlds - Here

TBA

IV. Exploring the Depths

Page 48 to 70

Page 48: Exploring the Dephts - Here

Page 53: Spread (Silco + Vander's Statue) - Here

Page 55: Viktor's Commune - Here

Page 57: Body Modification - Here

Page 58: Shimmer (1/2) - Here

Page 60: The Boy Who Shattered Time - Here

Page 61: The Firelights' Enclave - Here

Page 63: Spread (Ekko, Jinx, Sevika + Firelights S2EP9) - Here

V. Dualities

Page 71 to 91

Page 71: Dualities - Here

Page 76: Creating Jinx and Powder (2/3) - Here

Page 78: The Council and The Chem-Barons (1/3) - Here

Page 81: Silco & Vander (1/4) - Here

Page 82: Silco & Vander (2/4) - Here

Page 83: Silco & Vander (3/4) [Warwick design] - Here

Page 85 - Mel & Ambessa (1/3) - Here

Page 86: Mel & Ambessa (2/3) - Here

Page 88: Boys of Progress - Viktor & Jayce - Here

TBA

VI. A Rigorous Process with Room for Play

Page 92 to 104

Page 95: Background Characters and Pit Fighter Vi - Here

VII. Following the Beats

Page 105 to 114

Page 111: Hitting the Tempo - Here

TBA

Coda

Page 115 to 120

TBA

PS. The pages I put here are not the book pages, it's the pages of my PDF so I can keep track of which ones I have already posted.

divider

Post Timeline

Page 1 & 2 + 71 (20/03/2025)

Page 53 (21/03/2025)

Page 78 (24/03/2025)

Page 81 (25/03/2025)

Page 63 + 86 (26/03/2025) -> [63]* -🔫

Page 61 (27/03/2025)* -🎮🕹️

Page 57 (29/03/2025)

Page 58 (01/04/2025)* -🧁

Page 48 (02/04/2025)* -🧜🏻‍♂️

Page 76 (04/04/2025)* -🧜🏻‍♂️

Page 13 (08/04/2025)* -🔫

Page 82 (11/04/2025)

Page 83 (16/04/2025)*-🧜🏻‍♂️

Page 60 (30/04/2025)* -🎮🕹️

Page 55 (14/05/2025)* -🔫

Page 88 (22/05/2025)*

Page 95 (25/5/2025)* -🧁

Page 26 (05/06/2025)* -🎮🕹️

Page 41 (14/06/2025)* - Layla

Page 85 + 111 (26/06/2025) -> [both]* - 🎧

*= Requested by User/Anon

[alexanderwales]

I've heard some people lauding the NATO phonetic alphabet, and am just sort of scratching my head about that.

Like, here were the criteria for words in the alphabet:

Be a live word in each of the three working languages.

Be easily pronounced and recognized by airmen of all languages.

Have good radio transmission and readability characteristics.

Have a similar spelling in at least English, French, and Spanish, and the initial letter must be the letter the word identifies.

Be free from any association with objectionable meanings.

But then you look at what they actually picked and it's like ... okay, you picked a bunch of names? You picked "Whiskey"? On the assumption that what, this is a drink that's common everywhere in the world? That everyone is fine having an alcoholic drink as one of the words? Nowadays I can pull up a global map of whiskey consumption, but that's not something they could do in the 50s, and I would guess that they were not considering e.g. Muslim pilots. (Some places do actually change out "Whiskey" for this reason, along with other regional variants, which are exactly the sort of thing you want in a standard everyone is supposed to be on the same page about.)

And alright, whatever, I think the list is kind of confusingly culturally bound given what the criteria were, but it served its purpose well enough ...

Except that as standards do, it began to be used in other places, including by civilians, and including by civilians when both parties have not agreed on the NATO phonetic alphabet. It would be great if we all had an agreed upon phonetic alphabet that everyone knew, but the fact that some people don't know it makes it a lot worse, particularly if you're on a customer service call, and particularly if you're on a customer service call with someone who is not a native English speaker and who was not raised in the same cultural context that the NATO phonetic alphabet assumes.

If you, like me, love terrible quality PDFs, then some helpful soul made a FOIA request for "The Evolution and Rationale of ICAO Spelling Alphabet", and you can read it. This is a fun read for me, because it's not just concerned with the phonetic alphabet, but the history of it, and in one case they're just like "welp, we have been completely unsuccessful in locating this file". And I'm sitting here in 2024 reading a ratty PDF of a file from 1959, thinking "yup, that's how it is sometimes, they do all that work making a report and then no one fucking preserves it".

