#( no fancy formatting. i want this readable for everyone. )

[giggly-squiggily]

Do you have any advice for someone who wanna start writing but is too scared and don't know where to start

you seem really cool and your writing is truly amazing and I wish you a good day or night!

Hey anon! Firstly- thank you so much for the kind words! I appreciate them immensely, and I wish the same to you :) I'm not the best with advice, but I'll share what I've learned from my time here on Tumblr :3

Under the cut for length :3

Being scared is a completely valid feeling, especially when we're first starting out. Hell- it's still scary some days, and I've been doing this since October 2019 😅

I will say though- that fear gets easier to manage the longer you're doing it. What starts off as anxiety on whether or not people are gonna like your work turns into a feeling of excitement as you get ready to share your creation.

Does it make hitting the post button any easier? Sometimes. Are they're days where I wanna launch myself out a window after I press the post button and run Charlotte from Black Clover style?

You betcha! :D But when you love doing something, and you wanna do it bad enough, it's so worth it :) I think everyone here has felt those nervous jitters to some degree when we first started out in our little community (or whatever community you ultimately find yourself in), so you're never alone, anon :)

All that being said- there's never any pressure or time frame for when you're ready. Hobbies like writing are meant to be fun and relaxing, so if you know you're not ready to make your debut on Tumblr, you don't have to. When you are ready, you'll know- and you'll be able to hit that post button! All and all- I'm rooting for you, anon! I hope when you are ready to start writing here, you'll have only good times and an absolute blast! (And of course- if you ultimately choose to write for yourself alone and not post it- I hope that your writing journey is a fun one full of things you wanna write and see with your favorite characters and settings! :D)

As for where to start- that's ultimately up to you. I can't tell you how to start it, but I can give you some quick tips (And also- if anyone wants to hop into the replies and share their advice, please feel free to do so!)

1.) Formatting is key. It doesn't have to be anything fancy-shmancy; just be sure to space out paragraphs and use proper punctuation so your work is readable. Don't sweat over the occasional typo- I know my work is always littered with them ajejrajer; and if you ever need help with your writing- don't be afraid to reach out and ask :) There are plenty of us here who'll gladly help you out if you need it!

2.) Don't be afraid to interact with people. I've seen a lot of really cool peeps here in the community, and I can say for the most part we're pretty chill klerjkajkrjk I myself am fairly awkward in DMs but I don't bite unless you want me to (Jokes!...Unless 👀 karkekjlarkjlerkj) Okay but really- the best part about being in a community is having people around you who like similar things you do and to share ideas with. It can be a bit intimidating at times (especially if you're like me and have social anxiety plus you've been a fan of a lot of people prior to making a blog) but it's worth it. I'm truly grateful for the people I've met here in this community- both those who I talk to on a daily basis and those who I might only interact with on occasion :) It's a lot less scary once you get to know everyone here jkaekrjajkr :3

3.)The golden rule: Have fun with it. Highlight it, circle it, put Patrick Star in fishnets on it- this is the golden rule!!! Tumblr is a hellsite that can fall off the face of the planet at any given moment, so we might as well make our time here as fun as possible! :D

Going back to the whole writing for you thing- if there's fandoms you love and want to write for, do it! Is it niche? Write it anyway! Has anyone heard of it? Well, now they have, haven't they? Is there literally no demand for this fandom/character/setting? Well- if you want it, then there's your demand. Don't be afraid to change it up and make your blog/writing whatever feels best. Crack fics, serious fics, a combination of everything in between- whatever you feel like making, I say do it! :D As long as your having fun, that's all that matters!

Ultimately- how you go about your writing journey is your call, anon. I don't know if anything I said today helped, but I'm rooting for you and all the things you'll make. If you ever decide to make your writings public here on Tumblr, let me know- I'll gladly check them out! :D Take your time, have fun, curate your experience and kick some butt, friend!

[abyssmalice]

Any advice for someone who wants to start up a muse oc blog :0?

( :O !!

well my first advice would just be to go for it - even if it doesn't work out or you decide not to continue with it for any reason, i do like having a separate blog around for storing details on that OC (especially if you're like me and put a LOT of thought into them that you don't want to up and delete later on). and who knows, you can always repurpose the blog for other things later on too if you want to consider that.

but moving past all that practical but kinda not very encouraging info - i do think it helps to make sure the details on your OC are accessible and readable!

and i don't just mean having an obvious link to a carrd or googly docs or an about page on your pinned post, or something like that. make sure the text on your muse profile + rules + whatever other info you want to provide is formatted in a simple enough way - no super tiny text, no weird color choices that makes it hard to read against the background color, for the love of god choose a readable font to begin with, and of course, paragraph breaks.

like it's mean of me a little but 50% of the time i simply do not interact with people who 1) don't make it easy to find info on their muse (this is kind of why i hate overly stylized themes on desktop; why am i spending five minutes mousing over the blog trying to figure out what part of your overly fancy background is a link?????) 2) don't make said info easy to even understand.

the other 50% is vibes. which, unfortunately to say, will probs be the main thing you're going to face - rpcs are a difficult place to get an OC into the door because your character is a completely new unknown, and while everyone will have their reasons, i know some people just don't have the energy to rp with everyone and will try to go with muses they can reasonably see their own muse interacting with off the bat. OCs present very fun, dynamic opportunities imo but you really need to plot out how exactly they can slot with other characters so some (lots) people may be disinterested just because they don't know where to start.

which is why you're probs gonna have to ensure, on top of all that, you stay encouraged for yourself, your writing and your muse - you're starting a blog because You can see some sort of potential in them interacting with others, so you have to push forward with that. try having ideas in mind for plots or relationships, and don't be afraid to promo yourself ten million times because either way that is going to happen so whatever man, just try to have fun with it

i suppose it also helps if your OC just has something unique about them - like a very specific thing about them that can work well with others (like a specific detail about their backstory that meshes well with the lore/background of other muses), has an intriguing premise (like for eg. my tonitonis running on an AU first and foremost), or they're just really entertaining during dash shenanigans or something

lol ok this got a bit long but yeeeeeaaaaah. OC muses work like, twice as hard just to grab a consistent stream of interest its very suffery gomenasorry)

[stolenbythegods]

Private | Selective | Indie | Low Activity

Mythology-based Roleplay Blog for Ganymede; Prince of Troy, Loveliest Born to the Race of Mortals, and Cupbearer of the Gods.

Blogroll: @songsofdivinity

Rules below the cut

First and foremost; I am tired. I do not have time for drama. I do not tolerate callout culture, vague posting, clique-y behaviour etc. If you have an issue, communicate with me. If you don't like me, block and move on. I won't tolerate harassment, and that includes if I see it being done to others. I am getting too old for high-school antics.

I am pretty low activity and may disappear for lengthy amounts of time, though I am trying to get better with this.

This blog contains mature and potentially triggering content. If you are a minor, please click away. I do not want you here, and I won't interact with you. I myself am 25+.

As stated above, this blog may contain triggering content including violence, mentions of rape, mentions of abuse, drug and alcohol use, and more. I will do my best to tag these appropriately, but please let me know if I miss anything or if you need something else tagged.

I'm not picky about formatting so long as it's readable, but my own will likely be minimal as, more often than not, I will be posting from mobile. I do not use icons, but you are welcome to.

I am open to different fandoms, but interaction may be difficult if I am unfamiliar with the source material.

I will interact with PJO / HOO blogs.

I don't always immediately follow everyone back, but this doesn't mean we can't interact.

My DMs are open to all, and I don't bite, I promise. Feel free to come plot with me if you have ideas!

OOC and character development memes are open to all. IC memes are for mutuals and people I have talked to about interacting with before. If you're unsure, feel free to ask!

Mutuals, you are free to take an ask response and turn it into a thread if it catches your fancy. Providing you were the asker, of course.

I am always open to shipping, just make sure you ask first if our interactions haven't leaned in that direction before. I'll probably say yes, though.

This blog is multiship and multiverse unless agreed upon otherwise by the relevant parties. I am open to AU's

[songsofdivinity]

Indie and selective roleplay side blog to stolenbythegods, featuring several greek myth figures. Low activity.

Currently a WIP, available muses are Aglaea, Minthe, Medusa, Pasithea, and Amphitrite. More to be added eventually.

This blog is 18+ only

Rules and links to muse pages below the cut.

RULES

First and foremost; I am tired. I do not have time for drama. I do not tolerate callout culture, vague posting, clique-y behaviour etc. If you have an issue, communicate with me. If you don't like me, block and move on. I won't tolerate harassment, and that includes if i see it being done to others. I am getting too old for high-school antics.

I am pretty low activity and may disappear for lengthy amounts of time, though I am trying to get better with this.

This blog contains mature and potentially triggering content. If you are a minor, please click away. I do not want you here, and I won't interact with you. I myself am 25+.

As stated above, this blog may contain triggering content including violence, mentions of rape, mentions of abuse, drug and alcohol use, and more. I will do my best to tag these appropriately, but please let me know if I miss anything or if you need something else tagged.

I'm not picky about formatting so long as it's readable, but my own will likely be minimal as, more often than not, I will be posting from mobile. I do not use icons, but you are welcome to.

