#Convert HTML to Markdown

[robo-writing]

Oh my god I just found a google docs add-on that makes formatting on AO3 literally so fucking easy it insta-converts text to html without the fucking paragraph breaks I feel like i've struck gold

[horsescary]

I really should look into whether or not someones already made a better implementation of the ideas that I have...

[stellophiliac]

you should make a website!

"my favorite social media site is shutting down!"

"the CEO of the site i use just committed another atrocity!"

"i want a webspace that's all my own!"

if any of these sound like you (and if you're on tumblr, i know at least one applies) you should make your own website!

why make a website?

incredibly customizable

you can put whatever you want on it

it's, well, your own! like a house you build with your own hands

things you'll need

a computer. you can maybe get away with doing this on a mobile device, but i have zero experience there

a code editor. i like VScodium, which is a de-microsoft-ed version of VScode.

a will to learn ;)

site hosting

neocities. everyone knows neocities. at this point i do feel like it's become a bit too centralized, but it's a good option nonetheless. do note that there are filetype restrictions for free users, but that shouldn't be a huge issue for most. what may be an issue, though, is that there's a content security policy that prevents sites made after jan 1st, 2024 to use outside scripts. also, you have to pay to use your own domain

nekoweb. similar to neocities, but there's no filetype restrictions or a content security policy. some differences are outlined in the FAQ (thinking about moving here... i am a traitor...) i'm not sure if domain support is free or paid.

github pages or codeberg pages. you'll need an understanding of git for this

pages.gay: run by besties.house, uses git

teacake: free hosting is currently closed, but paid hosting starts at 2 bucks a month.

leprd.space: i know next to nothing about this.

a web server. don't recommend this if you don't know computer stuff but it is an option (you'll likely have to provide your own domain though)

gripes & solutions (?)

i'm not comfortable maintaining pages in pure HTML / templating with JS sucks!

with a static site generator, you can write pages in markdown and they'll be converted into HTML and (if you'd like) be put into a template of your choosing. my personal choice is 11ty but there are tons of options!

static site generators can be a bit of a learning curve (and you will have to write some html for templating) but if you're making a lot of pages or blogging regularly it's something to consider

there are starters for 11ty online but i might make a more beginner-proofed starter and/or guide in the future? don't count on it

i don't want to write/maintain CSS

simpleCSS is a tiny CSS file you can use to make semantic HTML ("naked" HTML) look nice. it's got decent customization options too. it's not particularly fancy or opinionated, but it's a good starting point if you need something

i don't know what to put on my website!

small list of ideas:

weblog

art/writing/music gallery

movie/show/book tracker

place to store bookmarks/links

scary! i'm scared!

my askbox/messages/e-mail inbox/etc. are open to anyone who'd like to ask for help!

[anotheroceanid]

TWO OF THE (MANY) SCENES DELETED FROM CHAPTER 7 OF WTHB

(If something looks weird, it's because I converted markdown to html and THEN to RTF)

SCENE 1

APOLLO

WINTER SOLSTICE OF 2007

OLYMPUS

First thing Hermes says is: ‘No!’

Very loud. Very rude. The poor nymph who was serving the drinks runs the other way.

Apollo had his head turned so he could have a clear sight of the object of his desires, so Hermes grabbed his face with one hand and forced Apollo to look at him. ‘No.’ It was more of a whisper now, almost a prayer.

Twinged by jealousy and disappointment, Apollo addressed the elephant in the room. ‘Are you…’

‘No!’ Why Hermes sounded like a broken record, Apollo had no idea, but the knowledge that his brother possessed no passion for their lovely cousin made Apollo’s—very—stressful day a thousand times better. He beamed and looked at her again, just to be once again interrupted by Hermes, who invaded his line of sight. Before Apollo could protest, his brother was already speaking. ‘I care for her as you do for Artemis.’

Apollo furrowed his brows.

That was… odd.

Hermes wasn’t one to deny himself any sort of beauty, and he got a good eye for precious and forbidden things he could steal. What was more beautiful, precious and forbidden than the daughter their uncle sired in secrecy with a mortal with whom any other god would avoid meddling? 

Apollo stretched his body so he could see beyond his brother. Across the room, stood Persephone—what a poetic name for a girl who bears the choice to save or destroy them all. She was the most glorious vision Apollo had ever had in front of his godly eyes. Confusing as it was, it had little to do with her striking looks—not that Apollo denied in any way the fine traces that designed his cousin’s face, for she had been gracefully constructed by her parents; Uncle Poseidon and her mortal mother made an exceptional work. 

However, there was something even more charming underneath the gold silky skin that covered her nearly unhuman skin, something dangerous behind the porcelain teeth, something delicate than the shade of her indescribably sea-ish eyes. The beauty that puzzled Apollo was something warm and bright, very much like himself. Something kept as a secret, a poetry he hadn't yet read, a melody muffled by louder noises that refused to go quiet so he could delight in it peacefully. 