(Most of the document is about whether they would use the US-UK version or the ICAO version, and then some modifications and why they were made, and this is all interesting, but I'm kind of still scratching my head about some of these, especially given what they say the criteria were. "An international alphabet designed to fit the multilingual requirements of all nations"? Maybe they really thought that's what they were doing in the 1950s.)

Anyway, this isn't to say that I think we need a new, better phonetic alphabet, just that I think the current one is not actually the pinnacle of standards that some people seem to think it is, and in fact, it contains a lot of baggage from the time and place it was made. Further, it's being used in places well outside the environment it was made for, and unless everyone is trained in it (and maybe even if they are) some of the deficiencies get magnified.

[bluecapsicum]

hi i love your meteorological fiction project i think the paintings are absolutely stunning but you got me interested in clouds so: where did you learn about the different types, species, varieties etc?

Hello! Apologies for taking so long to reply, things have been quite hectic lately.

I'm so glad you like the reports, thank you so much!

I've previously given a few references, but I don't mind going a bit more in depth about this.

I only knew about a few basic cloud types back when I started. I just stumbled upon a basic cloud guide by Richard Hamblyn while I was in the library one day, and I pretty much went from there. Now, I tend to recommend a different book from the one I first got, if only because mine was a bit more of a collection of pictures.

The one I recommend is The Pocket Cloud Book by Richard Hamblyn, which has gotten an updated edition a couple years ago. It's great, it's cheap, it's small, but it's got all the basic things you might want as a beginner, and you can have it on you at all times so you can use it to identify clouds in the wild. I say this a lot, but I think it's the most important part in learning about clouds. Pictures are great, and they teach you a lot, but being outside and watching the clouds change makes a real difference, because they're always. changing. Cumulonimbus, for instance, look so wildly different from one stage to the next.

Now, there are also wonderful free resources here on the Internet. I favour these ones that I've given before:

What's This Cloud explains in simple terms the different types and subtypes of clouds. There are diagrams, identification lessons, a very helpful free e-book.

Cloud Appreciation Society is one of my favourite websites. It features a gallery of pictures submitted by observers from the whole wide world that you can easily sort through, though not every picture is tagged super thoroughly. There's also a message board, clouds-related news, and so on.

The International Cloud Atlas by the WMO is a treasure trove, and a great official source for meteorology. It goes in depth on all the meteorological phenomena that have been officially identified. Want to read about the orographic influence on clouds? Ohohoh, have fun on the International Cloud Atlas!

I'd also like to mention you can easily find PDFs of On the Modification of Clouds by Luke Howard (1803), an essay that exposes the clouds nomenclature that we still use to this day. It's kind of fascinating, and it's got lovely illustrations.

Overall though, it's a lot of trial and error. I still struggle a lot. I forget all the names sometimes. But it's fantastic, I love learning about clouds.

[stormshipping]

Memoir - a low-effort SFW stormshipping zine!

Let's spend time from Valentine's day thinking about our favourite master and student of love!

Create a new fanwork involving Jun/Chazz and Fubuki/Atticus.

Submit it via one of the methods below by 30 June 2025.

Mod will compile into a single pdf and publish (intended to be on Internet Archive) on 30 July 2025 (international day of friendship)!

Download, read, enjoy!

FAQ:

How do I apply?

No application needed, just create a work and submit as set out below. Anything made by the deadline will go in subject to content as below.

There will be no "background checks" or automatic exclusions of participants, however the zine is intended to build community within the ship scene: if any participant harrasses any other, their work may be removed from the zine.

What content is allowed?

Fanfiction, fanart, recipes, cosplay, meta... Any medium as long as it can be flattened into a PDF eventually. The work should be new and not published anywhere else until the zine's release (though you may create a teaser / preview during July if you wish).

The work should focus on the relationship between Atticus/Fubuki and Chazz/Jun. This relationship can be however you interpret it and both characters do not necessarily need to be present (e.g. a sketch of Jun writing a love letter to Atticus would be fine; so would a drabble about an OC's fly-on-the-wall description of the two together). However, please do not include romantic side pairings.

This is a low effort zine so there is no minimum requirement. I am bravely setting no maximum but this is a LOW EFFORT zine so probably not the place for your 400k epic. The long creation period is to reduce stress not increase it!

This will be a SFW zine so please no sexually explicit material, graphic depictions of violence, abuse, or major criminal activity. This is for practical reasons and creatives who may make works containing darker themes are welcome.