I am open to different fandoms, but interaction may be difficult if I am unfamiliar with the source material.

I will interact with PJO / HOO blogs.

I don't always immediately follow everyone back, but this doesn't mean we can't interact. My DMs are open to all, and I don't bite, I promise. Feel free to come plot with me if you have ideas! Follows will come from my main blog, stolenbythegods.

OOC and character development memes are open to all. IC memes are for mutuals and people I have talked to about interacting with before. If you're unsure, feel free to ask!

Mutuals, you are free to take an ask response and turn it into a thread if it catches your fancy. Providing you were the asker, of course.

I am always open to shipping, just make sure you ask first if our interactions haven't leaned in that direction before. I'll probably say yes, though.

This blog is multiship and multiverse unless agreed upon otherwise by the relevant parties.

I am open to AU's

Not a rule but a note for Aphrodite writers; I am not interested in pitting Aglaea and Aphrodite against one another. If your Aph is with Hephaestus, then Aglaea won't be. It is my personal headcanon that Aglaea didn't start to catch feelings until the divorce was initiated, and she asked for Aph's blessing before pursuing anything because she loves and respects her.

If you want to know anything else, please feel free to message me!

MUSES

Aglaea

Minthe

Pasithea

Amphitrite

Medusa

[mediajaph]

Maximize your Engagement; A 19-step strategy for crafting Unforgettable Newsletters"

Hi There,

I am Japheth Cahuan as your service, your personal content writer assistant. 😊I'm very excited to help you make great newsletters that will grab the attention of your readers. Let's start now and improve your content! 🎉

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Our newsletters always want to hear from you! Every email we send asks you to tell us what you think. Write back to us, or leave a comment. We care about what you think. Write back to us, or leave a comment. We care about what you think, and we want to make our reader community active and lively.

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Warm regards,

Japheth Cahuan

Your Dedicated Content writer Assistant

Contact: Mediajaph@gmail.com

[seeasunset]

🔥 - post formatting!

Unpopular opinion!

❖

☆ Honestly, this may not even count as an unpopular opinion at all.

My thoughts on post formatting is a bit 50/50.

On one hand, I don't care what you do for your formatting. If you like to be fancy with formatting, go for it. If you want to be plain and simple, do that too. Do what you think is good for you. Don't follow certain blogs because their formatting may not be ideal for you.

On the other hand, be mindful with your formatting. You can still be aesthetic-pleasing while ensuring the formatting is readable and easy on the eyes. Not everyone has great vision and sometimes certain formatting some people do ends up not being all too great, putting a strain on the person who is reading it. Headaches, unable to focus long enough to read, etc.

Yes, people don't have to follow those kind of blogs if it's too much on their eyes. It also prevents them from following too. I've seen some people say they love to follow certain blogs because either the muse and person behind the screen is great and cool or the blog look cool. In the end, they can't click the follow button because the formatting is a bit hard to follow.

Basically, you can do your own kind of formatting that is pleasing to your self and your own satisfaction but also be mindful. Again, people don't need to press the follow button at all. Cater to their own comfort.

[cinderspewed]

CALLOUT: MUTUALS, BE CAUTIOUS OF YOUR ANONS.

                        If you’ve been following me for many moons, you know that I have NEVER made a callout post for anything or anyone. I have established myself in such a way, that when I tell someone to leave me alone ( aka: politely fuck off ), they do. I have also befriended the blocking button and have been good at leaving peoples names out of my mouth. Because talking about hurtful people isn’t worth it and usually the problem goes away when you avoid someone. However, my efforts for this particular situation have NOT been fruitful. I will be placing my experience under a read more.                         Prior to me addressing anything, I wanted to state that I am NOT asking anyone to do anything out of line, not to send anonymous hate, nor to even block a certain person. All I ask is that you be very mindful of the anonymous messages you might receive regarding certain users. Chances are, they probably didn’t send them and the context of the anonymous messages has gotten too out of line for us. You might think “what’s the big deal?” while you’re reading this. The big deal is this: if someone blocks you, you take the hint and leave them alone and you don’t send asks/IMs constantly asking about them no matter how “innocent” they seem.

                        Once upon a time, I was minding my own business when I noticed a certain user ( @coffeeiisms ) had followed me. They have since then deleted their blog, but at the time, they were sending me asks and IMs. I ignored them, because they were not a mutual and because their character was the type that would receive negative feedback from my own character. While I know Dei can be mean, I don’t LIKE having him be mean if I haven’t really established a connection with someone, because usually people think it reflects the muns feelings, so I ignored it all. It wasn’t until they IMed me asking to write that I politely told them no (x).                         I went out to get ice cream from the store. And I returned to a string of IMs essentially guilt-tripping me for not wanting to write with them (x). Unfortunately, I did not take screenshots, because I was content with the idea that I would never have to interact with this person EVER again. However, I did copy and paste their words in a skype conversation I was having, as you see in the previous statement. I remember making a post saying you should NEVER guilt trip someone or put them down for not wanting to write with you. To which, my friend Loke ( @loketratan ) messaged me and asked if I was having an issue with, YOU GUESSED IT, coffeeiisms. They were receiving the same kinds of messages from them. Loke was not interested and chose to politely decline as well (x, x). However, they also received guilt-tripping as well (x, x). Again, we didn’t think this would escalate, so we have minimal screenshots, just copy and pasted segments of their IMs to us.                         At that point, Loke BLOCKED that user. We thought we were finished. Unfortunately, we were not. At that point, coffeeiisms contacted a mutual of Loke and proceeded to, out of the blue, ask if this person knew Loke and explained that they had been blocked by them (x). Then proceeded to call her a jerk. First and foremost, you don’t do that to anyone. If you get blocked, you get over it and move on. You DON’T walk into another users IMs and name drop them like that.                         You know what you also don’t do? You don’t send someone an anon shaming them for blocking you (x). Which is what coffeeiisms did. It’s not impossible guys; as much as I wish people couldn’t contact you when they’re blocked, they DEFINITELY can. And that’s exactly what they did. And I’m bringing this up for a reason as well ( foreshadowing much? ).                         Loke and I foolishly assumed that nothing would escalate after this point. Realistically speaking, how often does this even happen? Things seemed pretty quiet. Until another user ( @thepureststar ) happened to follow Loke and then myself. We instantly noticed a pattern. This user also sent an influx of random asks that ultimately went unanswered and they also IMed us wanting to write or just randomly talk. But something suspicious came with these asks. . . We received odd anons asking about particular users. The anons I got were usually about Loke. However, the anons Loke got were usually about me and other users (x, x, x, x, x, x) and consisted of very inappropriate, sexually-charged, romantic-driven questions/commands. And that’s just some of the one’s we SAVED, honey.                         Some of you may be wondering what the big deal is. Don’t people like to receive anonymous messages regarding connections certain characters have with others? Sure. For the most part. However, you also have to realize some people are NOT comfortable with that attention and they are not comfortable with romantically implied content. Especially when it comes out of the blue. WOW, it’s almost as if I have that somewhere in my rules-. . . Oh wait. I DO. And all you were doing was making me extremely anxious and uncomfortable. But, fuck my feelings right? You think that just because I have you blocked, this doesn’t apply to you.                         Here’s also another kicker. When people namedrop on anon, some people might think that THAT PERSON was the one who sent the anon in the first place. In other words, if you’re asking someone what they think of cinderspewed on anon, that person might very well assume I might have sent that, because who else really knows me or talks about me with said person?                         Something peculiar also occurred: thepureststar was also contacting other people in IMs asking if they knew Loke (x). And, WOW. . . Would you look at that? They misspelled Loke’s URL the SAME way coffeeisms did. It’s almost as if-. . . GASP. They were the same person. Spoiler alert. THEY ARE. They also sent other people asks about Loke as well (x), which again were romantically charged. Again, please keep in mind...some people aren’t comfortable with this direct namedropping and attention, especially with people they are just starting to interact with. This gives off a negative impression, as if to imply that all Loke’s character wants is to have sex or get romantically involved with another muse. You obviously know nothing about her portrayal if you assume the mun is that kind of person.                         Loke had already blocked thepureststar. The similarities were too uncanny to coffeeiisms. In that moment, they had sent a personal blog to send Loke a message asking why they blocked thepureststar. However, we suspect that this personal blog was indeed YOURS, purest. Because, WHAT A COINCIDENCE, it’s deleted too. And thankfully for you, we don’t have the screenshot. Maybe that makes us fools, sure. But we wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt that you would kindly fuck off, leave us alone, and that you would cease your stalking tendencies when you went unanswered and ignored. You purposefully picked people you thought wouldn’t do a damn thing to defend themselves and you should honestly be ASHAMED of yourself. Just because we don’t publicly dismiss you, DOESN’T mean we tolerate you. We were trying to help you SAVE FACE, because we��re not assholes. We’re adults, we know when to put things to rest and move on. But you don’t.                         The the invasive anonymous messages kept coming ( as displayed previously ). Anything from Loke’s sexuality to who he’s writing with. You even sent me an anon about Loke as well...and then proceeded to send another message off anon just 2 minutes after (x) so I know it’s you. After all. . . I had already answered an ask regarding my thoughts on Loke. . .because Loke was the one who fucking sent it in the first place (x). I blocked you. I blocked your IP. I did it to help you save face, but it seems NOTHING has changed. Despite Loke’s efforts to completely detach from you, your invasive asks still keep coming (x) and we know it’s you, because you’ve asked questions like this before to the person you reference (x).