As the God of Knowledge, the feeling of being in the dark was _unbearable_—for he was also the god of the sun, it was twice as painful.

He had merely met the sea’s Persephone, yet he felt completely drowned by the mystery of her deepnesses. What a wonderful day his sister had asked for his help. Like everyone else, he had been curious about the Forbidden Child, but nothing prepared Apollo for the greenish blue lakes of salt water that would welcome him that day. Then his sister was taken, and Persephone Jackson chose to go on that quest.

He knew she sought for her own friend. But she was there. Now, Artemis was returned to him and all thanks to the non-rule-abiding daughter of the sea, who may be the cause of his death in a few months. By trying to help her quest, Apollo only got more interested.

With Artemis returned, he found himself with nothing else to think about but Percy Jackson. Well, technically the war was happening, but as she was the most important piece of the chessboard, by thinking of her, he thought of the war.

One thing in particular twitched inside of Apollo: did Persephone Jackson know what she was owned?

She just saved his sister. She could ask him anything in exchange. However, nothing so far. What sort of mortal did not demand payment from a god? Apollo would grant her any gift; be it the art of prophecy or an EGOT. Anything.

There she was, laughing at something her father just told her. Apollo sighed dreamily, imagining himself as the reason for her smile.

Once again, Hermes grunted. ‘_No!_’

‘She is bewildering.’ Apollo blinked slowly, tilting his head to the side slightly.

‘She is.’ Hermes, though mourningful, agreed. ‘But she already has too much on her shoulders.’

Playfully, Apollo opened a smile. ‘I can be helpful.’ He sang.

‘She doesn’t need this sort of help.’ Hermes made a face, then softened it when he turned to look at her. ‘Percy wants a quiet life. She never wanted any of it, and yet, because of us, she has so little to live of her own life. It’s not fair.’

Apollo pressed his lips together, the lines of the prophecy dancing on his mind. There were so many ways that could play out, yet he did admit that most of them ended up badly for her.

Apollo studied the expression of his younger brother’s face—so sad it broke Apollo’s hypothetical heart. Sorrow did not go well with Hermes, though lately it was all that existed there. The betrayal of Luke Castellan was a low blow on him, and though the boy still lived, it didn’t change that he was forever lost. Nothing cut deeper than the loss of a child.

Softly, Apollo places his hand on the arm of Hermes, caressing it lightly. There wasn’t much to be said, and there was very little comfort to be offered in these dark times. Only a miracle could save his son, and even the gods were sceptical about miracles.

Then, like one his father’s thunder, it hit him. ‘You think she can do it!’

Hermes' eyes flared for a second. ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He shrugged. ‘I know that she can, but I also know how it would be damaging for her to keep trying until she succeeded. I will not insist.’

‘But you asked.’ Apollo didn’t need an answer, and Hermes did not try to give him one. ‘I see it.’

‘See what?’

‘Your affections.’ Apollo closed his eyes, letting the knowledge sink in. ‘You do care for her as I do for Artemis. I can see how pure it is, and the last thing I’d wish is to cause you pain, brother. I shall not pursue her, not without your blessing.’ That was a lament. Just because he intended to keep his word, didn’t mean he liked to say them.

Something roared inside of him. For a second, he looked again at Percy Jackson. A last glimpse of what he would never have—she would be to him like one of those unsolved questions in history that the mortals never stopped to look for answers, even if it was pointless to make such an effort; there was poetry in it. The eternal longing for answers. Had she been born in a different era, she too would be the object of wonder for those who came after her, the muse of artists and the hero of kids, and maybe his own name would collapse with hers, and they’d be tied together, one way or another.

There is something suffocating about her, and gods shouldn’t feel breathless.

His second lasted a little longer. When he makes a move to look away. It’s when his eyes meet with hers. Both turn away immediately. Warmth goes right into Apollo’s cheeks. 

He’s flushed and his eyes flared gold for a second—he hoped no one had seen that. Apollo decided the best thing to do was to stare to the ground until he was swallowed by it.

‘Don’t make promises you cannot keep.’ He heard Hermes exhaling.

‘I can keep promises!’ Apollo retorted.

‘Let me rephrase it then, don’t make promises that’ll hurt you.’ Hermes murmured. ‘If you must, you have my blessing.’

Apollo widened his eyes and stared at his brother in disbelief. ‘Wait, really?’

Closing his eyes, Hermes continued. ‘I don’t know what might happen to us in the future. I mean, you don’t know, so you can imagine how lost I am. I don’t want to make your last moments miserable.’

‘Hm, thanks?’

‘I’ve noticed you have been at home recently.’

‘I live there, in case you don’t remember.’

Hermes took a deep breath. ‘You’ve been there. Daydreaming, singing to the walls, painting…’

‘I do that quite often.’