How do I submit?

Save your work as any common file format and either:

Email to stormshipping at pm dot me

Submit to this blog on tumblr @stormshipping

Add to the AO3 collection Memoir

on or before the deadline of 30 June including the information below.

Make sure to include how you would like to be credited (anonymous is OK too). Exclude any personally identifying info - don't send from your school email address for instance.

You must include a permission statement along the lines of "I request this work be included in the Memoir stormshipping zine and grant the right to non-commercial modification, publication and distribution of the work with attribution as part of said zine".

(modification - I need to add your work to the pdf; publication - the zine needs to be displayed; distribution - the zine needs to be available publicly; attribution - your credit will be included as requested)

Optionally, include some words about how you got into stormshipping, what you love about it, your headcanons...

You may submit more than one item but please send each separately with all the above.

Who are the mods?

There is one mod - Sixy, who runs this blog, also known as harinezumiko on AO3.

This zine has no finance or shipping (other than stormshipping!) and graphic design will be minimal to non-existent.

Who gets the covers?

You want a low-effort zine to have a cover?

Oh, alright then... If you are making art, let me know in your submission if you'd like to be considered for front or back cover. I will pick one that fits the size and looks ok with text over it (textless version will be included inside) and if there's still a choice there will be a difficult judging process (mod will post a poll with text descriptions).

What about...

Drop an ask, mod will answer.

[hsklvrr]

"bows, bows, bows." ୨୧

introducing. . . "bows, bows, bows". a single-muse doc perfect for a minimalistic character, it also includes 3 connection slots. you will need at least 4-6 images of your face claim. the template is themed around the bows & "dollette" core! the png's on this doc are all from tumblr, you may add or delete them as you wish since it won't ruin the layout of the doc. you will get a pdf file (617kb), from there you can follow the instructions on how to edit your own copy of the doc.

note: my apologies for the low quality screenshots! i promise the doc looks better in person.

the rules are simple:

✧ ፧ do NOT remove credits from this doc. I worked extremely hard to make it and would be upset to find out someone did this.

✧ ፧ the price of the doc is £2.50, but you can pay higher if you wish to give a small tip!

✧ ፧ do NOT play this doc off as your own. You won't get very far with lying.

✧ ፧ any modifications to the doc can be made after purchase! :)

✧ ፧ if you are having any issues accessing or working out how to use the doc, feel free to dm me on tumblr, or adding me on discord @/jhopez! i'm always happy to help :)

how to use, what and what not to do:

✧ ፧ moving, resizing or removing things on the doc may cause it to look strange. so I suggest to leave everything where it is when editing.

✧ ፧ all images are easy to edit on mobile, the only drawings on this doc are the png images i used to decorate it :)

✧ ፧ try not to go over the space given to type in. this will also make the doc look strange.

[larevuegeek]

Firefox 126.0 Introduit une fonctionnalité très utile : La modification directe des Fichiers PDF

Mozilla a publié la version 126.0 de Firefox, apportant une série de nouvelles fonctionnalités, de corrections de bugs et d'améliorations de performances. Parmi ces nouveautés, la possibilité de modifier des fichiers PDF directement dans le navigateur se distingue comme une amélioration très utile pour les utilisateurs.

Firefox 126.0 Introduit une fonctionnalité très utile : La modification directe des Fichiers PDF - LaRevueGeek.com

[thethirdmaulertwin]

Chat there was a fic on ao3 that was deleted that I would sell my SOUL to read again and I need to Discuss !!!

I forgot what it was called but it was centered around Donald and his relationship with William and Rick. Had an excellent sprinkle of identity crisis and gut wrenching angst and also it was hilarious!! I remember random bits and pieces

Like. William and Rick and Donald in a burger place. Or Donald talking to Cecil about making his own decisions when it comes to modifications and enhancements

Either way if you are the author I love you and if you've read this fic and maybe ?? Have a pdf?? That's b great too

[leroibobo]

another script/language post to go along with my samaritan and aramaic ones. this time, about the coptic language and script:

the coptic alphabet is mostly used to write the coptic language, the most recent development of the egyptian language (yes, the one that hieroglyphs were used to write). coptic along with previous iterations of the language belong to the egyptian branch of the afroasiatic family, of which they're the only members. once commonly spoken, coptic is mostly used as a liturgical language by coptic churches today, though copts have started revival movements. the church uses the bohairic dialect of coptic specifically, which has differences in pronunciation and grammar. modern revitalization efforts are also based in this dialect.