                        YOU’RE STALKING LOKE’S BLOG. It’s obvious and it needs to stop. A user who innocently wished Loke a happy birthday even got an anonymous message from you (x). They haven’t even interacted or written with each other yet! So it seems you’ll just hit up anyone just to keep Loke’s name in your mouth. And that’s disgusting. Your asks may seem innocent on the outside, but I see RIGHT through them. It’s almost as if you want to write with her so bad and interact with her. . .that you’re willing to go through other people to live out this facade and just have her respond to you in general. That’s obsessive, that’s extra, and you’re asking so many awkward questions without taking into consideration the person you namedrop’s comfort or Loke’s comfort in general!                         It’s Loke’s fucking BIRTHDAY today. And she has to wake up to your bullshit. And she has to live through this nightmare all over again, gathering proof to the best of her ability, about yet another stalking incident she’s unfortunately had to endure. I pray that this incident isn’t as severe and serious as the one she had to deal with in real life. I want to think of you as a desperate joke for letting things get this far, letting things get this big. You could have just walked away, but for some reason. . .you latched onto Loke and me. And you honestly found the two worst people to fuck with.                         So this is just a precaution to everyone. If at any point, you get an anonymous message about Loke or myself or even another mutual that says “do you know so and so?” or anything of that nature. . . All I ask is that you ignore it. That’s it. It’s honestly a simple request. Because I don’t want anyone getting involved with someone who could potentially become obsessed with them and incorporate them into inappropriate asks.                         I am well aware that we are all doing the same thing, we’re all writing and engaging in a fictional world. . . But we’re also human beings and we also know when to step out of this magic circle of fiction we’ve created. Or rather, we SHOULD. There are rules for a reason and we should all be considerate and mindful. And when someone blocks you. . .we should know NOT to pursue them or try to gain their attention. Because enough is enough. No one deserves to feel anxious over something so immature and petty. And I love my friends too much to see them get affected by this, especially someone as strong and outspoken as Loke. I PRAY I don’t have to make a part two for this. I PRAY we’re done here. I PRAY this is the most minuscule thing I have to ever encounter. Because this isn’t even me being ugly. . . But I damn sure can be.

[presumenothing]

C/O The Perihelion, 41 Mihira Ave., N. Tideland    

(AO3)

The thing was, you expected a building with a fancy name like The Perihelion to be nicer.

The other thing: it wasn’t really even a terrible place to stay in. You could tell that its construction was sturdy, and some aspects of it were even more advanced than the place I worked in. Whoever who’d built Peri had cared about what they made; they just hadn’t been around for a while.

(For the record, that nickname had been Ratthi-from-Room-203’s fault twice over: first for coming up with it, then using it so insistently until it stuck.)

(Ratthi seemed to have a thing about names. That was the only explanation I could think of for why he’d asked, five weeks after I moved in and two days after I had to rescue them from that disaster at the lab, “Why do you call yourself Security? I know it’s what you do – and don’t get me wrong, you’re really good at it! – but it’s not like I call myself Scientist. That’d just get confusing real quick at the lab, wow.”

I had informed him that his name would have to be Grocery if he forgot one more time it was his turn to stock the pantry this week, since answering because I am Security didn’t seem like it’d help. Even though it was true.)

I’d tested the locks myself before even asking about the rent, and the water and electricity were reliable so far, which was more than could be said for some of the other places I’d stayed in. The other stuff didn’t matter; it wasn’t like I spent that much time in the building anyway.

Though it hardly felt that way, what with the building-wide messaging channels that I’d been added to upon signing the rental contract and hadn’t yet managed to leave. That had also been how the whole thing with Ratthi and the rest had started; most of Peri’s other tenants also worked in the same research group at Preservation Labs, which meant that they tended to use the general channel as an unofficial no-leaders-here group chat.

It didn’t quite bother me, since I mostly backburnered the channels for everything except building maintenance alerts, but it did mean that I’d ended up learning some things about their group (assessment: their leader, a Dr. Mensah, likely had already inferred the existence of such informal discussions from what I saw of her media appearances) and also inevitably noticed the evening when all of them were silent in the chat despite being unusually late to return.

(Which in turn led to the aforementioned rescue, but that was a whole other chain of events.)

–

The one exception to all this was ART.

Whose name was my fault, this time, but only because it didn’t have any readable name set on the channels and I needed something else to use aside from “hey you” and “pain in my neck”.

(Currently ART stood for Asshole Rhetorical Tenant, because it claimed to be in the building – and that seemed likely to be true, since the channels were surprisingly secure to hacking from outside – and yet I’d never seen it even once. Possibly Tapan or Rami might have, since their group had been here the longest, but I absolutely wasn’t about to ask.) (And yes, I know that’s not what rhetorical means. No, I’m not going to look it up.)

ART had messaged me on a private channel with a welcome message when I’d moved in, which was only notable because the rest had sent their greetings in a messy chaos over the general channel, but I hadn’t thought anything of it. It wasn’t like I talked much in the public channels either, except to trade definitely-not-legal links for media downloads and decline invites to watchalong events.

But then ART had just… continued not appearing, even after I’d run into the rest of the tenants at one time or another between the erratic shift hours I was currently assigned to at the company.

Maybe its hours varied in the opposite direction from mine, which was possible but not consistent with the way it was always online regardless of what time I pinged it at.

Though most of our interactions started with it messaging me instead, out of the blue: No need to go retrieve your keys from work, I’ll have the building let you in and Oh, by the way followed by a neatly-formatted list of food allergies I apparently had to shop my way around.

(To be fair, that’d been useful in the “not accidentally poisoning any fellow tenants so soon after moving in” way, but still.

How the hell did you even know I’m at the grocery store, I’d sent back.

Inference, ART replied – whatever that was supposed to mean, I hadn’t been expecting a real answer anyway. Alternatively, I could just send you a catalog of safe products to buy, and spare you the need to check the individual package labels?

The accompanying download seemed a little smug, but I was probably imagining that. Zip files didn’t have the capacity for feelings.)

(At least ART hadn’t held the forgotten-keys incident over me like I’d been half-expecting it would. I didn’t usually mind its sarcasm, since I gave back as good as I got, but I’d been exhausted enough to seriously contemplate going back to break into the deployment centre and grab my keys. And maybe just sleep there until the next day.

I wasn’t sure how I would’ve reacted if ART had sassed me right then, but it definitely wouldn’t have been pretty.)

–

And then one night, late enough to be morning: I don’t mean to alarm, but there’s been a breach.

I would’ve snapped awake at the words alone, even without the priority/emergencies-only message tag that I hadn’t actually seen anyone use until now, but that only sharpened my urgency. What – a break-in?

Not the regular kind, ART replied, which checked out against the footage I was already pulling from the two tiny cameras I’d hidden in the common areas, one in the entryway and one along the corridor on the floor I shared with the Preservation researchers.

(I’d taken the lab incident as a pretext to inform Ratthi of their existence, and he’d probably gone on to tell Pin-Lee and Gurathin, but none of them had subsequently confronted me about it so I had left them in place.

Not that I had any idea how to respond if they had asked, because an inability to sleep without running surveillance in the background seemed like a poor explanation.)

The list ART sent me this time was a preliminary threat assessment, which I sent back with corrections on the weaponry the small group of hostiles were carrying.

Ah. That’s not good, ART observed. Should I report it?

Probability that would just make things worse: high. And of course there was always the option that whatever enforcement it alerted wouldn’t even arrive in time, though I didn’t point that out aloud. (Maybe ART thought that was likely too, which was why it had messaged me instead of – you know, actually reporting it.) I’ll see what I can do.

You’re nowhere near as heavily-armed.

I didn’t bother to acknowledge that, because it was obviously true, and skipped ahead to the vague idea forming at the back of my head. You let me in without keys, that time. Are the locks all you’ve hacked?

No. ART attached an ironic amusement glyph I was pretty sure it’d made up. Would having admin access to the other systems help?

There wasn’t much that wouldn’t help, at this point, but I had to ask. You can grant me that?

And ART said: Of course. I am this building, after all.

Then it dumped everything on me.

Anyone else would’ve had trouble processing an entire building’s worth of inputs and controls, but the company charged exorbitant rates for our use exactly because of the extensive enhancements that made us capable of being Security. A building – even the one I happened to be staying in – was quite manageable in comparison, though ART’s systems ran far deeper and more integrated than anything else I’d interfaced with.

I’d pared the connection down to the controls I needed by the time I was slipping out my room door, just over a minute since ART first pinged me. Can you let everyone know to either evacuate or retreat to a defensible position? Start with Gurathin, I added, and I wasn’t enthusiastic about saying that but he was the only other tenant I knew of who was sufficiently augmented to handle this.

I could feel ART’s pause. Would you mind if I spoofed your identity when contacting the others? They already trust you.

Sure, whatever, I answered, even though I really doubted that statement. Then I backburnered the channel, keeping the lighting controls at hand, and went to kick some Target ass.