‘You do.’ Hermes agreed. ‘But there’s always a part of you with someone. Not in the past days. You’ve gathered your essence at home. And I know you.’

‘You’ve been stalking me!?’ Apollo raised a brow, thinking about the exceedingly long time he spent looking for a beach with the exact same shade of green of Percy Jackson’s eyes.

‘No. But our moms talk.’

‘Oh, of course.’

‘What I’m saying is: if that will bring you happiness, you shall have it.’ Hermes declared. ‘Under the condition that you must treat her with the utmost kindness, either Percy comes to want you or not. Her body, her soul, her mind and her heart, they’re far too frail to be handled bluntly, and I would not stand one more scratch on her.’

‘I see…’

‘You can promise me this?’

Apollo smiled thankfully to his brother. ‘Of course I can.’

SCENE 2

AUGUST 18TH, 2010

CAMP HALF-BLOOD

If there was anything more endearing than his girlfriend surrounded by little kids, Apollo was unaware of it. Made his stomach flutter with butterflies and his heart pump on his chest like a hammer—he did not possess a stomach nor a heart, but the metaphor stood.

What a lovely day it was. Couldn’t be any different. He personally made sure Percy had a perfectly sunny day for her birthday, with a pretty sunrise and an even prettier sunset, for Apollo knew she loved those. Beside his own interference, everything settled perfectly in place, creating a picturesque image that contrasted with the dreadful events of the past years. Apollo hoped she could make sweeter memories regarding her birthday, other than the bloodshed she witnessed during the war.

He longed for better memories. For her and for himself, too. Hopefully, together. Apollo can't help the warm flush on his cheeks, nor the smirk that stretches across his face. The baby in his arms—well, she is technically a toddler, but to him his kids were babies forever—laughs and touches his cheeks, accusing her daddy of looking silly. Thankfully, no one else notices. Kayla, Austin and Will, the eldest of his demigod kids, are laughing about something. In fact, it looks like Kayla and Austin are laughing about something that shifts Will’s face from rosy to scarlet. Apollo can imagine what it is. His son is not exactly subtle.  

Apollo let himself be blinded for a second by the smiles on their faces. That was a good memory. It was, perhaps, maybe endearing enough to compete with Percy playing with little kids. As petty as it sounded, Apollo took pride in the fact that his kids did feel comfortable enough around him—most of his peers couldn’t say the same. He twirled the younger ones in the air, created sparkles around them just to see the glitter in their eyes, joked with the older ones and sang with them a song every now and then. He tried not to think about how his cabin numbers shrunk during the war.

Apollo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew better than anyone else the consequences of dwelling on the past. Instead, he reminded himself the kids were in Elysium and nothing could hurt them anymore. They would want Apollo to take care of their siblings, and that was under his power. Now, not from the shadows and under his father’s rules. Thanks to Percy.

From now on, good memories only, he thought, smelling the sweet scents of flowers and sunshine from his children.

He wished Percy could join him. Apollo knew for a fact she was particularly close to Will, but as far as everyone knew, Percy wasn't really close to Apollo. To Hermes? Yes, a lot of talk about that. To Artemis? Of course, it was secret to no one that Percy was the very kind of person her sister enjoyed having around. When it came to Percy and Apollo, it was always ironically in the dark. That didn't bother him… Not as much as it would've, back in the ancient times. He could keep his cool, and if there was one thing he learned about romance, is that what nobody knows, nobody ruins—which was actually a joke about Odysseus being seriously unlucky, but the meaning changed overtime.

His _Ocean Belle_… So close and so far. For now, if having Percy in secrecy was synonymous to having Percy, then let it be it. He could watch her during the day and be with her during the night, where her smiles and laughter and the glitter in her eyes would belong entirely to him. When she would tell him and no one else about her day and confine to him her secrets, making of the curve of his neck a nest where she could lay her head and rest, warmed by the heat of his body as they talked through the night. Their secrecy was something he appreciated, however, to be in her presence and not being near her was torture; all that Apollo wished was to have her and his kids all together in one place, and to have his fingers intertwined with hers in public.

Well, one thing at a time. He wouldn't want Uncle Poseidon—or worse, cousin Triton—getting in their way, much less Apollo's own father. So close to the end of the war, all eyes were set on her and Apollo wasn't deaf to the whispers about his beloved. If what they had was known, all the vultures would come to spoil their happiness. They'd see it as an invitation, a challenge to overturn, a nuisance—not to say obstacle—that could be solved through trickery.    

It happened before. It happened all the time. Happened with his stepmother, when she was a maiden and refused to take a suitor. Apollo's father tricked her in order to have her as his wife. Then the same with Aphrodite, who was forced into marriage to avoid a war amongst gods. Even with the first Persephone, whose fate had been decided spitefully behind her mother's back. Apollo knew his family. He knew no one would dare to cross Poseidon and chase after his youngest, most beloved, and first-ever demigod daughter. Problem was: Poseidon had already been crossed, and by Apollo, the nephew he loved the most and trusted the most. Other suitors wouldn't have to worry as much about his rage, if such rage was already directed into someone else.