coptic has had a notable impact on general arabic and hebrew; for example, timsah - crocodile in arabic and one of the words for crocodile in hebrew (since palestine used to have crocodiles) - comes from coptic "emsah". it's also had a smaller impact on european languages via greek ("barge" and "skete" come from coptic). its biggest impact on a language is its significant impact on egyptian arabic.

the coptic script we have today developed between the 6th century bce and 2nd century ce, when greek was used to transcribe demotic texts. the script is a variation of the greek alphabet with all of its characteristic attributes (alphabet, written left-to-right, contains upper and lower case letters) with influences from demotic (written right-to-left, no cases) which were used to transcribe sounds/letters that aren't in greek (like Ϩ/ϩ, derived from demotic (which is not inscribed in unicode), which is "h"; greek has an "h" sound included in some letters but not just one letter for "h"). you can use coptic to write greek without any new letters to account for sounds, but lower-case coptic letters are just smaller versions of the upper-case ones with no modifications, so coptic and greek speakers may struggle to read the other's alphabet.

like greek, coptic also has its own numerals made from letters. (ⲁ = 1, ⲃ = 2, ⲓ = 10, ⲣ = 100, etc). also like greek, a line is drawn above them to distinguish them from the regular text. a formatted version of this numeral system influenced by arabic was used by egyptians of all religions along with the standard arabic one (and the hebrew one by jews) for a long time.

sample text (article 1 of the universal declaration of human rights in bohairic coptic):

Ⲉ̀ⲫ̀ⲟⲩⲁⲓ ⲥⲉⲙⲓⲥⲓ ⲣⲉⲙϩⲉⲩ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲉⲧϣⲱϣ ⲉ̀ ⲁⲝⲓⲁ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲇⲓⲕⲁⲓⲟⲥⲩⲛⲏ. Ⲛ̀ⲑⲱⲟⲩ ⲥⲉⲉⲣϩ̀ⲙⲟⲧ ⲅⲛⲱⲙⲏ ⲛⲉⲙ ⲥⲩⲛⲏⲇⲏⲥⲓⲥ ⲟⲩⲟϩ ⲙ̀ⲡⲉⲛⲑⲣⲉⲩⲁⲣϣⲏⲧ ⲙ̀ⲙⲉⲧⲣⲱⲙⲓ ϩⲓⲛⲁ ⲛ̀ⲑⲱⲟⲩ ⲙ̀ⲫ̀ⲣⲏϯ ⲛ̀ⲥ̀ⲛⲏⲟⲩ.

transliteration:

Ephouai semisi remheu nem etshōsh e axia nem dikaiosunē. Enthōou se’erehmot gnōmē nem sunēdēsis ouoh empenthreuarshēt em’metrōmi hina enthōou emephrēti enesnēou.

english:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

a formatted version of coptic script is also sometimes used to write some nubian languages (which are not afroasiatic) like nobiin. the script includes influence from the meroitic script, itself a development of demotic. (one is the letter ⳣ, "w", which comes from this letter.) usage of the coptic script for these languages was more common historically to write old nubian. most nubian languages use arabic or latin scripts today.

the nubian script adapted for nobiin:

sample text (john 11:41 in old nubian):

ⲕⲧ̅ⲕⲁ ⲅⲉⲗⲅⲟ̅ⲥⲛ ⲓ̈ⲏ̅ⲥⲟⲩⲥⲓ ⲛⲁⳡⲁⲛ ⲧⲣⲓⲕⲁ, ⲇⲟⲗⲗⲉ ⲡⲟⲗⲅⲁⲣⲁ ⲡⲉⲥⲥⲛⲁ: ⲡⲁⲡⲟ, ⲥ̅ⲕⲟⲉⲗⲙ̅ⲙⲉ ⲉⲕ̅ⲕⲁ.

transliteration:

Ephouai semisi remheu nem etshōsh e axia nem dikaiosunē. Enthōou se’erehmot gnōmē nem sunēdēsis ouoh empenthreuarshēt em’metrōmi hina enthōou emephrēti enesnēou.

some coptic-learning links:

copticforall.com

coptic.net pdf

so, you want to learn coptic? (about boharic coptic)

r12a - resources on how different scripts in all languages work, good resource for languages/scripts in general.

the youtube channel ilovelanguages also has a few videos on coptic, you can find the playlist here.