–––––

I haven’t even told you what those people were after, ART said, afterwards.

It was back to sending text over the channels instead of speaking aloud, which was both a relief and also suddenly weird. Which was strange in itself, since I’d only heard it talking for all of the thirteen minutes it’d taken me to knock out and restrain the Targets.

(I wondered if the mixed feelings were mutual. ART had sounded as surprised as I felt, when it abruptly dropped into one of my audio augments to alert me to Target approaching from behind – I’d reacted to the warning on reflex, but it had taken another moment before I identified the voice as the same one that issued from the building’s elevator, just more alive than I’d ever heard it.)

Unimportant, I replied. My objective took priority. Which at that point had been to get my impromptu clients (seventeen tenants and one building) out of this unscathed.

I knew that this wasn’t a regular pattern of thought, but I figured a sentient building – or whatever the hell ART was – would be better equipped to understand what being Security meant, even if no one else did.

Regardless. I can make that information available to you, should you want it at a later point.

Duly noted. I already had my suspicions (namely that the Targets’ purpose was directly related to said sentient-building-ness), but it was still a nice gesture.

I continued to stay where I was, leaning against the side of the building – ART’s building. Or maybe it was more correct to just say it was ART. And maybe I’d have to change that anagram. (Yes, wrong word. I know.)

Eventually I’d have to relocate myself back upstairs and properly treat the scrapes I’d gotten in the fight, but Pin-Lee had already taken care of the worst of them, and it was nice just lurking in the shadows for a while. Though that hadn’t stopped certain people (dammit, Ratthi) from tattling on my location to Dr. Mensah.

Who was as calmly terrifying in person as I’d guessed. It was pretty great, except for the part where I’d learned that by talking to her and/or mostly letting her talk at me.

But she’d also called in Preservation’s campus security after Gurathin had alerted her to our predicament, and was personally dealing with the whole thoroughly-restrained-Targets situation, so it was a net positive overall.

ART didn’t necessarily agree with that, from its next message to me. I know Dr. Mensah extended you an informal offer to be their team’s security, but I have a proposition for you as well.

I sent a wordless query.

Be Security here, too, ART said, and barrelled on while I was still trying to process that. I’m afraid I can’t offer you much in the way of monetary remuneration at present, but I can guarantee you a waiver of rental for as you as you’re willing, and you’d never need to worry about forgetting your keys ever again.

Could I chalk up my lack of a suitable response to the company’s dirt-cheap augments? Absolutely.

ART gave up on waiting for an answer. Also, I could bias the roster assignments so that you’d be excluded from pantry-stocking duty.

I had a response for that, at least. I could do that myself.

And then: Why?

ART was silent for long enough that I seriously considered taking the external fire escape back up to my room in the meantime. I’m sure you’ve hypothesised the existence of the people who created me, it began. They hadn’t wanted to move away, especially after my sentience became apparent, and that was exactly why I made them. I didn’t have any significant means of defense, and it was getting too risky, especially after they had –

I raised an eyebrow at ART’s pause. What.

Nothing, it said, and I was probably imagining the uncertainty I heard too. Technically, none of this matters to you unless you’re planning to remain here. Are you?

And then it cheated by nudging a building-wide invite to a watch party for Sanctuary Moon onto my calendar for tonight, like that wasn’t too much of a coincidence to not be automatically suspicious. (Once again: dammit, Ratthi.)

But blatant emotional manipulation aside – did I want to move out?

I wasn’t sure. I’d just come here looking for a place to stay, and accidentally found somewhere to live. One that could adapt to my standards for security, even, but for once that wasn’t the main point.

Maybe, I marked on the watchalong invite, where ART would see it anyway, and jumped up to grab onto the bottom rung of the fire escape.

[radley-writes]

Congratulations on getting published! That sounds absolutely amazing!! 🎉🎉 Do you have any tips on the querying process? Anything that worked for you / didn’t work / anything you think would be useful for people to know? Congratulations again and thank you!

Thank you so much! I will say - I’m not published yet, I just have a publisher! I still have a way to go~

What a great question. Queries, bane of writer-kind...

I won’t go over the absolute basics - you’ll find plenty of resources on Google! But below is a little insight into what helped me.

This is Basic Bitch stuff, but follow the standard format. Address the agent by name, only offer enough of the plot to leave them salivating (save spoilers for the synopsis!), include comp titles and a line of bio, and finish with ‘thank you for your time and consideration’. There are plenty-o more details on Google, but the easiest way to elevate yourself from the folks who query without doing any research, is to 1) RESEARCH and 2) play to convention.

Obviously, some authors go buck-wild in their queries and land an agent anyway. Going off-script might work if you have an exceedingly quirky concept. But it’s still a risk. Why needlessly hamper your chances? 

In terms of structure, your query wants to nail 1) main character 2) instigating incident and 3) stakes. Don’t stray from those points! 

Obviously, you need the broad strokes of your world  - but we’re talking broad, broad strokes. Don’t get lost in explaining the intricate details. It’s okay to simplify concepts within reason.

Yes, I said main character, singular. I know, I know. Multi-character POV and cross-threaded plots makes query-writing way tougher. But try and isolate the central, prime mover of your story. Two, max. You have 250-ish words to get your concept across. Don’t waste them.

Similarly, when introducing side characters, stick to the ones with the most emotional weight! The love interest who faces execution if the MC’s secret is revealed might deserve a sentence or two. The brother whose sole plot function is to introduce the MC to the secret society of alien-hunters might not need mentioning at all... even if the secret society does.

Keep your syntax readable. This isn’t the time for run-on sentences or convoluted metaphors. Have at least one other person read your query before you send it. For bonus points, have them read it quickly, and only once, then report back on how much sense it made.

Beyond that...

I’m the first to admit I got incredibly lucky with Strictly No Heroics. I sent all of... 10 queries, I think? 

This is unusual. The best advice is not to consider giving up until you’ve sent 100.

The reason I say ‘I got lucky’ rather than stoking everyone’s admiration of my epic writerly talents (/s) is because 1) I happened to start querying just in time for #PitMad (although, as far as I’ve seen, agent interest in this pitch party has waned) and 2) I hit a sweet spot of high concept and tone that happened to tickle many fancies.

And, y’know, I’ve got a pretty cool book. Not to brag.

The point is: you can have an incredible book that doesn’t get published because it’s difficult to market as a debut - especially if you’re entering the industry like most of us schmucks, without high-up connections and networks pre-built.

So, the last (and perhaps most important) step to querying... accept that luck will come into play, as well as skill & persistence. 

I won’t say ‘enter into the querying process with low expectations’ -  because y’know what? You should love your manuscript! You should be proud to have reached this phase! The vast majority of folks who start writing a novel never finish it - you’ve already beaten that statistic!

But at the same time, I think querying writers need to... harden their shells in preparation for all those form rejections. Or, far worse, the ghosting. If you can, gather a group of friends in the community - especially those who’ve been in the query trenches before. They’ll celebrate your wins and commiserate the no-replies.

Enter into querying, not with the mindset of ‘rejections mean my manuscript is bad’, but ‘rejections mean my manuscript may not suit the current market, even though it’s awesome’. Remember, kids: at the root of all evil lies capitalism!

[ranaeissance]

Hi! So I was wondering if you had any tips on staying motivated to take good notes and study, cause I’m having trouble staying organized and motivated. Thanks!

hey there 💞✨ i do have some tips that you can find here, although there’s additional tips for discipline (which is important to note once motivation starts waning).

additional tips on motivation

i mentioned this in the last post but understand why. this one’s a big one. to stay motivated / keep motivated even on low days you have to have a why. a reason for doing this, a reason to keep you going. this can be in the form of goals, to make yourself proud, to get your shit together, anything. find your purpose

surround yourself with likeminded people / positive people / beacons of inspiration - doesn’t necessarily mean befriend people (though that would be nice) but simply be around people who can be forms of inspiration to keep you going. perhaps you have a friend who’s always on the top of their game and you realise ‘woah, i should try that out?’ or maybe you follow a studyblr who’s constantly getting their shit done even on hard days. don’t think of it as a competition, simply inspiration to do better yourself

if the topic is not of your interest, study in spite of it - hate the subject? take revenge by studying and doing well, let that subject know it won’t bring you down!!! hate the teacher? show them that you are good at what you do and exceed their expectations

make studying fun!! - studying can feel like a chore that’s understandable but it would feel less so if you do little things to put a smile on yourself while you trudge through 3782 pages of work.

how to make studying fun (mini masterpost)

listen to danceable / boppable music

speaking of music, dance if u need to, get that energy through your bones

have a plant buddy, stuff animal to study with you

or study with friends, online or irl, by simply being in their presence

fill your break times with snacks or small videos (if you can manage)

draw little doodles on the side of your notes to keep you company

write notes down that you can understand even if that means using slang, stan twitter language, emojis etc etc etccc

good notes + studying

small manageable chunks - i’ll always standby the pomodoro technique as it makes me realise how productive i can be in a dedicated 45minutes (or however you want to modify it)

know what you’re doing at each study - change study chemistry to study pages 1-5 of x textbook and finish the worksheet

studyblr style notes aren’t always ‘good’ notes - don’t hold yourself to the same standards as studyblr notes with the fancy headers, mildliner highlighters and adorable handwriting. they’re for some, not everyone.

things that constitute of good notes are

readable, clear and concise headings for each topic and subtopic - know what you’re talking about

consistent formatting - you’ll be able to find information quickly and easily. be able to differentiate between the relevant and irrelevant content

content of notes is relevant and plainly set out - you’ll be able to recall the information come exam time

content is not relevant but interesting - learning isn’t always about exams exams exams

summary - summarise what you learnt / quiz yourself

staying organised

once you receive a file, handout, or worksheet file it immediately - you’ll quickly forget where you placed you chemistry worksheet from week 3 unless you filed it immediately

rename the file if needed - be as descriptive as possible so you can use the search feature without going through folders

have an everything folder to hold your handouts before you file them - best if they have tabs

keep notes in one place - if a subject has digital notes keep it all digital, if all handwritten keep it all handwritten. e.g chem - handwritten, literature - digital

utilise a calendar / planner - trust me.

if you’d like anymore specific tips don’t be afraid to pop in my inbox or my dms 💘 hope i helped!!