Apollo was no fool to think that his uncle would endorse any god’s relationship with Percy. Not so soon after the war, and if Apollo knew a thing or other about his uncle, not ever. Apollo did know Poseidon. They had a relationship as solid as the walls of Troy that together they raised from the rubble of their—unfortunately failed—rebellion. His uncle was not the forgiving type. He would have to be gently introduced to the concept of having a son-in-law before being introduced to the son-in-law.

That's alright, Apollo thought, brushing away the pessimism from his mind, all it takes is a little patience and a few years.

He watched Percy through the corner of his eyes a little longer. She was dutifully followed by Hades’ son, who carried a plate full of cookies in his hands like a lion guarding its prey. Percy said something that got Nico di Angelo seriously troubled while she stormed into laughter. Adorable, Apollo thought, letting the sound of her laughs get into his ears, so he could appreciate the cadence of her voice.

Apollo took another deep breath and rested his chin on the top of his daughter’s head. ‘Dad is silly.’ Said the three-year-old girl, the youngest of his living children. 

Apollo chuckled. ‘Sillier than you think, Amy.’ He said, kissing her cheek.

As the hours flew by and kids got tired, Apollo sneaked the essence of his body, making most of it invisible. He saw as Percy walked away from the crowd, following with Hades' son toward the beach—probably to watch the sunset, and Apollo hoped she’d enjoy the show made just for her. In the meanwhile, he used the opportunity to walk around and make sure everything was safe for the next hours—he didn't want anyone sticking their noses on his business.

Surprisingly, considering the place was crowded with gods and demigods who were fighting each other to death just a year ago, it was all peaceful. Well, except for a reasonably tipsy Persephone in a corner, because she tended to brag in detail about her excessively happy married life, and no one wanted to listen to her talking about Uncle Hades when she was like that. Especially considering it was summer, and she was probably missing him. Thankfully, Hecate was near Persephone, avoiding her from traumatising this generation.

Apollo passed through Rhode and Triton, his sibling-in-law. If he had to pick one to open his heart about his secret relationship with their sister, it would be Rhode. She was the calmer in her family, and Apollo once was the pupil to her late husband, meaning he would spend a lot of time in their household. Few gods had that lovely personality. But not at that moment. The former Sun Bride had a deadly expression on her face, and her brother Triton had a hand on her arm, just in case he needed to restrain her.

He couldn't help but feel sympathy for her obvious irritation. Apollo too hated her brother.

Not Triton. The other one, from her mother's side. Eros. He was a hateful feathery creature that no one deserved to endure—except, perhaps, the other hateful feathery creature that usually followed him around, Zephyrus. Of course, as much as Apollo hated Eros, he doubted anyone despised him more than his older sister, Rhode. In fact, his sister-in-law avoided anyone from her mother's brood, having herself an aversion for the Goddess of Love. Curiously, Aphrodite kept trying to retrieve her daughter's love and forgiveness, even after years and years of estrangement.

The little group, formed by Eros, Aphrodite and poor Rhode and Triton, tried to keep a talk. At least, Aphrodite tried. Every time Eros spoke, Rhode's eyes glazed with fury and Triton had to tighten his hold on her arm.

Well, they won't be interrupting, Apollo cheered.

A few metres away, Poseidon and Zeus… Laughed? Screamed at each other? Apollo wasn't quite sure. It was always a mystery between them, but they were loud. Poor Uncle Hades closed his eyes and inhaled deeply between every other word, moving his head in an attempt to avoid the sounds. Even Apollo thought he might go deaf if he walked too close.

They talked about something they did about the French Revolution. Uncle Hades had a nasty expression, making a remark about how much he hated how people died of stupid causes back then. As if it was the funniest joke they've ever heard, Zeus and Poseidon threw their heads back while Hades rolled his eyes.

Apollo didn't remember the last time he’d seen the Big Three _talking_—without the war threats or the comments about the time living (or not) in Kronos’ stomach. Before they started to talk about the most unsavoury parts of the 18th century and their adventures then, Apollo walked away.

The demigods were dancing and singing to the same ABBA song they've been obsessing with ever since last year. Apollo smiled, thinking of how Percy would hum that song whenever she was distracted. He walked past her bestest friend, Annabeth Chase; smiling like that, leaning on a boy and cracking jokes, she looked like a completely different person from how she behaved when she was working as architect in Olympus—always so uptight and serious. 

Nearing his brother Hermes, Apollo chuckled when he saw his face. Poor Hermes didn't have a thought behind his eyes, he just glanced away while Demeter and Ares kept talking to him furiously, while Dionysus stood right beside them with a serious expression.