[axolator]

Script-A-"Day" #41: Waluigi's Moustache by Luxray

Wahahaha! Waluigi gonna kill the Demon!

First place at Final 3 Con's Alliances Script Competition!

Featured characters: Goon, Marionette, Legion

Complexity: Advanced-Expert. Recommended for STs who can comfortably ascertain the game state and craft information accordingly, and for players who are okay with a heaping dose of Legion paranoia as they parse the many possibilities of this script's infoscape.

Database link (find the PDF and JSON for running it there!)

Writeup under the cut!

Waluigi's Moustache has a very unique identity as a script. Featuring a combination of extra death and misinfo not easily found elsewhere along with a lurking Legion, it's a script that truly produces games like no other. The good team is mostly made up of information, with some characters like the Innkeeper and Monk doubling up to stop extra deaths — and to keep the Goon at the center of the script on the good team! The evil team is no slouch, though: between the Marionette, Vortox, and Legion (and the Drunk, Tinker, and Recluse in their back pockets) not all information can be trusted, and the suite of death modification is fearsome. Characters like the Ojo, Po, and Marionette can easily flip a Goon evil, and the Assassin can make sure they stay that way. One important caveat: in a Legion game, the Goon will always stay good, and can often be a key part of the solve if they're trusted — a tough feat for an Outsider as shifty as the Goon!

When bagbuilding Waluigi's Moustache, consider how the characters on both teams will interact with each other more than anything. Consider putting more information in a Vortox game and, on the other side of the coin, put more protection in a Po game — keep the teams balanced. This extends to the Goon — if in play, make sure both teams have ample opportunity to flip the Goon back and forth!

When building Legion, flip the numbers of good and evil players: so a 9-player game should have 2 Townsfolk and 7 Legion instead of 7 good players and 2 evil players. If you want to add an Outsider (and it's great fun to do so), take it out of the Legion's numbers — so this 9p game could have 2 Townsfolk, 1 Outsider, and 6 Legion. And, just a quick note: maybe avoid the Innkeeper in a Legion game? Don't never put the two in together, or otherwise the Innkeeper knows by their existence that it's not Legion, but the two don't play together very nicely.

Some notes:

Here are all the ways to mess with Townsfolk to send them down the Legion tunnel if they're the Drunk, the Marionette, or in a Vortox game:

Chef: Give them a super high number to simulate many Legion players

Librarian: Give them a 0! Most Legion games don't have Outsiders in them, after all. (That being said, an actual Lib-pair in a Legion game is also a lot of fun, too.)

Empath: Give them 2s when you can, and eventually give them a 1 when you can't give them a 2 (maybe when they neighbor two evils?)

General: Depends on what you think about the good team's chances of winning in Legion in general — for STs like myself, they'd say that evil is typically winning.

FT/TC: Lots and lots of yesses.

Fisherman: Point them to a player and tell them to vote together. Or, information which suggests distrusting the majority of town... you got this.

I just covered this on A Sudden Reversal, but recall how Pixie/Vortox works: they se an out-of-play Townsfolk character and their "mad" token is arbitrary: when that player dies, if the Pixie was mad about being the Townsfolk they saw, they get the ability they saw.

I actually prefer 3-star General to 5-star General on this script (that is, only using good/neutral/evil instead of good/evil slightly winning). That being said, both work fine: just remember that if you're running 5-star General in Vortox, make sure to give the General a reading that’s more than 1 star away from the truth (so if the truth is thumb slightly up, give a thumb down or slightly down in Vortox), that way their information is still actionable.

Recall from the Pearly Gates writeup: the Fortune Teller gets a NO on their red herring in a Vortox game! And, while I'm here, a note about the Recluse: I personally rule that the Recluse can misregister to the Vortox, making information regarding them effectively arbitrary (and so, characters like the Librarian, Empath, and FT can get true info about a Recluse in a Vortox game). Other STs might not — make sure your group knows how you rule it!

You might want to houserule that the Monk's protection lasts during the day, that way the Savant and Fisherman can recieve un-Vortoxed info if they're Monk-protected (instead of just the characters that act at night — remember the Monk makes players safe from all negative Demon effects!) I personally do, since I find it more fun, but make sure your group knows how you rule the interaction.

Base script interaction, but still relevant: If the Assassin is the first player to choose the Goon, the Goon dies and flips evil.

If the Drunk chooses the Goon with the ability they think they have, the Goon flips good and the Drunk is Goon-drunk. If the Marionette chooses the Goon with the ability they think they have, the Goon flips evil and the Marionette is Goon-drunk.