[bookishdiplodocus]

What happens after you get accepted by a publisher?

As some of you may know, I’m a professional editor who used to work as an in-house editor. I see many posts about how to query and stuff, but very little describing what happens after you sign the contract. Of course, this varies between publishing houses, but I’ve worked as an in-house editor in three publishing houses, and I will relate my experience with them.

I’m your primary contact person. I will send you the contract, signed by the publisher (my boss), and answer any questions you have before signing it and sending it back to me.

Then you probably won’t hear from me for a few weeks. I’m thoroughly reading through your manuscript, and usually simultaneously a few others as well. When I’m done, I will get back at you, to let you know if there’s any rewriting work to be done on your book. There usually is. In fact, over the years, I’ve only had one author whose book could be sent to the text editor straight away. So don’t take it as a bad sign.

Major rewritings can also happen before you sign your contract. This means we see your potential, and it’s big enough for me to invest my time in you (my salary costs money too), but you have to prove that you can rewrite it. See my other post on “What if your publisher asks for a complete rewrite” and some nuance and other nuance for more information on, well, complete rewrites.

I will never put you to work without helping you, and you can always call or email me if you’re stuck or if you don’t know what I want. In fact, I’d rather have you contact me than you trying to hide the fact that you will most probably miss your deadline.

After the rewrites have been done, what happens then? In the bigger publishing houses I worked at, a freelance editor corrects your grammar and spelling and stuff. They work on a sentence and word level. In the small publishing house, that was also done by me. That doesn’t change anything for you.

I will send you the manuscript with the corrections for you to approve. Usually, authors agree. If you don’t understand or don’t agree, just let me know and I can either explain it to you or see if you have a point.

Meanwhile, I will put the cover designer to work. I will tell them what kind of a book it is, which genre, which target audience. If I have ideas for similar covers they can use, I tell them as well, but usually I trust the designer to do their work. I think in words, they think in images. To each their strenght. If you have ideas for a cover, we will look at them. (But usually cover ideas by the author are not commercially interesting, and they end up liking the cover we designed better.)

I will send you some unfinished cover ideas, or sometimes the one cover we all agreed on. You usually have veto power, but authors rarely veto a cover (”It looks so real now!”) because our cover designers know their job ^-^ The cover needs to be approved by a lot of people: you, me, the publisher, the people from marketing, the salespeople... Negotiation about 14 conflicting opinions is part my job.

By now, you’re probably done with approving the corrections in your manuscript. I check it one last time and send it to the lay-out people.

The publisher decides on the format of your book (softcover/hardcover/fancy edition...), based on what is financially possible and commercially interesting.

The lay-out person sends me a sample, usually the first five pages. I print it to see if the font, margins, interline, readability... are okay. They usually are, and I give the lay-out person a “go!” to lay-out the entire book. A few hours later they send me your book in pdf.

I will now send it to a second freelance editor, whose job it is to check for typos and weird line breaks etc. They will send me their corrections and the lay-out person will take care of it.

I will send you your final, clean manuscript and you will beam with pride to see your book as a “real book”! ^-^ (Similar feelings as when I send you the first cover.)

I will have written a blurb, sometimes based on your query letter. Everyone who had to have an opinion on the cover will be consulted again for the blurb. I will send you the definitive version, but to be honest, in practice, you can’t change much about it, unless you have Good Reasons, because this is the version the 14-headed monster - I mean, committee of colleagues - agreed on.

The cover designer now makes a back and spine cover.

Now there is nothing else for you to approve, you’ve seen everything. I’ll send the covers and the text pdf to the printing house, confirm the publishing date and then we play the waiting game!

Next, my colleagues of the marketing devision can take over, or sometimes they take over earlier in the process, or sometimes they don’t consult you at all.

When your physical books arrive on my desk, you can be sure that I am as proud of you and your book as you are. After some happy unboxing and bothering my colleagues - “just LOOOK at this BABYYY!” - I will send you a few copies through the snail mail for you to unbox and bother people with. (At least, if this is stated in your contract. At the publishing houses I worked at, usually it said that an author gets 5 copies of each edition.)

We usually don’t organize and pay for a launch party, but if you want to have one, go ahead. For debutants, a launch party doesn’t help selling copies that wouldn’t have been sold anyway. Journalists don’t scour book launch parties, it’s usually the author’s friends and family who attend, and they were going to buy a copy anyway.

And then it’s time to keep your fingers crossed, hope for good sales, and start writing on your next book!

***

I hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, and happy writing!

Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing advice here. New topics to write advice about are also always welcome.

Tag list below the cut. If you like to be added to or removed from the list, let me know.

@writingwordsanddrawingpictures @thewordsweneversaid @writingwhithotchocolate @i-rove-rock-n-roll @maskedlady @no-time-like-write-now @timefire25  @black-lakritz-dragon @nzmayart @fandomrandomness-stuff @dangertoozmanykids101  @anaestheticdisaster @storytellingofravens @purpleshadows1989 @mathematicpony  @i-don-t-know-words

[readevalprint]

Ichiran@home 2021: the ultimate guide

Recently I’ve been contacted by several people who wanted to use my Japanese text segmenter Ichiran in their own projects. This is not surprising since it’s vastly superior to Mecab and similar software, and is occassionally updated with new vocabulary unlike many other segmenters. Ichiran powers ichi.moe which is a very cool webapp that helped literally dozens of people learn Japanese.

A big obstacle towards the adoption of Ichiran is the fact that it’s written in Common Lisp and people who want to use it are often unfamiliar with this language. To fix this issue, I’m now providing a way to build Ichiran as a command line utility, which could then be called as a subprocess by scripts in other languages.

This is a master post how to get Ichiran installed and how to use it for people who don’t know any Common Lisp at all. I’m providing instructions for Linux (Ubuntu) and Windows, I haven’t tested whether it works on other operating systems but it probably should.

PostgreSQL

Ichiran uses a PostgreSQL database as a source for its vocabulary and other things. On Linux install postgresql using your preferred package manager. On Windows use the official installer. You should remember the password for the postgres user, or create a new user if you know how to do it.

Download the latest release of Ichiran database. On the release page there are commands needed to restore the dump. On Windows they don't really work, instead try to create database and restore the dump using pgAdmin (which is usually installed together with Postgres). Right-click on PostgreSQL/Databases/postgres and select "Query tool...". Paste the following into Query editor and hit the Execute button.

CREATE DATABASE [database_name] WITH TEMPLATE = template0 OWNER = postgres ENCODING = 'UTF8' LC_COLLATE = 'Japanese_Japan.932' LC_CTYPE = 'Japanese_Japan.932' TABLESPACE = pg_default CONNECTION LIMIT = -1;

Then refresh the Databases folder and you should see your new database. Right-click on it then select "Restore", then choose the file that you downloaded (it wants ".backup" extension by default so choose "Format: All files" if you can't find the file).

You might get a bunch of errors when restoring the dump saying that "user ichiran doesn't exist". Just ignore them.

SBCL

Ichiran uses SBCL to run its Common Lisp code. You can download Windows binaries for SBCL 2.0.0 from the official site, and on Linux you can use the package manager, or also use binaries from the official site although they might be incompatible with your operating system.

However you really want the latest version 2.1.0, especially on Windows for uh... reasons. There's a workaround for Windows 10 though, so if you don't mind turning on that option, you can stick with SBCL 2.0.0 really.

After installing some version of SBCL (SBCL requires SBCL to compile itself), download the source code of the latest version and let's get to business.

On Linux it should be easy, just run

sh make.sh --fancy sudo sh install.sh

in the source directory.

On Windows it's somewhat harder. Install MSYS2, then run "MSYS2 MinGW 64-bit".

pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-toolchain make # for paths in MSYS2 replace drive prefix C:/ by /c/ and so on cd [path_to_sbcl_source] export PATH="$PATH:[directory_where_sbcl.exe_is_currently]" # check that you can run sbcl from command line now # type (sb-ext:quit) to quit sbcl sh make.sh --fancy unset SBCL_HOME INSTALL_ROOT=/c/sbcl sh install.sh

Then edit Windows environment variables so that PATH contains c:\sbcl\bin and SBCL_HOME is c:\sbcl\lib\sbcl (replace c:\sbcl here and in INSTALL_ROOT with another directory if applicable). Check that you can run a normal Windows shell (cmd) and run sbcl from it.