‘My Katie is a good girl.’ Demeter boasted. ‘I don't want that Trant boy anywhere near her!’

Hermes sighed. ‘Travis, you mean.’

‘And I don't approve of Clarisse's relationship with your other son, whatever his name is!’ Ares pronounced.

‘Isn’t Clarisse like, nineteen?’ Hermes frowned, sipping his nectar mindlessly.

Ares crossed his arms in front of his arms. ‘So?’

‘Isn't that a little late to worry about who she dates?’

‘Well,’ Ares started, voice a pitch higher, ‘I never had to care about that before that good-for-nothing son of yours stepped in!’

Apollo made his better efforts not to laugh. That was funny when it didn’t include him being beaten out of existence by Uncle Poseidon. Yet, he should feel sympathy for his fellow… His fellow dating-a-Olympian’s-daughter friend? Maybe they should start a club, maybe Uncle Hades would enjoy having someone to talk with beside his brothers, and Apollo wouldn't complain about having a Big Three ally.

‘Ares, I don't think this is the way to approach 21st century parenting, you know?’ Hermes rolled his eyes. ‘The whole “not letting my daughter date"’ went out of fashion after World War II.’

‘I still don't trust that brat of yours, he's up to something!’

Demeter then was quick to add: ‘The other one too!’ She pointed out. ‘He also has a terrible diet. I cannot imagine what his intestines look like with that amount of sugar he eats.’

Like the words had been carried by the wind, Hermes simply nodded and then turned to their younger brother. ‘What about you? Are any of my kids dating your son?’

Dionysus smiled and shook his head. ‘Oh, no. Thankfully not!’ Dionysus raised his Diet Coke to the sky. ‘I believe he's seeing one of my maenads. I just love seeing someone who's not me getting a lecture.’

Hermes sneered, and this time Apollo laughed and made sure Hermes would hear.

‘Shouldn't you be with your kids?’ Mentally, Hermes inquired.

‘I am.’ Apollo answered, picturing in Hermes mind an image of another version of him playing with the kids.

‘If you three would excuse me, I'll go talk to Apollo.’ Naturally as breathing, Hermes dismissed everyone and walked away. ‘Whatever it is, don't do it.’

‘C'mon, where is my free spirited brother who'd help me in the craziest quests?’

‘My limit is whatever the distance between my pretty face and uncle's Trident.’ Hermes grunted. ‘Where is Percy?’

‘Don't worry, she's with Nico di Angelo.’

‘Your son's crush?’

‘Isn't it lovely that her little, uh, shadow is my Will's crush?’

Even if there was a glitter of endearment in his eyes, Hermes pretended to be annoyed. ‘It's almost as if they're hormonal teenagers.’

‘It’s romantic!’ Apollo sighed.

‘If you say so.’ Hermes retorted. ‘What do you want?’

‘Oh, I did not come here with demands.’ Apollo hummed. ‘I just assumed that my little brother would help me give my beautiful maiden a nice birthday night, you know? Just making sure her dad doesn't notice if she goes missing for an hour or two.’ 

‘Are you crazy!?’ Hermes exhaled. ‘Everyone is here, and they'll notice if the hero of Olympus simply vanishes.*’

‘I know you could buy me thirty minutes. Then thirty minutes more. And then a little longer, I promise we'll be back before 10A.M.’

‘You said the same last time.’ Hermes groaned.

‘You know I can't lie. Just one hour.’

‘You can if you believe in your lie. Thirty-five minutes.’

‘Forty-five.’

‘Forty. Last offer.’

‘Deal. You're the best, brother.’

‘That someday will get me fucked up.’

[gender-trash]

come to think of it, it's been a hot minute since i posted my fic writing setup, hasn't it?

(feat. sneak preview of make no plans chapter 9)

my vim setups tend to terrify everyone because i LOVE splits but this is because i feel a deep inner need to see like eight different things simultaneously. most other text editors i've tried make this difficult and annoying to set up, but like... i want to see the outline and my notes file while i write? hello?? also i have a vim plugin that autosaves my session layout so it just automagically pops back up whenever i run vim in the fic repo root directory.

at the very top: tabs. i have all the fic i'm semi-actively working on open simultaneously in the same vim session because why not. to a first approximation, each project gets its own tab (and also a more or less incomprehensible working title).

the split layout: there's only really room for two columns on a laptop screen so that's what i go with for this; for coding on the Big Screen i usually use three. (this frightens my coworkers and makes me look extremely l33t.) for fic, i keep my various notes files, my outline, and anything i'm referencing open in the right column, and the chapter(s) i'm working on (and the author's notes file) in the left column. (when i'm writing code i usually do tests and header files in the right column, source code in the middle column, and config files in the left column, but this isn't a hard and fast rule.) often i'll have more than one split pointed at the same notes file (or chapter file!) so i can look at multiple bits of it simultaneously.

i write all my fic in markdown (and use pandoc to convert it to html for poasting -- i should probably write a makefile or something but rn i just use bash scripts sprinkled about my various fic project folders). my main markdown extensions are preservim/vim-markdown (syntax preview, like italics and stuff) and masukomi/vim-markdown-folding (collapses and expands sections of markdown, which i use heavily in my outline and notes files). i also put the wordcount in the statusline for markdown files, mostly so i know if a chapter is fooming out of control on me.

and the font is victor mono, which has very pretty cursive italics <3

[stimuwrite]

StimuWrite 2.3 is here, please update your version!