This script was written with the context that the Recluse can misregister as the Demon in order to place a Marionette next to it. It's a choice you might make in order to make the Marionette a picking role in a Goon game, or otherwise help evil more than just choosing the Demon's neighbor.

I wrote a lot about the Ojo in this post, but in sum: if the Ojo misses, don't necessarily punish them — bounce the kill to a neutral target that keeps the game in the balance. Ooh, but do remember that the Ojo can:

Multikill on a miss to sell Godfather worlds or otherwise gain tempo

Kill the Goon through their protection, since it's not them "choosing" the Goon with their ability

If the Ojo intentionally misses (by picking a bluff or another Demon) with the intent to do either one of those things, strongly consider following their intent.

Run the alternate Legion voting rule to avoid confirming who is Legion. The Legion almanac covers this too, but for completeness's sake: Instead of immediately declaring the vote tally to be 0 when only evil players vote on something, instead declare the vote to be successful and secretly keep track of who is actually about to die from execution with Legion's "About to die" reminder token.

That's about it from me! This script (and the other two finalists) is stellar - give it a whirl sometime if your group is comfortable with Legion!

[awordifyouplease]

Sometimes it's hard to remember to take time for our subs. I've always been a staunch advocate for Behavioral or Lifestyle Contracts. The thing that is so wonderful about them is their simplicity and steadfast reminder that a wonderful, power ful, satisfying and surprisingly fulfilling FLR (for slave AND Mistress) relationship doesn't require as much time and effort as it might seem.

I've got this very basic, easily adaptable contract that is deliberately spare of specifics and I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Show your mistress if you think she may be overwhelmed at the thought of starting a full-time FLR. Make your sub sign it, and you have clearly illustrated your intent to create the life he's aching for (following through will still be imperative, but you'll see it doesn't have to be so overwhelming).

I've included printable JPG images (tumblr doesn't allow inline PDF's; what a drag).

CONTRACT:

Mistress is bound by no rules apart from the basic understanding that the contract between Mistress and slave will remain Safe, Sane, and Consentual. Please be certain that all parties in attendance and/or participating MUST be conscious and aware of ALL HARD LIMITS.

Mistress understands that acceptance of these rules and lifestyle exists mutually and that all parties must participate equally in order to maintain the integrity of the lifestyle and benefits associated, and that while play and activity within the lifestyle may not be always be possible, the survival and effectiveness of it rely on consistent attention. Slave also understands that play may not always be possible. All interaction under these rules will be understood as activity and attention to the lifestyle and its existence. Slave has a right to express its feelings and desires regarding the lifestyle, and may expect that all parties act consistently and equally to further it, but slave has no ability to dictate how that equality is satisfied.

Since all rewards may be punishments and vise versa, slave and Mistress must acknowledge that, regardless of the situation, slave will always have the ability to stop play using a safeword or expression, and all activity will cease until such a time as limits, consent, and complete understanding are reestablished.

Slave[s] must be in uniform waiting when Mistress arrives home, For example: kneeling, with open palms resting on knees and head down. Alternately, Slave will change into its uniform and complete all assignments when it returns home and at the direction and discretion of Mistress. All tasks and chores must be completed or in progress according to Mistress’s schedule.

Slave will respond to mistress appropriately with honor and gratitude, such as “yes, Mistress” when directed to act, “thank you, Mistress” when granted a reward or allowance, and so on, whenever prompted, appropriate or directed by Mistress.

A list of chores and tasks may be left in an agreeable location which slave will check on whatever schedule Mistress dictates. Preparation for Mistress’s return may be included in daily chores and tasks and may include comfortable clothes to change into, readying of toys, equipment, play areas, and service tasks, such as foot rubs, massages, drinks, snacks, preparation of Mistress’s throne or other rest accommodations, etc.

Slave does not deserve an is not entitled to anything unless agreed upon, or if Mistress finds it acceptable or appropriate. Behavioral modification may be applied whenever Mistress deems appropriate. Should mistress desire a means to alleviate stress, anxiety, frustration, or other uncomfortable emotion, slave will voluntarily and willingly submit itself as an object and outlet to that end, including expressing proper gratitude for being permitted to do so in any way mistress should choose.

I hope this helps your sub feel loved, appreciated, respected, and heard. Conversely, I hope your Mistress sees the simplicity and value of a basic, everyday contract. In combination, I hope all parties realize the real, everday lifestyle you seek, fantasize about, and cherish♥️