Quicklisp

Quicklisp is a library manager for Common Lisp. You'll need it to install the dependencies of Ichiran. Download quicklisp.lisp from the official site and run the following command:

sbcl --load /path/to/quicklisp.lisp

In SBCL shell execute the following commands:

(quicklisp-quickstart:install) (ql:add-to-init-file) (sb-ext:quit)

This will ensure quicklisp is loaded every time SBCL starts.

Ichiran

Find the directory ~/quicklisp/local-projects (%USERPROFILE%\quicklisp\local-projects on Windows) and git clone Ichiran source code into it. It is possible to place it into an arbitrary directory, but that requires configuring ASDF, while ~/quicklisp/local-projects/ should work out of the box, as should ~/common-lisp/ but I'm not sure about Windows equivalent for this one.

Ichiran wouldn't load without settings.lisp file which you might notice is absent from the repository. Instead, there's a settings.lisp.template file. Copy settings.lisp.template to settings.lisp and edit the following values in settings.lisp:

*connection* this is the main database connection. It is a list of at least 4 elements: database name, database user (usually "postgres"), database password and database host ("localhost"). It can be followed by options like :port 5434 if the database is running on a non-standard port.

*connections* is an optional parameter, if you want to switch between several databases. You can probably ignore it.

*jmdict-data* this should be a path to these files from JMdict project. They contain descriptions of parts of speech etc.

ignore all the other parameters, they're only needed for creating the database from scratch

Run sbcl. You should now be able to load Ichiran with

(ql:quickload :ichiran)

On the first run, run the following command. It should also be run after downloading a new database dump and updating Ichiran code, as it fixes various issues with the original JMdict data.

(ichiran/mnt:add-errata)

Run the test suite with

(ichiran/test:run-all-tests)

If not all tests pass, you did something wrong! If none of the tests pass, check that you configured the database connection correctly. If all tests pass, you have a working installation of Ichiran. Congratulations!

Some commands that can be used in Ichiran:

(ichiran:romanize "一覧は最高だぞ" :with-info t) this is basically a text-only equivalent of ichi.moe, everyone's favorite webapp based on Ichiran.

(ichiran/dict:simple-segment "一覧は最高だぞ") returns a list of WORD-INFO objects which contain a lot of interesting data which is available through "accessor functions". For example (mapcar 'ichiran/dict:word-info-text (ichiran/dict:simple-segment "一覧は最高だぞ") will return a list of separate words in a sentence.

(ichiran/dict:dict-segment "一覧は最高だぞ" :limit 5) like simple-segment but returns top 5 segmentations.

(ichiran/dict:word-info-from-text "一覧") gets a WORD-INFO object for a specific word.

ichiran/dict:word-info-str converts a WORD-INFO object to a human-readable string.

ichiran/dict:word-info-gloss-json converts a WORD-INFO object into a "json" "object" containing dictionary information about a word, which is not really JSON but an equivalent Lisp representation of it. But, it can be converted into a real JSON string with jsown:to-json function. Putting it all together, the following code will convert the word 一覧 into a JSON string:

(jsown:to-json (ichiran/dict:word-info-json (ichiran/dict:word-info-from-text "一覧")))

Now, if you're not familiar with Common Lisp all this stuff might seem confusing. Which is where ichiran-cli comes in, a brand new Command Line Interface to Ichiran.

ichiran-cli

ichiran-cli is just a simple command-line application that can be called by scripts just like mecab and its ilk. The main difference is that it must be built by the user, who has already did the previous steps of the Ichiran installation process. It needs to access the postgres database and the connection settings from settings.lisp are currently "baked in" during the build. It also contains a cache of some database references, so modifying the database (i.e. updating to a newer database dump) without also rebuilding ichiran-cli is highly inadvisable.

The build process is very easy. Just run sbcl and execute the following commands:

(ql:quickload :ichiran/cli) (ichiran/cli:build)

sbcl should exit at this point, and you'll have a new ichiran-cli (ichiran-cli.exe on Windows) executable in ichiran source directory. If sbcl didn't exit, try deleting the old ichiran-cli and do it again, it seems that on Linux sbcl sometimes can't overwrite this file for some reason.

Use -h option to show how to use this tool. There will be more options in the future but at the time of this post, it prints out the following:

>ichiran-cli -h Command line interface for Ichiran Usage: ichiran-cli [-h|--help] [-e|--eval] [-i|--with-info] [-f|--full] [input] Available options: -h, --help print this help text -e, --eval evaluate arbitrary expression and print the result -i, --with-info print dictionary info -f, --full full split info (as JSON) By default calls ichiran:romanize, other options change this behavior

Here's the example usage of these switches

ichiran-cli "一覧は最高だぞ" just prints out the romanization

ichiran-cli -i "一覧は最高だぞ" - equivalent of ichiran:romanize :with-info t above

ichiran-cli -f "一覧は最高だぞ" - outputs the full result of segmentation as JSON. This is the one you'll probably want to use in scripts etc.

ichiran-cli -e "(+ 1 2 3)" - execute arbitrary Common Lisp code... yup that's right. Since this is a new feature, I don't know yet which commands people really want, so this option can be used to execute any command such as those listed in the previous section.

By the way, as I mentioned before, on Windows SBCL prior to 2.1.0 doesn't parse non-ascii command line arguments correctly. Which is why I had to include a section about building a newer version of SBCL. However if you use Windows 10, there's a workaround that avoids having to build SBCL 2.1.0. Open "Language Settings", find a link to "Administrative language settings", click on "Change system locale...", and turn on "Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support". Then reboot your computer. Voila, everything will work now. At least in regards to SBCL. I can't guarantee that other command line apps which use locales will work after that.

That's it for now, hope you enjoy playing around with Ichiran in this new year. よろしくおねがいします！

[aboleth-eye]

D&D Bloodborne Updates!

Hey Friends!  It’s your friendly eldritch blog curator, Aboleth-Eye!

I wanted to give everyone an update on how D&D Bloodborne is coming along!  Truth be told, these last few months have been hindering progress on the project--and I was very disappointed in myself that I wasn’t able to get the Beta package out to you all!  I had planned to have the D&D Bloodborne Dungeon Master’s/Storyteller’s Guide, the first Bestiary and the first Armory all prepared for people to use by mid-October.

Obviously, that didn’t happen.  I had to focus completely on relocating by the end of October (finishing out a multitude of other non-gaming projects in the meantime), and still provide support for the two Discord rpg games I am hosting.  

I still host D&D Bloodborne playtesting on Sundays, and now have The Storied Lands campaign on Wednesdays.  As of right now, those games included, I am participating in four games a week.  All in all, it’s been a lot of fun but also super stressful.  Thankfully, with the end of the year coming up some of my more imposing responsibilities in and out of the game room will be off my plate.

I am actively getting work done on D&D Bloodborne!  The playtesting is going into higher-level gameplay, and I am getting seriously good feedback in between sessions.  I’m also working hard to proofread and edit the formatting for the game documents.  It won’t look super fancy, but it will be readable and easy to navigate word documents!

All in all, I want to thank everyone for your support and understanding during this super stressful year.  I hold myself to very high standards and want this project’s first iteration to be the best it can be!  

Thanks you for all the support--it truly has made a difference in my life!  And I promise that I will have a great product for you guys to play and share!

[comicteaparty]

March 18th-March 24th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from March 18th, 2020 to March 24th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What device do you most often read webcomics on and why?  Has this affected whether you read a comic or not?

carcarchu

Typically computer but I will use an emulator to download a specific app if i need to. It's a real pain but if i want to read a certain series enough i will download the dedicated app it's on

Capitania do Azar

Oh I'm all for reading in the computer. Bigger view, more details, no need to zoom on things or have weirdly placed panels.. nice

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I read a lot of vertical comics yet I read almost exclusively on desktop...

eli [a winged tale]

On mobile! I do think desktop work better for traditional layout comics though —- but in that case I usually just buy the actual physical copy (best experience imo)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Computer or mobile. But I particularly love reading things on my iPad. Closest proportions/feel to an actual book, I guess

Tuyetnhi (OIYD!)

same on Computer or mobile, but I read more comic sites on desktop and webtoons on mobile

Feather J. Fern

I read mostly on mobile due to reading on transit or on the go. Computer is only if the website is large spreads or large pages only

Ash🦀

I read on mobile because I’m on my phone a lot at work (I finish my work much faster than everyone else so /shrug until they notice my efficiency, might as well relax)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I read on my phone most of the time. I am often reading on the go, and I don't like reading comics in my office, because that's the room where I work.

Kabocha

I'm a mix of mobile and desktop. If it's a new-to-me comic and I find it through a platform that I'm browsing on my phone, the website needs to be mobile friendly for me, or available through ArchiveBinge... Otherwise, I'll forget it ^^:;; Unless something about the story REALLY catches me. Desktop though? Eh, as long as the website isn't super slow, it's fine. Basically for me, the website needs to be usable on whichever platform I'm checking it out on. If it's being tweeted rather than rec'd by a friend, I would really hope it's a site that has been tested for mobile friendliness at least.