I worked hard on this version to add a bunch of new features and improvements, the most exciting of which is the Addon System and Manage Themes & Addons panel! Previously, the only addons available where to add new language fonts, but that will change soon. I've already completed a couple addons that will be launching on itchio very shortly that you will be able to use to extended StimuWrite even further. The app should also be FASTER and more performant! If it's noticeable for you please let me know, I would love that.

The updates

New:

New Manage Themes & Addons panel allows users to delete individual themes and addons, this can be found in the Options menu. No more deleting everything to remove or reinstall one theme!

New compact mode that can be activated once the side panel is closed with the notch button next to the word count goal input

7 new heart colors added in Emoji Options, they go great with the free pride themes!

Addon system and menu bar. Addons coming! Once installed, you will be able to find them in a collapsed menu on the bottom left corner of the app (or the right if you have switched the emoji placement)

Improved:

Your work is automatically exported upon closing the program, if you've selected an export folder

Improvements to the custom emoji interface to make it more clear wtf is going on

Delete all settings and files button actually deletes everything and puts the themes and addons in system trash instead of permanently deleting them

Rich text export now exports HTML files instead of markdown files (just rename your txt files to get markdown files instead)

Lots of performance optimizations to make it FASTER! SNAPPIER! (please please please let me know if it's running better for you lol)

Bug fixes:

Multiple bugs fixed with unexpected custom/theme emoji behavior

Bug fixed where text was sometimes cut off when changing font or increasing it's size

Bug fixed where double dashes weren't being converted to em dash if typing middle of text

Bug fixed where words weren't being counted when typing in the middle of a document

Bug fixed where stimuwrite would accept gamepad inputs

How to enter "Compact Mode"

ICYMI: Free pride theme pack!

In case you missed it, last month I released a free theme pack with 8 colorful themes to celebrate pride! If you've ever wanted StimuWrite themes but haven't had the $$ to get some, this is a great opportunity. You can find it here: https://thatclowngoddess.itch.io/pride-theme-pack-for-stimuwrite

[maxisjoey]

Fight against Big Social Media

After seeing the actions of both Matt Mullenweg and Elon Musk, I think it should be clear that the people who run the platforms that let us communicate with each other are - in the most polite way possible - malicious dumbasses.

Your online presence is not safe in the hands of people like this, even if the owner of the current platform you're on is "one of the good ones", they will eventually get replaced one day.

We cannot realistically take down these social media giants, but we can at least slowly move like-minded people to better alternatives, and arm them with the ability to not be silenced or harassed easily.

Limit your given data for them and constantly point people to content you create to other alternatives, like a neo-cities website or a reliable Mastodon instance. If your platform has extensions like OldTwitterLayout or Vencord, immediately install them and disable all telemetry and tracking data they have on you. Most extensions either have telemetry disabled by default once you install them, but double-check their settings to make sure that they're indeed disabling them.

Create your own website on Neocities or host it on Vercel. This might sound difficult to less tech-savy people, but there are several resources out there like a markdown-to-html converter and w3school's entire repository of knowledge on how to make web pages that can help everyone get into creating their own website. I highly recommend that you stick with Neocities, as it's part of the indieweb and is very friendly towards new people learning these sorts of things. If you're using Vercel, make sure you're hosting your website on a private repository on Github so that you can never lose your website no matter what changes in the future.

Find a webring you're interested in and join it. This is what you can use to find other like-minded people.

Understand how the content-delivery algorithm of platforms you're using works and actively work against it. For example, Twitter punishes its users for following too many people, use this to your advantage to stay hidden from the dangerous freaks we call "People who pay for blue checkmarks", or if you're a content creator looking to market themselves; use this knowledge to boost yourself and your alternative platform(s) that you use.

Setup services and webhooks that let you automatically cross-post content between platforms. If you're unable to move away from Twitter or Discord for example due to your friends/mutuals/fans refusing to move with you, there are services like mamot's crossposting service and a Matrix bot bridge for discord that let you do just that. (Please double-check the service that you will use before logging into it to make sure they're trustworthy.)

[theoldaeroplane]

If, like me, you've wanted a place to blog, but hate all the services and don't have the time or energy to mess with Neocities and the like---

try blot.im.

I wanted a place to host my original writing, but I didn't want to use Tumblr. I didn't want to use fictionpress or ao3, etc, and I really didn't want to have to convert everything to html every time I wanted to share a 500 word thing about my OC of the moment with someone. Blot fills all those needs.

Blot turns a folder into a website. You can sync it using Dropbox, git, or Google drive. It's been around for years and it's well documented. It's almost unheard of, for some reason, which is a damn shame. It can take a little bit of fiddling to set up how you want, but once it's done it's done. I post all my writing as raw Markdown files, with the only tweaks being to add some metadata to the beginning. It updates almost instantly. I've been using it for a few months now, and it's been a really good experience. From what I can tell there is also no moratorium on using it to host (legal) nsfw content.

Blot costs $5 a month, but you can self-host it if that's in your wheelhouse. You get a subdomain.blot.im url by default, but you can also use your own. Mine is at heycorgi.com. The site is a little messy but you can see it functioning, and there's a lot if you Google for people's blot.im blogs.

I don't get anything out of spreading this, I don't have a referral code or anything. I just think it's a really good tool. (It would be cool if it got bigger, though, mostly with the hope that more resources and themes for it might arise. There's a startling lack of themes.)

Start a blog! Tell a friend!

[kuai-kuai]

webdev log 3

this log is longer since I'm writing it as I work, since I forget a lot once I've put down the keyboard for the night (day? I'm always up until morning)

okay, so...

I've implemented user (me)-only add story, edit story, and add chapter, and edit chapter functions

creating a story. I have some "preset" tags. clicking on them adds them to the input, and it'll get converted into arrays to be placed into the database. they're sort of placed there manually since I'm too lazy to make it so that it sifts through tags and posts them there but I'd rather not since some tags are only used once. for the series presets being manually placed there.. well, I have no excuse. I'm just lazy. I'll just kms when I have to add another, ig.

anyways once a new story is made, there's no chapter added so the link to it doesn't work. I have to go in and add a chapter. I will not update this because I don't care and it doesn't trouble me enough to make it a feature so you can upload it all in one go.

from there I get to see this shitty barebones chapter creator.

START TANGENT feel free to skip

laravel Eloquent stores the text as-is so I won't need to use my shitty markdown -> html converter that I have on my secret utilities site that I always had to use for when posting my stories onto my neocities.

that's what it looked like, lol. I had to make this because of the way I write and I want it to display in a particular way which I'll get into in a sec. the reason why I didn't want to use some shitty markdown -> html converter on some other website is because a single linebreak gets converted to <br> while <p> only gets sandwiched between paragraphs with double line breaks.

I don't like that since I wanted text indents for every <p> but text-indent doesn't apply to the next line within a <p> if you use <br>... they only apply to the start of each <p>. a workaround for this is to use text-indent: {size} each-line; but each-line isn't supported in all browsers, including chrome of all things. So I had to write up a program for my own converter which wraps *every* line into a <p> and applies a <br> if there's another newline after that.

but for my new site, there's a function that detects what browser the user is using and will add the text-indent styling only if using supported browsers. so chrome users will just be indent-less! sorry! (you should switch to firefox anyways)

END TANGENT okay, enough about my neocities..

What it looks like for a user (me)... guests won't be able to see the edit link.

When editing, there's an option to delete the chapter. if it is the first chapter of a story, then it will delete the whole story. it's currently the only way to delete a story, mostly as a safeguard for myself since I don't trust myself. if I have to delete a story with a ton chapters in the future... well.. then fuck me.

over on the side, I also went back and added a delete comment function too. accidentally had it earlier where if I tried to delete a reply it deleted the parent comment too. oops.

delete buttons (as well as the buttons that accept/reject comments on the user dashboard) had no confirmation so.. phew. now they do! I've accidentally deleted a whole years worth of art before on my computer, so I need this. very badly.

decided to move the warning into a confirmation alert once they hit submit. allows guests to see the warning in a less clunky manner, and also lets them know for sure that their comment is going to get sent! before the page would just refresh without any confirmation.. so this would be less confusing. two in one!

anyways, the next big feature I gotta implement is creating, editing, and deleting art. then I'll be done with all backend related things and I can finally start on the ~fun~ pages like my about. and other things.

unless I decide to make a guestbook. which I probably will end up doing..

I'll probably be keeping my neocities just for memory's sake and also to host my twine games and silly coding projects but I'll probably be removing my dreams page since I kind of don't want people seeing those anymore lest some tiktok-addicted teenager tries to kill me. better huff them all now if you want to peer into my sick twisted mind (jk I'm an angel)

[lady-inkyrius]

Really wish there was a standard format for local responsive documents. PDF is great for static documents, but what if I want to send someone something that'll look good on phones as well? HTML would seem to be the obvious choice for responsive documents that every device has a viewer for, but I haven't worked out a way to get local HTML sites to display properly on my phone – Neither Chrome nor Firefox recognise file:// URIs, Chrome doesn't display images or styling when opening from the file manager, and Firefox doesn't even show up there in the first place – so they're out too I guess.