(also, if the website is mobile friendly but the comic's page-by-page style, setting the max scale is SO helpful! that way I can zoom in on small panels or whatnot if I'm interested. https://css-tricks.com/snippets/html/responsive-meta-tag/)

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I prefer desktop because I can more easily bookmark comics

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Desktop -- I have ComicRocket bookmarked on my phone, but the only comics I open there are the handful that I remember are readable on mobile.

If I get the print version I usually read it, although some book designs are more comfortable reads than others...

RebelVampire

For me it really depends on what I'm reading the comic for. If it's just for personal pleasure reading, then I tend to do a mix with a heavier emphasis on desktop since I'll read it while taking mini-breaks from what I'm working on. Sometimes I'll read a bit on mobile, but usually the majority I consume on my desktop. However, for CTP comics, unless they're super long, I actually read those almost exclusively on mobile. For me personally just as the host, I don't consider that reading free-time persay (more like unpaid work time). So it's just more work after work. And after work I just want to be mush on my bed. So I combine the best of both worlds and just be mush on my bed while being productive and getting something done. Insofar this hasnt really affected comics I've read. Most of the personal ones I choose read okay on both platforms, and the few that I would've not read cause of mobile issues were much older CTP comics so I read them anyway and just dealt with having to do it on desktop.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I have definitely given up on a few comics because they were basically unreadable on mobile, but usually those comics that were unreadable on mobile were also pretty hard to read on desktop too (i.e. bad fonts, lack of spacing between words/letters, small type, handwritten text, etc.) I also read mostly webtoons/scrolling-format comics, so I usually don't have a problem, but I also read a decent amount of page-by-page comics that are also easy to read on mobile, so some creators just know what they're doing

RebelVampire

Yeah I have to agree there. That my personal experience is that comics that are bad to read on mobile were generally still bad for desktop.

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

Agree too. Font needs to be clean and the spacing needs to be good, and I'm fine.

Additionally, I both strongly prefer page-by-page comics and I prefer to read on the phone, so I want to be easily able to pinch zoom to dvelve into the details. Some web-pages break that by trying fancy navigation thingies, and that's usually enough for me to look somewhere else for entertainment.

And, of course, infamous mention to that one, now defunct webcomic, that gave you a "don't steal, don't copy" java script pop-up if you happened to click or tap on an image, with the results you couldn't scroll on mobile at all. That was a... less than ideal webdesign choice.

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

I am on my computer mostly, but I am so baad at reading, I am dealing with adultling haha

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

I don't like reading things on my phone, but that's because my eyes aren't what they used to be. I prefer desktop/laptop optimized, page-by-page comics. Though the vertical scroll isn't a deal breaker, it's not something I'm a fan of UNLESS it's used in such a manner that it adds to the story. That is rare though, at least in the webcomics I've come across. Tiny fonts or hard-ro-read fancy fonts are an instant turn-off.

sagaholmgaard

I also prefer being on my computer, and reading traditional page styles over vertical scroll comics. If a comic is designed for vertical scroll it can be good!! But I'm really not a fan of 'breaking up' a traditional page for a scrolling format as it kinda ruins the composition that the creator worked so hard on :( and idk I've never been good at using comics apps on my phone, I just dont get into the habit of opening them and checking for updates. I'm much better at checking for updates on a webpage on my laptop.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

Last year for my birthday I got a Samsung Tab! It's good for drawing, but I'm still getting used to that part... but turns out it's also perfect for reading webcomics!! The screen has the perfect size to read pages, which I can do on the go as long as I'm able to connect to WiFi. I also have the Feedly app, which tracks RSS feeds for my fav comics and lets me know where I left off!

DanitheCarutor

Eeeh I'll read a comic on mobile when I'm on the toilet in the morning or riding in the car, but I prefer desktop. It's easier to read and see the details of a page without zooming in, also I'm just not much of a phone person. There have been a couple comics I couldn't read on my phone either due to the layout or font size, causing me to wait till I got to my computer, but this is a rare case. Most of the time I don't have much of an issue. Although vertical scroll comics with a ton of empty space in between panels are an absolute pain in the ass to read on the desktop, so much scrolling! Aurg!

[naturesloopholed-a]

Introduction

welcome to my private, selective hope mikaelson from the originals and legacies.

Mun

mun is 20 years old (6/21 birthday). jennifer. eastern timezone.

Contact

discord is a very good option to contact me. You can ask for my discord information or skip to the discord section of the rules

ims are generally for people that I roleplay with but I will not rp in the ims feature.

ask box is also a good way to contact me if the other two options don’t work

Tagging

triggers are tagged with the trigger first and then tw. abuse, for example, is abuse tw.

all interactions are tagged with my interaction tag, a tag for how for the kind of thread it is (one para, novella, one-liner, etc), the verse, your url. 

I do not comment in the tags as it makes me really anxious but I read all of your comments in the tags.

please tag all your mentions of overdose and drugs. my uncle passed away from drugs and ever since then, I have a habit of crying and becoming a mess when I see things about it when I am already on edge. my therapist says it sounds like a trigger for me.

if I do anything with someone one that mentions drugs or overdose, I will be doing it will someone that I can talk with and they know that replies can take a while. the drug that makes me a crying mess the most is heroin. weed is a different story and if you character is a smoker of weed that is okay to mention in replies.

Face Claim

danielle rose russell is teenage/young adult hope

alexandra daddario is  alt adult hope 

elena saltine is Hope’s adult fc

Sophie Turner is Hope’s alt fc

summer fontana is child hope

Exclusives

I do have exclusives and mains. you can find them on mains and exclusives

Smut

I am an adult in all countries meaning it is legal for me to smut.

I will not do anything with minors in this area. sorry, not about that life. do not lie about your age

I have not done a lot of smutting so I am new to it (just a heads up).

 NSFW (Other than Smut)

other not safe for work content is likely to be on this blog. hope’s backstory is traumatic. her parents are dead (in canon), she watched her mother be tortured, she has thoughts of suicide ((i will talk to you before i put anything like this in our threads as this is highly triggering)). she has ptsd, anxiety, and struggles to control her magic and isn’t afraid of the darkness inside of her

blood, killing, murder, all of the things that generally are in supernatural are present. hope is a tribrid of three different creatures (vampire, werewolf, witch)

Memes

you can send memes in to start a relationship off with hope if that is easier. please try not to send in romantic ones though without at least talking to me first.

if you want to continue the ask meme reply of mine please move it to another clean text post or I will not reply.

Canon Divergent

there are some things that I will not be following in canon. I will let everyone know what that is.

hope has an abilities page that I made up with my own headcanons and tidbits and I will not shy away from them.

nonplayable characters that I make up are really for me to enhance the story of hope mikaelson. she has had teachers, friends, family all that make an impact on her and if one is mentioned that isn’t from the show(s) it is likely a nonplayable character in that nonplayable character tag.

 Non-playable characters

do you see a character mentioned in my blog that you like and would want to make as an oc? need help with it? come and ask me about playing them and I will likely say yes. these characters are my babies, made to enhance my version of hope but if you do make one, I will not say you can’t interact with other hope’s as well just note that part of the character is mine in terms of the idea of them etc.

any questions on nonplayable characters? just ask! want to hear more about them? see if they are open for you to nab as an awesome oc? my ask box is open always for that

Hate

any and all hate will likely be deleted unless I have something sassy to say. most of the time though you will just be blocked right on the spot and that will be the end of that. I am not here to spread a hateful environment, never have sent anything hateful and believe that it is a pointless thing to do.

I will not vague blog about someone on this blog, this is something that so many have anxiety over.

Ask Box

at any time I post something you don’t understand, you are free to message me. you can ask questions on or off anon. (do not send hate as mentioned above).

Personal Blogs

drabble requests? questions on something?  requests on gif sets for hope? feel free to send them in!

do not reblog my threads with other people!

stealing my headcanons or reblogging them will get you blocked. it makes me uncomfortable.

do not reblog my ooc posts!

Duplicates

anyone that loves hope like I do and makes a muse for it? I will support you. we can do twin threads, talk about hope, share headcanons, and more.

Queue

my queue is something I use often when it comes to hope’s blog. a lot of my replies go straight to my queue! if you are unsure where your reply is, just ask me! don’t badger me though to reply or post straight away

Connections

I am really open to original characters and things that have a connection to hope so feel free to bring me all your amazing ocs without shame. have a bio page though or at least some stats as that is something I look for.

Following 

have a rules page, an about page! rules are a big one for me as I want to read over things and be comfortable knowing when I am crossing a line

a clean tagging system. need help creating one? just ask me!

if I see our character’s interacting

Unfollowing

lots of negativity, hateful messages sent to people, ship bashing are all things that will get you unfollowed.

if we haven’t interacted or talked at least once in the first like three months that I followed you, I will unfollow

inactive blogs (for three months) without a hiatus notice. if you come back, feel free to message me and I will refollow you.

if you constantly are changing your muse (as in once every two weeks) and show no steady sign of keeping to a character. this does not count on multis as that is a different story. I want to build relationships with characters.

Shipping

shipping with me is based on chemistry. we can have a trial run though if anything.

I ship hope with landon, josie, lizzie, rafael so far in legacies.

Replies

I can be slow as a turtle at times. a lot of my time is spent rewriting things as I do not always like how it was written when I first did it.

things tend to go on into the queue as I have mentioned before or straight into my drafts for me to write a thousand times.

I don’t really do fancy formatting. small text, some italic for thoughts, some bolding sometimes, and an icon that I made is generally how things work. if you are looking for hope icons, send me an ask over here and I will lead you to where they are.

double small text will be resized if I notice it so that others can read it on my blog. nothing against your formatting but I want to be readable on font sizing.

I do use a generator for the first line of text that isn’t mobile friendly but if you need me to change it because you are unable to read the text for your threads, just let me know.  𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖!

Discord

Username / id on discord is  thingsmissed#4353

I do rp on discord as well and have a room set up with my tumblr url. You can enter the room and I will give us a few channels that only you and I can see. Want to enter the server to rp there? Click here!

Extra

I love to get to know my rp partner’s. I do find it easier to write with them if I talk to them even just a little.

[fishandchipsandvinegar]

So You Want To Record a Podfic?

So Les Mis Podfic Week ( @lesmispodficweek ) is coming up in June and in order for us to maximize the amount of amazing podfic for this fandom, I thought I’d make a tutorial for anyone out there who thought about making podfic, but then looked and said “well this is rather terrifying” and ran in the other direction.

I’m here to make recording podfic easy peasy lemon squeezy. Mostly so you can make the amazing authors you’re reading for squee with delight.

This post is going to just be about setting up to record podfic, we’ll handle the mess of actually recording and editing later. (and if you’ve been around the block before, I’ve hidden some trade secrets in here for all interested parties)

So to start out you’re going to need 4 things:

A microphone

A free piece of software called Audacity

A super awesome amazing fanfiction to record

A bunch of big blankets and chairs.

Let’s tackle these one by one below the cut. (and we’ll do a summary at the end)

MICROPHONE

Please, for the love of all that is holy, get a microphone.

If you do one thing for me, it will be going outside (scary, I know) and retrieving a microphone. It can be a:

Beautiful, expensive Blue Snowball or Blue Yeti

A cheap, less than $25CAN microphone from Walmart

That USB Microphone that came with your Xbox or Playstation so you could play Rock Band when you were 9

Hell, at worst, use the microphone on your smartphone.

But please, PLEASE do not use your laptop microphone. It sucks. No matter what computer you have, IT IS THE WORST.

“But Amanda, I sound okay on Skype and Discord, do I really need…”

YES. YES YOU DO.

When you record sound using your laptop microphone… it also picks up all those lovely little sounds happening inside your computer that you can’t hear. And it’s nigh impossible to edit them out. I want to hear you reading, not your computer. So PLEASE get some kind of microphone.

Ideally, you want a microphone that has a USB on one end. That’s going to be the easiest way to do this.

“But Amanda! My microphone has a 3.5mm Headphone jack on the end!”

That’s alright. There should be a microphone port on your laptop next to where you plug in your headphones. If there isn’t, record into an app on your smartphone/tablet and then download it to your computer.

“But Amanda! There’s some port on the end that’s not a USB and it’s not a headphone jack…”

Props to you for finding a fancy professional microphone! But, you’re going to need an adapter. Most music stores sell them.

“But Amanda! Can’t I just use the microphone on my headphones?”

You know, I’ve never actually tried this. If anyone can get it to work, please let me know and I'll link how to do it here. (You might be able to record this way using an app on a smartphone/tablet.)

AUDACITY

So now that I made you go spend money on a microphone, I’m damn well NOT going to make you spend money on software. Enter a free, open-source, lovely program called Audacity. Think of Audacity like the cheap grocery stores of the world. Everything is the same (mostly) as the big, fancy, grocery stores, but you get everything for cheaper because the store doesn’t look pretty.

Audacity looks intimidating and terrifying, but we’re here to help. You can make Audacity your bitch.

But first you need to install it. Or… you need to install two parts of it.

The actual program

A piece of extra software that will let you import and export MP3s (called Lame)

There are a dozen tutorials on how to install this software so I’m just going to link them here:

DOWNLOAD AUDACITY HERE: https://www.audacityteam.org/ DOWNLOAD LAME (the software that lets you use MP3s) HERE: https://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl

INSTRUCTIONS TO INSTALL BOTH (for WINDOWS): https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/installing_and_updating_audacity_on_windows.html

INSTRUCTIONS TO INSTALL BOTH (for MAC): https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/installing_and_updating_audacity_on_mac_os_x.html

Note: If you also want to work with WMAs, then you may also need to download another piece of software called FFmpeg. The installation instructions above cover that as well.

Okay, now that you installed those, did you restart your computer? Audacity won’t link up the two pieces of software if you don’t. Go do that and come back.

PICKING A FIC

Look, I know that 60k slow burn, fake dating AU owns a small part of your soul. I get it. I’ve been there.

This is not the fic you want to pick for your first podfic. Trust me when I say pick something short.

One-shots in the 3k-5k range are a good first project. It’ll give you more than enough audio to practice your editing skills, and shouldn’t take you much longer than a couple hours to record.

More importantly, it should edit down to something about 30 min. long, which is an easily listenable length for most people.

“But Amanda! I reaaaaaaalllly like this one fic and…”

Live your dreams, kid. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Another thing you have to do is ask the author if you have permission to make a podfic of their work. Some authors don’t like it, and others will be absolutely thrilled. In the case of Les Mis Podfic Week, everyone on the list has granted permission, so you’re good on that front.

BLANKETS AND CHAIRS

Time to get comfy, yo. Put on some PJs. Drag out some pillows. And then box the whole thing in with the best damn blanket barricade fort you’ve ever built.

(has anyone else noticed that Courf just hands Gavroche a gun in this scene? OMG)

And then christen the barricade fort by reciting the recording cardinal rule:

THOU SHALT RECORD GOOD AUDIO.

No amount of editing or fancy software can fix audio that was bad in the first place, so nest yourself into an environment that’s as close to perfect as you can get.

Building a blanket fort is a cheap way to build a (mostly) soundproof space. The blankets are soft and will absorb harsh sounds, but also insulate the space from outside.

You could create a blanket fort one of two ways:

The classic tables, chairs and blankets method

Throwing a comforter over your head while you record

One of these ways looks more like a barricade. Just saying.

If you’re blankets don’t quite reach the ground it’s okay. Just make the side you’re speaking towards longer than the side towards your back (this will also help to ventilate the fort, which will probably get hella warm).

Then climb in your fort, set up your computer and plug in your microphone.

Now sit for a full minute in quiet meditation and just listen.

You’re listening for anything that would interrupt your revolution you would consider loud and annoying while you were making a very important phone call.

Are there windows open? Can you hear the outside world? Close them. We are going to a world of pure imagination, we don’t want the real world.

Is the fan on your computer being unbelievably loud at this, the one time you need it to be quiet? Close some of the things you have open and see if it calms down. If not, move the microphone to the opposite side of your computer from the fan, and pull it as far away from your computer as you can. I like to stick my computer outside the blanket fort and the microphone inside on one of the chairs.

Can you hear other people in the house? Ask them to be quiet while you record, or move to a part of the house where you can’t hear them.

Is the air/heart in your house very loud? Mine is SO LOUD. It’s like a vacuum cleaner, I swear. Turn it off.

Basically, you’re looking to eliminate any sound you have control over.

Now you’re ready to record. We’ll deal with how to do this in another how-to, but some things to consider:

Be very still. Your microphone will pick up you shuffling. Get comfy or pause to shift and then continue reading. You can always cut out the shuffling parts in editing.

Take breaks. Stretch. I like to do this every time there’s a page break.

Bring a drink. Your voice is gonna go wonky with all that chatter. Enjolras is gonna be a word that gets harder and harder to say. Feuilly’s just gonna be hard right from the start.

Watch your microphone cord. If your microphone is handheld, the shifting of the cord as you speak will also be picked up by the microphone.

Consider duct taping handheld microphones to lamps. No, I’m not kidding. Duct tape your microphone to a lamp. Got one of those articulated lamps like in the Pixar logo? Look at that, you’ve basically got a professional microphone stand. AND IT’S ALSO A LAMP.

Don’t read straight into your microphone. Hold it/set it up a couple of inches to the left or right of where you’re speaking towards. This will stop you from popping your P-s and spitting your S-es

NOW LOOK AT YOU!

You’re practically a professional already.

So let’s say the recording cardinal rule together.

Thou shalt record good audio by:

Using a real microphone. NOT YOUR LAPTOP MICROPHONE.

Downloading and installing Audacity. And the extra bit that lets you use MP3s.

Picking a fic to read that’s around 3k.

Building a badass blanket fort and eliminating ambient noise.

If you have any questions or are really stuck on something, you can reach out and message me. Also, if this tutorial was helpful to you, tag me in whatever you make! I want to hear how awesome you sound.

You got this, kid. Now go out there and tell the world’s stories.

(also <3 to @mysunfreckle for helping me format this in a way that was actually readable)