It seems like you either have to drop responsivity (PDF) or portability (HTML), I can't see a way to have both. The other options that came to mind were ePub (which doesn't do styles) or Markdown (which you would convert to HTML if you wanted consistent styling anyway), and neither of which have anywhere close to the universality of PDF and HTML.

The last resort option would be making two PDFs, one at regular A4 page size and one designed with a page as wide as an average phone screen, but that seems annoying both to produce and also for the users.

[Repost from a few days ago on my Cohost]

[coraniaid]

Anyway, uh.

I'm not going to suddenly stop posting on here overnight or anything (as far as I know?) and I have some queued/scheduled posts I won't bother pausing, but I'm probably going to try to post here less and less (for reasons that I suppose are obvious). I wish the alternatives to Tumblr weren't all quite so bleak (and that any of them supported LaTeX) or it would be easier to just jump ship.

I never really saw the appeal of Twitter (and still don't) so the explicit Twitter clones like Bluesky are a non-starter.

Cohost seems like a nice idea on paper (and I like being able to write Markdown and create real footnotes, which was something I'm sure you used to be able to do here) but -- between playing around with it a bit and the recent(ish?) drama about the inexact wording of its terms and conditions -- I'm not sure the people running it really have any idea what they're doing or that it's sensible to expect it to even outlast Tumblr.

I was mirroring some of my longer Buffy posts on Dreamwidth for a while last year but I stopped doing that because it was a bit tedious to convert things into readable HTML and because (since I didn't and don't know anyone else who uses Dreamwidth) I was getting literally no positive feedback from doing any of it beyond the vague sense of having a backup somewhere. Might start doing that again though (or just post things there directly).

Discord obviously isn't the same thing as Tumblr at all but I think I might dig out my old and barely used Discord account later this month too. Let me know if we're mutuals and/or have ever interacted in a way you thought was positive and you want to know details.

Otherwise, well. See you in the AO3 comments, I guess.

[mentalisttraceur-software]

Maybe it's just me, but I find it rather weird/strange that the convention is

have a special "title" field in the frontmatter YAML, and then inject that into the published content as a header

rather than

read the first line of the content, and (optionally: only if it is header markup), use it as a title.

Just seems backwards to me.

I do understand that from a parsing perspective, it can seem cleaner if you're imagining the kind of use-cases where you only need to parse the frontmatter. But that strikes me as missing the forest for the trees. Sure it's cleanly decoupled in isolation, but typical usage isn't going to be decoupled:

If I already run code to parse and convert article content to, say, HTML, it doesn't trouble me to extract the title from the content.

Conversely, if I'm already hand-typing, say, Markdown, I find it cleaner, easier, and more (conventionally/idiomatically) visually representative of what the final result will be (whether visually or just in intent) if the title is the first line of the content using the same representation as I would use for other headings/titles in that content format/markup/language.

It's also not strictly better in composability and decoupling:

on the one hand, your title-extraction composes with any content format without coupling to parsing that content, but

on the other hand, your content authoring is coupled to frontmatter, and content which was written to work without frontmatter (title in the content markup itself) won't compose as nicely with a system which expects a title in the frontmatter.

[anotheroceanid]

Nobody asked, but I personally think that obsidian is THE BEST app to write. Like, ik it’s not beginner friendly and that the learn curve is kinda scary, BUT once you understand how it works all other apps feel lacking 😭😭😭

The only problem for me is that you have to pay to sync between devices, which I’m NOT doing, but if it wasn’t for this detail it’d be my only writing app

Especially now that my brain started working and I realised I could’ve used markdown to html converters to post on ao3.

[cssscriptcom]

Convert HTML To LLM-Friendly Semantic Markdown Using JavaScript

DOM to Semantic Markdown is a JavaScript library that transforms HTML strings or elements into a semantic markdown format optimized for large language models (LLMs). It works in both browser and Node.js environments. DOM to Semantic Markdown tackles key challenges in web content extraction for LLMs. Unlike basic HTML-to-text conversions, it preserves semantic structure. The library produces a…

[spurious]

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

💞 Who's your comfort character?

writer emoji asks!!

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I do! And it depends on what I'm writing because I've become that person who has playlists for specific fic lmao. I posted my Live Oak Rodney playlist the other day but I also have another Rodney playlist I've been listening to a lot. Too much Mountain Goats.

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

I write in Obsidian and sometimes google docs, but I prefer obsidian because I like writing in markdown rather than either rich text or HTML, and Obsidian has a plugin that converts markdown to HTML for easy posting onto AO3!

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

/whispers/ i think my wife might know

💞 Who's your comfort character?

unfortunately for me, Rodney McKay is my emotional support misogynist